The End of the Drought?

One wet spring does not (necessarily) equal the end of the twenty-plus year megadrought, but one may be forgiven for a case of cautious optimism after repeated and copious rains in May and June. As of June 20, the Colorado Springs airport, where the city’s official precipitation is recorded, lists a month-to-date of 7.72 inches, … Continue reading The End of the Drought?

Where to Nap?

…during the day is a dilemma each porcupine faces after a nighttime of activity. As an herbivorous, nocturnal rodent who stuffs her tummy with roots, stems, twigs, bark, leaves, buds, flowers, seeds, or nuts of various plants in darkness, when the solar orb rises above the horizon in the morning it’s time to find a … Continue reading Where to Nap?

Welcome to San Luis

During an April road trip with Taos in New Mexico as our destination, my husband and I revisited San Luis, Colorado’s oldest continually inhabited town, founded in 1851. Like many settlements in southern Colorado, it carries a Spanish name, as this part of the state once lay in the territory of New Spain. The farther … Continue reading Welcome to San Luis

Of Spring Birds, Blooms, and Feelings

I don’t know about you, but this winter seems to have kept its grip on us longer than usual. I realize this feeling is subjective, but my hunch is shared by several friends. Cold, dry, and windy conditions in March and parts of April kept the vegetation mostly brown, and the arrival of migratory birds … Continue reading Of Spring Birds, Blooms, and Feelings

Signs of Spring

Spring drew on: she was indeed already come; . . . sometimes on a sunny day it began even to be pleasant and genial, and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps. (Charlotte Brontë … Continue reading Signs of Spring