Yesterday…
My spring yard with its many colors,
The Purple and Golds are most vibrant,
Demanding to be noticed on THIS day,
Their appearance is simply glorious.
Today…
To my list of colors, I add two,
Whites and Pinks in a showy display.
Growing on this mountain,
Despite the struggle, they make their presence known.
When you look at this little Columbine,
First appearances can be deceiving.
As with all things, striking beauty and magic.
Appears deep in the details and from within.
~Splash of color in a bunch,
early spring appearance.
~Hated, cursed, sprayed with poison,
not to be tolerated, disrupting a manicured environment.
~Dare you show your presence,
aw, but abundance defies this abuse.
~I think they are beautiful,
most people don’t agree.
~Struggling to live in nature,
lovely brilliant flower to fun willowy seed.
~I leave them be,
their presence is fine with me.
A lovely day today in northern Colorado! The second snow storm has finally stopped, leaving an accumulation of five inches or so. It is beautiful and will soon disappear.
The warmer mid-day temperatures begin to melt the snow laying on the broad branches of the Blue Spruce, Austrian pines and other trees in my yard. The melting snow along with lower afternoon temperatures creates icicles that hang from the tips of the tree branches. It appears as if someone decided to decorate the trees with ornaments. I don’t recall seeing such an occurrence – nature has created a delightful site!
I continue to place bird seed out for the birds. Their frantic searching for food is evidence that these early spring snow storms and freezing temperatures have caught them off guard. The American Robins seem to have moved on, possibly because they have eaten all the berries in my juniper trees! The 30+ Dark-eyed Juncos are still here enjoying the full bird feeders.
Other visitors to the feeders have included: Chipping Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, Townsend’s Solitaires, Black-capped Chickadees, Scrub-Jays, Morning Doves and Ring-necked Doves.
A simple pastime – gazing out the windows of the house, observing the wonders of nature, leaves moments of joy.
Here is Loveland, Colorado we are experiencing our second snow storm within a week. Last week it snowed for three days straight leaving us with an accumulation of two feet. This storm, which started mid-morning, will have accumulations of 4 to 6 inches continuing over night.
During the storm last week I found two frozen Mountain Blue Birds. I think they were migrating through Loveland to higher elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park and sorry to say got caught in this usual spring weather. It left me feeling very sad.
We have several juniper trees that produce berries and the Robins and Townsend’s Solitaire are enjoying them during these snow storms!
We have always made a conscience effort to plant trees, scrubs and flowers in our yard that produce food for wildlife and it has always paid us back with many colorful creature visits!
It has been awhile since I have written and today I felt like sharing where we have been since my last post.
~Lake Seminole-East Bank Campground – A beautiful U.S Army Corps of Engineers Park located in Bainbridge, GA. (on the GA/FL state line near Chattahoochee, FL). This state park offers lovely views of Lake Seminole and a fantastic place to bird.
~Our favorite RV “park” located on the outskirts of Purvis, MS. This is where we enjoy the company of those we love!!!
“Souring hearts upon arrival, broken upon departure and always filled with love until the next visit.”
~Fairview Riverside State Park in Madisonville, LA – the friendliest people, beautiful old Oak trees and the Tchefuncte River makes this state park one of our favorites. Did I mention the food – New Orleans food longed for all year and eaten here in the area until we bust. Also, some fun time spend with wonderful friends leaving lifetime memories. Back to our roots!
~Stephen F. Austin State Park – located near Katy, TX. This is a lovely, picturesque and peaceful state park where you are surrounded by forest and the songs of birds announcing spring! I have never seen so many Northern Cardinals in one location – ever!
~ Frog City, LA – a one night stop simply to eat some delicious Louisiana seafood!! A last chance opportunity and one taken with mouth-watering anticipation! Being from LA and having grown up enjoying this delicious food we love stopping here in the heart of Cajun country.
~Kerrville, TX – our Hill Country favorite town. A quite place to re-group, to get the Rambling Rose washed and waxed, to experience some authentic “cowboy” hospitality and enjoy west Texas at its finest. We love to stay at the Buckhorn Lake Resort.
~South Llano State Park located in Junction, TX– one of the very best birding places anywhere. Also, Rio Grande wild turkeys roost within the park. The Rio Grande Wild Turkeys depend on this perserve. This state park is perhaps my very favorite!
~Balmorhea State Park located in Balmorhea, TX. I consider this state park a one or two night stop over. It is a favorite destination for locals and divers from all over the country giving them the opportunity to experience the natural, spring pools. I would rather drive the extra miles and go to Davis Mountain State Park. I prefer dark, clear skies over deep pools!
~Three new stops during our 2012/2013 adventure
– First – Brantley Lake State Park located 12 miles from Carlsbad, NM. We enjoyed visiting Carlsbad Caverns and Sitting Bull Falls.
– Second – Bottomless Lakes State Park, Roswell, NM where you can enjoy the peaceful surrounding of the state park with its 90 foot deep sink holes or you can drive into Roswell to hunt for aliens!!
– A Roswell side trip, just seven miles away, brought us to Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. This area is a biologically significant wetland area and is located where the Chihuahuan Desert meets the Southern Plains. A gorgeous place and a winter refuge for thousands of birds.
– Third – Santa Rosa State Park, Santa Rosa, NM with its 360 views of the New Mexico plains and stunning views of the Pecos River. We did not have the best weather while we were there. Strong winds and freezing temperatures did not invite exploration!
As you can see, from our choices in where to camp, we love the state parks and they never disappoint filling our souls with the beauty of nature and a deep longing to return.
After six months of travel we are now back at home in Loveland, Co. During this first week we have had almost two feet of snow and extremely low temperatures lasting for three days. The lowest temperature, I think, was 9 degrees. Where is spring?
This transition, from traveling in our coach to being stationary at home, generates feelings for me that are truly inexpressible. Maybe one day I will be able to put these feeling into words.
Needless to say I am happily awaiting the arrival of spring to northern Colorado and appreciative for a way of life that allows me to experience it several times a year. How fun!!
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