Downright Giddy!

(This is a slight break from the barely-started Scotland posts.)

This winter that wasn't winter gave us next to no snow. Maybe two or three snows from October until April down where we live. The mountains didn't fare much better. In fact, most ski resorts struggled and had to make their snow just to stay open this year. Most closed the first weekend of April. Yikes.

All of that to say, when the snow finally arrived on Tuesday (May 5th), I was giddy. Everyone at work was so excited about snow that there was a party atmosphere. Usually, the thought of a May snow storm makes people cuss. This snow storm was celebrated.

We didn't get much at our place, only about 4" of the wet stuff, but it was amazing! I walked around before I left for work and took a few pictures. After work, I walked around and took a few more pictures, just to emphasize why I love our Colorado weather. These pictures were taken almost exactly twelve hours apart.

5:55 a.m.

5:49 p.m.

5:55 a.m.

5:49 p.m.

5:55 a.m.

5:49 p.m.

5:55 a.m.

5:49 p.m.

5:55 a.m.

5:49 p.m.

I imagine that the ground sighed and took a big, long drink of water. Sadly, this won't help our drought conditions for this year, but it was enough snow to make this year no longer the worst snowpack in history. Mom got about 2 feet of the heavy, wet stuff, and I love seeing the mountains wearing their coats of snow. Even the foothills have snow visible from our house, which feels like a breath of fresh air.

We had a hard freeze last night, but by the end of the day, we'll be back up into the 70s. The rule of thumb in Colorado is not to plant until after Mother's Day, and this is why. Having said that, I'm planting the hell out of my garden this weekend.

Finishing a Few Final Projects (4/8/26)

The day started with an absolutely stunning sunrise. I was slow getting out of bed, which meant I was going to be running late to work, but I looked outside and saw the sky. I hustled through getting ready for work and spent a few precious minutes wandering the backyard, taking pictures.

If I'm supposed to be on time to work, maybe God shouldn't reward my tardiness with such stunning artwork early in the morning.

I just love this view. Sunrise is one of my favorite times of day.

I arrived at work in great spirits (and technically, only one minute late), only to be felled by a stomach bug within twenty minutes of my arrival. After a couple of hours of running to the restroom every twenty minutes, I tagged out and went home. There are few things more aggravating than having a long to-do list for after work, cutting the work day short because of illness, and not being able to tackle the to-do list. If I have to cut a work day short, then I want to be able to either play or get my to-do list knocked out. Not sit around, miserable, waiting for the next trip to the bathroom. Finally, after a short nap, and with the demon purged, about 3:30 in the afternoon I was feeling well enough to get started on my list.

AnyTMI, I eventually began knocking things off the list. One of the things that needed to be completed was to finish the insect netting for my broccolini bed and get the drip line installed. Of course, that took much longer than anticipated (don't all "quick" projects take longer than anticipated?), but with the help of my cat scanner, Pongo, I was able to get it completed.

Also, have I mentioned how much I love this chicken tractor frame? Seriously, even though it's not being used as a chicken tractor any longer, the frame has more than paid for itself over the past year or so.

Pongo thoroughly checking my work.

Is it ugly? Yes. Does it work? Also, yes.

Now, with the exception of picking up another couple of round bales for the horses, my pre-trip, around-the-house, to-do list is complete. All that's left is my last day at work, some light cleaning, and packing.