Snow!

Today is May 1 and it's snowing like crazy. Yesterday, it was sunny and 78 degrees. A popular saying in Colorado is, "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes." This is so true and one of the things I love about this part of the country. Having lived in Louisiana all of my life until two years ago, all I had experienced was the heat and humidity of the south and nothing close to a change of seasons. Snow was a rarity and, if it happened, it didn't stick around for any length of time.

Can you see the red-throated bird in the middle of the tree?

Last year, I planted a flower garden in an area of our front yard where a blizzard-damaged pine tree once stood. The area was full of rocks, so I decided to turn it into a rock garden, of sorts. I planted bee balm, echinnacea and marigold to attract the butterflies, birds and bees, and yucca, mint, sedum and a variety of other perennials that I can't remember. I gathered more rocks from around our yard to fill in spots, and used larger stones for the border. I was quite proud of the results. Just yesterday I noticed how things were starting to pop with new buds and green leaves - a sure sign of spring. The gardening advice in this climate is to wait and plant after May 15th, at the very least. And this is the reason why:

There really is a beautiful garden bursting with color underneath.

Two of our dogs, Captain D and George, really like romping and playing in the snow. They especially delight in licking the fresh, powdery stuff off of the ground or the dog beds. They will chase each other around the back yard, root around for their toys, and buck and play with each other like rams. Nadia, on the other hand, is too much of a lady to be bothered with such antics. If it's snowing out, she will rush to do her business - being careful not to touch her behind to the cold ground - then promptly return to the back door with a paw scratch to be let back in - pronto! George only begs to come in if it's really windy or if he's had enough of Captain. Captain is always the last to come in and many times it's because we have to force him. I think he loves the snow as much as I do.

"Snow? What snow?"