Cyclone Bomb? Really?

We are beginning to see signs of spring here at the Garden Spot, but we have had to walk through fire snow, before the Season Makers deemed that was time to bring us out of a grim winter.  Briefly to recap winter: dry, dull, drought. Then last week word began to spread that a Bad Storm was on it ways. By mid afternoon Tuesday, the TV crawlers were announcing school closures all along the Front Range. School children and parents were checking their school's web sites for office confirmation. Common Sense coupled with past experience made most of Colorado wonder if the weather predictions were much ado about nothing, since we have seen similar grave predictions over the years with the storm fizzing out or never arriving, but no so this time. They called the weather  phenomena a Cyclone Bomb or Weather Bomb, apparently now an official weather term. (You can read more here on Wikipedia)

Here in Northern Colorado we had the wind that blew the snow that caused snow drifts that cause highway pile ups--two alone I-25. One to the north near the Wyoming border and one south of Denver headed to Colorado Springs. I-70 east of Denver was horrible. News photos showed abandoned cars buried in snow drifts. Live stock on the Plain were caked in snow and many new baby calves were lost. Avalanches in the mountains closed highways and destroy homes.

Colorado natives know that March is our wettest month, and we can have spring blizzards long into May. The snow came down, the wind blew, and the snow piled up and then the sun came out and the snow quickly went away, and leaving behind much needed moisture that inspired the the signs of Spring to appear.

As it begins to warn up and now with the encouragement of moisture, things are happening in the garden:

• While the lawn looks brown at a distance, as does all the landscape, if bend down and look real close, you will see shoots of new, green grass trying to break come through the dead thatch
•  next the early daffodils are coming through the bark mulch. I have to admit that daffodils make me giddy. 
• In the front courtyard along the sidewalk the tulips, coccus, and hyacinths are well on their way
• even the gold fish have emerged, rising to the surface, sunning themselves.  I love Spring.

So as Spring begins to take over where Winter left off, I realize that it is time to get outside and start the clean up with even more vigor than ever with the reunion party in August followed by a wedding here the next weekend. Remember our little college student who lived with us. She is all grown up and found the man of he dreams and they have asked if they can have their wedding here in August. It is going to be so much fun planning and getting ready. The good news: it follows the reunion party so the yard work will be all done. I do hope that I can keep my energy level up. 

As my blog friends post beautiful photos of their walk-about, I thought I'd share  mine:

I begin on the back patio, testing the wind, assessing the temperature, planning my stroll.

I walk over land  past the water garden. It's calm this morning and ice free.

I go past the barn and veer toward the hen house

where I pick up a nicely rocked path

I find myself at the east gate of the Hen Pen where I give them a treat: the vegetables that met their untimely death in the refrigerator crisper. (Why do they call it that? It's the place where vegetables to die).

She looks so good, but the hens are aging and past their point of egg productions. We have decided not get anymore--for now at least.

Pretty feather that reflect the early morning sunlight.

While certainly not a walk any consequence, it's a pleasant little trip. The birds are happy this morning, chattering, singing: mostly sparrows, a couple of red winged black birds, few house finches, some robins that have been here all winter. 

So glad that you took a moment to visit. See you at Mosaic Monday.