Expanding on the November 12, 2020, post, June to
November; Colorful Colorado shines, I have elected to showcase the city of
Windsor across a twelve month span. Not the city per se, but the view from our
main floor deck. Not from exactly the same spot either, but close enough to
give you the idea.
I am going to document changes in the reverse order,
starting with May 2021 and wrapping up with June 2020. You will also see that
there are not twelve photos but fourteen as on two occasions the change across
24 hours was dramatic and worth a second look.
But first, what does it look like outside our home right now? Take a look at the photo above and then again, at the very end of this post. As Margo was editing this post she observed that never
ever would she expect me to write a blog on watching the grass grow, but here I
am!
May 10, 2021 morning and then afternoon of same day ...
Spring may begin in late March at least according to the calendar, but in northern Colorado it does take a little longer before the message is communicated to the flora. However, we were pleased to see that the brown stumps alongside the fence we changing color rapidly.
With the arrival of
fall, our mowing service cut these colorful grasses back to their stump and we
had been concerned over whether or not they would grow back. None of our
neighbors had had their decorative grass clipped this aggressively so watching ours
as they turned green and began to grow gave us pause to celebrate. Mowing of
the golf course now became a daily routine and was yet one more sign that
spring had definitely arrived.
It was while watching the morning news that we heard our weather lady remark on how May is the month where it May rain, it May snow, it May be windy or it May be sunny. Turned out that by late afternoon a cold front moved in from the North West and we were blanketed in heavy wet spring snow. And the temperature went from the 80s F to 30s F and lower.
Our colorful vista returned to something akin to a black and white photo, but by late the following day, it was all gone. Such is the weather in Colorado.
April 10, 2021
Springtime in April, on the other hand, is cause for
celebration. It was a time of cleaning our upper and lower decks, removing the
covers from our grill and furniture, throwing up more pretty lights and in
general, giving the whole back exterior a thorough cleaning. When you live in
Colorado, spring cleaning really means something and of course, given how Margo
was still suffering somewhat following her fall in December, I have to say I
was well managed through the weekend we elected to clean up the place.
We now have a really good lightweight leaf blower and a high-pressure powered water hose so it proved to be a lot of fun and no, I never turned the hose on Margo although I have to admit I did have a sneaky suspicion at one point that she was moving awfully close to the machine.
March 10, 2021
The changes that occurred in March were hard to ignore.
Whereas weather forecasters suggest that with “April showers comes May
flowers,” March gave us a time to savor anew the transformation that lay ahead.
The grass may be green on the golf course but then again, as these photos will
highlight, it seems as though it stays green twelve months of the year. What
really stands out is the green, almost velvet like “fluff” that begins to
appear on the flora.
There is still the golden hue so representative of foliage in Colorado but in between the gold was just a sprinkling of green. Being Australian I just had to take note of the presence of the green and gold and while this time of year didn’t make me homesick, it did remind me of Sydney autumns of long ago.
February 10, 2021
March may be the snowiest month but back in 2019, February indeed saw more snow than March and this year, I suspect the snowfall totals will yet again see other months recording greater quantities of snow. Needless to say, there were extended periods where dustings of snow were clearly visible. Reminded Margo and me more of powdered sugar than anything else!
However, it is now just the snow but it is cold as temperatures in February hover almost continuously around 30 F. However, there were just as many clear blue sky days as there were days with overcast skies but it just so happened on this tenth, it turned out to be a gray day.
January 10, 2021
The month of January is an enigma. One year, I rode my motorcycle to Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 70s F and there have been many more times when the thermometer has climber that high. Bright blue skies and balmy days! There is a reason why snowfall in January is pretty light on; winter isn’t really a time for snow as much as it is late in the season when the heavier falls are recorded. However, it has traditionally been a time when we left for warmer climates, most often to California.
Margo and I recall sitting outside at a restaurant in Santa Barbara on New Year’s day when the temperature was in the mid-70s F but I have to say, with the global pandemic still making its presence felt, we spent the whole of the month at home. However, as anyone who has lived alongside the Rocky Mountains knows all too well, there is little to no humidity at this time of year so there is little opportunity for snow to accumulate hence the continuation of those golden days of winter.
December 10, 2020
The view out across the golf course in December is little different to what you can see in January. The lines truly do blur at this time of year and you find yourself checking the calendar to make sure you know which month it is. December is traditionally a period of celebration and a time with family exchanging gifts. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for Margo and me as life became complicated. Margo’s broken leg left us housebound for an extended period but, as complicated as it became, we so enjoyed our time together.
No matter the month of the year, I cannot recall just how many times I have walked out onto the deck only to hear the sound, coming from the golf course, of golf balls dropping onto the green.
Again, just one more reminder that life
goes on uninterrupted by the weather almost every month of the year …
… but just two days later on December 12, 2020 ...
well, uninterrupted most of the time. Just two days later down came the snow and the landscape of green and gold of just two days earlier was covered in a lot more than powdered sugar. Looking out across the snow covered rooftops and at the wisps of steam coming off each homes’ furnace outlets you could come away with the impression of this being normal. But it isn’t and seeing it as it occurred is the reason I added this second photo from December.
You will hear of amazing
snowfall numbers coming from mountain ski resorts but here in Windsor, barely
5,000 feet above sea level and with the dry airflow, even after all these years
living alongside the Rockies we still get excited when we catch a glimpse of
snow falling just outside our window.
November 10, 2020
Talking of snowfalls, November is one of those months that can be a snowfall overachiever. It is meant to be the third snowiest month of the year but this year, apart from a couple of light dustings, we enjoyed extended periods of warm weather. Of note here are the decorative grasses referenced earlier; with a base that is bright green, the grasses themselves grow quite tall and turn golden in color.
Once again, as an Australian, I appreciate that delicate balance for green and gold and if by now you haven’t figured out that the countries national colors are green and gold well then, I guess you can consider this a gentle reminder of that fact. The contrast between the golf course green and the grasslands between our fence and the course couldn’t exhibit a starker contrast but even at this time of year, we often found ourselves outside enjoying a morning cup of coffee.
October 10, 2020
With the coming of the harvest and all the festivities that take place at this time of year, just take a look at the view. This is perhaps the best example of all of the green and the gold with the morning sun siting low in the sky, the long shadows just added complexity to the picture. There was the occasional snow flurry but very little by way of disturbance to our daily routines.
It was around this time that the full effect of the global pandemic was being felt in earnest as event after event was cancelled. Hope for a return to normal by the end of summer just didn’t eventuate. The sunny days however allowed us to pack up our outdoor furniture and bring it inside. It also gave us time to pull the covers over the appliances that would be left outside for winter. Even so, catching site of colors like this made it difficult to imagine winter was coming.
September 10, 2020
What a revelation! A snowstorm that dumped many inches of snow on our yards, bending branches and making roads slick – and it wasn’t even fall. It happened the last full week of summer and so, over this twelve month period covered in this post, we only had the months of June, July and August that were snow free. On face value you would assume that this is what is expected of weather in Colorado after all, the Rocky Mountains runs right through the state. However, this is far from the truth.
Coloradans are more likely to talk about sunshine and blue skies than they are about snow. There are many days when snow does fall but there is never any opportunity for it to accumulate; the lack of any humidity ensures that with the onset of sunshine and clear skies, it evaporates quickly. Unfortunately this lack of humidity also contributed to massive bush fires and the nearby Cameron Peak fire saw ash fall as if snow all over our grounds. As much as this big fire was painful to watch, what makes September so special for all Coloradans is the colors of fall and for one more year, we took time out to drive up through the front range to view the Aspens as they turned golden. This is what September is truly all about.
August 10, 2020
Hot August nights! Yes, the rose bushes behind the green and gold grasses still carried a plentiful supply of bright red roses. We took the decision to add more trees to our yard and so we talked to our landscaper and chose a couple of maples for the color. When it came time to plant we had found he had chosen a pair of Hot Wings Tatarian Maples which of course, we kept referring to as a pair of hot-pants that totally confused our neighbors.
While these maples were eventually planted in the fall we also took the decision to add yet another blue spruce, three more rose bushes and five more of those colorful green and gold grasses when spring returned. As our home was built on former grazing grasslands, we felt the need to add trees and this we are doing and, with the heat being turned up during August, we are hopeful that as the trees mature we will enjoy even more shade.
July 10, 2020
This additional furniture was made from teak (or perhaps, Malaysian hardwood) with the counters made up of nicely finished concrete. Perfect for outside! Unfortunately, the first piece turned up damaged and it wasn’t until the approach of winter before we completed deploying the ensemble. But now, the only word I can choose that best describes this downstairs patio is well, you guessed it, perfect!
June 10, 2020
By June even the protected grassland lying between our
home and the fairway beyond was looking spectacular. So many shades of green
and with the late afternoon breezes those grasslands rise and fall before the
breeze in mimicry of ocean waves. When we first moved into our Windsor home and
stepped out onto that upstairs patio, what came to mind was the image of a
cruise liners suite with large veranda. We would sit outside on a couple of
salvaged chairs to just take it all in.
Windsor wasn’t anywhere close to being our first choice
for our new home but as circumstances often dictate, we are so happy that we
made the decision to build. If we had left it any later we probably would not
have been able to afford to build and to think that we would not have been able
to enjoy this view, twelve months each and every year, would have been heart
wrenching.
Soon we will head to Florida and that’s a mighty long drive but even so, as we take in the scenery we pass and that has become quite familiar through the years, it is hard to imagine that we will encounter anything quite as beautiful as the landscape just outside our own back door!
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