My heart breaks for the people in the Colorado flood areas just south of us. The news gets worse everyday, with more rain on the way. I was shocked to learn that up to 12″ of rain fell in parts of the Front Range. That is normally the yearly total for rain. This part of Wyoming is also getting rain–over 2″ this week. We average 1″ in September and 13″ per year. Two inches of rain is a long cool drink for our high, arid terrain and the creatures who live upon it. In town, it is time to turn off lawn sprinklers and garden watering systems. This amount of moisture will surely nurture lawns and gardens until the average first frost day of September 22.
My son and Colorado friends are safe. In Denver, Kerry is south of the South Platte River drainage, which is the trouble spot. I get an early call from Kerry, who is full of good news. He starts the Golden, CO Fire Academy in January. This is all part of his dream and I am bursting with happiness for him.
Between rain storms, Mother Nature is teasing us with some lovely fall weather. Leaves have not changed much; however, the temperatures dropped from the 90s last week, to the crisp 70s this week. I see that a Blue Jay has come to feed on my sunflowers. I saw one last year, in the exact same section of the garden, and I have been looking for him. Blue Jays migrate south some years, but not others. They must have some inner sense about how the winter will go. I don’t know if I will continue to see this jay after fall, but will keep an eye out for him. I have two backyard viewing spots set up indoors.
I find information on birds and their migration at this website. I just put in my zip code and find out who is in the area. The list includes bird photos and audio sounds of the bird calls. It is a great learning tool.
Last night, I am tempted to build a fire in my living room fireplace, but decide to wait since I am almost out of wood. Instead, I get into bed early and turn the electric mattress pad to 6 (out of 10). This morning I jump up, put on my winter bathrobe, and stir hot chocolate into my coffee. Some people hoard their special whiskey for an occasion; I pull out the Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensations. The change of season brings simple pleasures.
I have to move from my comfy sofa soon, since today is also a work day. My sermon must be nearly finished , and I have lots of calls to make. It would not hurt to do the dishes and another load of laundry too!
It’s just a bird-watching, puttering kind of day as fall slowly arrives.
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Related articles
- Boulder area calls for thousands more evacuations (news.yahoo.com)
- Colorado’s “Biblical” Flood in Line with Climate Trends (climatecentral.org)
