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Author Archives: Andrea Jones
Summer Got-away
I promised myself last spring it wouldn’t happen again: the summer, this year, would not spiral out of control. I would manage my time, balance my obligations, ride herd on my expectations. But the summer got away from me. Again. … Continue reading
Curse-Worthy
In the normal scheme of things, I wouldn’t consider it a weed. Western sticktight (aka Lappula occidentalis, (or ledowskii), flatspine stickseed, flat-spine sheepburr…all variations on the theme) is a native plant, and as a general rule I have a bias … Continue reading
Out of the Background
The fear that a bad fire season would be in the offing come summer lurked in the background for months. The prickle of anxiety persisted through the windy days of March and April. It lingered while I planted the garden, … Continue reading
Posted in precipitation, wildfire
Tagged Colorado wildfires, fire mitigation, forest fires
4 Comments
Parched…and Yet
I knew these days would come. In late spring for the last several years, I have nagged myself to remember—and be grateful for—the luxury of going into summer with moisture in the ground. How pleasant those days were. I didn’t … Continue reading
Posted in color, humans and wildlife, summer, weather, wildfire
Tagged Colorado wildfires, Colorado wildflowers, fire danger, wildlife in Colorado
2 Comments
Back to England
Thirty-five years ago, in June, 1983, I traveled to England as part of a 4-H exchange. I no longer remember exactly how I came to sign up for the program, but what’s clear in retrospect is how much that summer … Continue reading
Posted in home, travel
Tagged Beachy Head, England, Housesteads Roman Fort, London, Northumberland, Talkin Tarn, University of Lancaster, Weymouth
4 Comments
Pesky Wildlife
“…Rural development encroaches on the traditional habitat of coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, prairie dogs, bears, mosquitoes and other animals that can be dangerous and you need to know how to deal with them.” from “Code of the West,” created … Continue reading
Posted in birds, spring, wildlife encounters
Tagged Colorado wildlife, country living, mountain bluebirds, Sialia currucoides
10 Comments
Hope Springs: An Epilogue
I had been pinning my vague sense of unease and discouragement these past weeks on the weather: on the dry and the wind and the swinging of temperatures from too warm to too cold. But when I saw clusters of … Continue reading
Posted in change of seasons, spring, wildflowers
Tagged pasqueflower, pulsatilla patens, Rocky Mountain wildflowers, spring
2 Comments
Hope Springs
Every year it’s the same: as temperatures start creeping up, offering reassurance that winter is winding down, I start obsessing over color. This is a spring thing for many of us living in the world’s temperate zones, I suppose, but … Continue reading
Posted in change of seasons, color, gardening, spring
Tagged Colorado weather, drought, high fire danger, spring snow
6 Comments
Jake
My little red horse Moondo has delicate skin, which makes him an attractive target for flies and parasites. This winter, he fell victim to a double-barren infestation: lice and ticks (technical term: Yuck and Double Yuck). The lice have proven … Continue reading
“First Signs,” and an Opportunity
“Spring arrives in the high country differently than in other places. Where the land has a strong vertical dimension, the change of seasons is bound to elevation, not distance from the equator. Shades of green swirl up the flanks of … Continue reading
