Category Archives: weather

The Late Winter Rant

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Andrea Jones

The view outside has become tiresome. I don’t think I’m supposed to say that. I’m not a fundamentalist, but I’ve steeped myself in a tradition of natural history that holds the world as sublime: a wellspring of solace and inspiration … Continue reading →

Posted in weather, wind, winter, writing | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Riven

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Andrea Jones

The color of the wood caught my eye. Dull gold? Whitened tan? Honeyed beige? Light, in any event, blanched against the worn grasses and graying woodland litter. We were on the way back from a little hike, about a quarter … Continue reading →

Posted in trees and plants, weather | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Isn’t This a Long One?

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Andrea Jones

January last seems impossibly distant. Memories from back then are round-edged and worn, like relics of a lost civilization. The pandemic was dawning, of course, although few of us in this country had a clue what was to come. Lockdowns, … Continue reading →

Posted in gardening, humans and wildlife, precipitation, rodents, trees and plants, weather, wildlife encounters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

One Last Fire

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Andrea Jones

Spring, as I’ve said before, is a slow unfolding up here in the mountains of central Colorado: the season isn’t to be rushed. But eventually the days lengthen and long-dormant plants emerge. Among the first of these are rough cinquefoil, … Continue reading →

Posted in change of seasons, snow, spring, weather, winter | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Summer Got-away

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Andrea Jones

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 →

Posted in fall, gardening, summer, time, weather, weeds | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Parched…and Yet

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Andrea Jones

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 , , , | 2 Comments

Waiting on Winter

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Andrea Jones

For the past few years, a wintertime fancy has crept over me in fall. As the leaves of the scrub oak tan themselves to the color of unoiled leather, I begin to think of the looping rhythm of my days … Continue reading →

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Late Season

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Andrea Jones

Years ago, reflecting on our move from the outskirts of Boulder, Colorado to the more rural center of the state, I wrote about planning the space that would be our garden in the mountains: Despite the high elevation, short growing … Continue reading →

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Summer of a Different Color

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Andrea Jones

August: By now, usually, our high mountain landscape is burnished with a brassy gleam, as grasses send seedheads up to nod and wave in any breeze that bothers to turn up. In July, though, a monsoon weather pattern settled in, … Continue reading →

Posted in color, observation, weather, wildflowers | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Rocky Mountain

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Andrea Jones

In the usual pattern of spring weather, the promontory on our northeastern horizon gleams white like an alpine stereotype. The broad hulk of Pikes Peak is fronted by layered foothills and crags, which cascade down toward a grassy pool called … Continue reading →

Posted in change of seasons, precipitation, snow, spring, weather | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments