Playing Catch-up...

Translucent leaf, so pretty, floating in the shallows of the lake..

Alaskan geese taking a stroll on the frozen lake... 

Chubby, confused prairie dog....

Took the kayak out in the middle of March, twice!!!

On the lake in the kayak, like a mirror, so so so quiet...

Before the much needed rain as EVERYTHING is getting ready to burst with color...

Rains over the Rockies, headed east to us...much needed...

Daylight savings sunset...

After another round of precip...

It occurred to me, after seeing my cutback in blogging, that Instagram (amylikesjack) has become more of a daily log for hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Myself included. It is easy to get exposure globally, and instantly, and as a photographer, this form of social media, has proved/proven to be a worthy tool. It also occurred to me that many of you, who are on my mailing list, have absolutely no social media presence at all, which in this day and age, is almost more impressive. March blew in, we turned around, March blew out and here we are in April. The story here, in Colorado, has been the lack of any sort of moisture in the form of rain or snow, which, as I have stated many a time on my Instagram feed, it is 'scary, bone dry.' Having lived through 2 of Colorado's most destructive wild fires, it was abundantly clear, that the State could simply go up in flames with one careless move. So, we waited and waited and waited. We never really had a winter, and much to my surprise, with very mixed feelings, I was out on the lake (which should have been frozen) in the middle of March, twice. The Blue Herons are still gone, the Great White Pelicans are scant, forget about the Eagles altogether, they have eluded me, it has become personal! And then, finally after crazy warm temps, the rains, the much needed moisture started pouring down upon us. Gentle, sweet smelling rains. In other places around the state, massive amounts of snow, and more on the way, but, we welcome it! So, for those of you who (impressively) are not engaging on social media, this is a 'catch-up' post, so you can see, in part, some of the sites from the month of March!

'Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it.' Isaiah 45:8

It Came, and Then, It Went...

Right after the white out..

..and more..

The tiny buds coated... 

...and it stopped, just like that...

Just like that, the snow blew in, to white out conditions, and then, blew out...just like that. We need the moisture, as we know what can happen when the land is parched. This will all be melted by tomorrow...it was really quite pretty!

'She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet..'

                                                                               Proverbs 31:21

The Burn Scar has a Heart!

It snowed earlier in the week and it is the first time since the wild fires in Waldo Canyon last June, that the burn scar was really covered in snow...well, at least w/in my sight. The scar is the color of charcoal...very very dark. Looking north, it goes on and on for miles. The contrast of the rolling hills, the canyon and mountains which were burnt, and the fresh fallen snow, is simply black and white. I literally had to pull over while driving to take some pics because it was so beautiful. Little did I know, until I came home, looked on the camera, downloaded the pics to my computer did I see what to me, was clearly a heart! Nobody created this, it just 'happened', and my oh my what an inspiration. The canyon lost so much, families lost everything, and a couple, even their lives. A clear sign, if you will, as families are rebuilding their homes and their lives, that there is love up there on Waldo Canyon...awesome, absolutely awesome!!!

' Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy.' Psalm 98:8

Wordless Wednesday

The real deal...just gorgeous...

October Snow...(ugh...)

'They' told us it was coming. A huge dip in the temps from Tuesday to today....literally, close to 50 degrees colder...and it snowed. We were out last night when the precipitation began and within 5 minutes we were almost blinded by the snow. I woke up this morning to this awe inspiring, jaw dropping gorgeous sight. I took some pics w/ my iphone, but I can't zoom all that well, and the majesty is better captured w/ a 'real' camera. Am I happy that it is 27 degrees outside and that it snowed...not even a little, people. We are told that we will 'recover' into the 60's by early next week...but, in the meantime...WOW!!!!

Comfort...

When I look out the window on the first floor of the house, I see mounds upon mounds of snow... white...everywhere. When I look out of my son's bedroom window on the 2nd floor, I see icicles which are over 2 feet long, and I think; don't want to be under that when it falls...someone could get hurt. We need a break from this frozen tundra. Which leads me to my delicious find today at Target. I kind of needed new slippers, and kind of didn't. However, when I saw these, clearly, they had my name on them. When I tried then on, well, perfection! Even better, they were on sale, reduced from $17 to $4 and change. How could a gal possibly say no? I liken these yummy slippers to mac and cheese, hot chocolate with whipped cream, the coziest blanket, a roaring fire...yes, comfort, being the operative word. It really, truly doesn't take much too make me happy and these slippers have fit the bill to a 't'!!! So, we may be buried under all this snow until spring, but I know, for certain, my little feet will remain warm and toasty.....ahhhhh!

Baby it's Cold Outside...

Really, it could be worse, much worse. For example, check out WillOaks Studio blog. However, the snow is blowing horizontally....small dog alert!!!!

Here is the forecast for Providence for today: Snow, mainly before 4pm. High near 23. Blustery, with a north wind between 16 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. A chance of snow showers, mainly before midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 20. North wind between 11 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Now, this is not a blizzard, this is just pure cold air w/ some snow flakes being being blown around. I could bundle up and go for a walk, or, I could light a fire, curl up w/ the kitty's, my prisma colors and a sketch pad...hmmmmm....

Fare Thee Well...I Hope!

It is March. I am so glad it is March. Tonight we turn the clocks ahead 1 hour, giving us that glorious extra measure of light at the end of the day, which continues to increase by minutes upon minutes as the sun becomes higher in our soon to be, Spring sky. There is so much hope attached to this upcoming season of Spring, especially this year. It has been a tough Winter for our country. Just that very hope of Spring and ALL it has to offer, makes my heart sing, as I am already making plans for my garden, thankful that last years haul is still blessing our table! On that note, I took these photos this past Thursday, down at the Stillhouse Cove, of the mounds of snow, which have since seen some serious melting. I know, it IS possible that's it is not quite over yet, but, hope, hope, hope, Springs eternal!

Contrasts!!!

This is a partial view from inside my warm kitchen, looking outside to the evergreens laden with snow. What a striking contrast! Had to take the photo!

Hibernating

It's snowing, snowing, snowing and we're all nuzzled in...