Spring is bustin' out all over--and other updates...

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:  When it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."
  --Charles Dickens, 
     Great Expectations

March--a month filled with family, friends, adjusting to Daylight Savings, spring arriving before winter ever took its coat off and finally getting the piano tuned after five years of good intentions!

Family and friends assist in the taking down of "eARTh." 

"eARTh" closes

A month of exhibiting "eARTh" seemed to disappear faster than this year's winter.

March 18th arrived with sunshine and warm temps--an ideal day to take down an art exhibit that was, in my opinion, a most amazing combination of art and energy.

There is a certain energy that is part of putting together an art show and there is a different energy that permeates a gallery when a show is taken apart and dismantled. 

It is a quiet energy, despite the work that is almost frenetic in the effort of taking art off the wall, sorting it, packing it and loading it into cars and trucks waiting to return it home.

"SOLD" work needs to be delivered to new owners and the gallery space needs to be readied for the next show.

For me, it is also an energy that brims with accomplishment and pride for creating work that pushed me into new realms of discovery and taking gambles that paid off.  I know I am far the better artist for having been part of this creative collaboration with dear friends.

Susan, Annie, me and Suzette, take a moment before we begin the BIG DISMANTLE.

My ornamental pear tree blooms in my Secret Garden.

 What happened to        WINTER???

To those of you suddenly slammed by WINTER this month, you may take umbrage at my whining about an EARLY SPRING.

But, really, for those of us who THRIVE in WINTER, this year has been a warm disappointment.

Sigh.  

Ornamental pear blossoms open with gusto!

According to our paper, "The Windsor Beacon," the official first day of spring simply "closed the curtain on a warm and dry winter that bordered on the bizarre with lots of sunny days and below-average snow."

See?  We've been in SPRING really since January-February.  The official start of spring was really more of a, "Oh, okay," rather than "Finally!  Woo-hoo!"


Did I mention our WINTER/SPRING was highlighted by WIND?

When wind closest to the ground is warm and the air up high is chilly
--HOLD ON TIGHT!! --and when the masses mix together hold even tighter!!


I also read that despite the winds we've already experienced lately, peak tornado season is actually late May and early June.  (We have a new roof that can attest to that fact.)  

My snowdrops bloom with abundance before any other garden flower.

  We happen to live on the county line and the county that begins across the street, Weld County, happens to be NUMBER ONE in the nation for  for twisters.

Gulp.

It has also been a most unusual winter in how little precipitation we received in any form--snow, rain, anything? 

Fortunately, the mountains have received abundant snowfall, which is exceptionally good news for those of us with fingers crossed we receive a good chunk of the 16.6 inches of precipitation we are supposed to get each year. 

April, May and June are usually our wettest months of the year--but, keep in mind that in this semi-arid area drought is not uncommon. 

Rocks balance with precision as placed by a gallery attendee/stone architect
taking up our invitation to create during the "eARTh" exhibit.

But, the good news is that we have RAIN  in our forecast for this weekend!  

And, that is a 
WOO-HOO!!!!

A good way to close this non-winter season and settle into a spring that has already unpacked its bags and made itself comfortable.