I didn’t believe it was possible…Snow in May? We woke up last Friday to big, fat flakes covering our high green grass and dusting our blooming iris.
The hummingbirds seemed enchanted with it. They were darting through the snow, chasing each other merrily.
The mountains, which had begun to green in all the bare spots with live oak, are still snow dusted today, several days later. But the oak is a sturdy shrub. I doubt a leaf was frozen, and most likely all the snow will melt in a day or so.
My 8 year old grandson visited during the height of the storm and told me his harrowing tale of being “lost in the wilderness.” (His words) He said everything looked the same in the snow, but that “the alligator juniper looked elegant” He told me “it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
I gave him a little pot of peppermint tea and a bowl of roasted almonds to warm him up.
I’m one of the luckiest grammies in the world, with grand kids a hop skip and a jump from my house.
Seeing our land from the little kids’ perspective awakens my early years of exploration in Ohio. All the way down to fossil hunting! We have a ravine on our property, great for sledding in the winter and fossil collecting in the spring, summer and fall.
And birds! Besides hummingbirds, we have orange grosbeaks, ravens, wrens and at least 20 or more varieties I haven’t identified. A real birder would have quite a time here.
But I just watch them and listen to their song. We have some real warblers nesting at our property at 7,000 feet. They awaken us sometimes in the very early morning, a mixed blessing.
Coming from lush Florida, I wasn’t sure I could learn to love the sometimes stark environment of New Mexico. But now the juxtaposition of a delicately petaled flower and cracked dry land gives me a little jolt of poetic appreciation.
And when the early afternoon sun shines through the stained glass windows in our adobe, I feel a little shudder of admiration and joy. New Mexico has a tentative beauty, one that kind of sinks in after absorbing it for a while.
Like an unexpected snow fall in mid-May.
What is it you love best about where you live?
I would love to hear from you here!
I LOVE that you are getting the full effect of my home state, truly the Land of Enchantment. When my kids were little squirts I remember taking them up to the Sandia peak for a hike one day in July. Started out beautiful and sunny and then the clouds showed up for what I thought was going to be a huge, drenching thunder boomer, but it was SNOW! They thought it was magic despite all of us being cold.
Don’t know if it still runs, but as a NM artist now you should check out the Wine and art festival at Los Ranchos de las Golondrinas in Santa Fe in July, if you haven’t already. I just googled it and it may have switched to being more of a wine festival (which still sounds fun!), but I got some great art pieces there when we used to live there. Be well!
Oh, that story is SO New Mexico! Yes, it really is the land of enchantment! I don’t participate in too many art shows these days, but it sounds like a fun one to attend. (More interested in the art than the wine, so we’ll see…) Thanks so much for the comment!
Merry
We had snow also can’t believe this still have are wood stove going we have a robin in are wood shed with her eggs hopefully it will be warm enough for her and her eggs
Wow, so I guess we weren’t the only ones! Well, it all melted and we have lots of sunshine and blue clouds now!
Merry
Spring in New Mexico sounds beautiful! Here in Florida, as you know as a former resident yourself, we do not get “spring”. We get “summer” most of the time, with a few weeks of delightful weather in March and April. Florida is great for growing orchids. I have about 250 orchids, bromeliads, and other plants that grow and bloom year-round. I do NOT miss snow!
I totally understand about the snow! I also love orchids, and have a friend in Tampa who grows them. I was in Florida in January and again in March for a little while, and it was a bit chilly some days!
Merry
Beautiful picture and brsutigul story/.
Thanks, Judy!
Merry
I live next door to a land grant university horse farm. Today I can look out and see seven mares and their foals. Several more mares are expected to foal soon. I can also look out and see my bird feeder with orioles, gold finches, flickers, woodpeckers, cardinals, thrashers and a variety of finches, doves, and blackbirds. Deer and turkey walk across the pasture at dawn and dusk, and sometimes during the day. I have a fruit and vegetable garden in my side yard, flowers in my front borders, and the back yard is dedicated to the bird feeder and the playground for my miniature dachshund and my Shih Tzu. They have about a half acre to play in, and it is all fenced. At dusk, I have bats, frogs, and toads, and I sometimes see skinks in my garden, or under some of the apricot trees.
Ah, what a beautiful spot you live in, too! Isn’t it wonderful to be surrounded by so much nature?
Merry