Saturday, April 30, 2005

The Home Front

Muddy & wet, two snowstorms and two and a half days later, the kitten finally came home.

She's not leaving the house again until she's been fixed!

I honestly thought she was dead by now.

Friday, April 29, 2005

The Home Front

I'm told it sleeted on and off all night, and that it will take an extra 20 minutes or so to clean off the car. Accidents all over, slick roads, and the blasted kitten still hasn't come home. Yes, I'm very worried about her. She may never be allowed outside again!

Thursday, April 28, 2005

The Home Front

The later in the year it gets, the more I hate snow.

It's snowing - again.

Why couldn't it do this in November, December, January, February and March, when no one really minds if it's cold and snowy? That's what winter's for, not spring! Nevermind that April is the 2nd snowiest month of the year, here.

It's really cold out tonight, too, which means the new leaves and budding spring flowers are all going to be black from frost by morning. The average date of last frost here is May 15th. If you plant flowers before that, you're either a fool, or a gardening daredevil. Our growing season is short... just 90 days.

Once again, the kitten went out at 5 a.m., and I haven't seen her since. O Foolish Feline, wouldn't you rather be here, where it's eight kinds of warm?

Monday, April 25, 2005

The Home Front

Just like a teenager, the kitten insisted on going out last night, even though it was raining. She refused to come inside when I went to bed, instead waiting for the other teenager to come home.
I'm wondering how Colorado will fare this year with the drought? The winter was dry here on the plains as it has been the last 4 years. I haven't checked snowpack yet though, or reservoir water levels. I know that the northern Rockies are still in the midst of it, but that spring run off is causing flooding in other areas.

April rain is a good sign, though we usually get more in May, than in April. Hopefully this will keep up....

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

The Home Front

March was a Goldilocks month - neither too hot, nor too cold. It never got warm enough to feel like spring, nor cold enough to feel like winter. Goldilocks.

April has been an improvement, though we did get 12" of snow last week. The moisture was so welcome, that I don't think anyone minded. Every day, I look at my white oak tree in the front yard, and cross my fingers that this year, it will recover from the drought. It may never recover though... when even the tree experts shook their head over its behavior last year, my heart sank, thinking that we'd have to remove the tree that had been so gorgeous just two years before. Yesterday I noticed there were a few branches with tiny leaves beginning to bud - but it's not even over the whole tree, just in a few places. I'm going to be heart broken if it doesn't recover this year.

The crabapple trees are in bloom all over the city. One just down the street was split in two by last week's storm, but the one next door is beautiful, heavily laden with fragrant pink blossoms.
My husband and son cut the lawn day before yesterday, and the smell of freshly mowed grass screamed, "summertime!" through the open screen doors.

Today things turned cold again, and a light drizzle started in the late afternoon. We had pea-sized hail for about 10 minutes tonight after I got home, but neither it, nor the accompanying rain lasted long.

Monday, April 11, 2005

The Home Front

Just so this storylet won't be left unfinished with the blasted kitten stranded outside in the middle of the biggest blizzard in the area of the year....

Little brat showed up just at dark, fur dry, feet wet, like nothing at all had happened. The snow's twice as tall as she is! Gone for 14 hours, and she just comes wandering back like it's no big deal!

Sunday, April 10, 2005

The Home Front

Doggone kitten is still outside somewhere. There's 6 - 8" now, and it's not letting up one bit. I know she's hunkered down under a bush somewhere, but I wish she'd get smart, and get inside!

The Home Front

The winter storm we've been warned about since Friday, finally started up about 2 hours ago, nearly a day late. Snow's horizontal already, it's wickedly cold out, and the wind is whipping up... well, a storm.

The kitten went outside about 3 hours ago, and so far, I can't get her in. I hate when she does that. The smart cat is the one that's inside, asleep on the couch.