Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow?

Apparently, we don’t actually have a choice about “letting it snow” or not.  Our first winter in Colorado has been an awakening when it comes to the winter weather, and I can tell you it leaves me with questions.  I got a text from a long-time Colorado resident who said (and I quote) “It’s unusual to see this much snow so early in the season.”  What? Does that mean it is normal to have this much snow at another time in the season?

Someone else said this was a once-in-25-year event. Okay, for this time of the year, or for the whole season?  Right now, it has been snowing pretty steadily, for 24 hours.  We already had 16” on the ground and now it is closer to 30”.  Our sasquatch snow marker (we never needed one of those in Ohio) barely has his head out of the snow. I truly think he is hiding!

My I-phone chirps when we get a weather alert and I’ve had several today notifying me that there is an avalanche warning. Really? Another new thing for Colorado.  Our weather channels (we monitor three of them) says we got 2” in the last 24 hours. Hmmmm…I’ve heard that meteorologists have difficulty knowing the weather here on the Mesa as their equipment cannot gauge what we are actually getting. Right?  It tells us we will be getting another 3” in the next 24 hours. After having gotten 18” in the last 24 hours, does that mean we will actually be getting 72” in the next 24 hours?….or nothing at all.  Only time will tell.

All of our friends ask if we are warm and cozy in our yurt. I can honestly say that it is pretty warm in here. The wood burning stove keeps it about 65 degrees (it’s 28 degrees outside) and if we get chilly, we have a back-up Mini-Split system. Between them, it’s generally 68-70 degrees.

Colorado has been good to my closest: I have added three new pairs of boots to my shoe wardrobe,  two extra pairs of gloves, a pair of snow shoes (you know the kind that walk on the snow that looks like tennis rackets),  and I just ordered three new cable knit beanies. We get lots of comments about turning our Golden Retrievers into sled dogs; getting our snow mobile out and our best friends are telling us to “stay in and stay warm.”  We do that as much as possible.

I think the blessing here is that I work from home and Rick and our son are building a new house on site, so no one has to go out except Emery, our 14-year-old granddaughter. Because, we have also learned that “school is never cancelled.”  She has enjoyed snowboarding, snowmobiling, and tubing.  Last weekend we went to a Skijoring event in a town about an hour from here. Who knew that people would actually choose (and pay money) to get pulled on skies behind a running horse?  Only in Colorado!

The questions keep coming and I am sure I will continue to be confused, delighted and mystified by the move to Colorado. But, until I know all the answers, I guess I’ll try to fit as I also chime: Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Apparently we don’t actually have a choice about the whole “let it snow” thing…

Apparently we don’t actually have a choice if it snows or not!