What a great thing to get all this snow. Durango received the equivalent of 1 inch of moisture over the weekend. 17 inches in the mountains! The snowpack in the sw corner of the state still is at only 74 percent (much better than last year, but we could use some more). The main problem is that all of our lakes and resevoirs are so drawn down that even a "normal" year won't be enough to refill them. But for now, let's celebrate the blizzard! Most times you see the Front Range bemoan massive springs storms. After last summer's fires, there's not much grumbling about snow.

I just heard that there might be another storm coming the first part of next week.
Also heard on TV that we would need about 8 more of these storms in the next 3 weeks to get out of the drought!

Wow..... we live in the country about 35 miles SSE of Denver, along the Palmer divide. Being a native to Colorado, I can say in all honesty I've never seen snow like this. A week ago we're talking drought, now with temps in the 50's forcasted this weekend, we're going to be talking about flooding!! Heard for every 8inches of snow it translated to about 27,000 gallons per acre. Multiply that by our 12 acres, then multiple again by the FOUR FEET of snow, and the amount of water from this storm is incredible!!

The West is a place of extremes. Nothing can be normal here, can it? Nothing can be easy. No wonder our native plants are so bullet-proof. I'm now doing the "perennial plant shuffle." In the morning, the plants go out to be hardened off. Daytime temps are 60-65. At night, in they go to the garage because the temps get down to (gasp!) 25. Today it will be 65 degrees. On Thursday, the low is forecast to be 20 with a high of 35, with rain and snow. During the perennial plant shuffle, I feel as if my plants are more like pets than flora. Good grief! Such is the price to pay for getting "first dibs" at the nursery.