Ugh, the heat. It’s been brutal, I’m hoping today ushers in something cooler. Besides, another topic would be nice.
Have a cooler week.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Category: Weather
Nature Friday ~ July 19, 2019
We made it to Friday-woohoo, no thanks to the blistering heat Mother Nature has been doling out. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this weekend, we’re also celebrating the 72nd birthday of astrophysicist and epic guitarist from Queen, Brian May, PhD. Commissioned by NASA, this anthem, his first solo song in 20 years, celebrates the latest mission by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, which just set the record for the most distant spacecraft flyby ever. So let’s hear it for May and the universe. And because it’s Friday, we’re joining our good friends and Nature Friday hosts, Rosy and her brothers from LLB in Our Backyard.
Mother Nature and I are not on speaking terms this week. Like most of the country, we’ve been baking in triple digit temperatures. Luckily the humidity in these parts barely registers in the low teens so at least we don’t have that with the heat. We are looking forward to 65 days from now…the official arrival of Autumn. I know, I know, I heard your digital groaning at that thought but neither the Knuckleheads or I are hot-temperature fans. Sure we enjoy the longer daylight hours , but the heat, um…no thanks.
So this weekend we’ll be lifting our eyes toward the skies enjoying the universe’s wonder, and then take a look down here on Mother Earth to take in summer’s bountiful lavender harvest at the annual festival tomorrow at the Denver Botanical Gardens, Chatfield Farms location. Here’s an image from last year’s festival. What are your weekend plans? Stay cool and enjoy nature this weekend.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Wordless Wednesday ~ May 22, 2019
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Wordless Wednesday
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Nature Friday ~ February 8, 2019
Welcome to another edition of Nature Friday at the Ranch hosted by our California friends, Rosy and her brothers over at LLB in Our Backyard. We hope you’ll swing by their backyard and check out theirs and others tip of the cap to Mother Nature.
You can say things have been unseasonable around the Ranch lately. Normally our coldest weather comes in January when the Stock Show is in town. This year however the weather for the most part was quite balmy. A number of days even had peeps wearing shorts with their puffy jackets (yeah, I don’t get that either-wearing shorts with a ski jacket is very common around here). January and February typically have little in the way of snow and yet we’ve had two snow storms in consecutive weeks with 10 and 6 inches respectively. I don’t mind the snow, but the below zero temps following this latest storm seems beyond what is normal for this time of year. Yesterday it was -5 F and just barely over 0 this morning, so let’s go for a little orchid action to warm things up.
It’s been some time ago but I found this beauty hanging out forlornly at the grocery market so naturally I felt compelled to ‘rescue’ it. It was the only blue one and I knew it would be a lovely addition around the Ranch. Isn’t that blue color simply exquisite? I don’t know how they get the color, but it’s beautiful and made me feel like I was back in Hawaii.
Speaking of Hawaii, I would be remiss to not include a photo of the real deal in its natural environment. Located just north of Hilo on the Big Island is the Onomea Bay and the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. With 2,000 species, representing more than 125 families and 750 genera, this is just one many beautiful plants located in this one-of-a-kind garden.Their orchid collection is particularly spectacular. Just check out this specimen. Talk about colorful and delicate looking!
I don’t know about you, but after seeing photos of tropical orchids, I can once again appreciate all that nature has to offer even as I look out the window at a wintry white-scape. I hope we won’t have to bundle up like Eskimos again, like yesterday. Lacing up 10 snow boots, donning three coats and mittens was more exercise than the actual walk!
Have a super weekend and get out there to enjoy all the beauty Mother Nature has to offer but stay safe and warm.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Not Even Close to Wordless Wednesday ~ Long Shadows Edition
Sam, the Dogtor, is making rounds again (today he’s at West Pines) after some incredible visits yesterday with so many nice people. We hope to share a story or two about those visits soon. For today though, we thought we’d share a photo from the recent snowstorm. Hard to believe long, winter shadows arrived shortly after 2:00 PM across the snowscape, topped by a cornflower blue sky. Those gorgeous blue skies brought a smile to my face. Colorado’s weather is nothing, if not changeable. If you don’t like 10 inches of snow, wait a bit and you’ll see something like this. The temps will be warming to 50ºF over the next few days. Ahhh. Not too shabby for being mid-winter.
Have a great Hump Day.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Monday Moanings ~ January 28, 2019
Today we woke up to poodle zoomies weather, otherwise known as a good 6 inches of snow. Elsa zoomed up and down the dog run racing around in jack-rabbit gallops and yet happy to come inside (and shake off…once in the house). Does anyone know why dogs ALWAYS wait until they’re safely indoors before shaking?
Today should prove to be interesting since I have an appointment this morning. Just hoping I can return safely and get back up the little hill to the driveway. Hoping you aren’t stuck ‘up the river without a poodle paddle’ and your Monday starts off on a ‘pawsitive’ note. To our friends in the upper Midwest, stay safe and warm in the midst of a Polar Vortex this week.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Nature Friday ~ January 11, 2019
Kudos for surviving the week and if you’re like us, you’re excitedly waiting for the weekend to begin. Welcome to today’s edition of Nature Friday where we join our fur-iends Rosy and her brothers from LLB in Our Backyard.
While the temperature outside is the warmest it will be all day at a balmy 34F with a beautiful wet snow falling here, we thought we’d share a photo of a real snow storm from a few years ago. These kinds of storms are only in my dreams these days and can only hope we ever receive that much again.
However you spend your weekend, we hope you enjoy it.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Nature Friday ~ January 4, 2019
Welcome to the first Friday of 2019 where we enthusiastically join our fur-iends Rosy and her brothers from LLB in Our Backyard for this week’s edition of the Nature Friday blog hop. Don’t forget to check out other blogs when you click on the link. Not yet ingrained in my brain, I’m still having trouble typing 2019 but figure it will become second nature soon. Fingers crossed. Speaking of nature…Mother Nature went on a bit of a tear earlier this week. Last year ended with a small snow storm blowing through the 303 and New Year temperatures started out literally in the freezer with emphasis on the blowing part. Low double digits dropped like a rock into single figures with the windchill. One early morning it was below zero. Hard to even recall today as the temps have been warming since Wednesday and should be around 60 F this afternoon with mid-50’s forecast for the next several days. Crazy Mother Nature…at her best/worst again, depending on how you view it.
Here are a couple of images from Mother Nature’s first storm of 2019. The bird bath was photographed early in the morning and chills me just looking at it.
And while the sun is shining in the second image, you can see exactly what windswept looks like on a patch of ornamental grass.
So how do you plan to stay warm this weekend? Whatever you do, we hope the first weekend of a fresh new year is ‘pawsome!’
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Nature Friday ~ December 28, 2018
Welcome to the last Friday of 2018. I have mixed feelings about this year but am always happy to join our fur-iends Rosy and her brothers from LLB in Our Backyard for this last Nature Friday blog hop of the year.
On a day where our temps will struggle to reach the 20’s, I thought we should go back to Mexico and warm up a bit.
Turtles are ubiquitous in Mexico and these little guys know how to enjoy the heat, sunning themselves on rocks but always close enough for a quick dip to cool off (or to escape from pesky tourists).
While walking through the Old Town area on the way to a favorite gallery our family discovered, this noisy little guy was either greeting us or more likely, telling us in no uncertain terms to go away. The racket this little squirt made me nervous its owner might check to see if we were some sort of nefarious troublemakers. It never ceases to amaze me that the tiniest of dogs are the ones who raise the most cain, in the most aggressive way. I’m sure they have to wipe down the glass panels on the deck frequently as he gets frothed up with all passersby.
After scurrying past the 4-legged security alarm, I stumbled across this building that stood out against a cloud-dotted sky, a restaurant known as Café des Artistes.
Check out this exquisite video I found on their website which is narrated by the founder and chef, Thierry Blouet.
Don’t know about you, but after seeing these images, I’m slightly warmer (and more determined to go back to this lovely place in nature!) and can now face the first of what will no doubt be frequent, but brief forays outside with the Knuckleheads. Stay warm this last Friday of the year and have a great weekend.
Live, love, bark!🐾