Cripple Creek, CO

Yesterday was a typical Easter for us in the High Country. I woke early to let the dogs out, start the coffee and brush the demanding cat. She won't shut up til I give in give her a good brushing. It was, as usual, still dark outside. I stoked the fire, glad to see the 20 yr old daughter that refuses to work had loaded wood into the fire before retiring, which is usually sometime right before I get up. Then I sat down on the computer to pull up my e-mail and check my daily horoscope. Typical daily routine for me.

As the darkness lifted over the earth, I noticed it was lighter than usual along the ground lines....yes, it was snowing! April 12th. Easter. Now, this isn't an unusual occurance for us living at 8500' along the Central Rockies. In fact, its normal. Many an Easter I have spent hiding eggs inside the house for the kids to hunt. We have even hidden the eggs more than once just to enhance the experience! It's always been kinda fun. On the rare occasion when we actually COULD hide eggs outside, we have to do it quickly, as the dogs were not far behind rooting out our treasure. An egg head count was necessary, although we could never come together on the actual amount of eggs we hid, empty cartons besides the point, some got used for salad before the event and some just plain got et by the adult egg hunters.

But now that the kids are grown, the hubby has expired and I am here with the one child that seems to have planted herself permanently in the World of Warcraft, my Easters are different. I spent some time updating my numerous online accounts and sites that I post stuff to like Facebook, Postlets etc and yearning for email. The daughter spent plenty of time World of Warcrafting. Then we got moving.

As the snow swirled and the wind blew, we got out the ladders. Not just your usual ladders. I pulled in the big 12 footer. Set it up under those darned upside down light fixtures that manage to catch the dead bugs. Pulled them down and washed them up and lo! Light!

It's amazing how much light a pile of dead bugs block!

Then we hit all the high spots...the mounts, the dusty antlers and the boar pig with the captains hat, the commemerative knife collection....all things nailed 'way up high that collect dust. Dusted! The tops of the bookshelf! Vacuumed and Dusted! I even rearranged some furniture! Open space! Or, as the dogs see it, more space for them to lay around. Pulled off many of those stupid knicky knacky things that collect during the course of a lifetime! Counterspace!

Of course, we were covered with dust and the schmutz that comes off the tops of things that haven't been dusted in years, but felt great! Its that feeling that knowing the cobwebs are gone, the dust has been cleared away in places visitors can't see. To think of it, I may even invite someone over to see the house cause those dust bunnies have been sucked away! It's been awhile since I had a party....

But first I have to clean out the room that I piled all that knickyknacky junk and spare furniture in.

Thats for another snow day. It's April, ther'll be another one soon......

Sprintime in the Rockies! A wonderful time of year! Beautiful crisp clear days interspersed with howling blizzards! Ain't it great! We just had our first really serious blizzard here in the Central Mountain Area, all that snow you see on the news got stuck on them ski slopes and rarely made it here....until now.

This was really just a baby blizzard, really!

When the news gabbed about it endlessly for days and predicted 1-2 ft of snow, folks in town got all excited! We always do in a blizzard! It could mean a couple of things to us....it could be a "whopper" where everyone is seriously stuck for days and even the snowplows run for cover! It could be a "sorta whopper" where we may be stuck til the plow comes but folks that can are still going to work...Or, it could just fizzle out to be a plain ole' snowstorm. Thats what this one did. Fizzled. Pffft! Phooey!

Cracks me up seeing the grocery stores filled with folks buying stuff cuz there is a blizzard warning on the news! Heck, the news can't even find my house much less predict near right what the weather is going to be round here!

Folks seemed to think this could be the "Mother of All Blizzards" the way they were buying stuff! Oh, what was I doing in the store? Buying stuff! Thats right! Just in case the TV went out I had to stock up on videos, popcorn and stuff too! It (tv) never did go out, but sometimes it does! Now, if the power goes out we have a plan for that, too!

So, the snow came and the wind blew and everyone vacated their jobs at about 11 am in Cripple Creek last Thursday. I didn't get to head out of town til around 1pm. That was fine, though, cause the snow was light and even tho the wind was blowing the flat to the Mt Pisgah curve wasn't covered with ground blizzards like it can be. Temps drop quickly in one of these storms, I try to carry a winter coat and gloves around with me, cause it did! And I only had to deal with a couple of paranoid drivers in 2 wheel drives going down that hill, so leaving after the rush has its merits too! I made it home, stoked the fire, snuggled into my couch with my blankie and the wind howled and the snow blew as the night wore on.

Friday morning we woke to a white wonderland. Snow drifted up about 2 ft on my southern porches, and there was about 8 inches in the pastures, but that was it. Big Whup! So, that made this Mother of All Blizzards a Baby Blizzard in my book. Didn't have to get plowed out. Didn't get stuck for any amount of time...except no one really moved much on Friday. Give the plows a chance to do their thing, give Old Man Sun a chance to melt the roads and just about everyone else does the same thing around here too. Barely any snow on my 1 mile of driveway at all. Oh, I threw the horses a couple of bales of hay cause they were giving me big sad eyes. We shoveled the patio and made a path for the dogs.

Its almost all gone today, Sunday. I didn't even get a chance to take photographs of this blizzard, it came and went and left such a little impression! Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for the open winter we have had this year and doubly thankful for the slight moisture we got from this baby blizzard! Lord knows we need it! But there is always that excitement when the Big One comes....where it really snows, and snows a lot! Maybe still this year, but most likely not. Life goes on. We wait. And Watch. And stock up on stuff!

Continueing on with fun Fall things to do, this weekend and next is the annual Fall Festival in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Barring an early mountain snow in the next 2 weeks the Aspens should be in all their golden glory making even the drive up worthwhile.

The festival is over the next 2 weekends and features wine and food tasting and a variety of live entertainment planned. Apparently tickets are required to partake in the food and wine tasting. Tickets are $25.00 and available here.

For more information, visit our local NBC affiliate KOAA by clicking here.

Sorry this took me so long to get these posted but i have been busy doing my job as a Realtor Selling homes and properties in and around teller county Colorado.

This was a blast and you bet i will be there in 2009 for more information about Teller County Colorado including Cripple Creek, Woodland Park Co check out my website at Woodland Park Colorado Real Estate

or give me a call at 719-243-4057