Sometimes I wonder what John Denver was thinking when he sang
You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest
Like the mountains in spring time
Like a walk in the rain…

Ok, so I get the night in the forest (best stars ever), and even a short stroll in some light rain, but–the mountains in spring time? Could he really have been talking about mud season?

The ski resort has closed but there is still ample snow on the ground. Including 5 feet blocking the door to our garage. It has begun to melt, resulting in a 4 foot wide puddle at the end of our driveway. And that’s just the beginning.

It is 40 degrees outside, but it snowed last night, so any progress the sun has made has been deterred by more slush. The front range needs this slush; the snowmelt and runoff from our county is the main supply of water for the Denver metro area. It is critical.

But on a day like today, overcast and chill, I pine for the flowering trees that populate the country everywhere but in the mountains in springtime. A daffodil or two wouldn’t hurt either.

The best thing to do on a day like today is to turn one’s thoughts to what one is grateful for. I am grateful for:
1. The return of the summer migrant birds that chatter and trill in the snow laden trees. They know the payoff of mud season is the most spectacular summer imaginable, with little competition for alpine meadows full of wildflower seeds.
2. Little puffs of catkins on the aspens and willows. They are bright white against an otherwise soggy landscape and promise brighter days.
3. The snowcaps on the mountain peaks, they won’t stay white for long. With the ever warming seasons they’ll barely last until June.
4. The hummingbirds that will land here sometime in June as the flowers begin to bloom.
5. Another ski season gone by–I skied 36 days.
6. The increasing flow of work I have coming in, however anxious it makes me feel trying to get it all done.
7. A tax bill lower than I had anticipated.
8. Upcoming excursions: A weekend in Moab, 5 days in Pennsylvania with family, 1 week in Greece and 1 week in Tuscany.
9. The flexibility to take so many days off in 2 months.
10. The summer to come, and whatever surprises it might bring.

But the mountains in spring time? I don’t know, Mr. Denver…