When Will It Be Spring?

It’s almost March in Kremmling Colorado. It’s been snowing almost every day, and the sky is perpetually overcast. It’s not as cold as it was earlier in January, as low as -17 degrees F. It’s been above freezing almost every day for a week now. The snow that falls has been melting. I suppose this is what is making me ask, "When will it be Spring?" I thought I would give you the pros and cons of Spring up here in the Colorado High Country.

Disclaimer

I am not a two-planker or a shredder (skier or snowboarder, for you non-locals). I used to be, in my fool-hardy youth, but I trashed both knees, way back then, and would rather go snowmobiling any day, rather than skiing. But we don't snowmobile anymore either, so it's neither here nor there whether we like the Spring snow quality or not. We just wish it would stay off the roads!

Spring skiing is great for some, but horrible for others. If you like champagne powder, you don’t get that much in the Spring. But skiing in Spring conditions can be a lot cheaper, as you will find a lot of hotel deals this time of year. You can wear less bulky clothing because the weather is warmer. You do have to put up with icy conditions though, and if you have tried to ski on snow that has melted, then iced over in the afternoon shade, you are in for a lot of falls. So there are pros and cons to Spring skiing, but that doesn’t affect me a whole lot.

Skiing does, however affect my husband's work. He's a department manager at a major grocery store chain. His store has ranked highest in sales in a lot of departments because of our tourist ski season. The store is chock-full of customers all day until closing time, and they run out of food on the shelves regularly. My husband works 60-70 hours per week during ski season. So he is longing for spring, perhaps more than I am.

Pros of Colorado Springtime

I love when things start to green up. The trees sprout, and the grass starts growing. All my flowers in the yard start to come up. A walk around the yard every evening after work reveals some new plant sprouting. I particularly love to watch the progress on my rhubarb. It seems to do something new every day.

We live in cattle country, and perhaps the happiest scene you see here is the baby calves, starting around the first of March. It’s fun, while you’re driving to work, to see the cattle in the pastures with their new babies, romping and playing together. Those little baby cows are the cutest thing ever, and it makes my day to see them play.

There are fewer tourists here starting around the first of April and going until school gets out late May or early June. Traffic gets better. Shopping is easier. It seems like you can breathe a little better. There are actual parking spaces, and you can get a table at most restaurants.

The birds come back. It’s interesting. You go all winter in the quiet, and then, when the birds start to sing, it’s surprising. You get so used to it all Spring, Summer, and Autumn, that you forget over Winter. The first time I hear them sing in the morning is a marker of Spring for me.

The frogs sing too. We don’t hear the singing frogs so much in Kremmling, but when I lived in Walden Colorado, there were a lot of wetlands nearer to town. The first time you hear the frogs peeping is another sign that Spring is really here.

Pussy willows come out the very first of Spring, and around here, they are everywhere. It's fun to pick a few and bring them into the house, for the first bouquet of Spring.

Cons of Colorado Spring Time

Up here in the High Country, Spring is often called “Mud Season”. (heavy sigh) There’s a reason, as you have no doubt discerned. We get a lot of snow, and it takes a long time for it to melt. As it melts, it turns every dirt patch to mud of a cold cement consistency. Every dirt road and parking lot. Every dirt spot in the yard. Along the road sides, the gaps between the grass and the pavement. It all turns into this greasy, slimy, goopy, gunk that clings to EVERYTHING.

I have those tubular running boards with a step build in, on my SUV. A coating of mud builds up on those running boards. If you do not carefully step way out and over those running boards while entering and exiting the vehicle, the whole inside surface of your pants leg gets covered with mud. I don't even drive the muddy dirt roads! Enough mud accumulates from just cutting a corner when you turn, or parking out in front of our house where there's dirt between the grass and the street.

Our puppies (RIP Penny and Zoey), even though they had a grassy yard, would get muddy from head to toe because the mud comes up through the grass if you walk too much on it. We alternated between washing dogs and cleaning floors.

I have to be careful what shoes I wear. I have to mop the floors in the house every single day. Mud gets tracked on the stairs at work, and I have to vacuum it up. My car stays insanely dirty, inside and out. Oh God I hate mud! I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

We don't really have a Spring, per se, in Colorado. It's more like Summer-Winter-Summer-Winter for MONTHS! It seems perpetual. You think you're done with the snow, and it snows again and again and again. You are never close to being sure that Winter is over until June 1. And last year, we weren't even sure then, because we had a huge winter weather advisory on June 22 of 2019! Every year seems to get worse. When Spring comes, it should actually stay!

The Mixed Blessing Of Work

Yes, I do gripe a lot about having a "real" job. I am not crazy about getting up early, driving for nearly an hour, working "for the man" all day, driving another hour, then spending a limited time with my husband and family. But I am grateful to have a job that I like, with people that I like, that pays pretty well, provides meaningful and interesting interactions with people, and challenges my mind.

My "real" job starts back up every year, around mid-April. As much as I love staying home in my sweat pants, I do love wearing my work clothes again (my niche is plus size fashion!). I love being a hermit all Winter, but I love getting away from my perpetual cabin fever when Spring comes. I love playing stay-home, June Cleaver, Susie Homemaker all Winter, but I'm an advocate for women in the work place, too, including equal pay and the Me-Too movement, and like to get back into those roles again come Spring. And, even though I love working on (and being glued to) my blogs all Winter, it's nice to get out in public and do different work for a change.

I'm working off of seasonal unemployment during the Winter. I get paid about a third of what I make during the summer. Money starts to get pretty tight once the end of March is in sight. So I'm very glad to get back to worrying less about finances. (My blogs aren't paying yet, but they keep telling me, "Any day now!" And I hope they are right!)

Spring WILL Come Eventually

So for now, I will enjoy another two months in my sweat pants, because, unlike June Cleaver, I'm not going to wear my best pearls while mopping the muddy floor! I will sigh when I see the growing mud puddle between me and my car, and realize that once Mud Season is over, we can get to the lovely Summer weather that we have in the High Country. I will joyfully continue to crank out keyword rich content, one article after another, for my blog sites, and keep strengthening my relationships with my affiliate partners, until the "real" job forces me to cut back. And I will keep an eye on my garden and an ear out for my feathered friends, and I will take a drive to see those baby calves, no matter how muddy I get, and enjoy the renewal of life once again.