Patricia Stoltey

Author

Northern Colorado is Not Perfect

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In spite of the beauty and amazing weather we tend to experience in my part of Colorado, there are a couple of things that make it slightly less than perfect.

1.  There are no cardinals here. I grew up in a part of the country where the vibrant reds of these lovely birds were there to cheer us on even the snowiest days. I miss cardinals.

2.  We have no fireflies, aka lightning bugs. I was reminded of this when I visited my aunt on one of my recent trips to Illinois. When I drove into her driveway just after dusk, fireflies were everywhere. I miss fireflies.

Other than that, we generally have very little to complain about….as long as the horrible fires of the last few years and the major 2013 floods don’t happen again. As long as the Yellowstone volcano never decides to blow.

And as long as we don’t get temperatures in the frigids for a prolonged period of time due to a massive Arctic cold front…like the one that’s moving in as we speak. My always chilly office is getting colder by the minute. My space heater is going to get a workout over the next few days.

We’re supposed to get snow, too.

This is a good book and a cup of hot chocolate kind of day, so I plan to spend a couple of hours this afternoon doing exactly that.

Are you in the path of this Arctic cold front? It’s a big one.

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Comments

  1. I miss the cardinals, too. However, yesterday I saw a mountain or western (?) bluebird at our feeder. Also the meadowlark in the summer makes up for everything I miss, including the loons. I’ll put my picture of a meadowlark on facebook so you can see why I say that. Btw, I’m sure I saw a couple fireflies in the field behind us last summer.

  2. I live on the W. Slope and there’s nothing in the world I’d change about it, and nowhere I wanna be! I have live where there were cardinals and lightening bugs, and don’t miss either place!

  3. Hi Patricia .. the cold is a-coming and we have a potential storm surge – thankfully it won’t reach round here .. but adds an extra challenge for many.

    I love the look of cardinals, and fireflies always amuse me ..

    But I bet it’s a wonderful countryside you live in .. happy days – Hilary

  7. I was out last night and drove home in the snow — with all the Christmas lights, it was so beautiful. Of course, the idiots driving too fast and sliding through red lights took all the fun out of it.

  8. Pat, I grew up in Pittsburgh and have had the same thought over both cardinals and fireflies–I miss them. Fireflies especially signify warm summer nights to me.

    Speaking of snow, boy did we get a dump last night (and it continues).

  9. Woke up to at least six inches of snow on the ground this morning, and the temperatures… Wow! I didn’t know it could snow when it’s this cold. I was out for a meeting last night and the roads were already slick. Today? I’m staying home.

  10. I’m just a wee bit north of you across the border in Wyoming, and it’s brutal! I looked at my husband last night and said, “I’m packing. As soon as the roads clear, I’m moving to Phoenix.”

    Not really, though. I do love it here. Every place has its ups and downs. I miss lightning bugs, too, but I don’t know that I’d take living in the 90-degree heat, 90% humidity where I grew up just to see them.

    Stay warm! Alas, I have to leave the house for work. If I didn’t have a day job, you can bet I wouldn’t budge from this place.

  11. I wish we got snow here – I know if we did get it I’d probably get annoyed by it fast, the way people in snowy climates eventually seem to. But a life without ANY snow, EVER, is pretty sad I think. 😛 Not that I don’t live in a place that is a veritable paradise on Earth. But still, I’d like some snow!

  12. Pat – One of the things I loved about Colorado during my one visit there was the beautiful clear air. It may not be that way in the bigger cities but where I was, it was delightful. Oh, and where I live, we also have no fireflies, so I know what you mean about missing them…