I met a new ranch couple last night. We ate, we drank, we talked and we learned of each other. There are so many wise, unique, creative people here, and I always enjoy discovering new folks as such.
One noted topic was that this area is known for anomalies in the sky, prompting much speculation about other worldly craft that might visit with us. I was specifically told, “make sure you take pictures so someone will believe you.”
Taken at 7:11 am this morning. There was no time to put on the long lens. I make no claims, but this is what my camera captured.
I ventured out of the ranch this morning, all the way over to the big city (AKA Alamosa). An early riser, I left before sun up and got to see the colorful sunrise on the back end of the ranch as I closed and locked the gate. Most of the Blanca range and Lindsey were buried in clouds as the sky lit up, but the summits were finally clear, now laden in fresh snow. It has been a long, heavy, overcast couple of days and clarity and openness is always welcomed.
Errands done and returning, the vastness of the valley opened up such as we haven’t seen in days, due to smoke and haze as well as weather. The San Juans were freshly white at the summits. Trinchera Peak was covered in fresh white powder, as were both of the Spanish Peaks, so every direction, at higher elevations, was suddenly white again, truly indicating a change in the season.
The strong afternoon sun has stripped both the Blanca range and Lindsey of all traces of snow. Trinchera, still deeply white at three thirty was fading back to mountainous grey by sunset. The Spanish Peaks are still misty, but should be returning to stone tomorrow.
Mother nature is out there, and she is letting us know she is about to take a new hold upon us. For now, we are about to peak in foliage. It is time to ride the ranch, enjoy the beauty, and marvel at the wide open spaces before we settle into a white winter wonderland once again.
On the last day of the month, we are starting to spit snow out here in the ranch. Sooner than I would like, and the ground is now turning white. It does feel too soon, but we are nearly four weeks later than last year’s first storm, and that one dumped a foot up here on my little mountain top.
It is a bittersweet morning as such. I have more kindling I would like to split for my winter stock pile. More window trim to remove and areas to patch and seal before winter, but today we are inside with the fire blazing comfortably. There are plenty of chores here left to do, but we shall watch the snow with a bit more coffee this morning.
I do, however, happen to have a nice bottle of whiskey now headed my way, so it shall be an okay day after all.
I am not much of a betting man, but I did make a wager on Saturday, one that seemingly is a win-win situation for this man.
There is a newly discovered whiskey here that we are raving about, and a bottle of such is the wager at hand. Shall we get snow by the end of the month was the question for the aforementioned prize.
I do not gamble, mainly for I am not very good at it, and in this case, it was a calculated bet. I do not want it to snow, so I bet that it would. With my odds? We will get no snow, and my only penalty shall be handing a friend a bottle of whiskey that, upon simply smelling it, made him salivate like a Pavlovian dog.
This morning, the forecast calls for a thirty percent chance of snow on the 30th so we shall see how the cool down shakes itself out. If it snows at the very very end of the month and that awards me whiskey?
For a man that does not gamble often, this is a pretty safe wager, regardless of the outcome.
There is a bite in the evening and morning air now. A distinctive, seasonal, familiar bite returning. My new wall heater was flicked on this morning, via a button to adjust the thermostat. A small but notable change in itself.
There are many changes occurring this season. I am not an expert on this mountain, and have the same trepidation as last year about a winter of snow, drifts, remoteness, isolation, and access, but there is a subtle grounding here as well.
I have done this before. I prevailed and had a wonderful experience over the last year. I am a bit wiser; I know now what full reserves in all aspects I will require. I am a bit more grounded. A bit more settled. Feeling far more human in relation to the Earth itself. I have shifted, and reinvested in aspects that matter more now. Mean more now. Feel more now.
The bite in the air reminds me of the year past. Gathering wood did the same. The wall heater for a quick burst of warmth sans a real fire now a seasonal ritual. The regular pressure canning throughout the weeks, tucking away goods for Spring. Tuning equipment, ensuring that which will be exposed to tended. Tending that which I need to tend me.
The air is changing, this is true. We all are changing with it whether we stop, connect, and notice it ourselves. It is the start of but one more Fall upon us, one more cycle to embrace.
