This and that · Feb 7, 10:21 PM


The other evening I snapped a picture of a beautiful sunset. We’ve had a lot of rain and even some snow at the higher elevations. Now the days are growing noticeably longer. This sunset, with its lowering clouds and ridgetops in silhouette seemed amazing to me.

A sign of spring was the first wildflower to be spotted. Usually I come across Milk Maids or naturalized blue Forget-Me-Nots in January or February.

A lupin plant with gray green leaves and blue flowers

This year after the snow, during a sunny pause I glimpsed this lupine in bloom on February 1.

This colony grows on a dry rocky sidehill that dries out very early in the spring. I have noticed over the years that if we have a dry spring but get enough unexpected late rain, this lupine will have new blooms on it at the same time it has seed pods that have already burst open to disperse the earlier crop of seeds.

We can have more rain or even snow, the groundhog can see his shadow and head back for more nap but I am assured that spring is on its way.

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