A Hint of Spring

  It’s that wonderful time of year when we start seeing that sneak peek of spring that reminds us it won't be brown, gray and dreary forever. Our thoughts drift to a summer filled with BBQs, outdoor adventures, fire pits and playing outside until dark. I know it’s only March, and we’ll see our fair share of snow and cold, but it’s also when we start seeing those hints of the fabulous Fort Collins weather to come.
  The most recent snow has melted, Layla chases Lucy around the yard, contently playing with sticks and pine cones while we watch, sitting on the patio, enjoying the sunshine on our faces. We start daydreaming about what we will plant in the garden, where we will go camping, what yard improvements we’ll get done, etc… looking forward to longer days and also, making up for the ‘lost summer.’
  We did camp a lot last year, even got the chance to explore new areas of Colorado, but we hardly enjoyed our backyard at all. The majority of the season our yard was uninhabitable due to the smoke and ash from all the fires. It was a depressing time, thinking of all the evacuees, those who lost their homes and the dreaded thought that this is how it will be from now on. The fire was literally just down the road. Has climate change made the fire season permanently this horrible and if so, will we want to stay?? These are the sad thoughts I am determined to push out of my brain.
   Until proven otherwise, I will remain optimistic and assume we will spend this summer playing in the backyard, eating dinner outside almost every night and opening the windows, filling our home with fresh air- a lifestyle we have evidently taken for granted,  but now know better.