Thursday, January 10, 2013

Snow Day

or Usefulness

The old year faded out in snow.


Not much snow, but enough to yield 3/100 of an inch of moisture, raising our grand total for 2012 to 5.46 inches.  I find it hard to believe that even a native plant finds a dusting of snow worthwhile, but what do I know?  Maybe having its toes tickled occasionally is icing on the cake to Mormon tea (Ephedra viridis)—an enrichment activity that makes its life in the desert all worthwhile.

Now, Colorado, that was another story.  Flying to Denver for Christmas along the front range of the Rockies, looking out the scratched airplane window and away beyond the wing, you could really see snow.  The fourteeners sparkled in the sun.  Even their vertical crags were caked with powder not yet scoured away by arctic winds.  Colorado doesn't have nearly as much snow as it should—snowpack is only about 60% of average—but some places have 30 or 40 inches so far.  Even if that isn't really enough, it's still useful snow.  Come spring, when it starts to melt, the streams and rivers will rise, and the reservoirs that give life to the west will fill with water.  (At least, that's the idea.) 


Half an inch of snow is not so useful.  It doesn't replenish the aquifer, deep inside the earth; it doesn't even water the garden.  It settles the dust; it enriches life a little, it offers a moment of refreshment, maybe even excitement, for those of us who are easily entertained—and then it goes away.  I'm not complaining, mind you.  I don't much like snow any more, and half an inch is plenty to give my soul all the cold, watery refreshment it needs. 

We have the luxury to enjoy "snow as enrichment" in Albuquerque because the useful stuff happens elsewhere.  For the most part, our water doesn't come from around here.  It comes from the Colorado River basin, way up yonder.  We cheer on the cold, deep, lingering, powdery, useful snows that happen in the high country.  They keep that basin flowing with life-giving water.  And we revel in the pleasant change of pace offered by our half-inch storm that goes away as soon as the sun comes out.

From the patio.  (With the zoom lens...)


I've been thinking some about usefulness and enrichment lately—about the pipes and pumps and tunnels and other marvels of engineering that let clean water flow from a tap in the desert; and about those less tangible, less obviously necessary things that offer pleasure and refreshment, that tickle your mental toes and then melt away.  The contrast between those ideas might be kind of a theme here off and on for a while.

If it isn't a useful exercise, it might (if we're lucky) at least be an interesting one...

28 comments:

  1. Spectacular, as always. Greetings from Tel Aviv, Stacy!
    Hugs,
    RS

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    1. Thank you, RS! Hope you managed to stay warm and dry in all that exciting weather there last week. Many hugs back!

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  2. Welcome back!I've missed your insightful comments and lovely pictures. Re ephedra, there is a species of that in the wettest corner of my very wet yard, so it must be pretty versatile!
    Aloha from Jane in Hawaii

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    1. Aloha, Jane, and thank you! Nice to see you here "on the other side," so to speak. Oh, that's funny about the ephedra. The kind I'm growing doesn't want much moisture other than rainwater even its first year in the ground!

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  3. Stacy you have been missed and I have been wondering how you have been...hope your holidays were joyous and that this New Year is a wonderful time for us and our gardens. We have had 4 feet of snow in about 8 days from 12/22 until the New Year. Now we are warming and melting a bit. I am sure more snow will come as we catch up from our drought.

    I have been thinking about some of the same things lately...pleasures, gratitudes etc as I continue on my journey to a new path this year....I look forward to more of your thoughts!

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    1. Donna, that's so kind of you--thank you. It's good to be back, and I hope to catch up with all of my blogging friends soon! 4 feet of snow...that would shut down NM for weeks. Somehow I'm sure you were all up and running again within a day or two... I'm glad your garden will have a little more protection from cold weather this year!

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  4. Hey Stacy, you're back! And not before time - I've been pining. You've had more snow than I which seems unfair somehow. And your link to fourteeners made me chuckle - here in the UK we have mountains called Munros. These are peaks not above 14000 ft, nor 10000. I'm embarrassed to say they're not even 5000 feet high. No, our mighty Munros are mountains above 3000. Even the highest (Ben Nevis) is a paltry 4049 feet. I hang my British head in shame. But on a less churlish note, having my toes tickled occasionally is icing on the cake for me too. Dave

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    1. If it's any consolation, Dave, the middle of North America is already pretty thick before the mountains begin. Colorado's plains are 5,000' above sea level, and the bases of the highest mountains start several thousand feet higher than that. So each peak isn't actually soooo much taller than your Munros. They're glorious, but not like the Andes or anything, starting from sea level. (I would love to see the Andes!) I think "occasionally" is the key to happy toe tickling.

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  5. Welcome back, and a very happy new year! It seems forever since I last read a blog post from you. If it is hot enough, even a cloudy day with 'moist' air makes our garden perk up.

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    1. Thank you, Diana, and a happy new year to you, too! Yes, plants are so relieved at a break in hot weather, especially if there's enough humidity to keep them from dehydrating. They just seem grumpy when it's cold.

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  6. Happy New Year Stacy! Even though I am pleased to see your powdery (useless) snow, I am delighted to finally catch a glimpse of the adirondack chair. Looking forward to your new theme.

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    1. Happy New Year to you, too, b-a-g! The Adirondack chair is almost a character in its own right by now.

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  7. Welcome back Stacy - really nice to have you back. Was grateful to see your current post this afternoon. In Denver tonight we are getting snow - I don't think we are going to get a lot. But the mountains are suppose to get 14-20". The weekend is supposed to be very cold. All those Bronco fans will be freezing their tails off tomorrow with a high of 19 degrees.

    MarkNDenver

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    1. Thank you so much, Mark. My Mom was just saying that the Stock Show is about to begin, so cue the cold weather, right on time... I'm glad I wasn't sitting in the stadium for that VERY long game!

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  8. Hello Stacy, congratulations on your snow, here in London we have had none so far but there is talk about some snow this week-end - possibly. We have however had more than our fair share of rain the last 9 months, possibly why you haven't had much!!
    All the best for 2013 :-)

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    1. Helene, many years from now when climate scientists are looking back at 2012, they will take your rainfall and our rainfall, average them together, and conclude that it was an average year...
      Happy 2013 to you, too!

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  9. Happy New Year, Stacy. I think the purpose of a dusting of snow is aesthetic, especially when it creates contrast with what's been dusted. Even as very early or very late snows that fall on still or already blooming flowers shock me, I also find that I can't resist their beauty. Here in New England we've been having quite substantial snow this year, which we're mostly grateful for after the snow droughts of recent years. Streams and reservoirs are getting filled up and my plants are getting a long cool drink. -Jean

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    1. Thank you, Jean, and happy New Year to you, too! I couldn't agree more about how attractive a dusting of snow can be. One of my favorite garden-book photos is of a fairly formal garden with just a covering of snow. After many years that photo still has the power to make my heart beat faster! I think more than anything else, it also taught me the power of "bones" in the garden. I'm glad you're getting plenty of snow--maybe it will mystify the deer about the location of your Serenity Garden this winter.

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  10. Missed you! I'm heading to Denver tomorrow and doubtless will get plenty of snow time. Here in Seattle we've barely had a sprinkling - so far.

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    1. Thanks, Karen--it's good to be back among you all again! I hope you didn't suffer too much system shock from the cold weather in Denver last week...

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  11. I like the idea of toe tickling snow, and ideas. Good to see you posting again Stacy. I hope 2013 is kind to you.

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    1. Thank you, Janet--I hope you have a gentle, enjoyable year ahead as well, and that watching your new garden come to life this spring is one (pleasant) surprise after another.

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  12. Hi Stacy, you know I never imagined that you would get snow where you live! It just never occurred, all those pictures of hot sunny days and desert landscapes just look wrong with a dusting of white. We've had a fall here too, it's not been a lot, it's been much heavier elsewhere but we've been on the receiving end of the bitter winds that blow across the fens.

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    1. Hi, Sunil, when winter finally arrives here, it doesn't pull its punches. We're actually a high desert, about 5,000' above sea level, so it does get pretty cold this time of year, especially at night. I think wind is the hardest weather to dress warmly for, so I hope you get some calm days soon!

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  13. I've been out of town, but I'm so glad I noticed your post. I've been missing you! The Colorado River is such an important one, bringing water to so many places. Like you, I'd rather just have a tickling of snow, or none at all!

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    1. Holley, thanks--it's good to be back! I love living in a place where snow is an exciting change of pace for 30 minutes or so...

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