Winter Wonderland

Colorado, like most of the west, has been suffering from drought conditions for several years now. Just a couple of weeks ago a forest fire was still active in Estes Park about an hour and a half from Denver. In conversations around the water cooler (in today's office environment known as the "filtered water dispenser") people have been saying how much they want some snow just to get some much needed moisture. Well this morning they got their wish. Denverites awakened to their second favorite pastime next to watching our beloved Broncos. Ahh, the fine art of rush hour driving on icy snowpacked roads. For the skiers and boarders used to the I-70 winter version of mountain NASCAR this morning's light snowfall will hardly give pause. For a lot of other folks though this first real taste of sliding through stopsigns and narrowly avoiding our neighbors in their SOV's (single occupant vehicles) will come as a rude shock. But as Coloradoan's like to say, if you don't like the weather wait five minutes. Today's forecast indicates we'll have to wait more like twelve hours but the storm is expected to move out quickly on its way to visit the good folks in Kansas and Nebraska. What I always look forward to is not so much the storm but the day after. Each of us has our own personal reasons for choosing to live in this great state but for me the beauty of a snowcovered landscape with the blinding-white snow glistening from the sun hanging in a Colorado cobalt-blue sky continues to take my breath away.

I'm a morning person so on stormy days I'm usually in the office by 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. I've learned that my 20 mile commute to work goes much smoother when there is less traffic on the road. This morning I was in by 6:45 and was not surprised to see our employee parking lot already filling up. The first row closest to the building was obviously the first to fill up with most of the cars sporting wiper blades pulled back like eyelashes in anticipation of the windshield cleaning to be done this afternoon. The workout room was already busy with treadmills and bikes whirring and employees watching the big screen T.V. telling us that it was actually snowing outside which I suspect most of us already knew.

It will be nice to have snow on the ground for the holidays. It always looks strange to see all the holiday lights and decorations on dry grass. My thirteen year old pup Chinook who is a suburban, --- I mean Siberian, Husky, loves this weather and for him he'll spend the day delighting in sniffing out new scents buried under the fresh snow. For all of you who have to venture out in this winter wonderland (actually it's still fall with winter not officially here until Friday), drive carefully, and I wish you all a safe and wonderful, and now snowy, holiday season!