Category Archives: Weather +Climate

Back At It

A cool morning on the mountain. Another Colorado blue sky and sun day ahead. Lughnasa and Mabon, the harvest period of the Great Wheel, make 16 weeks of often Goldilock’s weather. Not too hot, not too cool. Some precipitation, but not too much.

That is. This period used to be like that. Still can be, of course, but more and more what would have been mid-Summer heat intrudes. As does smoke from the burning boreal forests of Ontario. We’ve missed the mark. By a lot.

Been having a fun haiku experience with Joanne Greenberg. She suggested a haiku conversation. She writes one and sends it to me. I have to use the sense of the last line in mine. Back and forth.

My profound weakness continues to surprise me. Getting up from the bed is a challenge, even when using both arms for leverage. Same with my chair. It’s easy for me to overdo. Crossing the room to get a book, or let Shadow outside, can make me glad to sit down.

In spite of that I feel good. Engaged. Called a realtor yesterday. Lined up Robin of SpaceWranglers to oversee the process of clearing out the house. She helped me when I thought about a move to Hawai’i. Trustworthy.

I’m going to try to pull all this off in 60 days. Yesterday I put a 60 day hold on the one-bedroom at Elk Run. If I can’t get the house cleared and sold in that time; or, if we run into snags on the Long Term Care policy, I’ll probably have to stay here for the foreseeable future. Not a terrible prospect.

Got back in the saddle. Making those arrangements, paying some bills, getting my dues for CBE. Felt good to flex those muscles.

Mary will be here through August. Joe and Seoah plan to come in September. Hopefully I’ll be on my way to Elk Run by the end of that month.

 

 

A Full Clan Gathering

The monsoons have come in full force, afternoon rain, the occasional thunderstorm. The mountains are green, Lodgepole needles, Aspen leaves, grasses and shrubs. Makes my heart glad.

A day, my first full day home, filled with people. Conversations throughout. My social battery hit empty in mid-afternoon, then went into over-depleted. Even so. Delighted to see Mark again. He’s leaving soon, possibly to D.C. or NYC before heading back to the sands of Araby.

With Mark, Mary, Joseph, and myself here we had the first gathering of the whole clan since Andover in 2011. Mary in Melbourne, Mark in Hafar, Joseph in Korea, and me on Shadow Mountain.  It’s not hard to understand why.

Joseph goes home tomorrow early. He’ll take a hotel room near the airport tonight. Without him and Mary the last month would have been problematic.

He’s got the insurance claim (long term care policy) underway, had my oxygen concentrators repaired, and collaborated with Mary on cleaning the downstairs.

His presence meant a lot to me. I needed him and he came, bringing his Lt. Col. skills and applying them to a fast changing and complex situation. My son, here and helping, helped me feel whole.

Mary had the foresight to recognize I was struggling and showed up willing to help. A selfless and kind thing to do.

Lucky to have both of them.

 

Heat

Final entry from my bed in room 103. Back into the stream of daily life without periodic checking of my vital signs, room service meals, and therapy with Margaret, Jenny, and Britinni. Though I’ve had a good experience I’m ready to leave rehab.

Still boggles my mind that I was at home on June 30th, then in the E.R. on July 1. In this hospital bed or that one until today, twenty seven days later. Must have been serious.

Joe and Mary worked hard over the weekend getting things ready for me. I’m excited to see what they’ve done.

We’re making a to go order from the Lazy Butcher for a homecoming meal. Barbecue, burgers, lots of Southern side dishes. Conveniently close to my doctors where I have to go for a bone strengthening shot after I leave here.

Joe has also arranged a tour of Elk Run assisted living at 3 pm. It will be my first time there. Elk Run is not far from the Life Care Center and is behind the synagogue. Their location in a place I know well matters to me.

 

Elsewhere the world is on fire. Wildfires make regular front page news. Trump gets mad at Canadian smoke and slaps on tariffs just because he can. Spain and France have major fires approaching Madrid and Bordeaux. Heat. Hotter.

Dopy Donald can’t find a path out of the Chinese finger puzzle he’s created for himself in Iran. I hope he finds something because this war is a plague on all of our houses.

 

Quiet Days

A slow day. As Saturdays can be. Moderate temperature, slight breeze, sun. I like quiet days. Especially after the excitement of my self-engaged head gashing.

This Sunday, and most of the next week, has similar possibilities. Only out of house: Tuesday 9 am CT scan and Friday’s 11:30 suture removal.

Beginning to have serious conversations about my future on Shadow Mountain. My goal? Stay right here. There are various ways to get there, not sure what makes the most sense yet.

 

Oh. George. Orwell. Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission which proposes that the separation of church and state is “…a legal error…” (W.P. June 26, 2026)

Look on his works, ye mighty, and despair.

Through the Looking Glass

Day three post fall and gash. Wound gets cleaned today. Not sure how I’d do it by myself. Maybe Ginny.

Reverberations. Can I handle myself alone? Just me and my life alert medallion? I think so, but some doubt now. Don’t like that.

Melissa provides a cushion I needed and still need. Mary, too, but she’s leaving late July, going back to winter in Melbourne. Tara and Arjean will be here right after until late August. After that, back to the old ways.

Investigating.

Flash flood. Bear Creek, Evergreen and Kittredge. Wednesday night. There are state installed flash flood warning signs in Kittredge: climb to higher ground. Took out private bridges, sent logs rushing downstream, flooded basements. Hwy. 74 closed overnight.

Like Minnesota the West has weather that can kill you, too. Flash floods. Wildfire.

Texas to require bible reading in public schools. Trump’s inaptly named Religious Liberty Commission plans to work against the separation of Church and State. Vance compares himself to Nixon. Iran and U.S. trade strikes after peace document signed.

We have fallen through the looking glass. Red-pilled and angry.

This and that

Heirloom tomato plants ok! The cold, I guess, would prevent them from producing, but I’ll have the heater working and that won’t be a problem. Relieved. So looking forward to a whole Black Krim or Brandywine. No taste like heirlooms off the plant. Will spoil you. No grocery store tomatoes again except for sauces.

My new goal. Walk to Artemis and back. Maybe get my hands in the soil. Turns out Mt. Evans p.t./o.t. lost two staff to emergency medical leave. No new patients until at least early June. Up to me. I’ve pushed myself so often over the past couple of years. Tired of it.

Didn’t make it to my oncology appointment. Realized I couldn’t walk unaided. Need a walker. Ordered one. May do telehealth. Bupathi took me off the trial pills, abriteraone. Prednisone, too. Hopes to help my fatigue. Get me back on my feet faster. May it be so.

Gabe graduates today. Two years after Ruth. He’s headed to the local Jesuit University, Regis, this fall. He’s leaving public school with momentum. Writing awards. A special girl. Go, Gabe. I will not be attending. See note about oncology appointment.

Rainy and chilly. 44 degrees. Memorial day in the past; Beltane a month underway. Only 24 days till the summer solstice. A real twist after our long, hot winter.

So. Is the war over? We strike. Iran retaliates. Peace negotiations stalled. Where is the great dealmaker? Probably at Mar-a-Lago adding pounds and playing rounds.

 

A Good Day

Yesterday. Felt like my old self. Agency, interest. Made calls. Ordered a new pillow and dog treats for Shadow. First time for a few weeks I’ve had some zip. Didn’t change, of course, my weakened physical condition, but I felt clear, my whole person awake and alert.

That does mean, too, that I’ve not felt that way for over five weeks. Tough to remain resilient when I can’t summon the mental energy to make phone calls.

Today I’ve reverted to the clouded, weary headspace. Writing this feels difficult, takes energy to type. Even so, a good day means I have that in me, still. As I eat more, get back to p.t., more will come.

Sent an e-mail to Jeffco courts. Sorry, I’m not able to be a juror. Confirmed by letter from Sue Bradshaw. I like jury duty. An important aspect of our democracy. Which I hold dear.

Three more cool nights then spring will break out on Shadow Mountain. We’ve had a saving round of precipitation in May. Unexpected and delightful. Also, a bit of winter in the year with no winter.

 

Meanwhile back in Dopy Don’s alternate universe $1.8 billion dollars awaits deserving applicants like those who suffered the federal governments successful prosecution over participation in the January 6th insurrection. Makes my head spin. Even the fund itself is shady. Everything Dopy Don touches has an immediate stench.

 

A Permanent Hall Pass

Our winter in spring continues with a white blanket of snow and freezing temps. Weird. But nice. Warming toward the end of the week.

Melissa came. I took a two hour nap so she cooked and did laundry. We’ll get to the decluttering on Friday. Pleased with her. Her food makes life better for me.

I continue to coast on a plateau, feeling much better than the last four weeks, yet not seeing gains beyond that. My referrals for in-home p.t. and o.t. have not been acted  on. Eventually. That’s when I expect further progress.

Included now among Dopy Don’s presidential perks: a permanent hall pass from the I.R.S. Allows the holder to have no peaking at their returns. Why would an honest taxpayer need this? Exactly.

The fleecing of the USA. Courtesy of, your President.

Moderate Risk

Another good night’s sleep. Cold air through my open window. A Kate star quilt covering my electric blanket. Shadow curled up by my head. Dreams.

Only problem. Still tired when I get up. Wonder if my treatment induced anemia has gotten worse.

Melissa comes today. We (well, really, she) will prepare the bedroom so the mini fridge is ready for the microwave that comes Saturday. If there’s time, we’ll begin decluttering this space.

Snow again yesterday. Smoky the Bear, Tom reported, points to moderate fire risk. Much better. Thank you, May winter.

 

My travel snowpack sits way below normal.

Imbolc and the Moon of Tides

Shabbat gratefuls: Snow! Vince. Shadow, dancer in the snow. Ruth. French toast and bacon. Lab results unread.

Rene Good. Alex Pretti. Say their names.

Sparks of Joy and Awe: Snow

 

art@willworthington

Kavannah: Groundedness. Yesod.    Yesod is about establishing oneself in reality, refusing to rely on comfortable illusions

 

Tarot: Page of Vessels, Otter     I need more play, more  lightheartedness.

 

One brief shining: Snow fell. Mountain joy. Our drought parched Arapaho National Forest. The lodgepoles and aspen at Shadow Mountain home. Need moisture. Even more, a lot more. I hunkered down, besotted by the falling, falling snow.

 

Snow brings water to thirsty grasses, trees. Skiers to A-Basin, Vail, Steamboat. Silence. Muffles sound. Alters the landscape, smoothing out rock outcroppings, covering vegetation.

Snow matters.

This winter, until yesterday: forty-nine inches. 2016: two-hundred and twenty inches. Snowpack way below normal. Never thought about snowpack in Minnesota. Here it’s vital. Not only for Colorado, but for the Colorado River basin. Las Vegas. Phoenix. LA. All depend on Colorado’s snowpack. Releasing water over time. Snow melt.

Surrounded by a National Forest filled with second stand, close together lodgepoles and aspen. Drought=high fire risk. Lodgepoles close together burn by crown fire. Fire jumps from the top of one tree to the next. Hot and fast. One reason we all pay ridiculous premiums for home insurance.

As the drought here deepens, I’ve been thinking about other droughts in my life. I’m in an exercise desert. My travel snowpack sits way below normal. Otter reminded me. I’m in a play and lightheartedness drought.

Exercise. Since I turned forty, I exercised. Daily often. No less than 5 days in a week. Resistance and cardio. Worked with my hands and legs in the garden. I was in good, no, excellent shape.

Of late. Not so much. I find excuses not to exercise. A tough day yesterday. Workout room too cold. Like today.

Mood regulation. Guard against heart attacks. Retain muscle mass. Balance work. Fall prevention. All benefits of regular exercise. Fights cancer, too.

But. Finish Ancientrails. I’m comfortable sitting down. I’m going to die of something anyhow. Why make the effort.

I hate this. Not exercising harms me physically. Perhaps even more mentally. Why am I not taking care of myself? A dissonance between how I perceive myself and how I act. How to bridge the gap.

Travel, like exercise, fills the heart. Shifts in perspective. Lightheartedness. So many good memories. Singapore. Angkor Wat. Joseon dynasty palace. Okgwa, Seoah’s home village. Street food in Bangkok. Blood pudding in Inverness. Italian coffee. Chilean fjords.

Last time I left home for more than a day: September, 2023. Back went bad. Sent me into chronic pain world. Better now. Stamina sucks. See exercise. Standing for any length of time. Nope. Makes travel feel onerous. Beyond me.

Drought takes. Water from the bunch grass and lodgepoles. Traveling to see Joe and Seoah. To see the National Museum in Taipei. Damages roots.

Like our snow drought I have no surefire way to fix my travel drought, my play and lightheartedness drought.

Drought dehydrates. Devastates. Stunts growth.

And yet. Snow slides off lodgepole branches. Shadow dances, her blackness covered in white.