Making the Brown Months Bearable

Colorado has many good qualities. But one of the things I don't love about living in Colorado are the brown months. Brown. B-R-O-W-N. Shades of brown as far as your eyes can see. What are these "brown months" you ask? Well, the brown months are the months that seem to endlessly extend forever after all the plants go dormant and lose their leaves, the grass dies and becomes scratchy and ugly, the shrubbery is reduced to unfriendly-looking sticks, and the only "green" to be seen are the black pines, which don't really count because they are only a dark brownish green. I don't even like travelling to places I can see the Plains this time of year. It is unsettling, the vast browness stretching on and on. And sadly, with our snowfall this year at less than 65% of its usual amount we have had very few "white" days to break up the monotony of the brown months, and if our water is rationed this summer, we could have brown months ahead too. At least the trees will be green then....

And along with the brown, it's cold. The sun is out shining brightly, almost tauntingly. There is not a pretty little cloud to be seen, to break up the endless blue sky, but it is still downright frigid. When the temperatures seem like they are climbing, you get excited for at least some time outside, even if it is brown. But then the wind blows and it is like a frozen slap in the face. It makes the brown so much worse that cold cruel sun.

I know sometimes people in the Northwest can get the winter blues from all the overcast days. The grey skies that come day after day, but I was never like that there. I actually loved them, the various shades of grey, all the different ways the rain can fall. I feel the winter blues more here, as one cold, brown sunny day carries forward into the next. I find myself dreaming of the stormy spring afternoons that will come, thunderstorms, high winds and all. At least they will bring us some clouds and the delicious rain drops that I love so much for a bit of the day. And will hopefully bring us some green.

However, even with all the frustrating, annoying brown, occaisionally we get a day like today that makes it all bearable. The high today hit above 70. Even with the breeze, it was warm and lovely. We walked to the park in tee shirts and met with friends, and I was so sad when it was time to pack up and head home. So when we got home I took my book outside to read in the sun while Josh jumped his cares away on the trampoline and Luke napped in his crib. I even have a nice little farmer's burn on my arms. Thank you, warm sun, for the break in the cold, brown days!