Springtime in Wyoming

I went for a walk around our property early this morning. It was drizzly and overcast, and I had a hard time finding the motivation to get out of my nice warm bed and put on my jeans and walking shoes. If it weren't for having to take Hannah into town for track practise at 6:30 I don't think that I would have chosen fresh air and exercise over staying in bed. I'm so glad that I did though! It was beautiful; cool but not real cold, and the air was still for a change with none of the wild Wyoming wind that we are getting so tired of. Things are really starting to green up and show signs of new life. I started out my walk with my Ipod, but soon had to turn it off so that I could listen to the song of the Meadowlark (although I do have to say that Ian Tyson's "Big Horns" is the perfect thing to listen to as I walk the hills of Wyoming!)

I realize that I can't say that Springtime is my favorite time of year, because I say the same thing when the lazy warm days of Summer hit, and then again when the weather turns cool and crisp & the colors start to change in the Fall, and I love it when the snow starts to fly and I have cross country skiing and sledding to look forward to! In other words, I love the change of seasons, and that makes me feel extremely blessed to live in Wyoming where we do have different seasons. I couldn't live where the weather was the same all year long (although a week in Hawaii is pretty wonderful too!).

Now Springtime in Wyoming changes from one day to the next. One day it's beautiful and clear and a balmy 60 degrees. The next day (or by that night) the wind can pick up out of the north making me feel like it's going to bring our house to the ground; and if that wind carries snow with it, look out! Three years ago at the end of March we were stuck in our house for three days with no electricity or heat or visibility further than a foot in front of us! The drifts of snow that we had to dig out of were amazing. Snow is never out of the question even into the middle of June. We never know what we're going to get from one day to the next, and I must confess that this is one of the things that I love about Spring!

This morning I felt like I was in Ireland, with the green of the hillsides making a beautiful contrast against the red of the scoria rock that is so prevalent in this area where I live. It was drizzly with a fine mist hanging over and around the hills. As I made my way to the backside of our place I was amazed with how big this country is that I live in. It goes on for miles with no signs of a road or a dwelling place or any other human being. Only the cows and horses and various wildlife to keep me company. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that God saw fit to create this amazing world that we live in, & that He made it so beautiful in it's diversity. He could have created the Universe with one big rubber stamp, with every corner of it exactly the same as the next; He didn't have to bless us with breathtaking scenery and smells and textures that delight our senses, we don't need it to survive. And yet everything that He has made does have the ability to bring us delight if we take the time to take it all in. "You care for the land and water it; You enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with Your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are covered with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing." Psalm 65:9-13. Its apparent to me as I walk these hills that God was intentional in all that He created. I have a hard time understanding how anyone can believe that this was all a beautiful accident. More like a beautiful creation!

I'd love to hear comments about why you love Springtime in the area where you live. I'm partial to Springtime in the Rockies, but I've also been blessed with Springtime in Washington D.C. when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and I have come to love the Sandhills of Nebraska this time of the year. I've also experienced Springtime in New York City if you can believe it, and the beauty of Central Park was a wonderful surprise to this country bumpkin! So please share with me what Spring is like where you reside!

And here's a special treat, especially for my mother!!