Spring has arrived in Albuquerque. It is very different from springs I have known in the South, in the Northeast, even in the Midwest. It is both gentler and fiercer. The colors are more muted than the vivid greens, purples, yellows, pinks and whites of South Carolina. But here in the high desert, they are vivid enough against the grays and browns of winter.
The days are mild and sunny - high 70's; the nights are cool. There are days of vicious, gusting wind - spraying sand and dust through every crack in the windows, in your eyes, whipping both your hair and your breath away. There are other days of snow showers in the morning, and rain or sun in the afternoon. There are days of sun in the morning, rain showers and wind at lunch, and sun again in the afternoon. With the warmer days of spring, the prairie dogs have become quite active. They are too quick to catch on camera. My iphone camera doesn't have zoom - so I've been unable to catch them darting about, or their little heads peeking from the holes - watching for me to pass by so they can come out and gather the lettuce, carrots and grapes that people have left for them. Maybe if you have a magnifying glass, you could see one in the last photo below.
The birds sing just as loudly. The pigeons love to gather on the roof tops of the apartments or under the eaves and coo and gurgle. They've built nests in unlikely places. They dart and strut around the prairie dog holes - causing a flurry of chirps from the prairie dogs.
The sage brush is greening up. The cottonwood trees are unfurling their leaves. The cacti are forming buds and starting to bloom. Elsewhere in the city, there are familiar signs of spring- in yards where people have planted forsythia, lavender and pink flowering trees, daffodils ( a few here and there). It's the rows and rows of daffodils that I miss the most. They're my favorite flower next to roses. Their fragrance just screams SPRING to me. And takes me back home to soft, emerald green grass and hot, spring days.
Still...while vastly different, spring has arrived here in Albuquerque. And it is welcome after a cold winter.
The days are mild and sunny - high 70's; the nights are cool. There are days of vicious, gusting wind - spraying sand and dust through every crack in the windows, in your eyes, whipping both your hair and your breath away. There are other days of snow showers in the morning, and rain or sun in the afternoon. There are days of sun in the morning, rain showers and wind at lunch, and sun again in the afternoon. With the warmer days of spring, the prairie dogs have become quite active. They are too quick to catch on camera. My iphone camera doesn't have zoom - so I've been unable to catch them darting about, or their little heads peeking from the holes - watching for me to pass by so they can come out and gather the lettuce, carrots and grapes that people have left for them. Maybe if you have a magnifying glass, you could see one in the last photo below.
The birds sing just as loudly. The pigeons love to gather on the roof tops of the apartments or under the eaves and coo and gurgle. They've built nests in unlikely places. They dart and strut around the prairie dog holes - causing a flurry of chirps from the prairie dogs.
The sage brush is greening up. The cottonwood trees are unfurling their leaves. The cacti are forming buds and starting to bloom. Elsewhere in the city, there are familiar signs of spring- in yards where people have planted forsythia, lavender and pink flowering trees, daffodils ( a few here and there). It's the rows and rows of daffodils that I miss the most. They're my favorite flower next to roses. Their fragrance just screams SPRING to me. And takes me back home to soft, emerald green grass and hot, spring days.
Still...while vastly different, spring has arrived here in Albuquerque. And it is welcome after a cold winter.
Hey Jules...love the cacti in the lower right of your blog. Sort of reminds me of spindly fingers giving the peace sign!!
ReplyDeleteOn your profile, it still lists your location as Rock Hill, SC ;>(
What a geat description of Albuquerque spring...quite a literary contribution...eloquent and full of imagery. Good job!!!
Miss you bunches!
~Laura