Where Did the Summer Go?

This afternoon after church, Don, my wonderfully patient, kind and handsome husband and I went for a ride over to Fairplay in Park County, Colorado. It's about 1/2 hour from our house, and for those who aren't familiar to the area, the home of the "original" South Park (yes...that one!) It's a great little town and a fabulous place to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon.

Seems to me the aspens are turning fast and furious this year and while I was oohing and ah-ing, and OMG-ing at every turn, it began to sink n to me that summer in Colorado is just about done.  This may just be an old lady's rantings, but it feels like we, in the higher elevations, get a week of Spring, a week of Fall, two months of Summer, and the rest is Winter.

And this summer, we didn't even really get to enjoy our beautiful state because of local forest fires. All of us in this area spent the early part of summer glued to our televisions watching Ute Pass, Northwest Colorado Springs, and parts of Teller County go up in flames. Our roads were closed, the emergency rooms were only available for fire-related injuries and problems, our city was evacuated as was most of the west side of Colorado Springs. In fact, over 33,000 people were evacuated for several days as we watched Mountain Shadows subdivision burn to the ground. 436 people, many of them friends, lost their homes and one couple lost their lives.

Another fire, the Springer Fire was within 4 miles of our home and we were on pre-evacuation for that one. Plus a rogue arsonist set over 20 fires in our county in less than a week. For about two weeks, the highway just down the hills from us was a virtual whirlwind of emergency vehicles, sirens, and people evacuating their homes, seeking shelter.

During the Waldo Canyon Fire of El Paso and Teller Counties, I broke my right foot (none-fire-related injury, just in case you're wondering). Roads closed, emergency rooms off limits, I sat on the couch for over a week, waiting for an urgent care facility to open its doors.

Don and I love living here. It's beautiful, summers never get too hot, the people are nice and friendly, but the summer zoomed by in a flash and I am sad. Fires and a broken foot have dictated the whole season. And now the leaves are changing with a vengeance.

Soon the snow will fly, the snowboarders and skiers will dominate the slopes and ski towns of Colorado. Everywhere people go they will have their ski equipment on the tops of their cars and live for the weekend when they came make their escape to A Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, Loveland or a host of other resorts. As for me, the lady with the broken foot, I will remain inside with my little arthritic joints, write about life and knit.

The good life....living it in Colorado...