In Anticipation of Spring

I was going to write about the marvels of Spring and to my surprise this morning, I woke up to a thin layer of snow and temperatures well below the fifties as we had been getting used to for the last few weeks. In Colorado we get our snow in the Spring and it is hard to know when to cover up and when to let a little skin show.  Days vary so much.  But Spring is in the air, not just on our minds.  The little Forsythia I planted a few years ago between my neighbor and us is showing many leaves or petals and the trees in front of our house are greening.

I, like many people tired of winter, am giddy over the coming Spring and we all relish the warmer temperatures that bring us closer to this beautiful time of the year.  I never appreciated before the difference between the cold days of winter and the rest of the year.  I lived in Miami years ago when a rare cold spell would strike sometimes, but the trees and plants forever showed a lush look with bushes full of blooms, rapid growth and exotic colors.  A very exuberant environment that clashes with our semi arid climate here and the plants that manage to grow in it.

This is a fantastic time for street performers.  I was in Boulder yesterday with my husband.  We had gone to Greeley to see the "Riverdance" show which was just fantastic.  We admired the Celtic dancers that enticed everybody to get up and move wildly with their elaborate step patterns that contrast with their rather stiff upper body.  We both loved it and the haunting music still rings in my ears.  Boulder was not too far, so we slept in a hotel there to go to Pearl street the next day.  It was full of people and street performers who bring their talents and their ability to gather a crowd on this pedestrian mall.


As we strolled down the street looking for our favorite art galleries we came across a man with a great sense of humor and acrobatic abilities who was perched high on a unicycle talking to the crowds and doing his tricks.  In his hands he had a few lit batons that he juggled along with a sword.  He got a little boy to be a part of the show. And as high as he was, managed to catch his hat with his raised foot while still up in the air.  People happily gathered around him and most everybody was happy to drop a few dollars in his hat when he was finished.

A bit further down was a lovely girl with a violin that played beautifully some classical music themes, full of longing and memory. The sounds she created were so beautiful it made me think of my mother who was so fond of the violin and would cry sometimes when it played.

We visited a few more blocks and found a man against a huge boulder preparing to play the didgeridoo.  He had nailed to the instrument a few rasps and had one more in his pocket.  Then with his eyes closed he proceeded to touch lightly his heart chakra and retreat obviously into his creative and higher self.  Then he began to play.  The sounds were amazing as he blew in his didgeridoo and struck his rasps with a stick both on the one he had attached to his instrument plus the one in his pocket.  The result was very soothing and quite deeply haunting and most unexpected.  I liked it a lot.  My husband photographed him.


After a full day, we started the ride home. We had spent the whole time outdoors and observed the tulips coming out of the grounds, the early daffodils, the budding trees and their reflections in nearby windows.  So many people traversed the mall laughing and taking pictures, eating ice cream, thriving on a balmy weather to let us know that even though it snowed today, Spring is coming around here after all.