Thoughts for a Monday Morning : Five Things

I've taken to having my morning cup of coffee out on the patio next to the fire pit and sure hope I can get out there tomorrow, despite the predicted few inches of snow.  I have a few things to tell you. 

But first.....the really big thing is that Monday is my sister Jean's birthday!! So first things first: 

 Happy Birthday, dear Jean!

Isn't that a great photo?  Doesn't she look happy?  Well, she was in one of her happy places, Disney's Hollywood Studio,  back in 2013, with one of her favorite people, me!  

Now on to other news. 

1.  We did get a big snow last weekend.  A really big one, enough to shut down most schools and businesses for one to two days, which is certainly unusual around here.   I think it wasn't so much the depth---about 18" here and up to two feet in Denver --- but the heavy wetness of it that caused problems.   It was "concrete snow," looking pretty but backbreaking to shovel and dig out of.  

But within a couple of days the sun was shining again and the Boulder Blue sky was out and it all was melting rather dramatically.   And now that it's mostly gone, or at least well under control, we're having more snow off and on this week to put a few inches back on the ground.   That's springtime in Colorado. 

2.  We got our second vaccine!   And not only us but many of our friends and family.  The rollout of the vaccines has been such a happy development and we cheer whenever we read emails and social media announcements about people who have gotten them.  We are so heartened by the predictions that everyone who wants one will have their chance by the summer.  Can't wait for all the "youngins" to get theirs so they'll be safe and we can-- I hope--mostly go maskless.   

3.  We immediately celebrated with flown-in-from-Massachusetts oysters!  That was a great night.

photo by Ben

4.  We've lost some loved restaurants during this pandemic, but it's beginning to look like things may bounce back.  Colorado is opening up more dining-in capacity this week, and buildings that housed restaurants that closed early in the pandemic are being bought up under new management and rumored to be reopening in the next few months, which is good news indeed.  I was heartened, for example, to see this new pizza place coming onto the Hill and a famous Denver bagel shop is about to open a location within walking distance of us.  

5.  The past few days have been warm and heavenly, drawing everyone outdoors to the trails and even up on the rooftops.   I'm glad to say that students kept their partying under control, as did we all.