Where do I Hail from?

A big shout out to Janie  from the Obsessive/Compulsive plant blog, who has started the wheels spinning for bloggers to tell more about where they are from.  If you notice my title has the word, hail in it, there is a reason.  I live in the state that gets the most hail in the U.S.  If you guessed Colorado, you are right.   We have lived our married life in Utah, Michigan, Nebraska and now Colorado.  The photos I am sharing are specifically taken on our property just a few days ago.   We have been blessed to have some spectacular scenery and sometimes we take it for granted.  We live on  about five and half acres that is covered in moss rock, cactus, pine trees, Juniper, currant bushes, a few token Aspen trees and many other Colorado native plants.  The only flat place in our yard is our leach field for our septic system.

We came to Colorado for job reasons, but in the distant past, people came to Colorado for mining,ranching and farming.  There are numerous abandoned mines located in the area where we are located.  We don't have any on our property though. 

An error in my Identification of this bird: Sorry, not a Junco, it's think it's actually a Clark's Nutcracker!  My bad!

 Although we live near Boulder, our actual mailing address states that we are in Nederland, Colorado. I could talk about Boulder,  but this time I will delve shortly into the small town of Nederland.  It is home to about 10,000 hippies. Give or take a few.  You won't find Mcdonalds in this town.  Or a Subway.  But you will find people who really care about preserving and keeping Nederland as backward as possible.   Just kidding, it really isn't that bad.  It is just very eclectic.   In February you have the famous Frozen Dead guy days. That is one for you to Google.  I am not going into that, but suffice it to say, you can freeze your booty off in the reservoir, have a coffin race, go to the Blue Ball, and watch parades with hearses in them.  All because of cryogenics.
Nederland has a hardware store, bank, grocery store, video store, doctors, numerous medical marijuanna establishments, library, pizza place and many restaurants that come and go.  Kathmandu, a Nepalese and Indian cuisine establishment is one of our favorites.  I can count on a delicious plate of  vegetarian Byriani every time we stop in.
Nederland is also going to be home to the new "Carousel of Happiness."  It is an indoor carousel with antique animals and I am sure the town will be infused with joy, once it is complete. Right now that are just short of a few dollars, so they are doing more fundraisers to get it done. Hey, that's what they said about the new library, too. I promise photos when they finally get it built.  My kids will be all raised by that time.  I guess by then, I may have a grandchild or two to enjoy  the Carousel.

The major disasters that strike Colorado are mainly fire, unemployment rates and blizzards.  I would like to include hail as a major disaster  because many farmers have lost millions when hail strikes and shreds crops. I have cried many a tear over pummelled plants.  I just have to be on the look-out for the green sky. That usually signals the arrival of hail. Then, if I am lucky to be home when it comes,  I can cover some stuff, and put the pots under the deck. 
My favorite place in Colorado is Garden of the Gods, near Colorado Springs.  There aren't many places left in America that you can see for free.  It is about two and half hours from us.  I would reccomend visiting Garden of the Gods in the Fall.  We went in the summer and it was a bit toasty for us mountain dwellers.
Another place that is equally beautiful but takes a lot longer to see is Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park.  Les from Tidewater Gardener   has graciously allowed me to link to his blog so you can see some exquisite photos from Colorado.  You need to look at his Estes Park collection, it is supreme!  I am sorry to say the photos that my husband and I  took about ten years ago were with a dinosaur camera and very poor in quality.  I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to view a plethora of wildlife and nature, all within 90 minutes.  The Trail Ridge Road is only open for summer months.  Snow buries it during winter.

These photos were taken on our property last week.  Most of the snow has melted, now we are ready for more.

 

These a few flowers from  my  garden and some from hikes I went on.

 Colorado is especially known for especially sunny skies, skiiing, and not necessarily gardening.  What I have discovered lately is that I should focus on what I can grow, not what won't grow well.(one thing I have heard through the rumor mill is that our hardiness zones may be changing due to global warming. That means I will have a bit more versatility and choices.It also means we may be installing air conditioners at our house!)  I realize this is not Texas or Florida and I will never have the lush look of tropicals.  But there are so many things that  thrive here. I am so thankful for the experience to live in colorful Colorado.  Maybe someday we will move on, but for now I am blooming where I am planted.