By MARY ALICE MURPHY
On a hike out at Fort Bayard on a spring-like day, a few spots of green grass could be seen showing their shoots. But color always catches my eye, and this nice little patch of verbena posed for me along the way.
Today is the day the hummingbirds usually show up at our feeders for the first time. I put out the feeder just in case, but we haven't seen one yet.
We did spot some Turkey vultures Saturday evening, and a friend who lives in Santa Clara reported that last week, she already had nine in her cottonwood tree. She probably has lots more by now. It seems to me the vultures were late returning. I guess they were waiting for the cold weather to go away.
Our fruit trees have bloomed and hopefully have put on some fruitlets, ready to grow. The remains of the blossoms are covering up what might be tiny fruits on the plum and peach trees. The apple tree, which is usually the smartest of the three, is just starting to put out leaves and blossoms. I catch a whiff of the fragrance of the blossoms as I walk by the tree
We know that a late frost or freeze is not unheard of around here. Might it be possible that I will have fruit two years in a row? Wouldn't that be wonderful? I may have to purchase some more jelly jars.
I hope your allergies have not been as terrible as mine this year. But I've heard from lots of friends that theirs have been awful this season, too. I'm not sneezing anymore, but still have a slight cough. Maybe the allergy shot finally kicked in. It's nice when the wind is not as ferocious as it was a few weeks ago.
I'm sure the windy season has not concluded. As I recall, it usually goes on and on, sometimes into May. I'll be happy when my least favorite season, the windy one, has gone. But, of course, then the air is likely to be warm to hot, so that will be something else to complain about. I actually don't mind it when it gets hot, because our blessed shade in this dry climate is a good place to hide on a sunny day. When it gets hot and we're hiking, the dog, Jackie, a black Lab and I tend to go from shade to shade.
Even the other day, a warm, but not hot day, she would trot faster in the sunny stretches and then slow down to a stroll in the shady spots. She's not dumb. Likely, the sand was a bit hot on her feet, which will have to build up their calluses again for the heat.
Please remember that we are likely in the driest part of the year, not that there's been a wet part since last summer, but with low humidity and high winds, fire is an ever-present danger. Be vigilant. Don't decide to burn something, such as tree trimmings, or create a spark with a mechanical device. After chilly nights, put fireplace or stove ashes in a well-sealed metal bucket, and don't dump them until they are cool enough for you to run your hand through them. Don't park a hot car in high grass.
Every fire that has been fought in the past couple of months has been human-caused. You don't want to be that human. Until June, when we start getting the dry lightning-caused fires, be careful with any fire or potential fire-causing object. Don't toss out live cigarettes into dry grass. They are just a fire waiting to happen.
I would love to hear your spring tales at justcallmemam@grantcountybeat.com.
May your musings bring you beauty!