Changing Seasons

In many ways.  We’ve had a very brief summer after a very long and snowy winter, then lots of mud, then lots of high grasses.  The trees are still green but it snowed here through June 3, so the peaches never really got ripe.

Nights are getting colder.  The dog even gets me up at 4:00 in the morning to close the slider and put a corner of Jim’s extra blanket over her.

Zoe, the dog, an Aussie mix, has at least a single undercoat.  I bathed her recently and bought a “rake” and have combed her nearly every day and thought the undercoat was gone.  Now there’s this maroon area rug in our living room and it no longer has undercoat tufts that you can just pull out with your hands, it has top fur as well.  There’s no keeping up with it.

The irony of all this work is that by next week her body will tell her to grow another undercoat to prepare for snow.  There’s no end.  Two combs, thin, one slicker brush, one rake and a furminator.  Plus avocado oil spray so she doesn’t have static.  But she’s not spoiled or anything.  She only has her own pillow (on our bed) and gets covered when needed.

The seasons change in other ways.  This weekend we meet up with year-rounders, friends who we have dinner parties with over the non-touristy months.  It’ll be good to see them.  We’ve also gotten to know people who come here for months, like the entire summer, and they’ve left or are in the process of leaving.  One of the interesting things is getting to know a lot of interesting people.  Then they leave.

No, we don’t get to know the skiers here for a weekend, but I think you know a nice person and when you see them the same time of day, every day, there’s a camaraderie that develops.

And up in the mountains, we’re always here for each other.  That’s why we stick together and try to meet in a warm place with good food every once in a while.

People change, seasons change. It might be nice to retire here but it’ll be a while…  Dee