Scribe-ls

South Fork of the South Platte River, Hartsel, Colorado, August 12, 2007:  Green, green it's all so green, even the far side of the hill!  This year's monsoon pattern has brought an awe-inspiring lushness to the high, high plains.  The spring of 2006 brought a return to a 12-years-absent lushness and the month of August 2007 ranks right up there in flower-dotted, waving-grass beauty. 

The recently bone-dry highlands are slightly humid!  Ten or so kinds of prairie grass have risen up from the gravelly soil, the sage is fragrantly abundant, the rabbitbrush is blooming crazily.  Indian paintbrush, mountain aster, a beautiful magenta flower with seed pods, pasqueflower...all set against many shades of green.  It is absolutely fabulous. 

The rabbit at the ranch is fat and happy; Prebles mice and groundsquirrels dare the daylight because of the cover of brush that hasn't been so plush in years.  Hawks and coyotes are far more visible because their prey is so plump and abundant.   The cattle are sleek, the horses frolicksome.  All under an almost sapphire sky that seems to happily let the rolling storm clouds in for another renewal of the beautiful land beneath it.  Come evening, the fog rolls up from Eleven Mile and Spinney Reservoirs and drops heavy dew that lingers til mid-morning. 

This is why people came here.