Spring Archives - Tena Stetler

Apr 30th Spring is finally bloomed in Colorado – Wear Sunscreen

Finally Spring has arrived in the great state of Colorado. At least I hope so. We could still get snow. Heck to be honest, we’ve had snow on July 4th. But at least the temps are above freezing — way above freezing. Yep its supposed to be over 80 degrees today. Not to complain but that’s a little warm since it was in the single digits only a few weeks ago. Anyway… The first couple of outings of the Spring when it finally arrives, I invariably forget to wear sunscreen and a hat. Not good since I live at nearly 7000 feet in altitude. Yesterday went to the neighborhood park to meet with a couple of writing buddies. It was beautiful, a balmy 69 degrees, a slight breeze. Yes, we practiced social distancing while we ate our lunch and discussed the plight of the world. You know that’s what writers do, besides putting our own spin on the situation. And add in a bit of magic a few paranormal creatures and of course that black moment. We are fiction writers after all. This is what we came up with.

1) We could write this virus out of the plot
2) We could cast a spell and make it go away – I voted for this one.
3) It will kill half the human population but then birds will take over again.
4) We will all become vegans
5) There will be a plot twist- somehow…

Please keep in mind this is done tongue in cheek, have no doubt I am reminded everyday of the seriousness of the COVID19 pandemic. To the first responders and those on the front lines I extend a heartfelt THANK YOU for your service! We will all get through this together.

While enjoying this lively conversation at the park, I failed to notice the down side to enjoying the outdoors without sunscreen. Yes, it was brought to my attention, a bit late. Only do this once a year, but this morning I’m bemoaning my stupidity as both my arms and face look like a lobster. Yes, yesterday afternoon as soon as I got home, I did put sunscreen in my vehicle right next to my mask, gloves, disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer. Better late than never! Right? Also I put another tube of sunscreen in a prominent place in the kitchen. No more going outside without sunscreen and a floppy hat. That brings to mind a song that is as true today as it was when it was popular Class ’99, Wear Sunscreen. If you have a chance give a listen. Dance down memory lane with me. That song will be running through my head the rest of of the day.

My PSA for the day…. WEAR SUNSCREEN. You can bet I’ll remember at least this year. Have a terrific day!

Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged Fun times, Neighborhood Park, Spring, Sunburn, SunScreen, Tena Stetlerf, Writer's lunch by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.

May 16th Awww a Spring Weekend – What Did You Do?

How did you spend your weekend? We spent the weekend in the dirt. The sky was blue, the temps were perfect 75-80 degrees with a mild breeze. I put sun screen on all my exposed skin, but forgot the tops of my feet. Guess what— Yep, they got burned in patches through my sandals that look so weird. LOL

Last week, we cleaned out the garden and got it ready to plant. Added several bags of new garden soil with fertilizer and put in seeds for carrots, kale, romaine lettuce, and sugar snap peas. This weekend we picked up five tomato plants and a six pack of Marigolds. We use the Marigolds for pest control. They do a good job and look pretty too.

My hubby, our chow chow, Mystic, and I spent most of Saturday visiting the local garden centers. Boy were they packed! I guess everyone was like us and decided the warm spring weather was here to stay. Could be a mistake. Since I’m a life-long resident of Colorado, I know better than to plant outdoors before Memorial Day. Nine times out of ten we get a freeze and end up covering up or carrying in all the tender plants. Heck it’s been known to snow in July. But… after cleaning up the yard last weekend and trimming up the bushes, I couldn’t help myself. I needed some color out there. Darn it.

We picked out several plants in varying sizes and colors to fill our empty pots in the front yard. (They’ve been empty since 2016.) I’ve been accused by friends and neighbors of tempting Mother Nature, again. Though it’s been two years since the softball size hail of July 28, 2016 at 10:30 p.m. Yep, I’m still shell shocked after that experience. Lived here all my life and never seen anything like that. However, this year it didn’t stop me from sprucing up our front and back yard. The lilac’s lining the perimeter of my back yard are in full bloom. So beautiful.

I went so far as to start a fairy garden. I even planted a pumpkin patch in a spot in our yard I scouted out last year. It gets the most sun all summer long.

Wish me luck! Share in the comments what you did this weekend or plans for next weekend. Are you planting? Or do you live where your plants are already flowering and your garden is producing?

Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged Colorado, Fairy, Gardening, pumpkins, Spring, tomato plants by Tena Stetler with 4 comments.

Mar 20th The Spring Equinox is almost here!

Sure enough, according to scientists, astronomers and people who know these things, Spring Equinox will arrive at 12:15 p.m. EDT, on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. You wouldn’t know it here in the Colorado Rockies there are still big wet snowflakes blanketing the tulips and daffodil plants that should know better than to stick their tender green sprouts above ground this early. The good thing, when the sun comes up after a coating of snow over night its gone in a matter of a couple of hours.

Did you know Vernal Equinox is another name given to the Spring Equinox or called the March Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. But in the Southern Hemisphere the March Equinox is referred to as the Autumnal Equinox. If that isn’t confusing enough, when September rolls around (I am in no way hurrying the seasons) the equinoxes are switched – the Northern Hemisphere experiencing an Autumnal Equinox and the Southern Hemisphere having their Vernal Equinox. What is the equinox you ask? Well…the equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator.

Whether you call it Spring, March or Vernal Equinox, it brings a plethora of traditions and rituals including more sunlight hours, which makes me happy. I love to watch new life sprout after the dreary, brown last days of Winter. Don’t you? Easter for Christians falls the first Sunday after the full moon subsequent to the Spring Equinox, which this year is April 16th. Others celebrate the Spring Maiden or Goddess who watches over the emerging flora and fauna, a reminder of earth’s fertility. Still others have traditional dances and hunts to celebrate the arrival of Spring.

Another sign of spring is the Crocus who is famous for bursting forth and blooming when it’s cold outside, even through a blanket of white snow! This brave little flower can help banish nightmares and generally infuse your dreamscapes with a cool serenity. Because Crocus reminds us of vibrant beauty even in the most wintry landscape, it’s also considered a harbinger and symbol or happiness. Saffron actually comes from the stigmas and styles of a variety of Crocus. Bet you didn’t know that!

As the snow melts, the thirsty ground sighs with relief soaking up the much needed moisture. Boy howdy we need the moisture this year. Hope springs eternal for the promise of warm sunlit days that awaken the budding flowers and bring spectacular color to our world. Happy Spring everyone! Are the early spring flowers like Crocus, Tulips, Daffodils poking up through the ground yet at your house?

Do you have all your camping reservations set? I have a few, circumstances beyond my control curtailed some of my camping reservation dates, gotta get those six months from the date you want to camp, or you’ll be out of luck.

Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged camping, Crocus, Easter, flowers, snow, Spring, Spring Equinox, Tulips by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.

Mar 8th Spring and Family Collide

Shamrock4 small March is here! Yea! The wearing of the green, always brings me into a Spring mood. This year Easter is right on it’s heels, which makes decorating my house for Easter a short-lived experience. I love all those pastel eggs, bunnies, butterflies and happy things. No I don’t forget the reason for the season either.

It’s time to encourage the brown grass to bring up new green shoots. Daffodils, tulips, crocus all have their little green sprouts above ground checking for acceptable weather. Inevitably, they get snowed on at least once here in the Rocky Mountains, but they persevere anyway and put on a colorful show. I love Spring.

I’ve been planning our 2016 camping excursions since December, making those all important reservations at Steamboat Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Twin Lakes and many more. A trip to Lake Vallecito this year is exciting, especially to meet up with friends. However, last night I discovered that maybe, we’ll have to rearrange a few details this year.

A death in the family, and failure to keep in touch with cousins I was close with growing up gave me pause for thought. I received a letter and an obituary in the mail of a favorite uncle a few weeks after the fact. Why… because my cousin didn’t know how to contact me. She located my webpage, facebook page, but a death is something you don’t want to post on social media.

When I received the letter, I immediately looked her up online and located a phone number, made the call. After forty-five minutes of catching up, I was sad how much we’d missed after we grew up and life intervened. The reason for lack of communication is not always what you think. What a shame.

So… plans to return to my childhood stomping grounds may lessen the amount of time we spend in state and federal parks this year. Connecting with family and friends I haven’t seen in years, seems more important. To my credit, I always send a newsy Christmas Letter with pictures of where we’ve been and what we’ve been doing. That’s how my cousin knew my address. Life is unpredictable, what you assume will always be there when you are ready… can disappear in an instant.

I’m not one for genealogy, but connecting with family that helped make childhood memories so precious is something I wish I’d done sooner. But better late than never. I hope this acts as a reminder to pick up the phone, call someone you’ve put off too long connecting with, because… you never know. Sorry for the less than inspiring post this week.

Some good news. Copy edits are done on my next novel, A Witch’s Journey. A story about how meeting the right person can make all the difference in the world. No matter who or what your are. I await excitedly for a peek at the book’s cover, soon to come. I’ll share it of course.

Do you have people you wish you’d stayed in contact with? Look ‘em up, give ‘em a call. If only to say hi, how are you doing?

I love to hear from readers. Take a minute, write a comment. You’ll be glad you did, and so will I.

Next week I promise a happier topic as I discuss favorite camping haunts. Places to enjoy in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Also the challenge of gardening in a short growing season. Until then, make each day count!

Posted in Food for Thought, My Say What Blog and tagged A Witch's Journey, camping, Colorado Rockies, family, flowers, remember, Spring, writing by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.