Flooding, Spring, $2 Million in Taxes in One Month

The biggest news around here is that the first month's sale of recreational marijuana brought in $2 million in state taxes for Colorado.  Not only that, but the first marijuana smoking club has been licensed and will soon open it's door - Club Ned - up in Nederland.  Yep, where they just finished the three-day celebration of Frozen Dead Guy Days -they keep a man's body preserved in dry ice in a shed.  ...  Also, since 1 July 2013, if you buy anything in Boulder from a grocery store, you have to pay 10 cents apiece for the little, flimsy plastic bags the store supplies.  Monday, Boulder announced that the use of those plastic grocery bags has dropped by 68 % since they began charging for them - this was done by the city of Boulder, not the grocers, to reduce plastic trash. And, since Target sells groceries, as well as everything else, one must purchase (or bring) a bag, even if you're buying underwear...  (That's my only gripe!)
  It was in the mid-60s on Sunday, and it was 70 degrees here at 4 Monday afternoon.  Of course, we're expecting rain and snow this afternoon and evening...  March and April in Colorado is like taking a roller-coaster ride blindfolded; you go up and down, and are never quite sure what's going to happen next.  All of the domesticated animals and wildlife I see seem to be exhilarated by the signs of spring - trees and bushes are budding; snowdrops, daffodils, irises are starting to show green above the dead leaves and grasses.  I've seen several types of birds gathering items for nest building, and the red-winged blackbirds were singing their hearts out in the marshy areas along the foot path yesterday.  I guess that Spring will eventually arrive...
  Lovey and Nedi still chase and hiss at one another when they are running around playing - but they are occasionally sleeping together these days.  It's taken a long time, but I'm very happy.  They play and share food and water, but they have never cuddled with each other.  I think I might see that in the next few years.
  The other big news item in Boulder is that the County is holding meetings this week for anyone who lives on, or near, our huge creek system - Boulder Valley has at least 20 different streams and creeks that pour into it from the mountains.  After the big flood last September, which many people (and properties) are still recovering, it seems that we have a bumper crop of snow in the mountains.  This is good, because it is our drinking water for the rest of the year; it is bad because the creeks and streams have not recovered at all from the flooding this past fall.  Other than Boulder Creek, most streams and creeks here are seasonal - they are dry during fall and winter months, and for the last part of the summer.  Almost every single creek and stream has water running along its course right now, when it "should" be dry.  As we have 142 % of our annual snowpack up in the mountains, if we have high temperatures, and the snow melts rapidly, we could see September all over again.  So the County is calling folks to come to local meetings to discuss what will probably happen if we have more water than we can handle...  It will be an interesting spring in this semi-arid area!
  ~~~ On another note, if my husband were still alive, this would be his 66th birthday.  Jeffery Dale, I still love you and miss you.  I hope that you share all that I see, hear, read, think, and experience... especially the joys of your grandchildren!  ~~~