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Monday, January 24, 2022

Winter Days


This is life around here these days...slushy and icy roads, tree branches white with snow, and my husband and I working hard to clear our driveway. Nonetheless, I love winter! To me, this is the cozy season where life slows down a bit.


When I open my window shades in the morning I often see a herd of deer passing through my backyard, foraging for food.



On some days the deer fill my window views all day long! 

They are inquisitive and have excellent hearing, so they look up at me when I take their photos.



They are such beautiful and graceful creatures.



For the most part, my husband and I have been hibernating at home this month as Omicron coronavirus numbers were high in our area. We had an errand to run in Boulder last week and we drove there by US Highway 36, which we have not driven on in a long time.  We stopped at the "Scenic Overlook" or Davidson Mesa Overlook. It was nostalgic for us because the first time we visited Colorado nineteen years ago we stopped there to take photos. Our son was attending the University of Colorado at Boulder for his Master's Degree and we drove cross country to give him our car, as we had purchased a new one. Back then US 36 was a two-lane highway, and now with population growth in the area, it is a six-lane highway in some sections!



Double-click on the photo to enlarge it to its largest viewing size

The overlook has also been modernized as it has benches, an information placard, and a small booth with tourist information brochures.





The views from the overlook of the Boulder area foothills and Rockies are beautiful!



More views.



The Flatirons--the iconic mountains of Boulder, Colorado.



Sadly, although we were not close to the epicenter of the Boulder County Marshall Fire, a wildfire that burned 6,000 acres, destroyed over 1,000 homes and businesses, and killed two people, we still could see burned-out grass, trees, structures, and smell the horrible smell of burned debris.  It was unbelievable how hurricane-force winds the day of the fire made the fire pass right over a six-lane highway made of concrete and asphalt!  Flying embers in the wind carried it far and lighted objects arbitrarily.  There is an investigation going on now that a burning underground abandoned coal mine that dates back to 1863 may have possibly caused the fire--click here-- to read that story. 

One thing we have been doing is preparing ourselves for the possibility of a wildfire in our area, as the weather seems to be getting hotter and dryer every summer.  Following up on the blog post I wrote about the lessons learned, we have made videos of our house and possessions and uploaded them to the cloud, and we are in the process of scanning all our older family photos and uploading them to the cloud. We practiced opening our electric garage door with the stand-by pully system it has as a backup in case we lose power and we have localized all that we would want to evacuate with us to make it easier to pack.  Once before, years ago,  our community had a practice evacuation drill and, hopefully, they will do another one soon, as I'm sure this time more residents will take it seriously.  It is good to know all the routes of evacuation and how long it takes one to get ready, no matter where you live.





On a happier note, I won this wonderful cookbook Treasures of the Mexican Table, full of classic recipes and local secrets from all the states of Mexico, in a giveaway sponsored by The Book Club CookbookThe Author, Pati Jinich, is on the PBS three-time James Beard Award and Emmy-nominated cooking show called Pati's Mexican Table. Her cookbook is full of delicious recipes from soup to desserts that I can't wait to try. Expect to see some in upcoming blog posts!


In the meantime, you can also find me on

36 comments:

  1. Such beautiful photos! Fancy having a herd of deer pass by your window!

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  2. Hello pat,

    I just love seeing your deer, they are so cute. Wonderful visitors.
    Your winter snowy scenes are lovely too, gorgeous views. It is sad about the wildfires, there is another near Big Sur Calif now. Congrats on the cookbook, I am sure it has lots of yummy recipes. Take care, enjoy your new week!

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  3. Your snow looks so pretty! How wonderful to see those beautiful deer up close. Looking forward to seeing some the the recipes you create from your new cookbook.

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  4. Good to see the lookout, and hear you all are becoming evacuation ready. I've watched that cooking show a couple of times, and it does have some yummy recipes. Congrats on winning the cookbook! I've been in the mood for enchiladas for the last few days.

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  5. Oh that was a good cookbook to win especially now during yet another Stay-home-a-lot time. We are expanding our cooking repertoire to include more ethnic dishes and more vegetarian ones because those are the kinds of restaurants we liked to find when we used to "eat out" regularly (before covid). .... It was fun reading about your nostalgic road trip and learning at least one reason why your family came to move to Colorado originally. ...I didn't know about the underground mine possibility for the horrible fire.

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  6. I love seeing the deer you have close by and the views of the mountains. And what a beautiful cookbook. You'll have all kinds of new dishes to try! Enjoy your week, Diane

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  7. That is a lot of snow but so pretty in your yard and on the mountains. Good idea about being ready for fires or any other emergency. I don't live in a fire zone but those tips are good for all of us to do. Thanks for linking up this week. #HomeMattersParty

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  8. Pat - yes, we have noticed that deer have good hearing. Occasionally, one is under the bird feeder, eating fallen seeds, and although we are hidden behind a wall and we are in the house, it can hear us talking and will look toward the windows. Also, I believe they can hear the shutter on my trail cam, and that explains why, in many of the photos, they are looking directly at the camera. It's good to continue your planning for a fire! Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

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  9. You live in such a picturesque area. It is too bad that it is also an area prone to fires. I do hope you never have to experience what that kind of loss would be like.

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  10. What beautiful photos and views :-)

    Have a wintrytastic week 👍

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  11. I am quite fond of deer. I remember them making their presence known around my parents' home in the winters.

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  12. I enjoy seeing the deer you have close by.

    Lovely views of the mountains and what a beautiful cookbook!

    Happy Tuesday, Pat!

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  13. I'm glad you have such a lot of snow, which will certainly help with the dryness of the land. It does look desolate in the dry, burned parts. I am interested in the coal mine theory so thanks for the link. And yes, I think your post prompted lots of interest in preparedness. Even those of us who live in less likely disaster zones need to be aware, for even a house fire requires leaving quickly. I know it made a difference for me.

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  14. Glad you are getting that snow pack that will help with drought issues. Beautiful photos.

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  15. I'm glad you have snow,Pat, but our son says the city has been very icy. I can't believe you have so many deer. We don't really see them in the winter here. I think they must venture somewhere else to forage. I'm relieved that the National Forest behind us has been clear cut. We had so many beetle-killed pines and deadfall. Now, at least we have a fire break. The fire in Boulder County was really a wake up call - I don't think we realized how fast a grass fire would spread and how devastating it would be.

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  16. ...winter with sunshine is a treat!

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  17. The views are stunning. Thank you for sharing.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  18. That fire was awful to read about. I hadn't heard that it may have been started by a fire in an abandoned coal mine.
    Colorado has been growing a lot. I hope they can handle it. Such a great place to live.
    I love your deer. I can't imagine them coming through a neighborhood.

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  19. Beautiful, and so very different from my neck of the woods. Those deer almost look like family pets. So incredible to seem them in your backyard!

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  20. Loving all these winter photos! You have the best backyard visitors.

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  21. What beautiful photos! We must travel 2-3 hours to see much snow, but I always enjoy it when we do. Our son has a cabin in Ruidoso, NM and enjoys many of the same kinds of scenes. We always love to spend a weekend there.

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  22. That's so wild, the deer in the garden (Literally and figuratively!) #SaturdayCritters

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  23. The deer are beautiful. I love seeing winter in your area but I wouldn't like to experience the temperatures or the work involved in clearing snow.its good to hear that you are so well prepared. we should do the same. Although we have had an extremely wet summer this year with very few fires in fact we have more problems with floods in some areas but not ours. Our friend in Boulder was evacuated but their house was spared.

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  24. Hello Pat,

    I love seeing the deer, they are pretty critters. The snowy scenes are beautiful. I love the views from the overlook. It is sad to see the area that had the fire, I am glad you will be prepared if there is a fire near you. Beautiful photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day and the new week ahead. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  25. Looks like you are having the same kind of weather as us!!...We have a mild winter...but dreary..... Looking forward to spring:)

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  26. What beautiful, beautiful images, Pat. Thank you for the prayers for my family. I hope you have a wonderful week-and stay healthy and safe. Hugs- Diana

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  27. Great photographs, and so amazing to see the deer in your back yard (garden), we did have some squirrels visit ours recently :)

    All the best Jan

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  28. Your snow is beautiful. We have been getting some and I have been enjoying it!! Thanks for linking up and have a great week.

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  29. I love the deer..it has been very snowy here...

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