Outdoors

Summer continues with monsoon winds, thundershowers and heat. What interests me the most is the increase in relative humidity. When we came to Colorado in 1965, the relative humidity averaged around 7 percent a day. Today it was 49 percent, and every day it is much higher than it was 50 years ago.

It is a fine summer evening. I am sitting on the patio, trying to write this article and cool off after another hot day and a rain shower. The cooler air is refreshing, and I can see many wildflowers in bloom in the yard. I really miss being able to get out for walks in the woods but can’t tote my oxygen tank, and the woodland way is too uneven, tilted and rough, for me to traverse safely. So, I try to be content with what I can see from the patio and car port.

Late June and early July are probably the most beautiful time of year in the mountains. Rain has finally come in enough quantity to restore life to the foothills and everything is lush green.

It is so green that you might think you are in Ireland. The grasses are green, the trees are green, kinnikinnick is green, our whole immediate world is green with blue sky overhead, and around every twist of a road or trail you are greeted by a splash of color from wildflowers.

June has been a wonderful month, so green, so fresh after the cold winter, it seemed almost magical. Now, July lies ahead with warmer weather, dusty roads and skyrockets in bloom for the Fourth of July.