I'm sure my fellow Colorado AR Members will be sharing similar horrors today. These look a lot like the photos we all posted three weeks ago...and two weeks ago...and last week. But no, these are from today, May 1st. And it isn't a really big surprise - this is, after all, Colorado. And I'm on record, in a comment last week, predicting this. We really do need the moisture, it has been a long, dry winter. But Sheesh! Will this suffering never end?

Mary & Dick Greenberg Elevations Real Estate LLC 106 East Oak St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com

While all of y'all have been busy posting photos of your plants bursting into lovely displays of color, welcoming the spring in all its seasonal glory, we've been having a different experience here in Colorado. Up until yesterday, we hadn't seen much color, and that includes green, since our usual spring weather makes our vegetation extremely paranoid about blooming early.

They fear something like this, and they're wise - this isn't all that unusual. But it is the biggest snow we've had in a couple of years, and it's going to keep coming down until Thursday. It's also very welcome - this is a very wet, sloppy snow, full of the moisture that we need so badly after a very dry winter. It's the stuff that will make everything colorful in a couple of weeks, and we'll be catching up quickly with flowers and leaves, and we'll look just like you guys - unless it does this again.

Mary took one look out the window this morning and announced a snow day, so we'll be hanging out here today. I'm heading out to fire up the snow blower for the first time in two years - I really hope it's working! - and then I'm going to spend the day playing with the puppies, who have just opened their eyes and are about to meet the world.

Mary & Dick Greenberg Elevations Real Estate LLC 106 East Oak St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com

I am really excited about the next couple of months. Some of the happiest moments of my life have been spent sitting in whelping boxes with a bunch of rowdy puppies or kittens crawling all over me, gnawing on my fingers and ears, or just sleeping in my lap. In the latter case, I'll sit there long after my legs have fallen asleep, unwilling to disturb them.

Lulu, my sweet 3 year old black Lab, is expecting. I'll be midwifing the birth - it will be my 3rd puppy litter, and Lulu's first and last (I've also served at the births of 5 litters of kittens). We have Lulu's whelping box all set up, and she and I check it out every day. And Mary has set up a blow-up mattress next to it so I can spend the first several nights with Lulu and the puppies.

Lulu is doing great - her spirits and health are excellent, but she is uncomfortable - I think it's because the little guys are moving around - I can feel them! - and she thinks she looks fat (she definitely does, but don't tell her). She's getting lots of tummy and back rubs, as well as extra treats.

Yesterday, we went to see our vet, Dr. Greg Burns, a Board Certified theriogenologist (animal reproduction specialist) at South Mesa Veterinary Hospital, to find out how many house guests we should expect to show up sometime late next week (we're both betting on Wednesday night). Greg and I came up with the same number from looking at the x-ray, but I'll let you take a crack at this on your own, and then in the comments later, I'll tell you our guess. And of course, I'll be posting puppy pictures after the event.

Puppies!!!

Mary & Dick Greenberg Elevations Real Estate LLC 106 East Oak St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com

Okay, I know I did some Eagle photos a couple of weeks ago, but the last few days here have been amazing.

The really big deal is that there is a Golden Eagle hanging out on the lake. In 25 years of living in Colorado, this is the first one I've seen in the wild, and he's awesome - a bit bigger than the Bald Eagles, and a beautiful golden brown color.

We have also been overrun with the Bald Eagles - there were nine sitting out on our frozen lake this morning. As to what they're doing there, our guess is that it's mating season and what we're watching are courtship rituals. There also seems to be plenty for them to eat.

I'd do video if I could get closer, but they're pretty shy about letting me approach too closely, and I'd rather watch from a distance than scare them off. I'm sorry the pictures aren't better - I'm at the limit of my 300mm lens with these.

Mary & Dick Greenberg Elevations Real Estate LLC 106 East Oak St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com

The names of the neighborhoods we live in are sometimes pretty descriptive - and sometimes not. I'd believe that the folks who live in Quail Hollow and Fox Acres often see quail and foxes. But anything more cowboy than some guy with a hat in a pickup truck would be rare in Stetson Creek, there aren't maples in Maple Hill, and while there might be a paragon or two in Paragon Point, how would you know?

Yesterday, our neighborhood, Eagle Lake, once again earned it's name. We've seen Bald Eagles many times, but usually on flyovers or occasionally, doing a bit of fishing. And one time, Mary watched an eagle stalk a lone duck for over an hour - every time the eagle would attack the duck, it would dive under water. Eventually the eagle gave up, with Mary loudly cheering the outcome.

Yesterday was the best show yet. When we got home in the late afternoon, there were four Bald Eagles hanging out. Three were sitting out on the ice, and one was circling around something on the far shore, which he picked up, took out on the ice and ate. Whatever it was, there was enough for everyone over there, and, after a bit of bickering, all four eventually got some. The show went on until dark, and this morning they're back, along with a couple of buzzards.

Mary & Dick Greenberg Elevations Real Estate LLC 106 East Oak St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com

We have 3 pairs of nesting Blue Heron on our lake. They return every year for the tasty crawdads, froggies, fish and whatever else we have on tap, and we see them down by our dock on most days, standing in the water perfectly still, waiting for an unsuspecting morsel to wander by.

I got a bit luckier than usual yesterday evening at sunset trying to sneak up on this one - I would have liked to get another 20 feet closer or so, but they're very wary and spook easily. You can see where they get their name.

Mary & Dick Greenberg Elevations Real Estate LLC 106 East Oak St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com

Our Lab Moose is a great retriever - or at least he would be if he were an only dog.

His main job on Sunday morning is to get the NY Times - but he needs supervision, enthusiastically provided by our small emergency back-up dog, Mario - who nominally is a Rat Terrier, but got his dog chops exclusively from Labs. Here's a brief clip of the two of them at work.

The problem is Lulu, our other Lab, 2 years old, who loves to retrieve - but only if it's something Moose already has. Since we want to actually read the paper, Mary or I have to hold Lulu on the porch while the other guys get the paper.

The end of the clip is later that day, on our hike around the lakes in our neighborhood - it's a pretty standard example of Moose trying to retrieve a stick from the lake, and getting plenty of help.

The good news is that Lulu will eventually become an adult dog - if you don't make a big deal out of it, Labs will stay puppies until they're 4 or 5 years old - and she will learn to do retrieving properly. Until then, chaos reigns.

Mary & Dick Greenberg Elevations Real Estate LLC 106 East Oak St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com