It is not unusual for the Front Range to get snow in April. However, it is unusual for us to have three days of pretty serious winter weather, as we’ve had this Friday, Saturday, and now today. Here’s the view from outside our front door this morning:

Oh, and it’s 23.5 degrees outside right now.

I can’t complain too much though: the moisture will mean lush pastures for the horses this spring and summer, beautiful wildflowers on the trails in our neighborhood, and greatly reduced risk of fire.

Update: It’s still snowing pretty vigorously as of 2:30 pm. The snow is supposed to continue through this evening and tonight. Warmer weather is promised tomorrow.

Annoyed by the snow, I just bought this fancy new two-in-one Rambo blanket for my lovely mare Tara. It has a light outer shell that I can use by itself in the spring and fall, plus a heavy-duty under layer and optional hood for really damn cold weather. I already have — and regularly use — two fantastic medium-weight Rambo blankets on both my horses. However, that just didn’t provide enough warmth for Tara when it was bitterly cold, snowy, and windy this winter. (Tara doesn’t grow the thick coat in the winter that Jackson does, so while snow piles up on him, it melts on her. So she needs more protection.) I also have a lighter blanket for her in weather like we’re having now, but it’s a bit too tight across her shoulders, so she gets grumpy when she has to wear it. So the new blanket will replace that blanket too. Of course, I probably won’t be able to use it until the fall, but at least it’ll be ready and waiting!