Everyone has their superstitions when it comes to bad weather.
While people in wetter parts of the country may curse when they wash their cars only to see it rain, Four Corners residents have been known to wash their cars just so it will rain. I have been known to wash my car, hang clothes on the line and even wash the house windows out of hope that it will bring on rain. Here in the arid Southwest, rain or snow is rarely cursed, even if it does mean you have to wash your cars windows and sheets again.
It was looking pretty scary last week. The mountains looked as if they were holding little snow, and the fields in Dolores were bare. Last week, you could find snow in Dolores, but it wasn't easy.
This week, it's a far different story.
On Saturday, Dolores was lucky enough to have state Sen. Ellen Roberts stop by and address a crowd at the Dolores Public Library.
She too seemed concerned.
She drove to McPhee Reservoir and was surprised by the low water level.
She called the situation "severe" and said we desperately needed some heavy-duty moisture. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
The following day, however, it started to snow and snow and snow.
Residents north of Dolores measured as much as 24 inches of snowfall by the end of Monday.
School was canceled on Monday.
It seems, if you are the superstitious lot, that all it took was our state legislator to drive to McPhee for our moisture to finally come.
So Sen. Roberts, if you don't mind, could you make this drive once a year, you know, just in case?
Local author to appear
Don't miss local author Lowell F. Volk on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Dolores Public Library. Get the chance to meet this prolific local author between 1 and 3 p.m. Volk will have his new book, "A New Beginning," and will be available to talk with and get signatures.
Volk is a Rocky Mountain Fiction writer and the winner of a 2014 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Pen Award.
Challenging trail
The new Overlook Trail, which starts near the cemetery west of town, is growing in popularity with a variety of users, and until this latest storm, because it is south-facing, was dry. It has become a bit of a challenge for mountain bikers to see if they can climb up the trail without putting a foot down, because it is a bit technical. It is actually a bit technical for walkers, I don't know any bikers that have done the whole climb without putting a foot down. If you are one, let me know.
Lego Club
The next Lego Club meeting at the Dolores Public Library will be on March 6 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. This is a great chance to get your Lego-loving kid out and creating with other Lego-loving children.
Shannon Livick