Desperately seeking snow

Here in northern Colorado, we need a good old-fashioned snow dance (or maybe just a good rain dance done in cold weather. The real thing, not the various rituals that kids employ to conjure a snow day and get out of school.

This particular Native American snow dance took place in Taos Ski Valley, NM, in December 2017. The dancers are from the Taos Pueblo. I don’t know if their dance worked, but we need this now in Colorado. Our snowpack is at its lowest level ever for this point in the season — just 62% of normal. That’s water we won’t have this summer. That’s water that won’t be flowing east across the plains, or west down the Colorado River all the way to California. And of course there’s the resulting critical fire danger.

Yes, we still have several months of winter ahead of us, and the weather may turn in our favor. But at best we’ll be starting at deficit levels.

Maybe the Taos dancers would consider coming to Colorado. Or maybe our ski resort in Vail could call upon their Ute friends again.

Meanwhile, encourage the kids to keep putting their PJs on inside out and backwards, keep putting white crayons in the freezer and ice cubes on the porch or down the toilet, keep putting spoons under their pillows, and keep running around their dining tables five times before going to bed.

Can’t hurt. Might help.