the garden

Sunrise, february 12

Was it a warning?

i know that old saying is found in the Bible
but it doesn't seem to always hold true.
This time, a troublesome freezing rain-ice storm soon followed.

another angel flew by

 

Sunrise over the neighborhood

January 9th

It's rare that we have long stretches of grey winter weather.
Storms come, leave their offerings
usually white in nature
then get blown out to sea
or down east.
One needs good sunglasses in January around here.

Clarification: i do not consider a 2-3-5 day snow event "grey weather."

And, you know me...even if it was grey for a whole week, i'd be the
silly one walking around with a grin on my face.

Don't get me wrong.
i also smile when a fresh high streams in from the
north and leaves us with stellar skies
brisk, frosty air
and then these:

June 18th

It's amazing and crazy.
We seem to be having a Seattle winter in June:
anything from mist to pouring rain almost everyday.
i try not to smile too much in public.
i admit that i'm not terribly sympathetic to those frowning faces
who find this weather depressing. They've had more than their fair
share of blazing, burning sunshine here in our neighborhood
over the past several summers.
Happily
i've discovered a few other souls in my neighborhood who
enjoy the weather i do.
We find ourselves speaking in whispers about how wonderful it has been.
i think of us as a Quiet Confederacy of Cloud and Rain Loving Folk.

i am tempted but i do not blurt out to acquaintances i pass in the
parking lot at the supermarket, "Isn't this gorgeous weather we're having?!"
The way almost everyone of them has when the sun has been scorching the life out of our gardens and countryside in past summers. But i do enjoy imagining the confused and confounded expressions it would illicit.

now that i've confessed my stinginess
i marvel at how dramatically different we can be in our needs and desires
and yes
i empathize with those who are truly depressed by weather.
May those who suffer find sunshine from other sources to fill the soul.
But i acknowledge it must be just as difficult for them now as it is when
i must find respite from the sun.
These conundrums of conflict leave me a bit dizzy trying to reconcile them.
so
i will stop trying
and go back to reveling in my blessings and not feel the least bit guilty for doing so.

On the few clear days that we've had
and, yes, i've enjoyed them
we have had some very pretty skies

and i purposely took pictures of faint whisps of clouds
then used Photoshop to discover the atmospheric beauty that
is invisible to my human eyes

then
magically (timing is everything)
one rare sunny afternoon i went out to take a little rest on
the hammock (with my favorite little pocket camera in hand).
After enjoying some long moments resting my computer burned eyes
i looked back in time to see
a pair of angels gliding by

January 1st

Santa left a fine little camera beneath our tree
and i'm having loads of fun discovering what this tiny little gem can do.
So, here is a bit of New Year's Day sky caught in birch branches

Wishing us all a Peaceful, Happy and Prosperous New Year!!

August 20th

Just a few days following the brief but fierce storm
this flies across our sky

August 19th

This photograph is something i grabbed quickly a couple of weeks ago.
It was the oddest sensation:
It was late afternoon
the gibbous moon shone weakly in the remains of a sultry-overcast sky
i was indoors
one moment there was familiar soft summer light filling the windows
the next moment
snap your fingers
it was sucked away
just
like
that!
Both of us hurried to the south facing windows
asking each other "What...?" as we met in the hallway.
The sky was being swallowed by a massive black cloud sliding in from the west.
i grabbed my camera
ran outside
all the while trying to remember
how fresh are the batteries in the flashlights?
and feeling relieved that the pantry was in good shape.
A curious, sickening excitement grabbed my stomach
a terrible beauty
something fierce was on its way.

The cloud moved quickly
i had time for only a couple of shots of the glowing moon
before it was gone
and it was dark hours before night normally arrives
and the rain came.
Amazingly, i learned from the television that the worst was south of us
and any guilty thrill is washed away as i hear the announcers warn
more flooding for those folks is most likely coming their way.