The Storms of Summer

I think everywhere in the world understand the storms of summer can be rough but here in the US summer storms bring severe thunderstorms, derecho winds, tornadoes and of course downpours.

While the rain is being enjoyed by our community garden, the wind has not been our friend. Early morning storms today played havoc for a decades old oak tree by our church.

You can see the top portion of this beautiful tree was broken off like a match stick.

The clouds, since daybreak, have been ominous as they pounded us with water.

But the flowers still prove that they can survive, maybe even thrive as long as the winds stay clear of their tender stems.

And as the clouds begin to dissipate, George, the neighborhood Red Tail Hawk, calls out to remind us that all is well and to always trust in the creator of all things to create beauty after a storm, regardless of where the storm that may be happening.

I close with a reminder to be kind especially in the midst of a storm. It will make the storm more bearable.

In the Midst of a Storm

Yesterday for the Midwest, it was a turbulent day of rain, hail, wind, and tornadoes. Fortunately, we survived the madness but others did not fare as well. I don’t think anyone was injured but trees, powerlines and some buildings did get damaged. I got some interesting pictures I thought I would share of the ominous clouds as they passed over my house.

There were two lines of the storm and I thought (foolishly) that I could zip between them to the McDonald’s down the street for a quick burger. As I drove into the parking lot, the sun looked like a glowing ball in dark gray sky, making the area look like a black and white photo.

Then while in the drive-through line, the deluge started. Fortunately, it was a short-lived line. As I was leaving the glowing ball made the sky look it was on fire surrounded by eerie luminous clouds.

Mother nature doing her thing. Even in the wrath of a storm, there is beauty that she creates if you look hard enough. May we also show beauty in all that we do. I think if we are always kind, then beauty will always be seen, therefore…we should always be kind.

Sky After a Storm

Hammad Rais shares his clouds with Monday Sky, so I am jumping in on this challenge with the Saturday sky we had after a storm.

Looking out my sunroom window, just as the storm broke up and the sun started to set.

Then a little later…The clouds like to tell a beautiful story of relief relief after you have a storm. Some are more beautiful than others.

Remember to show the relief of kindness to someone who may be going through a storm. You may be the relief they desperately need.

Weekend Sky #113, 8/26

Hammad Rais gives us the opportunity to share the lovely skies we see with the blogging world with his Weekend Sky challenge. Today I am sharing photos from early this morning that people in this area took and sent to the local TV station, KCCI, journalist Eric Hanson. I have never seen this phenomenon before and wanted to share these with you. These are Gravity Wave clouds. The rest of the pictures are even more amazing, I just wanted you to see this one to show how close to the ground they are without getting to the ground. Click on Eric’s name to go to his FB page for other pictures.

I will try to explain this the best my poor understanding can. In the Midwest, we have been experiencing extreme heat and high humidity, typical for the South where I came from but not for here. And on top of that, you have the heat coming off of the corn that is ready to harvest, raising heat pressure against the cloud not allowing it to come down to the ground like fog. This long cloud rolls horizontally as it moves through the atmosphere in front of the front. At least the front will cool us off.

Early morning shots taken by Ashley Thompson

This picture was taken from on top of a wind turbine by Blake, a contractor for Vestas. I think we all know how tall those turbines are so it gives you some height reference. Below is a shot taken by Corey Lehman of this same bank from ground level. Kind of scary in my book. It remind me of the dust storm cloud pictures I have seen that cover the land in find dust.

Weather’s power and beauty keep us all looking toward the sky wondering what is next. As we study the beauty of the skies around us, remember to share that beauty in kindness. Kindness has a beauty that surpasses anything we may see in the sky.

Weekend Sky #99, May 6&7

I have not posted on Weekend Sky in a while because the skies have been relatively calm…not this weekend. Two warm fronts back to back causing all kinds of issues mostly due to the unseasonably warm temperatures. We don’t usually see 90s until mid-June but this weekend was hot and humid and a show stopper of dark swirling clouds. Saturday was not really that volatile. But as the sun began to set, the colors were amazing.

Sunday was a different story. An evil-looking sky swirled around as the storm started building, resulting in hail, high winds, and a tornado south of us.

After the storm settled to a low roar, the sky seem to split with dark clouds below, dark clouds above, and the sun trying its best to appear. It was quite ominous looking and the clouds looked like hot air being belched from the sun.

On the other side of the river, Youth Group at the church was just letting out and Kenzie snapped this picture. A double rainbow – a double promise from God that He is still in control.

So even though storms can be scary, God is still guiding us and keeping us safe as long as we use a little common sense to stay out of the storms path.

The remainder of the week promises to be somewhat calm so we will work in the garden and yard to watch the beauty of nature grow.

The Calm…and Beauty After the Storm

Storms usually always clear to beautiful skies once they pass…whether the storms are of nature or a storm your life may be going through.

Today we had a series of storm fronts go through our area creating hail damage, wind damage and several tornadoes. The extent of the damage is still being assessed and unfortunately the storm front is still marching east creating havoc as it goes. But for now some of us have peace and the sky is magical as the clouds thin out and the setting sun creates colors that make us smile.

The clouds twisted as they moved across the sky and their colors changed as the sun slowly sets creating a picture of peace and beauty. Even the red bird sang from the top of the tree announcing to everyone who would listen that all is well, the storm has passed.

He sings a message we should all hear and take to heart as we deal with the many storms we deal with in life. God always has us in his hand…always. It’s just hard to visualize His beauty when we see so much negative destruction around us, but I implore you to try. For every step forward that you may make, a new bright light will find its way to your heart.

Allow it in and allow it to shine brightly. Even though it may seem like a setting sun at times, its warmth can give you new life. Embrace it and share its beauty with others. You may just make their day and help them to smile.

And I remind you always of the beauty of kindness. Kindness opens doors that some may think could not open, so always share the power of kindness and watch it work its beauty.

Weekend Sky #93

It always fascinates me on how quickly weather can change. This morning we woke to 7+ inches of snow and by noon the sky was clearing to an amazing sky this afternoon.

All over the sky were separate clusters of heavy wispy clouds with thick bright centers that reflected the brightness if the sun. The one below seem to have a laser shooting down from it.

This one below is a favorite as it looked like a large white bird flying down the sky. I know my imagination gets away with me sometimes when looking at clouds but they are so beautiful. They remind me of a simpler time as children when we would lay on the grass making shapes out of clouds. Ah, the purity of youth. If life were always that simple and gentle.

Come along and join in with Hammad Rais and Weekend Sky and see the beauty after a storm or the gentleness of a peaceful sky.

And as always, I remind you of the beauty of kindness and how it can change the look of any sad situation.

Always Be Kind

Weekend Sky #71, Aug 20

Hammad Rais has a fun challenge for Weekend Sky and today was a good day for sky watching. When we started out in the morning, we only had a 15% chance of rain. So you can imagine our surprise when our outing at church got us “drowned rat” wet. It was not a great look but it did give us an event to always remember.

And I saw another line of storms coming around 2:00pm. After getting back home, and dry, I though that would be a great time for a nap…wrong thought. Aside from the lightening and thunder being on top of us, the wind and rain was so intense that it knocked down my sunflowers – remember my post about Sun and Mood 2 days ago. Yep, gone. They were wonderful though and I have picture to prove it. LOL.

So back to the sky. After the storm blew through I got these pictures of the amazing clouds as they cleared the area.

I hope these clouds can encourage you and help you know, regardless of the storm you may be going through, there is always a peace and beauty after the storm leaves. Hang on to that hope, you have got this and if you feel like you can’t hold on by yourself, God always has a hand stretched out to you for you to hold onto. Grab it and hold tight. He will never let you go.

And remember to always be kind, regardless of your storm.

Encouraging Light After a Storm

When storms come through the areas where we live, their is usually a rich beauty in the sunset mixed with the clouds once the storm leaves.

The clouds seem to enhance the redness and brightness of the light. It was a beautiful sunset Friday night. I think that philosophy goes with people as well. When we go through stormy times of our lives, we have the chance to come out brighter on the other side.

Remember to share kindness as you come out of a hard time. It will help encourage you as much as it blesses those whom you are kind with.

Mid-Week Sky

I enjoy joining in with Hammad Rais and the gorgeous skies that can relax you at the end of the week, but we had a storm early this morning…that I spelt through. So I did not take these photos but thought they were awesome to share. The local TV station took them and posted them on FB. Spring and summer can create some pretty horrific storms here in the Midwest and with it being as hot as it has been, it is no wonder we had one this morning, only to be topped off with more triple digit heat. Enjoy the pics.