wasn't that a mighty storm?

last week we had a magnificent storm.
the streets were filled with branches,
and lakes appeared randomly where
storm drains were quickly clogged with
fallen leaves.

i was in heaven.
there is nothing better than a mighty storm:
destruction that leads to creation.
i'll never tire of this symbolic reality.

{photos by me. october 2009}

i wait for storms...then let them move through me...

are you sick of me talking of rainy days and gathering clouds? hopefully not. i could never tire of emotional weather. it wakes my soul. sunny days are quite mundane if you ask me. they ask nothing of you. it's too easy, don't you think? storms ask something of you. they make you stop to look up. they demand your listening attention with booms and rumbles. you must either slow down and stay in doors taking care of a stressed-out soul, or taking care of your abode because you've put that off too. if you decide to go out, you must prepare yourself: wellies, scarves, slickers, umbrellas. you must be deliberate when it storms. you either slow down to watch the sky and its rain hit the earth or you brave the storm and place yourself right in the middle of it all...feeling every bit of watery nourishment and every whip of the wind. this last weekend we had an unusual bit of cool weather and rain. i'm sad to see it end...we're headed back to 95+ degrees here. so mundane. so easy. nothing to watch, nothing to prepare for. i came across this verse written in the 18th century, and thought i'd share:

O, fearful people, fresh courage take

the clouds you so much dread

are big with mercy and shall break

in blessings on your head.

so lovely indeed. those clouds and storms always end with nourishment and harvest. wonderful things are storms.

this is a photo of me on a cloudy afternoon at our cabin up the weber.

if it weren't for summer lightning storms i'd have almost nothing to say about summer

we moved to sacramento may 15, 2008. it was 100 degrees the day our yellow moving van pulled in. yuck. the summer got hotter, and stickier. yuck, again. no rain for 5 whole months. for those who know me, they already know that my city of choice would be somewhere in northern england or somewhere in the pacific northwest where it rains and rains and rains and rains. so 5 months with no rain has a depressive effect on my being.

so i am happy to report we had a raging lightning&thunder rainstorm last night. it started to move in just as we were finishing our mexican meal out on the patio. we watched the dark billowy clouds move in all directions, and smelled that musty, yet clean, smell of rain. so what did we do next? we went for a walk of course. the wind was refreshing, and the site of the night sky dancing with light was perfect. we stood in our driveway for many minutes before going in...and i thought, "how many people are missing this? trading this for yet another kind of flashing light that sits in their living rooms?" i was grateful to see such a show last night. grateful to watch it with ceej. grateful there are more storms in the forecast. i think i could handle sacramento more if summer-time was graced with more storms.

we shall see how summer 2009 unfolds.

image via wikimedia.

snowing blossoms...

photo by me. april 2009. legend lane.

i'm looking out my bedroom window

at the wind violently swirling

the fallen blossoms in tornadoes.

i do love a good storm.

hoping this is the beginning of one.

i'll be taking the week off from blogging.

too much studying and meditating to do.

graduation is friday,

but it feels light-years away.

once i graduate, the hardest part comes...

trying to decide what to do next.

i don't want to do everything.

everything is too much.

i want to find one or two things

that i can devote myself to.

any ideas?

wish me luck!

enjoying the weather

been happy about the stormy in the salt lake valley this last week...

enjoy the relief of cool weather before the schorching summer comes!

call out the wellies!

photo by me, down by the river next to our home in california. (p.s. i'm noticing that the color of my photos changes from computer to computer...i'll have to fix that)

what do i love more than rain?

thunder storms!!

the national weather service is forecasting rain and t-storms tomorrow

and rain for the rest of the week!

so get out your wellies for splashing in puddles...

not to mention their rubbery protection from possible lightning strikes (right?!)

hooray for storms!

(sorry that ceej had to ride his bike home in a down-poor...but now he's warm and dry!)

Why I am Sick

Photo above taken January 20, 2009

Photo taken April 2008.

Isn't this inversion disgusting?! Hoping for a storm SOON!!

Manifesto Monday: Storms

I believe in the necessity and beauty of storms. I am not only speaking of the storms of Mother Nature, but of the storms that come to all of us in our lives--especially for women.

There is nothing that I love more than experiencing a terrible storm with loud, rumbling thunder and destructive high winds. It is indeed something both terrifying and thrilling to see the power of Mother Nature. She can bring both destruction and nourishment as she literally changes the landscape. I think of how these storms leave clean air, moist soil, and a calm like no other. I am drawn to these storms in a way that brings a swelling to my heart, and inspires me that I, too, can make great changes leaving the earth new, better, and a place of peace.

I think back on all the storms that women have caused to bring about better communities, environments, and a better world. I remember the women who were fed up with being second-class citizens and unable to vote. They became so passionate that they caused the storm that changed the way the world thought of women, and they got the vote. I think of the women who organized at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, because no one else would. They became so angry and motivated to change things once and for all--so they began sitting on busses--immovable.

We look back on these women and the amazing and courageous things they did, and we do not think, "I wish they would calm down" or "what were they getting so worked up about?" We honor these women and their passion--and their ability to start a storm that brought change. I believe, that as women, we have an innate power, our passions, to cause storms to wake people up, to give people courage, to give people hope in better days--to cleanse and to nourish. This I believe.

First Snow!

This past weekend Ceej and I changed our plans last minute when our camping companions bailed-out on us. But it was all good because we decided to take a trip to our favorite place on earth. Glad we did. There were some mighty great rain storms and snow in the mountains. I love love love the first snow! We also got to see all of our favorite people! It was indeed a lovely holiday.

Storm Approaching!

At this very moment there is a dark and ferocious storm making its way across the Salt Lake valley. This is my kind of moment. There is nothing like a storm...you can feel the earth awaken and move with clarity. Nothing can stop a storm. It is so awe-some. Grateful to be here now.

photo: Neil Maughan, UK

Got my wish...with LIGHTNING to boot!

I can't remember the last time I saw lightning and heard thunder in December. This is going to be a great storm! Can you feel the earth moving?! This is incredible.

WAITING...

I'm just waiting for this storm we're supposed to have. Maybe when I wake up tomorrow this is what I'll see out the window. I'm in quite the mood for a winter storm that will leave us in a winter wonderland..."In winter in the woods alone/Against the trees I go."