Growing up in Minnesota, with my parents, weather was what you talked about when you had nothing else in particular to say to somebody. Or maybe just nothing polite. One ALWAYS had to be polite, or there were consequences, and depending on the violation it either came later in private, or immediately in public. In public meant you'd just been terribly naughty and your parents had to show the people witnessing your misbehavior that they were trying to raise you better than that. I translate that into they're worried more about their own embarrassment than mine.
There was always something to say. Hot (or cold) enough for ya? How much rain did you get yesterday? Do you think we'll get some rain? Did you hear about that storm/twister/wind over at _________? Did you get your hay in before it hit? Have you gotten into the fields yet? How's the creek running over at your place? Need some help from our crew with the chain saw? shovels? rakes? Nasty sunburn there.
One way or another it was all about the weather. It helped that we were in the country, but even for city folk, your weather is your life. What crops grew this season? How much will they cost? How much extra work will it cause me? How much dust is getting in the house? Pollen allergies bad this year? How should I dress? How can I play? How safe are my roads? Can I get wherever there is on time? Will my house be there when I get back? What's amazing when I look up? Does your date include smooching to a beautiful sunset, or a clear view of the moon reflecting in a long white ribbon on a windless lake? Even for my parents, married 67 years, weather was a significant blessing on their wedding and anniversaries, Over all those years, it rained only 4 of the years their special date came around.
I could talk about Steve's 82nd birthday party yesterday. It would be about the weather, since all the family there were predictably themselves, and everybody got along... (except for one person, and if called on for a vote, those who knew the back story took an expected side. Old news/no news.) It was held outdoors, late afternoon, with a local town park reserved for the day. The number of people invited would never fit in the house. Children were invited, and those ranged from almost two to almost teens, so the large grassy space for running around and the double playground was exactly what was needed, one part toddler sized, the other perfect even for the twenty-somethings who were shepherding the younger ones around. And keeping them out of the temptation of the pond. Maybe even guiding them into the porta-potty, or making sure trash went into the bins, and "assisting" at the water fountains so those who wanted to get wet could do so in the manner they pleased and their parents approved of.
Because the weather was hot. And sticky. We knew it was likely to be rainy or even stormy in advance, because it's been a wet and stormy June. The the precise forecasts as each day came closer continued to insist on storms. They just didn't all agree on where or when, even while getting daily more insistent about the what. So it turned out to be good planning to pick a location not just with a bunch of picnic tables, but having them tucked nicely under a big roof, no side walls to prevent what turned out to be a fairly steady breeze from shoving its way through and cooling us all down while keeping skeeters away.
We assured our invited guests of the amenities. Just in case, one guest brought a portable charcoal grill with a cover for cooking the burgers, in case it had to be brought inside. The big public one was on a post in concrete out in the open. Rain would not be conducive to having yummy burgers without another option.
Since my garden rain gauge Frog arrived and got stuck into the ground, I've been keeping track of rainfall, in addition to rain locations around the state, along with the abundance of twister warnings sprinkled through the broader area, or straight line winds over 100 mph doing their own amount of damage very near to close family. I've found rain amounts of 3 inches, 4 inches, half an inch, one inch, three inches, half an inch, a quarter inch (gross underachiever!!), and the ever-popular 3 inches again. It did storm last night, but not till everybody was safe in their homes again, no matter from how far away they came for the party.
It was potluck, plus burgers and buns provided. Some brought presents as well, including the birthday cake with, of course, the theme of a fisherman in a boat out on a lake.
Other people took pictures. Yes, I took my camera, but was too tired from all the prep including loading and unloading the car, to even hunt for the bag it arrived at the party in, until the car was being loaded again at the end. Uhhhhh... Oops! Too late! Food left over did manage to get home in condition safe to eat - we'd been bagging cubes from the ice maker for weeks ahead, and gotten that huge cooler on wheels you've seen from a previous post. I got help loading the car back up, and bringing things into the house, but exhaustion hit hard.
I managed to stay awake long enough to see our helpers out, and put my feet up long enough to start hearing the rumble of thunder in the distance. I was pulling the blanket up during close cracks of thunder and the drumming of hard rain on the roof, windows, and skylight, all of which combined to make a perfect lullabye. It was over when I woke, though another thundershower came through this afternoon, with rivers running down both side of our street.
Today I've been lazy, eating some of the party leftovers so we can get room in the fridge/freezers again instead of prepping/heating anything. A tag end of laundry was tended to, except for the folding and hanging part - too much strain on the shoulders. I'll have to actually get dressed soon, since I need to go pick up a grocery order - fortunately mostly staples only needing shelf space, not cold space. On the way I'll go check the froggy rain gauge again, see how much came down in these last 24 hours. Steve has been busy choosing how to spend a couple gift cards, then getting more details and changing his mind. At least he's reading the fine print, because one footstool he really liked turned out to be a kit to make it himself!
Uh-uh. No way Jose! Ain't gonna happen! I won't list all the reasons, but any one would sink the effort. On to plan B... C... D........
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Back from picking up the grocery order sent in. On the way out I emptied the rain gauge of another full inch of rain. That gives sixteen and a quarter inches since keeping track! Hoo boy, no wonder the weeds are needing so much attention! Please note I never said they were getting all the needed attention, and some still have to wait for dry days in order to kill deep woody roots that never quite get fully dug out nor quit growing. With luck that'll take care of those till next year, and new weeds sprout and....
Yes, I dream.
While traveling on my errand, the clouds were giving quite a show. Did I mention I'm a cloud watcher whenever possible? Skies are blue here since our last system went through a few hours ago. But weather is active northeast and southeast of us, both disturbances having moved by now well into Wisconsin. That's my now, not yours waiting much longer till I post this and you get around to reading it.
The northern one was the least impressive, during the time I was able to view it. Still, it puffed up several large lumps of clouds, coalescing into a possible shower later. Against otherwise cloudless blue, it stood out beautifully, and the afternoon sun highlighted it well. But my drive provided few openings between treetops and field borders on that side of the road to exhibit much of interest.
The start of my drive circled down to the lakeshore where I was treated not just to a very impressive cloud but its reflection as well, now that the wind was all but gone. The first thing one would notice if they were paying any attention was an anvil cloud. The cloud stretched out east past that anvil point, with a few building clouds pushing up through the flat top. Semi-connected on the trailing side was a series of large tall columns chasing and catching up to the anvil, eventually obliterating it altogether, or at least on its back end. The front, or leading side must have hit a high sheer wind while I was getting my order loaded, as the lumpy tops had been ripped off into a long flat cloud, eventually hitting a downdraft where they were sinking in a solid chunk down towards the ground again. Not rain, just cloud, all keeping pace now as a single unit stretched over miles, heading east and into the enveloping evening. Last I saw of it was upon reaching home again, where more building was slowly taking place on the western end, but it was looking tired, like it had had all the day it wanted to endure.
Dang! I wished I'd brought my camera!
It's not just bad weather I love to watch in the clouds. There are so many different kinds of them, and I've even seen noctilucent clouds, rare as they are. I've come to love cirrus clouds. They can paint a landscape without diminishing the sunshine in it. A few years back I spent a jet boat tour on the Colorado in Utah capturing more cirrus clouds than red rock canyon walls or water reflections.
On my 75th birthday, one particular cirrus cloud lingered so long in the sky I had the chance to drive to where I wanted the perfect foreground to shoot it from. I considered it my private birthday present. I had gone to my favorite nature and wildlife sanctuary, alone, just me with the camera, able to drive where and when I wished to whatever next spot I want to go to, no worrying about was the other person getting their photos yet or in the way of mine? It happens a lot. I enjoy taking them but solo trips have different rewards. This particular cirrus cloud was formed into my favorite bird in flight - at least in my eye. It was still intact when I hit my spot to shoot. The body arched just so, the wings were up and back, the head out with the long beak rising, and a couple wisps circling to add substance to the head before narrowing for the long beak. Every wisp of cloud could have been a line drawn in place by an artist to make the perfect whole, nothing out of place except to fill in the background a bit.
I cherish a fantasy of some day painting those clouds on a piece of transparent blue glass. The glass is prepped, cut to size and fused to a clear piece for body. I have the special paint and have test run a sample. I just need time... and some courage.