My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and asking deep questions.
If there is meaning in the past and in the imagined future, it is captured in the moment. When you have all the time in the world, you can spend it, not on going somewhere, but on being where you are. So I stretch out, close my eyes, and listen to the rain.
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Rainfall is an interesting natural phenomenon. Measuring how much rainfall we get is another phenomenon. I visit a website put out by the City of Fort Collins to see what has been measured in rainfall accumulation across the city. The city adds a disclaimer on the accuracy of the measurements but it does give some indication of how much rain we received. It rained yesterday afternoon and then began again early this morning. Plenty of lightning and thunder to go along with it. So, refreshing.
Ever notice how green is always greener after a rain? And, yes, I’m still asking questions. 
… we are receiving some much needed rain this morning. It began raining just after I went to bed. Sometime during the night I could hear it pounding against my window. Awoke to lovely puddles of water. The little boy within was enticed enough to want to jump in them.
A light mist was falling as I walked to the bus stop. About an hour later it was a steady rain again. I sat in one of the lounge chairs at the coffee shop, looking out the window and watching the refreshing gift descending. Like snow there is a certain silence in gentle rain, when we pause and listen. I listened this morning. Everything smells fresh and new. I feel the coolness on my body and there is rejoicing in my spirit, even a giggle. Have a wonderful day!
“Let’s just sit quietly and listen to the secrets the rain wants to tell us.”
John Mark Green
“The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.”
Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
These are the predawn colors at Pineridge Nature Area this morning. A strong wind was blowing from the north, robins were singing and magpies were squawking. At first one may think the magpies are complaining but I like to believe it’s their way to greet me in the morning. Just maybe they are thanking me for being there. After some journaling at the natural area I made my way for my morning mocha. They also thanked me for being there.
Back home and clouds now fill the skies. A steady rain is being offered to our parched land and souls. This rain is welcomed, a wonderful sign of spring, so I have a thankful heart. Hope you have a great day and try to be there.
sitting on a bench at the natural area
ms
I look out across the open meadow
a light wind blows from the south
softly whispering through golden grass
taking simple breaths I remain present
far from those places thoughts beckon
a blue jay chatters from a pine branch
joined by a chorus of barking prairie dogs
I’m listening…
but all goes silent with my unexpected sneeze
an engulfing quiet settles upon the meadow
silence is broken with a chickadees two-note song
inviting the prairie dogs and blue jays back
a squawking magpie joins in and so the
concert continues much to my pleasure
within this simple experience I am
offered one of the many gifts of nature
I’m listening…
touch of morning dew
ms
stamens reaching for the sun
walk in the garden
It is cloudy and overcast this morning but still warm. Rain is possible later and welcomed. Have a rather busy Sunday which will help keep me out of trouble. This image is from Friday mornings walk at The Gardens on Spring Creek. Have a great Sunday!
After rain after many days without rain,
Mary Oliver, from Why I Wake Early
it stays cool, private and cleansed, under the trees,
and the dampness there, married now to gravity,
falls branch to branch, leaf to leaf, down to the ground
where it will disappear–but not, of course, vanish
except to our eyes. The roots of the oaks will have their share,
and the white threads of the grasses, and the cushion of moss;
a few drops, round as pearls, will enter the mole’s tunnel;
and soon so many small stones, buried for a thousand years,
will feel themselves being touched.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
Albert Einstein
Yesterday was a cooler day with refreshing rain and more rain is forecasted for today. It is overcast, damp, and foggy in Colorado this morning. The fog mixed with the smoke filters the sun to glow bright orange through it all. Wish I knew a good way to photograph that color but I haven’t come up with one yet. But, that’s okay because I was able to just sit and experience nature doing its thing, and just for me.
My prayer this morning is for more of us to take a deeper look into nature which means spending time there and on a regular basis. Seems to me Albert knew what he was talking about. Leaving in a few minutes to meet a special friend for coffee and conversation. Have a great Sunday!