Kitty Paw Clouds

Tonight's sky was filled with kitty paw prints. After a lazy day of lounging around the house and enjoying the pleasant weather, cloudy at times, but the temperature stayed nice and I didn't have to turn the air conditioning, I went outside to water my flowers and looked up. I immediately thought of kitty paws prints all over the sky.

Sunday - directely overhead

It was about 8:30 p.m. and the sun was getting ready to set. I waited a while after I took these to see if I could get a golden hue on the clouds from a deeper sunset, but the paws vanished from the sky before the sun went down.

Sunday - off to the west, the sun behind the tree on the right.

I wasn't going to post a Saturday Sky picture because I was gone all day yesterday and was extremely tired when I got home. I took a picture about 4 p.m., right after I came home, but forgot about posting until the day had ended. But tonight's sky prompted me to post anyway.

Saturday at 4 p.m. Very warm, humid and overcast all day.

Air heavy and tiresome.

Saturday Sky: Ballooning

I walked out of my door at 6:30 this morning and saw two yellow balloons descending. It's always a breathtaking site to see these giants, seemingly suspended in a motionless sky. No breeze, no clouds, just a yellow balloon slowly, silently floating by.

Early Morning Saturday Sky

Facing East at 6:30 AM

Three days the sun's setting and rising will be the same.

As if the earth standing still, takes a long breath

Before marching forward into long winter nights.

Poetry Monday

I was going to post another Poe poem today, but after reading them over I decided they were a bit too depressing for this beautiful blue-sky day. So I found a haiku instead. About cats, of course.

Wanna go outside.

Oh, no! Help! I got outside!

Let me back inside!

haiku author unknown

Poetry Monday: More of Poe

Evening Star

'T was noontide of summer,
And mid-time of nights;
And stars, in their orbits,
Shone pale thro' the light
Of the brighter, cold moon,
'Mid planets her slaves,
Herself in the Heavens,
Her beam on the waves,
I gazed awhile
On her cold smile;
Too cold—too cold for me—
There pass'd, as a shroud,
A fleecy cloud,
And I turn'd away to thee,
Proud Evening Star,
In thy glory afar,
And dearer thy beam shall be;
For joy to my heart
Is the proud part
Thou bearest in Heaven at night,
And more I admire
Thy distant fire,
Than that colder, lowly light.
-Edgar Allan Poe

Of all the missed opportunities I've had to take pictures like this at night, I've had to go to the web and borrow a photograph.

Saturday Sky in Oregon Retold

Today's sky, Satuday, June 9, 2007

Last Saturday I posted a picture of a nearly all blue sky accept for one little wisp of cloud. I commented that "Our summer skies will mostly just be blue and featureless until the rains return in the fall."

Humph! I couldn't have been more wrong. Our little, first of the summer, heat wave ended on Tuesday, June 5th, with a powerful coldfront that swept in from the North Pacific ocean, bringing us heavy rain and hail.

Tuesday's sky, June 5, 2007 about 9:30 AM

Our weather has turned back to the winter/spring pattern bringing waves of Pacific storms, colder, sometimes windy and rainy weather. And of course, dull gray skies most of the time. There have been some beautiful cloud formations during the rain events this past week, and now I wished I had chronicled the days of the week with the camera.

Hailing on my little garden spot outside my apartment...






Today we weren't supposed to get rain until this evening. I woke up at four-thirty this morning and glanced up out into the twilight of morning. The moon was just above my widow, barely shrouded in a thin mist of fast moving clouds. I had the thought to run right out and take that picture but didn't. About half an hour later I got up to fix the Man's breakfast, and thought again of taking the moon shot in the early morning light. Well, I should always go with my first impressions, shouldn't I. When I looked out the window for the moon, thick gray clouds had covered it completely and it was raining. At about eleven-thirty the rain was momentarily reduced to light sprinkles so I went out to get my mail and look for interesing spots in the gray mass above to take a picture for todays post. So, now . . .

I
Will go
Eat some crow,
Have some tea with
Sugar and milk, with cookies,
Two Chocolate Chip, maybe three.
I'll spend the afternoon adding chapters
To Bubba and Bean's story of young love
I must not hold back their dreams, fate awaits,
Their story is in my hands, author of their plans.

I was trying my hand at a form of poety called Etheree. I was intrigued by Marilyn MonROEW's attempt at it. I don't quite know if I have the syllable count right.

First Saturday Sky in June

No wonder I love the color blue. Our summer skies will mostly just be blue and featureless until the rains return in the fall. It is going to be interesting to see how I can make a plain blue sky interesting. There were high thin clouds here and there this afternoon. This little swirl was my favorite. As a kid growing up in a very different world in which we live today, I laid on my back upon the grass, arms folded behind my head, and watched the clouds float by. To this day I love to watch the clouds form and dissipate, and often wish I could lay once again as I did in my youth, under a tall shade tree, upon cool, thick blades of grass, a gentle caressing breeze, and dream away the afternoon.

In a meadow, upon a hill, a tall oak spreads its arms and shields me from the sun.

(It is hot, four days of the first heat wave of the year.)

The bright blue sky spreads before my gaze, the cloud formations stir my imaginings.

(Let's see, I've paid the bills, taken several phone calls, washed and dried five loads of laundry.)

The delicate breeze bends the tall grass on distant hill, the scent of wild flowers perfumes the air.

(It's cotton wood season, pollen floats thick on a hot, dry wind, and weekend fumes from gas engines choke the air.)

On lofty branches above my head, birds sing love songs to one another. Butterflies flit out o'er the quiet field. All is peaceful and beautiful here.

(The drone of tires, rattle of ancient lawnmowers, hum of air conditioners, a barking dog or two, banging screen doors as children race in and out; radios, stereos, television and the white nose from fans, an old air plane with the engine noise of two Harley's, circles, and circles and circles above.)

Ahh, thirteen is great. Peaceful afternoons on that quiet, shaded hill, a good book in hand, or just lay back and dream dreams and make plans.

(Sixty-three, aches and pains, small apartment, manicured grounds full of fertilizer, moss killer, weed killer; dog pee and dog poop; two more shade trees have given up the ghost and they will not be replaced.)

The sun is descending, the sky deepens, a faint call is heard off in the distance, time to go in, it says, time for dinner.

(Dinner? It's time for dinner already! I forgot to thaw something out from the freezer. Forgot to get bread from the store. Will hot dogs do? We've got hot dog buns in the freezer, too? How about I open a can of pork and beans, again, dear?)

The stars appear, the moon is high, full this time in a cloudless sky.

(Thank goodness this day is over. I'm tired, my feet ache, dishes still soaking in the sink, Mama's Family is coming on in less than five.)

Thank God for another perfect day, for this blessed earth where beauty and peace abound.

(Amen. And thanks for giving me another chance to start over and watch my tongue--tomorrow.)

P.S. Thanks for my neighbors roses whose pink blossoms, prompted by the heat, filled my senses with columns of sweet scented air as I passed back and forth to the laundry room; reminding me there's always room for summer afternoon dreams under cloudless skies.

Saturday Sky:The Great Contrail Flyaway!

Happy Con-Trails To You . . .

Today it seems, now matter what direction I look in, there are contrails disapating in the sky.

The airport must be a busy place today. It's over 30 miles northeast from us. I often wonder where the traveler is going when I see one of these. I used to love to fly.

The last time I flew was in 1995.

From Chicago to Portland and back.

So much has changed about flying that I used to like.

Now I stay on the ground and look up!

Kinda like it that way.

For now . . .

Saturday Sky

Clouds . . . Those playful fancies of the mighty sky.

-Albert Smith

Saturday Sky

"One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words." -GOETHE

Oregon skies often start off dark and gray, this one was no different. I went out at 8 AM and took the morning sky in the east. Couldn't stand to post another dark picture, so went out again at 1:30 PM and took the bright blue sky and large white puffy clouds. Aaaah . . .I feel much better!

This was the early morning picture

Saturday "Rainy Day" Sky

I love taking pictures of the sky, so just having this particular day set aside for sky pictures is something I look forward to. Believe, me it doesn't take much to make an old lady, who lives in an apartment building filled with seniors, happy. Because the skies are dark and it's raining (this picture was taken at 1 p.m.) my husband suggested I just use something I already have saved. I have lots of sky pictures of the most beautiful days, cloud formations and such, but this has become a challenge to me. To go out on Saturday and take a picture of whatever is happening at that moment. My neighbors, who always seem to be milling about when I go out with my camera, are not shy about asking me what in the world I'm doing. They are used to me always taking pictures of the flowers around, but now my face and camera are pointed at the sky. The look of curiosity on their faces is most amusing. When I was out taking pictures of the rainbow for Wordless Wednesday, one was curious enough to ask me what I was doing? I shrugged, smiled, and said I have a project I'm working on.

I think if I were in a younger community of neighbors they wouldn't take the time to wonder about this strange white-haired lady, or they'd be to busy rushing in and out, to even notice me. Remember, here in my community, it's often found that most of us living in this place are already starting to loose something upstairs. I wonder what they were thinking about me today, in the rain taking pictures of the rain. For sure there's too many cobwebs in her loft, if you know what I mean.

Well I was thrilled to try and find an interesting way to portray the rain. I looked for puddles to reflect the sky, even thought about the water in the birdbath as a mirror, but there just wasn't enough water in either places to reflect the heavy gray sky the way I envisioned it. Perhaps if there'd been brighter skies, or a bit of sun, the clouds would have been recognizable in the waters reflection. Well, maybe next time.

I had a quote I wanted to share today. I read a book by Derrick Jensen last summer titled, A Language Older Than Words. It was sort of a memoir of Jensen's, the subject of the book was about communication. He used communication with the animals around us to illustrate his points. I thought this quote was important and was something I wanted to remember, so I wrote it down in a notebook that I keep for story ideas and things such as this; I just came across it last night.

"I am only so beautiful as the character of my relationships, only so rich as I enrich those around me, only so alive as I enliven those I greet."

I forget that from time to time. Relationships with family, neighbors, those whom I judge at first sight that I think I might not like to have as a neighbor, friends, and the ever-present stranger—the person at the grocery store, mini-mart, gas station, or at the four-way stop sign.

With all that's taken place in the world this past week, I have to reflect upon my own character and remember, "I am … only so alive as I enliven those I greet."
Thank you Derrick Jensen for that bit of wisdom for me to keep.