Clouds of Fury

Don, besides being a good photographer himself, is often my spotter for photo ops.  This afternoon, he called from where he was driving back to his office, and said I needed to see the clouds over Theodosia.  I was at my computer, unaware of the sky, and I'm so grateful he called.  The clouds were full of fury, thunder and lightning, and so far, 3/4 inches of rain.

This is the Theodosia bridge, with the marina across the lake.

Who can understand how He spreads out the clouds,

how He thunders from His pavilion?

Job 36:29

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Forbidden Flowers

Don called me to the window before full light the other morning to point out the large doe that was helping herself to our daylilies.  Apparently she didn't mind the Deer Off that I had sprayed them with recently.  She had eaten about half of the tender new shoots, and didn't move when I first stepped out the door, but when I said "Hey!" in my sternest voice, she hurried off.  I've dubbed her Lily and it's impossible to get too mad at her, because if I had to choose between daylilies and deer, I would most certainly take the deer.

Then, late that evening, for the first time this year, a doe brought her twin fawns into the field near the house where we feed them.  They were tiny and stayed, for the most part, close to their mother, but one of them was quite intrigued with a gobbler that dwarfed them.  

Last night, while fireflies danced in the meadow, Don and I waited for the full moon to rise over the eastern hills.  When it first appeared, it was huge, and we both drew in our breath involuntarily.  Not far from us, in the dim light, stood 5 deer, and they were watching with us.  For such company, a few daylilies seem a very reasonable price.

  

A Place to Swim

The water in the cove near us, where Barley often swims, is up in the trees now, and it's still covered with flotsam, so this morning before breakfast I took him across the lake where the water is clear.  I threw sticks for him, and he swam after them, shaking vigorously after each retrieve.  When he was tired, he trotted up to the car with his stick, still dripping like a loaded sponge.  The sun was just up, lighting the clouds to the south, and a small breeze made the morning most pleasant.  There was just enough time to take a few pictures before breakfast.  These were taken from near the Theodosia bridge, and to give a little perspective on the high water, the small tree out in the middle of the water belongs on the bank.

The lake at 37 feet above normal is beautiful, and strikingly different.  Barley seems blissfully unaware of all this.  He'll be content as long as there's still a place to swim after a stick.

Wild Bergamot Tea