Hey everyone! I’m dropping in to show you these clouds in Texas, AND telling you I haven’t been kidnapped or worse. I’ve been traveling. For the most part, traveling has kept me unplugged. (A good thing sometimes, right?)
I take lots and lots of pictures every day. This morning, when I looked back through some of my recent photos, I thought this one, in particular, was worth sharing.
Last week, these clouds in Texas greeted me as I drove south beyond the Red River.
When I was a kid, I spent lots of time staring at the clouds, naming the shapes, watching them sail over our house light as goose feathers. Now, as an adult, I don’t spend nearly enough time looking up.
I suspect none of us do.
Well, farmers might.
When I first moved to Waco for college, I remember telling Daddy about the clouds. I told him they were different in Waco. He stared at me like I was crazy and said nothing. At the time, I thought the land and the clouds spread wider than at home which seems impossible (and yes, crazy) when home is pancake flat delta farmland. Now, looking back, the trees probably played a part in my perspective. The trees in Waco were shrubbier and squattier than those at home. The trees made the sky above more expansive.
Under those clouds, I felt smaller.
But these clouds in Texas last week? You can see the energy. Sunlight flooded through every possible window in the clouds. (This is where I say the photo doesn’t do the scene justice. Yes, I held up my phone and snapped the picture while driving. Without focusing. Without looking through the lens. I do that a lot, don’t judge.)
Sometimes in my dreams, I’m flying, unhinged, untethered, free yet a tad panicked, worried I’ll leave the atmosphere and be unable to make it back. Yet clouds always provide a safe ceiling. I survive to dream another dream.
These Texas clouds, in particular, shooting shafts of sunlight onto the landscape, provided an instant reminder that I am such an insignificant part of this universe. And, that this universe is stunning.
Clouds are a great equalizer. Beneath the clouds, we are all the same.
“Aren’t the clouds beautiful? They look like big balls of cotton… I could just lie here all day, and watch them drift by… If you use your imagination, you can see lots of things in the cloud formations… What do you think you see, Linus?”
“Well, those clouds up there look like the map of the British Honduras on the Caribbean… That cloud up there looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins, the famous painter and sculptor… And that group of clouds over there gives me the impression of the stoning of Stephen… I can see the apostle Paul standing there to one side… What do you see in the clouds, Charlie Brown?”
“Well, I was going to say I saw a ducky and a horse, but I changed my mind!” – Charles M. Schulz
Wherever you are today, be sure to look at the clouds. If there are no clouds, be grateful for the blue. If your skies are blanketed in thick clouds, know the sun shines brightly behind the gray.
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
[tweetthis]These clouds in north Texas provide life lessons if you take the time to look up. #weather #nature[/tweetthis]
Musical Pairing:
Mindy Gledhill, Feather in the Wind
I love the clouds of Texas; I love the clouds of Arkansas. You might say that I just love clouds.
Guess I get it from you:)
I love clouds and look at them often. I am enchanted with your idea of the size of tree and how that played a part in your perspective. When I was in Lake Tahoe last week, I kept focusing on how the trees were tall and slender and so different from home in Arkansas.
Tahoe is such a gorgeous place. I am definitely a tree hugger. Sounds like you are too!
My granddaughter and I sometimes just lie on my bed and look at the ceiling and pretend we’re seeing animals in the clouds.
Oh, that’s so sweet. She will always look back on those memories. And you are certainly boosting her imagination!
You would enjoy reading the Bad Astronomer’s blog on SyFy. He often talks about clouds and has some STUNNING photos. He lives in Colorado. Also, lots of stuff about the Universe in general. 🙂
Thanks for the recommendation, Gary. I’ll check it out. Sounds right up my alley.
We often have cloud conversations while driving down the highway with each of us having our own version of what we see, whether it be an animal, a person or something else. We don’t usually agree but it is fun!
Wonderful post! I remember lying in the grass with friends and pointing out duckies and horses or dragons. My favorite metaphor: soft as goose feathers and favorite line: “Clouds are a great equalizer. Beneath the clouds, we are all the same.”
Thank you Dorothy! I hope you are fully recovered from your recent health issues!