Visual treats for a grey morning

November is often filled with grey mornings, or long grey drippy days with Mother Nature unable to make up her mind as to whether to gently shower us with rain or blast us with the fury of a snowstorm. At such times I like to think of waking to something like the above. 

Blazes of colour of early morning sunrises are not only treats for the eyes, for me they are balm for the soul. I seem to be of the many who suffer from SADS - that horrid depression that makes the world seem like a miasma to be escaped at any cost - usually for me it's into a book, not into work as it should be.

The frosted wildflowers and hay in the field beyond the edge of the property begin to reflect the shimmering sky beyond as the sun starts its chariot race across the sky.

At the south end, the old barn which is being allowed to fall into decay is backlit with the pinks, blues and mauves of an early morning. My love of history reminds me on this grey morning of writing, that one thing I want to do is make a picture story of it - and imagine its long life probably over 150 years, serving as housing for many animals, keeping the original farmer and his family well fed and nourished. 

A project for another day. Enjoy yours today wherever you are, with sun, rain, snow, or wind. And hopefully you will be protected from Mother Nature's lashings if she tends that way in your area.

This moody valley

I just happened to look out the window while I was on the phone a week or more ago. I saw a black western sky...so I went to the deck and wow! Black indeed and moving in fast. I ran for my camera.

Weather seems to be a major topic of conversation here where our February summer did a ton of damage to our apple crop. This area provides 25 percent of Ontario's apples... not this year. It will affect many in this area economically as did the poor snow season for skiers. We depend on apples, some other types of farming, skiing and tourists... all pretty much weather dependent. Hard to see ahead when it looks bleak right now for so many.

So this black sky - what did it mean? We had a tornado blow through here two years ago, ruining a few orchards and ski chalets as it bounced along a north easterly route. Luckily no lives were lost... but black sky as seen in this photo could mean a similar event, though I don't see a funnel shaped cloud.

The storm moved in quickly, the wind howled suddenly, whining and moaning around the eves. The sky turned grey from the blue-black it was and the rain bucketed down, flattening whatever fragile plants were trying to grow. And then later:

The sky lightened and evening fell with all the glorious colours of a fabulous sunset.

It's moody  - this valley. There are mornings like today - I woke with sun streaming in my window, forcing my eyelids to pop up like bread in a toaster.

It lured me outdoors to fill the one feeder I leave out now, and put out the small silo feeder and the hummer feeder that sits on my deck. The two male hummers were most impatient...with only one, they take turns guarding it. And a female showed up, just like the female rose breasted gros beak... let the guys find the places to build nests and get moving, then arrive in time to do the real work of making a family... or at least it seems like that, though often in bird world, they seem to share the duties of sitting on eggs and feeding young. All this beautiful sun had me thinking family, nesting, spring, new life.

Then the sky clouded over - and it's been like that all day, mild, warm even, but cloudy one minute, sunny the next. As I said a moody valley right now. But fascinating in its moods, almost like people whose changeability can also be fascinating... but Nature does it on a much grander scale.

So here's to Ma Nature for tomorrow - Happy Mother's Day - and to all my friends who are mothers - the same good wishes, and to those who act like mothers or who are substitute mothers with your caring and devotion, here's to you as well. May the day break well and bring you each joy!