rain

Signs of spring

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Spring has arrived in the north, and we are marveling in it’s colors and textures. It is all a great awakening from the cold and quiet of winter. Spring rains have brought green to our grasses, and caused the flowers to open and burst into bloom. The daffodils, magnolias, and crocus are all basking in the warm sunshine. The rains have brought gentle showers and also thunderstorms that roll through quickly and seem to clear in an instant. If we’re fast enough and the conditions are right, they also grace us with wondrous rainbows of color – sometimes even complete double rainbows!

A reminder to slow down

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Cranberries in the rain_Staats-11922Like many people I’ve been caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  So many things to squeeze into the next couple of weeks; we dash from one place to the next, eager to check off all those items that make up our long list.  I headed out the door this morning on one of those errands.  I did notice that the temperature was in the upper 30’s and it had been raining off and on –  roads were wet, no worry of snow or ice.  I mentally checked off all the tasks for the morning, and headed down the alley.  But something caught my eye and interrupted my trip.  A cranberry tree was dripping with the rain.  Drops were suspended from the berries, each catching the gray light of the clouds around.  There wasn’t any wind to speak of, so the droplets seemed intent to stay in their suspended state.  I marveled at the beauty and reminded myself to be more focused on the world around me and be more intentional in appreciating the beauty that surrounds us all, no matter the time of year.

Roses through the rain

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Roses through the rain_StaatsThe rains have continued this past week.  Unlike most years, everything remains green and lush.  We haven’t had the excessive heat of a typical summer, and the rainfall has been more than adequate to keep things watered.  As the rain pelted the window yesterday afternoon, it created a wonderful effect with the roses in the background.  Each droplet reflected the roses – the bright colors and shapes seemed to dance in the water.  How wondrous and mesmerizing to see the many “small roses” that decorated the window pane in those droplets.

Rain on the tulip window

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The day started gray and blustery.  The promise of a blue-sky spring day was not going to be a reality on this morning.  After a few hours the wind picked up, the sky darkened, and the rain began making its own music as it hit the window panes.  And it left its distinctive spring smell hanging in the air outside.  As I walked into the room I saw the two tulips framed in the window.  They are both past their prime, one more so than the other, and yet their curves and shapes were so nicely set off by the straight lines of the window.  Their beauty was so very evident in all their simplicity.

Raindrop ripples

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Whenever I’m out on a lake I’m always looking around at the sky, the clouds, the shoreline and the reflections — anything for a delightful image and photograph.  Last week I wrote about musical patterns that I saw in the surface of a lake with the reflection of cattails and lily pads.  This week I found raindrops dancing on a lake surface.  It was early evening when we put our canoe into the water, with a sun sinking into the west and a bank of clouds passing by.  The sun was still out and when I looked around I could see small circles on the surface of the lake, and not of the fish-kind.  Although we couldn’t feel it ourselves it was starting to rain.  The single drops spaced themselves on the surface of lake, making beautifully concentric circles and ripples spreading outward.  With the sunlight and the blue sky reflected in the surface, I was presented with a wonderful photographic opportunity.  As quickly as the rain had started, it then stopped.  After awhile the sun slid below the horizon, painting the sky a shade of pink and orange; the full moon rose over the trees, the stars filled the sky above, and we were treated to another beautiful summer’s evening on a Minnesota lake.