For years, when Carly Simon sang her song, "You're so Vain" I thought she was saying grounds in my coffee. That makes sense, right? And I'd sing it loudly that way, even though my sister Mary tried repeatedly to correct me, telling me it was clouds in my coffee. Turns out little sis was right.
Oh, you had me several years ago
When I was still naive
Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved
And one of them was me
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, ...
Now, every time I see storm clouds in the sky, I hear this song, and my sister laughing at me. Which brings me to today's post about weather. (You knew I'd get to the point eventually. Thanks for hanging in there.)
Weather. We are obsessed with it here. In fact, it is usually the first and last thing Keith and I talk to each other about each day. Even before I look out the window, I'll ask him what the forecast is. he'll tell me of rain predictions, heat indexes etc...We'll scoff at Accuweather, they are often wrong, but still our entire day is planned around the sky.
If it's going to get hot, we'll plan our outdoor projects for the morning hours and try to hide inside from the heat, especially during the more brutal afternoons like we had last week. There we will do budgeting or bill paying, wash a dish or three.
If it's cool but dry, we skip all the indoor work and get as busy as we can outside. Right now we're focused on gardens and barn building.
If it's going to rain, we hustle to get livestock chores done, as pulling around hoses, carrying hay, slopping hogs, is not so much fun in the mud and neither of us is keen about getting jolted by lightening.
Seems like we spend 80% of our day just looking at the sky. Like this afternoon when I was due to pick up a now thirteen year old granddaughter to take out for a birthday dinner. (It tugs at my heart that she is so old.) I checked the radar which hinted upcoming storms would go south, but the clouds said it was coming right at me.
So, do I try to get evening chores done early, while the world was still dry and be late picking up my GK? Or do I do them later and chance having to feed animals in the rain or hail or tornado or volcano? Seriously, look at those clouds! I decided later, I hate rushing through chores anyway.
On the way, a brief 12 mile trip, I noted deluges of rain hitting south of me. I loved how it was dropping in big bands.
On the way home the clouds were north. When I got back to The Poor Farm about 8:30, a lovely rainbow and enough light to get my work done. Not a drop of rain.
Really? What was I worried about?
And once again, Happy 13th birthday to our GK Allana Marie. Five years old on the left checking my face for I don't know what, and her again last week checking out new baby ducks. We do so love her!
That was a pretty ominous sky! Happy birthday to your granddaughter. Sweet picture of her and the duckling. And thank you, for now implanting that Carly Simon song in my brain for the rest of the morning!-Jenn
ReplyDeleteYou're so vain, la la la la la.
DeleteI am with you all the way. I must win the award for weather apps on my phone. But even so it has been known to not have a cloud in the sky but when I walk out the door to see in the afternoon bingo rain! What's with that?
ReplyDeleteTo not have a cloud in the sky but when I walk out the door to see in the afternoon bingo rain! What's with that?
A most happy birthday to the grand girl. Yes it is bittersweet my second oldest grand girl graduated from high school this year the first last year what is the world coming to?
What is it about the GK's getting older that is, at least for me, so much harder? A reminder I guess that we grand parents are getting a bit closer to the exit ramp ourselves I suppose.
DeleteOff ramp just another journey ;-)
DeleteGreat photos Donna! :) I'm the same way, I start and end my day with the weather forecasts and plan my activities and chores around the sky. I ran out today during a quick pocket of sunshine to fix the chicken wire around "bean land". Otherwise it was on my list for "the next sunny day"...I scoff a little at the Weather Network myself. Today was rainy, ultra-humid and t-storms all day according to them. I'm sitting on the porch with a sweater on under mostly sunny skies and a wind that could knock the feather out of your cap. :)
ReplyDeleteRain, I do believe the weather channels are just messing with us. I hearby claim I am going to go one week without looking at weather forecasts. I'm going to look at the sky instead. I feel so rebellious today!
DeleteI got up at 5 am this morning; half an hour earlier than usual. I can't sleep in this heat, and there are plenty of things to do whilst it's still reasonably cool. A couple of days ago I found my neighbour hoeing his potatoes at about 6.30 am.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had some kind of night light out in the garden that doesn't draw bugs, because I could easily stay up until about 5 weeding. But I hate getting up at five. Not a morning person. No.
DeleteWe have two weather apps on our phones, one says it is going to rain in 6 minutes, the other says it is sunshiny and bright !
ReplyDeleteBeautiful granddaughter, she takes her animal husbandry skills from you :)
Rain or not today....
~Jo
Once while on our farm when she about three, she carried a caterpillar around with her until, it died. THEN she carried it home to her mother's and kept it another whole day. Even perched it on the edge of the tube while he mother bathed her. Now she owns pet rats! Yes, I take the blame.
DeleteWell here in the UK weather is a permanent topic of conversation, none more so than here in North Wales living as we do between two hills where rain is the usual order of the day. I have learnt over the almost four years that we have lived here, to recognise the clouds that will deposit their contents on us and those that will blow over. I can feel the air change and know when to get the washing in and when to leave it through a few spots of rain knowing that it will pass. But I still get it wrong sometimes, or I leave the washing out and head for town to get some shopping only to get back to a line of limp dripping sheets.
ReplyDeleteYour photos of the clouds are brilliant and the tale the photos tell wonderful. I hope your granddaughter had a good birthday. My eldest grandchild is 18 in November .... now that makes me feel really old ;-)
That ability "to feel the air change" is a great talent. I sometimes catch it and other times am too involved in whatever. But my sense of smell is good and I can smell rain two states away...or so I like to tell my GK's.
DeleteYes, we also check the weather apps each morning, although the "we" is more my husband than myself and I simply ask him. Even though the skies looked ominous, they sure made for some beautiful photos, Donna. And given the choice between chores and granddaughter I would also have made the same decision. Glad all worked out OK. A rainbow is always a beautiful sight.
ReplyDeleteI have always been fascinated by storms and cloud formations. When I was 10 my father pulled me out of the basement to see a tornado across the street. Together we watched it demolish the neighbors chicken coop. Too young and dumb to be afraid, me and my da.
ReplyDelete