Sunshine and Allergies

Clear skies this morning,
Brightest of blue,
It is so good to finally see you!

It has been a wet Spring which followed a wet Fall.  Our ground is saturated and there is water standing in any low place.  When I drive across the pasture it sounds like I am driving through water!

I really don't mean to complain about the rain.  It has been wonderful after the dry spell we had last summer.  The grasses and clovers have grown like crazy and the cattle are all slick and fat.  Hopefully, it will be a good summer with enough rain to keep the pastures green and growing.

The crazy growth of everything this Spring has been hard on me, though.  When I walk out the back door the pollen from all the trees, grasses and weeds literally coats everything that I see.  It is as though someone dusted everything with a fine, yellowish-green powder.  I'm definitely doing my part to support the antihistamine and facial tissue manufacturers.  It's almost as bad as running a shredder through a patch of blooming careless weeds on a tractor without a cab (something I did growing up).

I've fought allergies all of my life.  It just seems normal to me, but it has never been much fun.  In some ways I envy those who don't have to deal with such on a daily basis.  I actually don't understand how anyone would not have allergies to air full of pollen.  Genetics is an interesting thing....

The sun shining down
On this brand new day
Inviting the birds to come out and play.

Sleeping to the Rain

Lying in my bed I hear
The sounds of gentle rain
Falling
Falling

I drift into light sleep
To the steady, rhythmic
Falling
Falling

Drops upon the roof
And my mind drifts
Falling
Falling

Into the swirling pool
Of thoughts that lead me
Falling
Falling

Deeper to the edge
Where sleep beckons
Falling
Falling

Crack!
Boom!
Jolt!
Awake!

Lying in my bed I hear
The sounds of gentle rain
Falling
Falling....

Winter Rain

A soft gray glowing dome
Of reflected light
Before the dawn,
Without a sight
Of bursting colors,
Day is creeping upward
Tentatively
As though reluctant
To reveal the dreariness
Of expected winter rain.

A Cold Rain and Muddy Cattle

Yesterday there were lots of photos across social media of snow -- especially from those of my acquaintance in the area where I grew up.  Most of them were of scenes around their homes with snow piled on cars or in the yard, but some were from the farmers and ranchers who were out working in it, feeding cattle, or other livestock.

I remember feeding cattle in the snow a few times.  I also remember getting stuck in drifts and the wind blowing the snow to the point you couldn't see.  I remember having to walk to a phone to get someone with a tractor to help me get unstuck.  I remember breaking ice so thick you needed an axe or, a sledgehammer to get through it.  It isn't much fun for the folks having to take care of the animals in such weather.

Grandpa always told me that he'd rather deal with a snow storm than a cold rain.  His reason was that the cattle would form a crust of snow on their hair that acted like additional insulation for them.  They might look like they were freezing, but it probably wasn't nearly as bad as it looked -- especially if they could find some shelter out of the wind.

While the snow fell in the western part of the state, we got cold rain.  The temperatures hovered in the upper 30's to low 40's and a steady light rain fell for almost 3 full days.  On top of the already saturated ground, the additional moisture turned the land to the consistency of cake batter.  It isn't much fun feeding hay in those conditions.

It's hard on the cattle.  The rain soaks into their hair and they are wet to the skin.  Fortunately, there has been almost no wind to accompany the rain, but it is obvious that the cattle are feeling it.  They gather around the hay bales with less than their normal enthusiasm and stand all humped up.  I'm just thankful calving season hasn't started yet.  We are still about a month away from the beginning of that.

The hay lot is a muddy mess as is the trap where we feed.  Water is standing in many places.  Fortunately, the mud isn't too deep.  The topsoil is thin and a layer of clay lies under it.  That adds to the soupiness of the topsoil because the water is unable to percolate quickly into the ground, but instead sits on top of that clay layer for days.

Sigh, I guess we will be dealing with the mud for awhile.  I know, I shouldn't complain.  It seems like only a short time ago I was complaining about drought....

Driving in the Rain

Driving in the rain
Is not my favorite thing to do;
I prefer to do my driving
When the sky is bright and blue.

It makes the cars behave
In unexpected ways
And trucks ahead subject you
To constant water sprays.

It makes the pavement slick
So sometimes you hydroplane
And the slapping of the wiper blades
Can drive you near insane.

So when it is a rainy day
I like to stay at home
And try to handle business
From my high-tech cellphone.

Conflicting Attitudes

In the stillness of the morning
I watch the gentle rain
As it falls upon this city
Where I find myself again.

After days in a hotel room
It will good to be back home;
I have need to check the cattle
To make sure they did not roam.

And there's other chores awaiting
My attention there you see
That no one else will do
So, they wait there just for me.

I guess it's good to feel I'm needed
And I don't give a hoot
When I find my sock gets muddy
In a worn-out holey boot

Because I'm thankful for the rain
And how it helps the grass to grow
So, there's feed for all the cattle
And perhaps the creek will flow

And wash out all the dead tree branches
That have fallen from the drought,
But, I worry about the fence
And how they just might take it out!

So, I'm ready to get home
And check the fence there at the gap
Then count the cattle as they're grazing
Hoping there's been no mishap

But, instead of being worried
I will think on gratitude
For this gentle rain a falling
And adjust my attitude.

The Gentle Sound of Rain

This morning I awoke
To the quiet sound of rain
Upon this dry and dusty arid plain

It brought a gentle comfort
As I lay there in my bed
Thinking how it brought a peace into my head

I thought how only yesterday
The dust arose like smoke
And clogged the air I breathed and made me choke

And I remembered cattle coughing
Standing still beneath the shade
The few and scraggly trees and bushes made

But, the simple sound of moisture
Falling gently from the sky
Promised their relief was surely nigh

In my head I thanked my Maker
For the blessings He bestows
Then quietly rose and slipped into my clothes

And walked to the window
To look out upon the rain
Falling gently on this sun-scorched weary plain

The Scent of Rain

Once again, the rains have passed us by.  Each day for the last several the National Weather Service has shown us to have a significant chance of rain.  Heavy showers have fallen in many places around us, but we received only 1/10 of an inch.  It is dry.

First a hint of puffy white

Appears up in the sky

Then slowly grows and grows and grows

Until it fills the eye.

The promise of the quenching drops

Wafts across the land

On gentle breezes flowing by

This parched and weary strand.

The leaden gray with streaks of light

Approaches from the west

With winds that cool the sultry land

And promise moist rest.

The sand that stings flows ever higher,

The cattle turn their back,

The storm clouds flow across the land,

The sky turns nearly black.

But, soon it passes on its way

Its promise hoped in vain

Leaving nothing here behind

Except a scent of rain.

I'm Out of Superlatives

In normal years it is only the crop farmers that pray for rain.  In a drought year the ranchers also pray for rain to fill the tanks (ponds for all you non-Texans).  In a severe drought the ranchers pray for rain so the grass will grow.  In extreme drought the ranchers pray for rain to put out the fires that are racing across the land.  I don't know what superlative to attach to this year's drought, even the town folk are praying for rain!

Maybe some of those prayers are working.  Blessed drops of water are falling on my roof as I type this.  Praise be to God who brings the rain in its season.

"I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit." __ Leviticus 26:4

Keep on prayin' folks, it seems to be doing some good.

Chris

Healing Reign

I had resolved a few weeks ago to quit writing about the extreme heat and wind.  I'm breaking my resolution.  At 3:53 p.m today it was 110 degrees in Amarillo with winds at 21 gusting to 31 and relative humidity of 4%.  I'm seriously considering a trip to Phoenix to cool off.  It is miserable outside.

I walked outside earlier to take care of a couple of things that needed done and decided to beat a retreat back in the house.  I don't think I left any skin, but, in a matter of minutes I probably lost 3 lbs. through evaporation!  I think it would be a cinch making jerky out there.  Just hang it on the fence for a couple of hours......

I was thinking earlier that it was probably a lot like this during the dust bowl.  There were a couple of differences then; the air was filled with blowing dirt because of poor farming practices and they didn't have air conditioning.  I'm wondering if maybe we shouldn't do some plowing to increase the particulate matter in the air so maybe a raindrop would have a chance of forming!  Well, with 4% humidity that's not likely.  Especially when you consider the dew point is at 20 F.  I don't think it's going to form any dew tonight let alone a raindrop.

Water restrictions are becoming common across the area.  So far most cities and towns are at stage one.  It won't be long until they move to stage 2 though if the weather doesn't break soon.  That will mean mandatory restrictions. 

Floods in the north, tornadoes across the eastern half of the nation, unprecedented drought in Texas and other parts of the Southwest; sounds a bit apocalyptic doesn't it?  Perhaps it is a sign that God wants us to turn to Him for relief.  I know that in this part of the world the prayers are going up pretty regularly.  The problem is, it is mostly prayers for rain, not a true healing of this land.  Maybe God would listen more if we didn't look to Him as a "Genie" to grant our wishes and instead saw Him as the sovereign Creator that He is.  We need to seek forgiveness and healing, not just rain.  That will come when we fall to our knees before Him and submit to His reign -- not our own.

Chris

A Hint of Moisture

There was the smell of rain
On the air last night
And a touch of cooler weather

The promised moisture
Only came near
But, left us dry as ever

And today again
The wind does blow,
The sun is bright as ever

But, finally now
We've had a glimpse
Of perhaps some better weather

Fertile Fields

Whew, home! I just got home from a big swing up through the Plains. I had a couple of things to attend to in Western Kansas and a meeting in Nebraska. Lots of miles -- but they seem to have been productive. I won't really know for some time though. Part of it was planting seeds. The ground seemed to be pretty fertile though.

Speaking of fertile ground, the crops in Nebraska looked fantastic. The corn looked great and the soybeans were picture perfect. The pastures were green and the cows were slick and fat and all seemed to have a calf by their side. It certainly was a pleasant sight for the eyes. There was even water in the creeks! Sorry -- I'm not used to seeing that in the Texas Panhandle.

We did get some good rains here this past week and weekend. You could almost hear a slurping sound coming from the ground as it greedily sucked in the much-needed moisture. It came at a good time for a neighbor of mine who had sowed some late hay grazer. It was beginning to shrivel but it jumped a couple of feet within 5 days of the first rain. It's amazing how the crops respond when they get what they need.

It has been a cool summer here -- unlike our Spring. We seemed to have gotten all of our really hot, hot weather back in June. It has been pleasant since other than a dry 2-3 weeks in July and the first week of August. If this is Global Warming, I think I'm for it!

"I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit." __Leviticus 26:4

August Storms

The golden grasses
Crackle under foot
As dusty odors
Rise from my passing.

Even the insects
Are silently waiting
As the tiny dot of promise
Builds on the horizon.

A gentle breeze stirs
The drooping leaves
Of plants not native
To the arid clime.

Hope springs
In the blossoming white puffs
That appear mysteriously
In the blueness of the sky.

Gathering,
The whiteness turns gray
And then the deepest blue
As it hangs curtains on the horizon.

The breeze strengthens
And even the hard stems
Of golden grasses
Begin to shiver with excitement.

As the curtain approaches
A brown smudge appears
Rising against the darkness,
Swelling to a rolling wall.

The odor of dust
Permeates the rising wind
And the first stinging particles
Assail upturned faces

As dollops of moisture
Splash muddy blotches
On greedy surfaces
That quickly absorb.

Brown gives way
To greens and whites
On the backdrop
Of deepest blue-black.

Whack!
Whack, whack!
Pingggggg!
Run!

Peas and marbles
Golf balls and baseballs,
The roar grows
And overwhelms.

The horizon moves nearer
As objects fade
Beneath the torrent
Rolling across the plains.

Prayers answered.
More prayers said.
Fear and thanksgiving
Together swell.

Renewal
Comes
With
Trial.

Into the Furnace

A hot dry wind
Blows across the Plains
Sucking the lifeblood of the prairie
In its searing blast.
The succulence
Of the rain engorged leaves
Is gone and the withered remains
Curl into grayish husks
Of their former selves.
Yet on the horizon
Tower the billowing
Marshmallow shapes of
Cumulus clouds reaching through
The heat blasted hole into the
Cooler air above
Where the hailstones form.
Relief comes at a price.

On the Horizon a Puff of White

On the horizon a puff of cloud
Appears to grow from nothing.
It's fluffy whiteness slowly deepens
To a grayish blue as it pulls
The moisture into
Its blossom.
Suddenly, a slender bolt
Dashes to the ground
And the low
Vibration
Rolls across the prairie until
The panes in the windows
Lightly rattle.
A gentle breeze begins to stir
The grass and bend it
Lightly toward the
Approaching
Cloud.
It is growing higher, and wider
And imperceptibly a
Dim curtain
Appears
Below.
It is the rain beginning to reach
From the expanding mass
That blots the sky
In the
West.
The grays turn to blues with an
Occasional streak of white
That takes on a greenish
Tint as the storm
Swells across
The sky
Until it stretches across the horizon
And the whispy edges begin
To pass overhead
And blot the
Last rays
Of Sun.
The wind is now gusting and changing
Directions continually until
It suddenly ceases
In eerie silence
And the low
Warble of
Sirens
Is heard in the distance warning all
To take shelter because
A possible tornado
Has been sighted
Somewhere
Within.
And the hail begins to fall at intervals
Until a low roar like an approaching
Train begins to grow louder
And louder as though
The train is coming
Right at me and
I know that it
Is time to run
Into the house
And into the
Basement
And wait
Until it
Passes
On,
On,
On,
O............

Rain

I love to hear the rain.
It is like a thin sheet of tin rattling
As it peppers the windows,
The skylights,
The sidewalk.
The low sound of thunder
(The "potato wagon turning over"
Of my youth) brings a promise
Of violence
Or of renewal
Or both,
As it slowly grows closer.
It is spring.
Officially.
In reality.
As the trees bloom
And the leaves unfold
And I sneeze
From the whiff of pollen on the air.