Spring Weather

I woke up this morning with exactly 2 things on my mind:

1) Ugh, I REALLY don't feel like grouting anymore but at least today this project could very well be done, and;
2) I wonder why I've lost touch with my blog? I mean, I was doing so good last year before dad got sick..why have I truly lost my voice on here?

So here's how I'm dealing with both of these conundrums. I'm going to go downstairs and finish grouting, like I have been all weekend. But first, I'm going to sit & relax with my cup of coffee. And, I'm going to blog. 2 birds...1 stone.

Last night I was going thru some of my digital files of all the photos I had taken in 2012. Let me tell you, there were a LOT of photos taken! So many have never been shared with anyone, they were just taken and are quietly waiting in the corner until I turn my attention to them and give them a proper place to shine in our history. So many pictures caught me off guard when they involved my dad or things I wrote down about how much we were loving life last Summer..when we had no idea what was about to happen to us this Winter. It made me sad, but it also made me so happy..I'm so, so SO glad we got to just live so much of this last, precious time, without knowing..without wondering..without worrying. We just lived. And it was perfect

And that brings me to Friday night. After finishing a pail of grout with my inlaws, Adam and I ventured outside for our usual night-time chicken visits {every night, rain, snow or sun - we walk to the coop to collect any last minute eggs, close up the coop for the night then venture to the shop to sit and visit with our baby chicks before filling them up with fresh feed and water} and then I saw the sky. Down South from our yard we have stubble fields for as far as the eye can go. Its where I go on my daily walks and its also where you can sit and watch the most amazing weather "shows"

 

and when I saw this view, I knew our first Spring storm was coming and I knew I wanted to sit and watch it roll in. So I asked Adam if he minded venturing out for a little walk with me and away we went, into the deep dark sky. Before I knew it we were walking down the dirt road and I came alive with stories of Spring storms. You see, my mom is not a fan of thunder and lightning. She hid it quite well when I was little but she is a little *ahem* terrified of them..and rightfully so, they can be quite intimidating! But my dad and I? Now thats a different story! Every night in the Spring/Summer when a lightning storm when come upon us..dad would get so excited and we would head out to our covered deck and just watch for the next bolt of lightning and count down the seconds til we heard the loud crack of thunder. It left us with the biggest grins on our faces. We loved it..it made us come alive. And I even recounted the numerous times, once I developed an interest in photography where the lightning storms would come and dad would load me up in his truck and take me to an open space to let me practice my "skills" in photographing lightning..and I can tell you with 100% certainty that I have yet to get that picture! Dad would piss himself laughing at me..the lightning would strike and 2 seconds later, so would my shutter. Always 2 seconds behind..never once right on time. We laughed so hard..and to this day I still laugh about it. But it was one of our things we did together that I will always be so grateful for. And when a Spring storm comes upon me..it ignites these very same feelings..I still come alive with excitement and I still love to just sit and watch the clouds roll in..

 

 

Once we came to a nice spot with the perfect view, we found a dry patch in the ditch and sat down to really take in the show. The clouds were rolling in from the West and the thunder was easily a minute and a half behind each lightning bolt. But I gasped every time I saw lightning strike, its honestly so amazing to me. There wasn't a breath of wind in the air, the silence of the country was truly the perfect setting. At one point, a flock of mallard ducks flew 100 feet above our heads and it was honestly so quiet, all we could hear was the flapping of their wings as they flew overhead..trust me, if that doesn't make you feel a little spiritual, I just don't know what will!

Even the boys were in heaven, running and jumping thru the stubble, loving the warm Spring air

We sat and watched the storm for what felt like hours but, in all honesty, I believe we lasted only 45 minutes out there before the sun went beyond the horizon, the wind picked up and the rain began to fall. It was truly a beautiful way to spend our Friday evening together and the memories it stirred in me, warmed my heart.

So here's what I know for sure:
- I love Spring
- I love Spring storms, it signals that nature is waking up again after a long, cold Winter
- I love that growing up, all those storms I spent on the deck with my Daddio or in his truck, chasing a better view point, built me in to being the person you see today. I didn't know it at the time but those moments were forming me. They were instilling who I was to become and where I was coming from. A piece of who my dad was broke off and became a part of me as well. It was those small moments, all along. So next time you are with your child, your grandchild or even your spouse..just remember, it doesn't have to be big, expensive memories. No, in fact, its better if it isn't. If you take them outside after a Spring rain and jump in puddles or take them in to your garden and teach them how to plant, grow and pick a carrot, it might just be a quick laugh for you to enjoy and revel in, but for them? It could mean a world of difference..it could be building them in to who they will some day become..

Happy Monday everyone!