Every Storm is Different

It's May; spring storms are many, but I've learned from my up-close-and-personal point of view about how very differently nature cooks up each storm, no two alike. This one started overhead, with cumuli. Others approach from a distance, gray as a dull knife blade, on the western horizon. That usually means a storm lasting one day. Blue-gray means a thunderstorm, much more intense. South-western horizon, the very dark gray looks bad on radar but often peters out before it gets to foothill country. North-western horizon, cold, spattering rain. Greenish-gray, very serious conditions are approaching; unplug electronics, batten hatches. A storm coming into this part of Missouri from the east is very unnatural, usually the backlash of a Gulf or southern hurricane, and the wild animals get frantic.

Shoot!

Behold, I was outside cuttin weeds and sawing and clearing winter's fallen branches, and I rake some leaves away and see this. Spring is coming.

Lighten Up

Like candles -- these light up my lawn. What are they? Oh, come on & guess. They're daffodils -- in bud! Still pretty tightly in there. About six inches high. All the same they'll be bustin out with those yellow and cream ruffly drapes and horns and petticoats in less'n two weeks. Then spring is really here. Oh drop to my knees and thank the Divine God it wasn't a bad winter weatherwise.

Don't you love this stuff? Perennials, that always come back, always come back.

Comes with a Lifetime Guarantee

"A bud is an undeveloped branch, flower or inflorescence which is found at the tip of a shoot or in the angle of a leaf." - Singapore Science Center

A bud is also a guarantee -- one of the very few guarantees in this world: that spring will come. (These are buds of young hickory trees here on the property.)