beautiful land

I made it home. At least it feels a lot like home. My "family" here in Clifton was glad to see me since I've been gone for a while. I surprised all the kids too, which was fun. I didn't realize how much I missed them and how much I missed the green trees and seeing clouds in the sky.

I haven't been keeping up with Project 365 lately since my computer went down, and I haven't been blogging either for the same reason. I am really anxious to get the rest of my photos from Australia done so I can share them with everyone. There are so many stories tied to the photos, it can be hard to remember them all without seeing the photos again. I'll be posting new stuff as soon as I can.

We had a thunderstorm this afternoon while the younger kids were out doing a 4-H project. I was out in my hammock for a while seeing all of the clouds blow in. Through the canopy of green, grey clouds rushed in a torrent of swirling whites and glimpses of blue. The blue was that kind of sky that is so intense it hurts your eyes to look at it. I always think of how deep, vast stretches of glittering space lie beyond that piercing azure veil. The breeze picked up a little bit and off in the distance the haze of rain cleared a little revealing a window through which you could see magnificent thunderheads. It was like looking at a painting of the storm clouds that you might find in an art museum. So many different shapes and colors. The hammock swayed from side to side, like an extension of the tree branches pushed back and forth by the invisible hand of the wind. Then the wind became aggressive and demanding, threatening to bring a deluge. Eventually the rain came and surprisingly, it fell lightly, as quiet as a whisper.When it stopped, the air hung damp and heavy with the smells of cedar and bark and dirt and grass and rain. The perfume of the rain after it beats on the land is better than any other scent conceivable by human hands. I am convinced that the Lord knew just what would please the senses and soothe the eye when He created clouds and rain.