We found this bird nest with four tiny blue eggs tucked inside an evergreen tree. Isn't that about the sweetest thing ever?
The radar screen shows thunderstorms heading our way, and already we can hear thunder in the distance. Schools are closing early today because of the heat and humidity. The weather conditions are such that it wouldn't surprise me if we would be in for some nasty storms, or even tornadoes. Tis the season, you know. In today's newspaper we read about places taking people on tours actually looking for tornadoes in Tornado Alley. Boy, that wouldn't be for me. If the winds get high, I grab the fur-child and head for the southwest corner of the basement. Why is it that men prefer standing on the porch watching the clouds until a torrent of rain or hail shoves them inside? My dad taught me how to "read" the clouds. When the sky has a greenish look, that usually means someone's gonna get hail. The whispy dark clouds mean high winds.
I remember years ago when bad storms would pass through our area, daddy would load us up in the car and drive around the country roads looking at the storm damage. Trees would be uprooted, crops hailed out, barns and other buildings damaged or destroyed. The crops on our farm were completely hailed out one year. As a kid, I didn't realize the severity of that. But, somehow my parents always put plenty of good food on our table and we had everything we needed. Amazing when I think about that now.
Growing up in the 50s and 60s was a good thing. Of course, we had few toys and less of everything when compared with today, but we were busy playing with friends or cousins, making guns out of tree branches, pretending to be cowboys, and our imaginations took us wherever we wanted to go. We'd dig worms, go fishing with long cane poles, crawl around bogs catching frogs, and have a hi-ho time. There wasn't any room for sissies where I grew up.
The older we get, the more nostalgic we get. Maybe we spiff up our memories to make them feel better than they actually were. But, that's okay. The days we grew up in are no longer here, so it's only natural that we want to cling to all the stuff that made us who we are. We baby boomers are an innovative and resilient generation, and we definitely are going to leave our mark on history.