Rain

Right now it's raining where I am. You probably don't realize what a big deal that is, but we've been dry almost all summer. Wildfires have devoured more than a thousand homes in Texas this summer—tragic. Some fires have been close enough that I could see smoke clouds.

It's been a tough summer in Texas, but the rain has made a theatrical entrance this evening! And I love it. I've always enjoyed thunderstorms. Lightning fascinates me. Thunder awes me. Huge buckets of raindrops leave our lawn looking like a floodplain. I like to go on our back porch in my shorts and t-shirt, sit on the handmade Adirondack chairs, and watch the rain—how it gains momentum, then lightens up, then gets harder, sometimes almost imperceptibly, and other times very perceptibly. The temperature is just right. There is lightning in the distance (wait for it . . .) and then thunder—loud thunder. It's beautiful, like nature's fireworks. Sometimes it's hard to believe that all that water was just hovering in the air before it came down. How is that even possible?

I took this photo. I really like it, but what do you think?

Anderson Cooper Giggling

A friend showed this to me a few days ago. This is a fantastic video if you need a laugh.

Water Lilies

Well, I just moved into a new house, and it happens to be right next to a small pond. It's filled with water lilies, frogs, and lily pads. I've also seen butterflies and dragonflies galore over there. Cardinals and blue jays also abound, as do small green lizards. I even once saw a small snake. It's fun to just sit over there and enjoy the beauty. But I really love those water lilies, so I wanted to share them with you. (FYI, I found out that they close up at night. Also, after you cut them, they don't really open wide again.)

 All of them were deep purple except this one. For some reason, it's fuchsia.

These frogs made weird sounds when they would jump.

Here's that snake I was telling you about.

And these are my favorite photos.

You should click on this next one; it's cool to look at up close.