I Beg Your Pardon

by Kelly

I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.

Along with the sunshine, there's gotta be a little rain sometime. ~Joe South

These were the song lyrics I was singing in my head when I cut off all the flowers on my David Austin roses. 

The previous week’s storms had really done a number on my roses.  Between the high winds and torrential rain, all of the roses that were in bloom were reduced to stubs...a carpet of rose petal confetti was all that was left.  And then, on the buds that were about to open, it seemed as if the petals had been glued together so the blooms couldn’t fully expand.  And those that did manage to open were really sad looking.  ‘Bedraggled’ as my mom would say.

With another round of storms and heavy rains in the forecast, I decided to cut any of the remaining buds and blooms and bring them inside. Which in hindsight was a pretty good idea if I do say so myself.  Felt like I was totally winning at life with that decision.

As I was playing around and photographing my roses, I got to thinking how silly it was to be annoyed with the rain. First of all, I have zero control of the weather, so really…what good does it do.

Then secondly, as someone who lives in a state that has been suffering from some degree of drought for the past several years, the rain is actually a really good thing.  Barring the damage from flood waters of course, farmers are reporting that their ponds are full for the first time in years.  Rivers and lakes that have been below normal levels are now overflowing.

Obviously, floods have devastating effects and I am not minimizing or romanticizing the damage or the suffering that those affected are having to endure.  What I am suggesting, however, is that what is minor annoyance or frustration for me might be beneficial to someone else.  That it’s not always about me.

I am embarrassed at how often I have to be reminded of this.

As I sit here typing this post, the second round of storms have passed through my areas.  The strong winds that often come in behind these storms is starting to dry things out a bit.  And my roses are strong and green and covered in tiny little buds.

 Life goes on. And I think Lynn Anderson sang it best…

So smile for a while and let's be jolly, love shouldn't be so melancholy,

Come along and share the good times while we can.

Until next time,

Kelly

Rainy Days

by Leigh

Waking up to the pitter patter of rain drops on the roof usually make me snuggle deeper under my covers and snooze longer.  Then there are those days that I jump at the chance to take some photos after the rain…especially at the beginning of spring when bare branches begin to give way to budding leaves.  The smell of rain still lingers as I venture outside to see what treasures await.

The sunless sky makes shooting in the middle of the day possible as the colors appear even more saturated than normal. The beauty of shooting after the rain is that everything is glistening.  This glistening effect can elevate an otherwise mundane photo and increase the depth in an image.  Why is this? "The water reflects the light in multiple directions and intensities and this optical phenomenon gives distinctive and definitive shape to whatever happens to be wet and falls within your line of sight." so there…now we know:)

And last but not least…my favorite thing about shooting after the rain is the opportunity to catch some beautiful reflections in the puddles of water.  Don't let a little rain stop you from getting outside with your camera.  You may be amazed at the surprises you find.

Moody Morning

by Leigh

It's been raining here in Oklahoma….for awhile now…..raining buckets….raining cats and dogs….it's never-ending….flood warnings….tornado warnings.   In all seriousness…it's getting really old.  I'm thankful we are no longer in a five year drought, but all the lakes are above 100% capacity and there is so much devastation from the flooding.  Enough is enough!  I'm starting to feel severely deficient in my vitamin d levels.

As you can imagine we haven't seen the sun in quite awhile and people are starting to get moody.  Ok, well…I am getting moody!  I have ventured out a couple times between torrential downpours to get some shots and they all reflect my grouchy mood.  Photography is an extension of ourselves and sometimes we use it to get us out of a certain mood, but other times it is a reflection of our current emotional state.  So I find my colors to be very saturated and somewhat dark thanks to the overcast days.  It is more of a challenge to find something to shoot since normally I am attracted to bright colors and cheerful flowers.

Photos tell a story and often times that is the story of what the photographer is experiencing at that moment in time.  So while the rain continues to fall I will keep on keeping on and shoot what I feel and see.  In the meantime…does anyone have an ark I can borrow?

November

By Cathy 

she is our month of gratitude

our month of transition

her darkness surrounding us now by late afternoon

as we seek comfort inside; fires lit, candles glowing 

we offer up big, bright, ceramic bowls of homemade soup

and say so long to dazzling afternoon sun

and hello to the arrival of the rain, relentless and constant

dragging out our gore tex jackets and boots

she is mornings of thick fog lingering among the trees

full blown gray skies for weeks on end

and the pounding of our windshield wipers keeping time 

with Lucy Kaplansky on the radio

inside we surround ourselves with books and knitted shawls 

and allow for long phone conversations in the late afternoon with close friends

not feeling hurried or hasty

she is our opportunity to reconnect, hibernate and be mindful 

she is our month of gratitude

our month to mindfully show kindness, give thanks and to pay it forward

it makes me wonder if we commit to the magic of her 30 days

how different will our lives be for the remaining 335?

:::

It is wet here in the Pacific Northwest, wet and beautiful. 

Isn't life grand! 

Cathy, xoox 

Come to Me

By Cathy 

The rain has been relentless in the Pacific Northwest as of late. It is the kind of rain that gets you wet. “Rain, turning to showers,” the weatherman will say. Showers you can walk in, rain, well rain soaks you; big drops, puddle making drops.  It is the kind of rain that makes getting outside to photograph anything a challenge.  

Right now the inside of our house is in disarray. We are painting and getting ready to have our hardwood floors redone. There is no molding around anything, the furniture in every room is pushed to one side and there is nothing on the walls. This happens every few years, well the painting at least, it has been about 20 years since we had the floors done. But what I am noticing this time around is that I am taking it slow. I am somehow able to live among the mess, and still take time to notice the beauty around me. I imagine this is due to a couple of things; my age for one, and the fact that I can’t work like I use to, but also my desire to purposely work on being mindful to all things in my life. My camera has taught me this. I can somehow move the mess out of my vision and see beauty. And, I watch outside for sunbreaks. 

Blue forget-me-nots and white sweet woodruff fill a small hill in our yard and one afternoon I noticed the rain had stopped for a moment. I headed out with my camera to capture their mass beauty. I clicked away, not really happy with what I saw through the lens, and then reminded myself to slow down and really look and allow the photo to come to me.  Soon the light caught my eye and I could see that the buds on the deciduous azaleas bush beside that colorful hill were getting ready to open. I was reminded how when this bush is in bloom, it fills our yard with a honey like fragrant that can be smelled all over the yard.  And then, I clicked. 

One early evening I watched as the sun reached through the clouds and landed on the huge native rhododendron we have in our yard. It is our state flower and while its blooms are not as big or as bright as some of the garden varieties we have, it is my favorite. The bush is really tree like and the golden hour was dancing through the high branches and the soft pink blooms.  I once again grabbed my camera and headed out with the dog at my heels. I reminded myself, as I did the day before, to go slow and  notice her from every angle and give myself some time with just her; slowing down to visit this old friend and allowing her to lead my eye.  And then, I clicked. 

The hummingbirds visit often during these spring rainfalls and I keep the feeders on the deck filled with fresh nectar. These little beauties are fast and it takes patience on my part to capture them. But at noon one day, among the mess, I sat just inside our door with my camera ready. I listened to the rain on our metal roof and I waited.  The dog sat beside me giving me looks, wondering what it was we were doing. The new growth on the Fir trees, which line our deck, dipped in the rain and all the different shades of green glistened against that pop of red of the feeder.  It was simple, calming and beautiful. And it was not long before my patience was rewarded. And then, I clicked. 

The pull of getting behind the lens of my camera every day, has taught me to slow down. It has taught me to notice light and shadows and patterns; to look at things I see every day from different angles and levels. I sometimes have people ask me what it is I do with all my photos. So I tell them. I use my camera to see, to focus, to slow down, to notice and to look at things with new eyes. It helps me to be mindful. It also makes me happy.

What are you clicking away at these days?  Be sure to share your photos with us in our flickr pool or on Instagram #focusingonlife. 

City Rain

by Carol A.

Rain is grace; rain is the the sky descending to earth;

without rain, there would be no life.

                                                                  John Updike

Our month's theme is sun, but let's go the other way today.
Would you share some summer rain shots in our gallery today?