A rainbow in the storm

 SHOWERS  OF BLESSINGS

 “Be not afraid O wild animals for the open pastures are becoming green.  The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.”  Joel 2:22

           I really do NOT like summer.  There’s the heat, the sweat, the dust and dirt, the snakes, the mosquitoes, the gnats and other crawling things.  Then there’s always more commotion and noise; the ranchers ranching, farmers, farming, workers working.  I’m a real good whiner.  One day I told John, “I wish there was ONE good thing I liked about summer.”

             God must have shook His head and sighed and said, “That child needs to be shown a thing or two.”   So it seems He set out to shower me with summer blessings.

            I told you about the glorious day, well there have been many such days.  When the clouds are so dazzling, white they hurt the eyes and the sky so blue it seems to have no end.  The colors of emerald grass and many wildflowers pop out as if looking through a kaleidoscope, changing with every turn of the head. These days come especially after the storms when the air is washed clean by the downpours and the winds. 

            The storms even though a bit scary with the threat of tornados bring about a beauty all their own.  A big storm was brewing last night, as tall billowing thunderheads lumbered across the western sky.  As the sun set, the upper jagged edges of the clouds were lined with dazzling gold and the lower half was billowy pink.  Breathtakingly beautiful.

            Later I stood out in the yard in the dark after the thunder storm had passed and watched an amazing sight.  Black clouds towering so high they seemed to reach to the very heavens emanated continuous flashes of light coming from within the billowing center.  Every so often, a long jagged lightening bolt ripped through the very heart of the cloud.  Brilliant silver lined the top of the dark cloud.  Absolutely gorgeous.  I was awestruck.  Gold lined to silver lined.

            I have sat out in the yard many evenings and watched God’s light shows like nothing man can imitate. I have never seen so much lightening and storm clouds in one summer and the evening air is balmy and soft, yet cool on the skin. I was amazed to sit in my chair in the rain feeling like I was in a soft refreshing shower.

             Sitting in the yard is a blessing.  First, I have a comfy chair that my dear hubby gave me, which reclines back so I can gaze at the stars.  Also, here, unlike Chinook, there are no mosquitoes to chase me into the house as soon as the sun sets.  It’s become quite a habit to sit outside with the dogs curled up by my chair and read until it’s too dark or sometimes just to sit even after dark and soak in the beauty and coolness of the summer night with the birds calling their goodnights and the wind whistling through the night hawk’s wings.  Sometimes the coyotes join in with their yodel songs and my dogs raise their tunes to the wild symphony.

            Ahh the adventures I’ve had while walking in my hills with the dogs.  One day two coyotes went after Doti who was 50 yards away.  I sent Happy to her rescue and he chased the two over a ridge with Doti hot on their trail.  I whistled and ran to the top of the ridge where I could see the coyotes going after Happy’s rear every time he turned to come back.  I yelled and they moved off a bit allowing the dogs to get back to me.  Digging out my camera from my pack, I walked on up the ridge.  The two yotes followed close and the male snuck in to 30 feet, then went after Doti when she wondered from my side.  He chased her to ten feet from me while I was snapping pictures.

            I knew they had a den they were protecting so keeping the dogs close I sat down to watch hoping they would give some indication where it was.  The male laid down maybe 50 feet from us and the female was no where in sight.  Doti kept watching some rocks not far away, so I figured the female was sneaking up behind those.  Suddenly Doti took off after the female, the male ran after Doti and Happy leaped to her rescue.  All this within a few feet from me.  I gave up my camera and while calling the dogs, dug out my pistol.  The dogs came back and I shot in the air.  The pair of yotes backed off considerably.   I did locate the den and decided to come back another day to stake it out in hopes of getting photos of the pups.

            A few days later, I once again approached the den.  This time the dogs were tied to my belt with leashes and the gun was strapped to my side. The male kept his distance and the female and a pup made a beeline for the den.  I sat a thirty feet from the den behind some tall grass and brush.  Soon a pup came out of the den and curiously looked around.   He snuck in closer and peered through the brush to check out the new yotes on the block.  He popped up from ten feet away and stared at us.  Eyeball to eyeball with a three month old coyote pup!  The very essence of wildness. The wonder of God’s creation.  A blessing beyond measure.

            “Count your blessings, name them one by one.”  A visit from my sister with chatter and silly laughter as only sisters can do.  Camping on a nearby lake with John and the dogs, fishing watching storms move across the water, sunset walks along the lake.  A visit with old friends in Chinook, getting to know a new church family and growing new friends in Sentinel Butte.  Fresh vegetables from a garden growing faster than I can keep up and the satisfying feeling of putting up veggies for the winter.  Nippy mornings, cool evening breezes, the fresh cleansing smell after the rain, many days with temps in the low 80’s or high 70’s.  Even mowing the many acres around the house and buildings is enjoyable on my rider.  “County your many blessings see what God has done.”

            Oh it still gets hot and I still sweat and some evenings are sticky warm until late and the weeds in the garden grow faster than the veggies, and the snakes still slither in the grass, but God says, “Rejoice and be glad for I have given you cooling rains, I have sent you abundant showers both in the spring and in the fall.  I will do so again.”  (from Joel 2:23)        

            So, when I’m hot and grumpy I try to remember that the evening will cool off and I’ll be able to sit outside, then later in the cool night I will snuggle under the blankets.  When the dust flies and the yard bakes, and I have to water the garden yet again,  I know the rains will come, fall will soon be here and before long the land will be frozen under a covering of snow.  Most of all I remember that God sends His showers of blessing both in the spring and the fall and in even in the heart of summer.                     A thing or two indeed!

 “Surely the Lord has done great things.”  Joel 2:21  

Read Joel 2:21-27

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