Saturday, July 28, 2012

Unsettled



Saturday July 28 2012

The heavens are unsettled, clouds roiling and boiling, thrusting upward into the blue sky, pluming, bulging, aspiring to thunderheads, shading gray and cobalt, boldly edging out the sun. 

They swell into rumbling threats, shedding cracks and booms. Silver spears spat from the sky shimmer in slices of sunlight, spattering hairy coats long deprived of water.

When purple clouds open up and dump rain, it is like manna from heaven to this thirsty desert ground; but Luna dislikes the alien gift from the Sky Gods. Unsettled, she whirls in agitation, seeking shelter from the hurled drops, but under the sky, there is no place to hide. Tail tucked between her legs, ears flopped back, she protests the unfairness of life.
[slide show]

She hasn't learned yet the art of stillness, of patiently waiting out the rainstorm, head to the ground and butt to the stinging drops, because it will pass.

The storm does pass, but when the next onslaught of storm clouds flings ice balls with biting disregard, even the most stoic Rain Waiters wither before the assault. The herd becomes unsettled, swirling, bolting, running from the insult.
[slide show]

And the sun chases the ice balls onward as another thunderhead builds in the west for the next round on this Owyhee summer day.

6 comments:

  1. hehe. Poor Luna. It's tough to be the littlest one :)
    Wonderful post and I really like the first and last photos!

    ~Lisa

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  2. Poor little Luna. What a rude awakening to "life in the big world." The hail is a bit scarier. That would worry me a bit.

    Do the horses have any kind of natural shelter to use?

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  3. thanks Lisa!
    Jean, the horses can shelter under the trees in the creek... they just seem to prefer staying where they are and not seeking shelter. sometimes they'll back up to a rise where an old canal was and shelter from the wind some. in the winter I move fence panels around so they have an overhang at the barn, but again they often just prefer to stand out in the rain/snow. Or else one boss horse will hog the roof : )

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  4. Traveled through northern ID on my way to CO. In WY - here were two Raven's sitting on the cross member of a fence corner, bright blue sky & enjoying the morning! Thought of YOU! :-)

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  5. Wonderful how you can describe just how she is feeling!

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  6. and 18 miles or so to the north of you...we got nothing but heat, breeze and more heat. The weather forecast for the next 10 days is the same..hot, dry, hot....that's it! :(

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