When The Thunderstorm Comes

 

Thunderheads are the tallest clouds on the planet. Little Utah Farm
When The Thunderstorms Come

Summer the monsoon season is here. The clouds rise up over the surrounding mountains and grow into giant clouds that reach thousands of feet into the sky.  Thunderclouds are the tallest clouds on the planet reaching upwards to 75,00 ft. The higher the top the more severe the storm.

I went out and took photographs of the big clouds rising high in the sky. I have the slide show with soft music for you to watch below. 

 We love the monsoon season as it cools us down on a hot days.  Almost everyday these past two weeks we have had rain with lightening and thunder.  Here is a video I put together to share the beauty of the thunderclouds that formed. 

Watch Video

Thunderclouds by Deborah Moen-Little Utah Farm

These clouds are mighty and beautiful. By afternoon they merge into a grand thunderstorm. 

When it rains the ducks are happy. They love the water.

Here is a little clip of them playing and enjoying the rain.

 

The rain got more intense.  We could hear the thunder pounding like tribal drums across the valley.  Closer and closer it came and the winds began to blow.

We rushed to get the young chicks back into the coop. It took several trips across the big yard to bring in the water and food. The cold rain fell in big drops on my face. Lightening flashed and thunder crashed above me. The rain fell harder. I could barely see for the water running down my hood.  I got this image of a scene from the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy and Auntie Em are frantically getting those baby chicks in a safe place before the storm. 

 

We had finished getting everything inside the coop where it was dry. The hard rain sounded like bullets on the tin roof and the thunder exploding above us. Paul and I were moving as fast as we could and it was so loud we had to yell to hear each other. Exhilarated, breathless and dripping wet we smiled and laughed. It felt like a scene with Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in the movie African Queen.

The thunderstorm continued traveling south. I ran to the back door and watched it go.. It sounded like a giant stomping the ground as it moved on into the distance.

 Paul and I talked about it throughout the evening how fun it was to be in that storm. We hadn't had a rain like that for a long time.

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm

Deborah Moen
 of Little Utah Farm

Until next time,

“Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain.”

― Vivian Greene

Great Indoor Flycatcher !

It is late summer and the flies are still buzzing around everywhere. Sometimes you can't help but let a few indoors as you go in and out. Everyone is grabbing the fly swatter or a kitchen towel and having contests on who can swat the most flies down on the ground or worse smash them on the counter or the edge of the stove. Have you every broken anything in the course of swatting a fly?

Let's face it, this usually turns out to be a big gooshy mess. Ewww* Many times it is futile, the flies are keen and sense what your up to. They are intelligent and naturally plugged into the universe. If we could hear high frequencies I bet you would hear them either screaming before the blow or laughing at us as they fly just out of reach.

My indoor flycatcher. www.littleutahfarm.blogspot.com

In this post, I will give you the method I use to catch flies indoors. I will show you the tools and give you step by step instructions on how to easily catch flies indoors. I am the Fly Whisperer.

Just For Today:
I will be kind to every person and every living thing.

Except for a few accidents, illness or old age, everyone and everything on our farm gets to live on the physical plane as long as they choose to and that includes insects and spiders and Jerusalem Crickets and such.

 I have found a marvelous way to capture the flies inside my home and set them free. No muss, no fuss. It is so easy and it is such a heartfelt experience watching them fly away to freedom. Don't laugh until you have tried this. I caught 8 flies yesterday with this method one right after the other. The more you do it the more finesse you gain.  


Here is what I use: (See the image at top right)
1 plastic lightweight 20 oz tumbler
1 subscription card or post card ( that you find in magazines) big enough to completely cover the top. I always keep one in my kitchen drawer for scooping up spiders and crickets. Oh yes, you can use this method for other tiny critters also.

Here is my method: Have the door already ajar ( make sure it has no space open or of course you will have more flies come indoors)

1. When the flies are on the window screen or a vertical surface lie a cupboard slowly walk toward the window with your tumbler and card. (approach one fly at a time) Note: I haven't has any luck catching them on the counters. Must be a vertical flat area.
2. As you do this, place your focus on the tumbler ( not the fly) and when you are near enough move it slowly towards the fly with a peaceful feeling in your heart. I know; I know, it sounds strange but trust me the fly can pick up on fear or anger.
3. The fly will seem interested in the vessel because energy flows where attention goes. Maybe  the color blue is appealing to them also. Have your card ready...
4. Carefully, slowly move your card to the screen or flat surface above the fly ( tumbler is below) then slowly ease the card down the screen or surface as if you were ushering a patron to their seat in a theater, then... gently place your focus on the tumbler again ( the fly will be attracted to the tumbler ) and go right in or you can gently sweep the fly toward the tumbler. Once he is in, place the card on top quickly making sure it is completely covered or he will fly out.
5.   Walk proud, you Fly Whisperer, you, to the door and pull the door open with a finger still holding the card on top of the tumbler. Here is the good part; hold the tumbler with the fly outside away from the door and take the card off the top of the tumbler watch it fly off into the great outdoors to freedom.  Yay ! There is nothing like the feeling of kindness.

Trust me this can make you feel very accomplished and Zen. This can be trying for some of you but think of it as a mindfulness exercise. Practice practice, practice.

Now, if you have another fly just waiting to be set free, you have the tools and the method to lead him to freedom. Now you can throw away your fly swatters and bring out your good kitchen towels. You have just learned to interact peacefully with the fly.

 You may have a little trouble explaining this method to your family and friends and I know you will want to shout your accomplishment up to the rooftops so if you want to share in the comments below we would love to have your story.

Thank you for visiting Little Utah Farm
Until next time
Peace,
Deborah Moen 

40 Days of Thunder

And Lightening and Rain...

Paul's snapped this picture August 16,2012
From our front porch.

Last night, I awoke to my little Windy ( our Aussie dog) panting with fear along side my bed. “Thunder again,Windy?” It was yet another storm passing overhead. One of 40 since July. I felt her cold nose push against me as my feet slid off the bed and onto the carpet. “Come on girl. “ We made our way together to the “safe room” down the hall. I grabbed her pillows as we went. My fingers held her collar.

 

 

 

 

 

The “safe room “ is a bathroom with no windows. Though using the plumbing is not so safe during a lightening storm, it is safe to Windy as she cannot see the flashes so easily there. I help Windy relax by being calm myself. I sit there awhile with her and she usually calms after a few minutes and then lies down." There, there" I say softly to her.

 

 

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The Cloud's Journey

Early in the day, on most days, the skies are calm here. This is the time for walking and doing chores and outings from groceries to hikes in the mountain meadows. There are mountains all around the whole valley in all four directions here. During the day the white cloud heads sneak up over the ridge and peek up over the high summits. Once in position, they swell and push upwards into tall towers with their flats bottoms pressed against the warm air. They float like islands throughout the afternoon and meet somewhere in the center.



If a cumulus cloud gets big enough and rises high enough it can form it's own cap very much like caps on top a mountain.
this is called Pileus. Picture taken from Little Utah Farm.

By feeding time they squeeze out a few drops of rain. Those rain drops are so far apart I can walk through them without getting wet. I can hear them on the car port tapping and splatting down but I can not see them.

Lightening Before Thunder

Even though lightening comes first, it is the thunder that alerts me. I feed the llamas under their shelter. The hens do not mind the thunder. During one great down pour I saw one of my hens drenched to the skin while the others gathered dry in the coop. Her name is Daisy May. She is a book full of stories but for now back to the lightening.

Lightening.. Good for The Earth?

Well wouldn't you know, lightening is very good for the earth. Nitrogen (N0 2) can not be used by nature until it is fixed into NO 3. Lightening actually fixes the nitrogen in the soil as do legumes like alfalfa and beans. Everything has it's place in the scheme of things. I spend time appreciating such good orderly direction as this. This also explains the surprising growth of veggies and greenery in my garden. Everything which seemed to grow at normal rate, grew to enormous proportions overnight. Yep, there is magic in that rain and lightening.

Land of Rainbows

After the early evening rain the rainbows appear arching way across the open country and sometimes doubled on top of one another. I call this the land of rainbows you can see them through the irrigation sprinklers and make one with a hose and see them often in the summer rains.

Simultaneous Rainbow and Lightening Strike !Right outside my kitchen door !  Little Utah Farm 8-2012

 

 

 The Show Goes On
 

The rain comes to a halt but lightening continues on for hours and on through the night.
The electricity of the storm flickers above the mountains at sunrise like hot coals after a blazing fire. All is still again. My little Windy wakes up cheery as ever. She does pretty well. She has accepted a "safe room" and appreciates my company in the night until she falls asleep. Makes me feel good to help her out a bit.

 

 

 

Thank you, for visiting Little Utah Farm.

 

Well, that is all for now.  

Been brewing up a story about antique tractors and an actual caravan we took last week across wide open country.  Take care, and believe in those dreams of yours!

 

Until next time,

Deborah MOON

Related articles :

http://www.wxdude.com/page5.html Very good page on thunderstorms, lightening and all. You may be amazed at all these kinds of lightening and how they form.

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/resources/LightningFactsSheet.pdf Not to scare you but it is good to know about the powerful effects of lightening. A good time to adapt a safety plan for you and yours.