Tuesday, January 8, 2008

After The Storm-Sunshine!

The night before's severe storms, spewing tornadoes across many parts of the mid west, never arrived in our area, although I was nervous, and quite worried about them. However, not even one clap of thunder could be heard all night, so I slept peacefully, and was thankful in the morning that the storm had missed us. Then, by mid-morning, the sky grew dark and ominous, as you can see in the first picture I took. Torrential rains and thunder and lightning arrived, terrorizing my two dogs, who were both trying to get under my chair, for protection. The cats slept through it all, unperturbed. And my weather radio announced that we were under a tornado watch until 4 PM. But we were lucky; we didn't get any of the devastating storms other areas of the country experienced.


The storms blew out of here on cue, and by 4 PM the sun succeeded in coming out. Soon, the pond sized puddles that had formed in the field, sunk into the earth, and everything looked refreshed from the great showers of the day. I took this photo of the same area, in late afternoon, and you can see white, puffy clouds floating above the trees, where the dark ominous clouds had been in the morning.




The cattails at the pond looked quite nice with their dry stalks and leaves and pretty reddish tails, glowing in the sun.




And here, you can see the pond reflecting the beautiful blue sky and the leafless trees around it. Everything looked lovely and serene, after the storm. My prayers are with those people that were not as fortunate.


45 comments:

Nonnas News said...

beautiful pictures! Glad you werent affected by the storms!

Renie Burghardt said...

Thank you, Patti! I was quite relieved, for it was scary for a while.

Have a great day!

Renie

Jmkdreak said...

Very nice!
And yes, you are very blessed that
the area was spared.


xox

Deborah Wilson said...

Renie,

Glad to hear that the bad weather did not bear down upon you. The pics are beautiful - especially the pond!

Last night, we got some thunder and lightning, probably the best display in a while, last spring and summer, my area received very little in way of storms..The sound put me right to sleep.

Patty said...

Glad you were protected from the storm. Last night we had quite a bit of rain, some blowing, and even some thunder, but thank goodness, no tornadoes around here. We have a skylight in our family room, so that rain pounding down on it made for a lot of noise. But we no longer have any pets that shake and try to hide when it storms.

Karen H. said...

Good Afternoon Ms. Renie,
I have been offline for a couple of days and am trying to catch up with everyone this afternoon. I hope to be able to do a post in the morning tho. We were under a Tornado Watch here as well until 4:00p.m. All we got here where I live was a little rain. I never heard any Thunder nor seen any Lightening. "PRAISE GOD" for watching over us. I am sad too for the ones that were less fortunate. It was bad all around us and close by as well. I love the pictures you took before and after the storm. Everything does looks so refreshed and peaceful after the storm had passed. "THANK YOU" for sharing them with us. Take care my friend and have a great day. May God Bless You and Yours.

Love & Hugs,
Karen H.

Renie Burghardt said...

'Drea,

Yes, we were fortunate, because it came pretty close. Thanks for visiting!

xox







Deborah,

Did you get lots of rain with that thunder and lightning? Hope so. It wouldn't put me to sleep though. I'd be up "praying."

Thanks for visiting and the nice comment on the photos. I still see no new entries over at Corridors. Waiting for it. :-)

Take care.

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Karen,

Oh, I'm glad it didn't get bad in your area. I kept watching KAIT TV for weather updates, and things looked kind of scary, as you know. And since you didn't post, I was a bit worried about you and the girls. I'm relieved that you were just too busy to post, and not because of problems related to the storm.

Thank you for the nice comment and the visit. Have a great evening.

Love and Hugs,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Patty,

I'm glad you didn't have bad storms, just the noisy kind, and lots of rain. We've had so much rain in the last couple of months that I don't know where the excess is going. I guess it collects as groundwater, and it will come in handy in the summer, when things get too dry again.

Yes, the dogs are such big wusses! :-) They are scared of thunder and lightning though safe in the house, yet not scared of wild animals, such as coyotes, that could hurt them, outdoors.

Thank you for coming by. Have a wonderful evening.

Renie

Michele said...

Thanks for your awesome comment about my interview - and I love your photos!

Yes, the storm was pretty yuck but it passed and you're right: we were very fortunate. I pray for those who weren't as well.

Hope your day is going great!

Smiles,
Michele

Deborah Wilson said...

Renie,

I won't post until tomorrow - I got detoured - All the Politiking, then Monday, Angel the Rabbit lost a nail on her front right paw. I walked into the kitchen and there were little pools of blood - scared me good. But she is ok now, just sore.

Then, the hiker who has been missing in Ga was finally found - dead. The man accused of her murder is a homeless drifter who is now the prime suspect in another murder in Florida. He is also being investigated as to the death of an elderly couple in western North Carolina a few months ago - and other missing person cases are being looked at.

This case is evolving so fast - here is link to the story:

Gary Hilton

So the action is on Eddie's blog, Chickenfat a new friend that I met who is from Marietta. The post is the latest, "Law and Order Beats it Own Record".

Skip over and read and join in!

Renie Burghardt said...

Deborah,

Oh, poor bunny rabbit! I'm glad he is okay though.

As for the drifter arrested in that young hiker's murder, I've been reading and hearing about it on the news. Actually, when you posted that you were going hiking, I was going to comment on the hiker, but then thought I'd better not. I was a bit worried about your hiking. I will go and read Eddie's blog. Thanks for the link.
Take care!

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Michele,

Well, your interview was well done! You little pro, you!

Thank you for the nice comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures. I enjoyed taking them.

I'm doing well here. I hope you are as well.

Hugs,

Renie

ancient one said...

We didn't even get a sprinkle although we had gray skies all day. I love your pictures. The cattails at the pond and the reflection of the trees in the pond were wonderful! I love seeing the scenery around different parts of the USA and the wide world of blog land! Thanks for sharing!!

Renie Burghardt said...

Anne,

We kind of crossed paths, I was visiting you while you were visiting me. Loved you photos of the woods! And your Noah's Ark as well. Thanks for coming by.

Take care!

Renie

meggie said...

Your post about your mother touched me so much! How beautifully you wrote of her. How sad you didn't know her, on the earthly plain in this life.

I had regrets about not having the chance to really 'know' my father, but at least I did know him to a certain extent.

I am very glad you were safe from the storms. One of our dogs gets terrified of storms, but our little girl just lies quietly, not upset at all!

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Meggie,

Thank you for coming by and the lovely comment. I hope you visit again.

Have a great day!

Renie

Karen H. said...

Good Morning Ms. Renie,
I'm just making my morning stop to see if you had the coffee ready for me. LOL. I am on my second cup this morning. It is raining again this morning. I was watching "The Weather Channel" last night and they are calling for some Snow Showers for Sunday. I won't believe it till I see it tho. When you have time, stop by. I have something for you on my today's post. Take care my friend and have a great day. "THANK YOU" for the coffee. I always enjoy having my morning coffee with you. May God Bless You and Yours.

Love & Hugs,
Karen H.

Renie Burghardt said...

Good morning, Karen,

Not raining here yet, but it's in the forecast for today. And yes, small chance of snow is also in the forecast for Saturday night and Sunday morning. We'll see, won't we? LOL.

Yes, have some coffee ready here. Thank you for sharing a cup with me. I'll be over in a bit. Got to feed all the critters first. Have a great day, my friend.

Blessings and Love,

Renie

Brandy said...

Your pictures are beautiful. What wonderful scenery all aroung, isn't amazing, some of the things we have to look at! I am so glad the storms did not get that bad where you are. I could just see your two dogs trying to both fit under the chair. lol what a sight that must have been. I hope today is a blessed one!
Brandy

Talk..to..Grams said...

I have been doing year end reports for my missionary daughter! Finished up yesterday! It has been nasty around here too! Raining here today and Snowing up in North MO. Blessings, Grams

audrey` said...

Dearest Renie

Wow!
You can see the beauty as the weather changes throughout the day =)

Yeah!
I'll post the photo of the 4 bells from Jerusalem when Bel can help me with the posting.
HeHe!
I don't know how to post photos online =)

Take care, Renie.

2 LMZ FARMS said...

Just wanted to check in on you. It got pretty rough here today. I stayed in the storm house for nearly 2 hours. We have alot of trees down but thankfully, that was it. Hope you and yours have a blessed day.
Laura

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Brandy,

Nice to see you here again! Yes, we got lucky with the storm mainly missing us. And it is nice to see the beautiful scenery in various parts of our country.

Thank you for stopping over. I hope all is well with you and yours.

Take care!

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Grams,

I hope it wasn't too nasty in your area. It sounds like you were pretty busy there for a few days. We had some rain this morning, but then it turned into quite a nice day. Still mild and even the sun came out. I, personally, am hoping it won't snow later this week, but we'll have to deal with whatever we get. LOL.

So nice of you to stop by again. Going to come by and catch up with you soon, too.

Blessings,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Dear Audrey,

Yes, the weather change was amazing. Dark and stormy in the morning, and the sun shining in the afternoon.

I can't wait to see your bells from Jerusalem. It's not that difficult to post photos. I'm sure Bel will show you how, and you'll be able to do it after that.

Always lovely to see you here, Audrey.

Take care and God bless!

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Dear Laura,

Oh, your area had storms as today? How scary. I'm glad you have the storm shelter. Thank the Lord you are all safe. And thank you for checking on me.

Have a blessed day as well, Laura!

Renie

Glo said...

Great pictures. Glad your Ok. We beenpraying for the one's who were not so fortunate.
Hope you have a nice weekend.

Glo

Merle said...

Dear Renie ~~ Great photos and they
show how the weather changes in one day. I hadn't seen cattails before
or maybe we call them something else.I keep forgetting to say how much you are like your mother even as she was as a girl. Same small sweet face. Thanks for your comments, I am glad your cousin likes Ballarat - my grand
daughter went to University there last year. We had a short sharp storm this afternoon, with the works- thunder, lightning and rain, but it is gone now and sunny again.
Take care my friend, Love, Merle.

Leann said...

we didnt get any storms here but south of us tornadoes hit.we only got rain.now we are getting snow.
I love the pictures so pretty.
I love at tails.I found some young small ones a while back and dryed them.they are still just as nice as the day I found them.
I sprayed them with some spray I had so they wouldnt fluff out.

this will be short cause its late.

have great weekend.

God bless.

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Glo,

Hope you're feeling much better! Thank you for visiting.
Have a great weekend as well.

Renie





Dear Merle,

My cousin works at the Ballarat University, in Admissions, I believe she said.

Thank you for visiting, and the nice comment, as always. Have a wonderful weekend, my friend.

Blessings and Love,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Leann,

I'm glad you didn't get bad storms in your area. Thank you for stopping by. I always enjoy hearing from you. Have a wonderful weekend.

Blessings,

Renie

Patty said...

love the pictures and am so happy to hear the storms stayed away from your area

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Patty,

Thanks so much for coming by and for the nice comment. Have a great weekend!

Renie

Leann said...

Renie;I recieved a call from my half brother this morning that my father passed away.
so please pray for the family.my step mom is taking it pretty bad.
Iam ok so dont worry for me.I know he is with the Lord.
I may not be commenting for a while.so I wanted you to know why.
God bless you,and Ill stop when I can.
Love Leann.

Mississippi Songbird said...

what a wonderful blog you have.. and thank you so much for visiting and we will approeciate the donation to St Jude..
God Bless You..
Have a great weekend.

Renie Burghardt said...

Dear Leann,

I'm so very sorry to hear of your father's passing. My prayers will be with the family, and you. May the Lord comfort you all, at this time of great sorrow. Take good care, and God bless you.

Your concerned and saddened friend,

Renie

Renie Burghardt said...

Mississippi Songbird--

Thank you for stopping by, Stephanie, and the kind comment. Hope you visit again. I will send a donation to St. Jude's.

Have a nice weekend as well.

Renie

Nonnas News said...

There's a surprise for you so stop by and grab it!

Renie Burghardt said...

Really? How nice. I love surprises. Be right over.

Mary said...

Renie,

I am so glad that the storms passed you by. When I heard that tornados had hit the mid west, I was worried about all of my blogging friends who live there. I will keep those who were affected in my prayers.

I'm very glad to be home from vacation, though we had a wonderful time. However, it's always good to be home.

Take care, my friend.
Blessings,
Mary

Mary said...

PS. The photos are beautiful. I especially love the ones of your pond.

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Mary,

I forgot to reply to you earlier. Well, when I saw you were home, I hopped over to your writing nook, and forgot to come back and reply here. I am glad you're back. Rest up from the trip and have a blessed Sunday!

Renie

Tina Coruth said...

Renie,

That must have been very scary. I'm glad the worst of it never made it to your neck of the woods, although that sounds like one heck of a storm.

What a contrast between the before and after photos of the trees. After a night like that, it sure makes one appreciate all nature's beauty even more.

Great photos!

Take care, my friend. :-)

Hugs,
Tina

Renie Burghardt said...

Tina,

It was scary, and a lot of people were affected by those storms.

Are you still snowed in? Have to skip on over to Tina's Odds and Ends and see what's new there.

You did a lot of reading last night! :-) Thank you! It's always nice to hear from you.

Hugs,

Renie