Teasing Rain

As DR and I were headed out for a date Saturday night we drove under tons of beautiful dark clouds. We could even see rain coming down in the distance. It was bittersweet though because it wasn't falling on us. I hope whoever it was falling on though got a bunch! And I know whoever it was falling on that they dearly appreciated it.

Just Friday Garden City, KS got hammered with rain...so much in fact that water was rushing down the sides of the streets. But we didn't get a bit just an hour south here. A farmer friend of ours just a few miles out of our tiny town said they've only received 2 inches of rain this year. Two inches of rain since January; two inches of rain in 6 1/2 months. It is drier here in SW Kansas this year than it was during the Dust Bowl of the 1930's. The difference is due to land conservation measures there aren't rolling dust storms, thank goodness!

Driving Saturday night we were teased with a few raindrops on the windshield.

I told DR, "If we could only get a good downpour! I'd send my kids out into a storm just so they could feel the rain! I'd wake them up in the middle of the night and make them stand in the rain! Oh, what I wouldn't give for a flood!"

There has been quite a few times the past couple of weeks where the skies have filled with clouds, dark clouds. I find myself straining to watch the clouds but sadly they move on by without leaving any moisture in their wake. I love the Kansas sky but sometimes its beauty exists besides a sense of bitterness. A sense that nothing will fall from the sky again.

I'm sure you are tired of hearing about how dry it is out here but it's hard to ignore when the 10 day forecast out here is calling for 105 degree days, everyday. I've never experienced a place so dry. Of course, I was raised in northern Indiana where it was common to have a summer day with 85% humidity. But this Kansas summer I've learned lotion is a household staple!

Photo of the Day - God is Shining on Us!

The kids and I were driving home one afternoon when Yip pointed to these clouds and said, "Look Mommy, God is shining on us!" in a voice of amazement only a child has. So we stopped and took a picture of God. Thanks for the reminder God that you are always watching over us.

Photo Thursday - Clouds

Although I'm working at improving my photography skills and I am learning and seeing improvement, I am finding myself having a lot of trouble when it comes to shooting landscapes. Maybe it's because I find it hard to focus on one particular focal point rather than trying to capture all the colors and textures that overwhelm my eye. Or maybe I'm having trouble because I don't have a camera that will focus as far in the distance as I want it to. Or maybe I just need to keep playing and figure out my camera a bit more. 

Anyway, I'm still shooting away. Last month when a bunch of pretty storm systems came through the area there were some beautiful cloud formations. I tried to shoot some and share them with you. I don't think any of these show the full effect of just how magnificent the sky looked on those days.

Marker Monday - Clouds

In the afternoons, while Yahoo takes a nap, the boys jump on the Internet to play computer games. They usually stick to Curious George on pbskids.org but one day they were feeling rebellious and ventured to unknown territory...Sesame Street. There they found Drawing with Clouds with Elmo. I thought this would be a good time to continue our study of weather.

After a little bit of online surfing on my part I found what we needed to learn about clouds. Because I was an art teacher and don't know much about...anything... the phrase, "Google it!" is used on a daily basis in our house!



First we talked about what makes a cloud. The water drops in the air are spread out when they are close to the ground. As the sun warms the water droplets they rise like a hot air balloon. Very high in the air it is very cold and the water drops come together to "cuddle" to stay warm. I usually try to explain concepts using analogies the boys can understand. It helped to use the analogy of people wanting to cuddle in the winter when it's cold but not in the summer when it is hot. Same concept with water droplets in the sky. Clouds are then formed when the water drops come close together.



Then we talked about the three main types of clouds; cumulus, cirrus and stratus. Cloud types are named for their shape so we drew pictures of each type with a white crayon. We have puffy (cumulus), smoky (cirrus), and like a sheet (stratus). We have also been cloud gazing when we take walks or ride in the car. The boys and I talk about the different clouds in the sky and then we have fun trying to imagine pictures in them.

Finally we made clouds in a jar. Now this is cool! You will need the following; a quart jar, a candle and matches, tongs, a bag of ice, very hot water, a flashlight and a black piece of paper.



Pour about an inch of hot water in the bottom of the quart jar. I heated it slightly on the stove but not quite boiling. Light the candle and lower it into the water with tongs. Allow it to burn for a few seconds then blow the candle out and immediately place the bag of ice completely over the opening of the jar. Place the black paper behind the jar. Finally shine the flashlight into the jar and you'll be able to see the cloud forming and rolling inside. As I looked at the cloud I kept expecting it to dissipate like smoke from a candle would but it didn't. The cloud just kept rolling and rolling until the ice was removed. Then as the cloud floated out of the jar the boys were able to "feel" the cloud and how cool it was, not hot like smoke.

The clouds may show up better if you turn out the lights too. I didn't put a picture up of our cloud in the jar because I couldn't get a really good photo to show what it looked like. The boys loved this though and we've made clouds a lot lately!

Learning about clouds and wind has been a lot of fun for all of us. Hopefully I'll be able to keep this weather theme going. I'm not sure where to go from here but I'll keep you updated on any more fun activities we do!