I haven't seen lightening just strike without a storm. Yikes. Yikes yikes yikes.
Sometimes when the storms are right overhead the thunder sets off car alarms and shakes windows. I try to find an excuse to on a lower floor, preferably below grade, when that happens. Most of the really fun science toys live in basements anyway.
Dragons and Lions and Bears, Oh My!
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Primula Baggins
- Living in hope
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Yikes, Lindrëd! Thanks for the link. I learned something valuable—stay inside for 30 minutes after the thunderstorm ends!
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
Of all the beautiful wild animals out there, I have to admit, the wolf is my favorite (perhaps it's because they "sing"). It's been a lifetime goal of mine to someday be somewhere where I can listen to them sing in the wild. Anyone here ever been lucky enough to do that?
On a related note: For years wildlife biologists have noted that the northeastern coyote is much larger (both in height and weight) than the western. Recent DNA studies have shown that the eastern coyote subspecies actually has some wolf ancestry. The theory is that coyotes, on their way east, bred with wolves (probably not the timber wolf, but rather a different Canadian subspecies, or possibly the Red Wolf of New England, which was pretty much eradicated by early settlers). We have those coyotes here, and they are indeed impressive animals (one came through our meadow yesterday), but alas, they still "sing" like coyotes (yap yap yooo): no beautiful wolf baritones!
photo: northeast coyote
http://www.wildlifetech.com/Pictures/necoy6.jpg
On a related note: For years wildlife biologists have noted that the northeastern coyote is much larger (both in height and weight) than the western. Recent DNA studies have shown that the eastern coyote subspecies actually has some wolf ancestry. The theory is that coyotes, on their way east, bred with wolves (probably not the timber wolf, but rather a different Canadian subspecies, or possibly the Red Wolf of New England, which was pretty much eradicated by early settlers). We have those coyotes here, and they are indeed impressive animals (one came through our meadow yesterday), but alas, they still "sing" like coyotes (yap yap yooo): no beautiful wolf baritones!
photo: northeast coyote
http://www.wildlifetech.com/Pictures/necoy6.jpg
"...the Sindar had the fairer voices and were more skilled in music...and loved the woods and riversides, and some still would wander far and wide without settled abode, and they sang as they went" - JRRT
To take a slightly different direction......
Can we take JRRT's fondness and longing for dragons as a metaphor for his fondness and longing for intact, unspoiled nature? Nature at it's most primal is beautiful, but also potentially dangerous.
Can we take JRRT's fondness and longing for dragons as a metaphor for his fondness and longing for intact, unspoiled nature? Nature at it's most primal is beautiful, but also potentially dangerous.
"...the Sindar had the fairer voices and were more skilled in music...and loved the woods and riversides, and some still would wander far and wide without settled abode, and they sang as they went" - JRRT
That's an idea, Lindred. Hmmm...
We have coyotes here, too, and I always think it's neat to see them. You are right, though--they definitely don't sound like wolves. (But they are neat in their own way.)
I did know that about the end-of-the-storm lightning; it's been my observation that a good thunderstorm always gives a parting shot, so to speak.
We have coyotes here, too, and I always think it's neat to see them. You are right, though--they definitely don't sound like wolves. (But they are neat in their own way.)
I did know that about the end-of-the-storm lightning; it's been my observation that a good thunderstorm always gives a parting shot, so to speak.
Lindred,
I think Tolkien was opposed to industrialization, but I am not entirely sure of this.
I've seen two bears, one cougar, many deer, big horn sheep and wild horses here in my neck of the woods and I'm in the southwest US. I've seen more than that in fact including too many coyotes to count. Humans still scare me the most.
Anyway I was traveling through Colorado, Wyoming, parts of Nebraska and Kansas a bit ago and as I was driving in Colorado (US 285) I was in a storm and we were in the middle of the valley with sleet falling and the mountains were actually misty. I thought Tolkien must have seen something like this before because his description was dead on with the Misty Mountains.
I also went through my first Tornado whilst on the trip. Something, well I was mightly impressed by, and I am sure someone was laughing at the idiot from New Mexico being so excited by the whole thing. Well except for the freaking big hail that I thought was going to damage the car, that was a bit freaky. I was glad I didn't have my little black dog with me.
I think Tolkien was opposed to industrialization, but I am not entirely sure of this.
I've seen two bears, one cougar, many deer, big horn sheep and wild horses here in my neck of the woods and I'm in the southwest US. I've seen more than that in fact including too many coyotes to count. Humans still scare me the most.
Anyway I was traveling through Colorado, Wyoming, parts of Nebraska and Kansas a bit ago and as I was driving in Colorado (US 285) I was in a storm and we were in the middle of the valley with sleet falling and the mountains were actually misty. I thought Tolkien must have seen something like this before because his description was dead on with the Misty Mountains.
I also went through my first Tornado whilst on the trip. Something, well I was mightly impressed by, and I am sure someone was laughing at the idiot from New Mexico being so excited by the whole thing. Well except for the freaking big hail that I thought was going to damage the car, that was a bit freaky. I was glad I didn't have my little black dog with me.
From the ashes, a fire shall be woken. A light from the shadow shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken. The crownless again shall be king.
Loving living in the Pacific Northwest.
Loving living in the Pacific Northwest.
Padme wrote: I was glad I didn't have my little black dog with me.
I know what you mean about tornados! They are scary, but a bit hypnotic too. I saw several in my Denver days (from a large distance), and I probably stayed out to watch them way longer than I should have.
How close were you to the one you saw? (sounds like you were very close!
)"...the Sindar had the fairer voices and were more skilled in music...and loved the woods and riversides, and some still would wander far and wide without settled abode, and they sang as they went" - JRRT
Well I ran into the nearet Target and they had all of us at the back of the store. I parked the car under a tree, thinking the tree looked like it could take it and I didn't want to have broken windows. I sat in the car for a minute (probably seconds actually) and thought, this is not where I want to be. So I ran into the Target, after sometime everything was back to normal, except you could see where the storm was moving away. Later on the news I saw the pictures of the tornado, which was on a ridge of trees that I assume was around a mile away. I could see the ridge from the road and hotel room. Mind you I went up for tests and the doctors office was about 6 blocks away from the hotel, and it was only slightly raining when I left the doctors office. By the time I got about a block and a half away I was pulling into the Target parking lot. Part of me was Oh My..... the other part of me was 
The Oh My part won out at some point and said you need to be someplace inside and safe now.
The drive through the mountains was cool though, I had never been that way (well maybe I have but I don't remember it) and the person I was with said it was about an hour shorter, so we took it. Wow it was amazing. Usually I travel up 1-25 to that area, but not this time. I wish I would have packed a camera or brought an artist with me.
the other part of me was The Oh My part won out at some point and said you need to be someplace inside and safe now. The drive through the mountains was cool though, I had never been that way (well maybe I have but I don't remember it) and the person I was with said it was about an hour shorter, so we took it. Wow it was amazing. Usually I travel up 1-25 to that area, but not this time. I wish I would have packed a camera or brought an artist with me.
From the ashes, a fire shall be woken. A light from the shadow shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken. The crownless again shall be king.
Loving living in the Pacific Northwest.
Loving living in the Pacific Northwest.