Thunderstorm

We awoke this morning to a crashing thunderstorm.  It was so unusual in our experience here that at first I didn’t believe it was thunder and lightning, and only after being surprised by a flash of lightning while looking out did I understand what was happening.  The wind and rain were more than I could face at 5:30 am, so I distracted the dogs from their usual morning walk by feeding them while we waited for the storm to pass.  It did pass, in fairly short order, and we had our morning walk in the freshly-washed neighborhood.

The rain is a good thing from time to time, especially when it comes at night.  It helps the lush plantings in our neighborhood thrive, making our daytime walks more colorful.  One of my favorite plantings here would have to be the many geometric arrangements of flowering kale.  There are two distinct colorings of this beautiful plant here, each with its own unique color patterns within the intricate folds of the leaves.

I can’t say that I have a favorite, because choosing between these two beauties would be a waste of time.  Why not just enjoy both as time allows, and celebrate each for its unique features and complex beauty?  The crinkles of the leaves and the shades of color in each plant seem to be almost infinite in variety, and yet the repeating symmetry of the design examined from the center outward brings the total plant in focus as one of nature’s great beauties, perhaps unnoticed before but now never to be forgotten.

When next you see a flowering kale after a downpour, give it a close examination.  You will be amazed, I think, at the symmetry and beauty you might never have noticed before!