Oklahoma, from my point of view

One thing I had to give up when I moved to the pasture was trees.  The big, beautiful, mature ones that produce all that great shade.  We've tried - we really have - to plant lots of trees.  I think two or three have made it and are currently around 9 feet tall.  Not much of a tree to climb or shade to sit under!

The trade off is all of that wide open space, the wide open view of the sky and the landscape.  The sunsets and sunrises can be startling they are so bold and beautiful.  The sky out here at night just amazes me.  I know those stars have been there since the beginning of time, but they look different to me now.  It's just enough darker, more vast - it seems like you can see every single star in the universe.  It's not often I have a minute to look up these days, though.  But when I do, I usually stop right where I am, car door still open, backpacks, lunch boxes and papers from the day in my hands, kids running past me to get inside, Blue jumping up to greet me. I stop right there, head tilted all the way back and just stare in amazement.  I have tried to get the kids to join me, stop them from stampeding inside long enough to see how amazing the night sky is, but they have other things on their minds.  I take exactly three deep breaths, all alone with Blue waiting patiently beside me, and then head inside to join the chaos.

These are some of my favorite pictures.  The first two are recent storms, neither of which were very severe, thankfully.  This is my new interest.  I don't really enjoy seeing a big storm brew, but lately I can't help but grab my camera!  Wish I knew enough about photography to know how to capture some of those starry skies??  Maybe one day.

One of my favorites, by far.
Sunrise on a Sunday morning.  Unbelievable.