Clouds*

I've looked at clouds from both sides now / From up and down and still somehow / It's cloud's illusions I recall / I really don't know clouds at all...
-Joni Mitchell, Both Sides Now

I have said this before, but since I am publishing yet another cloud picture, I'll say it again. When we lived in Berkeley, we never really felt much connection with the sky. There was always something in the way...buildings, trees, fog, even small windows in our house which didn't admit much of a view of the sky.

Now that we live in a more open, rural setting in a light filled house, we have wonderful views of the sky with its ever-changing show...clouds, sunrises and sunsets, full moons, expanses of blue, rain and rainbows, always framed by the hills around us. We joke about the fact that every time there is a beautiful sunset, the neighbors' dying redwood tree is right in the middle of it, but wonder of wonders, it isn't going to give up without a fight and is making something of a comeback at the moment....

It is still cold at night and the roof is thick with frost in the morning, but the sun has reappeared and the  clouds above the oaks in our garden are fluffy and white rather than grey and threatening. OilMan has taken the 'coats' off the citrus plants. There are too many Lantana plants to cover, and they look dead as doornails, but soon new green growth will appear at their bases. The giant philodendron is a tropical plant and has definitely taken a hit but we can cut it back to the ground and it will come back nicely, along with the Cana lilies. 

Everything thrives better under an open canopy of sky and clouds....

* If you're interested in the famous song about clouds, here is the young Joni Mitchell singing, and here is the older (and wiser? I don't really know) version. I thought the contrast was touching....