Waiting

I have been waiting to get this shot. The kale is lovely but glows when the sun shines on it. As the sun is low in the sky, I have to bide my time. Too early and the sun hasn't traveled far enough but too late and the sun is shining through trees or the light is behind the neighbors' homes. I like to think it has been worth the wait.

Wow! It is cold here. Cold like we get in February. Cold in November is supposed to be wet and dreary, or if clear, a crisp clear that is pleasant by 10 am provided you wear your jacket. But this... this has the grass still crispy in the shade at noon. Your hands ache if they are not very busy and gloves are no longer a pleasant recommendation but a necessity. When I saw the Hawks fly south in the first week of October I thought, "Its going to be a cold winter." The Farmers Almanac agreed. But this is months out of date and I cannot imagine what will happen when the rains return next week. The ground is frozen and roads will be covered in ice minutes after the rain starts. I live at one end of the Columbia Gorge. A narrow funnel that channels the winds that flow from east to west and back again. Dry air travels from the eastern desert. Cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Warmer wet air flows from the Ocean. In Winter,when the two clash above us, directly over head, we are blessed with half a day or at most twodays of glittering snow. When we get this weather pattern we don't get snow, we get Ice storms. Heavy sheets of Ice that tear down trees, collapse roofs, cause accidents. So I'm waiting for the weather change. I'm hoping that the rain isn't on the leading edge or that it arrives at 2pm and not 2 am. Either way...I'm waiting.