Sunday Night Word Dump

I've recently set the goal of writing something--anything--every day. I'm trying to keep my creativity flowing, and writing makes me happy. Sometimes that writing is a specific blog post. I have no specific topics to blog about today so I'm doing a word dumping exercise, based on some pictures I took this afternoon. Bear with me.

Yesterday, the wind whipped the trees around, and rain lashed down most of the day. I was content to stay indoors all day, taking care of things that needed doing, relaxing, being dry.

I woke up this morning to sunshine and calm. The birds sang in the trees, no longer needing to take shelter. My Sunday morning run brought spectacular views of the Sacramento Valley, a part of California I used to find dull but now love. The valley is home, and it is spectacular.

There are still clouds drifting overhead, but the storm has passed us, heading east to dump more snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains. The ski resorts will be thrilled for some late-season snow, after a bitterly dry winter left them with little change of making money. Here at the edge of the valley, there is no snow, only green. The sky is clear; the rain washed away the thick Sacramento smog that will choke us all summer.

Near where I have stopped on the road are the sheep that come to our neighborhood each year to graze. They need to eat, and by eating down the wild grasses, they help what will soon be a major fire hazard--the green will die away as spring turns to summer, and these fields will be a dry yellow-brown. The perfect kindling, should a careless driver flick a cigarette out the window of their car. California is no stranger to wildfires...so the sheep come each year and eat, providing a valuable service to the neighborhood.

Though it seems too early, there are poppies--the Golden Poppy, our state flower. Their bright orange faces open to the sun and dot the landscape with their fiery joy. They will stay all summer, leaving us only when fall approaches and the cold drives them out.

Here in Lincoln, the wind is always blowing...today it is a gentle breeze, dancing by my ears as I stop the car and climb out to take a few quick pictures on the side of the road. It is peaceful, in spite of the passing cars coming in and out of my neighborhood. I feel lucky to live at the edge of the valley, this spectacular place in the most beautiful state in the country. California is not just beaches and movie stars--it is the mountains, the desserts, the forests...and this valley that I call home. The valley that helps feed the whole world.

After a few minutes of taking it all in, I get back in my car and head home.