Fair and Foul

"So fair and foul a day I have not seen"

—MacBeth, Act 1, Scene 3

Today, marked by high winds, torrential downpours, floodings, tornado warnings, and intermittent sunshine has indeed been both fair and foul.

We're on high ground, so we missed the flooding that happened in Roanoke. We were between the tornado warnings—for Bedford and Halifax Counties. We had a lot of rain, though, and both our lawn and pasture are soggy. A good bit of the kennel, to Maggie's delight, is underwater.

Throughout the day, the weather kept changing. From around noon—the time the heavy rain stopped—until sunset, I took pictures to show both the foul and the fair. Here they are in chronological order:

You can barely see the Peaks of Otter to the left of the tree.

You can't even see Smith Mountain.

Looking east down my driveway.

Looking toward the cow pasture to the southeast.

You can almost see the Peaks, but not quite.

The red mud is my garden spot. You can barely see Turkeycock Mtn.

The wind bent my tulips.

But most of the iris were OK.

Smith Mtn. is hidden by clouds.

The wind blew over the azaleas I need to plant.

Looking toward the Peaks again.

Chloe cavorts amid the dandelions.

Clouds blow in from the south.

. . . and pile up in the east.

Now you can see Smith Mtn.

Little Ruby Sherwood comes to visit.

. . . and keeps going.

Cupcake, who spent most of the day in her stall, grazes in the sun.

My azaleas are in bloom.

Chloe on the deck rail, above the azaleas.

Sunset. The pines are blowing in strong wind.

The setting sun shines on Smith Mtn.

Melody eats from the bale.

And then heads to the shed. Chestnut Mtn. is behind her.

Sun has set behind Jack's Mtn.

. . . but still sheds some light to the north. See the Peaks?

The sky looks ominous again.

Four years ago today was an especially foul day—much worse than anyone can ever imagine.

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