After I left my car at the mechanic’s shop for its routine service, I set off walking down the road to the bus stop. After only a few steps I stopped to admire plants along my way; I did that a few times. The California Buckeye startled me as it always does, looking like the dead of winter in early fall. The large conker peeking out redeemed the scene.
It was fun, walking for ten minutes through a sort of industrial park, where all the people arriving for work gave their energy to the atmosphere, and lots of pickup trucks lined the road, bare of sidewalks most of the way. The air was crisp but not harsh.
On a bench at the bus stop, I looked briefly across the frontage road at the seedy mobile home park whose sign was missing some letters and read “Taylo.” A mockingbird’s song came to me from somewhere, surprisingly not drowned out by the heavy traffic noise. And then my gaze rose, hungry, to the sky.
I recognized the remains of a jet stream (or chem trail?) as one element of that picture above, but there was so much else going on up there! I began to think about what Emerson said, that “The sky is the daily bread for the eyes.” I mused on how sometimes we are given all sorts of fancy bread, but at other times the sky is plain blue, or white, or gray….
After a short ride on the bus, I got off and started walking the rest of the way home, along a boulevard where I had plenty more of those big spaces to wonder at. I was struck by the realization that I was the only human on earth to whom each particular picture was given, because I was the only one at that GPS location, at that moment in the constantly changing arrangement of images.
If one lives in the big city, with skyscrapers hogging the sky, usually a little bit at least will peek through; I like to get my bearings occasionally by looking at whatever patches are available for viewing. Being in prison, though… now that would be hard. I guess they do often let at least some of the prisoners outside sometimes, but they might not feel safe and relaxed enough to feast on their daily bread in that setting.
Twice now I’ve started reading The Marvelous Clouds, and shared some quotes here. I reread some of Albert’s comments that I included in one post about the book ; he passed on some excerpts from an article about it, which is about media. One thing the author said was that “Clouds illustrate media ontology. [They] exist by disappearing.”
I gave that book away a while back. It’s very thought-provoking, to be sure, but I think if I had continued reading it I would have just been page by page arguing with the author over various things. I don’t like that he uses clouds for anything. I’d rather receive the gift of clouds as bread for my eyes. This arrangement of clouds below looked like it was pretending to be mountains in the distance:
The author of that book, John Durham Peters, also said that clouds are the original white noise. If you want to follow that thought, read the article linked in that more recent post of mine. But I think it’s more profitable for the soul to go out and look at the sky, whether there are clouds in it or not. When there are no clouds, or they have merged into a less enthralling picture, watching them might be like staring out at the ocean. It’s always moving, but it can be boring at the same time. Sometimes we need that plain bread. Feasting all the time is not good.
While my thoughts were on the clouds, my legs carried me into neighborhoods closer to mine, but I took a less familiar route and saw this beautiful plant that I found out is called a Common Lionspaw. I got distracted from the sky and started thinking about where I could fit one of those in my garden.
My cloud show seemed to go to intermission for a few minutes, with the actors going off stage — but quickly it started up again, as the sun began to break through.
Then, I was home again. It was time to start the rest of my day, and figure out what to eat… but my eyes had already had a big breakfast.
Gladsome Lights 
Your cloudscapes are dramatically beautiful – and I loved seeing what you call Common Lionspaw for it is indigenous to my part of the world! I find great solace in the sky and look up daily – even when there are no clouds – in awe of what is going on up there.
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The gift of the clouds as bread for the eyes. That’s one of the most beautifully poetic statements I’ve ever heard. I’ve missed your blog. It’s good to be back.
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Some people have corner offices or spiffy cubicles in which to do their work. I have the sky as my office ceiling, and it’s wonderful. In my case, it’s as functional as beautiful; it tells me if it’s time to start or stop work, how the next day might affect my schedule, and whether it might bring a wind or rain to visit with me. On the other hand, it’s clouds also entertain in a way very little else can. The habit of cloud-watching I developed as a child’s never left me. Now I know their names, but I also feast on the shapes they produce.
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Yours is a very favored experience of the sky, an enviable everyday vantage point! When I woke this morning I remembered another aspect of our skywatching that I had meditated on that morning and added it to my post: I was struck by the realization that I was the only human on earth to whom each particular picture was given, because I was the only one at that GPS location, at that moment in the constantly changing arrangement of images. The feast is spread out for everyone, but the taste of the bread is a little different for each of us who partakes.
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Lovely sky pictures! I’ve often thought that a sky with clouds is more interesting than an absolutely clear one. The solid gray clouds that we have in winter are the exception to the rule. They have no beauty as far as I’m concerned.
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I know what you mean. You make me think about the solid gray-white sky that was a too-frequent feature of my childhood winters. It alternated with tule fog, and either one meant a damp cold that was depressing all the way to the bones — though on Christmas Day we paid less attention to it!
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I love the thought of the “gift of clouds” as unique and individual as each of us. And to think of the ever changing views! I love to watch clouds scud across the sky in the wind, always transforming into something different. A most lovely post.
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Thank you, Lorrie. Where you walk and explore gives you lots of big-sky-with-clouds opportunities, I think!
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Wow. I love all the variations you’ve caught of your skies. We had some of tropical storm Kristy’s clouds, too, but I wasn’t fast enough to capture them. By the time I’ve gotten where they were unobstructed by power lines, I’d forgotten my errand.
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It would be easy to spend hours, some days, just watching the clouds. I’ve often enjoyed drives up or down Hwy 5 when there is a cloud show. My heart just soars! But it’s not the time to take pictures 😉
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Probably some chem trails there, but I did like the mountain clouds! I was just thinking yesterday about the shade of blue in the sky, especially in the fall once it’s cool. I don’t like that color, and never have. But who could imagine it any other way? I have no quarrel with God over his choice! 😀 (everything can’t be green)
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Lisa, I have heard many people say that they like fall because the sky where they are is the deepest blue then, whereas in summer it is too white. This must not be your experience….?
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Oh, yes, it’s a deeper blue in October, to be sure! But I don’t like sky blue. 😀 It’s a cold color. But, as I said, I can’t imagine the sky any different, and I have no quarrel with it – I just don’t like the color in any other context. I hope God doesn’t take it amiss. I should probably keep my thoughts on the subject to myself. 8-o
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He knows, Lisa, He knows…
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😀 And that’s why I figure I may as well say it aloud. It’s more honest.
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Maybe your eyes will be more satisfied with heaven, which will probably be more golden all around, what with all the light.
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You know, sometimes I look around at all the beauty of the green summers, the burnished autumns, the snowy landscapes of winter and the blossoms of spring, and try to picture gold and precious stones, etc., in God’s kingdom – it seems a bit flashy, doesn’t it?
But I will say, I’m re-reading Lord of the Rings, and there is so much wisdom in these books. I get a better idea of eternity from these, although I can’t explain how, but Tolkien had a far better imagination than I, let’s put it that way. So I realize I should trust God. And anyway, I don’t think he would stick us in a place that wouldn’t appeal, you know what I mean? 😀
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The walls of my bedroom are a paint color named “Sky.” It’s my favorite ❤
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HA! It’s the Blessed Mother’s color, too. They know what they’re doing up there. And so does Gretchen. 🙂 xo
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