350: Cloudy with rainy spells

We had another bout of heavy rain in the wee hours of the morning, and then later this afternoon.  Remnants of Lee, I think.  But the rain we’ve received here in the Bogs is nothing compared to what they’re getting back east where they surely don’t need it.

Everything outside is soggy, boggy, and damp.  With the temperature hovering around 70, it feels pretty clammy.  I’d like to turn on the air conditioning or the heat to dry things out, but it’s neither hot enough nor cold enough to get either one of them to run for a decent amount of time without turning the house into a freezer or an oven.

The clouds have been heavy and thick during the day.  Around sunset they thin out a little, allowing us the occasional glimpse of blue sky or sunlight.

Traveling. Photo processed in Photoshop and Picnik to add light and cloud effects.

I went out for about an hour this morning, peering into the heavy growth of jewelweed, goldenrod, and whatever else is growing in the meadows.

A different perspective

The rain must have been pounding.  Some of the grasses and flowers in the meadows as well as some of the cattails were flattened.  The praying mantises seem to have survived it well.

Today I learned that Mantis was a character in African folklore who dreamed up solutions to his problems while he slept.  He was a Kalihari Bushman who had many adventures, and the stories about him are said to be similar to those of the coyote tales of the Plains Indians in the U.S.

According to Ted Andrews in his book Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small, Mantis’ ability to solve his problems through sleep and dreamtime epitomizes the keynote for the praying mantis which is the power of stillness:

Through learning to still the outer mind and go within, we can draw upon greater power — physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual.  That stillness can be simple contemplation, a meditation, or even sleep and dreams.  The ancient mystics spoke of seven levels of silence that can be used by us, the first being simple contemplation and the last being death.  In between there are dimensions that can add tremendous power to our life.  This is part of what the praying mantis teaches.  It teaches how to still the outer, so that when it is time to act (in any form) it is done with surety, accuracy, and great power.

According to the latest predictions, the rain and cloudiness will be hanging around northeastern Ohio for at least a few more days.

The next sunny day in our forecast is Monday.

A tiny damselfly

For me that means I’ll be peering into the meadows a lot during my walks.  I did venture back into the woods this morning.  It was dark, damp, and a little bit unnerving, especially after I found a cache of bones that included two skulls.  I’m not sure if they were opossum or raccoon skulls.

I’ll tell you more about my trip into the woods tomorrow.  Unless something else even more interesting happens between now and then.

Thanks for dropping by and joining me on my walk today.  I hope your feet didn’t get as wet as mine did.  🙂

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