Cloudy. How many times do we comment that it's a cloudy day? How many pictures are posted of clouds? Yes, I am one of those mesmerized by cloud formations, so much so that I stop the car in the middle of a country road to hop out and get a photo, hoping it will be the perfect representation of the wonder of weather.
Four types of clouds are cumulus, cirrus, stratus and nimbus. We don't often say, "Wasn't that a lovely cumulus?" OR "I just loved the nimbus this morning." No, we take pictures of the shapes and colors and designs of cats, dogs, and faces we see swirling overhead. I know I saw my grandpa's nose one day. He had a very predominant nose!
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is the title of a children's book written by Judi Barrett in 1982. I was an elementary librarian at that time and I could have read that book to every class, every day. The children loved it! It was filled with all kinds of food raining down on the town named Chewandswallow, giving people new ways of looking at the weather, the environment, the world. It brought about great discussions with the students. That's what we need every day. New ways of looking at things.
One of the definitions of clouds includes the words streaked, mottled, opaque, muddy, obscure and unclear.
Some days seem more cloudy than others. Things happen, life quickly changes direction. It all gets murky. But we need those clouds. They remind us to use our imagination. To look at the world in different ways, seeing art transitioning across the sky as clouds change formation, whether they are cumulus or nimbus, dogs or cats or noses. All part of the wondrous cosmic universe that we are thankful for every day.
Perhaps Judi Barrett will write another book...Cloudy With a Chance of Mayhem.
Like us on Facebook at 5 Women Mayhem
I love clouds and photograph them all the time. Thanks for expanding how we think about them.
ReplyDeleteMary, your piece is full of enchantment, full of imagination and creativity. Thank you!
ReplyDelete