Sunset after Rain

An artist friend, Pam Holnback, says that no matter what you paint, it's a process of putting shapes of light and color onto the canvas. I'm not a painter, but I do notice light. As I was driving to town the other night, I was so awed by the light of the sunset reflecting on the wet highway that I pulled off the road and tried to photograph it. I like this image, but I wish it showed the driving lanes of the highway reflecting the light, instead of the shoulder. I'm not going to stand in the middle of the highway to take a picture, though!

The Night Will Soon Be Ending

Story behind an Advent hymn

Early winter sunset in Christian County, KY

When we lived in Germany, I experienced the shortest winter days and longest winter nights I've ever seen! In Berlin, the sun set before 4:00 p.m. in December and January and didn't rise until 8:00 a.m. Winter was a very dark time there. (Berlin lies about 7° farther north than Montreal, Canada, believe it or not.)

"The Night Will Soon be Ending,"  a German Advent hymn, was penned in 1938 by novelist and poet Jochen Klepper (1903-1942). Klepper's knowledge of long winter nights and his personal experience with the Nazi regime were surely on his mind as he wrote this poem about darkness, light, hope, and promise.  Here is the first verse (as translated by Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr.)

The night will soon be ending; the dawn cannot be far.
Let songs of praise ascending now greet the morning Star!
All you whom darkness frightens with guilt or grief or pain
God's radiant Star now brightens and bids you sing again.

In the new LCMS hymnal, "The Night Will Soon Be Ending" is set to the Welsh tune "Llangloffan." But in Germany, the hymn has been sung since 1939 to a melody composed for it by Johannes Petzold.

The story of  Klepper's life is tragic. Jochen Klepper was married to a Jewish lady named Hannah ("Hanni".) Hanni had two daughters, Brigitte and Reni, by a previous marriage. The Kleppers sent the older daughter Brigitte to England in 1938, the same year that Klepper wrote "The Night Will Soon Be Ending." They could not bear to send little Reni too, so she stayed with them in Germany. Later, they tried to get an exit visa for Reni, but they were denied repeatedly. They also faced a mandatory divorce because it was illegal for a Jew to be married to a German.

German stamp honoring Jochen Klepper

In December 1942, Adolph Eichmann, the Nazi official in charge of Jewish deportation, personally rejected their request to leave Germany. Certain that death awaited them in concentration camps  Klepper, Hani, and Reni committed suicide. Klepper wrote a final entry in his diary minutes before they died: "Tonight we die together. Over us stands in the last moments the image of the blessed Christ who surrounds us. With this view we end our lives.”

Klepper's diary was used as evidence in the trial of Adolph Eichmann.* A collection of excerpts from the Klepper diary, In the Shadow of His Wings, was published in 1956. I could not find a copy at any of my usual internet booksellers.

Several short histories of Klepper's life are available online. One article explores the role of German Mennonites in World War II as related to some events in Jochen Klepper's life. Another article on a Lutheran website discusses Klepper's theology and spiritual life in addition to the story of his life.
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*I clearly remember news reports and adult talk about the Eichmann trial during my childhood, though I did not grasp the full significance of it at the time.

Days of June

Summer arrives.

Some of the "Dusty Miller" in the yard has gone rogue. It's popping up in places where it isn't supposed to be. I dug up some of the offshoots last summer and potted them. They endured the winter in their pots, and this spring I planted some coleus with them. I'm enjoying the color contrasts, as a change from the petunias I usually plant.

This stream is somewhere between White Plains and Apex, probably in southern Hopkins County (KY). Dennis and I went adventuring today, and on the way home, we drove through some country I haven't seen before. I love new backroads!

This shot was taken through the window at one of the several produce stands that I patronize. The Mennonite lady who runs this stand put a couple of extra cucumbers in the bag. She said the vines were full of them and they'd be picking again in the morning.

I took this photo earlier in the month after a shower passed through. We could use another rain now. Where the grass has been cut short, it's starting to burn (go crispy).

Here's a sight that I look forward to every day -- the road to home! Our house is at the top of this hill. We've had a lot of 90° days already. The heat radiates from all the concrete and asphalt in town, but out in the country in the shade of the trees, it's always a little cooler.

These bright beauties grow at the end of a big cornfield. It was a nice surprise to see them. I couldn't see the field good enough to estimate how many acres of sunflowers there might be. If it's just a small patch, maybe  the farmer will leave them standing for wildlife.

This year's wheat crop in Christian County has been harvested. In most of the fields, soybeans have been planted in the wheat stubble. Some of the beans have already grown taller than the straw stems that surround them. A passerby doesn't need to guess whether or not that farmer has planted his beans yet.

Spring Days

Fresh and beautiful

Seen in Clarksville, TN

At the edge of a Hopkinsville parking lot where country meets town

Overgrown garden at an old house, long abandoned.

We've had plenty of bluster, but little damage from storms.

Early Fall in Christian County, KY

Seen around the county during the last month

A nearly-dry stream bed in late September.

Now, the water is probably full of fallen leaves.

A full barn of tobacco, curing
in the fresh country air.

Dad and kids, headed home
from the produce auction

The northern part of Christian County has dozens

(or hundreds?) of small fields like this one, where the

ground is flat enough to farm between hills and streams.
This is corn, drying in the field before harvest.

The shorter flowers are members of the aster family,

and the taller ones are ironweed, as I recall.

Last spring, these were wheatfields.

Now, they're beanfields (soybeans). 

This complex west of Hopkinsville

has about a dozen tobacco barns in it.

The smoke can get heavy when
the barns are being fired.

A horseless carriage, so to speak

Late afternoon sunshine on a 

field of ripening soybeans

The sun is setting much earlier now. 

I saw this gorgeous sunset on my

way home from work one night.

Keely and I went to an interesting moving 

sale at this house in Hopkinsville. 

The seller had lots of cool, collectible stuff.

At the Farmers Market in 

downtown Hopkinsville

August Sunset

Corn, sky, and Johnsongrass.

Do you see the stalk of Johnsongrass in this photo, growing nearly as tall as the cornstalks? Grassy weed, weedy grass -- either would be a good description for Johnsongrass. The Commonwealth of Kentucky and at least 17 other states call it a noxious weed!

Late Light on a Wet Day

Uneasy skies

In Hopkinsville, late yesterday afternoon, the sun pierced the clouds and spotlighted the elevators. After a dark, wet day, the sudden light was dazzling.  Half an hour later, the sun slipped below a dark bank of clouds. Darkness came quickly.

The blizzard is passing north of us. Here, we are supposed to get rain, high winds, and colder temperatures. We have a wind advisory until 3 PM today. Wind gusts may reach 40 mph.

I am worried about friends and family who live in areas that are feeling the storm's full force. Despite the weather, some people have to work outside -- the farmers and ranchers have to feed their livestock, for example. I hope the travelers all got off the roads and found refuge.

In my mind, I just heard my mother say that I should pray for people, instead of worrying!

Is the storm passing through your area? Please tell us about it.

The Sun Sets on a Very Hot Day

Extreme heat and humidity

Wednesday, August 4, 2010, was a very hot day in Christian County, KY. The temperature reached 101°F, and a light-but-suffocating fog of humidity intensified the heat. The heat indexes were in the 106-110° range. The National Weather Service issued an "Excessive Heat Warning" that began on the morning of the 4th. It continues through 7:00 pm on August 5.

The air-conditioning repairman's truck was parked outside my workplace when I arrived. The repairman worked on the system for a while and said it was fixed. The store stayed hot and very humid all day, but it was cooler inside than outside. Who dared to tempt the fates by complaining?

One of my customers said that she found an older lady wandering around the parking lot in the heat. She was looking for her car, and she had forgotten where she parked. My customer persuaded her to come inside and call her daughter. She was afraid that the lady's mental confusion was a symptom of heat exhaustion.

Another elderly lady told me that she became a little dizzy as she walked across the scorching parking lot and into the store. She said a nice man opened the doors to the store for her and told her that she looked wobbly. He said that she should sit down until she cooled off -- so she did. She felt much better in a few minutes, and she was able to walk around and do her shopping. I hope her guardian angel helped her get back home safely,  too!

I heard on the radio this evening that a workman collapsed in the upraised bucket of a utility truck yesterday, as he was installing fiber optic cable in Clarksville, TN. His co-workers administered CPR but he died later in the hospital. The cause of death was unknown, but it seems very likely to me that heat stress played a part in it.

This weather is dangerous. Please be careful. Stay inside if you can. Don't take chances. Check on your pets and your neighbors, and be alert even for strangers who may need a little help.

Halloween Sunset

Cooler weather moves in

Our weather forecast predicts lows tonight in the mid 30s, highs tomorrow in the mid 50s, and clear weather through next Saturday. I hope this forecast proves true. We've had so much rain that farmers are having a terrible time getting their crops out of the fields.

Bright Sunset

Pink is not just for stucco.

Seen in Hopkinsville, KY

June's Last Sunset

Orange and purple

We've had some wonderfully cool weather for a few days. Last night, the temperatures were in the upper 50s. We slept with the windows open, and I actually got cold enough to pull the blanket over me.

The temperatures are supposed to be a little higher today, but just in the 80s. In fact, we are supposed to stay in the 80s for the next week. I'm sure this won't last, but for now, I'm loving it.

A Pleasant Spring Afternoon

Not enough time to enjoy it all!

I made a quick trip to Murray one afternoon this week to take a big load of boxes to Keely. She got the lab job in Hopkinsville that she wanted, and she will start on Monday. Meanwhile, she's packing.

It was an absolutely beautiful day and I enjoyed the drive immensely. I was surprised that the redbuds are beginning to bloom already. The Bradford pears are all blooming too, and they are gorgeous. I do understand why people want to plant them, even though they are so vulnerable to weather damage.

When I crossed the bridge at Canton, I noticed that the waterbirds (whatever kind they are) are already nesting on their little platforms in the middle of the lake. Boat and automobile traffic doesn't seem to bother them. Maybe they'd prefer a rotted-out stub of a tree standing in the water, but they willingly accept a man-made substitute.

This photo (right) was taken about a mile from the Canton bridge, across the road from the Devil's Elbow area, looking northeast. The water level in the lakes is high, due to recent heavy rains, and water has backed into many low areas like this one.

At Murray, I snapped a shot of the Caldwell County Courthouse through my car window as I waited at the stoplight. The monument in the corner of the grounds is a memorial to Confederate soldiers. I suppose Murray sent quite a few soldiers to the battle at Fort Donelson.

Keely and I did a little shopping after we unloaded the boxes. On the way to the store, we saw a pretty yard where hundreds of little wildflowers are blooming. The little violet at the top of this post was one of them. Some were not violets, but I don't know their name.

I stopped at the Canton landing, east of Lake Barkley, as I was coming home (photo below.) Several people were fishing from the docks and boat ramps. Along the water's edge, ducks were swimming between the tree trunks and bobbing down to grab minnows and bugs.

I had wished I could spend more time in Murray. Then I wanted to spend more time watching the ducks and enjoying the lake and the woods, but I hurried on. As it turned out, if I'd lingered even a minute longer, I might have missed the photo opportunity with the deer. It's interesting how that all worked out.

Deer at Sunset

Deer in a neighbor's field

If you click on this photo and enlarge it, you'll see four deer along the horizon. I stopped to take this photo, thinking I'd post it with a comment about the bank of clouds that might be the ice storm we're expecting tomorrow. When I saw the deer, I wasn't very surprised. I often see deer crossing the highway in this vicinity, and it doesn't have to be sunset. They cross at all hours of the day and night. It's best to drive slowly and keep your eyes open when you come through here.

Twilight

A clear February evening

Rural Christian County, Kentucky

Orange and Purple

A February sunset in Christian County, KY

Our sunset a few days ago

I don't think there will be much of a sunset today. The weather is going to be wet and gray all day. Fortunately, we're a little south of the dividing line between freezing rain and ordinary rain. Some of the counties around us closed school today due to icy roads, but Christian County's roads were clear.

Another Day, Another Sunset

January in the Kentucky countryside

January sunset, Christian County, KY

This is a winter photo. I took it today, January 14. Look how green the grass is from the rains we've been getting. It's much greener now, in the middle of winter, than it was last summer during the drought!

There are a few hints of winter in the photo. The trees and the sprigs of trumpet vine on the post have no leaves. The dead blades of grass in the fence row are left from last summer. But it would only take a week or two of warmish weather to transform this landscape into spring.

Later this week, overnight temperatures are supposed to drop into the low 20s. One night is supposed to be down to 13°. Along with the cold air, we're supposed to get some snow flurries. It's a good thing because, otherwise, the daffodils might start blooming.

Beautiful Sunset

Heavenly color in the western sky

Isaac and I watched a beautiful sunset last night while driving home from Madisonville, KY. In about half an hour, the western sky changed from shades of pink to intense reds, roses, and purples. I kept wishing I could pull over and snap a photo, but traffic was heavy. Finally, we had a chance to stop on the shoulder just south of Crofton, KY, and Isaac took this picture from the car window.

Another Mackeral Sky

Unusual cloud formation over Hopkinsville, KY

Looking to the east across
the former Skyline Golf Course.

A few days ago in the late afternoon, this unusual cloud formation stretched across the sky from horizon to horizon over Hopkinsville, KY.

I don't know if it was a natural phenomenon or if it was created by an airborne vessel. It seemed much too wide to be a normal jet track, but perhaps it was. Or perhaps the little green men brought the mother ship this time.

Whatever the cause, it was a spectacular streak of mackeral sky.

Looking to the west
(K-Mart on left, Holiday Inn on right.)

December Sunset

Mackeral skies and mares tails
Make lofty ships carry low sails.

The mackeral sky is composed of cirrus and cirrocumulus clouds (which resemble scale patterns on a mackeral's back). The mares tails refer to trails of ice crystals blown in streaks from cirrus clouds. These clouds may appear ahead of an approaching storm or frontal system, and can indicate strong winds aloft. If the cirrus and/or cirrocumulus thicken to cirrostratus, altostratus, and then nimbostratus, stormy conditions may be on the way. Strong winds require less sail for navigation in a rough sea. (Source: Weather Lore, Jingles and Proverbs

I think this cloud pattern (most visible at upper left of photo) might be a "mackeral sky." If so, the proverb held true. This was Tuesday's sunset sky. On Wednesday, we had a rainy, windy day in Hopkinsville. We're not complaining about the rain, though, or the other rains that we've received this month. We hope that the water table is returning to normal levels.

Autumn Sunset

Sunset over the neighbor's farm

I took this photo one evening last week. We didn't have much of a sunset today -- or much sun at all, for that matter. We didn't mind. We were happy for rain.

If you like sunset photos, check some of the others I've posted. Just click the "Sunsets" label below.