Naughty or Nice? March Can't Decide!

Volatile spring weather

When I got off work yesterday and headed for home, a black cloud was hanging over Hopkinsville (KY). I turned on the radio and learned that we had a tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning. A storm front, capable of 70 mph winds, was passing through eastern Christian County.

The bright sunlight against the dark storm cloud was eerie. I held my camera out of the car window and clicked this photo of Skyline Drive. Its angle is strange, but it expresses the instability of the weather at that moment.

Later, I read on Hopkinsville's weather report that one-inch hail was reported east/southeast of Kelly (a few miles north/northeast of Hopkinsville.)

A lot of people were wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts earlier this week, but today they had on their sweatshirts and jackets again. The low tonight is supposed to be around 30 degrees.

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Update 3/26/11
Today at work, I talked to a fellow who is building a house on the Kelly-Dogwood Road. He said that he was in town when the cloud went through, but when he went out to the construction site later, he found full-size sheets of plywood in the treetops.

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.