A Rainbow After the Storm

So, the weather in Missouri has gotten national (maybe international?) attention.  Gosh, Joplin!  That place won't be the same for years.  School, hospital, countless homes and businesses... and peak tornado season is nowhere near over.

But some days, you see the promise of hope.  I was driving home after a particularly strange day.  We spent part of it in the library basement, hoping that our cars weren't being pounded by hail.  I drove one of my alternate ways, kind of unusual for an end-of-day drive, and saw it as if it was leading me home... a beautiful, clear rainbow, all the colors there to enjoy!  I fumbled as best I could for my camera, but no luck.  Besides, I really had to put more energy into driving safely.  As I got closer to the house, I saw other cars on the street, kids playing basketball or chattering in little groups.  I wondered, did they even see it?  Were they looking at the sky while the rainbow was up there?  I hope so.

Then there were these bits of joy from my yard on Monday:

 These pretty pink blossoms are in the flower bed.  I think I bought a little bucket of them for next to nothing two years ago.  They were pretty at the time, I never figured they'd pop back up each year!

 These were the big surprise two years after Michael and I got the house.  I just figured it was a thorny bush right in front of a bedroom window.  Nice deterrent for thieves and snoops.  Then, two springs later, all these blooms burst forth!  What a cheer-up.

While I was doing all this flower photography, two residents noticed my activity and set up a bit of a racket.  So I had to photograph them too!

Ah, my fierce protectors!  They were a bit perturbed that they couldn't join me in the front yard, but I didn't want to have to run all over the neighborhood fetching them if they'd gotten out of that fence.

One last gorgeous blossom to show.  Maybe later I'll have pictures of my mums, if they survived the roofing and siding guys' abuse!  They are supposed to be hardy, after all.