July 25: Small dramas

Recently when I commented on a "dramatic" cloud bank, my little niece asked me what "dramatic" meant. I told her that it's when something makes us say, "Oh, look at that!"

Last evening as we were going into Hannaford to get groceries--does it get any more mundane than that?--we looked up to see these amazing clouds massing over the store, illuminated by the setting sun. The photo doesn't do justice to this meteorological display. Neither does the setting, but perhaps the juxtaposition was what made it all the more dramatic at the time.

Another moment: looking over my garden, I noticed this lipstick-red, exotic-looking flower blooming between the echinacea and sage: 

A friend had given me these bulbs last summer, but I thought they were a one-season glory. I hadn't realized any had grown back this year until this flower appeared in full bloom right outside my front door. I don't even remember what it's called, but catching sight of it so unexpectedly provided another one of the small dramas that punctuated my day.

Don't forget to stop

and really look at the clouds,

the bright red flower.