Mother Nature shows off

(Click on this photo to see it in a larger size)

One of the best things about living in the Midwest is its magnificent summer storms. We had a stunner tonight with more thunder and lightning than Ed and I can ever remember seeing. Actually it was two storms back-to-back. The first came in from the north, and the second from the west. Both brought wind and rain but it was the electricity that made tonight special. One brilliant flash of lightning and deafening clap of thunder struck simultaneously right over our house. It is moments like this when we are grateful for the mobile phone tower at the police station next door. Our own personal lightning rod.

Ed and I sat out on our screened porch and watched Nature's fireworks for at least 30 minutes. And then came the most extraordinarily colored sky I've ever seen. This photo of our house in that strange light is untouched by Photoshop. That is exactly how it looked.

An hour after the storm, our community put on its annual July 4th fireworks display. Sorry, folks, Mother Nature stole the show this year!