Linda G Hill’s One Liner Wednesday is usually a challenge for me. How can I say only one line? So I found this picture the other day which I think will be a great one liner.
And remember even though you may be going through hard times, your ability to show kindness during the test usually adds a curve to the grade. Always be kind.
Winter is usually a time to rest with spring being the time to clean but this cold has just about done me in so I took the time to go through a closet I have not open since we moved in 6 years ago. In it I found a framed picture of a drawing and poem I wrote for my mother. Now I loved my mother but she was…a mess.She was an alcoholic and as an adult I understand why and that is probably why I don’t touch alcohol, other than it taste gross. I guess it is an acquired taste and I have has some of the better and more expensive to taste and I just as soon leave it be.
Sometimes God puts people in our lives to help us heal from issues we have faced and He did so with me with Miss Mary Lou. Miss Mary Lou is well in her senior years but has the most gentle soul I believe I have ever met. The first day I visited the church I am currently worshiping in, she came and sat me as she said she didn’t want me to sit alone. I am one of those weird people who to sit up front, second pew. With ADD, I don’t need any distractions. But the wonderful stories I had heard about Miss Mary Lou and her ever gracious husband never seemed to surprise me as they were always sharing God’s love.
The other thing about Miss Mary Lou that shocked me the most when she first sat by me was how much she looked like my mother, or rather how my mother would have looked had she lived the same age as Miss Mary Lou. They were probably within 10 years of each other in age. I look at Miss Mary Lou and believe this is how my mother could have been if she had been close to the Lord as she also loved people.
So I post this poem I wrote for my mother, probably for Mother’s Day, in May of 1986, along with the tea rose I bought for me. I send it to mom again in heaven in her honor and also with love and honor of Miss Mary Lou for giving me peace from a matronly figure.
Like a rose’s sweet fragrance that floats through the air,
So does a mother’s love as it flows through the home.
Like a rose that reflects its rich vibrant color,
So does a mother when she is loving her children.
Like a rose’s thorns that beckon you to beware,
So does a mother who safely guides her children.
Like the velvety softness of the rose’s soft petals,
So soothes a mother’s hand and voice calms a fear.
Anita Neal 5/11/1986
And in closing as I always remind readers to do – Be kind. Share your gentle softness with the fragrance of God’s love.
OK, it is February 16, 2019 at 8:15 in the evening, Central Time USA. Two days ago we had a fluke system that came in and gave us glorious day temps of 45 degrees. It was fabulous. Tonight, however, we are at 24 degrees and waiting for yet another winter mess to hit us. Saturday night thru Sunday at noon, a possible 3 – 5 inches more snow and then on Tuesday night thru Wednesday at noon ANOTHER 3 – 5 inches. At this point we are laughing and cheering “Come On”. We are close to breaking a new all time record of snowfall in one season – only need 12 more inches and we still have 2 more weeks in February plus March has been known for some significant inches. The picture below was the local weather report showing broken records at that time before we got the last storm which was supposed to be 4-8 inches but ended up being 3 inches of ICE.
This will be a year where we will need to have t-shirts saying “I survived winter 2019”. The record low for us was -34 with a wind chill of -51. And the polar vortex was harder in other areas. I am originally from south Georgia – ain’t use to this mess. But what I find funny is how I have acclimated and how people who have lived here all their lives are some of the biggest wimps. So I guess we will see what mother nature throws at us. Its like a “Go Team” now because you want that last record broken to prove you deserve the t-shirt.
The snowfall in November was one event of 14″. Glad I was not working and having to worry about getting to work. The crazy polar vortex was in January is what gave us the all time record cold and the thunder ice. I had never heard of thunder ice until moving here. Weird. And then the blizzard conditions were in one of the February storms, and remember its only the 16th of February.
I have always heard about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb, and Lord helps us if this fable follows suit of this winter. Well I will check in with you tomorrow with pictures of what we get. May you all have sweet dreams of warm suntanning days. And as always, remember to be kind to man and beast alike. Especially if you are enduring crazy weather patterns that can cause extra stress on living creatures, cold or hot.
YAWN – To open the mouth wide and take a deep breath.
Why do we yawn? Is it boredom causing us to not breathe properly? Is it because we are not getting good sleep? If either of these are true, then who do we yawn when we see other people yawn? And is it the same thing for animals?
Linda G Hill’s SoCS prompt for today is yawn. What a funny mechanism to make us breathe better and research has almost as many answers as we do questions about why we yawn. All I know is when a baby yawns, it is precious.
When adults do it, it sometimes seems rude but when dogs do it, you love on them and tease them about being tired. How can they be tired when the average sleep amount for our dogs is 12 – 14 hours in a 24 hour period. The rest of the time they are barking at a random plastic bag as the wind blows it across the yard. And I guess guard control of the mailman pulls too much energy from them requiring more naps.
Some animals are funnier looking when they yawn, like a horse for instance. As Debbie Smyth of Travel with Intent traveled around the globe, she got some funny photos of yawning animals that I am reposting as they make me giggle.
I found others on line that really remind you the damage these creatures can do to you if you get too close.
Lions, Tigers & Bears, Oh my!
And it getting back to a more cute side of yawning, I leave you with sad pictures of the canines in our house who went right past the yawn into the sleep mode.
While we enjoy the lighter side of life that we have the ability to enjoy, remember to share a little of that light and maybe brighten someone else’s day.
As I play with my blog, I enjoy what others say, write and photograph. Today I saw a photograph that so inspired me that I thought again I would write about it. I have done this in the past and it is relaxing to me. After the wonderful day of 48 degrees (before it plummets back to single digits) I was able to get out and enjoy the sun so I think more fun is good thing to do. Irene of Heaven’s Sunshine takes lovely and fun pictures of nature and things around nature and today she posted a Leafy Heart. Do drop by her blog and enjoy her photographs. So below are my words to go with Irene’s Leafy Heart.
The Autumn Leaf
The audible sigh of the leaf in fall as it begins to die
Drops slowly from trees above like tears when you cry
We wait for them all winter as they quietly rest and sleep
Popping out at spring and stretching to soak up warmth so deep
As summer comes in to brighten their worth, they create abundant shade
For we sit and rest under them and block the heat that is made.
As changing season turns again once more to cooler fall
The leaves display their dying hues that are admired by one and all
The leaf hangs tight to its dear life as long as it possibly can
But winds of fall will toss them down to be crushed by steps of man
As other lives rush over them when preparing their own winter deeds
A spider crawls around them to see if there is anything he needs
But alas he leaves as nothing was found for him of the leaf to give
And he heads towards home and other things in hopes of his life to live.
-Anita Neal-
And always in closing I remind all of the extraordinary value of kindness and how if we can share that kindness with others, even when we don’t feel like it, that may be the only kindness shared with that one person on that day.
Reprieve – To give relief or deliverance for a time.
That is what we had today – a one day reprieve from this tirade of winter 2019. The temps today got up to 48 degrees here in western Iowa and even thought we know that Nadia is closing fast, we accepted this gift of a reprieve to helps us not lose hope in spring forgetting us as in Horton who heard the Whos – We are here! We are here! We are here!
So today I was actually able to get out and run a few errands and of course refill the bird feeders. With all of that ice on top of the snow, I was just too fearful to try. But as we type the temps are already falling and will drop back to single digits. I was ever grateful for this reprieve of shining sun and “balmy” temps.
As as we brace for another cold and snowy onslaught, we will remember this breath of fresh air in hoping spring to come sooner that later.
And as we wait for milder weather, let us remember to be mild ourselves and show kindness where we can.
Midwest Fantasy has challenged us today to write an Elfchen.
An elfchen is an 11 word poem written in 5 lines— Line 1=1 word, Line 2=2 words, Line 3=3 words, Line 4=4 words, Line 5 =1 word. Lines 1 and 5 should not be the same word. Devereaux Frazier and Beth Amanda are currently hosting the Tuesday Writing Prompt Challenge which was started by our star writer Christine Ray. We hope to offer all of you something that will spark your creativity and willingness to participate.
Since I had never heard of an elfchen, I thought I would play along and see what I could come up with. The three word choices are You, Stronger or Alive to be the first word of your poem. I accidentally used all three.
You
Dear Lord
Are the reason
I am stronger and
Alive
And as I close from this fun, I remind all to be kind. The kindness you share may be the only sunshine that person may see that day.
What a strange title…goes along with this strange winter. There are 26 letters in the English alphabet and the meteorological gurus now name winter storms like they have names hurricanes for many years, using the alphabet. We are at the 13th named storm – the M which is Maya. Folks its only the 11th of February and Nadia, the N or 14th named storm is right on Maya heels. So, since the majority of us are DONE with winter, I refuse to play anymore and am going to post happy thoughts and cute pictures from the internet. Hoping for spring to be calm and gentle; no “lion” antics allowed – you know “in like a lion out like a lamb” stuff. Only lamb stuff allowed this spring.
On to happier stuff….nothing says happy like a warn puppy…
Or maybe a cute kitten…
How about puppies AND kittens…
Other cute animals babies always bring a smile as well…
So as we push through Maya, I also bring you happy thoughts and many smiles.
Always try to smile…even when you want to scream….
And please remember to be kind. While the weather is not being kind, we need to up the ante and outdo the weather.
Really! I dare not ask what’s next because enough is already enough. With all the subfreezing temperatures, ridiculous amounts of snow, horrific wind chills finally took its toll on my sump pump line. Of course if it had been properly installed….That was a scheduled project slated for spring. The short of it is, I now have my own personal ice rink, not that I wanted one; when in fact I am still not walking without a limp.
Temporarily I have adding another piece of PVC, to at lease divert the water to the yard instead of the porch. But depending on what amounts of snow we get tomorrow….oh good grief! This is how I currently feel.
Initially I was not going to post for Linda G Hill’s Stream of Consciousness because I could not come up with anything on words ending in “ly”. But, guess what! I think I would have rather not found ways to use “ly”.
And I guess I can also use it in my normally nice ending in remind you to think and act kindly towards others.
BEAUTY IN COLD
We huddle close to fight the fierce and raging wind
Hoping to not face it as we round the next bend.
As we reach the building edge and peek around to see
We gets blasted in the face as the wind howls “look at me”.
Winter’s demanding blast this year, a force to reckon with
As snow joins low temps to break some record making myths.
But misery moves aside to reflect the beauty God can make
As we look around at mounds of white and tree crystals we pray don’t break.
We’d rather have warm temperatures with flowers all around
But will accept this fate for now until comforting times are found.
anita neal
When I got to the church this morning the trees were really beautiful but the parking lot was still to icy for much walking about for pictures. But as I was leaving this afternoon, the ice was still hanging in the trees and looked like crystal chandeliers so I was able to get a few pictures. Hope you enjoy them and are safe and warm.
I also remind you of indisputable power of kindness. When we are all under stress due to this oppressive cold, remember the spark of kindness could warm a hurtful soul.
For the Love of 