I am fully aware that it is Tuesday but I worked yesterday and then last night was the championship game for college football so that was a focus. Good game played by both sides, unfortunately, someone always has to lose.
So I have not posted on Heaven’s Sunshine SMM in a while because there are no flowers and that us what I love to get close to. As I was heading to work yesterday I saw these tiny paw prints in the snow. They may be canine or possibly feline, regardless too cold to be out lose.
I praying its not the high pitched puppy I periodically hear crying. My ideas of how to care for a pet are totally different than some of my neighbors. My “protectors” are my 4 legged children and not to be left out in the cold.
Monsters in the form of teenage boys – definite creatures to be wary of. LOL.
As we are getting full into winter I pray you all stay warm and healthy, as well as your pets, and remember to always be kind to all kinds.
Every once in a while a photograph will come a cross the bloggosphere (I am sure that is not a real word, but you know what I mean) that so inspires me that I put pen to paper and write about it. Today’s photo came from stefansphotos.se and since we are now legally in winter I felt it was good time for some winter fun…with words. Thank you Stefan for your beautiful photos. Check out his photographs at the link above.
Winter Forest
Deep in the forest where the light seldom shines
Beneath the tall branches of the evergreen pine
There lives such a creature, one hardly ever seen
Here the cold moonlight makes his bright eyes sheen.
The snow reflects the light of the full moon above
Shining through the night like a white mourning dove.
The winter moss is green and soft at forest floor below
As he moves along paths where no one will ever know
What lurks in those dark shadows beyond those next trees
Nothing more than old man winter playing in the night freeze
– Anita Neal-
As you find yourself in the coldness of winter, remember it is easy to warm it up by being kind. Kindness can be like a blanket to wrap you up warm and snug, so let kindness come from you to cover someone like fresh new snow.
It is January which means it’s winter in the northern hemisphere which means in some areas the “S” word has arrived. We try not to say that word much here in hopes it stays away. Yea, that didn’t work for Halloween this year with 4 inches and low 20 temperatures. But I have for a picture of today’s snow, the best kind of snow – Snowed all night but due to the warmth of December, the roads were still warm and therefore the roads are still clear. So the trees were beautifully covered. The sky cleared a short while before turning back to winter gray and I was able to grab this picture.
It is amazing to me how hard wood tree twist and turn their limbs for their leaves to get the best sunshine. Even nature knows what is best for it and it tries to get there. We humans sometimes over think things and go way in the wrong direction.
As we push into this new year guiding ourselves in the direction we think is best, let us take a cue from nature and find the best direction.
And as we search for that direction, think of the beauty of fresh fallen snow, its purity and beauty and remember to cover everything with kindness.
Nancy has challenged us with showing opposites. I agree that this is not my favorite tine of year and want to remember the fun warmer times of year.
What we have now…
A relaxing afternoon at Vander Veer Botanical Park. Guess the plants need sleep so they can show us beauty in a few months. As you remember the warmth and the beauty of spring and summer, remember that kindness brings its own warm. So spread the warmth of kindness and watch the flowers grow.
Irene of Heaven’s Sunshine has a fun Monday post of macros which usually in my mind goes to tiny flowers and insects. Today with 3 inches of snow on the ground, I was not going to find that but I did see these on the steps going down to the garage.
To me they stated, “We know it snowed but we are still here.” Nature has a marvelous way of survival even in hard natural disasters, which of course this is not.
But we can learn from nature in more ways than this. We are stronger and more resilient that we realize. And as the quote says that I have seen several times… “Sometimes God calms the storms and sometimes he calms us and lets the storm rage.”
So stand strong and be kind. You may just be the hope someone else is looking for and together your are even stronger that alone.
Hi, Hello, Howdy and How in the world are you? It’s been crazy since my last post . Friday of last week…5 days ago…all due to careless incompetence. If you remember I got a new roof, yea for that. But since I have satellite TV and internet the dishes needed to be carefully removed for later re-installation once new roof was on. So what did they do…cut the wires, let them fall to the ground and throw them in the roof trash trailer. Not what they were supposed to do. The company was very apologetic and paid for the replacements and said “good help is hard to find”, really…train your people correctly and then they become good help.
It is amazing to me the different work ethics across the country as I have now lived in 6 different states but where I am now I believe has the worse. They do great work but fall short of that last 5% to complete the job. Its amazing.
All that being said, lets do a little catching up. Technically I am still in the allowed timeline for Monday Windows as I believe it’s a weekly prompt…so I want to show another beauty from our sanctuary. It shows Jesus’ Baptism.
Again my camera is crooked, sorry.
Monday was also the first snow for the season. It was the best kind of snow – snowed during the night, beautiful to look at, streets were still clear and it was gone by lunch. If it snowed like that all the time, I would never mind the snow.
Plus it was Daisy’s first snow. It was a difficult time of keeping all 4 legs on the ground. Then we nosed a bush and the snow falls off scaring us because it moved…scary stuff. LOL.
Today’s snow is a bit different setting records of earliest snow, coldest temps…and flooding. You know its bad when you get a flood warning and a snow warning on the same day. Yes, we are still flooded – not the major flood stage of 22′ like this spring but still the Mississippi is out of its banks and has been most of the year. That is crazy to think about. Special government programs are being setup for these people whose homes have been in water in some form for 8 out of the 10 months this year thus far. I would ask that those of you who are prayers to please remember the people along the Mississippi. I learned from my youth while living in Florida that you don’t want to be too close to the water. It can be a monster of unfounded proportions.
And finally a couple of pictures of today’s snow. It will still be snowing for a couple more hours; current temp at 28 but feels like 17.
The Trunk or Treat at the church has been cancelled more for temp concerns than snow as the snow can be cleared by then but the wind coming this evening will make the temps dangerous for small ones to be out in. The malls had their trick or treat last weekend so the kids got to do some there, as well as other indoor places that celebrated. And some communities just moved it to the weekend.
I feel the “white” season is among us. With higher than normal moisture in the air, we may see more of that stuff than normal. It does warm back up into the 40’s this week so it wont last but still…
So, I leave you with warm thoughts of kindness and love. May you feel the warmth of Christ’s love as it wraps around you and remember to always share the warmth and be Kind.
After a winter of harsh temperatures and more snow than I really wanted to see for one season, we felt the season was finally over and we could wait for the spring to slowly seep in with its warmth and beautiful flowers. Yea, wrong thought.
My daughter texted me at 11:45 last night – “Mom, look outside, its snowing!”
What, no, I had looked at the radar earlier that day and the entire US was mostly clear with sun.
Noooooo….
Yep, reports said to expect an inch. Good grief. But as morning arose, it actually was about 1.5 inch but the roads were clear. OK, I can deal with that. And the more I looked at it, I really saw its beauty. It was a wet snow, so it stuck to the trees and the snow in the yards seemed really white. I understand snow is really white but with the sky bright blue and the sun rising in the sky, it just reflected whiter than what we had seen with the cold gray sky’s of winter.
As I got in my car and headed to church the trees were even more beautiful. I took this shot from my car as I crossed over the bridge….probably not a good idea but at least I wasn’t texting.
Crossing the Mississippi
I was reminded of the scripture verses asking for our sins to be cleaner whiter than snow. It made me feel a real connection at that moment of the closeness we can have with God.
As I moved through town the sun was at the right angle to really show case the beauty so I am enclosing a shot of the tree in the corner of the parking lot at the church. It really was amazing.
Whiter & brighter with the sun
And by the time we got finished with church, it was all gone. The best kind of snow.
So I remind you of the beauty God has to offer visually, spiritually and even emotionally and remind you to share those wonderful uplifting feelings with those who have seem to lost sight of them. Share His love and always be kind.
Wow, this has been a winter to remember and for some still going. This is the type of winter that can make people give up and move south, even some of those who moved here to get out of the heat of the south. Its been brutal and the south has already experienced the tragic Lion of spring.
But I see hope in the sky of the harshness of winter being gone. Yes, its still winter and in the 30s but when you experienced average temperatures in single or negative digits, that is a heat wave.
Wonderful blue sky today
So now that it is beginning to thaw, the dangers of melt occur. Living on the upper Mississippi River, it catches the melt and swells the river well out of it’s bank causing flood damage and further north of us around other rivers and tributaries that flow into the Mississippi, it is still snowing, creating more to melt. I think for us, it is done but are already under a flood watch. We may see the flurrying or even the less than an incher come though but the heavy stuff I think is done. I think last total I saw was just over 56″ for the season which was only 1/2 inch short of an all time record for this area. It started snowing mid January and didn’t quit until last week, with temps dropping often into the negatives, the worst being -34 and that day we had wind chill of -51. I always thought it odd how dirty snow gets as it is melting, some is totally black.
Oh look, another pothole, small but still…
As we ready ourselves to move into another season, and I know some of you are looking for relief from the heat, let us remember that there is usually always a silver lining somewhere. Sometime you just have to look harder for it. Or maybe you are that silver lining that someone desperately needs. Remember to be the spark of sanity in an major chaotic situation and be kind.
I don’t know about any of you but I am DONE with winter this year. I haven’t felt much like writing, am tired of being cold and am so tired of snow and ice EVERYWHERE. Yesterday, the 4th of March was the coldest March 4th on record for this area…ever.Ugh! And it has really taken a toll on our roads. Coming from the south where you don’t have these -34 degree days, it is so much easier to maintain the roads. Of course when it does snow there, everyone looks at each other and says “What do we do now? Oh yea, empty the stores of bread and milk.” But they do them same if a hurricane is coming. Guess its the go to norm.
A lot of the roads here are concrete, which in these bitter temps get brittle, then we throw salt on them that eats the concrete as well as your car, then we run a snow plow on them scrapping up anything that dare be loose. And don’t get me started on the parking lots.
Post office
The older roads are cobblestone which in my book is a fancy word for brick. The road in front of my house is cobblestone. One of the oldest roads in town and one of the few not paved over. There is not a single pot hole. You have a few ‘waves’ but if you don’t drive like a typical teenager, they are fine. But saying that, it does amaze me how fast even adults drive on this road. 1 – its a neighborhood, 2- its cobblestone. I can hear you coming 2 blocks away with your tires running across those bricks.
Black ice trough
I also find it interesting that to pave over the brick they use asphalt. Don’t know if that is an economical option or the only option for cobblestone. But as the asphalt break up, the cobblestone shows through in seeming good condition. So it make me wonder and ramble on through my frozen winter thoughts.
Today it warmed up to 18 degrees but a wind of 24 mph gives you feel a very cold wind chill. The formula for figuring wind chill is a little beyond my desire to really know what it is. Take my word for it, its cold. But I wanted out so out I went. I stopped at the bridge park and it is still a sheet of ice but the geese were there nibbling at what little grass they could find. Then a beautiful bald eagle flew by and settled in one of the oak trees near the water’s edge of the park. I wanted to get closer to get a better picture but it was too icy.
Eagle is the dark spot, middle outer limb on middle tree. The white ground is ice.
When it gets warm I will get some good shots of the eagles as they live all along the rivers in this area. Meantime, enjoy the geese. They were so interesting to watch as they would be up on only one leg while keeping the other leg warm then switch legs or just sit down to keep the wind off their kegs.
According to the current forecast, this past Monday should be the last negative temperature day for the season. Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the mid 20s. That will feel like a heat wave compared to what the last 7 weeks have been like. And hopefully by the weekend, the polar vortex will have moved on and give us more seasonal temps.
So as we dream of warmer days that may be coming within a couple weeks, let’s remember to share our warm thoughts with others and to be kind.
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.
For the Love of 