Wanted: People to read this blog..

2/27/11

Feeling disheartened that no one had become a “follower” of this blog, I abandoned ship for a while, hoping that my absence might change things.  It hasn’t. 

I’m still here, washing clothes, shoveling snow at the church this weekend (in place of my son Lee who usually does it), keeping track of an elderly parent two states away (who refuses to move closer), and trying not to feel the stress of being the constantly mashed middle of a pb& j sandwich.

I’m not sharing this to garnish your pity (no need for that!), but rather to explain my absence. 

Valentine’s Day 2011

Spring is in the air, as temperatures rise into the 40s.  Blue skies and sunshine seduce the conservative northerner to lose the long johns for a day and don a sweatshirt for a while. 

The sun rises earlier, hastening the dormant to greet a new day and shake off the vestiges of a winter that held every living thing in its dull, gray fingers since November.  The melting snow reveals scattered bits of tan grass, a matted layer of leaves covering the garden, and a single green bud rising above the debris.

The warm weather is supposed to remain all week.  Is it the start of spring or just a welcome intermission?  We shall see..

A hint of spring

2/13/11

Drip, drip, drip.  Temperatures in the mid-30s left water dripping everywhere and dirty snow lining puddle-covered roads.  It felt like spring, as a robin appeared in a tree beside the trail puffing out its robust orange breast in defiance to the snow.  A downy woodpecker hopped up and down a tree, gathering food where it could, while a group of smaller birds (probably sparrows) congregated in a distant shrub. 

The pesky squirrel that sits on our bird feeder finally broke off the lid and scattered sunflower seed everywhere.   (Big pig!)

Blue sky with mare’s tail-like cirrus clouds and a caressing breeze made it a lovely day before Valentine’s Day -- the perfect day to be in nature and in love with the handiwork of a great Creator on His/Her day.

Blizzard and beyond

2/2/11

If you’re keeping track of the news, you’ll find that we had a blizzard.  In a 24-hour period, our community was covered with 19” of suffocating snow.  When I woke up and looked outside, all I could say was “wow.”  Our neighbor, Donald beat Scott outside with his snowblower (as if there were a contest) and headed straight to our other neighbors’ house to give a welcome hand.  Our other neighbors, a couple of senior citizens, are hearty northerners who can share stories of the blizzard of ’67 and the snowfall of ’79, and use their own little snowblower to move the snow when the drifts are not so high.  They are grateful when their neighbors show them the reverence that should be associated with their years. 

Like the great oaks in the woods at the top of the hill, the Bentleys have stood as quiet sentinels, watching the community change, and protecting its integrity through their own example, growing in strength, and imparting their example to others.

2/3/11

Today the roads were clear enough to travel, but schools were closed (again) due to severely cold temperatures (-10 deg F).  Lee and Ez burrowed into the snow to create hiding places away from the chill.

2/4/11

Schools remained closed in some areas, because it was not possible for children to safely walk on the sidewalks.  The temperatures were “warmer” (around 20 deg F), but far from toasty. 

To live in the cold, dark, snowy place I call home, one must be willing to accept the present, while living for the promises of the future.  It is a place where winter takes no prisoners, but demands participation – a place to celebrate the fact that you have survived another blizzard and will see more snow before you die.