Baby, It's Cold Outside!

As January's final workweek came to a close, snow and sleet moved in to entertain (or frustrate, depending on grump factor) North Carolinians for the weekend.  Overnight temperatures over the next several days are predicted to be extremely cold (beginning with 13 degrees tonight!) and uhoh, there's a chance of freezing rain on Tuesday.

 

I don't care for freezing rain.  So what if my car is all-wheel drive?  That just means all of my tires will go berserk on ice. Should it come to a slip-sliding event for me, my hope is that at least one of my tires will grab onto something solid before my car lunges off the road and down into one of many "hollers" around and about.   Oh my, I just had a morbid flash-forward visual of my Subaru, undiscovered by the county's good ol' boys and long ago rusted, wheels up and swallowed by summertime kudzu.  Have mercy, I just added to the chill in the air.  Onward.

 

Saturday's non-stop weather produced many, many inches of snow with sleet garnishes.  I awakened this morning to a cloudless, sunny day.  Church services were cancelled, so I decided to take a  walk.  

 

I wish my camera could have captured the prism-like sparkles where the sunlight tickled snowy surfaces, but I obviously don't have the know-how.  The one photo I did take of  sparkling snow looked like a white-out spill.  No sparkles. Tsk.

I did get a few other shots this morning.  We don't have pretty snows very often, so forgive me for getting a tad carried away (especially on the tree shots)!

 

(this one was taken on Saturday)

Til next time ~~ stay warm!

Trees...Waiting for the Next Season

While rambling on a recent unusually cold Saturday afternoon, I discovered these trees in silhouette against a wintry sky.  I recall a time when I saw leafless trees as stark, ugly.  When autumn leaves begin to fall, I feel a certain sadness, wishing we could hold on to those coats of many colors and the wonderful sensory delights of crunching through sunshiny-colored leaves.  But as with all living things, there are seasons, and each has its own beauty.

I think of wintertime trees as "tree bones."  As spring approaches, those "bones" will begin to sprout leaves with a shade of green only seen in early spring.  Some will produce blossoms and eventually bear fruit.  Most will provide hideaways for nesting birds and squirrels.  Hammocks will be hung between trees, bird feeders will welcome our feathered friends.  An occasional snake may sun itself on a branch.  Some kids will "skin the cat," as my grandma used to call it, on lower limbs, and others will hold secret club meetings on high branches out of the sight of probably disapproving adults (and hopefully not on a branch with the above-mentioned napping snake).  Perhaps a treehouse will sprout for a lucky kiddo and I suspect you can spot many tire swings hanging from sturdy horizontal limbs, especially in the country. Cats will leap onto and scurry up many a tree just in time to escape a pursuing dog.  Speaking of dogs, we know what they do to trees.  In the woods, I bet there are bears scratching their backs on trees, as I've seen cows do on low-hanging tree limbs in pastures.  And of course, there are trees that ultimately become Christmas trees, and one a year will go to the White House.

We are blessed to live in the middle of acres and acres of wonderful trees, some deciduous, some conifers.  If trees could tell us stories...just imagine!

Why not plant a tree or two this spring, maybe ones that will provide shade for you on a summer afternoon. A lounge chair, a book, a little shade from a nice tree...priceless.

Til next time ~~~

Where's...

Elvis?

No, I'm not turning my blog into an Elvis thing.  But now and then I think I'll throw in a "Where's Elvis?" posting, inspired by a gift from a co-worker. 

This day, Elvis was sighted in the lobby of a Winston-Salem law firm. 

I think he was waiting to consult with counsel regarding repeal of the dead man's statute. 

Til next time ~~~

Awe and Anticipation

Tonight my thoughts are whirling! 

I'm in awe of God's love.  In recent weeks, "aha!" and "wow!" moments seem to be increasing in number, and I can only wonder what God has in store for me or perhaps for someone dear to me.  No, I won't chalk these "moments" up to coincidence.  I don't believe in coincidence, as such.  I do believe, however, that something monumental is about to happen, something awesome, something only God can orchestrate.  I feel the excitement of God's love, joy and peace more than ever, and as the Psalm says, "my cup runneth over."  If only every living person could experience the wonder of God's love - a love so great that His Son's blood was spilled for our undeserving souls. 

~~~

John 3:16 (New International Version)

 ¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,^[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 14 (New International Version)

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

 ¹"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God^[a]; trust also in me. ²In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going."

Jesus the Way to the Father

 ⁵Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"  ⁶Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

~~~

God is so good.  He loves me.  That simple fact astounds me.  If you've read this far (and I suspect many of you sadly haven't) and if you have not yet made a decision to accept Christ as YOUR Savior, please do so right now, where you're sitting.  He's waiting for you with open arms.  Accepting Christ should not be considered the end of your journey - it is a new beginning! And if you don't know how to invite Christ into your heart, I would be so honored to show you the way.

With love, til next time ~~

Happy Birthday, Elvis!

It's hard to believe Elvis would be 75 years old if he'd lived.  I think he'll always be 30-something to me. To say I had a huge crush on Elvis would be a huge understatement and many of my teenage dreams starred this handsome man. Happy birthday, Elvis. 

Good Morning, Moon...

A tired-of-the-bed back, a pinkeyed left eye and an article idea pried me out of bed around 7:15 this morning.  Mercy, the hardwood's cold in the morning, but only holds a distant second place to the tiled bathroom floor.  I digress. 

After quasi-leaping/shuffling/tripping into my house shoes, I hesitantly took a glance in the bathroom mirror.  This mirror thing is not something I enjoy doing, especially since "old" crept up on me at some point or other.  Good heavens, my left eye was glued shut, and the hair on that side of my head was literally standing straight up and/or out (and still is, I just noticed). A warm washcloth solved the eye thing, but brushing my  hair only created static, so I decided to leave bad enough alone.

Next on this mundane itinerary of mine - a trip to the kitchen for something to drink.  I glanced out the window and caught the moon looking back at me.  A photograph (at least that I take) doesn't do it justice, but I had to at least try.  If nothing else, it proves I was out of bed before 9 am on a Saturday morning. 

So, good morning, moon.  You're looking awesome today.  And hey - stop laughing at my hair.

Til next time ~~

Hope - My Word for 2010

January 1, 2010 began quietly in Yadkin County--wrapped in a blanket of fog.  The fog burned away by  mid-morning, revealing a Carolina blue sky accented with occasional cottonball clouds.

A new year has almost always inspired me to do more or less of this, be better at that, etc., etc., and this hours-old 2010 is no exception.  In fact, there would need to be 48 hours in each day to accomplish all that I want to do.

This year is a bit different for me, however!  I feel a strong, extremely strong, sense of hope--the noun and the verb--for 2010 and the decade ahead.  I can't put my finger on any particular reason for this feeling.  I only know that for the last two or three days of 2009 it's been there, growing inside me, bringing an inner peace and excitement for the near future. 

Hope--what a nice way to start a new year.

Til next time~~