WINTER BLAHS ...

 

I'm lovin' the snow but I just needed to stop and have a spring fix.

A little color, ya know?

 

TREACHEROUS BEAUTY

 

There is everywhere ice.  When I took Gabriel out this morning it was soft ice.  Soft and textured.  I was careful.  I did not fall.  The temperature is iffy.  Some places locally are a little colder than others.  The telephoned Police Alert advises us to stay off the streets and DO NOT TOUCH fallen branches as power lines have been pulled down.

It is so very beautiful.  Hard to understand how such beauty can be such a danger.  It seems like some kind of trick.  Sometimes I feel as though life is like that also -- some kind of trick.  I go along and everything seems peaceful and good and then -- wham -- I get blindsided.  Sometimes that is because I am just unaware and not paying attention to the whole of life.  Zeroed in on my own self too much maybe.  Have to pay more attention to what is going on in the lives of the people around me.  Open myself up to the needs and feelings of others.
 

NOT WHITE

 

'That is not white,' said I after the fresh paint had been applied under the sink.
'It's white,' says he.
'Not white,' I reply.
'The paint can says white - something or other,' he says.
'Just look,' I say, 'the PVC pipe is white, the toilet tissue is white, the paint is NOT white."

We have had these 'color' conversations before.  Never quite so graphic as this though.  I am always startled at how differently we see things.  Now this is obviously not white to me.  And it is just as obvious to him that it is white.  These observations spill over into other areas of our life together and it is more than frustrating for me.

Some things are not worth the discussion.  Especially where the memory of how/what transpired is concerned.  I am learning to let those things go.  Not easily, I might add.  This, however, just made me so furious.  This is something that any numnut should be albe to see.  Is it me?  Am I wrong again?  I don't think so.  Not this time.  And I'm holding on to that.
 

 

Toe socks for my Five Finger shoes.  In the warmer weather I don't wear socks but when it gets cold....  And now with the wet snow on the ground, I can't wear the Five Finger shoes; I wear my furry lined Crocs.  I still wear the toe socks though.
 

SUNDAY CROSSWORD

 

 
Here it is Sunday again.  And every Sunday I dutifully take out the puzzle page, fold it just so, put it down on the table, and -- look at it.  Then I look at LAST weeks puzzle, which, by the way this one is.  I don't get very far with Sunday's Crosswords.  I do Monday through Wednesday pretty thoroughly.  Thursday and Friday, not so much.  Saturday is pretty iffy too.  Sunday is my greatest challenge.

My sister, Jacquie, does ALL of the Sunday Crossword.  With very little or no help from Google.  She has a store of facts -- current, obscure, and historical -- and is aware of all the nuances and subtleties that are inherent in the clues.  Our dad did crosswords.  For as far back as I can remember.  Jacquie had the privilege of sharing the morning crossword adventure with him for many years.  I suppose it must have been a "bonding" time for them.  I am a little jealous of that, but I am so happy that she has those memories of their time together.
 

STILL CHRISTMAS

 

It is still "Christmas" at our house.  It is Saturday.  The sun is shining.  There are great piles of snow everywhere.  I am lovin' it all. 

The weather gurus and the media hype mongers are warning about the next snow to come that will dump another ten to eighteen inches of snow.  Already the masses are moaning and groaning about the inconveniences of it all.  BRING IT ON!!!  Let's enjoy it.  Let's savor it.  It will be here such a short time.  Then we can enjoy spring and all of it's wonders -- like the endless rain that people are then going to be complaining about.

Why is it that what we have is never just right?  Not round enough, not warm enough.  Not soft enough, not sunny enough.  What is that about us anyway?  Let's just enjoy the day.  Enjoy the moment.  Whatever it is will be different soon.  And that will be another challenge for enjoyment.
 

IT'S FRIDAY

 

Connecticult is still digging out from underneath the snow.  It is the main topic of conversation everywhere.  Everyone has a story to tell  -- and so willing to tell it. 

Would that we were so willing to tell other stories, stories of our lives, faith stories, stories about how we deal with prayer and God and forgiveness and all that stuff.  But we don't.  We can tell the snow stories, but the stories that are at the core of our being seem difficult to tell. 

 At Grace Episcopal Church we are learning to tell our stories.  We have created a friendly environment that is non-threatening and trusting.  It becomes a comfortable atmosphere in which to share our stories.  We are not judgmental and we honor confidentiality.  Our stories are who we are and by sharing them we share ourselves.  Our collective stories are the stories of the people of God and unite us as the People of God.