Marching Through Lent on Idle

I woke up yesterday morning, again, to the sound of the snow plow going down our street.  This winter has been hard.  It just doesn’t end.  We should be seeing signs of Spring – crocus blooming, daffodils peeking out and Robins returning – but we don’t.  Just more snow.  And more cold.  And more steel gray skies.

This winter has been hard.  I can see it in what I have been doing, or more accurately, not been doing.  I had plans, once the holidays were over, that I would sew and clean the basement and write.  I had emails to return and phone calls to make.  I have never, in all these years of blogging, gone this long without writing anything.  But instead, I fussed with a failing computer, watched way too much television, fought the flu, and slept.

I was talking with a coworker last week about this.  Thankfully, she is a woman of great faith so she understood what I was saying.  I told her I felt empty this winter.  We talked about my view of hell.  Most people picture it as scorching hot, flames of fire, unquenchable thirst.  I see it as just the opposite.  Hell is winter and cold.  Because, after all, what is hell?  The absence of God.  And what is winter?  The absence of heat and color and life and growth.

I don't feel the absence of God.  Far from it.  But this winter made me feel like I was getting a little glimpse of hell.  And you know what?  I don't like it.  At all.

At Mass on Sunday, Father reminded us, that Lent, too, is long and difficult.  As we marked Laetare Sunday, Lent’s midpoint, we might just feel like giving up.  If we have stumbled on our Lenten observances, whether it’s giving up sweets or TV or doing something extra, it is at about this time (donna) that we’re ready to just quit. (get out of my head, Father!)  But don't!  He said now is the time to recommit.  To keep trying. 

So I guess winter is a bit like Lent.  Maybe I fail.  Maybe I feel like I'm running on empty.  But, try.  Even just a little.

Satchel says it best

AMDG

Jonas who?

I am old enough to remember the blizzard of 1978 that hit Ohio over a two day period.  It was a horrible, horrid storm that left over fifty people dead and many houses and buildings either damaged or destroyed.  People still talk about it.  But, it has never been called anything but the blizzard of '78.

 

By all accounts the storm that hit the east coast this weekend was brutal.  Large amounts of snow paralyzed cities and millions of people were impacted.  "Jonas" will talked about for days, weeks and years to come.

 

How is it that storms are anthropomorphized and given names but babies in the womb are dehumanized, ripped apart and tossed out? 

 

That this storm happened the weekend of the Roe v. Wade anniversary is not lost on me.

 

It's a weird, weird world we live in.

 

 

AMDG

Winter Wonderland

I played hooky yesterday, kinda.  And it was wonderful.

When I woke up I just didn't want to go into the office.  I couldn't do it.   I decided to take one of the floating holidays that I just discovered I had last week.  I emailed my boss and his response confirmed my decision.  The roads were bad and the commute long and slow.

We headed to the closest county park.  It just happens to have a seven acre, fenced in area for dogs.  Jack loves it and so do we since we can go for a walk with him off-leash.  I can’t begin to tell you how nice that is.  Jack has two speeds – either really fast or stopped.  Our walks are usually walk, walk, walk, stop, sniff, sniff, sniff, repeat.  At this park we can all move at our own speed.

It had started snowing the night before and the temperature was right at the point where it sticks to everything.  The trees were so beautiful and the wind was fairly calm, at least until Himself stood under a tree to take a picture of the covered canopy above us.  Nothing like a face full of snow!

We wandered the paths until the cold started chilling our bones.  Back home we went to hot cups of coffee and a lazy afternoon.  All-in-all, a perfect kind of day.

I wonder if the snow LOVES the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again." 

- Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

AMDG

Thanking God for Snow

This past weekend we had plans to visit with family, Himself's parents on Saturday and my sister and her family on Sunday.  The weather forecast, however, wasn't very promising.  Actually, it stunk - cold and snowy and windy - a bad combination for driving anywhere.

So . . .  We cancelled all our plans and stayed home.

I loved it!

 

It seems life lately is driven by getting in the car and going somewhere.  Most often it's work or the store or church or the dentist or wherever.  Since our county was under a level 2 snow emergency, the car wasn't about to come out of the garage.

 

Did I mention I loved being home?  Oh boy did I!

 

Not that what we did was all that exciting, but it was at home. 

 

Our neighbor's dog Lucy decided to visit and when Kim came to fetch her we all played in the snow and went sled riding.  Actually, that was the second time we were sledding on Saturday.  Himself and I went out earlier and braved the blizzard to slip and slide down the hill.

 

 

I finally made a loaf of Ciabatta bread I have been wanting to try.  Yum!   That recipe is a keeper.

I mended several pairs of pants I have been ignoring and ironed blouses that have been hanging wrinkled in the closet for months.  I read a lot more of the latest book I won on Goodreads.  I caught up on an episode or two of Castle that my friend has gotten me hooked on by his reviews.  We sat by a fire and chatted.

 

 

All-in-all we didn't do anything exciting or new.  It was just good to be home.

 

AMDG

Yeah God!

My hundred plus pound "puppy" is a creature of habit.  He likes, no, he insists on a morning walk, every single day.  Trying to get that in before work is sometimes tough.  But, lately I've been rewarded.  Gloriously so. 

A few days before the time change we left a little earlier than usual, walking down the street carrying a flashlight.  I had a hard time not tripping over my own two feet because I was walking looking up at the sky.  The stars were nothing short of spectacular!  Orion's belt just glimmered and shined.  All the rest just sparkled.   Yeah God!

A few days later, after the time change, we were treated to a beautiful sunrise.  The colors reflecting off the clouds were a glorious mix of reds and oranges and pinks.  Yeah God!

Lately we've been seeing the hawks much more often.  We have a pair of red tail hawks that seem to come back this time of year and must makes their nest nearby.  They are so majestic and elegant.  Yeah God!

As I walked past my friend's house, a blue heron took flight from her pond.  It was large and gangly and flew with an odd, awkward smoothness that was interesting to watch.  Yeah God!

What makes you go Yeah God?

A New Low

Well, I hit a new low.  For walking in the cold that is.  When Jack and walked this morning it was -3 degrees, without the windchill.  But you know what?  I really enjoyed it.  There was a glorious red and orange and yellow sunrise.  It was quiet and peaceful.  A good start to the day!

Another day in paradise

Tuesday and Wednesday I worked from home because the weather was so bad and I'm so chicken drving in it.  It just wasn't worth going in.  Yesterday I snapped a few photos of the snow and then the way we kept warm in the evening.  Good times!