LONGING

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--LONGING

Five minutes to free-write about it

------------------------------------------------------- 

At the moment, what I am most longing for is a change in the weather. I long to be out and about again without fear of slipping on ice or being blown over by the wind. 

On the other hand, I am grateful to have a warm apartment to shelter in, food in the pantry and freezer, and a comfortable bed to sleep in. 

My heart and prayers go out to the homeless who have to face the elements without any of these basic blessings I too often take for granted. What to me is just a temporary inconvenience can pose life threatening risks to many of them. Thinking of that can quickly put things in their proper perspective.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

COLD

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--COLD

Five minutes to free-write about it

------------------------------------------------------- 

The big snowstorm we were supposed to get last weekend turned out not to be as big as we expected, and certainly nowhere near as big as what many of those of you living in other states got. 

What started as snow turned to sleet, which created an icy mix that made it really hard to shovel off cars and sidewalks or plow off the road.  The frigid temps we've had all week have not helped much at all. What little the strong sun rays managed to melt during the day, soon froze back up at the end of it, creating dangerous little patches of black ice.

It is cold! Brrrrr.

Whereas it has been a frusrating experience for those like me who feel trapped in our homes due to our paranoid fear of slipping and falling, it's been anything but for this little neighbor who discovered the snow in our courtyard was frozen so solid she could go ice skating on it. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (NLT).  And this I have managed to be.

I'm feeling very grateful that the power has not gone out, my apartment is cozy and warm, and for friends who have helped dig out my car, pick up my mail, and take me to the store.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

THE BIG SNOW THAT WASN'T

For several days last week, we received daily weather alerts about the big snowstorm that was supposed to hit our area and dump 20" of snow on my neck of the woods. 

It was supposed to start snowing during the night on Saturday, and I looked forward to waking up to the sight of a winter wonderland. Not so.

When I looked out my window in the morning, there was a good amount of snow on the ground, but not a trace of it on any of the trees.  

The snowplow had made several treks around the parking lot during the night, but at some point the snow had become mixed with sleet so it looked like an icy mess. And yet there wasn't a trace of ice on the trees either.

I thought for sure I would be prisoner of my home for several days at least, since I am really paranoid about slipping and falling on ice. But maybe not. Even though the temperature was very cold, the sun's rays were strong and melted most of the ice on the road and sidewalks. 

UNUSUAL

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--UNUSUAL

Five minutes to free-write about it

------------------------------------------------------- 

We haven't had much snow this winter in my neck of the woods, but the last several days we have been on alert that a big storm is headed our way over the weekend.

This morning, on my way out, the sky looked eerie. The unusual combination of contrails and clouds intrigued me, so I pulled over to take some shots. 

 

Whether we get the big storm that's supposed to dump 20" or more on us, or whether it winds up getting diverted and we get nothing at all, it feels like something ominous and unusual is about to take place.  What it might be, I do not know. That will have to be the subject of another post.

Meanwhile, we could play a game of "what do you see?" 

Among other things, I see a hand, a giant toothbrush, searchlights, a face, a cross, and part of a game of tic-tac-toe. How about you?

FRIDAY FUNNY

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

HORIZON

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--HORIZON

Five minutes to free-write about it

------------------------------------------------------- 

This morning I was up before dawn (a very rare occurrence) and was looking forward to seeing the sun rise. 

Every couple of minutes I looked out the window towards the eastern horizon at the spot between the trees where it can be seen as it rises.

Slowly the dark of night started to fade, and as the sky got lighter, there was a bit of yellow at the horizon that seemed to herald the sun's imminent arrival, but that was it. No reds, no oranges, no rising sun--even after the darkness had turned to light.

And then somethiing caught my eye, quite a bit to the left of the spot on the horizon that I had been checking on, and for a moment I thought the sun was rising in a different spot, but that could not be. 

It wasn't. What I was seeing was the sun's reflection as it shone on the side of a building across the way. 

How did I miss seeing it rise, and where was it shining from? It couldn't have gotten so high in the sky so fast that it was no longer visible from my window. A mystery it will remain.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY