Winter Wonderland

just got done talking with someone here at work and we were both agreeing that winter weather stinks. yeah, the first snow is always nice and pretty but after the first couple days it gets old really quick.

i can remember when i first moved to louisiana and got to experience Christmas Day in shorts and a t-shirt. i couldn't believe it when someone told me that i would, but shortly thereafter i did. definitely a new experience!

then i began working overseas. usually i was in tropical or sub tropical areas where there really wasn't any such thing as cold weather. i typically missed half the cold winters here at home while i was at work. i'd usually come home with a tan from laying out on the helidecks and look out of place in the airport. probably the funniest was when i came home from the middle east wearing shorts and a t-shirt. i left doha when it was 100 degrees. i got to amsterdam and it was snowing and 32. that was the last time i ever went overseas without wearing pants and taking a sweatshirt or jacket with me.

the winter around here is just around the corner. got enough firewood to last the winter and already building a stock for next year. last year some of the water lines froze in the garage which ticked me off. brand new house and already that happened. ended up spending some time and money insulating a lot of pipes and floors because of that. there's not a lot to block the north and west sides of the house from the cold wind so we have to deal with what comes. and with it being unblocked it usually gets pretty windy outside which makes the wind chill even that much colder.

i usually like the thought of putting away all the winter garb and coats and getting ready for warmer temps. now is when it all gets pulled back out. mind you, i love a good fire in the fireplace, keeping warm, curling up under a blanket watching tv with the wife and kids (if they sneak out of their beds). one of the dogs likes to curl up against anyone who lays on the floor like that. she likes to keep warm and she does a terrific job of keeping someone else warm. her arthritis is getting really bad so usually she's curled up in front of the fire herself.

last winter i got to enjoy a couple moments of true tranquility. it was a saturday afternoon and the wife and kids were all gone doing something. i was in the middle of the woods cutting on a tree that fell over. all of the sudden it began to snow. the large wet flakes coming down at a vigorous pace. the wind was blocked by all the trees so the pure white snowflakes were coming straight down.

i stopped what i was doing and just stood there watching, listening, taking everything in; how peaceful it was, how quiet it was. the only things i heard were the millions and millions of snowflakes hitting the remaining brown leaves on the odd tree and the ground, already crunchy with older snow from a week prior. i looked up, down, and around just to take it all in and put the sights with the sounds and log it all in my brain for future use when i might need a peaceful reminder of how the world can be truly tranquil and beautiful.