There’s no question the main topic of conversation today has been this nasty blizzard that began around 10:00 pm last evening. Every time I was awakened in the night from the sound of the wind blowing, I shuttered with the thought of what today was going to be like, and when daylight did arrive, it was as expected—terrible.
One of my first duties of the day was to play for St. Paul Lutheran’s Services at 8:30 this morning. Before even thinking how I was going to get there, I went online and checked to see if they’d cancelled, and sure enough they did. Since some in their Congregation live on acreages as well a number of them being of the senior set, I’d say it was a good move on their part to cancel.
The snow plow didn’t come down my street until around 10:00 and then again before 11:30. I wasn’t expecting to go anywhere due to the amount of snow I needed to get moved before I could even drive out. Since I live in an area that’s a topographical wind tunnel, it’s not uncommon for residents in my subdivision to get more blowing and drifting snow than others.
In spite of the snow plow having been down my street already twice, I’d say there’s going to be several more plowings necessary before the wind finally subsides. In spite of the sun, I’d say it wasn’t fit for man nor beast outside while that strong northwest wind was blowing.
After getting all the snow shoveled, I went back indoors and did nothing but putz the remainder of the day. Because this weather makes me exceptionally nervous, I found myself keeping all the more busy so not to think about it. I did happen to spy a cardinal in one of my trees, and when seeing his feathers ruffled in order to stay warm, I immediately thought his pose would make a great photo for tonight’s journal, so I grabbed my camera and managed to get the above picture of him. I thought it turned out quite well considering how hard the wind was blowing snow about. Like last night’s photo, those vibrant reds during the winter seem all more of a contrasting with our frigid landscapes.
I did spend some time catching up on the news, and one article I read was about Warren Buffet’s yearly address to his stockholders. It shocked me a bit when reading he’s predicting a major catastrophe in the near future. He believes it’ll be either man-made, or a natural one, such as an earthquake or hurricane. I’m not sure where he’s getting his predictions, but he thinks whatever happens is going to be the absolute worst on record. He hinted that it could possibly be a long over-due major earthquake out West.
While visiting with one of my dear sisters who lives out of State today, I mentioned that article. Her first question was, “How would he know anything about natural or man-made disasters when he’s too busy making money?” I laughed when saying, “When you have that much money, you can hire the best researchers in any given field, and then of course take all the credit for yourself.” Most of our general public don’t realize how deeply invested Berkshire-Hathaway is in real estate and insurance. You wouldn’t believe how quietly Warren Buffet has managed to take control of big pieces of those industries. Now why wouldn’t he be all the more concerned about catastrophes when his companies are insuring those homes or buildings in areas under risk?
It was kinda creepy cool reading that today when remembering only last evening, I was speaking about how little regard most humans have for Mother Nature. No matter how you look at it, there’s no controlling her natural disasters. As much as science believes it can predict happenings, it’s still a crap shoot because there’s no rhyme or reason to timing or devastation. If we somehow do get hit with the “big one”, then let’s all hope it’ll be a hard-learned lesson which will prompt most of us to go forward with a new respect for all living things, along with taking active long-term steps in protecting our natural resources instead of selfishly profiting off of them as so many millions have done since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. These are my beliefs and I’m sticking to them!
I’m hoping to get a good night’s sleep tonight, but if that wind doesn’t stop, it’ll be a repeat of my last. For those living here our entire twelve months, I’d say they’re great lovers of seasonal diversity, closet masochists, or in possession of a deeper and more “morphic resonance” reasons they’re staying, which are yet to be revealed.
Tonight’s one-liner is: During our darkest and coldest of days, fond memories bring the light and warmth of other days around me.
