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This is a description of the remnants of an ice storm in a poem titled "Birches" by Robert Frost. When I was an English teacher doing this poem with a class, I happened to have a photo of ice-covered branches after a storm with the sun hitting them. This indeed looked as if the inner dome of heaven had fallen, and when I had one student hit the light switch so everyone could see the picture on the screen, I heard several gasps. Indeed, Frost's simile was apt. Now in Tangled Oaks I saw the same thing after last week's ice storm, and I want to share it with you.
Taking the dogs out for their "big walk" of the day will not wait for the sun to come out. So when we venture forth, I get a chance to see what the storm left behind. The two trees that were sheered by bolts of lightning last August are completely coated in ice. The evergreens are also iced over. The effect is that of the "flocked" Christmas trees that were popular years ago. That was the era of shiny silver aluminum trees and trees in colors like pink. I never understood the fad then, but magazines and circulars are featuring it again now. Like fashions in clothing, styles return decades later. For example, the mini skirt and leggings. But I digress. Everything here had an ample coating of stubborn ice. Because it had no base layer of snow, shoveling it off was a cardiac challenge. I used the show shovel from my wheelchair to alternately chop and scoop the storm's remains so that my husband had a cleared area by the driver's side of his car. This took the better part of the morning, but it was worthwhile. Even Skittles and Patches, whose little feet were slipping on everything they touched, seemed to appreciate having a piece of solid ground. The entire county had been prepared for a major snow storm, and area schools had been closed. We never got it. Instead we got ice and lots of it. Plows that had been readied for show were useless on ice, and the roads were in a total disaster mode. TV photos showed major highways with cars crawling along. There were plenty of accidents and stranded motorists who were afraid to even risk traveling. Airports had been shut down as they were in the mid west, and riders were advised to change their travel plans. Today we have new warnings of ANOTHER STORM that will begin later in the afternoon as snow, then change to sleet and freezing rain, then back to snow, then again to some mystery element that will totally disrupt the weekend. Sometimes I wonder where the weathermen get their information. Do they look at radar forecasts? Or crystal balls? Or simply guess at what is coming? Even the media sources differ widely. The Weather Channel© is predicting freezing rain/sleet for late today and into tonight. The Morning Call© on line is predicting snow. Outside my window I see sunshine. Who is right? Will my husband be able to get the correct supplies needed to finish our Christmas cards so they can be sent out soon? The holly bush that tried to impale the oil delivery man is still filled with the berries that escaped the hungry birds that like to feed on them. When he delivers again I will meet him outside with my ultra loppers to take those branches out. Because I stupidly covered the garden spot there with red rocks, my Hoveround™ is uselessly stuck if I even try to get over to the holly. Gone are the days when I could simply stand and walk over and prune the overgrown shrubs. So I have to rely on other people to do that. And in the spots where there is ice, all is lost. The bright sun of late morning is slowly being overtaken by light clouds. At a temperature of 32 degrees I can't predict what is coming to cover us. Will it be more ice? Or will we finally have snow? Right now I seem to be covered with white stuff. It is BunnyCat, who likes to climb me as if I was his personal tree or scratching post. He is buzzing contentedly as I try to remove his hooked paws from my sweatshirt. I wear already-torn clothing at home so that I don't have to care about feline affection. He had been horribly abused when we took him from someone who said that "if someone doesn't take this cat, I will have him put to death". He is deaf, but he survived the one percent chance of living with his concussion. But at age 13 he is addled but still a lover. Why do people have animals if they don't want to care for them? Outside the neighbors have corralled their visitors' dog that had come into our yard. I never mind canine visitors and Skittles and Patches love them. I remember that those dogs were friendly and came to me when I called them. No problem there, but obviously the owners wanted them back home. The clouds keep trying to overtake the sun. Maybe there will be something meteorologically significant tonight after all. Just Mom |
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