It Snowed!

 

It was more than a dusting, and less than a good snow, but still it was (and is) pretty. I love how the snow outlines the branches of my Poplar. It was a gentle snow, which happens here with really cold temperatures. Yes, I know it is balmy to some folks and a deep freeze to others, depending on where you live. 

The snow started sometime after 1 p.m. on Friday and continued for around 12 hours, more or less. I didn't stay up to keep tabs. It was beautiful Saturday morning, cold and windy. I put up the spare bird feeder Friday afternoon after the snow started sticking, which didn't take long since we have been so cold lately. The birds really seem to enjoy having a place they know they can get a snack. Given the speed with which they empty the feeders some days, it is less like a snack, and more like the all-you-can-eat bird buffet. 

The days have been sunny since mid-day Saturday, so while things are melting a bit and getting slushy, the nights and the ground are cold, so large patches of snow will be with us for a while...maybe waiting for another one. We'll have to wait and see. 

Winter Haiku

 January brings

Waves of cold both north and south

Bundle up, ya hear!

AI Generated Artwork

What Are You Afraid Of?

I wrote the following post a year or more ago, and it has been sitting in the draft folder gathering dust. Time has marched on and it is now and it is January 2025. Hopefully some of the things I wrote about then are about to change for the better. Since that time, Elon Musk purchased X (formerly Twitter) a couple years ago, and literally cleaned house. It is now a much more pleasant place to gather as we count down to Jan. 20.

What powers your fear? News? Turn it off. People? Tune them out. To do otherwise simply gives them power over your mind.

The media has been peddling fear porn and propaganda nonstop 24/7 for nearly 3 years (more if you look deeper). The government has been pressuring social media and the main stream media channels to suppress any information that does not fit their narrative. We call that censorship. Why would they do this? What kind of government would encourage censorship of it's citizens you may ask. Don't we have the right to free speech? We're supposed to. 

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

This seems pretty straightforward to me. You have the right to your own thoughts and opinions and the ability to express them, as well as the right to peacefully assemble to make your opinions known and hopefully bring about change. These are addressed in the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights, which is comprised of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. As far as I know, Congress not passed any law restricting free speech. Nevertheless, it is being done through through social and main stream media outlets at the behest of the current administration.

Now back to the idea of fear. What should you really be afraid of? Not the plandemic, that's in the history books (yes, I know there are still some clinging to that narrative).

No, what we should fear is losing our ability to speak freely without consequences from the government. We should fear losing our right to choose how to live our lives, make our living, and to make our own medical decisions without coercion or threats.

We should fear losing our right to peaceful assembly. This is our legal means to make our grievances known. Remember, we are not servants of the government. They work for US, or at least they are supposed to.

What I mean by fear in this post is not the quaking in your boots, frozen in place kind of fear. It is the "stand up and take serious note of what is going on, why and how it could affect you" kind.

So again I ask, what kind of government does these things? I will let you ponder that. I will say it is not a government that is pursuing the best interests of "We The People".

Countdown to Jan. 20

Certification!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring these news worthy updates.

We are now one step closer to having Donald J. Trump back in office. Our prayers continue to be answered. 

When this was made official, a round of cheers erupted from the floor, as Kamala Harris stood there certifying her own loss.

Which are you?

One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. 

One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. 

- Chinese Proverb

If the spider is patient, he gets his dinner. If not, he may move too quickly and scare away his intended meal. Then he goes hungry.

Now this is not a life-altering disaster, he simply rebuilds his web and begins the wait process. In the meantime, maybe he has learned something.

What is our take away from this? Patience is the key to accomplishment and impatience can lead to failure to meet your goals.

How can we apply this to our daily lives? Work, school, relationships, driving, and even dinner.

Patience is an virtue, and often it is kindness in disguise. According to our quote, patience is the difference between success and failure. I agree that this may often be the case.

However, with regard to some of the other daily instances of patience, it is simply showing kindness. For example, the elderly lady maneuvering the parking lot. We may be behind her, quietly (to ourselves) admonishing her for being slow, while she is being careful and doing the best she can. To allow her to move at her own pace without harsh reaction is kindness.

Also true with relationships. Patience with each other instead of grumbling about their "fill in the blank" is showing kindness as well.       

Most instances of patience is not life altering, it is simply us waiting our turn. What is your take on this?