Old Man Winter...

I love the way the snow looks falling from the sky. It's heavy from last nights fall and with each scoop of my shovel I'm reminded of how old I've become. Just an hour ago I felt young and healthy, able to wrestle a bear if needed. But old man winter has a way of putting you in your place. I shovel four, maybe five scoops before resting. The cold air fills my lungs as I stand underneath another batch of fresh falling flakes. It's quite outside. So much so that I can nearly hear each new flake hitting the ground. He has a way of beating us down, old man winter. It's so different than the other seasons. There are no cars passing, no dogs barking, no kids playing. There is no green grass or flowers or colorful falling leaves. There is no hope in winter. There is no promise of warmer days or sunshine. No promise that rain will bring flowers or rainbows. There is only white ground as far as the eye can see. I look around at neighboring houses and just for a minute I enjoy it. The still. The calm. The blanket of fresh powder. With a grunt and a heave I thrust my shovel back to the ground. There are two levels of snow I attack. The first and hardest is the blanket of ice that my feet crunch with each step. The second is the  pure snow, now packed tightly thanks to the ice. I alternate the shovel in my hands depending on which side of my body I toss it over. Each time on my left side I can feel the effects of an old injury just below my ribs. There is no pain, but rather a reminder of a different time in my life. A few more scoopfuls and again I rest. My body is getting quite the workout as my breathing is heavy and my arms hurt. It's old man winters way. It makes me think of other men, other husbands, other fathers who have fought the same fight, but didn't win. The snow can kill, but I am determined to clear space. To beat it. I remind myself that I'm sure others had the same thought before they collapsed. Soon I've cleared a path that allows me to get out. I am no longer stuck. As I reach the road, a feeling of victory rolls over me, like Rocky after defeating Apollo. Take that old man winter.....Yo, ADRIAN

Just Write

You need me....

A week or so ago I wrote a post about Love me some me. In that post I explain how I was a bit disappointed at the results when I asked my clowns to name some things they love and not one of them said themselves.

Now fast forward.  My son started playing basketball in the last week or so, and I have to say I'm really impressed with how much he's improved from last year, and truth be told, he's one of our best player in one of his leagues. 

But just like every young boy he can get a little squirly from time to time. So the other night I had to sit him down and have a talk about his behavior. 

I explained to the young lad that I expected him to make good decisions and do the right thing not only at school but at home as well and that his behavior  from the previous morning would not be tolerated. I then explained to my growing superstar that if he could not behave the way I and his mother expect then we would take privileges away from him. This included privileges such as t.v. iPods and or basketball. To which my son looked me dead in the eye and said, just as a matter of fact as anything he's ever said to me....

But dad, you need me on that team to win games..... 

Maybe he's taking this whole love me some me thing a bit to far. 

Was Woolly Right???

So I'm not a big believer in old folk wisdom or urban legends. You know things like throwing salt over your left should for good luck, or is it right? I can never remember. Or how about the break a mirror and have 7 years bad luck thing. Or even the Facebook posts that tell me if I don't repost I'm going to hell or that Jesus doesn't love me.

But the woolly worm. Now there's a dude I can believe in.

Old folk wisdom says that the Woolly Worm can predict the forecast for the upcoming winter.

According to legend, the wider the middle brown section is the milder the coming winter will be. So, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter.

I can't remember this past fall what the woolly worms looked like around here, but I do remember conversations about how people thought we would have a bad winter because of these guys. We've had snow, ice, school closings and negative, bone chilling cold temperatures. I know what you're thinking. Yeah but you're in Indiana it's always cold and snowy in the winter there. Well, if the weather here hasn't convinced you......

Ask somebody in Atlanta......

Thanks for the heads up Woolly....