I Moved From D.C. For This?

Ummm...NOT! I was supposed to be leaving snow and attendant sidebars such as shoveling, ice, etc., behind on the east coast. What happened to that humid, subtropical, climate I read about before I left? I obviously overlooked the sporadic snowfall with about 5 inches accumulation. Which is about what we received this time.

One thing is for sure, I don't care where you live, the public works departments/transportation agencies in charge of snow removal will never live up to expectation. No snow removal on Lafayette; no salt; no sand. The same argument was made when I lived in D.C. Excerpts from the Jackson and Nashville papers voiced the same complaints. Fortunately, I do not have to use Lafayette to access my driveway or to get in and out of the neighborhood. Ice! But not the back street. NOOOO! John Deere plowed that to the corner. Not because Missy's driveway is there but because the good folks at the newspaper would need to get in. Thankful for living next door to the newspaper. Of course, they did, as they do everywhere, block the driveway when they cleaned the street. Nothing unusual in that.

As I huffed and puffed my way through the shoveling detail, leaning on the shovel for frequent rest breaks, I decided that the project for next year was to find someone who does snow removal. Surely someone has a tractor with blade who hires out. I'm getting a little long in the tooth for this.

But there was beauty to behold. Icicles hanging from the gutters next door; the tinkling of frozen leaves as the wind blew; the sun glinting off of the melting snow. Most magnificent of all was the five bald eagles slowly circling the area in search of food. The birds in the area were having none of that. Everyone scattered. Mr. Cardinal nestled in the bare crepe myrtles--his brilliant red standing out like a beacon. Mr. Robin found his way to the pecan tree. Others found a home quickly or took off for parts unknown. As I looked up, I wondered could they tell that I was NOT prey. If they had started down, I was headed to the garage lickety-split. After circling overhead for a while, the eagles slowly drifted off to "better" hunting grounds. Reminded me of sharks with their slow circles.

So where am I going with this? Simple. This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24. Where I come from, bald eagles reside in the zoo. I would never have experienced these things, except for shoveling snow, back home. Take a moment to look up, look around, and enjoy the beauty surrounding you. I guess I moved from D.C. for this.

Be Blessed.