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| Michigan Ice Crystals |
Through My Eyes......
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
Forget the Sochi Olympic Games because the cold, hard truth is...the real Olympic athletes this harsh winter are your neighbors, relatives, friends and often, complete strangers!! Even, yourself! That's right! And, there isn't a judge, coach, teacher or { }, you fill in the blank, who would dispute me on this one.
You see, we are strapping on the boots and layering the clothes and covering our heads and hands with protective gear that's either knitted or crocheted by someone who loves us very much or machine constructed from the finest leather by the very best union workers.....direct from the factory assembly plant to your home...with love. We are getting behind the 'wheel' of the family vehicle, school bus, delivery van and eighteen-wheeler in the hopes that we've been trained well and that our lifelong experiences (practice) will get us to the end of the program: Safe, sound and, hopefully, in one piece.
Yes, friends.....I'm talking about the Winter Follies of 2014!
There's definitely some precision 'ice dancing' being executed as we meticulously make our way to the road to pick-up the mail these days. The singles luge comes to mind (let's hope those snow pants are padded) if your mailbox is located at the bottom of a hill! What goes down must go back up and that little hill can resemble a mountain when covered in ice. And if you think there is safety in numbers my little winter ice pairs.....think again. Often, when one slips on the ice, the other follows. Especially when grasping each other's mitten for support!
Just attempting to breathe, when temps plummet into minus zero degrees with wind chills far below that, can challenge even the youngest and healthiest non-smokers among us. Should we pity the hold-outs still puffing away at times like this? Consider yourselves warned pre-COPD patients: Imagine feeling helpless like this every day of the year for the rest of your shortened life?The 'ultimate' competitors, however, can be found on our rural backroads, city streets and open highways as they sit in singular control over a minimum of two tons of steel, aluminum, plastic, glass and rubber. Not to mention the precious human cargo that should be belted, strapped, harnessed and generally protected inside. Think about your grave responsibility with this scenario, dear driver....! Nothing makes you feel more helpless than losing total control of a situation and when your particular vehicle of choice decides to run the Freestyle Mogul course off the beaten track or becomes the world's largest snowboard on a Slopestyle run.....that's just not right.
Wow, I get sweating palms and heart palpitations just thinking about all of this! It's dredging up old memories from my past encounters with several deer along the iced and snowy backroads near Eaton Rapids, Michigan, a few winters ago. For some strange reason, my old, unreliable Dodge was a virtual 'deer magnet' that season with the snow falling wet and heavy on me as I trudged along on my forty minute drive home from work in the dark. My slalom run consisted of swerving around the massive snow drifts in the road instead of harmless multi-colored poles. The highlight of my drive came when three 'Bambi Mommas' speed skated in unison while suspended just above the hood of my car. I am not exaggerating!! Why, I must have looked like a "deer in the headlights" or something! Anyway, what an adrenalin rush and the only damage was a smashed headlight.......maybe they were just mocking the terrified human who was glued to the steering wheel with eyes as round as saucers!
Just like the games in Sochi, these Winter 2014 competitions are generally captured on camera for private and commercial scrutiny via your 'smart phone' of choice. Having access to such power 24/7 can be exhilarating for many of us. For your viewing pleasure: If you can only imagine someone's surreal experience, it can be found and seen over and over again on You Tube until it goes viral....derived from virus: Something that poisons one's soul or mind ( according to The Free Dictionary). The one and, maybe, only time I hoped for video verification was when I tumbled down wet marble steps four and a half weeks ago and severely sprained my left ankle. No, not a single patch of ice involved, just cold stone, water and worn down flip flops! I'm taking baby steps here....literally, and 'they' say I can be let out into the wilds of Orlando very soon. So, I've taken one for 'The Gipper' and didn't even have to travel to the tundra to do it. I've probably written more in the past several weeks then ever before and I'm most grateful for that.... A genuine case of making lemonade from a basket of lemons.
Many strange and beautiful phenomenons of nature have been observed this Winter of 2014; not unlike the Olympic figure skaters that awe us with their seemingly impossible jumps, lifts and landings on ice wearing two sharp, narrow metal blades (basically, kitchen knives) on their feet. Anyway, have you heard the Arctic was broken in January and its vortex shifted just enough to turn winter upside-down? Well, something like that. I do know that due to this shift, frigid cold temperatures and way too much snow has brought much pain and misery to many people. However, because of the extreme conditions, strange and beautiful sights have captured our attention like never before in our lifetime. We have seen 'ice bubbles' floating along the shoreline of The Great Lakes and large floating islands of ice off the shores of Lake Michigan.....reminiscent of Arctic ice chunks that offer refuge to Polar bear and walrus. Icebreaker ships plow through these lakes with the intent of keeping them clear of ice while allowing important shipping routes to remain open.
My daughter, Corinne, had recently dropped their six-year old off at school in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Returning home with the two-year old twins snuggled in their car seats, she took advantage of an opportunity to toss a bag of soiled diapers in the trash container and then moved it out to the curb for pick-up later in the day. Looking down where the container had been, she immediately pulled out her i-Phone and snapped away...... These pictures of the most bountiful, large and perfectly shaped ice crystals are the result of her labor and I share them with you....because she said I could! Later she told me, "There really is beauty everywhere. These were hiding under the garbage container." Had she taken a video, we could have worked with You Tube on this one! Okay, maybe not enough action or audio.
"It's just a crap shoot out there, boys!" When you're dealing with Mother Nature and she is totally in control, you'd better follow her rules in order to survive.
According to Al Roker of NBC News, "We must think of the Polar vortex as a Polar hurricane," or, The Weather Channel refers to it as an arctic cyclone. Whichever label you prefer, one thing is for certain. After the Winter Follies of 2014, not one single participant north of the State of Florida can claim they tolerate the cold and snow all for the sake of the change of seasons because, at least, they do not have to live through hurricanes. Well, sorry, Buckaroos, but you do!!
NOTE: This video is dedicated to the millions of people suffering through this horrific winter weather. It will improve. In the meantime, sing, dance, read and (always) Love.... As the Beatles sang: Here Comes The Sun!
http://youtu.be/Y6GNEEi7x4c
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY.........!!
