Precious moments live
One fallen leaf at a time—
Autumn passes by
Barren and quiet
Sleeping during winter’s cold—
Trees rest, chilling out
Heavy, humid air
Wind wringing out the water—
Pleasantness arrives
Quiet autumn afternoon croons
Turning crystal white much too soon
Tree’s colorful, festive heart breaks
Collecting endless white snowflakes
Guarded weather forecast tonight
Predicting quickest shot of white
Overnight, all signals splinter
Transforming autumn into winter
Morning arrives, sharing delight
Witnessing a land, white and bright
Massive neighborhood tree now frowns
Missing some branches, crashing down
Silence broken, machines at play
Blowing heavy, wet snow away
Others working as busy bees
Shoveling sidewalk paths, now free
Laughter punctuates winter’s air
Watching children, playing in pairs
City avenues filling with cars
Sliding and crashing, near and far
Winter’s sense of humor snowballs
Spoiling autumn’s last curtain call
But wait, a few days down the road
Coming back, fall’s last episode
Days numbered, autumn’s final turn
Waiting for winter’s cold return
Wind
Blowing chimes
Hearing musical notes
Nature’s symphony plays again
Flawlessly
Forest
Autumn’s arrival
Colorful landscape beckons
Cascading leaves quickly flee
Transformation
Wintertime
Skiers delight
Let it snow!
Mountaintop covered powder white
Paradise
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Bright afternoon blues began to darken
Winter’s cold blanket prepares to descend
Snowflakes twirling and dancing, at first glance
Ol’ Man Winter, with a message to send
Grandfather clock proclaims each passing hour
Intricate flakes, magnified in their size
Winter’s harsh intensity growls and howls
Like a hungry wolf, seeking his one prize
Outside, barren landscape feels overwhelmed
Pristine white now nature’s color tonight
Modest cabin remains toasty and warm
Ancient kitchen stove consumes wood all night
Staying indoors, cozy and safe
Snowy frenzy roars, no ending in sight
Minutes turn to hours, forwarding to days
Snowbound but home, never a hopeless plight
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Photo by Immortal shots on Pexels.com
Bone-chilling winds turn life upside down today
Delivering frigid, Arctic storms to every town
Thickening ice, spreading across the lake’s bay
People running straight into gusts, heads down
Wind chimes endlessly sing a winter-filled blast
Watching the thermometer effortlessly dive
Wondering, how long will this deep freeze last?
Somehow, everyone remains warm and thrives
The townsfolk cope, accepting winter’s greed
Facing long, harsh winters, most every year
Helping others to survive, when one’s in need
Winter’s severity never brings about fear
Finally one day, the wind changes its sound
Pitching warmer air, by way of a chinook
Lightening the load for everyone around
Smiles arrive, from every cranny and nook
Spring will soon send out her welcoming band
Replacing life’s burdens, with warmer wishes
Surviving winter’s struggles across the land
Winter to spring, life crosses familiar bridges
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Photo by Anastasiya Gepp on Pexels.com
Waiting for its urgent call
Winter’s snow waiting to strike
Where is winter hosting fun?
Playing games in the Klondike
School children watch outside
Dreaming of a snow day soon
School’s steady beat marches on
Soon, everyone sings a new tune
Weather forecast predicts snow
Snowplows prepare for battle
But, this storm slides to the north
Hmm, snow dumps on Seattle!
Outside, waiting for a call
Snow shovel dreams of snowfall
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Here is the “Rest of the Story” with a few added spins and twists in this tale. In case you missed the beginning, here is a link to Highway Miscue.
As the story ended, we were reading . . .
My road-weary eyes spotted a tow truck along the interstate highway, and then I could see another vehicle buried in the median’s deep snow. Beginning to brake and slow down my speed, my curiosity was taking over.
The tow truck driver was digging around the car in an effort to create a clear path to pull it out to safety. You ask, where was the driver of the buried car?
Standing off to the side and watching (more like supervising) was a highway patrol trooper. His marooned patrol car was buried in the deep snow, unable to move out and needing a tow. The look on the trooper’s face was one never to forget . . . not too happy and certainly feeling embarrassed!
As I drove the final couple of miles to Missoula, my mind was filled with all of the stories and teasing the trooper would likely have to endure about his thrilling drive along Interstate 90.
But wait . . .
As American radio commentator Paul Harvey used to say, here is the rest of the story!
Let’s back up the story just a bit. Here is a significant, missing piece left out before I witnessed the highway patrol trooper stuck in the snow.
Upon reaching Interstate 90, less than an hour of driving time remained before reaching my final destination of Missoula. The highway from Lincoln had been remarkably clear of snow so I was driving at about the speed limit. I was feeling confident about the rest of the trip, and looking forward to reaching my destination safely.
A word of warning should have been lighting up inside of my brain. Overconfidence when driving in the wintertime is never a sound approach to traveling on snow-covered or icy roads. A surprise can lurk ahead on the road, hidden from view just over the next hill or around the approaching curve. A driver must stay alert!
Driving up a hill, the highway surface began to gather more snow. Obviously, the snowplow was missing in action on this stretch of road.
Traffic slowed and became a bit more crowded as I prepared to pass a slow-moving tractor-trailer truck, which was hauling a heavy load. Even with my reduced speed, I felt comfortable in passing the lumbering truck despite the snow-covered road surface.
Oh, I didn’t mention the type of car I was driving . . . an older model Ford Crown Victoria with rear-wheel drive. I usually drove a front-wheel car, but not this time around. Front-wheel drive vehicles handle much better on winter road conditions than rear-wheel ones.
As I began to pass the truck, I carefully steered the car into the left lane. My speed was comfortably under the speed limit. Suddenly, the rear of the car began to move to the left. I was losing control of the car at a critical moment. The car continued to spin around until it ended up in the median filled with fresh snow.
Guess who was stuck in the snow now?
I have reflected back on this scenario more than a few times over the years. God was certainly with me for this much too thrilling ride. Perhaps one of His angels intervened to keep me safe from harm.
First, the large truck narrowly missed my car as I spun out of control. Fortunately, the truck stayed in its lane, and my car managed to keep moving to the left towards the snow-filled median.
Secondly, my car completed its 360-degree spin and ended up in the median without a scratch and pointed in the proper direction.
Last of all, a Good Samaritan pulled over near the median. He jumped out of his pick-up truck, hooked up a tow rope to my car, and pulled me out of the snow.
Each aspect of this near-miss accident could have turned into a tragedy with far different conclusions. I sit here today, and I always feel so grateful for God’s help.
As this very true story concludes, I sincerely hope none of you, the readers, will ever experience something like this in your highway travels. I am an experienced winter driver, but it only takes one time to give you a wake-up call.
Photo by Anastasia Zhenina on Pexels.com
I am reminded of Scripture from Psalm 91:1-4:
“You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.’ For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from deadly pestilence; He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you fill find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.”
Photo by Chris Peeters on Pexels.com
Enjoy a true story!
I was driving along some of Montana’s highways years ago, westbound for Missoula. The winter trip had been a challenging one with snow-covered roads along the way, especially as I traversed the mountains between Great Falls and Seeley Lake.
Highway 200 became my route after leaving Great Falls. Rogers Pass loomed ahead, and the road was covered with two or three inches of snow. I was wondering where the snowplow might be as I continued on my way.
Following the tire tracks in front of me helped keep my car going straight and safe in its direction. My driving speed was further slowed by a large tractor-trailer truck looming up ahead. I was thinking to myself, “Let’s just keep all of us moving along slow and safe.”
Passing an historical marker set back off of the road didn’t help my thoughts to warm-up much. The sign informed any and all about the Arctic temperature recorded in 1954 in the pass when the thermometer crash dived to -70F. The record temperature remains the lowest ever recorded in the United States, outside of Alaska.
After reaching Lincoln, the road conditions improved dramatically. The snowplow had been busy in making the road surface much safer here. Soon I would reach Interstate 90 and be heading into the Missoula area.
As I journeyed along the freeway, road conditions were becoming worse by the minute. More snow-covered patches caused me to slow down and use more caution.
Finally, I was just a few miles away from my final destination. The roadway was free of snow and just wet in places. In the distance, I could see a set of flashing lights along the left shoulder of the road.
My road-weary eyes spotted a tow truck along the interstate highway, and then I could see another vehicle buried in the median’s deep snow. Beginning to brake and slow down my speed, my curiosity was taking over.
The tow truck driver was digging around the car in an effort to create a clear path to pull it out to safety. You ask, where was the driver of the buried car?
Standing off to the side and watching (more like supervising) was a highway patrol trooper. His marooned patrol car was buried in the deep snow, unable to move out and needing a tow. The look on the trooper’s face was one never to forget . . . not too happy and certainly feeling embarrassed!
As I drove the final couple of miles to Missoula, my mind was filled with all of the stories and teasing the trooper would likely have to endure about his thrilling drive along Interstate 90.
But wait . . .
As American radio commentator Paul Harvey used to say, here is the rest of the story!
Stay tuned for the finale to this true story!!
Big Sky Buckeye 