Thursday, August 27, 2009

Let's talk about the weather...

Today's paper joyfully announced that we just hit our 66th day in a row of triple digit temperatures. (Add another 6 to that number and you will discover where I think that little nugget of news comes from.) Seriously: every day the weathermen announces the new total like it is a cause for celebration. "If we can make it to 70 days in a row of triple digit temperatures, we will beat the record set in 1929" or some former year when I'm not even sure thermometers were even reliable.  Where is the fun in that record?

The first day of school, I had recess scheduled for 1:00 p.m. My little first grade charges leaned against trees and wilted before my eyes. I rescheduled for recess right after lunch. (And did I mention that I have drawn the first lunch of the day at my school? We eat promptly at 10:30 a.m. By the time I am driving home in the afternoon, grouchy from the heat, I could eat the leather off of my shoes. But I digress.)

The weatherman announced today that there is a chance we may have mid-90 degree temperatures over the weekend. Do you know what he called that? A coldfront. (Cue laughter from my reader in Alberta, Canada, where a coldfront is really cold.)

And then there was this little surprise storm that blew through last night with rain. (Prompting most of us in this drought-stricken part of Texas to question what the wet stuff falling from the sky was.) Guess the weatherman missed the prediction for precipitation while he was wringing his hands with glee over triple digit after triple digit. 

That quick storm did a lot of damage in my neighborhood. Many trees were snapped in half throughout the neighborhood. I lost my internet connection when the electricity surged, so I spent a lot of time of the phone today with a cable tech with limited understandable English. He also used words like "modem" and "router" as he talked me through a self-repair. D had always taken care of those kinds of repairs, and I kept feeling tears starting to surge as I tried to follow tricky instructions in tricky English. Thankfully, I kept the tears at bay, and was able to follow directions to restore my internet. Just as I hung up with the tech, I glanced in the backyard and saw D's pine tree laying sideways, caught in another tree.

Pine trees are not native to our area, but D was on a mission to keep this tree thriving. He bought fertilizer stakes and special mulch, and valiantly tried to keep the pine alive. When he was no longer able to work in the yard, I would water the tree and pray for both it and D. I think I was engaging in some wishful thinking: if I could keep this tree thriving, D would be just fine. Silly, I know. And now his tree became a victim to the weather in one short burst of a storm. I know I will have to find someone to cut it and haul it away, and I feel the tears try to surge again. Why would such a small chore make me feel so overwhelmed? I think I am just tired of loss in this season of my life. That tree took years and years to grow, and will not be easily replaced. In fact, I don't think it can or will be replaced. Not by me, anyway.

I am so ready for autumn. And for a cool breeze to blow across my soul.



7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dee from Tennessee

I am sorry about the tree... I can remember getting up one morning some time after my dad had passed away, and my mother was crying at the sink while washing dishes. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that Daddy's weeping willow tree had been blown over. That's been decades ago and that memory is still so vivid with me.

Sometimes it truly is the little things. sigh And I would struggle with the internet connection also.

Don't y'all have "snack" in the afternnon since you have lunch so early? Our lunch schedule starts early too. And I have a small dorm fridge (for which I have to pay the distrit to use their electricity for said fridge) that I keep a "bite to eat" after school. Gotta keep my strength up to match the kids!!

Hope this is a peaceful and restful weekend coming up for you. Lifting you in prayer...

k and c's mom said...

Dee from Tennessee: Thank you for all your precious comments. I wish I knew a way to contact you...

Dawn said...

Good morning!

I've been reading your blog for some time now but don't think I've commented before. We live just north of Austin in one of the burbs so I "get" a lot of what you are talking about. (Oh, the heat!!!)

Today is a hard day for me, too. My Granny died earlier this year and today is her birthday. It seems everything I do today brings memories of her - that's such a double-edged sword some days. I know that doensn't compare to losing a spouse (I can't even imagine!), but I wanted you to know that everytime I think of my Granny today, I will be offering you up to the Lord as well.

Hope the first week of school leaves you feeling content with your new little friends, and that the weekend will be will be a time of restoration for you before the beginning of week number two.

Blessings!

Anonymous said...

per the weather... I see a weekend just sitting in the sprinkler!!
Take that HEAT.. oh.. maybe not a good idea, don't ya'll have water rationing police around there?

Anne Smith said...

praying for you and so thankful for your heart.

on a lighter note, on my blog list, you are right below my aunt's latest entry (as i do them timewise)... her's is titled 'let's talk about homosexuality'... and your reply seems to be ' let's talk about the weather.' it's the little things that bring me joy when i need it. :)

Lynn said...

I just read this post now and you are so right about me and my thoughts on your COLDfront!!! I actually burst into out loud laughter!!! Mid nineties to me is HOT!! I can't imagine days and days of 100+ degrees with no break. Growing up in Saskatchewan we used to get days of high 90s and even 100 in July and August but it doesn't seem to happen much anymore. I was saying to someone the other day that in the hot southern States you stay inside in summer because of the heat just like we stay inside in winter because of the cold!

I'm so sorry about the tree and the internet. I so understand that edge of tears when things go wrong that would have been taken care of by your husband. I remember one time last year that I was carrying cases of pop downstairs into the church where I work and I was on the verge of tears thinking how J would never have left me to carry all those cases myself and even just yesterday when the transmission went on my old car (only car I have) I thought again how he would just have taken care of that and now I need to figure out what to do. My son R "just happened" to call me and so he is going to help me look for a new to me used car. God always provides but sometimes I still feel overwhelmed.

V....Vaughan said...

Pine tree...Rayeanne, My sister had given me some of her grapefruits from her tree just before she dies (remember that story)...and the seeds sprouted so I planted them...I had about 15 thriving little trees I killed off one by one. Down to the last tree, I cherished! She was now gone, but I had her tree!! All 18 leaves of it!...then 17...then 14...and I got on the phone to John Dromgool, the radio guy. I described my tree and took his "on the air" advice, but when I hung up, he had a great time for the rest of his show, making fun of my grapefruit tree with 14 leaves....He didn't understand the importance of that tree....Charlie Brown would have!...I am so sorry for your pine tree loss :(