Waiting for a Storm That May Not Happen

Being a meteorologist may take a particular cluster of personality traits. Will it or will it not . . .? The increasing scientific approach to weather forecasting saves many lives. But there times when predicted weather just does not happen.

Clem and I sit here in our study - periodically looking out the big windows to discern if this weather warning covering all of the state will actually happen. So far only an occasional snowflake or two drift by.

There is something cozy about the thought of being snowed-in. All of our childhood memories of growing up on the prairie and blizzards that would cause schools to close. I think it was a common child's prayer - let the wind howl and the snow blow huge drifts! It was like a gift from the gods.

If a person uses common sense about venturing out in snow storms (or stays home), drives with caution, and ice does not bring down power lines, winter blizzards are fairly low risk weather dramas. Not so some of weather's other surprises.

Cleaning out old computer files I ran across a piece I wrote when we got caught in a wide swath of tornadoes. We were driving home in June from a writers' conference in Santa Fe:

The words, “in the eye of the storm,” usually mean the eerie stillness at a storm's center. Not this time! We were at the center of fierce weather sweeping across southern Minnesota - and it was anything but still.


The first indication of bad weather came as we traveled through northern Iowa. Clouds began  darkening the western sky. Two trucks passed us. Behind their cabs were satellite dishes labeled atmospheric research. They were accompanied by an SUV labeled Storm Watchers. When they left the freeway to veer northeast, we relaxed. Whatever was going on was not likely a threat to us – or so we thought.

Ominous clouds became a thick bank on the horizon. Little fingers dipped down as if checking out the ground below.  Then they would be swallowed back up by the growing monster across the sky. Crossing the border into Minnesota, torrential rain began. Then hail that sounded like rocks pelting our vehicle. We sought refuge under a bridge with other cars and trucks, wondering how much damage our poor van sustained. When the rain stopped, we apprehensively eased back unto the freeway. The radio began reporting tornado funnels and touchdowns.


Now the tentative fingers reaching down were more assertive. Definitely these were tornadoes west of us. I dug out a detailed map of familiar home territory, trying to figure out what we could do - while the radio broadcast  a continuous stream of weather information. Touchdowns near by and moving northeast. Torrential rain again, this time harder. Emergency vehicles periodically appeared and then disappeared - red, and blue lights points of light in the growing late afternoon darkness. Ambulances, state troopers, fire trucks tore by. 

We pulled over on the freeway shoulder as visibility dropped to almost zero. The intensity of the rain grew with the wind. The highway beside us was barely visible. Out my window I could look down at grasses bent flat to the ground in the wind. Our van rocked in the wind.

The radio warned people to stay out from under bridges. Go to your basements, get out of your vehicles and into ditches, be alert for flash floods. We looked at each other. The ditches were full now with water. Death by tornado or by drowning seemed to be our options.

We tracked the storm's path on the radio and on the map. When possible, we inched down the freeway with other terrified motorists. Then as quickly as it had begun, we were beyond the wall of rain and wind. And agreed this had been one of the more terrifying times in our lives.

Sometimes all of us start thinking we are in charge! The reality is that we are in charge of very little. The earth heaves, volcanoes erupt, powerful weather sweeps across the land, floods take property and lives. Perhaps the weather's "purpose" to remind us to remain humble. Children's prayers for school closings and blizzards are just that - childhood beliefs that we leave behind.

East Indian Cuisine - and Alzheimers?

The February/March issue of the AARP magazine ran an article in which the first line was "Alzheimer's isn't inevitable." Now, that a line guaranteed to catch a reader's eye!

There are lots of things to fear about growing old and a diagnosis of Alzheimer's probably tops the list. The thought of "dying twice" strikes fear into the hearts of many folks. First losing oneself (or one's beloved partner) over time - and then physically dying is a harsh way to end productive and successful lives. Any news that says Alzheimer is not inevitable if we live long enough is good news indeed.

The article lists "10 easy ways to stay sharp forever." Most of the ten are not any surprise: eat right, exercise, maintain social connections, meditate, acquire new skills, keep your mind alert, check vitamin deficiencies, and reduce other health risks. Things all of us need to do throughout our lives in order to care for ourselves.

However, there was one surprise on the list (at least to me). Number six was "Spice it up." Herbs and spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, oregano, basil, parsley, ginger, and vanilla all contain anti-oxidants that contribute to healthy brains. But one spice in particular now gives me permission to indulge in one of my favorite cuisines - East Indian food.

It is thought that curcumin, the active spice in turmeric used in Indian food, bonds to amyloid plaques that accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. The spice reduces the level of these plaques and lowers inflammation. 

So now I can justify my weakness for Indian food!

                                                   Time to go out to eat, my dear - let's go eat Indian!

THE BIG DRY

The terra firma shouts out
for rain to shower
growing things.

Creatures of winter
seek moisture.

Roots search cracks
for life-giving fluid.
Hoping against hope,
a question is asked -

When will
the sky weep?

The Thin Line

Go to MinnPost.com and click on Community Voices. Elizabeth has another article posted online.

Elizabeth writes about the thin line between being passionate about what we believe and imposing our beliefs on everyone. It is what she call "moral politics." After three not-so-separate issues created a political firestorm, (Minnesota's Marriage Amendment in which the Catholic Archdiocese is pouring money and lobbying for its passage, the inclusion of contraceptives in health insurance, and the Komen Foundation's issues with Planned Parenthood), she struggled for words and a way for her voice to be heard in the heated emotional climate. This article resulted. And it probably not the last word for her!

For a long time, we have complained in this country about voter apathy. People either just not caring - or believing their vote don't count. With these particular, issues the pendulum swung in the other direction. The emotional heat is so high, that it is hard to search for solutions that respect our diversity, when folks are shouting so loud they can't hear their neighbors' voices.

We don't live in a mostly Protestant white country, filled with immigrants from northern Europe. Actually, we never did - but many people believed that's who "we" are. Even if we were all still Protestant, as we were at the time of the Revolutionary War, Protestants represent very wide diversity of beliefs. Today, we are a rich multicultural country - religiously, culturally, sociologically, politically - the list goes on. Finding ways to be passionate, without imposition is no easy thing. But it is imperative!

When I was pregnant with my first child, our insurance did not pay a penny for my prenatal care or delivery. The reason - because pregnancy was not a disease and it affected only 50% of the population. Clem was in grad school, so we cashed in my government retirement benefits to pay for our medical costs. Our country has come a long way since that time!

There is a argument old as the hills called "since it doesn't affect me . . ." I don't have children in public schools, so why should I be assessed tax money for their education (first heard that one when I was a child). I don't use light rail, so why should I pay for it. Pregnancy (or breast or prostate cancer) aren't my issues . . . nor is treatment for sexually tranmitted diseases or higher health care costs for the elderly. The list goes on and on.

The fact is that our money, whether tax dollars or insurance fees, cover a wide range of services that I neither believe in nor use. The very basis of such assessments is that we rarely use much of what we assessed and we shoulder the costs among us. I shudder to think of what it would cost today to pay the medical costs for pregnancy. Moral politics. Or moral bankruptcy when we have lost track of the common good, especially when we don't agree with other people's life choices?

BREAKING HEADLINES

The best way to get into office in the swing state of Iowa, the “Tall Corn State”,
is for you to have the last name of DeKalb. Name recognition is everything!

And the best part is that you don’t have to spend one bit of PAC money for the
campaign. You can even abscond with your fair share and lavish it up on a vacation,
perhaps on an Italian cruise. DeKalb signs are everywhere . . . along main arteries
and major side roads. The effect result is that of a truly “corn roots approach.” After
all, the corn plant stands solidly in the grass family and “grass roots campaigning”
strikes the heart of the American psyche.

All you have to do is to have your name legally changed to DeKalb, drop a hint that
you have relatives that are DeKalbs, sit back and wait for the election results to pour
in, and watch for the “DeKalb Wins Handily” headline banners to appear!

So underhanded this approach seems to be. It could never happen in this land of 
"the home of the free, the land of gravy for the 99%, and safety nets for all except
for those who really need them.”

           Written about a week after National Groundhog Day, dooming 
           us to six more months of blatant, blood-letting, name bashing.

hard of hearing

brown grass and brown evergreens
evidence something odd is happening,
my long-kept garden records
marking emergence of spring flowers
now meaningless

              I am trying to get your attention —
              creating earthquakes in Peru and
              bizarre weather across my surface

time to order seeds for spring,
how do I plan ahead for planting times?
peas always planted April first and potatoes
when new oak leaves are the size of mouse ears,
radishes in with the tinge of green on trees

              my shifting tectonic plates groan,
              isn’t thirty feet of snow enough and
              your weather records broken right and left?

no ice underfoot this last January day,
only those who make their money from
snow complain about this upside-down winter,
maybe I will buy my coveted Japanese Maple
and find a sheltered place to plant it

              I have treasured what you humans
              have brought forth upon my expanses,
              would you destroy me, leave me barren?

perhaps I should schedule my visit for
Nebraska crane-watching a week or two earlier —
they may come sooner this year, even though
Nebraska may get a foot or more of snow today,
hard to maintain an ordered calendar these days

              I have scheduled drought and crop-failure
              inflicting death upon so many innocents,
              while your Wall Street investors’ denial persists

time to check the Dow for today, at least it grows,
wouldn’t want to disturb my retirement funds —
uncertainty with garden-planning is worrisome enough,
besides I don’t know any of those starving people
and am lucky to not live in any earthquake zones

Conclusion of the Case of the Horizontal Amaryllis

[See the post on 1-21-2012]

Our errant amaryllis has continued to push forward with its destiny. I thought you might enjoy some pictures of its development. As its attachment to its bulb became more tenuous due to the weight of the blossom, we finally cut it lose and put it in water. We are now enjoying its beauty as a cut flower.

And in case you want to grow your own horizontal amaryllis, our variety is named Red Lion.

On the 24th of January, its buds began to develop (the differences in color were due to using natural light (golden color) and flash (greenish color):

 

By January 27th, one of its buds began opening to reveal its beautiful inner complexity:

 By the 1st of February you can see how the weight of its blossoms

was making it more difficult to maintain

its horizontal position as more blossoms unfolded:

  



In its final stage as a cut flower, the blossoms have life-giving water able to flow up its stem.

We will continue to water its bulb so that leaves develop, which will replenish the bulb from its strenuous production of four gorgeous blooms. And who know new year what this determined bulb will produce!

It just goes to show what determination can produce. Now if we all set our mind to the solution of some of the problems facing the world, think of what we could accomplish.



On this Ground Hog's Day of 2012, our amaryllis reminds us to open wide to the possibilities of life - and don't let your shadow run your life and tell you what might happen. 

Snow in Europe

In the Midwestern part of this country we have been "enjoying" an upside-down winter. No snow to speak of - and temperatures in the 40's (Fahrenheit). In other parts of the world, weather has been upside down in the opposite direction

Go to CNN Breaking News online and click on Photos: Europe's Wintry Weather. I hate to think what our readers in Russia are experiencing this year. I understand Alaska is having one of the coldest winters ever and communities are digging out from thirty or more feet of snow.