Lessons from Nature: Coping with Deep Freezes

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Hello again from the land of snow and ice and extreme temperatures! It seems like we’re beginning to reach the end of the tunnel — the sun showed itself for a few moments yesterday — but I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet. Those groundhogs were lucky they didn’t predict six more weeks of winter, though. I think there would have been a revolt from people here in our little part of the earth. So done with snow!

I meant to get started on my seeds this weekend… but that didn’t happen either. Grandbaby is over today, so amidst sing songs and snack breaks, here we are back to blogging! I was thinking about the deep freeze. We were talking about how trees can explode in extreme temperatures. My socials are all about frost bitten chicken combs and how invasive iguanas are falling out of trees in Florida. Ice crystals in the sky and the constant sound of snowmobilers in our fields. The parking lot at our local downhill ski lift has been full lately… a fact I am sure they are grateful for! Crazy!

Yes, if you live in a place where winter tends to hit every now and then… you have certainly felt it this year! I watched a few videos on this tree exploding thing, and apparently it is when extreme temperature drops freeze the sap running inside of the tree, causing it to expand and pop the bark open. Apparently, it can sound as loud as a gunshot and create a frost crack in the tree… leaving it susceptible to damage and disease. I’ll try and find a link or picture to leave with you:

Thanks barlett.com for the photo. There are other videos of the explosions… but I am told they don’t really shatter…only produce these scars….so trust what you will!

In any case, it had me musing… Are we not like our fellow forest dwellers? Most days, our “insides” just flow along happily. We have our ups and downs, but we maintain our outer appearances and deal with most of what life throws at us. Yet, on occasion, there are times when a sudden drop in temperature takes us off our guard and we simply freeze up. Perhaps anxiety does it. Perhaps the surprise of the situation catches us unprepared. Perhaps it is just too much for us to handle… and we crack. And every one knows it, because it makes a lot of noise. Or folks see the resulting damage days or years later. It bears scars.

Have you been through one of those deep freezes, my friend? Have you felt your insides explode? Do you bear the scars? May I be the first to tell you, you are not alone. The tree people tell us “exploding trees” are a lot more common than I have ever heard about. And second, I have seen the scars on trees…. and discovered most have survived the crisis. Damaged yes, but not broken.

God gives us these moments to grow our character. How boring would a forest look with a bunch of straight poled, smooth barked trees lined up in it? It’d be like walking among fence posts. I’m sure you’ve heard of wabi sabi… beauty in imperfection. For who wants boring perfection? Just think about the disciples… a band of misfits who went on to do great things! Did you know corn flakes were a mistake? I can’t help but think of all the ways my “imperfections” in life have transformed my character to be so much more empathetic. I’ve been there, I know. You can’t say that unless you have been there… and have lived to bear the scars afterward.

Needless to say, the tree standing out in the cold freezing from the inside out, doesn’t see the beauty in the crack until the spring comes, and the sap runs sweet again. Let’s not deny the pain of the “going through”. The point where we “explode”. It’s only after we hit bottom do we start to climb up again. When our feet are firmly planted. Then we can begin the climb — changed, but for the better.

So next time you’re out for a winter walk through the forest, take a peek at a few exploded trees, notice the scars, and be thankful you recognized pain, and the recovery.

Winter Reflections: Finding Hope Beneath the Snow

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Welcome back. It is another snow day here. I hear parts of Russia are worse off, their snow piles are as high as the street lights! No comparison here, but another snow day, nonetheless. We are Canada — known for the snow. I guess Russia is, too, though. I cannot image further up north. Brrrr. I shiver to even go there. Alas, I can only speak for us, and here, no school buses are running and we are still digging out. Our back door is completely blocked from the snow falling off our roof. The bar-b-que and garden hose are completely buried. Yes, we left the garden hose out because we didn’t get to it before the snow came. I suppose we will deal with that in spring. Don’t hate on us. We’ve also had to move our recycling and garbage bins to the front door because the snow is piled so high.

The view from our back door.

The girls have been locked up in their coop for days. Okay, they are not locked up… they have the ability to go out, but they do not like the white stuff and I have not seen them venture since you could see grass on the ground. I am sure they are bored to tears. The rabbits, too, are locked up in the (warmer) barn. They need some real sunlight. At least they are getting along so they can be out together.

The children and myself are pretty housebound, too, these days. I cleaned out the pantry the other day. Later today I may tackle a closet. It’s been bitterly cold so I have to go out to refresh water for the creatures, but other than that… where is there to go? I have no money to spend. Work, of course. Hubby is still commuting. Highways seem to be okay. Kudos to our snow clearing folk. They are earning their keep this year!

Yet, there is always another side to the winter blahs. The moon was beautiful last night as I tucked everyone in. A clear, sliver of silver against the black silhouettes of our little forest. I see from posts the Northern Lights were spotted again in our area. It was quiet and peaceful. The snow crunch crunched under my feet. The stars were out on the black sky. A gentle reminder of good things in the middle of the rest of the hardships of winter. I changed my letter board from my Christmas greeting:

So, where is my reflection leading us to today? I was imagining spring. I ordered another batch of chicks to hatch for April! I’m looking forward to when all this snow melts, but dreading what we may uncover underneath. The dog dug up a hockey puck the other day. I’m sure there are several dog tennis balls out there in the field… and, um, other dog “presents” that will soon be coming to the surface when we dig out. I was thinking about being buried. Not in the literal sense, as in when you’re dead, but buried alive.

I love the television show Hoarders. They used to call it Hoarders, Buried Alive. Where people are literally buried in their stuff. Clothes, bags, paper, trash and who knows what, piled to the ceilings of homes. Other times it’s animals and a collection that has got out of hand. I get that need to nurture. The folks usually have good intentions, but get too caught up and get overwhelmed. It’s sad, but the show aims to help, I suppose. Working to clean up and clear out… with promises to work through the mental health and triggers that get folks in that sort of trouble. Good people who struggle.

Which sums up quite a few of us. Good people who struggle. Perhaps we are not buried alive by our physical stuff, but many, many people carry such heavy burdens today. Wayward family. Health crisis, unemployment, or just simple hurts that weigh heavy on our hearts. Perhaps this winter weather makes it worse. Locked up like my chickens, just eating and getting chunky. Or needing sunshine, or to see the clear sky on a cool night, like my bunnies.

Waiting for spring….

If you’re feeling it today, friend, know that I am hearing you. I trust I will be #gracious (as my my year intention leads) to those who need it. To my self when I need it. To lead others to Jesus when I cannot do it by myself. To allow winter rest to rejuvenate our souls instead of bury them. Spring eventually comes. Hope is there. Reach for it, yearn for it, seek to find it. Then come here to join me in the journey. I got you!

Embracing The Declutter: Lessons from My Tupperware

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Well, as usual, great laid plans seemed to have gone a muck this week. New Year, new thoughts, new plans. Which, in my case, involved going room by room and cleaning and purging a few things. We got more stuff at Christmas, and it is time to be out with the old. And yet, here it is the middle of the week and I haven’t even got my blog post done, let alone extra deep cleaning. And the laundry? Why, oh why, is there always extra laundry? Not even extra… just regular stuff that is still not done! *Sigh* I suppose I have to be “gracious” with myself once and a while. (If you know, you know, if you don’t, read this).

However, I did get to one task last week… the Tupperware containers! We were given a big set of new (glass!) re-usable storage containers for Christmas, and I am eager to get using those, but we have a cupboard filled with mismatched, oddball, well used lunchables already that needed organizing. Our cupboard is an upper cupboard that is a full length lazy Susan… which is an okay spot for said containers, except that the top shelf is too high for me to see, and lids often get stuck over the sides, causing the lazy Susan to stick, and, well, you get it, we needed a remix.

It’s time…

Now, this minimal task didn’t take very long… I pulled everything out, wiped the shelving down, matched lid to container, stacked and put ’em all back in! Yet, it always surprises me what you end up with… where did this one come from? Did I buy this or did it some how end up in there hand me down from someone else’s goodies; or did the hubby “steal” it from work thinking it was ours? Now, you know me, I hate to waste anything, so I have saved all the take out containers, over the year, for animal feed bowls and the lids make good plant water catchers under pots. Eventually, they get cracked up and useless and need to be recycled as well. I just don’t have the counter space for them, though, so they got reduced down too.

All this to say, the task got done, and my shelves are tidy. The mismatched but still good containers got collected and have moved to the craft room… for possible use there. Yes, the craft room is on the purge list… but that is going to be a much, much bigger project!

Getting there…

As usual, the process had me a musing. How much are we like my Tupperware cupboard? We all have one of those collections. Useful, but mismatched. Each of us come in different sizes and makes. Some are sturdy glass with tight fitting, no leak lids that snap in place. Others are useful, but temporary. Easily recycled after their best efforts. Others are good, but don’t fit in with the group… they don’t nestle and stack together nicely, or they are just the wrong size, with weird lids. Perhaps stolen from another venue.

Of course, I am not talking about how people’s size or “type” are rejected, but you get the thought, right? I’m thinking about how God’s church is so diverse, and yet, each are set for their direct purposes. Our leaders are sometimes appointed for a time, but somehow get separated from their secure lids who have gone off to be plant pot protectors. Or those of us who are short lived. Useful, but made to bounce. Temporary. Others, the expensive glass — meant to last but easily shatter if not treated carefully. I love it.

All done!

Still, every now and then, God must decide He needs to clean out the cupboard. Rescue the lids who are fallen and stuck. Move the broken, recycle the cracked, and replace and re-organize. Some of us get moved to the craft room, for new lives. Others have done their jobs and are lovingly tossed in the recycle bin. I dunno. Maybe the thought is pushing it. Whatever the case, it has been very nice to swing that lazy Susan around and find exactly what I am looking for, complete with the matching lid. And if anyone messes it up, they are in trouble! Craft room… I’m coming for you. Stay tuned.