ice

Header Challenge: ice

February 27, 2013

Lew picked "ice" for today's challenge. We were told that it can be any shape or color, so I'm eager to see the other creations. Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing  Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

This winter has been unseasonably warm, but we still have some icicles to show. It's neat how a night shot of these are not colorless, but they reflect some amber from a streetlight, and some blue from my house.

How about a nice black & white that looks like the ice was formed from carbonated water? Look at all those tiny bubbles!

One Monday morning, I was stopped in my tracks by how the light reflected off the ice. The twinkling was added by in-camera effects.

The selection for this week's header was an experiment on a cold and dreary night. I wanted so badly to take a picture of SOMETHING. I'm sure you can identify with that, right? I put an ice cube on a black surface, with a black background, and shone a laser pointer into it.  I was hoping to make a cold thing look hot.  What do you think?  Did it work?

red-hot ice cube

It was so hot this week, that when I grilled at lunchtime, I didn't even need to light the charcoal. (sizzle)

.

This image of a "red-hot" ice cube was remarkably low-tech, and no color editing was necessary. One evening, I placed an ice cube on a black surface, and used a cheap, red laser to illuminate it. In case you're wondering, the camera was my wife's compact point & shoot.

.

Stay cool, Friends.

bedazzled

The new polish looked nice on the dark rocking chair. I admired the sheen, and if it were not so late, I would have picked up a book and given it a good test run. But it really was past my bed time. While dousing the lights, I couldn't help but notice the big, heavy raindrops, and the beautiful music they made. I stepped out front and held my palms up to let a few splash on my hands. Oh, that rain was so good!! I wanted to stay up, but now I positively had to get some shuteye. One last glance at the fresh, shiny look of the rocker, and I was off to bed.

.

Morning came, and I stepped out front again to warm up the car. The midnight rainfall was now a coat of glaze on... everything! It was as if, by some crazy osmosis, the shine from my rocking chair now spread all over the trees, cars, and OH! (I almost slipped) Don't forget the walkways.

.

Yes, it was dangerous to tread on this stuff, but I loved it anyway. Every once-in-a-while the sun would poke through the clouds, and show off the elegant, glittering gown that covered the local landscapes.

.

calm before the storm

We watched icicles melt off the bushes on Friday. I was fascinated by their clarity and the trapped air bubbles. The weather was nice enough for routine car maintenance on Saturday, so I checked fluid levels for the cars. We discovered a problem and my car got fixed. (Thanks, Brother Greg!) Good thing, because we have a big snow storm forecasted, and they're talking about record accumulation, high winds, even thunder and lightning.

.

As I write this someone said we're in the calm before the storm. Who's calm?! Have you seen how gas prices spiked and how busy things are at the grocery stores right now? On a lighter side, our puppy is tiny, so it will be funny to see how he reacts to huge piles of snow. I expect he will love it. We renamed him "Bear." You can see how small he is compared to my shoe.

.

Everyone at the office expects that when the storm hits, we will have to shut down for a day. I have mixed feelings about that. Let's see what happens...

think n-ice thoughts

"Glimpses of heaven in twenty-eleven." I left that comment at a new friend's blog and it got me thinking.

.

There is something about this row of icicles... it is merely a transparent substance in the dark, but it catches the light and a careful observation will reveal some wonderful blue and even orange colors. I took the picture, because I noticed something beautiful in what I saw. Let me encourage you this year to keep an eye out for the things that are good.

.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

Philippians 4:8

shiver me timbers

Shiver me timbers; we've got more ice here again! It catches the light so nicely, but the trees don't care much for it on account of that whole gravity thing.

.

It's somewhat amusing when one has to chisel hard at his car to even get inside. I'm wearing away the serrated side of the ice scraper! Ooooo-eeeee! Don't drive in this stuff if you don't have to!

frosty bud

Frosty bud?

.

No thanks; I'm driving. Anyway, who ever said Budweiser can call themselves the king of beers? When it comes to the cheap stuff, I can tolerate Miller Lite, but I'd rather drink gutter sludge than a Bud... frosty or otherwise.

.

Some of my friends don't drink at all. While the Bible doesn't actually forbid that we taste the fruit of the vine, it gives plenty of examples of the folly of over-indulging. I enjoy a glass or two, but any more, and I consider that taking unnecessary risks. Besides; I'm often foolish enough without so much as a whiff of the stuff.

f-f-f-freezing temps

.

The weather has been exceptionally cold lately. We gotta keep moving, though. Inching along on the treacherous ice, we'll eventually get where we need to be. Some may find this hard to understand, but I actually like living in cold weather. The snow is beautiful and it is exciting to witness the changing of the seasons. Most of the time, if you anticipate the needs of the season, you can keep enjoying the present weather.

.

Friends treated us to a special evening last Saturday. We got all dressed up and drove into cold, wet, slushy Chicago to see The Screwtape Letters and have dinner at a restaurant. We met some of their other friends and the whole event was such a pleasurable diversion from our regular routines. I hope you get a chance to read it yourself. It's a funny book from a brilliant English mind.

.

Check this one out. The plowed heap of snow is just as high as the car next to it!

.

Hey, in a few weeks, we'll be trekking down to Florida to visit family on account of the arrival of our new grandson, Rylan. He's due February 14 and last night, I did a trial-assembly of a crib we plan on bringing for him. That day will probably race up to us quickly, and we have to get ready for the looooong trip. Once we arrive, the weather will be fine I'm sure, but I'm dreading that drive. I'll probably pack a little cooler with Snickers and Red Bull to keep myself alert. Please pray for good driving weather and a safe trip!

Brrrrrring on the ccccold!

It is really cold here right now. When I let the dogs out this morning, one looked up at me and asked if she could stay inside and pee on the carpet just this one time.

.

I wore a smile that lasted the whole morning drive today. Do you know why? As I stepped outside my house, the sun made me squint, and the sub-zero windchill froze my face that way for almost an hour.

.

It wasn't "snowing," per se, but light flurries blew across me, and some came close enough to see that they weren't single flakes, but rather, they were huddling together in pairs, because it was too cold to go alone.

.

I'm not complaining about the cold, really. I love it here. But the sound of millions of peoples' teeth chattering is not as an endearing sound as summer crickets, you know what I mean?

ice vs nice

We had an ice storm recently. Everything was covered with ice. The trees were especially mesmerizing as they drew from streetlights to produce their own radiant glory.

.

[click to enlarge]

.

There is a time to be cold and indifferent. I really believe that. But is it the exception or the rule? I don't believe it should be our Standard Operating Procedure.

.

A friend of mine intercepted an email. The letter was inappropriately hostile, so this friend brought it to my attention. (It's a game we play. We get a bizarre kick out of intercepting the most freaky exchanges.) The letter writer ended his venomous spewing with a tag. You know, those quotes at the bottom of someone's email. It said:

.

"It is a poor sermon that gives no offense; that neither makes the hearer displeased with himself nor with the preacher."

-George Whitefield

.

Somehow, I don't think that Whitefield was suggesting that we behave like a grinch. No, it's more like this: When you go to the doctor, he shouldn't say "everything's fine" if it's really not. The preacher must dispense medicine for the soul, not politics. That's what I think it means, anyway.

.

I told my friend to send a nice response, but their tag line should quote Ephesians 4:29, in which the Apostle Paul says,

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

.

We laughed, but didn't send that as a reply. After all, such a jab would have been a contradiction.