Tag Archives: winter

Jan3

and on the third day, she rested.

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Imagewith the first blizzard of 2014 still ongoing, and crazy outdoor games behind me, 12-18 inches of snow on the ground, and temps with a high of 2f, it is a day to sink down into the cottage, away from the outside world, the cold, the snow, the people, the noise, the light. 

today is all about books and music and movies and cup of my chernoblyl blend coffee and time spent creating art and writing and napping and a warm bath, and soft pajamas and softer blankets – calm, warm, peaceful, quiet, cozy, comfort. and i will embrace every slow minute of it. 

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Be he a king or a peasant, he is happiest who finds peace at home. –Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

 

 

 

Jan1

old legends never die, they just take off their skates

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it was bitterly cold, with snow and wind and ice all around. the perfect setting for the detroit red wing alumni game against the toronto maple leaf alumni, long time rivals, and two of the original six teams of hockey. the fans came out in droves, from both sides of the border and there were hockey sweaters and hats and blankets of both blue and red, as they played in comerica park, home of the detroit tigers. it was hockey, as it was meant to be played – outdoors, and in the elements.

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the day was a fitting tribute to these men who spent much of their lives on the ice, playing a game that is incredibly hard on the body as well as the mind, and yet, they all came back for one more day, for a chance to experience what it felt like again, and for the fans, myself included, to have one more chance to remember what they did with such passion. 

they all returned, a bit older, a bit slower, a bit shakier, perhaps, but with the spirit that brought them to the ice in the first place. some didn’t wear helmets, some didn’t wear teeth, one goalie wore an old-school face mask, but they came to play as a team, just one more time.

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so much history, so many stories, good, bad, and somewhere in the gray area in between, all here together again, they all came, for one day, the wings, so loved in this hockey town –  all here: 

the legends of the game – gordie howe and ted lindsay, tossed out the puck

the beloved former captain, steve yzerman, who hadn’t been on the ice in 7 years, since his retirement

sergi federov, who left the team for his own reasons, forgiven and welcomed back for a reunion with the russian 5, including konstantinov, so horribly injured during a stanley cup celebration

lidstrom , one of the greatest defensemen of all time, who took on the captain’s role when he retired, hard shoes to fill, now also retired

red berenson, mickey redmond – on the ice in their 70s, now having moved on to coaching and commentating, yet never having lost their love of being on the ice

scotty bowman – their legendary coach, came back to coach his stanley cup winners one more time 

jiri fisher – who tearfully had to retire early, due to a heart problem, the only man in this 30s on the ice 

joey kocur – wearing the jersey in memory of his hard-living teammate, bob probert 

the enforcers, the scorers, the grind line, the goalies – lapointe, chelios, mccarty, ciccarelli,, draper, osgood and on and on

they came older, and broken, and most somewhat the worse for wear, but for a moment, they lived their glory days on ice once again. and they’ve learned the the meaning of life off the ice since then. and they won both games, but that was the least of it. 

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Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul. – Douglas MacArthur

 

image credits: m-live

Dec16

where there’s a grill, there’s a way

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during aussie baby f’s visit to the states, he practiced the american sport/art of x-treme winter grilling

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I grill, therefore I am. – Alton Brown

 

Dec15

channeling chevy chase

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tire tracks in snow flying over the curb
 
went with one of my daughters to my favorite christmas tree lot, FLATSNOOTS, to buy my little tree. i love everything about these guys, they are always eccentric, friendly, quick, cheap, and helpful.  
 
there was lots of new snow everywhere, and when i thought i was turning into their driveway, i was actually flying over a curb. we landed in their lot, in a parking spot, right next to their trailer. i rolled down my window, popped the trunk, and yelled out to duke, (one of the owners), ‘hey, can you toss whatever you have for $10 into my trunk?’ ‘nope. looks like you’re parked now, and that was quite an entrance. c’mon out back and we’ll see what we can find you.’
 
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what i imagined that my car did as we entered the lot
(image credit: warner bros. pictures)
 
it was a typical flatsnoots shopping experience – they found me a little tree for $8, and told us to come into the trailer to warm up and pay, while they cut the bottom off of the tree. they quickly went to their mini bar, whipped out the cinnamon schnapps, and we toasted to the season, sang a song with them, and were on our way once again. i felt like we had been in a scene from ‘national lampoon’s christmas vacation.’ only better. 
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Discounts Remain the Same:
10% to geezers
10% to anyone who wears a sombrero
10% to anyone shorter than my friend Phil

Fine Services Available:
Valet Parking (not)
We will fresh-cut, prune & fit your tree to your stand
Tree delivery is available

Flatsnoots is a charter member of the North American Wood Tick Association * 
Coolest, Funkiest, most AH-mazingly bodacious Hat wins a COOL PRIZE

Peace & Prosperity to All!,  Duke

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“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Nov24

crashing into kindness

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 with the day’s sudden onset of a 7 minute mini white-out,  a few slick portions appeared on the local roads. soon after this winter-tease display tossed out by mother nature, i happened to encounter one of these slick spots firsthand. it was on a little bridge leading back from the library towards my cottage.  

‘black ice’ is a phenomenon known to those in the northern climates – innocent looking, shiny, invisible, traction-less, and extraordinarily slippery. this was the day that black ice and i crossed paths on the bridge, and as i tried to brake, my car continued to move forward, and i slammed smack into the car stopped right in front of me. 

after the crash, we drove ahead and popped out of our cars to assess the damage.  i was happily surprised to find that we were both fine, and that our cars had somehow each suffered nothing more than a scratch on our bumpers. 

the extraordinary surprise came when i soon realized that i had smashed into one of the happiest, friendliest, people on the planet. he was smiling, and kind, and calm, said he was happy nothing bad had happened, he understood why it happened, and that it had happened to him before.  i apologized profusely and he shook his head telling me not worry about it at all. 

he gave me his card, and as we talked, i found that we both work with young children. he, working with children in the foster care system, pursuing a masters in social work to continue helping in that field, and me, with my kinders, trying to teach them about life. he told me to keep in touch, that we may be able to help the children in some way, or who knows?  it was just like crashing into santa claus in his sleigh. and with a jolly chuckle and a wave goodbye, we were both off on our way once again, and felt somehow better for having met. 

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The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances  – Aristotle

Nov17

warm the children

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ImageIf the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it. – Lucy Larcom

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she came flying in, like a whirlwind, hurricane esmerelda, her 5 small children in tow. the weather had taken a sudden turn for the worse, putting forth a tremendous downpour and winds and thunder and lightning. we were meeting at a store to buy winter clothing for her family. as part of a local program, warm the children, members of my community meet others who are in more challenging circumstances, and through donations, we are able to get together to purchase what is needed for their children.  

when we had tried to speak on the phone, it was clear esmerelda only spoke spanish, and i enlisted the help of our school spanish teacher to set up the meeting. i brought a friend who had visited nicaragua and had a bit of spanish in her pocket, along with her daughter, who was at my very basic level of speaking spanish. i imagined that we all would figure it out and somehow accomplish our mission. 

she had somehow gone to the wrong store and was late and worried, and rushed over when we figured out what happened. the children were all quite young, one still small enough to sit in the seat of the cart. only one of the children spoke a bit of english and as we made our way through boots, hats, mittens, snow pants, coats and jammies,  my friend somehow was able to call up her ’emergency spanish’ and helped when we had a question. her daughter was able to help some of the children to make choices and find sizes and luckily, i could remember colors and numbers in spanish. (even though i slipped into french at times) 

somehow we were able to find all that we needed for each of them, filling two carts, and the children happily picked out clothes in the colors they liked. the only boy in the family, lit up with a smile when shown spiderman mittens, and the girls helped each other try on and make final choices. they were very well behaved through it all, and it was easy to see that each of them had taken on a role of responsibility for themselves and each other at an age way before most children would ever have to. 

we kept everyone moving, making sure we didn’t lose anyone along the way, and before we knew it, we were checked out and headed outside. a tornado watch had been issued and it somehow seemed appropriate with all of the energy we had whipped up on this shopping trip. we helped the family back to their van, keeping an eye on the gaggle of young children, and as we left, we hugged and said adios, all with tears in our eyes and smiles on our faces. it was a wonderful morning. 

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 A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. William Arthur Ward

 

Jun30

Walking in a winter wonderland

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while walking barefoot along the back beach this morning, I was amused to discover that Australian kids are also willing to brave the winter elements to experience the joys of sledding.

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Luckily there was a roaring fire and hot cocoa waiting.

some things are universal.

Jun28

Old man winter takes a trip to the southern hemisphere

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Deep in the heart of winter down under, aussies everywhere are gearing up, as the temp dips to a dangerously low 56F. comments such as, ‘ I cannot take this freezing weather one day longer!’, ‘ how are we expected to get through this ?’and ‘how long will this last?!, are heard on the street. Scarves, mittens, hats, winter coats, boots, hot water bottles, and of course, a cup of hot tea all come into play. I feel the air and i look to the sky and I wonder…….

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there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.

John Ruskin

 

 

 

Feb27

spring stomps in like a 373 pound lamb –

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so happy the snow fairies have worked their mischief once again and hit us with a lovely, lively,fest of swirling snow, sleet, slush, and snain, bringing us another joyfully amazing snowday off of school. winter does not go easily into the good night. in other news, dairy queen opens in 2 days.