Dearest Rachel – For the last couple of days, the folks have been watching the news and listening to the weather report. Actually, that’s not quite accurate, as they’ve been doing this fairly consistently all my life. Indeed, one of the last things I would do with them every night when I was a kidContinue reading “The Wolves are Never at the Door”
Tag Archives: weather
It Happens Every February
Dearest Rachel – You might or might not remember it, but Bill Engvall used to do a routine about how we humans (news folk and weather forecasters in particular) have the shortest memories, particularly when it comes to recurring events, like the change in seasons. In Texas, where he came from, it was guaranteed that,Continue reading “It Happens Every February”
I Still Need to Get Out More
Dearest Rachel – I hear the occasional comment about how unusual our weather is this winter, but I can’t say that I’ve seen any real evidence of it. For instance, I’ve heard that last month has the least amount of sunlight for January since we’ve been keeping track of that; I have no idea howContinue reading “I Still Need to Get Out More”
The Non Blizzard
Dearest Rachel – I woke up to something other than pitch blackness this morning, which I take as a good sign. Lately, I haven’t been regularly getting my full eight hours, despite my best attempts, and I’m not exactly sure why. Not that you were ever concerned about getting that many hours at a timeContinue reading “The Non Blizzard”
Hunkering Down
Dearest Rachel – Nature Seems to Know As we started out on our customary walk yesterday, Lars wondered aloud what the odds would be of spotting wildlife in the woods over the next few miles and hours. Since we’d seen a few deer last week – and the trees were by now completely denuded, leavingContinue reading “Hunkering Down”
The Difficulties in the Dark
Dearest Rachel – Yesterday, even as she arrived and got started on cleaning up the house, Kris commented on how much she hated the fact that things were so dark and gray that morning. And to think, she was so much more motivated than either of us would be on a day like that; howContinue reading “The Difficulties in the Dark”
Bolt From the Black
Dearest Rachel – It was half past three; I checked almost immediately after it happened. My mind was just wrapping up a dream about a flight that was forced to land in the packing lot of our church’s Des Plaines campus when there was this thunderous explosion, as if it was coming directly from ourContinue reading “Bolt From the Black”
Wandering Through the Aftermath
Dearest Rachel – The breeze is cool this morning as I step outside, or at least, it’s cool for the month of August. The sun, while exulting in its complete dominance of a cloudless sky, and intense enough that I need to maintain a near-permanent squint as I make my way east across shadeless sectionsContinue reading “Wandering Through the Aftermath”
Gray Over Tan
Dearest Rachel – After a weekend of completely overcast skies – and the rain to go with it – today is only partially gray. And I’m fine with that. It’s nice that I don’t have to worry about it threatening to rain again today – the sun’s out just enough to assure me of that.Continue reading “Gray Over Tan”
If You Can’t Take the Heat…
Dearest Rachel – Of course, the standard follow-up to that proposition is that you need to ‘get out of the kitchen.’ That, along with the expression about the buck stopping with him were among the most quotable lines from President Harry Truman (partly because much of what he said had to be sanitized for publicContinue reading “If You Can’t Take the Heat…”
No Choice But to Continue
Dearest Rachel – You would probably be pleased note I stayed awake during the entire two hour run of Anime Hell; no need for you to nudge me awake as I nodded off (a good thing, since you weren’t there to do so – I know now how those folks we would always see scatteredContinue reading “No Choice But to Continue”
Insurance Against the Heat
Dearest Rachel – I’m sure you can guess, after yesterday’s letter, that I slept with the ceiling fan on. Indeed, I woke up so grateful for it – and for the misadventure brought it to be there. You know, I started this series of the letters as a form of therapy, but also as aContinue reading “Insurance Against the Heat”
Suddenly Summer
Dearest Rachel – It’s a commonly-held truism here in the Chicago area (and, now that I think about it, throughout the Midwest – so you’d be just as familiar with it as I) that “if you don’t like the weather around here, just wait five minutes.” It’s an exaggeration to make a humorous point, ofContinue reading “Suddenly Summer”
When the Wind Blows…
Dearest Rachel – It’s a literal situation out there today; a fairly bright, sunny day made uncomfortably cold by the fact that the wind is blowing like crazy out there. I’ve even been forced to order a supply of zip ties, as the sign on our light post has snapped one of the ones thatContinue reading “When the Wind Blows…”
Spring Thaw and Mardi Gras
Dearest Rachel – It seems blasphemous to say it, but sometimes, I’m convinced that the Proverbs I read every morning ought to start with the phrase ‘as a general rule…’ Considering that the man who was inspired to write them was also later inspired to write Ecclesiastes, which, while not directly contradicting some of hisContinue reading “Spring Thaw and Mardi Gras”
Forecasting Follies
Dearest Rachel – Aside from the fact that I don’t want the responsibility – and cannot fathom why anybody else would – I have certain… ideas… that probably would suggest that I shouldn’t be trusted with the reins of any sort of power. I’m not a big fan of the psychic community, for instance. Personally,Continue reading “Forecasting Follies”
Snow, Man!
Dearest Rachel – There are so many reasons why I wish you were still here. I’ve gone on and on about a number of them throughout the course of this last year; I don’t need to bore you with the details right now, since I’ve been doing that all this time. One of those reasonsContinue reading “Snow, Man!”
Heartbreaking Snow
Dearest Rachel – Readers’ Digest was fond of saying that ‘laughter is the best medicine,’ but this story from the regular feature of that name, like most medicines, comes off rather bitter these days. The story goes that an older gentleman was looking out over his snow-covered driveway, and turned to his teenage son toContinue reading “Heartbreaking Snow”
Imagine Storms
Dearest Rachel – Another long night, another dream – or series of dreams – that might otherwise make sense except for the timing, the location, the cast, and the fact that I was constantly looking for my phone to take pictures of it all, only to find that it was nowhere near me (which, asContinue reading “Imagine Storms”
“Drives Through Storms”
Dearest Rachel – I think it must’ve happened while we were still courting; probably after we were engaged, but definitely while you were still living with your parents. I had planned to drive down to see you, despite reports of severe weather between the Chicago area and Macomb. I don’t think it was serious whereContinue reading ““Drives Through Storms””
It Ain’t Carnegie Hall
Dearest Rachel – The weather can be particularly perverse at times. Just yesterday, I’d heard that the New Year’s event to be held up at camp starting today had to be canceled, due to a lack of snow and the lake not having frozen over. This morning, I wake up to a blanket of snowContinue reading “It Ain’t Carnegie Hall”
Don’t Snow Me In
Dearest Rachel – For all the problems that I have with the secular version of Christmas, particularly the music that invokes thoughts of loved ones (who are, of course, no longer with us), I am always reminded that it could be worse – I could live in Japan. There, as you know, Christmas is aContinue reading “Don’t Snow Me In”
Too Early on a Saturday
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know if it’s that I haven’t acclimatized myself to the time zone, or just that I fell asleep too early while Daniel and Logan were in the family room watching this or that. Maybe it’s just the wind, whipping around outside the bedroom; since there are windows on three sidesContinue reading “Too Early on a Saturday”
And I Say, “It’s All Right”
Dearest Rachel – Well, after two whole days of barely acknowledging us, it seems that the sun is back, and it’s nice to see him. Even if he is in my face in either direction that I walk. Not that that’s a complaint I’m ever going to take up with my grandchildren: “You kids haveContinue reading “And I Say, “It’s All Right””
As Far as the East is From the West
Dearest Rachel – As much as we grew up with pastors and Sunday School teachers reminding us that “the Bible is not a science textbook” with regard to poetic turns of phrase like references to the sun rising or the four corners of the earth, sometimes it’s amazing to note the choice of words thatContinue reading “As Far as the East is From the West”
Letters to Rachel 