Embracing The Quiet.
Everything was quiet when I took the dogs outside this morning. The wind was barely moving. None of the neighbors were up and around. Normally, we’d see a few people heading to food service jobs or early Mass, but this morning, nothing. No one moved. Several churches have already canceled services for today. The city’s salt trucks were out overnight prepping roads but admitted that the coming wind could negate their efforts, especially on East/West streets. DPW admitted yesterday that clearing roads will be a multi-day task, with residential roads being addressed last. To keep people informed as to what streets have been cleared, the Indy Snow Force map has been activated.
The storm could arrive in the Indianapolis metro anywhere between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Police are advising that people get any necessary travel done before then. Are they being a little inflammatory as to the severity of the storm? Possibly, but they know what we discussed yesterday, People are likely to be overconfident in their skill at driving in the snow. Accidents are inevitable. The best we can hope is that no one dies because of someone else’s foolishness.
One of the interesting things about snow is that it is quiet, one doesn’t hear it falling. We might hear any ice in the mix, and there are moments when the wind may howl, but snow falls silently, sneaking up on us while we’re not looking. In doing so, other sounds become muffled as well. I hear an airplane overhead as it prepares to land at IND, but the birds that typically drive our cats nuts of the morning are all voiceless, hiding in their nests. The only constant sound is that of Belvedere snoring.
Are we wimps to take such a cautious attitude toward this storm? I’m sure those of adventurous spirit would say that we are. Others complain just to claim the role of antagonist. I can appreciate the former but despise the latter. Both are dangerous in their inability to adequately assess the risks of being out. This is what causes people to die.
My advice is to embrace the quiet. Fill your coffee cup and spend the time reading. Of course, if one has children of a rambunctious age, there might be an urge to go outside and build snow persons. I can’t help you there. There’s an artistry to creating a population of snow creatures. The best a parent can do is bundle the little tykes well and feed them warm soup when they return inside. Make sure to take pictures. These are core memories.
This is also a good morning to make pancakes. That’s a problem because I love making pancakes. Unfortunately, the trip outside with the dogs reminded me quite clearly that standing in front of an oven for any length of time is no longer in my skill set. I even have an insulated carafe holding a pot full of coffee so that I don’t have to walk back and forth to the kitchen to fill my cup. I’ll have instant oatmeal instead and try to not spill it all over myself.
We cannot stop the weather from doing whatever it’s going to do. We’re ready no matter the outcome.
Perhaps we’ll take an extra nap.