Sunny With a Chance of Showers

How often have we heard weather forecasters predict that we will experience a sunny day with a chance of showers? Probably too many times to count. ;) Today was one of those kind of days. It dawned bright and cheery, the sun peeking out over the mountain tops. "Aha," I though to myself as I prepared to face the day's events, "the weatherman lied last night." Last night's prediction was for rain . . . rain . . . and more rain with a chance of snow in the higher elevations. There was no mention of sun . . . and yet it has burst through the clouds off and on all day.

I went about my list of errands this morning, believing the storm fairies were having fun with the local weatherman, when all of a sudden, it began to sprinkle . . . and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It sprinkled all the same. It did this for quite some time . . . and then the sky grew dark with menacing clouds. "Ah, here it comes," I commented . . . and it did indeed . . . for nearly two solid hours. It rained, poured, and provided an impressive gulley-washer as we call it around these parts.

Then the sun came out and warmed things up nicely . . . before the next storm descended. The battle between clouds and sun took place most of the day. Currently, the sun is shining but I can see a glimmer of darkened clouds on the horizon, indicating that the storms aren't quite finished for the day.

It's like that with life; storms and sunshine seem intermixed. On one of the most beautiful fall days imaginable a darkened storm surfaced into my life 27 years ago. On that day my father chose to end his life. I remember walking outside later that morning after receiving the news, and wondering how anyone could do such a thing on a day that was so gorgeous. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and yet it rained steadily inside my heart for several weeks.

Storms come into our lives for important reasons, like the need for new growth. Sometimes they spring out in a surprising manner, clouding our lives without warning, due in part to the fault of others. However they descend, I know that eventually, the Son will reappear, drying our tears, warming our hearts, and reminding us there is always hope, no matter how dark the skies may appear on the horizon.

(Note: I composed this post a week ago for another LDS blog group that I belong to {V-Formation}. I had no idea at the time that another storm was brewing in our lives. On Thursday of last week, one of my Laurels was seriously injured in a car accident. As of today, she is still comatose. She is showing positive signs of coming out of this {she opened her eyes for a few moments last night while I was talking to her mother on the phone} and we are confident that eventually, Samantha will return to us. Until then, our prayers continue to be with Sam, and with her family. You can access a blogsite her oldest sister has put together that contains updates on Sam's condition here: Sammy's Blogsite )

Conference in General mode =)

Living in a mountain valley as we do, we've come to realize it's important to prepare for those pesky surprise storms that come into our lives on an all too frequent basis. So even though it's April, and in most areas that means spring has sprung, we're still dealing with winter storms. Like the one that descended today.

When today's storm was predicted last night on the news, we figured we would receive 1-2 inches of snow at the most. WRONG!!! In our little town it was closer to 5-6 inches of fresh snow. This made driving into town early this morning quite the adventure. I followed a snowplow down the road that leads from our house to the main road. Then I tried very hard to stay inside the tracks made by the large semi-trucks that pass through our valley. It was still a bit tricky to keep the car on the road. I finally took a detour into nearby Montpelier, thinking it would provide better traction. Au contraire. I slid more on what we call the "8th Street Exit," than I had on the main road. I was nearly 5 minutes late for an appointment, but I did eventually arrive safely.

We do our best to prepare for these surprise storms. The trunk of my car still contains my winter boots, gloves, and earmuffs just in case I get stranded. When I travel a great distance, I also add a blanket, small shovel, and a handy plastic container of kitty litter that provides great traction. I drive slower when the roads are a mess, and allow extra time to arrive at the intended destination.

At home, we make sure we keep plenty of food on hand in case we can't make it into town to pick up groceries. We also keep items like "Snow-melt," and snow shovels handy in case we need to treat icy build up on our sidewalk, porch, and driveway. In short, we try to be prepared, knowing that wintry storms tend to linger in our neck of the woods until closer to June.

This past weekend provided a wonderful opportunity for us to prepare for the physical, emotional, and spiritual storms that may arrive in our lives, unannounced. We never know when a trial lies around the corner. As such, it behooves us to do those things that will fill our spiritual cupboards.

During the past couple of years, I've made it a habit to take notes during stake, and general conference sessions. I write down scriptural references, topics, and anything that stands out to me as important counsel to follow. Then on bad days, when storms descend, I dig out those small notebooks and flip through my notes. I always find solace in those pages, that I tend to keep inside my scripture bag for easy retrieval.

This past weekend we were given a chance to drink deeply from the living waters. How blessed we are to have access to these inspired talks by the leaders of our church online, and soon in magazine form. These messages of hope, love, and guidance can be accessed in a multitude of ways whenever we feel the need. It is my prayer that we will take advantage of this convenience often, preparing ourselves for the times when when storms spring into our lives.

Calm Before the Storm

So I was watching the news last night and the weather person warned that a huge storm is coming our way tomorrow. Rapture fills my bosom. Actually, aches and pains fill my body. I have been blessed with a form of rheumatoid arthritis and usually, the day before the barometric pressure changes is quite entertaining. ;) Sometime I hobble about wishing I lived somewhere like San Diego where the weather stays pretty much the same year round.

I have found that the best thing to do when this kind of adventure is on the horizon, is to embrace it. I continue forward, and rarely curl up in a corner to hide for the day. Continuing to move is often the best thing I can do. I was once told by a rheumatologist that if I hide in a corner on the days that I hurt, I will become a cripple. This is something I hope to avoid. So I push past the pain and move around and things usually loosen up. If not, I fall on my face and entertain the people around me, but laughter is good for the soul, so it's all good. =D

I suspect there's an analogy here for life. (Quit rolling your eyes. It's what I do.) We all have bad times. There are moments when we just want to hide in the corner and not move forward. We fear the pain that movement will bring, not realizing that this tendency will cripple us. Moving forward will help us heal, pushing us past obstacles that can stymie our lives.

It won't be easy--trust me. There are days when I just want to hold very still, wrapped in a warm fleece blanket. Ironically, the longer I remain inert, the worse it gets. It's usually the pain that inspires me to hop out of bed and work out the kinks. Before long, the intensity fades and I'm able to tackle my important list of things to do. ;)

One of the most difficult items to remember during adventures of this nature, is to trust in God. It's tempting to complain in this manner: "If God truly loved me, He wouldn't make me endure this kind of pain!" It's a challenge to realize that we're often permitted to endure the Refiner's Fire because it will shape us into a better person. We learn important lessons like empathy for others, patience, and endurance. In short, we become better people when we persevere through trials.

The other thing to remember, our Father in heaven doesn't cause the pain we often endure. He provides the balm to survive the trials that come our way compliments of others and ourselves. We tend to forget that we were actually eager to experience mortal mode. I'm sure it was once explained to us that we would endure physical and emotional pain while dwelling on this earth. Not fully understanding what that meant, we chose to come anyway. We desired the growth that would come about because of our earthly adventures.

So when storms surface in our lives, it behooves us to ponder the bigger picture. Keep in mind an eternal perspective. Someday this journey will end and we'll find ourselves contemplating all that we learned. It's my hope that I won't witness scenes from my mortal life and cringe, ashamed of my behavior during a brief interlude of pain.

Look and Live

Lately I've been thinking about storms. Some come quickly into our lives, blowing in without warning, leaving as quickly as they arrived. Others reveal themselves long before they descend, giving us a chance to prepare, to brace ourselves to survive.

There have been many storms in my life---numerous challenges that descended without warning. One example: following the birth of my first child, a series of blood clots formed in the main vein of my left leg. The largest clot was the size of a golf ball and all of them were in a direct line to my heart. I was told by my doctor that my life was threatened by their presence. As such, for 10 days, I had to lie very still, giving them a chance to dissolve, and\or anchor themselves with scar tissue--to preserve my life.

Those 10 days were among the longest that I've ever endured. My baby went home without me---he was cared for by my mother and husband. As I lay there that first day, I was filled with resentment. Wasn't this supposed to be a time of joy? Instead of going home to enjoy and love my newborn son, I had to remain in the hospital---for 10 days!!! So at first, I didn't take the warning seriously that I had been given. I was in pout mode. When I dropped the remote to the TV, I leaned over the bed and retrieved it from the floor. If the phone rang, I leaned over the other direction to answer. A little while later when an inexperienced intern arrived with a wheelchair and asked me to climb out of bed and into it for a ride to the x-ray lab, I obeyed. I reasoned that he must know what he was doing, and away we hurried down the hall to the x-ray facility.

When we arrived and the intern told me to climb up onto the cold metal table, I did just that. Then the x-ray tech arrived, looked at my chart, and freaked out. "HOW DID YOU GET UP THERE?" he roared. When I answered, he freaked out again. "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND HOW DANGEROUS THIS IS?!!!" Once again I received a lecture on the evils of moving around with blood clots in my leg. I tuned it out, deciding that I had been moving around just fine without any negative consequences. These people were making a mountain out of a molehill.

I did feel sorry for the intern who was waiting out in the hall with the wheelchair. He received a Scotch blessing from the lab tech and I overheard most of what was said to the poor young man. It wasn't very nice.

After the series of x-rays were finished, four nurses made an appearance with a gurney. They each carefully lifted one of my limbs, gently placing me on the gurney. I'm almost certain I was rolling my eyes during the entire ordeal. Then slowly, carefully, I was pushed back to my room which was now next to the nurses' station. All four nurses cautiously picked me up, and placed me on the bed. Once again I was warned to avoid all movement---everything would be done for me, yada, yada, yada.

By then, I was truly feeling sorry for myself. I was angry, frustrated, and bored. Then the unthinkable happened. Another woman who had developed blood clots following a c-section was being transferred to the x-ray lab. Unlike my earlier adventure, all precautions were taken to gently lift her from her bed to a gurney. Then as she was carefully pushed down the hall toward the x-ray lab, one of the clots hit her heart. This happened right outside of my room. Suddenly, my door was slammed shut and I heard an alarm sounding over the intercom. Even with the door closed, I could hear a lot of commotion taking place. Several minutes later, all was silent. Nearly an hour later, my doctor opened the door to my room. There were tears in his eyes as he revealed that the other woman had passed away. Despite every precaution taken, she had lost her life. Once again I was given a lecture on just how dangerous my situation was. This time, it sunk in. I was terrified and I hardly dared to breathe.

Those 10 days were horrible, and yet, they were a Gethsemane moment for me. I discovered the importance of relying on the Lord. Daily, I prayed that my life would be preserved so I could raise my little boy. Priesthood blessings gave me much-needed assurance that I wasn't in this battle alone. And slowly, bit by bit, the storm passed by. I survived. Battered and somewhat bruised, I hobbled out of the hospital ten days later for the return trip home. Sadder but wiser, I had learned lessons not possible any other way, grateful for this second chance at life.

In today's troubled world, we are all facing numerous storms. They batter against our defenses, weakening us in places we never dreamed would crumble. I can testify that the only way we will survive this daily bombardment is to do those simple things that will bring us needed peace of heart and mind. Read the scriptures daily. Pray daily. Attend the temple as much as possible. Heed the important commandments and standards that we've been taught our entire lives. Steer clear of temptations that will drag us down into the depths of despair. Adhere to those things that will bring us the most joy.

A few years ago I taught a Sunday school class for teens. At the time, we were studying the Old Testament. We spent several Sundays in a row learning about the trials that Moses and the children of Israel endured. One story has always struck a chord within. During a time when the children of Israel were in whining mode, complaining about their lot in life, turning their backs to those things that would bring them joy, God sent fiery serpents into their midst to teach them a lesson. If bitten by these serpents, they could die. It took something that drastic to inspire humility and repentance. When that finally happened, Moses was instructed to fashion a brazen serpent and affix it to a staff. The only thing the Israelites had to do was to look upon the brazen serpent and they would live. Look and live. Sadly, despite the simpleness of the way, many turned away from that which would have spared their lives. They turned from God and died. What they failed to understand was this is symbolic of how our Savior, Jesus Christ, can preserve our immortal souls. It is up to us to accept His sacrifice on our behalf. (See Numbers 21:4-9; Helaman 8:13-15; 2 Nephi 25:20; Alma 33:19-29)

All we have to do is look and live. We must turn from foolish pride, and humble ourselves enough to understand all that our Elder Brother has tried to teach us---then we will find the happiness we seek. I know this is how we will survive the darkened skies of today. Look and live. Allow our Savior to heal us through His Atoning sacrifice. I'm living proof that when we place our lives in His very capable hands, we will survive whatever storms descend.

Side Effects

Between storms over the weekend, my husband and I ventured forth into a local canyon to check on the status of the ever-popular huckleberry. We had heard rumors that this year the bushes will be loaded with these plump, delicious berries, so we decided to check things out for ourselves. Along the way we came across some gorgeous impromptu waterfalls from all of the recent rain, and the snow that is still melting on the mountain tops.

This is a picture of Sherman's Peak, which you can still see contains a bit of snow on top.

This is a double waterfall that was quite spectacular.

And yet another waterfall that was gorgeous!

The ponds located on top of the world in this location, are filled to overflowing.

Here is another pond we found. Notice how green everything is around it.

And here the love of my life is savoring this beautiful moment of inspiring peace.

We did eventually find our favorite huckleberry patch. And the bushes are loaded with future berries!!! Way good news . . . providing it doesn't freeze.

And here's an interesting growth I found just as we were leaving.

It was an enjoyable jaunt, and proof that there are reasons for the numerous storms we've been enduring. It's almost dawn here in Bear Lake this morning, and the gathering clouds indicate more storms are on their way. I will more than likely carry an umbrella with me just in case, but instead of muttering under my breath, I will try to remember the beauty and growth these storms have inspired. Words to live by. ;)

Enjoying Storms

I don't know what the weather has been doing in your neck of the woods, but it has been raining in ours almost nonstop this past week. The rain has made things green and pretty, and despite the storms, we decided to go camping for a couple of days.

Last fall we came across a campground we had never used before about an hour away from our house. It's located in the mouth of Logan Canyon, up above Bear Lake and it's called Sunrise Campground. If you ever get a chance to camp in this location, do it!!! It's gorgeous!!

Here's what our campsite looked like:


Since we had ventured off to visit with relatives after claiming our campsite on Friday afternoon, we didn't return to our campsite until about 9:00 p.m. It was raining and we were starved, so we opted to cook our hot dogs inside the trailer. They still tasted delicious, possibly because we were hungry. ;)

It rained most of the night and off and on the next morning. We were a little disappointed, since I wanted to capture a picture of the sun rising over Bear Lake, but it was too cloudy. So after a wonderful breakfast, also cooked inside our camper, we ventured forth between storms for a little hike.

Here's Kennon looking out over the valley below and the beautiful Bear Lake:

And this is what he was seeing:

After I took several shots of the area, Kennon caught a photo of me:

While he had the camera, he walked around a precarious outcrop of rocks and captured a beautiful bunch of wild flowers:

I appreciated him taking that shot, since I was sliding around a bit in the mud and with my track record of "grace" or the lack thereof, I wasn't sure I dared climb around to this location. As it was, I managed to lose my cell phone for a brief time. Our youngest son was driving up for lunch that day, and since we were up on top of a mountain, we were receiving pretty good cell phone service. I had tucked my cell phone inside of my camera case, on the chance that he might call. When I posed for that picture Kennon took, I slung my camera case over one shoulder and the cell phone fell out. Fortunately, I caught on that it was missing before we hiked away too far. Following my tracks in the mud helped a great deal with the search. I found the phone not too far from where I had been standing earlier.

We finished our hike and returned to our campsite to fix lunch. We had opted to cook Dutch Oven chicken and potatoes which we also did inside the camper to avoid getting wet. Kennon had brought along his Dutch Ovens, and we utilized the gas stove that came with our camper to cook up a delicious meal. I also sliced up some watermelon, our first of the season, to go with everything else. It was all wonderful and we ate as soon as Devin made his way up to our campsite.

All in all, it was a fun camping adventure, even if it did rain on us 80% of the time. We hiked in between storms, played games when it was raining, and enjoyed bonding with nature.

I had an analogy hit as we camped this past weekend. [No groaning allowed. ;) ]All of us endure storms in our lives. We don't enjoy it much when we're facing a trial, but it is those "life storms" that will inspire growth, strength, and beauty. It's up to us to appreciate what we've gained. And to cling to faith, knowing that a rainbow is just around the corner.

Stormy Weather

Years ago I remember hearing lyrics that went something like this:

Don't know why
There's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather . . .

Life is bare
Gloom and misery everywhere
Stormy weather . . .

Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather . . .

And so on. It is true that most people associate misery with storms. There are a lot of analogies that stem from this belief. "Storms are dark, scary, and evil." "Only sunlight brings peace and inner joy, etc."

Now as someone who dislikes storms as much as anyone, mostly because of the arthritis I've been blessed with, I've come to realize that we cannot attain the peaceful beauty we often seek without those storms, however they arrive in our lives. Think about it---without spring showers, there wouldn't be lovely May flowers. [Pun unintended, but since I am a descendant of a handful of Mayflower pilgrims, I can probably get away with it . . . at least on this side of the veil. =D ]

I have learned the most from the darkest times in my life. Yes, I'm one of those who has to continually learn things the hard way, but I suspect, most of us are like that. It seems that we require a certain amount of "difficult weather" to learn certain lessons, and to become stronger individuals. What we gain is totally up to us. Two people can withstand an identical storm, and come away with a very different experience. Our attitude determines what that will be.

The other day as my husband and I drove across the valley to Bear Lake, I saw a huge storm coming in. The sky was dark, but it looked beautiful, so I took its picture. =) In fact I snapped several pictures that afternoon and captured an interesting phenomenon: a typical Idaho weather pattern. A popular saying here is: "If you don't like the weather in Idaho, wait a minute!" ;) It's really true. So I will share what I saw move across the lake that day.

You can see the approaching storm and the darkening effect on the lake.

The storm moves closer and in my opinion, it was still a gorgeous view.

The clouds descended and it began to snow . . . a lot.

It snowed so hard, you couldn't even see the lake for a few minutes.

As quickly as it blew in, the storm moved on, leaving a breathtaking photo moment in its wake.

Interesting, eh? ;) That storm provided much-needed moisture, a little break in our routine, and beauty that is often rare. I hope I remember the lessons I learned that day, so when future storms descend, I can cling to the knowledge that these storms are temporary, and that they will eventually move on. I pray I will be wise enough to ponder what I can gain from that experience, using it to grow into a better person.

Today is a beautiful spring day, even though in our realm, we still have about 2 feet of snow on the ground. I'm choosing to focus on the sunlight and bask in the warmth, storing that memory for the storms I know lie ahead. When those storms descend, and I know they will, (it's part of the joy of living in a mountain valley), I can reflect on the sunny warmth, endure the current downpour, realizing there will be better days in store.

We can't control the type or frequency of storm that often appears on the horizon, but we can control how we will respond to it. So on days like today when the sun is shining and all seems right with the world, frolic and enjoy. And on days like I captured above, look for the good that can come from blustery squalls. You might just find that's part of why we're here.

Winter Wonderland

"Oh the weather outside is frightful . . ." =) Literally. True, we live in a mountain valley and wintry storms are to be expected. That said, I will simply share that we have seen some impressive winter storms this past week. Good times. ;)

On Friday, December 19th, I headed to Utah. We had been watching the weather reports carefully and while a storm was supposed to descend that day, it was predicted that the worst of the storm would hit our area around noon. I figured I could leave that morning and reach Logan before the worst of it came through. Guess what---the weather people lied. It began around 7:00 a.m. Originally I had planned to leave around 10:00 a.m. But when I opened the garage door around 7:00 a.m. and saw the mini-blizzard already bouncing about, I decided to leave earlier.

There were a couple of important reasons why I braved the weather to drive to the Utah realm that day. For starters, I was playing Santa. I had picked up a major gift from my mother to my youngest sister a couple of weeks before, helping my mother in keeping this gift a secret. It was important to deliver this gift to their abode before Christmas. Also, this year I had this same sister's name in our sibling gift exchange, plus I needed to take down a couple of gifts from my family to my mother, so in my opinion, this trip was crucial.

I had also made arrangements to pick up my oldest son (Kris) on my way through Logan. We were planning on spending the weekend with my family since we were spending Christmas with my husband's family this year. We were also looking forward to the pre-Christmas celebration with my side of the family tree and were hoping we could make it down to participate.

I loaded everything into my car, making sure I had emergency items like kitty litter (useful if one buries one's car in a snowbank), a small shovel, extra warm clothing, etc. and left Bennington around 8:30 a.m. In this area, the snow plows are usually out and about by 8:00 a.m. so I thought that was my best shot at making it through the canyon. (Incidentally, my husband had to work over the weekend, so he wasn't able to go with me.)

The first thing I noticed as I pulled out onto the highway was how much snow this storm had already managed to plaster all over the roads. A layer of ice existed beneath the snow, so things were rather slick. But I slowed down accordingly and did just fine. Then I reached an area known in our valley as Sharon. During stormy times, we always dread hitting this section before reaching Emigration Canyon. This is where some of the nastiest white-out adventures take place.

This area lived up to its reputation that day. It was one of those much-feared white-out moments. Everything was white. The sky, the road, the snow alongside the road, not to mention what was swirling through the air. If I could have turned around right then, I would've retreated back home. But there was no where to go but straight ahead. I aimed for what I assumed was the middle of the road (the only things visible at this point were the mile marker extensions located on each side of the road.) and prayed that nothing was coming the other way.

I knew if I could reach the canyon, it would be easier to see, since the mountains would help break up the wind. I eventually found this to be true. But it was still snowing in an impressive fashion, so the canyon wasn't a piece of cake, either. A snowplow was coming down out of the canyon as I headed up, but unfortunately, the road on my side was covered with 4-5 new inches of snow. So when conditions permitted, I kept one side of the car on the recently plowed and sanded side, and the other in the snow that had fallen since the plow had come through that direction. I shifted down into the lower gears and got through the canyon just fine.

Normally I can drive from my home to Preston, Idaho in about an hour when conditions are good. It took me closer to two hours that day. But I made it, and called my husband to let him know that I had made it safely through the canyon. In Preston, it wasn't snowing or blowing. I grew excited thinking the worst of the storm was behind me. Au contraire.

About the time I reached an area known as Lewiston, Utah (located just below Preston) I learned the error of my ways. We were back to blizzard mode. It was so bad, everyone silly enough to be out on the roads at that time traveled at a snail's pace. Except for one Utie driver. A small black sports car sped on past us all about the time we reached the town of Richmond. Evidently, he\she was in a hurry. Can I just state that people who drive in this fashion under such conditions aren't usually the sharpest knives in the drawer? ;) I fully expected to see that same car off in the barrow pit alongside the road. I never did see that car again, but there were others who slid off as we traveled.

I reached Logan around noon, still making fairly good time all things considered. Now my problem was that my son didn't get off work that day until 2:00 p.m. So I needed to kill some time in a fairly safe, warm place, since it was still storming like crazy. I weighed my options, and headed for a huge store loacted on the outskirts of town: Wal-mart. Not only did this store contain some last minute items I needed to purchase, but it also contained a SubWay sandwich deli located in one corner of the store.

I spent an enjoyable time shopping, eating, and people watching. Before I knew it, it was time to brave the elements again and head to my son's apartment. The good news was that by 1:45 p.m. the storm had blown itself out. So I re-zipped my coat, grabbed the plastic bags that held my recent purchases, and walked out to my snow-covered car. It took a few minutes to scrape things off, but by 2:00 p.m. I made it to my son's abode.

He didn't think that I had made it down. While he was at work, he had heard all kinds of reports about accidents, road closures, etc. so when he finally pulled into his driveway around 2:30 p.m. Kris was surprised and excited when he saw his mommy sitting in her car waiting for him in a patient fashion. =)

He hurriedly changed clothes and grabbed his small suitcase and we headed off before the weather fairies changed their minds again. We had both heard bad stories about Sardine Canyon, so we took the back way from Logan to Brigham City, driving on 200 North out of Logan. The road was slick and snow-covered in places, but when we turned off to head toward Brigham, the roads were surprisingly good. They hadn't been hit with the worst of the storm in that area. I drove on the best roads of the day from there until we reached our destination in Clinton, Utah.

We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly during the time we spent in Utah. Some of our relatives thought we were crazy to brave the storm that day, but in retrospect, I'm glad we did. We were never in any danger (aside from the white-out moment in Sharon) because we followed important rules for winter driving:

1. Drive speeds that are conducive to staying on the roads, as opposed to silly people from Utah who drive flashy black sports cars.

2. Keep something for traction in your trunk (I prefer kitty litter). Then if you do slide off the road, you can sprinkle this around the tires and get back on track.

3. Check your fluid levels before leaving home. I must confess I failed to do this. It wasn't until a massive semi-truck threw dirty icy snow all over my windshield as we headed to Brigham that I realized two things: a) the windshield wiper fluid level was pretty much non-existent in my car & b) the tiny spickets that spray this important fluid onto the windshield were frozen. Most uncool. We had to keep pulling into gas stations to clean my windshield.

4. Pray . . . a lot.

5. Take your time and remain calm. Panicking causes driving boo-boos.

6. Be considerate of other drivers who are enduring the same road conditions.




On the way home Sunday afternoon, the roads were much easier to travel. This was good. =) I even stopped at a couple of turnouts through the canyon to take some pictures of the resulting winter wonderland. =) I'm including them in this blog for your enjoyment.



Ah, yes, it is indeed winter. Travel accordingly, and take along your sense of humor. It just might help you keep your sanity as you hit those stormy surprises along the way. ;)

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