Winter Storms

It’s quiet once again. The winds were howling last night and so it’s a relief to wake up and hear…nothing. And since it’s still dark, I can’t tell what has happened out in the orchard.

The good news is that the power has remained on overnight and I have no clocks to reset. Plus, the power stayed on for our dinner last night; right in the middle of the storm. (The pot roast was a hit, or so I was told.)

Once I had the pot roasts in the oven and simmering, I was free to watch the snow at various points near Tahoe, courtesy of CalTrans and their live video system. The camera at Meyers was focused on the ‘chain up’ area and I could watch the ‘chain monkeys’ taking money from fingers that appeared at the tiniest opening of a car window. No one was winding their windows all of the way down! I wonder what they get for putting chains on these days? Back in the day when I had to travel over the Sierra’s twice a week, I remember rewarding myself every now and then and paying $20 to sit in my car and let someone else deal with the chains. Money well spent. I would atone for my spendthrift ways by taking my own chains off on the other side and save $10.

And, after our guests had gone, it was time for some reading. More of The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam; a fascinating book. After putting it down for the evening, it occurred to me that I had been extremely blessed. Too young for the Korean War by just 6 years and my discharge from the Navy happened about 3 years before the war in Vietnam became a huge machine that fed on the bodies of American youth. A machine that wouldn’t have allowed me to leave. Years. They go by so fast and they can be so important! Who knew that your birth year could determine your fate? Duh! Well, of course it does. But, it’s only in retrospect that you can see that. And you thank God for it.

I know it has been over fifty years since the time of the Korean War, but if you want to understand what we are doing in Iraq, you should read this book. The present and the future can always be found in the past. You just have to look.