Tag Archives: prairie

Epic Ice Storm of 2006

I was lying in bed early this morning listening to Minnesota Public Radio and they reminded me of the anniversary of the horrendous ice storm of 2006 along the Southwest Minnesota and Northeast South Dakota border.

I remember it began with rain that morning, changing to freezing rain which froze to any surface it touched, eventually in heavy proportions.  Power lines sagged with the weight of the ice and outages quickly ceasing any activity requiring electricity.  Some were out of power for up to two weeks.

While this power outage was inconvenient, it did force us to go without electronic devices and interact with family on a deeper level. Playing cards, board games, talking, etc. were activities often engaged in when there was no electricity.  Neighbors helped neighbors by opening their homes to those still without power and helping in whatever capacity was needed. Creative thinking was put into force as we tried to come up with Innovative ways to prepare meals and feed the family.

I captured this image near our home as the last rays of light danced across the ice on its branches. This tree is now reduced to a pile of wood as it was demolished last summer.

wintertree05_6x61

An Evening on the Prairie

The mild evening air is filled with insects as the prairie grasses are fading into fall.  We enjoy these moments as we know winter will be just around the corner.

http://animoto.com/play/ueC1JOBELg15AmCzQVX1dw

The Prairie Bride ~ In a world of make believe…

Young children spend much of their time in the land of make believe, but imagination is not reserved only for children’s play.  Adults constantly use their imagination to help them invent new things, visualize, solve problems, enjoy a book or movie and think creatively.  No wonder Albert Einstein felt that “imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Prairie Bride #1

Imagination is a cognitive skill that is used throughout life and not reserved only for children.  Why do you suppose the popular ad, Calgon take me away, has been so effective?

Prairie Bride #2
Prairie Bride #2

Keeping our imagination sharp is a highly useful tool in creative thinking and problem solving. Unfortunately, we do lose some of our playful curiosity and imagination as we mature.  A study involving 350 children showed that kids’ natural tendency to daydream and wonder declines sharply around 4th grade. ~ Psych Info  That is about the age peer acceptance becomes increasingly important to a child.  We begin to worry about being “dumb” or saying/doing something wrong, as perceived by others. We are also constantly reminded to “pay attention.”

Prairie Bride #3
Prairie Bride #3

Einstein, who said we need to be child-like to be creative, also said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”  How true…

Now, excuse me as I go off to dream of faraway lands filled with adventure and intrigue .

 

A fairy tale on the prairie…

Yes, reality tells me that fairy tales are not really all that important in the whole scheme of life, but it is fun to dream.  It’s just that all of us have different ideas of what really defines a fairy tale.  Adventures and exploration can take place in my own neighborhood or the other side of the globe.

I’ve always said that I’m lucky that I’m easily amused and could entertain myself in a cardboard box.     After all, lots of dreaming can be done inside a box.

Fairy Tales & Dreams
Fairy Tales & Dreams

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Leap of Faith

Three components here:

1)  talented gymnast 2) late evening prairie 3) Scripture

I had the gymnast blended with the prairie,  but  something was missing.  Found my old Bible, randomly opened it up to a page and Proverbs was in front of my eyes.

Leap of Faith
Leap of Faith

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