Post by Chris too on Nov 2, 2007 8:18:14 GMT -5
This is an article that my dad wrote for his fraternity's newsletter (hence the references to "brothers") that I asked him to e-mail me 'cause I knew you'd enjoy the nostalgia of it as much as I do. It's kind of long, but worth it.
Winter
By Jon Handy
National Sergeant-At-Arms
For many, the word alone conjures visions of death and destruction, the frozen wastelands of Antarctica, Russian prisoners in the Siberian Archipelago huddling together at night to keep from freezing to death, and Northern Alaska where, at 70 below, your spit snaps and freezes before it hits the ground. Ah yes, winter.
In Indiana, the season is upon us. This thought elicits different visions for Hoosiers. The frost is on the pumpkin, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost touching the trees and turning the landscape into a winter wonderland. Our thin-blooded Southern brothers simply cannot appreciate the thrill of a robust snowball fight, the exhilaration of speeding down a snowy hill on a sled, or skating on a frozen lake on a moon-lit night with an open fire awaiting us on shore to warm our chilled hands and faces. It truly makes one feel ALIVE and part of this beautiful world that God has created.
There is also serenity in the muffled silence that snow brings, in the crunch of the snow under your galoshes, and, as Robert Frost said in Stopping by Woods on A Snowy Evening, “To watch his woods fill up with snow.” Something magical and calming happens when the snow begins to fly. It brings kids to the window just to watch in silence, and Dads to the woodpile out back to bring in firewood for the fireplace. Then, once lit, the fire demands that you find an easy chair to sit and watch the flames and smell the pleasant aroma of the smoke while sipping on a hot chocolate or Dads special eggnog. Mom might be in the kitchen preparing the “family recipe” chili or filling the house with the titillating fragrance of cookies baking in the oven. Winter has so many pleasantries that I cannot begin to name them all.
Don’t get me wrong. All this bliss does not come without a price. There are a lot of accidents on the streets and roads (mostly from people who don’t know how to drive in the snow), and it’s no fun getting stuck on an icy road or driveway. Then there are the snow days when we have to miss school and work (I guess that’s a bad thing), and if the electricity goes out because of frozen and downed power lines and you have to miss your favorite TV show. Ice storms are a rare but destructive force. Still, all the negatives are short and worth suffering because they have a tendency to bring the family together and unite us against the elements.
Winter enthusiasm does begin to wear thin in February. The sleds are in the garage by the skates, both untouched since late January. The wind takes on an icy chill that penetrates your winter coat, the skies turn gray and I begin to yearn for the warm sunshine on my face. I start hoping for an early spring and watch for signs of new life emerging. The March winds still bite the exposed skin and the thermometer still refuses to pass 35 or 40. Then, I see a Robin. April warms up and the showers hold hope of green foliage and May flowers. Isn’t spring wonderful? The month of lovers has arrived and all of nature seems to be celebrating.
Summer is a great time for the young and old alike. Swimming, fishing, vacationing and turning tan – well, sort of tan. We Northerners just don’t have the skin for a deep tan. Sun burning is easy, but tanning takes most of the summer. We really have to work at it, and I think I’ve decided that pale skin is not all that bad. They say it is kind of in vogue because of the rise in skin cancer due to the ozone layer thinning. Even summer begins to get wearisome going into the dog days of summer (mid-August to mid-September), and “after the boys of summer have gone,” according to Don Henley.
Then an amazing change begins. The leaves turn color (usually after the first freeze in October) from various shades of green to red and purple – yellow and brown – orange and auburn – and shades that seem to go off the color chart. Some years it takes weeks for the change, other times it happens almost over night. For those who have never seen this, other than in photos, it is awe-inspiring to witness this explosion of color that no photo can capture. Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year.
My Southern brothers can relax; I do not intend to become a Snowbird. I love visiting the South, but where would I vacation if I moved south? I am a Hoosier through and through. The change of seasons is food for my soul and I love every one of them. I lived in Hawaii for three years. I loved it there. It is surely the Paradise of the Pacific, but when I returned in 1963 with my new bride and walked across the tarmac at Midway in Chicago in sub-zero weather with the wind blowing and snow flurries in the air, I was home!
God Bless, and Hug a Brother
Winter
By Jon Handy
National Sergeant-At-Arms
For many, the word alone conjures visions of death and destruction, the frozen wastelands of Antarctica, Russian prisoners in the Siberian Archipelago huddling together at night to keep from freezing to death, and Northern Alaska where, at 70 below, your spit snaps and freezes before it hits the ground. Ah yes, winter.
In Indiana, the season is upon us. This thought elicits different visions for Hoosiers. The frost is on the pumpkin, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost touching the trees and turning the landscape into a winter wonderland. Our thin-blooded Southern brothers simply cannot appreciate the thrill of a robust snowball fight, the exhilaration of speeding down a snowy hill on a sled, or skating on a frozen lake on a moon-lit night with an open fire awaiting us on shore to warm our chilled hands and faces. It truly makes one feel ALIVE and part of this beautiful world that God has created.
There is also serenity in the muffled silence that snow brings, in the crunch of the snow under your galoshes, and, as Robert Frost said in Stopping by Woods on A Snowy Evening, “To watch his woods fill up with snow.” Something magical and calming happens when the snow begins to fly. It brings kids to the window just to watch in silence, and Dads to the woodpile out back to bring in firewood for the fireplace. Then, once lit, the fire demands that you find an easy chair to sit and watch the flames and smell the pleasant aroma of the smoke while sipping on a hot chocolate or Dads special eggnog. Mom might be in the kitchen preparing the “family recipe” chili or filling the house with the titillating fragrance of cookies baking in the oven. Winter has so many pleasantries that I cannot begin to name them all.
Don’t get me wrong. All this bliss does not come without a price. There are a lot of accidents on the streets and roads (mostly from people who don’t know how to drive in the snow), and it’s no fun getting stuck on an icy road or driveway. Then there are the snow days when we have to miss school and work (I guess that’s a bad thing), and if the electricity goes out because of frozen and downed power lines and you have to miss your favorite TV show. Ice storms are a rare but destructive force. Still, all the negatives are short and worth suffering because they have a tendency to bring the family together and unite us against the elements.
Winter enthusiasm does begin to wear thin in February. The sleds are in the garage by the skates, both untouched since late January. The wind takes on an icy chill that penetrates your winter coat, the skies turn gray and I begin to yearn for the warm sunshine on my face. I start hoping for an early spring and watch for signs of new life emerging. The March winds still bite the exposed skin and the thermometer still refuses to pass 35 or 40. Then, I see a Robin. April warms up and the showers hold hope of green foliage and May flowers. Isn’t spring wonderful? The month of lovers has arrived and all of nature seems to be celebrating.
Summer is a great time for the young and old alike. Swimming, fishing, vacationing and turning tan – well, sort of tan. We Northerners just don’t have the skin for a deep tan. Sun burning is easy, but tanning takes most of the summer. We really have to work at it, and I think I’ve decided that pale skin is not all that bad. They say it is kind of in vogue because of the rise in skin cancer due to the ozone layer thinning. Even summer begins to get wearisome going into the dog days of summer (mid-August to mid-September), and “after the boys of summer have gone,” according to Don Henley.
Then an amazing change begins. The leaves turn color (usually after the first freeze in October) from various shades of green to red and purple – yellow and brown – orange and auburn – and shades that seem to go off the color chart. Some years it takes weeks for the change, other times it happens almost over night. For those who have never seen this, other than in photos, it is awe-inspiring to witness this explosion of color that no photo can capture. Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year.
My Southern brothers can relax; I do not intend to become a Snowbird. I love visiting the South, but where would I vacation if I moved south? I am a Hoosier through and through. The change of seasons is food for my soul and I love every one of them. I lived in Hawaii for three years. I loved it there. It is surely the Paradise of the Pacific, but when I returned in 1963 with my new bride and walked across the tarmac at Midway in Chicago in sub-zero weather with the wind blowing and snow flurries in the air, I was home!
God Bless, and Hug a Brother