Fire and Ice*
Today is the day we've been awaiting for almost three years. Our Far Eastern family members are coming home. They're in the air now on their trans-Atlantic flight originating in Qatar and terminating in Dallas. Then it's on to Wichita with an expected landing just before 8:00 PM. We've never seen the 21-month old, and the three-year-old was eight months old when we last saw her. We're e-x-c-i-t-e-d!
For the next 3 1/2 months they plan to live in the apartment at Hilda's parents' place--2 1/2 miles from our house, although part of that time will be taken up with traveling elsewhere in the USA.
We're following their trip with prayers for safety and for endurance for everyone on this very long journey. Airplane cabins were clearly not designed with toddlers in mind.
************
I haven't written here about the biggest wildfires in recorded Kansas history--which raged over nearly 400,000 acres of land last week. It was range land, for the most part. Because of a massive effort from at least 100 fire-fighting districts in the state, and the mercy of God, no human lives were lost, and fewer than a handful of residences were destroyed. Some livestock perished, many miles of fence posts burned, and farm structures and stored hay are gone. There's obviously nothing left for livestock to eat on those charred landscapes, so hay for the livestock is one of the most immediate needs. Moisture to fuel regrowth of the prairie grasses is another crucial need. Fences need to be rebuilt, and strayed livestock needs to be gathered up and sorted. Cattle need to recover from the effects of smoke inhalation.
Brutal winds--sometimes as high as 60 MPH--blew day after day last week. The air, the land, and the vegetation were all tinder-dry, and many Eastern Redcedars (invaders in the prairie) provided easily-torched, hot-burning fuel.
On Easter Sunday, we always remember the great gift of salvation and victory in Jesus. This year Kansas had another great gift--four inches (here) of wet snow overnight. That merciful gift of God allowed most of the firefighters to go home for a day of rest and worship and recovery on Sunday, leaving behind a pure white landscape instead of a charred black one.
After having had almost no snow and very little moisture last winter, this snowfall was an occasion of great rejoicing. Besides that, the wind had gone down overnight, and the wet snow melted where it fell--after first clinging to and transforming every tired brown weed and twig into a sparkling thing of beauty. By noon most of it had melted under the bright sunshine and balmy temperatures, and by evening snow remained thinly only in all-day deep shade. Our morning temperature was 31, so even flowers came through our quick "winter" unscathed.
Unfortunately this week the wind is back and the moisture from the snow is no longer in evidence. Later today severe thunderstorms are possible. Large hail and tornadoes could develop. The "best" chances for that to happen are east of us, so we're not too worried here. It looks like we're back to business as usual--schizophrenic Kansas spring weather.
That's OK, but pleeeeease, let's not have a delay in flight schedules today.
*Fire and Ice poem by Robert Frost here. It's only marginally applicable here, but I like the poem, and the words popped into my mind when I was trying to think of a title for this post.
For the next 3 1/2 months they plan to live in the apartment at Hilda's parents' place--2 1/2 miles from our house, although part of that time will be taken up with traveling elsewhere in the USA.
We're following their trip with prayers for safety and for endurance for everyone on this very long journey. Airplane cabins were clearly not designed with toddlers in mind.
************
I haven't written here about the biggest wildfires in recorded Kansas history--which raged over nearly 400,000 acres of land last week. It was range land, for the most part. Because of a massive effort from at least 100 fire-fighting districts in the state, and the mercy of God, no human lives were lost, and fewer than a handful of residences were destroyed. Some livestock perished, many miles of fence posts burned, and farm structures and stored hay are gone. There's obviously nothing left for livestock to eat on those charred landscapes, so hay for the livestock is one of the most immediate needs. Moisture to fuel regrowth of the prairie grasses is another crucial need. Fences need to be rebuilt, and strayed livestock needs to be gathered up and sorted. Cattle need to recover from the effects of smoke inhalation.
Brutal winds--sometimes as high as 60 MPH--blew day after day last week. The air, the land, and the vegetation were all tinder-dry, and many Eastern Redcedars (invaders in the prairie) provided easily-torched, hot-burning fuel.
On Easter Sunday, we always remember the great gift of salvation and victory in Jesus. This year Kansas had another great gift--four inches (here) of wet snow overnight. That merciful gift of God allowed most of the firefighters to go home for a day of rest and worship and recovery on Sunday, leaving behind a pure white landscape instead of a charred black one.
After having had almost no snow and very little moisture last winter, this snowfall was an occasion of great rejoicing. Besides that, the wind had gone down overnight, and the wet snow melted where it fell--after first clinging to and transforming every tired brown weed and twig into a sparkling thing of beauty. By noon most of it had melted under the bright sunshine and balmy temperatures, and by evening snow remained thinly only in all-day deep shade. Our morning temperature was 31, so even flowers came through our quick "winter" unscathed.
Unfortunately this week the wind is back and the moisture from the snow is no longer in evidence. Later today severe thunderstorms are possible. Large hail and tornadoes could develop. The "best" chances for that to happen are east of us, so we're not too worried here. It looks like we're back to business as usual--schizophrenic Kansas spring weather.
That's OK, but pleeeeease, let's not have a delay in flight schedules today.
*Fire and Ice poem by Robert Frost here. It's only marginally applicable here, but I like the poem, and the words popped into my mind when I was trying to think of a title for this post.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
8:48 AM
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