It is not real rare, but we are hardly one month into Spring and we get a snow. I remember a day in April of 1971 we received about six inches during the day, and it was gone by sundown.
Here are a couple of pictures from this morning, and from our front porch…
It is wonderful to live in the southwest Missouri Ozarks. You just never know what the weather is going to do.
From the banks of Flat Creek
`tim
I write this morning because it is a rare morning; at least weather wise; and maybe historically. It is snowing.
There is not much accumulated yet, but it is coming down like it would really pile up if it were colder, the ground was frozen, and conditions were better for snow. With the grass green, leaves newly on the trees and such this will make a rare picture for Southwest Missouri.
I wrote this just for a note later.
-Tim
I have been told that all of last year here in Southwest Missouri we received all of 10 inches of rain, and no more. Also that since January of this year we have been blessed with over 14 inches of that sweet dew from heaven. All praise to the One who gives it on the just and the unjust.
Just this past Thursday, April 18, we received over 3 inches.
Awoke this morning, a little later than usual, to a ground covered with frost, and 29 degrees.
Thank YOU Lord for YOUR bountiful blessings.
Just to get right to the point. Today marks the second anniversary of my wife Madge and I moving into our new home. We are still enjoying the home with which the Lord of all has blessed us. The Creek is still rolling by, though this past Summer with the extreme high temps, and the drought caused it to drop considerably; and with recent rainfall it has now risen much above drought conditions.
The other day I went and cut some cedar logs for the “legs” for a back porch on the house. I am planning on building a porch which measures 8 feet by 8 feet. That will give us a fairly large porch in the back in order to have more room for the door the swing open, and to sit out back on the porch; if we choose to do so.
Thank you LORD for Your many blessings; and today for our home.
-tim
Living in Southwest Missouri is a mystery when it comes to the weather. In nearby Cassville the temp is showing at 19 degrees; hear at my house at 4 a.m. my thermometer showed 8 degrees…and it is still at 8 degrees.
Winter began officially on December 22, and we have had really nice temps for Christmas, and it began to change a bit on New Years day, getting cooler with wind. The wind sure does not help any. We had much colder days before the official start of Winter.
However, this morning is the coldest since the cool weather of Autumn and Winter began. Our coldest; up until this morning was 12 degrees; but I do not remember what day. I just remember it being that cold as I stepped out the door to go to work.
We live in a low spot next to the creek, and that probably has something to do with our temps being cooler than other places. I still like living where I do very much.
I am thankful for my home and the land on which we live and are God’s stewards of. He has blessed us immensely.
Come heat or cold I will praise the LORD.
-Tim
Here in Southwest Missouri we have seen a good amount of Spring thunderstorms. I get the chance to view the activity of some of them. I love watching the bolts of lightning as they flash across the sky, and light up the darkness. Not too many months ago I had just driven out on a nearby highway headed into Cassville about 5:30 a.m. during a storm, and a bolt of lightning came down pretty close to where I was. You talk about a loud clap of thunder, and I let out a whoop. It startled me at first, but then I thought WOW!!!, that was awesome
This morning as I was driving into Cassville, and it was about fifteen minutes later or about 5:45 a.m. and off near the horizon; that I could see; there was a flash of lightning that lit up the whole western sky within the clouds. That was a beautiful sight to behold. It made me think of Nahum 1:3, “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.” (NKJV).
The other night some had heard that a nearby community; the one that I grew up in; was under a tornado warning. Some of our family called to check on us, worried that we might have been near it. I went outside, looked to the south, and southwest, then all around, and there were no low lying clouds, not any that looked threatening at all. A daughter in law called doing the same thing, and her husband, our son, could be heard in the background saying, “Tell Dad to come in from watching that tornado”. My kids know me. I have always enjoyed the storms. I have to admit that should we ever get hit by a tornado I might not be so anxious to see one again, but then I don’t know.
I hurt and weep for those who are touched by the storms; whether it is by flooding, winds, tornadoes, hail, or lightning it would be a horrible thing. In the midst of all this though we must remember “The LORD has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.” He is sovereign and in control of even the storms that touch our lives. Even the storms that have to do with sickness, finances, and He especially cares for our spiritual need of knowing Him. This wasn’t meant to be a sermon or even a Bible Study, but I hope any who read it may find encouragement in their storm.
There will be many more storms, much more lightning, more tornadoes, more hail, more straight line winds, and there will be more destruction, and more lives touched by the storms. How we handle them declares our faith in God or our lack thereof.
The next time you see that bolt of lightning, or a flash which I saw this morning, remember who is much more powerful than all the lightning ever lightninged [new word!!!], and the winds that have ever blown, all the tornadoes that have ever twisted their way through cities, farms, towns and homes, and more powerful than all the floods that ever flowed. His name is Jesus. To that I say WOW!!!!!
The past few days here in Southwest MO. has been wet. Wet may not be big enough word for it. It has been downright in the, at least next to the Noahic Flood proportions. That is probably slightly overstating the situation, but I know that is how some of us have felt. Some have even accused me of building an “Ark” and getting ready to float away.
Life sure is interesting at times. One week we are dismissing schools due to snow, ice, and winter storms. The next week we are getting out of school early due to flooding rainfall. Letting out early so as to be sure we get the kids home without buses getting cut off, and such.
Well! Welcome to the second day of Spring 2008. It is great. I have never made any secret to Spring and Summer being my two favorite seasons of the year. It seems that I am especially appreciative of this Spring. Snow, ice and cold just doesn’t do anything for me. I don’t complain about it. It is the days our Lord have given us, and they do have their function and purpose, and they too give glory to their Creator.
Let me tell you about my last two or three days of Winter with Spring affects. Monday night March 17 we received a large amount of rainfall. Tuesday morning when I drove down our driveway toward the road I was wondering about my ability to cross the branch which crosses the road on both sides of our access. When I got to it I saw it deeper than any other time I had crossed; I looked and debated with myself whether it would be the right thing, and safe thing to cross or not, and finally decided I would cross. I did, and made it across in good shape. Upon returning home the branch had risen considerably, with the waters wavy rolling across the crossing. I decided not to cross in the car, but to find a fallen tree across it upstream or something. I walked upstream for awhile until I found a mangled mess of two or three trees which reached across. It was still raining, I crossed, walked to the house, soaked and ready to get my jacket off and my feet dry.
The School called me about noon, and told me they were lining up the buses at 1:15 p.m. to take the students home. The water was still rising. The rain was still falling, and at times in record proportions. As I walked back to the car, I once again crossed the mangled trees, got successfully to the other side, jumped down on the bank, at which time that bank collapsed and the bank and myself went down into the stream up to my knees. I crawled out even wetter than I hoped I would be, went on to the car, and went and drove my kids home.
When I came home that afternoon, the water was higher, and I decided to keep the car on the side it was on and just wade across the low water bridge. I have been around these waters around here for a long time, and I know what it can do so I was very cautious in doing it. I slowly put one foot in front of the other, through the water, got stable in the fast moving water, then would move the other. By the way, it was only about knee deep, but there is a whole lot of power in knee deep water moving with any speed. I made it safely home, took off my wet shoes, socks, and clothes and got comfortable.
The next morning going back to drive the School bus, I did the same thing. It had gone done an inch or two measuring on my knees, but was still a bit swift. I almost lost my balance, but managed to regain it. I sure didn’t want to fall down; I don’t think I could have stopped too quickly. On my return home the stream had receded some more, and I drove the car up to our house. I was glad.
I have had quite the adventure. I like adventure. I am thankful that the Lord is my Caretaker, and that He is still watching over all who are His, and over those who are not His. I am so glad that it is Spring, and that the grass will begin turning green, the easter lillies are blooming, the birds are singing the peepers are peeping. It is so good to know that “The LORD hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3b).
-by Tim A. Blankenship
They said it was coming. Who said it was coming? This Winter storm. When I arose from the bed this morning there was not a flake of snow to be seen, and I found out almost two hours later that there did not appear to be a cloud in the sky. Sometimes I am amazed how accurate the weather people can be in their predictions. I guess it is all that stuff they call technology, sattelite, GPS, and all that.
It has not been bitterly cold. I am thankful for that. I don’t do very well in the cold. Especially when the electric bill comes due, and that is what we heat with. That is our choice. I am also thankful that we have not experienced a major power outage like some other places and people I know. We would be in a world of hurtin’.
When I jumped in the car to go to Cassville School Bus Garage to drive the bus, there was a moon shining down from above with a few stars that I could see. I left about 5:15 a.m. and arrived there at 5:45 a.m. There were three buses already headed out for their morning pickup of the kids. Two more headed out shortly after I arrived. One driver radioed in from one of her farthest points, “Snow is falling and covering the roads. What do you want me to do?” The decision was made to call them in, ie., the five that had already departed. School was called off for the day.
After helping shut down the engines on the other buses, I got back in our car and came home. It is good to have a day off, but I would rather get out earlier at the end of the year. I guess I just needed the day. Thank the Lord. He always knows what is best for us.
The snow is still falling, and if it continues we probably will not be in school on Friday. There are some pretty wicked roads here in Southwest MO. with curves, hills, hollers, and many of the roads here have no shoulders; only ditches. It can be fun navigating at times.
Flat Creek Rolling 