First Snow of the Season

Peoria got its first snow in 290 days (the record is 296) and it was a doozy across portions of the Midwest. Happily, the girls' last day of school was a half-day and they got out an hour or two before the snow arrived. Middleton, WI, got 19 inches. There were only a couple of inches for Peoria out of this blizzard, but the winds were potent enough to knock out power to our neighborhood from about 5:40-9:20 tonight. The family had a candlelight dinner, a board game, and camped out by the wood stove downstairs.  The camera had a flash, so the well-lit shots are obviously inaccurate in terms of lighting.  Tomorrow is the winter solstice, and also the date of the “Mayan apocalypse.” I do not believe that will happen…being a Christian I have that whole not knowing the date and hour thing to consider (Matthew 25:13), and I do not think that statement was just for Christians.  Still, it’s intriguing to think about.  I am reminded of a food fight I once saw in a cafeteria in high school.  Before it happened, the air was just thick with tension, everybody know what was going to happen.  Someone tossed a piece of food straight up in the air to try to set things off, but not get in trouble for actually throwing food at someone – it did not work.  Eventually food got thrown and the whole cafeteria dissolved into chaos.  Sometimes I think the world feels like it's all full of tension, and I wonder from an academic standpoint what triggering event could send the world into chaos.  I’m not especially eager to see it happen, however.  A lot of local bars are having apocalypse parties, which to me seems like just an excuse to generate bar business, but when I think about people partying on the brink of disaster, I think of Isaiah 22:12-14 and shudder a little.  Ah well, I am not a trained theologian and it is getting late; I shall post pictures and go to bed.