As usual, I woke up this morning. Yep, I did. What wasn’t usual is that I could see my truck out the window before I turned the kitchen light on, and it was piled high with snow. Rain was forecast, not snow! A big, massive snow creature peeked in through the back door, and when I flicked on the outside light, there was Odin with his own pile of snow covering him. One good head shake, and the snow flew everywhere.

I went through my morning routine, got ready for work as usual, and waited for the sun to come up so that I could see what all was out there. To my surprise, there was already close to a half foot of snow, and it was still falling from the sky. I looked out at Odin and his winter coat was doing its job funneling the water off of him, but he looked drenched to the skin. I bundled up, threw his blanket over my arm, and as soon as he saw me, he came right up to me and stood still for me to put the thing on him. I knew it was bad then. Odin hates wearing his blanket!

The state went on its inclement weather policy, and I had the day off. I’ve watched the snow fall all day, and it’s still falling.

There are so many things just wrong with this picture! First of all, this is Arkansas! I’m in the south! There’s not supposed to be snow here! Second of all, this is February, and these little birds are all over the place. It’s strange to hear birds chirping away every morning, in February!

This little bird went back and forth from the ground to the utility pole while Hiro and Saki did their best to plow through the snow to catch it. Hanging out the back door, it seemed like the bird would decide to fly into the house to get warm too, so I didn’t stand there too long with my camera.

Bright-eyed little Saki did his best to keep his eye on that bird, and though he’s fast, he didn’t come close to catching it. The bird knew to freeze still and always took off when Saki looked in a different direction.

Saki and Hiro were born here in Arkansas, so they are just rolling with it. Odin, Jake, Chloe and I came from the north and have been enjoying snowlessness for the last 6 years. It took quite a bit to convince Jake and Chloe to go out to do their business, and I’ve only managed to convince them once so far today. Once was enough for me too.

The snow is wet, heavy and the type that would “usually” come in the last part of winter up north. It’s heavy on the trees, heavy on the fencing and heavy on the roads. Everything is drooping under the weight of the snow. The wind is supposed to pick up tonight while the temperature drops. It will all freeze solid.

I enjoyed the snow day off today. Even though I’m inside and warm with all my animals around, I am anxious about tonight and tomorrow morning. This snow storm is unusual, and would be unusual in NY too. Arkansas just isn’t equipped to deal with a storm like this.

It sure does make for some beautiful photos!

He was short, muscular, and on a mission. He had long since cleared his mind of the emotions of his situation and was now checking his facts before making a huge decision. It's a scenario I see over and over in my job, but with endless variations on just how clearly options are identified and weighed at an extremely stressful time. This man, however, had months to work through his circumstances and was now at a critical turning point. He confirmed the facts and his options with me and seemed set on which way he'd decide, then he stopped.

"Can I bring my wife in?  This affects her too and I'd like to see what she thinks."

In a snap of a finger, what I had thought was cocky bravado became confidence instead. What I had observed up to that  point seemed to be the self-centeredness of being single. Perhaps he knew that in order to be of value to another, he had to be true to himself first. But what came to the forefront above all else was his sense of responsibility to another person.

You hear about people ranting and raving about their kids spending too much time in front of video games or computers, and how cell phone use while driving or walking is dangerous (or not), and how kids have bastardized the English language by texting (and sexting) all the time. I’ve been known to throw more than a few choice words through the windshield of my truck at dipsticks more concerned with their phone conversation than the direction and speed of their vehicle too. But, as a whole, social networking has proven to fill in a lot of holes in a lot of lives, with the benefits reaching even into the realm of life-saving. The drama about the use of cell phones, one networked gadget out of many, will more than likely die down as time goes on.

Social networking, for me, has filled in quite a few of those holes. I blog, I share my photos and the tidbits I find in the news. It’s all give and take, and I’ve come to know many wonderful people who share their thoughts, photos and opinions too. Blogging has not only broadened my world view, it has brought true meaning to cultural, religious and political variations on life’s theme as I get to know people from all over the world. Facebook brings another dimension of depth to the people behind all my favorite blogs.


But, it’s all backwards!

If you were asked to describe your ideal boss, what would you say? Have you ever worked for your ideal boss?

I did. I had a boss once who pushed me on, who supported my efforts to push past my self-imposed limits, who respected me as a person and as his employee, who trusted me to always act in the best interests of the program; who knew my values and respected them even if his were different, and respected me even more for respecting him. If I ran into an ethical conflict, he supported my decisions, again, even if they weren’t the same ones he’d make. He was the one I’d always turn to for moral guidance, and I always felt he valued me and held me in high regard. That regard was returned in kind. I wasn’t the only one that felt so highly of him. The feeling was shared by thousands of people he had touched over the years.

That is about as close as I can come to defining a good leader. It is what I expect to see in leadership at any level, whether it be a manager of a small corner store, a worldwide corporation – or an elected official. But, as soon as the word “politics” enters into the equation, that all flies right out the window.

I’m speechless. I’m astounded. There’s some major lessons here, if only I could step back enough to put it all into words. For now, I am amazed.

If you’ve been reading along, you know about my last huge bump here at the house with the electricity going out. Flabbergasted by the outrageous – and impossible – amount of money an electrician wanted to fix things back up again pushed reality right up in my face. No way.

So, I adapted. Once I got going with it, broke the rust off the squeaky wheel, it started to get easier. I could continue to function with all the various modifications to the way I do things, sans electricity. One thing is for sure: I’m not likely to flip a light switch and take it for granted that the light will actually come on again.