06 Feb 2014 The sounds of falling
by Janna Virden
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
The world is eerily quiet. The power is off, no cars are moving, the world is heavily covered in ice.
Every five minutes or so a large “pop” is heard as ice overwhelms the strength of a tree. Tree limbs fall, crashing through other limbs as glistening ice shards spray outward. The silence is broken. The silence is good, sounds now are scary. I watch, because that is all I can do as winter wins the battle over the sentinel trees that grow tall and beautiful on our property.
We can’t help it. When we hear a louder boom, we run to a window to see where a limb has landed, or if we can’t see, we go to our front walkway to see if we can find the damage. We peer into the yard from a distance. We cannot enter. The yard that is so beautiful in the spring is dangerous.
We also hear the pops and booms in a distance. We know our neighbors are watching out their windows as well. We hope that the falling debris remains only limbs, but we recognize that some of the larger sounds could indicate something more. I give a silent prayer, “Please, don’t let our trees hurt anyone passing by in a car, and keep our neighbors safe in their homes.”
The ice grows thicker as a cold, light rain falls from the sky and puts another coating on the already drooping trees and bushes. I hear sirens in the distance. Another sound that I wish would remain silent.
The power comes back on and the house comes alive. I feel better until I hear another boom. The lights won’t silence the world. I watch the news. Tomorrow it is going to be sunny and 37, but windy. I hope that those 5 degrees will make a difference because another storm is predicted.
I don’t know how my soldiers will fare.
