The BROWN Time
As I was driving home from Cheyenne the other day, it became obvious that we are entering the dreaded brown time of year. I don't like it! To me, a landscape that is devoid of any color, except brown, is just depressing.
During the brown time, from the end of October until early March, I have to work harder to be content. I turn on more lights in the house. Levi helps me bake cookies. I curl up on the couch with a good book. I am thrilled when Bill brings me some flowers, but sometimes, just to brighten up the house, I even resort to picking up a colorful bouquet of mixed blooms from Walmart.
Of course, there is Christmas, with all of its exhilarating sights, and good smells, and gorgeous decorations. For a few weeks, the brown time seems much brighter, as we get ready to celebrate Jesus' birth; Jesus always makes our lives better, if we let him.
When Bill and I lived in Michigan, I learned to appreciate winter. There, we embraced the endless snowy days, going sledding or cross country skiing several times a week. By the way, when snow covers the landscape for six months out of every year, as it does in northern Michigan, there is no brown time.
But here, in western Nebraska, the brown time lasts too long. Howling snowstorms, or gently falling snowflakes, may provide a welcome respite from all that brown, but the snow-covered streets and yards soon turn brown, too, melting sooner than we might like, leaving behind some treacherous, dirty, icy streets and sidewalks that people don't always bother to keep clear of trampled snow and grimy, aging ice.
As I was driving home the other day, I stopped briefly to snap a few pictures of the autumn landscape near the Wyoming border. Later, while editing the photos, I realized that there is a wealth of texture in the brown fields. Even better, I noticed that the brown landscape is moderated significantly when the blue sky shows off its vibrant color.
For the next few months, I will have to look a little harder to find the beauty that is still here. (But I keep telling Bill that we need to take a vacation to someplace warm and green, maybe in early February, when our Nebraska winter is entrenched in gloom.)
In the meantime, I've been asked to participate in the Facebook black and white photo challenge. Since my sister asked, I will do it, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. In my opinion, those gray tints aren't much different than brown. Nevertheless, I have been forced to take a closer look at some pictures I've taken, but only the ones without people, who make photography much more interesting. Again, I'm having to look for texture in the pictures I take, because just as texture can make a brown landscape more beautiful, it can make colorless photos more interesting, too.
I was feeling a little sorry for myself, driving through the browning fall landscape, but everything changed when I finally drove through the Wildcats and down into the North Platte River valley that we call home. Here in Gering, many trees still have their golden leaves, and a few bright red trees dot our neighbors' yards. The grass is looking a little tired, but every lawn is still mostly green. So we have a reprieve, of sorts, for at least a few more days.
Then, the brown time will truly begin.
I'm so glad some people, long ago, thought to add the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays to this otherwise depressing time of year. When we stop to thank God for all that he does for us, the brown fades away into the background, and life becomes exciting and fulfilling, in spite of the brown.
During the brown time, from the end of October until early March, I have to work harder to be content. I turn on more lights in the house. Levi helps me bake cookies. I curl up on the couch with a good book. I am thrilled when Bill brings me some flowers, but sometimes, just to brighten up the house, I even resort to picking up a colorful bouquet of mixed blooms from Walmart.
Of course, there is Christmas, with all of its exhilarating sights, and good smells, and gorgeous decorations. For a few weeks, the brown time seems much brighter, as we get ready to celebrate Jesus' birth; Jesus always makes our lives better, if we let him.
When Bill and I lived in Michigan, I learned to appreciate winter. There, we embraced the endless snowy days, going sledding or cross country skiing several times a week. By the way, when snow covers the landscape for six months out of every year, as it does in northern Michigan, there is no brown time.
But here, in western Nebraska, the brown time lasts too long. Howling snowstorms, or gently falling snowflakes, may provide a welcome respite from all that brown, but the snow-covered streets and yards soon turn brown, too, melting sooner than we might like, leaving behind some treacherous, dirty, icy streets and sidewalks that people don't always bother to keep clear of trampled snow and grimy, aging ice.
As I was driving home the other day, I stopped briefly to snap a few pictures of the autumn landscape near the Wyoming border. Later, while editing the photos, I realized that there is a wealth of texture in the brown fields. Even better, I noticed that the brown landscape is moderated significantly when the blue sky shows off its vibrant color.
In the meantime, I've been asked to participate in the Facebook black and white photo challenge. Since my sister asked, I will do it, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. In my opinion, those gray tints aren't much different than brown. Nevertheless, I have been forced to take a closer look at some pictures I've taken, but only the ones without people, who make photography much more interesting. Again, I'm having to look for texture in the pictures I take, because just as texture can make a brown landscape more beautiful, it can make colorless photos more interesting, too.
Then, the brown time will truly begin.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:22-24
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