IF
Simply Said: IF memories are stored in the soul I will be taking with me: Florida's Sounds
Hurricane Isaac
...the look,smell and sounds of my beautiful FLORIDA. Mrs.B.
HURRICANES
I.)There is an eerie silence before a Hurricane hits...birds are
hushed...trees hang limply almost as if saying they do not fear the coming storm & show their defiance to prepare. The lack of familiar sounds makes you almost double check the news as to whether it is still coming or not; experienced people know.
(You will experience this again in the "Eye of the Storm" depending on how wide it is to its length of time passing. This is a dangerous phase & can give a false impression it is over.)
It begins with an almost imperceptible movement of the palm branches & light rain and builds in intensity and power with pelting intermittent rain gales & a "swooshing" sound made by the very trees that were quiet so shortly before; almost "dancing" in a symphony of resilience to this unwanted storm.
You WILL bow to "Mother Nature" and her inflicted power over you. Many times you might deflect a direct hit and sometimes even miss a storm. They are un-predictable,erratic and with a small "wobble" of trajectory can pass you by.
Wise people feel blessed about this....the immature or un-tested complain it "spoiled" their Hurricane Party!
Even the wiser person while feeling the relief of a "miss" can experience a tinge of regret for losing the challenge to "Battle Natures" power. (be careful what you wish for)
Hurricane Isaac
Key West, Florida
(2) I will take with me in my "trunk" the soft sound of the water lapping against the concrete pilings of the St.Petersburg Pier. I had a "private" spot at the Spa Beach of that wonderful Pier in the 50's where I could hide with my thoughts. I would follow the beach under the Pier and sit and listen to cars going by overhead & enjoy respite from a chaotic childhood.
(3) My Dad would take me to the Ferry Boat Landing in St.Pete for a ride on the days I could spend with him.I will always remember the "clicking" sounds of scurrying "Fiddler Crabs" seeking their sandy holes to escape my approaching feet...there were hundreds of them...
(4) I will remember (but NOT take) the Bush in front of my Grandmothers house where I encountered a hive of bees that did not appreciate a six year old on a tricycle. It was here I learned to RUN fast!
(5) My love of trees had its beginning in an iconic old tree
with spreading branches in "Coffee Pot Bayou"(St.Pete.)My Dad and I called it our special "Thinking Tree"! Time with my Dad was very precious to me as a child being more or less "ripped" away from him by my Mother (& lawyer)As a teen we would ride our bicycles over the bridge to our tree and climb its low branches to share our thoughts; Dad always took my thoughts seriously; listened and we discussed.
(6) I will take my first Snowball from Alaska Trip with Dad that I carried 150 miles in a shower cap until the next outpost in 1959!! I was 18 years old; Dad promised he would take me there if I made good grades my Senior year...I made ALL A's...who says bribery doesn't work?!
(7) My Dad gave me curiosity and a life-time love of Learning. Looking out my bedroom window in comfort and security at Dad's...smelling the Night Blooming
Jasmine beneath my window and soft rustling of curtains provided a frame to look through at the night sky.I was 10 years old and boggled by the thought of Infinity...that the Universe had NO limit and if so...what beyond that?
At 72 I have most of my answers to that.
(8) Last, but not least...in my "magic memory trunk"Gulf of Mexico at Sunset! Laying on the still warm sand watching the reddened Sun saying farewell to another day with the usual promise to return to me the next morning.
