Blowing Off Steam!! 11-14-2012

This is a somewhat progressive blog. Feel FREE to begin by clicking to my first post: Boologging Begins

 

The great and powerful OZ!!

This is Veteran's Week, and I am grateful to the many, many brave people who have entered military service and positively affected my FREEDOM. I conveyed on Facebook thanks to family members for their heroic service, including Ron and Ben for their current, continuing service, and thanks to my Veteran Father Craig, and Father-in-law Marvin and his brother Jim. They allow me to continue tip-toeing into the topic of personal freedom, sharing safe-for-me, personal, Oz-arks tales.

My husband jogs at our nearby lake and never knows what he will encounter at the early-morning timeframe when he's on the wooded trail. Many times he has crossed paths with one particularly rugged exerciser who is a bit startling because he appears out of nowhere, running down a wooded hill or turning a quick corner, but he's quite entertaining. Jeff returns home chuckling because this guy is randomly and vigorously grunting as he carries or drags large, crazy things. One day he was "boulder-guy;" another day he was "tire man." Jeff wonders when he'll see the guy next, where, and lugging what outrageous inanimate object.

On a recent early-morning run Jeff startled zillions of migrating geese on the lake, creating synchronized whooshing, flapping, and cackling sounds, like an enormous thundercloud. The previous night we could actually hear those unison cackles from our home at bedtime. We never know what we will encounter next at the lake. Maybe that's why we like it so much.

On one booming Sunday afternoon we experienced anything but entertainment at the lake. A dynamic first occurred when, just minutes before we left our house for a walk, the roar of ten jet engines preparing for take-off began, and it continued.

I quickly shot many illogical questions to know-it-all Jeff: What is that LOUD noise? Are we being attacked? How can we find out where that deafening noise is coming from? Do you think it's safe to take a drive?

We bravely venture out in our car, and I'm surprised we don't see all of our neighbors in their front yards; there are a few curious ones visibly scratching their heads. We do encounter many inquisitive Oz-arks drivers slowly passing a nearby, ominous, thundering structure. Years ago I recall solo, night-time car rides past this structure that created helpless, "Oz"-like feelings in me. This day, many of the passers-by are thinking: Surely that power plant really is Oz, and it is about to blow!

We ended up walking anyway, thinking that any minute the astronomical, reverberating noise would stop. We couldn't help but walk at record, Olympic pace because of the roar's agitation. I couldn’t hear my MP3 music, but earnestly pressed the buds to my ears to somewhat protect my eardrums. It helped a little. The "booming" roar continued even after our 35-minute walk.

How could a power plant person randomly decide to overwhelmingly attack the noise space of hundreds of people? For an hour? The entire walk that bossy power plant seemed to FREELY use vociferous noise pollution as its "voice" to make a point:

I am the great and powerful Oz…and there is nothing you can do about it!!!!

The power plant really was a giant tea kettle ready to explode. We later learned that it was blowing off steam because of excess pressure. At times, I, too, have excess pressure and need to blow off steam!

On a light-hearted noted, a true story about President Reagan says he could be quite witty, and was visiting the Queen of England riding horses together when one of the horses blew off steam, releasing some LOUD flatulence.

After a few awkward moments the Queen embarrassingly said, I apologize! There are some things even royalty cannot control.

The quick-witted President chuckled, Why...thank you! If not for your apology, I would have thought the horse did it.

Another thing for which I am grateful: #6  Walks at our normally peaceful lake with my husband...feeling like royalty.

On Sunday, November 18th, I will share another blowing-off-steam, Ozarks incident…still chugging towards my topic of personal freedom. Deo Volente! 

I know there are a few of you out there reading... thank you from the top, middle, and bottom of my heart for your participation in my adventure.