A Time to Kill

Another aspect of life in NC that I am still getting used to is the eternal struggle between man and nature. Thunderstorms are just one part of that. Another part - the one I will write about today - is my effort in killing things.

I was taken aback the other day by the fact that I keep starting my sentences to my wife with, "I am going out to kill ..." Sometimes the rest of that sentence is fairly benign, like, "weeds" or "grass growing in the mulch beds." On a few occasions, however, I've ended the sentence with "that nest of wasps," "the mouse in the fireplace," "the black window in the access pipe," or "the snake near the shed." And my wife knows what is implied when I come in from the yard and say, "I need my big shovel."

Living in the concrete jungle of NYC, I had been so isolated from nature that I assumed man's struggle for survival in the elements was over. What remained were trivial things like avoiding pigeon poop or whacking a silverfish with a shoe. Now, living out here in the country (or at least the outskirts of the burbs) I realize that the struggle continues.

I am getting over my fears of wild creatures and my reluctance to kill living things. It's not that I no longer respect God's creation - far from it! I just have a better perspective on my place within that creation and am better able to justify my need to survive and protect my family.

I'm Back... Again... Really This Time

Yeah, I know. I'm lazy about keeping my blog up. Well, I've been living in NC since October (that makes over 8 months now), and I finally have some perspective on it. I figure I can at least share my feeling on NC, moving, life here vs. life there, etc. So let's get started, shall we.

As I sit here typing this, It is thundering outside (don't worry, I'm unplugged). In NYC, thunderstorms almost never concerned me. The power generally stayed on through everything. I never feared that something might blow over and destroy my house. And though summer in NYC sees its share of storms, it was by no means a near-everyday occurrence.

Thunderstorms here in NC are a different story, as are many weather-related phenomena. For starters, we get lots more thunderstorms this time of year than I am used to. In fact, at least so far (and we are barely into summer) I feel like we are averaging late afternoon / early evening thunderstorms 3-5 times per week. Sometimes they pass and are nothing. As often as not, however, they are big, violent things, bringing lots of wind, water, and sometimes hail (haven't seen that here yet, but other parts of the Triangle have gotten some). If there were trees near my house, I'd be concerned that they'd topple (where I live is mostly open fields, with most of the trees at the edge of the community, beyond my back fence).

We haven't had a major power outage yet, which actually surprises me. With all of this lighting I feel it's just a matter of time, but still the lights stay on. Hooray for the power company!

And there is an aspect of the thunderstorms that is welcome - water. We are still in a bit of a drought here, so this helps a lot. It also means I can put off understand and programming my sprinkler system for a few more days.

So, in summary, while the thunderstorms in NC seem more threatening than those in NYC in several ways, it has not really been a terrible or dramatic change. Certainly the difference is enough to notice, but has not yet risen above a minor nuisance.