Icewind's Ramblings

Many of us get wrapped up in things and continually have issues with time and our management of it in our lives.  There are so many different items to be sorted and dealt with as one walks along our timeline in this life. Is it easy, probably not, and how you deal with things will make you either totally stressed or worked up or as things become a little clearer in our thought process we may start seeing that calm that comes with a Zen-like living or lifestyle. Everyone has stresses and sometimes it seems like the waves of Life keep crashing in on you but do not be dismayed . . . you have the power to change things. “You can’t control the waves, but you can learn to surf” Challenges are going to come . . . but we’re not supposed to get sucked in.  We shouldn’t let them be too “heavy” and weigh us down because we have been given the amazing ability to surf.  We just have to choose to do it. Osho teaches us, once you have tasted the juice of the present,...

Since my heart attack it has been hard for me to get back into my groove of writing each day so I wanted to make some changes to things hoping it may shake up my subconscious to jumpstart again. I have always believed that being positive in your thoughts and actions each day is a choice we make when we wake up each morning and that it will affect how your day will generally go.  Not always, but it stands to reason that if you are positive you will be sought out by other positive people and negative people will have other negative folks drawn to them. Over the last months I have been sending positive messages to someone who has been struggling with the past and seeking changes to their life.  Sending these each morning has made me feel great in giving of myself the time and effort to put positive energy out in my realm of the universe each day.   I want to start sharing some of these with you to hopefully brighten your day and help you be reminded how li...

Like most people at this time of year it seems like everyone takes a few minutes to think about and review the past year.  I do that now and again but try not to write those “year end reviews” that some people enjoy sending out each year which embellishes all the great things that have happened to them or their family members. Hopefully this will not be that type of review though there may be some exaggeration of a few things since I tend not to really want to go to those things which may have been negative for me this year. As 2012 started in January there was much work going on with me traveling out to many remote Alaskan villages where the company I worked built clinics, water & sewer plants as well as other needed infrastructure so needed in the bush.  Many Natives still do not have indoor plumbing or clean water and I was fortunate to help provide that in several villages. The time of my separation and divorce brought me to a period for the first time in...

Everyone is always trying to figure out the meaning of Life so I thought I would put this together to help explain why we do some of the things we do to get by each day, month, and year. Life explained from the front porch . . . On the first day, God created the dog and said, “Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past.  For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.” The dog said, “That’s a long time to be barking.  How about only ten years and I’ll give you back the other ten?” So God saw it was good On the second day, God created the monkey and said, “Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh.  For this, I’ll give you a twenty-year life span.” The monkey said, “Monkey tricks for twenty years?  That’s a pretty long time to perform.  How about I give you back ten like the dog did?” And God, again saw it was good On the third day, God created the cow and said, “You must go ...

Life Observation # 160 . . .    Trust is the invisible bond that holds all of human interaction together. Without it, we are all alone and dysfunctional.   Ice

Hotheaded Naked Ice Borers In its April, 2012 issue Defenders Magazine announced that Dr. Aprile Rooz, a noted wildlife biologist, had found a fascinating new Arctic species: the hotheaded naked ice borer.   These bizarre creatures were each about half a foot long, very light, and had a bony plate attached to their head that could become burning hot, allowing them to bore tunnels through ice at high speeds.   They used this ability to hunt penguins.   Packs of them would melt the ice beneath a penguin causing it to sink into the slush, at which point the borers would surround the hapless creature and consume it. Dr. Rooz discovered the borers by chance as a result of their predatory nature.   While studying a group of penguins on Arctic sea ice, she noticed one frightened member of the group rapidly sinking into the ice.   When she pulled the hapless creature out of the fast-growing slush pool that surrounded it, she found a host of small creatures attac...

It has been really busy at work so there has been little time to write.   Preparing for the upcoming construction in Alaska is a major logistical undertaking.   With the limited barge season in many areas in the Arctic there is a push to get equipment and materials from Seattle or Anchorage barged to the villages we work in.   Many times there is only a month or so that the sea ice recedes to allow ships into dock to bring in fuel and supplies.   Sometimes you move items this year to actually do the work the next season.   Such is life in Alaska. The more you learn . . . the more you know . . . the more you know . . . the more you forget . . .   the more you forget . . .   the less you know. So . . . Why learn? Ice

I ran across this older post on my gaming board, The Amazon Basin and it gave me a chuckle on parenting and children coming of age and dating.   I thought I would post on my blog so others may gain insight into their own experiences.   This was written in 2006 and brought with it several events that have run full circle now in my family’s life. Enjoy. As my youngest daughter has grown up and started dating it has become apparent that I needed to break out the rules again for dating my daughter.   Before the holidays I had a strange thing that happened and wanted to share it with you.   On one of the weekends before the Thanksgiving holiday some little girls stopped by the house to sell some gift wrapping paper for a school project.   This happens every year and talking with the neighbors kids was nice seeing how they were doing and what was happening in their school.   One of the young girls asked me if we could get the car that parked at the edge of ...

Well, damn. I accidentally hit "enter" right after I typed the dang title to this thing and so some of you are just going to hit a blank spot until I get it done.   In the meantime, I think I've lost the thought of what I was going to say and I'm hoping that by typing it will come to me . . . nope . . . damn. Yeah, pretty much, I just don't feel like blogging tonight.   I think I will fix some dinner, kick back and play about an hour of Starcraft 2 and watch Hawaii Five-0.   Maybe it will come to me then. Ice

This morning I was watching Today Show and they did a really good piece looking back at this past year.   It covered almost any topic you can think of from world events, economy, sports, celebrities, deaths, and it was beautifully done.   I came away with several thoughts about the video and also about my own year in review. The most striking thing that jumped out at me was how much chaos and trouble there is all over the world.   The many conflicts going on in so many different regions and how they never seem to be resolved and continue year after year. The natural disasters that happened this past year seem almost unprecedented with the numerous earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and droughts to affect so many countries and people.   One could almost think the ‘end of times’ was marching quickly and everyone needs to take a look at their lives and how they are living it.   It is an interesting ‘what if’ thought process when you look at what the Bible says...

I had posted this in 2007 and thought it appropriate to re-post again this year and with FaceBook now in the forefront it can go around once again. In our troubling times that we live today and the uncertainties that face many peoples and nations, I am reminded of an earlier time in a place called “No Man’s Land” during World War I.   During that time an act of humanity happened that went beyond rank and reason . . . and so . . . Christmas Truce . . . * The truce began on Christmas Eve , December 24 , 1914 , when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres , Belgium , for Christmas . They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols , most notably Stille Nacht ( Silent Night ). The British troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols. The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits ac...

I have been asked by some friends on Facebook to post “A Soldier’s Prayer” but before I do I wanted to give a little perspective into the Civil War and the turmoil going on in this country at the time.   There are still problems in this country and around the world but we continually strive to live in hopes of a better world.   Do your part to remember those from our past and those of our future whose sacrifice gives us the Freedoms we enjoy today. July 2, 1863 during the battle of Gettysburg in the area of Devil’s Den this prayer was written by a dying confederate soldier.   There are conflicting stories over the years whether it was found folded in his pocket or written in blood on the floor next to his body.   Either way it gives great perspective into life and living. Casualty figures for the second day of Gettysburg are difficult to assess because both armies reported by unit after the full battle, not by day.   One estimate is that the Confederates lo...

It’s been two years since I last updated you on the ‘cool’ family in bush Alaska.   “Storm & Icy” live above the Arctic Circle in a little spot on the 400 mile haul road (Dalton Hwy) between Fairbanks and Prudoe Bay called Livengood, Alaska. You can check out the back story in my archives from January 1 found here & 2 found here 2009. Again special thanks to a neat lady, June Dilley who has imagination bigger than mine and continues the fun with her creations.   (I just have the weird mind set to think up a story for these highlighting the uniqueness of Alaskan lifestyle.) As we begin again, life in rural Alaska has its challenges and also rewards.   Those of us who live in a small town adapt and become self sufficient in the everyday things most take for granted.   Many villages still have no running water or indoor plumbing.   Cell phones and internet are slowing bringing communication into areas which has never had an easy time in talking with ...

When you think that our kids may be suffering from a lack of ideas for school projects this kids Dad give him something to capture the imagination and brings back some much needed “how to” to school projects. I saw this over on “The Next Web” blog and thought it would be fun to share. It reminds me of building soap box derby cars in my youth and other science projects I did as a kid.   My favorite project I built was the Gemini 6 & 7 rendezvous mission in December 1965.   I built two models and had a motor underneath with cables that brought them together and backed them up again.   It was pretty cool and this one tops anything I can think of in the last thirty years. Enjoy. Ice

I see it everywhere I go now . . . people head down . . . thumbs at the ready . . . and banging out messages to other people.   They are sitting at the bus stop, driving down the street in their cars, in planes as they travel from place to place and even in the bathroom of all places. I walk into my restroom at the office and a guy is standing there using the urinal . . . holding on to take aim with one hand . . . and texting with the other.   What in the hell is that?   Then he goes so far to not wash his hands and leaves not missing a beat sending the next message.   And he puts that phone up to his ear with dirty hands . . . I was shocked. I admit that I am a dinosaur when it comes to texting . . . I don't do it unless I absolutely have too and I don't want to know how to do all of those little short cuts and abbreviations.   I am a person who uses the cell phone as needed but not one who is addicted to it.   My friend Scott has OCD with his phone . ...

I haven’t written an Observation in the New Year so from the past holiday period this little diddy . . . If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, maybe you just don't understand the situation. Ice

As we approach the holiday season and prepare for the small gathering tomorrow of family and maybe a few friends it is nice to think back on summers end.  It started snowing this afternoon giving us a fresh blanket of the white stuff.  Anchorage is known as the “City of Lights ” during the winter months so I, like many people put up lights for the winter which remain on until the last musher of the Iditarod arrives in Nome completing the race in mid March. With a little extra time on my hands I can think back on summers past where I close my eyes as the memories come back like a wild river, colorful like Northern Lights in the clear cold night, which I saw for the first time this season a few nights ago.  THE reason I came to Alaska , THE thing I wanted to see since I was a little boy in Atlanta .  There they were, dancing above the hillside, misty green, slick and wavy.  Nothing could screw this day anymore as I watched in amazement at the night sky. ...