Icewind's Ramblings

Spending time home this weekend brought several reminders that summer is almost over and the seasons are quickly changing once again. The days are growing shorter now as we head back into the darker months as we are losing over five minutes of light each day bringing with it real darkness once again. That thirty minutes of less light each week is noticeable now as there are signs within nature calling out to you if one pays attention. The birds are once again hitting the bird feeders all day long eating much to bulk up before they fly south to warmer climates for their migratory trek each year. The local birds which remain during the winter months are starting to hoard the food making many trips back and forth between their nest and the feeders. The finch type birds are everywhere preparing for warmer weather and will be missed once they start making the exodus. Blue Jays are getting bolder now wanting more peanuts for the winter as they fly up first thing in ...

It’s summertime in Alaska and there is the abundant wild life roaming the streets of Anchorage . Recently the local moose population worked their magic and we see the young calves sticking close to mom and dad moose. There are plenty of geese now raising their newborn goslings it seems like in every pond or drainage pool or soccer field. I have a friend who works for Chugach Electric who was telling me about the trials and sometimes strange things that happen when there are power outages that occur in Alaska . There are the normal things like the rest of the country has like wind blown down trees or limbs that break off or blow over lines cutting power to many homes and businesses. There is the occasional transformer that goes out from normal wear or the power pole that gets hit in an auto accident but there are other things that happen here to bring us back to the “dark ages”. A wayward bear or moose may cause an outage but sometimes it’s that pesky ...

Many of you know over the last couple of years that I have enjoyed and been fascinated by the squirrels that have taken up roost at my last couple of houses I have lived in. Squirrels are just so fascinating in how they interact with each other, birds which may share a bird feeder, and my family. Then there is the dog, Gus who now has a ‘doggie door’ so he can go in and outside while we are working or away for a few hours. My bird feeder is just outside the new door a few steps away across the deck, hanging over the side. The birds and squirrels can get to the feed and do so in relative safety with Gus just lurching his way up the railing and barking his displeasure of them eating ‘his’ peanuts. The Blue Jays and the Robbins play tag team luring Gus away from the feeder while the mate flies up and gets the food and off to the nest. It is funny how they work Gus to the point he tires of running back and forth and lies down under the feeder and watches the wildl...

I wanted to sit down and write tonight but after a crazy day at work I came home, sat out on the deck and enjoyed the start of a beautiful Alaska evening. It was evening only by the hands on the clock as the sun was still quite high in the sky and an almost summer temperature of 60 degrees kept me hoping that this would hold during the summer months. It was nice just to sit on the deck watch the birds hitting the feeder every few minutes along with the two squirrels who survived the winter months with my feeding peanuts to them all winter. I love to watch the animals within the neighborhood as I await the bears making their way out of a long lazy sleep. It will not be long before we see our trash cans that are not bear proof scattered all around. I enjoyed a couple cups of coffee while I read the paper and tried to ignore Gus while he wanted me to throw his ball over and over again. People are out and about now with this nice weather walking or riding bi...

Or Neighborhood Hazard: Why the Cops Won’t Patrol Brice Street I do not have time to write today as it was a busy night and day here in The Last Frontier. My daughter spent about 10 hours in the hospital last night getting enough medication to basically knock her out and anti-nausea meds to keep her from throwing up all night. She slept a couple of hours and we returned to the hospital this morning where after another 5 hours in the ER she was admitted. Hopefully this stretch will be quicker to resolve than our six months last year in and out of the hospital and a Medivac flight to Seattle where our mystery seemingly was solved. More tests and time will tell this go round. I needed a laugh today and this story over the years always brings about a smile and sometimes the much needed belly laugh. I first read this several years ago before I started blogging and reading some of his ‘road stories’ has been interesting as well as the adventures in his travels. ...

It’s getting colder here in Alaska and once again its time for more great food as our freezers are stocked now from another season of hunting and fishing. There is also much talk about Sarah Palin since she was asked to be John McCain’s running mate. She is an outdoor’s woman who hunts and fishes with the best of them and like many Alaskans has done her share of preparing game meat for her family. And speaking of PETA I have been getting some crazy feedback from my new recipe book I have been working on. It is a kind of recipe book on “Road Kill” from Alaska and many Nations and other such nonsense. Now before the PETA folks all get in an uproar there are varying organizations of PETA. There is the P rimary E ducation T eacher’s A ssociation And the P eople for the E thical T reatment of A nimals But the one I like best, P eople E at T asty A nimals My section of Alaskan Fare in my area includes: Moose and Squirrel Meat Balls ...

One of the great things about having a non-specific blog is that I can write about whatever I want, when I want. As an observer of life and things around me it makes for a fascinating outlook on many different things. What a difference a few days makes! The rain we had constantly for most of the summer stopped Friday afternoon, much to our delight, though the news weather experts seen to have been stuck in the mode of predicted light showers through the evening hours all summer. You look at the 5 or 7 day forecast and it has constantly shown clouds, rain or both. Normal times I think summer is the best for me . . . maybe not this summer with the rain and all but the fishing and outdoors in mild temperatures is great. I enjoy autumn with the wind in the trees, the changing colors, and the brisk feel in the air. I love getting up in the morning, walking outside, and having a cold blast of air hit me in the face. If I could choose any season to live out the rest of my l...