Icewind's Ramblings

For a friend who is going through tough times . . . Older now but still running against the wind . . . Hang in there! Ice

Does anyone else come home after a long day at work to find the phone ringing several times a night by some telemarketer’s firm wanting to ask you questions, sell you a warranty for a vehicle you have never owned, or a burial plot so your family does not have to make those decisions if something happens to you? Or the one calling offering you a great vacation or get away package? I hate these companies! I don't want to buy anything. I don't want to refinance my house. Don't you think that if I wanted to, maybe I would've called someone and already taken care of it? If you must keep calling, please, at least stop asking if my parents are available as I'm in my 50's and my mother lives a half world away. If you really want to talk to her I'll give you her number but be warned she hates you worse than I do and has an air horn at the ready for the sole purpose of blowing it loudly in your ear. She’s in her 80’s and has time on her hand...

Isn’t that a law firm in Connecticut ? Just kidding but it does bring up something that crosses our minds from time to time about the different things about our careers, lives or family. Everyone clings to that intangible . . . something out there that keeps us going in the hope that things work out for us. Why is that so? Is it we just need the music to keep us going? Something so simple but so hard sometimes to attain for many of us. All I can say is to keep looking and seeking out that elusive end and hopefully you find that one thing you seek. It’s raining here today with no chance of sun but there is always hope for tomorrow. Ice

On Aug. 15 to 17, 1969, (and into the 18 th ) hundreds of thousands of people, me among them, gathered in a lovely natural amphitheater in Bethel (not Woodstock ), New York . It was the Woodstock Music & Art Fair in upstate New York officially billed as “Aquarian Exposition” in White Lake , NY . New York was foreign to me at the time, worlds away from a typical southern boy’s existence growing up in Atlanta during the 60’s civil rights movement and all of the national chaos going on around the country during those times. I was just a funny kid with places to see and things to do in what I now, years later have jokingly called the series of my travels, “Looking for America ”. Gasoline was cheap back then at fifty cents a gallon so three boyhood friends were going to make the trek from Atlanta , Georgia to a farm in New York State . Steve Nash, Stuart Morris and I planned to leave three days before the concert started s...

I have been thinking lately . . . I know that may not be a good thing but it happens sometime. I wanted a glass of Beringer’s as I was writing this but none could be found so I will just have to do without for awhile. Back to my thoughts . . . recently it came to me as probably most people who share time with other people that there are those things that happen in the normal course of everyday living. The thing that struck me was what might seem normal for me might not be ‘normal’ or acceptable to others. They might be those annoying things that either totally gross out the other person but they may never say anything and let things go on possibly for years and years. You probably know where this is going by now as it gets down to those basic things of living in close proximity with other people. Do you “let it rip” in front of your spouse or mate? Then it gets into the whole ‘fluffing the covers’ issues whether that is foreplay to some while total...

We have all by now seen that a jump start to help the economy was needed and the Federal ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Program seems to be filling the bill as many people are going out and trading in their older vehicles. There has not been many things to bring a smile to our faces and to me this program may not be all that it is cracked up to be with the Government borrowing another 2 Billion dollars from China to keep the program going a little longer. That really makes no sense to me as that money just flows through the car dealerships and back out the door overseas since there is no limit on just USA made vehicles. If we at least Buy American the money can stay in America where we can benefit from the sales. I am not a big fan of the UAW but at least they can keep working producing over priced gas guzzling vehicles. A man who is having gas problems explains to his doctor that every time he farts it sounds like Honda. The doctor does an examination and finds ...

At Starbucks the other morning, I noticed a new sign at the counter. "Support our troops. Send them coffee." Seriously? I don't know about you, but if I was regularly waking up to 120 degree heat, wearing a minimum of 50 pounds worth of field equipment while being shot at by people . . . I don't know if coffee would be the first thing I would wish for. How about a Popsicle? Maybe a snowcone or just a cup of ice. Just my thoughts. Ice

It seems that many weekends this summer have gone through a similar pattern with regards to the weather. This summer has been great compared to the last few as we actually had summer like weather and temperatures for a change. That is not to say it has been without shades of the past as we have lately gone over the last several weeks with a cloudy, overcast and possibly rain showers during the week with a glimmer of sunshine. The television forecasters give us hope each week for a great sunny weekend but by Friday it seems it is still gray and overcast. Saturday mornings seem to have light rain overnight. We can go all weekend with that hope of things clearing up but it seems like every Sunday evening about six pm the skies clear, clouds roll away and the warmth of the sun presses to dry the pavement or decks. It is too late to start many activities so one can only sit back and enjoy the changing colors of the mountains around us as the day wanes and we h...

There is great news today being reported that the two US journalists were released from North Korea by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Kim Jong Il ordered the journalists released after meeting with former president Bill Clinton, who arrived in North Korea earlier in the day on an unannounced visit. Mr. Clinton left the country with both journalists aboard his plane, his spokesman Matt McKenna said. Laura Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36, were making a television documentary about North Korean refugees for former vice-president Al Gore's Current TV when they were detained on the border between North Korea and China in March. Now I don’t know about anyone else but I thought “Hell Would Freeze Over” Before I ever saw a news story that mentioned Bill Clinton and Happy Ending in the same sentence again. Just my thought’s on this rainy Alaskan evening. Ice

Why didn’t God get tenure? He only had one publication. It is one of those Sundays that I really did not want to sit down and write too much as I was busy enjoying a beautiful day. O ^__^ O (oo)_______ (__) )\/\ ||----w | || || Yes, I am easily amused. Ice

Or Flight of Fancy Talkeetna Bound The weather this last week brought some much needed rain along with some flooding on the Kenai Peninsula in the towns of Seward and Soldotna. In Seward the airport runway was underwater for several days and the large town waterfall was so powerful it was crashing down on the bridge about forty feet in front of the waterfall. Finally on Friday evening the winds died down the clouds parted and Saturday morning dawned with clear skies and warmer temperatures. My breakfast was nice with only Frank, my boss showing up since most everyone was out of town this weekend. I did not have many chores this morning so it was back home until noon when I went out to Merrill Field one of the local airports a few miles from my house to meet Wayne (one of my coworkers) who keeps his Cessna 177 (Cardinal) tied down there. The weather was nice with broken clouds so we decided to fly up to Talkeetna , Alaska and have lunch. We did ...