Icewind's Ramblings

Everywhere you go . . . even to the mall. And where better to remember shopping than my favorite movie, Christmas Vacation’s shopping scene with Mary. Enjoy! Did a small bit of shopping today and the parking lots were a mess.   Everyone seemed to lose the Christmas spirit as there were many hands and fingers pointed at people trying to find or maneuver for those few shopping spaces. Not fun so glad to be home without all of the chaos of the malls or stores. Ice

I saw this on Google images and thought you might enjoy this. Polar Bear Christmas This looks like Barrow, Alaska which is in darkness from November to until January 24, 2011. Polar Bears playing on the ice next to the Beaufort Sea. Happy Holidays! Ice

This past weekend while temperatures in Anchorage plunged to minus digits as a solid few days of extremely cold air settled in over the state there were those who braved the extremes for a worthy good time. I say ‘worthy’ because it was an annual fund raiser for the Alaska Special Olympics organization and a good time because you must be nuts to jump into a hole cut into the ice of a frozen lake at minus 11 degrees. But that is what over eight hundred jumpers did last Saturday morning while several hundred onlookers and well wishers cheered those who took the “plunge”.   There were over 4,000 pledges made for this fantastic event. Notice the “steam” coming off the participants after getting out of the water heading to the warming tents. The event was another great success . . . raising over $ 275,000.00 for the organization to help train our special Olympic athletes and other programs offered throughout the year. Congratulations Jim Balamaci, for all you do directing this...

I headed out early for my usual Saturday morning breakfast with my friends leaving the house a little earlier than usual since we had snow that night.   It was one of those strange type mornings since no normal people were out yet, just me and the “Force”. It was odd that on the 10 minute drive to Village Inn from my house I traveled the small streets in my neighborhood to the highway and through the back street neighborhoods near the hospital.   On this whole drive of seven miles there was one thing happening that struck me like a vehicle blasting off into a snow bank on a cold windy morning. The only people I had seen that morning were the snow plow drivers making the night twinkle with the flashing yellow and blue lights and the occasional back up horn blasting away to anyone close by.   Not a soul else was seen on this drive to breakfast. Coming down my street was a ‘formation’ of three snow plows coming at me like an army of heavy metal with blinding lights to ...

*Nitty Gritty Dirt Band circa 1970’s “Rippling Waters” has been a favorite song during my lifetime as it feeds my soul of that longing for relaxation and small town living.   I’ve danced with my daughters to this music when each was a little girl and same with grandkids now. The music has gone in and out of my consciousness over the many years but something seems to trigger its return to my brain and my well being.   “And now ripplin’ waters flows through pipes in the walls and they’re keeping me warm” which refers to the hydronic heating systems in houses here and many other places.   It is an everyday reminder in the wintertime of this song as you can hear the air bubbles in the pipes making the sounds.   It is soothing at night lying in bed as we do not have many thunderstorms here in Alaska so those sounds are comforting to many people. We are approaching the official start of winter on the 21 st when the winter solstice happens.   So far it has been ...

Why do we press harder on a wireless mouse button when we know the batteries are getting weak? Ice

With Christmas just around the corner and things going into full swing this holiday season I wanted to give you something to ease that stress of the crowded malls, that parking spot at the far end of the lot and bring back that time of Christmas carols.   This little video clip from Two and a Half Men reminds us how fun those little moments are that brings out that unexpected smile. Enjoy! Happy Holidays, Ice

The holiday is over and it was back to work but it was nice to have a few days to rest and unwind. Thursday dawned with snow falling through the darkness and several inches had fallen.   I was up long before first light as daybreak now is about 9:45 am with the days growing shorter till the winter solstice.   I could see the flakes coming down reflected in the glow of the street light across the street.   My deck and railing was covered with about 3 inches and it was coming down steadily. The weather forecast said to expect 1” to 3” but that had come and gone so it was a lets see where it ends.   I did not have anywhere to go so it was a good day to just hang out and enjoy its beauty. The weather front stalled out over Anchorage and gave us a foot of fresh snow over the weekend.   On Sunday it was time to break out the snow blower for the first time this season and have a go at clearing the driveway.   It is not long but it is four vehicles wide so it ...

I hope everyone’s tummy is full with turkey and stuffing and you’re forced to spend the rest of the weekend on the couch from the delicious food coma. That’s the holiday season. This year for the first time we did not cook a turkey or holiday dinner.   There was no one here to enjoy it so going through the motions of fixing all the trimmings was to no avail.   We hung out watching the snow falling all day long as the one to three inches of snow turned into almost a foot as the weather system stalled out over Anchorage. Overnight the skies cleared and today it is bright, sunny, and not a cloud to be seen.   Whiteness returns and everything is covered with a fresh coat of powder.   There is no left over food to munch on or find space for in the refrigerator and all of the paper plates from yesterdays ‘meal’ have long since been thrown away. Missing is the kids and grandkids this year and my father in law who decided to become a snowbird this winter and headed fo...

My wife’s hearing has been deteriorating for a few years now and she finally went several months ago to the doctor for a screening confirming her problems. She was able to get a hearing aid for one ear and maybe next year she can get one for the other side but for now it has improved somewhat but there are still some additional problems. When she wears the device while watching television she turns it way down so no one else can hear anything if we watch something together while before it was so loud I could hear her programs from my office. She takes it out sometimes at night several hours before she sleeps so things are asked and answered several time before the conversation can move onto the next subject or item.   Several weeks ago she went back to work again with her boss who was moving into a new office with his son combining their practice.   I told her, “I’m proud of you.”   To which she responded, “I’m tired of you too.”   See we still communicate effec...

Trying week at work so today’s observation: Never judge a man’s actions until you know his motives. Ice

I wish Target would stop screwing with old people.   Target has introduced a redesigned pill bottle that's square with nice rounded edges.   It sports a bigger label.   And the top is now the bottom. By the time we grandpa’s figure out how to open it, our ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis. Ice

I started my rig just before 4 pm so it would warm up by the time I walked out the door from my office since the temperature has dropped over 30 degrees since yesterday. I looked out my office window and saw the setting sun’s reddish orange glow awash over the mountainside with a waxing moon rising a few inches above the mountaintop.   Once I got into my rig and started the drive home the sky to the southwest was bright orange since the sun had just set. Looking across Cook Inlet lie “Sleeping Lady” covered in a fresh blanket of snow without a cloud in the sky to be found across the horizons. By the time I arrived home and got the mail it was almost dark outside. Times like these makes one thankful to be in such an incredible place. Ice

Over the weekend the heating system in the house started acting up.   During the day time things seemed to be working but more likely it was the small amount of passive heating coming through the windows.   As the afternoon slowly waned and darkness set in around 4 pm things started to cool down inside the house.   By seven pm the temperature had dropped to 65 degrees and was not holding at the set thermostat temperature.   I swapped out the batteries in the unit since it has digital controls but it did not help so it was time to go check out the boiler. The boiler was working as the radiant heating in the basement zone and the garage zone hydronic baseboard were hot and working.   There are three zones in the house and the upper zone control valve was not working properly.   I could manually open the valve allowing the hot water to circulate through the baseboard warming things up.   By bedtime it was about 72 degrees when I closed the valve. ...

Remember the Fallen . . . The face in the picture drew me in.   So much warmth and vitality in his smiling face.   What would he have been like today?   A doctor?   A writer?   A businessman?   Hard working and good-humored I am sure of that much.   I think he would have been a great family man and, if a father, full of love and warmth for his children.   These were dreams unrealized because of a life far too short. As my eyes widened to that inward reflection, I wondered why things had turned out the way they did.   It could just as easily been me long since dead.   This is the burden of one who remains.   Survivor guilt. I can hear his voice so clearly and after so many years as we waded in the surf of the South China Sea. "Are you afraid of dying D?"   "I never really thought about it Jim.   No, I guess not." "I am." The humid air and blazing sun baked us. Jim's comments dampened the conversation and made me u...

It was a long night across the country and after many went to sleep on the East Coast the polls finally closed in Alaska. Many races were decided and a few are still a few days away from the final outcomes.   But one trend seems to be happening . . . Probably we are all getting screwed. Ice

I’ve said it before . . . one of the problems with elections is eventually after all the fliers, commercials, rally’s, and finger pointing . . . you have to elect someone. How did it come to a time when you are voting for the ‘lesser’ of evil in the candidates? Many a long hard fought battles have taken place in this country . . . and it is from Gettysburg that we were reminded: “. . . It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.   It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” November 19,...

Tomorrow is another election day and things are still in turmoil.   I see signs that ask “How’s that ‘Change’ going for you?” and “Yes we can!”   At times I wonder it the changes that have taken place are really changes at all. It’s well nigh impossible to assess the true character of a human heart . . . even one’s own.   We use words (Oh, so many words!) to describe our selves, our wants, desires, ideals (and imperfections) to others.   We go through life “self-characterized”, for the most part.   The face we reveal to the world is the face we primp and preen to present.   It sounds like a woman thing but it fits our thinking. Words are our cosmetics. I don’t really have a problem with that.   I believe most of us want to embody our ideals.   I believe we humans, for the most part, want to live peaceful, loving, noble lives.   We certainly tell ourselves that, often enough.   We assure others we are peaceful, honest, loving and ...

Living in Alaska puts a damper on some things but the last couple of years one is left to wonder what happened to Halloween. Even with the cold weather you would see kids out with costumes over the snow suits or all bundled up against the elements.   Lately there have only been a few people out and about knocking on doors looking for the candy treats we looked forward to as a child. Alaska does things a little differently with several indoor places to take the children to a ‘festival’ atmosphere where there are the big inflatables for the kids to play and being inside there is little worry of the cold or snow outside. Does that take away from the whole fun of Halloween going to the neighbor’s house for that trick or treat tradition?   I had only four people who knocked on my door this year and they all came at the same time.   Over a period of several hours there was nothing happening even though my wife gave the dog a Valium to calm him down since he barks at anythi...

On the drive back to Anchorage this afternoon from Gulkana as we approached the Matanuska glacier we saw a chicken crossing the road . . . it was poultry in motion. Ice