Icewind's Ramblings

It was many years ago since the embarrassing day when a young woman, with a baby in her arms, entered a butcher shop and confronted the butcher with the news that the baby was his and asked what was he going to do about it. Finally, he offered to provide her with free meat until the boy was 16. And she readily agreed. The butcher had been counting the years off on his calendar and one day the teenager who had been collecting the meat each week, came into the shop and said, "I'll be 16 tomorrow." "I know," said the butcher with a smile, "I've been counting too. Tell your mother, when you take this parcel of meat home, that it is the last free meat she'll get and watch the statement on her face." When the boy arrived home he told his mother. The woman nodded and said, "Son, go back to the butcher and tell him I have also had free bread, free milk and free groceries for the last 16 years and watch the statement on his face . . . !"...

Now that I have been out of my old house these last months and do not use an alarm clock to wake up I realized a curious thing as I wake up each morning.   That sound that heavy machinery makes to warn you that it's backing up is the same sound the ex’s alarm made. In the silence of the morning waking up now it hit me . . . all those years I woke up feeling like my life was going backward wasn't me . . . it was the alarm.   I guess I’m thankful that I wake up now without that sound and seem to be moving forward. Ice

I remember when I was young going to the local Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC in recent years) was a big deal for the family and a lot of fun.   I even met the Colonel once dressed out in his hat, cane and that funny laugh of his. I do not eat there very often as it seems like each time I head over the prices keep going up and up.   My granddaughter wanted Mac & Cheese from KFC so I took her to the location just around the corner from my house. Blasted by a menu board with many items and large print size prices (I guess to keep you from going into shock).   I stood there looking at all the prices, kid’s meals, family meals and for individual meals. What struck me was how much the cost of chicken has gone up lately.   A 12 piece meal was $ 29.99 and this is for mainly thighs and wings with one breast thrown in.   What a rip-off. A two piece chicken meal was almost $ 9 bucks but that did come with a side and biscuit.   It’s crazy how they seem to dict...

Recent political activities seem to prove this point of mine. To succeed in politics . . . it is often necessary to rise above your principles. Ice

I finally got through my work week and did not finish this until tonight so it is about a couple weeks old now from reality.   I had finished up Friday (the week before Thanksgiving) and had a few days off until after the holidays.  I needed to use some of my time before the end of the year so as not to lose it so I did not have to be back to work until Nov. 28th which is not bad. I decided that I had worked too hard these last few weeks and needed a break from everything so I decided to drive down to Homer for the day to clear my head and get ready to slow down from work.  I have a friend who has a boat there who had asked several weeks ago to drop by if I was in the area.   With the cold weather he was not there this weekend but no worries.   I have another friend who has lived in Alaska for many years but had never been to Homer so I asked if she wanted to accompany me on what would be about a 10 hour trek.   Several friends thought I'm crazy to dri...

I wanted to write tonight but had several things to do before I came home and now the mood has passed so I figured I would put this funny story out to give a little smile to everyone. A couple made a deal that whoever died first would come back and inform the other of the afterlife. The biggest fear was that there was no heaven. After a long life, the husband was the first to go, and true to his word, he made contact. "Rose . . . Rose . . ." "Is that you, Douglas?" Yes, I've come back like we agreed." "What's it like?" "Well, I get up in the morning, I have sex. I have breakfast, I have sex. I bathe in the sun, then I have sex twice. I have lunch, then sex pretty much all afternoon. After supper, I have sex until late at night. The next day it starts again." "Oh, Douglas, you surely must be in heaven." "Not exactly . . . I'm a rabbit in Nebraska" Ice

With the holiday season upon us I wanted to make sure everyone is safe and uses good judgment when going to holiday parties or out on the town.   I remembered seeing this warning a while back and wanted to share it with everyone. Enjoy! WHEN YOU GET TO THE END, CLICK ON THE LINK FOR THE DEMO! Police are warning all men who frequent clubs, parties & local pubs to be alert and stay cautious when offered a drink from any woman.  Many females use a date rape drug on the market called "Beer." The drug is found in liquid form and is available anywhere. It comes in bottles, cans, or from taps and in large "kegs". Beer is used by female sexual predators at parties and bars to persuade their male victims to go home and sleep with them. A woman needs only to get a guy to consume a few units of Beer and then simply ask him home for "no strings attached" sex. Men are rendered helpless against this approach. After several beers, men will often succum...

Enjoy. What do you think . . . keep or cut the squirrels? Thank you Chuck! Ice

Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze. (They are infested with demons that must be banished.) Ice

Holidays can be stressful to many people and for some depression can overcome you.   I am reminded of a story . . . This guy's walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, 'Hey you. Can you help me out?' The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, 'Father, I'm down in this hole can you help me out?' The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by, 'Hey, Joe, it's me can you help me out?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, 'Are you stupid? Now we're both down here.' The friend says, 'Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.' Have a safe holiday season and remember many of us have been in that hole before so if you need to shout out for a little help . . . Ice

I have been off for a couple of days and I thought I would be doing a couple things but I have enjoyed that I have had the time to go through many CD’s and load my music into this computer.   I have spent the last two days listening to about 25 or 30 disc of my favorite music and some I thought I would share with you with the great YouTube recordings out there. No particular order but I found some recordings of my favorite musicians.   Enjoy! The Music is You – John Denver James Taylor - Copperline Joni Mitchell – For Free Postcards from LA – Joshua Kaddison Walk Away Joe – Trisha Yearwood Fishin’ – Reunion show in Cullowhee Long Ago and Far Away – James Taylor John Denver – Eclipse Secret of Life – James Taylor Everyone in his own way need’s to decide how they want to "Enjoy the ride." Operator – Jim Croce & Maury Muehleisen Night Moves – Bob Seger Mail Order Annie – Harry Chapin Against the Wind – Bob Seger Carlene - Phil Vassar I hope ...

As we prepare our meals and ready for the gatherings tonight and tomorrow be remember our loved ones away from home around the world serving to protect our country and the freedoms we enjoy. Take a couple of minutes to watch this video of “American Trilogy” Many may remember Elvis performed this in Vegas so many years ago but the best I have ever seen it done is by my friends who used to play in Atlanta in the 70’s & 80’s in their band called Cullowhee.   In the middle of this rendition is the speech of General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox done so beautifully by Terry Edwards. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, Give Thanks, Be Safe, and may God Bless. Cullowhee American Trilogy Happy Holidays! Ice

Its cold too early in the season for these temperatures so it seems somewhat strange that everyone has pretty much shut themselves inside the home hunkered down to stay warm.   Blankets are about and coffee or hot drinks available. It’s still in November and we have had several days with below zero temperatures and for the last several days’ extreme high winds which lower the wind chill factor and also create many problems with flying debris downing power lines.   There have been many communities without power from the winds. People seem to be staying indoors and not heading out to the normal activities usually seen on a weekend.   The area downtown is mostly barren of the throngs of people who hit the several restaurants and bars close to Town Park.   There are still the few protesters who have a small wind break tent to take turns warming up between carrying signs along 6 th Avenue. Internet activity is quiet tonight as I think many people are just happy for...

This from the Wall Street Journal’s report from tonight’s NBC’s magazine “Rock Center”, Jerry Sandusky says: “I shouldn’t have showered with those kids”. I am one not to rant too much but this really pisses me off to no end.   He states he is innocent but he did do some of those things.   Now I am not sure where you come from or what your daddy taught you but anytime that urge hits you to shower or touch children comes over ones self it is time for you to put a gun in your mouth as God intends for you to be culled from the herd of those of us who never entertain those thoughts.   Anytime there is no major flag or siren going off in ones head as they are about to do something so terrible to an innocent child, you have lost your moral compass and to my way of thinking the compass was never there in the first place or there is no way to redeem oneself to get pointed back on track.   Rehabilitation should not be an option as it has repeatedly shown that more often t...

I saw in today’s paper that there were over 50 vehicles in the ditches around Anchorage yesterday.   It doesn’t surprise me as it seems people making the drive out to the valley do crazy things while making that commute back and forth every day.   It snowed about 3 inches yesterday and again last night.   It lingered into the evening hours but late last night things were getting back to normal when temps started falling again and yes, it finally HAPPENED!!!!. I was shocked to see things had gone crazy here. While out running errands on my day off for Veterans Day this dick in a truck pulled out in front of me on the way home as it has been snowing all day and everything was slick and people were upside down in the ditches.   I was able to avoid and miss this nut but couldn't quite catch up to him to get a license plate number.   Luckily I do keep a camera with me for job pictures so I was able to get a quick picture to help me find him again.   If anyo...

In this place, Alaska, I fondly call the ‘far north’ today is one of those very lucky days that doesn’t come around very often.   I awoke and saw the light dusting of snow from my window as I poured my first cup of coffee.   Winter is finally settling in here in Alaska so it was still dark outside.   A Friday morning like many others, I showered and ready to head out for a cup of coffee. It is Veterans Day and I will take time off from work.   It seems somewhat funny to me now as I think about how things have changed over the years.   We are just working stiffs who proudly served and take the time off remember our brothers in arms who have fallen or are serving this country right now on battlefields across the globe. There is something else we share. We are all military veterans. The purpose of Veterans Day is to honor all veterans. So how does this country honor them? By letting the veterans, the majority of who work in the private sector, spend the day a...

End of October The sleepy brown woods seem to Nod their heads to the winter. Yellows and grays . . . Paint the sad skies today. Woke up one morning The wind through the window Reminded me that Winter Was just ‘round the bend. Somehow I just didn’t see It was coming . . . It took me by surprise again. Lyrics by Dan Fogelberg These last couple of weeks before the snow fell this is pretty much what it felt like here in Anchorage. Ice

There is a funny scene in the Tom Cruise movie, “RiskyBusiness”  where Tom Cruise has his father’s Porsche 928 out for a drive with his “girlfriend” and sinks it in Lake Michigan.   I had an incident Thursday where I felt much the same way as I realized I was not where I thought I was and ended up falling through the ice on an ATV with a passenger, with me.   Well sort of the same way as T.C. minus the girlfriend and the Porsche. It’s quite funny now writing about it but in the darkness, cold, and blizzard conditions it was not.   I would not rank it in the ‘deadly serious’ category as no one was in real danger (or seemed to be) but gives me another reminder that the arctic can be deadly if not prepared or ready for anything. Here’s what happened starting the night before the early morning incident. It was nighttime in Kipnuk Alaska, the coffee pot was almost empty and the conversation between several of us was pretty well finished.   I had arrived earlier...

All you philosophers out there . . . Tell me if you know, Why we have to lose/hurt so much . . . In order for us to grow? Ice