Archive for the ‘Chronicle’ Category
Sledding Fun
Julian created some fun gif images showing our sledding adventures up at the lake place. Here are a couple with he and Jose taking some runs down the hill onto the lake. Just click on them to see the motion!
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Sounds like our guests got out of here in the nick of time. The days ahead are predicted to be colder than it was last week. It has been a long time since we had a winter as cold and snowy as this one has been thus far.
It has me thinking maybe I should have lobbied harder to be allowed to hide in one of their suitcases on their trip home.
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Another Igloo
When you take on a project like building an igloo, there is a bit of a compulsion that sets in, driving you to somehow succeed despite any number of pitfalls that may arise. I have witnessed it several times, both in myself and also in the friends and family that I have enlisted to help me over the years.
One year, we didn’t tilt the walls inward enough during the setting of the first few rows of blocks, and it ended up getting taller than we could handle. That one ended up becoming a 2-room igloo, because we needed to build a wall across the middle in order to hold the top pieces that were getting out of reach.
I have learned that it helps to have an architect on your crew. This year, I was inspired to involve our friends from Guatemala, the Morales family, in building an igloo, and as luck would have it, Marco is an architect. He understands the shape of the catenary curve that we try to achieve with the Grand Shelter’s Icebox igloo frame.
I am far short of being able to boast any substantial skill in actually completing a full igloo with the Icebox frame, but I have started plenty, and closed a few of them with some unspecified techniques. Yesterday’s fits right in with the rest, except it also happens to be the largest igloo I have ever tried to build.
Marco says to “go big” and so we did. Day-1 was a smashing success, with the snow becoming sticky enough in the temps near freezing, but day-2 became more difficult as the weather turned extremely cold. After a number of blocks failed when we approached the top rows which lean in dramatically, we decided to abandon the Icebox fixture altogether and venture out to our own designs.
We tried a couple of ideas, and eventually ended up using branches as support for the last few blocks. It was so tall, some of the blocks ended up being at the limits of our reach. I decided that the Inuit people would probably have used branches, too, if they had them. It does sort of add a Native look to it, in my eyes.
Marco said we moved into a bit of a Mayan arch technique at the end. After showering some snow across the top to fill in the gaps, we had the effect of an igloo with a bit of a hairdo. Most importantly, we had finished what we set out to do, which was no small feat, with the primary builder being from Guatemala and his having to work in extreme bitter cold.
It was an effort and a result for which we can both be proud.
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Ideal Day
Yesterday we experienced a perfect northern winter day. We were told that there is more snow up here at our lake place now than this region has received during December in over 20 years. Making the deep snow even more spectacular, it had gotten foggy overnight and the moisture was forming long whisker crystals of ice on every surface. The landscape was flocked in a silvery white sheen. The scenery was storybook perfect. I don’t think we could have provided our guests with a better winter experience than what this weather allowed.
The temperature was hovering near the freezing point when we ventured out into the deep snow to play. First order of business was creating a sledding path down the hill onto the lake. 
At the bottom, the boys put a “turn” (what has become our code word for: jump) which worked better and better as the day went on.
Then we started work on building an igloo with my framing device. At the same time, shoveling began to create a small rink for boot hockey. Cyndie and Dunia passed by on snowshoes, and after returning from a long adventure, they initiated rolling snow into large boulders. Soon, the classic form of a snowman appeared, adorned with a scarf and carrot nose.
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Clandestine Surveillance
Have you noticed the headlines in the news lately about a number of national governments expressing outrage over the revelation that the U.S. is spying on them? I suppose it is the politically correct reaction, to publicly complain about being violated in such a way, but come on, it’s spying. Clandestine surveillance is likely happening everywhere, from every direction, so I find it humorous to read the protestations that sound like they are shocked and upset to learn that it is happening.
How do you demand that other people not spy on you? Spying is not something that is done by permission.
I fully expect that other countries are using whatever technique they possibly can to collect information on the United States. It’s what countries do. Heck, it’s what people do. Our neighbors have admitted that they spy on us.
If they were watching yesterday, they would have noticed Delilah helping me choose what to split next from the pile of cut logs by the shed. They should have noticed the FedEx truck come up our driveway. Weber grills customer service sent us a replacement regulator for our grill. Delilah got some doggy treats from the friendly driver.
Maybe they even noticed that we got a package in our mailbox. My two new pairs of work pants arrived. I needed to order some with a smaller waist, because all the activity we do around this place is burning more calories than I have been consuming.
Of course, all of this information is private, so if you are secretly reading this, then you are spying, too.
Maybe the next time I lose track of where Delilah wandered off to when we are letting her run off-leash, I should ask the neighbors which way she went.
Birthday Celebration
Saturday night was our opportunity to celebrate Julian’s birthday, and the whole family –Cyndie, me, two kids, and two guests– convened in downtown Minneapolis, on Hennepin Avenue, at the restaurant, “Seven” for a world-class evening of great food and superb service in a wonderfully vibrant environment. The entertainment district was hopping on this beautiful September Saturday night. The weather brought back memories of 32-years ago, when Cyndie and I were up in northern Minnesota on our honeymoon. Ah, September in Minnesota. I love it!
We settled into our seats at the perfect table for us, in the back of the restaurant’s first floor, where Cyndie could tuck her large bag of presents out-of-the-way, opened our menus and discovered a wonderful surprise… They had personalized our menus for the occasion.
We had a fabulous dinner. It was a very fine way to celebrate. Happy 25th, again, Julian!
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Grass Babies
A new crop of grass has sprouted on the bank where Cyndie was battling Delilah to get her off the new seed. We have been blessed with some rain in the last few days, which is a big sigh of relief, but far from enough water to end the stress our trees are suffering for the second year in a row. The grass seed is able to drink it up because it is so close to the surface. It is really nice to be growing something other than weeds around here for a change.
Speaking of babies, twenty-five years ago today, our youngest was born on the day of our 7th wedding anniversary. September 19th is a special day for us. Thirty-two years ago, the number had no particular significance beyond being the Saturday far enough in September to hopefully have some fall color, yet early enough to hold a fair chance of being pleasant weather for an outdoor ceremony. It was both. In 1988, our day became doubly special with the arrival of our son, Julian.
Happy Birthday, Julo, our other jwh!
Just Know
This deserves to be a blog post. The question posed was about how to stay positive despite the scary amount of negativity in the world. Far be it from me to come up with a concise reply.
I knew how to answer it for myself, but I had to think a moment, about how to communicate my process to another person. It was a wandering explanation, as each insight I explored seemed to spawn another that deserved mention.
What came to me right at the start was that having a positive disposition isn’t something that I do, it has become something that I know. The rest of my rambling response was an attempt to provide enough background to give the words more weight than just a routine platitude. It doesn’t seem logical to me to offer advice along the lines of just needing to “know” that things are not as bad as they appear to be. On the other hand, does it suffice for me to proclaim that they simply need to live through enough experiences to gather the insights I have acquired?
I don’t think I can reclaim everything I came up with at the time, but the simplified version of why I know things are not as bad as it seems is this:
I have overcome a history of depression. I have mended a dysfunctional relationship with my wife. I have almost completely eliminated my exposure to commercial broadcast media. That alone, probably makes the biggest difference on the amount of unwelcome news and energy that was previously bombarding me.
I have become aware of energy that we emanate and absorb. This one isn’t as ‘out there’ as may appear to some people. Science has proven that emotions are contagious. It is easy to notice that a depressed person in the room can bring people down, an angry person will spread bad feelings, and a happy and pleasant individual can lift the spirits of those with whom they interact. I have witnessed the impressive distance our electromagnetic heart field energy radiates, during my time working with horses in Arizona when I joined Cyndie for the conclusion of her apprenticeship training.
Our energy is a powerful force. We should arm it with something positive and profound. I have always felt in my core that love was the vital component of all human interaction. We know to “love thy neighbor” and many of us believe we should love our enemies. I believe love is the way to heal, to bring peace, to raise healthy individuals, and, radiated in advance, to engender best possible interactions with others. Let love be the primary vibe riding on your projected energy field and you shower all in your vicinity with good will.
All of these things combined, provide a sense of knowing, despite all that seems wrong in the world –and think about it, people have been predicting that the ills of the world indicate ‘the end is near’ for eons– we hold unbelievable power for good with our love that can blossom if we alter our focus from all that is wrong, dwell on all that is right, and develop our skills to radiate healthy love in every direction. It magnifies. Love begets more love.
Try it. You can’t help but have a positive disposition when you put your attention to it!
It’s Infected
Why did I disregard the training I received long ago, and not take serious action to treat the puncture wound I received on Monday evening? I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I had stepped into a wooden thorn protruding from the bark of a downed tree. It bothered me at work yesterday, and I complained to a coworker about it. She asked if I had done anything about it. I washed it when I took a shower. Other than that, no. I received the “typical man” reply.
After work yesterday, Cyndie and I dove into the chore of clearing the trees off the rise behind the barn where we will be creating a new driving lane. As I was stumbling through the tangle of downed limbs (again, wearing shorts instead of long pants) my legs were suffering new abuses. I, again, complained about the pain from Monday’s thorn. Cyndie asked if I had done anything to treat it.
“No, I didn’t probe the wound, rooting around in search of any leftover thorn fragment.” She offered to disinfect it for me.
As I stepped into the shower, I spotted the inflamed area around the tiny puncture hole.
I guess I should have given this more attention at the time of the incident, like I was trained to do.
If there is any leftover thorn in there, it’s turned to mush now. I did my wimpy, timid best to see if I could get a hold of anything with a tweezers, but to no avail. I resorted to pressing and squeezing around the wound to drain pus. We tried some Hydrogen peroxide, a little rubbing alcohol, and then, an antibiotic ointment.
Luckily, we are not so remote that I can’t just hop in the car and quickly arrive at an urgent care facility. But, that is not an excuse for being nonchalant about caring for wounds that are often considered insignificant. I know better. I intend to use this as a lesson to renew my diligence about giving every assault on my protective shell, proper attention, regardless the perceived seriousness.
Voices
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sometimes I hear voices
when I’m falling asleep
but not through my ears
they’re inside my head
and they startle me awake
back to being alert
where I realize there wasn’t any sound
leaving me wondering
why I heard what I did
trying to determine
if it was someone I know
or a voice I have heard
somewhere in my life
maybe a stupid tv show
or possibly the radio
probably not from a checkout line
where some stranger spoke loudly
while I pretended not to listen
even though it’s impossible to not
and I shouldn’t focus on who it was
when it distracts me from what they said
in classic dream mode
as you transition to awake
I can still make out some voice
but not the words that they said
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