Wilderness Blues- Ramblings from the Great Land

  I don't know about you, but frankly, I'm really tired of all the protesting, statue molesting, hate mongering and pundit speaking that's going on right now. I was thinking of writing a post with my own brilliant ideas concerning what's going on in this country right now, and indeed, even around the world, but I'm sure it would be controversial, and I don't know what good it would do. Those that agreed with my train of thought might applaud me, and those that didn't would think I was an ignorant dolt, and I don't really think that anyone's mind would be changed because of anything I said. So... I'm going to just air a few thoughts here that I think would be good to keep in mind while we're in the process of living. Not all of these thoughts are mine, some I've printed out from books that I've read. Most notably books by Robert Fulgham and Anne Lamott. I do have a few original thoughts though, brought about by the school of hard ...

A few weeks ago I helped my friends Mark and Sarah load their treadmill into the back of my truck and deliver it to the dump. Actually I wasn't much help at all- the thing was really heavy and awkward to grasp, so I pretty much let them deal with it. However, I did provide the truck, so I wasn't totally useless. There's a section up at the dump where all the old appliances are discarded, so if you happen to need a refrigerator door, or perhaps a switch for your broken microwave, I guess you could always take your chances with what you could find there. Years ago the dump was more like a department store. You could find a bike without a chain or a jacket without a zipper that otherwise was perfectly good. I imagine there were a number of flashlights that ended up there because the batteries were dead. In the years before computers, if you wanted porn you had to go to some sleazy place and buy it. Since we didn't really have any sleazy places in Hoonah, I guess the ne...

  Last week our family experienced a great loss when Jan's mom passed away. Her health had been on a down hill slide since last October when she'd had a heart attack. Unlike some fellows I know, I had been blessed with a mother-in-law that who couldn't have been better if I'd ordered her from a catalog. In the almost fifty two years that I knew her, I can't recall ever having harsh words with her.I'm not even sure we ever had an argument. She always treated me with respect and kindness, even as a sixteen year old punk hanging around her daughter. When Jan and I got married in 1972, I was at a loss of what to call her. I already had a lady I called mom, so we settled on Helen, her first name, and yet in every way she was a mother to me. When Jan and I left the farm and decided to settle in Hoonah, she helped put together the down payment for the house. Her life was one of sacrifice and service. After her husband died she made semi-annual trips to Al...