Wilderness Blues- Ramblings from the Great Land

  Recently the company that makes exceptional work wear was in the news. Carhartts, a brand that is well known in America for it's durability, opted to require vaccines for it's employees, even though the supreme court ruled government mandates for private businesses unlawful. That's their business I suppose, though I don't agree with them. It won't keep me from buying their clothes; the stuff they make is tough as nails and is popular with people who make a living with their hands. The article reminded me of my younger brother, Brett. Many years ago, he had gotten a job shortly after he graduated from high school. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but he needed to work somewhere and while perusing the help wanted ads in the local paper, he saw an ad for a laborer at the Marion Bronze Company. He applied and got the job, though I believe he found that it wasn't a good fit for him. The men who worked at the foundry were tough; bristling with muscles. Tattooed b

  Several weeks ago here in the Mat-Su valley, we were hit with a wind storm of such a magnitude that it was considered to qualify as a hurricane in terms of wind velocity. For several days the area was buffeted by winds that at times exceeded eighty miles per hour. It was NOT fun. The trees were shedding limbs by the armload. As I was laying in bed at night listening to the wind, every now and then a limb would strike the house with a loud bang. I was praying that the windows and door would be spared any damage. About nine in the morning on that Saturday I had just come down to the office and turned on the computer when we lost power. I wasn't overly concerned. I had spoken to my neighbor who has lived in Wasilla for years, and he mentioned that at the most the power in the past was only out for about three hours. No big deal. The outdoor temperature was hovering around zero with a wind chill of about thirty below. With the wind blowing steady at between forty and fifty miles per