BERLIN WALL AND CHECK POINT CHARLIE

A study group of US academics was in Berlin to experience the division happening in Europe at the time. As a part of the team I was being shepherded about by guards. One stopping point was Check Point Charlie.

The experience involved viewing barbed wire, guard dogs,
binoculars, machine guns, GDR soldiers, gates and a profoundly 
ominous sensation that we could be dead if any of us tried to breach the border. This was part of the Berlin Wall, marking a physical and ideological barrier first built in 1961 and taken down in 1989.  The thirtieth anniversary of the end of The Wall was on November 9, 2019, last week.

 I am reminded that tensions in the world are easily spoken of these days.

A BOY SLIPPED AND FELL UP

A boy on a winters night
Knew the ground underfoot 
From countless trips to the
Outbuildings such as the barn.

This one time he looked up for a moment.
A sensation came of falling up into the dark
Except the dark was a not a night dark.
It was an interstellar deep dark.

The depth of moving panels of color
Captured some department of this brain.
Made for each other they triggered
Recognition that created a living memory.

Up into the mystery of interstellar deep dark
Fell the boy now grown to  age ninety years.
Still living with the Aurora Borealis
As companion on the mortal journey.

 Delton Krueger  11-10-2019

REST AND BE THANKFUL

Above Glen Croe the A83 in the Scottish Highlands runs west until it climbs  to the Rest and be Thankful Rest Stop. This is a steep climb and people are ready to rest a bit  Just down there one notices a forest of deep green. With some luck Red Deer are to be seen

Doing some exploring with family who live at Tayport on the Sea just where the Tay River flows into
the North Sea.  We have gone up into the Highlands several times

Dunvegan Castle and Mt. Ben Nevis  are nearby.  People are cautioned about hiking off into the forest because the weather can change quickly.  More than a few have experienced a cold rain and a breeze.  For some hypothermia follows.   From Tayport we have seen helicopters head up into the hills to rescue  careless folk.

The welcome and generosity of Scottish people is soon experienced by visitors. To be herded about by Sheep Dogs is quite a challenge for persons wishing to stand alone in a public gathering.

by Delton Krueger 11-2-19

THAT DIAMOND ICE CUBE

All I know is that a magnificent diamond was glittering in the morning light of midwinter out there on a northern 
Minnesota lake.

No security forces were there guarding this brilliant diamond. Either no one cared or the owners did not have the necessary money or it was all an illusion

Being on the look out for an adventure, I decided to stop and
walk out through snow on to the lake surface and check out this wonder.

I discovered  a diamond cube that produced a sense of wonder
and fear in myself. It seemed that I was standing in a sacred place. The rays of the sun were so concentrated in this block of water that it became a  safe place to look at the sun without being blinded.

All of the plains and flaws in this ice diamond permitted the sun to multiply its power without damaging a lovely display.
      The setting was an art gallery on a Lake in Minnesota.

IMAGINE DOING LAUNDRY OUTDOORS BELOW FREEZING

When living outdoors in cold weather some situations present choices that demand decision.  Water tends to freeze. The body tends to gather dust and dirt. Clothing tends to smell of sweat and body odors.

What to do?

Be cautious of choosing companions.

Be prepared to allow for ventilation. A cool breeze will remove some of the odors. This agenda demands courage and careful choice of fellow travelers. Expression of disgust needs to be reserved for emergencies and willingness to absorb anger and possible threats.

This may explain why so few people enjoy winter camping.

Del    Krueger  10.16.2019

Ice comes soon to Dutch Charlies Creek

The Moon tonight presides over a change from warm to cold leading to ice in many places. Ponds and creeks will find that quiet places will form a cold slick that may be right for ice.

I recall evenings like this during times of winter camping in the North Country.  Ice would form so no splashing the face before taking refuge in tent and sleeping bag.

Evidently frost did not take me down. I discovered the powers of my body to adjust to very cold temperatures.