Glacial Striations

Do you like ice cubes in your glass of water or milk?  Most of us enjoy a drink of coffee or tea steaming hot.  

When out on a walk yesterday it was good to look forward to a warm house.   The feel of the air was zero degrees. Layers of warm clothing were needed. It helped to have almost no movement in the air. A wind would have convinced me to stay inside.

One of the attractions of the Boundary Waters Canoe Country is clear water lakes where you see down through the water to the rocks that form the basin of the lake/

Ice now covers those lakes. Come spring time Ice begins to melt close to the shore with a south exposure.  One avoids walking there for fear of a cold wet foot and leg.  One can stay on the exposed rocks of an island and inspect the slabs of rock that begin to warm as soon as the sun begins to move higher in the sky.

Often there will be gouges in the original Green Stone that is a most ancient rock formation. Upon further inspection those gouges in the rock appear to be scratches, some quite deep.  All going in the same direction – northeast to southwest. On a rock island one can track those scratches and discover history written in the stone and left for us to do the reading. 

It is very difficult to scratch solid rock.  Whatever did the scratching must have been heavy – very heavy. Some immense force was doing the pushing.

Geologists who study the surface of the earth have concluded that there have been several ice ages when large portions of earth have been ice covered. 

 One glacier covered much of Canada was moving south across Wisconsin and Minnesota. As the ice mountain of a glacier move everything was pushed ahead. Huge boulders were like pebbles carried along by the ice. Under it all was the Greenstone of ancient times. When the boulders and rocks struck the greenstone, the process was like a file digging into the greenstone leaving scratches now evident to us humans. We can tell that the force of the ice mountain was going from the northeast to the southwest here in northern Minnesota.

A person can run a hand over the scratches in the greenstone and imagine a bit of what that slow-moving force was doing in reshaping the earth.

When I go outside in the present weather my mind imagines what it would be like to live at the edge of glacier.  In our imagined claims to control nature we forget that in the long run, nature rules.

12-27-2017

Tour To the Scottish Isles and a Mystery

A Tour to the Isle of Raasay

When traveling the Western Isles of Scotland (The Hebrides) one learns to expect the unusual.  Weather systems crossing the North Atlantic make first landfall at Ireland and the Scottish Isles.

 

Nature governs the situation and brooks no human interference. People learn to make do.  The white lace curtains in cottages gather and magnify whatever light is available, especially in the dark days of winter.

 

Among the Western Isles is the substantial mass of Skye. Standing tall, the misty blue hills of Skye give a sense of mystery. Several castles, now disused, remind on of the chieftains and bag pipe wielding warriors in kilts.  Present day Highland Games feature the Tug of War, the Caber toss and contests between Pipe Bands typify the continu9ing culture of The Highlands.

 

Skye stands to itself dominating the scene. It is the fourth largest island of Great Britain. Smaller islands are in the neighborhood. One those islands is named Raasay. A ferry runs from Sconser on Skye to take children to and from school as well as vehicles like the Caravan we were using for a short trip. The village of Inverarish has a fine hotel but we drove the coast a bit to camp out. The 161 people compose the population of Raasay and seem quite content to be there.

 

During the evening a knock came on our door. It was a young man wanting to talk with people from the outside world. There were few options for him at that remote place.

Next morning after breakfast I chose to go for a lone walk up behind Inverarish. Not far. Just far enough for a lovely view over the water to Sconser with the background of the hills of Skye.

 

This was all so new for me. What wonders might I find up there among the heather and the gorse.  I turned off the path to get a little higher with a more expansive view.

 

Glancing off the side into a ravine something glittery caught my eye. Curiosity was too much so looked more intently and now it appeared to be shaped like a human form in a silvery uniform of some kind.

 

With talk of aliens it dawned that this might not be a good place where I should be. Little wonder that there were strange tales from the Hebrides and the Highlands of Scotland.

 

Back down to Inverarish and our Caravan. Then across the waters to Sconser and familiar hills of Skye and eventually to Tayport where daughter Margaret and husband Phil live. Then the airplane via Iceland and across the big water to the USA and Minnesota.

Delton Krueger    12-17iH

Resource for Ageing That Delivers

         Go to NextAvenue.org

You will find these major themes:

  *Health and  Well-Being;  *Money and Security ;  * Work & Purpose;  * Living and Learning;  * Caregiving.

 

Within “Health and Well Being”  the following subtopics give details:

*Aging, Vitality & Longevity;  *Fitness & Exercise;   *Food & Nutrition; 
* Health & Conditions;  * Mental Health & Well Being;  Prevention and Safety;  *Ageing and Innovation.

 

This is a storehouse of Information on aging in language and words that people can understand.  Subjects not usually in the public such as sexual practices in aging, bullying in care centers and assisted living are among topics addressed.

 

Go to the website now:  NextAvenue.org