039 ~ ICE

Saturday, November 27, 2010

(see day 037 if you want to know why it's late)

;-)

Sunset on the partially frozen lake.

Slightly different angle, still sunset on the lake.
(still need to change the time on the camera!)

Frozen ring - outside ring there's ice on the water,
inside the ring it's not frozen yet.

Looking north - icy glaze on lake.

Rocks near shore - iced over from waves washing upon them.

Closer look at Ring separating frozen & unfrozen.

More Ice Rings

More icy rocks on the shore

The ice looks thicker here,
both on the water,
and on the rocks. 

Varying degrees of ice

 Lake Tomah is beginning to freeze over!

We took these pics on Friday near sunset.

Our vantage point was the Lake Tomah Clinic Parking Lot.

In a few weeks it will all be frozen.

In another month the ice will be thick enough to walk on, 

maybe even drive on and people will begin

to go ice fishing on the frozen lake.

That is, IF it's ok to fish yet.

Not sure if it is because I don't go fishing, 

but since the DNR drained down the lake this past year

and did a fish kill to get rid of unwanted species that had "taken over"

and have only just begun to restock the lake with better fish, 

I know there was to be a set time to pass before

people could fish again.  So we might not see any 

ice fishing this year on Lake Tomah.

Something else to keep in mind related to ice,

and cell phones...

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency

My kids and I are using this code to enter the phone numbers

of people we each want contacted if something happens to us.  

By using ICE we aren't naming names, or giving away relationships,

which apparently some not-so-nice-people will use to steal private info

when they take someone's cell phone too.

You might want to do the same!

Getting back to ice related to this time of year...

I love winter for the freshly fallen snows before any steps or tracks are made.

I love the beauty of the sun glistening on snow crystals everywhere.

I love looking out the window of a warm and cozy room, 

sipping on hot chocolate or hot tea and breathing in it's soothing aroma.

I love how it's a time for all things in nature to take a rest.

It seems to say, "We've had a good & busy year; life has been great;

now it's time to relax, to rejuvenate, to rest until spring."

But for us humans, there is no rest.  Life goes on... and on.  We must keep doing

whatever it is we do each day.  We were not designed to hibernate.

Our time for rest comes each evening, or nighttime.

This is when we rest, rejuvenate, and relax until morning.

Although today's lifestyles often say otherwise, I believe mankind was designed to be up and active from sunup to sundown and then it's time to sleep and allow our body's physiological processes to rejuvenate us, to repair where needed, to replenish microscopic resources so that we may rise the next morning and feel refreshed and ready to work again.

I think when we do not follow this pattern set forth for us since creation that we set ourselves up for various problems.  They may not manifest themselves right away.  It might even take years for these things to become manifest.  Still, more and more I find that if I can spend my time like this my health improves.  The more I follow this, the better I feel, day after day.  But in my case, it's not possible to follow this all the time and as soon as I stop going by this I feel worse.  My pain levels increase, my mobility decreases, my energy decreases, it's harder to find a positive mood even.  I don't like living this way but in today's world there is nothing to do about it!

Ecclesiastes tells us there is a reason for everything under the sun.  There is a reason we have nighttime.  There is a reason we have daytime.  If it didn't matter to us in some way there would be no reason to make the distinction - it could just be daytime all the time or nighttime all the time and it would never make any difference whatsoever to anyone!  THERE IS A REASON! For some of us - we need to respect that reason in order to be our best.

Oh, how I'd love to have the wisdom of Solomon (in his best years)!

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-22) . . .

For everything there is an appointed time, even a time for every affair under the heavens: 2 a time for birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted; 3 a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build; 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to wail and a time to skip about; 5 a time to throw stones away and a time to bring stones together; a time to embrace and a time to keep away from embracing; 6 a time to seek and a time to give up as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; 7 a time to rip apart and a time to sew together; a time to keep quiet and a time to speak; 8 a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. 9 What advantage is there for the doer in what he is working hard at? 

10 I have seen the occupation that God has given to the sons of mankind in which to be occupied. 11 Everything he has made pretty in its time. Even time indefinite he has put in their heart, that mankind may never find out the work that the [true] God has made from the start to the finish. 12 I have come to know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good during one’s life; 13 and also that every man should eat and indeed drink and see good for all his hard work. It is the gift of God. 

14 I have come to know that everything that the [true] God makes, it will prove to be to time indefinite. To it there is nothing to add and from it there is nothing to subtract; but the [true] God himself has made it, that people may be afraid on account of him. 

15 What has happened to be, it had already been, and what is to come to be has already proved to be; and the [true] God himself keeps seeking that which is pursued. 16 And I have further seen under the sun the place of justice where there was wickedness and the place of righteousness where wickedness was. 17 I myself have said in my heart: “The [true] God will judge both the righteous one and the wicked one, for there is a time for every affair and concerning every work there.” 

18 I, even I, have said in my heart with regard to the sons of mankind that the [true] God is going to select them, that they may see that they themselves are beasts. 19 For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity. 20 All are going to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust. 21 Who is there knowing the spirit of the sons of mankind, whether it is ascending upward; and the spirit of the beast, whether it is descending downward to the earth? 22 And I have seen that there is nothing better than that the man should rejoice in his works, for that is his portion; because who will bring him in to look on what is going to be after him?