Friday, July 31, 2020

Lair of Mishipishu -- the underwater panther

You are standing atop Sugarloaf Mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, looking toward Little Presque Isle in the distance. When I lived there, I often had the island and a mile of sandy beach to myself. It is where I saw the two wolves "on patrol" that I have written about here. The "prize" eluded me, however. That would have been to catch sight of Mishipishu, the "underwater panther." The spelling of "his" name varies. Pictographs of Mishipishu can be found around the Great Lakes. One is at Agawa Bay in northern Ontario. The Midewiwin Society claimed in 1850 that this pictograph was painted by an Anishinabe shaman and was part of a story about a four-day crossing of Lake Superior by a war party in five canoes. It is possible I will write more about this "legend" another day, but for now you can do your own research. The island and adjoining land form a county park today, which is both good and bad: Good, in that many people will be able to enjoy it; bad, in that no one will ever have experiences like I had there -- being awakened alone by the sun on my face dug down into the warm sand of the glistening beach with billowy clouds floating in a pure blue sky and the sound of lapping waves caressing the shore.
A lake is a lake is a lake .... except
The "Old Greeks" combined the prefix para- ("beyond" or "outside of") with the verb dokein ("to think"), forming paradoxos, an adjective meaning "contrary to expectation." Latin speakers took the word and used it to create the noun paradoxum, which English speakers borrowed during the 1500s to create paradox.
I "liberated" many of those words from the Wikipedia. "Liberated," for the uninitiated, is a polite way of saying "stole" and frequently used in military circles.
Progress is a paradox. On one side of the coin, it extends the life and leisure of humankind; on the opposite side of the coin, it usually comes at the price of disrupting and destroying the natural world.
I once lived along the shores of Lac Supérieur or, in the poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Gitche Gumee, the shining Big-Sea-Water.
California Kelly, who has been thinking about moving, noted in a recent comment: "Today I went out to Malibu and the ocean was the bluest I've seen in ages. It was magnificent! The clear blue skies and ocean and green, green mountains is one positive for this time ... Today I thought to myself, hmmm, it may be tough to leave California."
To which, I replied: "In terms of Nature, I am sure it will be next to impossible to leave California -- with its forests and mountains and waters and deserts. I felt that way when I left Michigan and Lake Superior, but I left expecting to be back eventually. Now, the years slip away and I am no closer to a return than I am to winning a multi-million lottery."
As if some invisible entity traveling the time loop continuum was reading over my shoulder when I wrote those words and passed them along, I received a marvelous photograph from a friend who was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and still calls the place home. Behold, Little Presque Isle as seen from atop Sugarloaf Mountain.
Agape means love in Greek today, but returning to the "Old Greeks," whose language was more precise than are the words of today, in ancient times it referred to a pure love without sexual connotations. Back then, passionate love of physical desire was called Eros. Aristotle used the word Philia to mean dispassionate, virtuous and unselfish love, while Philautia is known to be self love. There are other words/forms of love, of course, but enough for now.
If I ever have encountered a specific "Old Greek" word or word in any language meaning a love of and for Nature, I cannot recall it. As it is, I sort of define my religion as a blend of deism and pantheism, with Nature at the core of it. In a sentence, I love Nature ....
It takes only a flicker of imagination after a few moments of gazing at this photograph to see the waters shifting and moving and to feel myself once again in a canoe -- at times skirting the shoreline, at times paddling from point of land to point of land -- on the cold, crystal-clear waters of The Lake.
For now, I will recall the times I stood atop Sugarloaf seeing Little Presque Isle in the distance and staring out onto the waters of Lake Superior – on sunny days / on rainy days / on snowy days -- sometimes on indescribably beautiful days with "perfect" weather; sometimes in the midst of a raging gale or a blizzard. No matter what the weather, they were wondrous times experiencing the beauty and the power of Nature .... moments in which I understood what it truly means to be alive and thankful beyond words to be alive.


24 comments:

Kelly said...

The view you've shared is beautiful. I've always felt God's presence in nature.

Beauty is subjective and I think we're often drawn to what we know the best. While I can appreciate what I see of different places in the world, I love Arkansas and all it has to offer. (Our license plate even claims we're "The Natural State). We have everything from mountains to delta land to oil and timber. Of course bad comes with the good, but I don't think I'd want to live anywhere else.

Anita said...

Wonderful post Fram!Like the videos very much specially the one from Lake Superiour!

I think you must miss the place alot.You belong in nature !

It is very much alike to the northern shores back here in Europa
No doubt The Norse mythology found its seat in such nature..Ask and Embla were, as I said,before, believed to have come from such a wild nature

About where to live..I can live and sleep everywhere, even on the floor..It do not matter as long as I and those with me are happy.But right now I live in the beautiful Norway surrounded with all the things I adore I doubt I would move to another country ,ever ,only for a long holiday.But who know were the wind blows?One never know what happens in life and that is good.

Have a nice weekend Fram!

Fram Actual said...

Whether the miracles of Nature (using the concept in a metaphorical sense) are part of a design or a matter of random chance, I will not even hazard a guess, Kelly. Many things about life are a mystery to me and, my haphazard guess in that regard is that they always will be. Treat others as you wish to be treated is my primary operational guideline, and that precept is good with or without religion.

Beauty is subjective, as is happiness, it is true, and I do feel loyalty to people and places and things, but coincidence of birth does not form who or what I am. Living at any number of locations could and would make me happier than I am, but living in the midst of Nature such as along the shore of a lake like Superior in a fascist state would ruin the scenery and make the location irrelevant.

Another thing .... if location had been the only factor to consider in Michigan, I would still be there. Family and career choices also were factors.

I have been a resident of a few states and even tried living in other countries thinking I was done with the United States, but never found a place where "everything seems right" to me or for me. I have liked them all and enjoyed my time in those places, but frankly doubt I could ever find a place I could call "home." It is the "grass is always greener sort of mentality," I suppose. In a sense, I am like a Percival or a Galahad seeking a Holy Grail, which does not exist in my case.

Thank you, Arkansas Kelly, for coming and for writing. Should you travel north again, I would both suggest and recommend an evening at the Guthrie Theater .... later ....

Fram Actual said...

I am glad you like the post and the videos, Anita.

Can you visualize me (and, maybe, one other) in a canoe coming from Little Presque Isle in the first video to the rock pile visible about two miles offshore and then going on to the large, tree-covered island to the right of the view? My photographer friend and I once talked about buying the large island and a helicopter and flying to and from work. The island -- named Middle Island -- actually was for sale for three million at the time. Our joke was that we could stop drinking and smoking for a week or two and have enough money to make the purchases, with some cash left over.

My photographer friend, incidentally, inherited a lakeside lot with a small cabin directly off from Middle Island. He built a pretty fancy house there, and the bundle is worth a few million today. I still own 20 acres about a mile and one-half inland from the lakeshore, which is a great place to hide out (and I do that from time-to-time), but not worth nearly so much.

Like you, I am not sure where the wind blows, but I do know it keeps sending me here and there in search of contentment -- and, contentment is a stew with too many ingredients to fit into one kettle, with location being just one among those many.

It is like I wrote to Arkansas Kelly: I doubt I could ever find a place I could call "home." My life runs on a "grass is always greener sort of mentality," it would seem.

Yes, I recall the "Old Norse" creation stories and how Odin formed the first of humankind, Ask and Embla, from trees. I agree with much as told in the Völuspá of the Poetic Edda, and Snorri Sturluson is my source for a great deal of data about the Viking Age. But, I do wonder why the myriad creation stories around the world seem to branch from a single (or, in the least, a similar) root.

Thank you, Norwegian Girl, for coming and for writing. I think I might try my "far north" hideout for a long weekend when the autumn colors arrive .... early September up there ....

Simply Me said...

Hi, Fram. I am late to the party :)
What a magnificent place Sugarloaf Mountain is. It's really neat how you were thinking about this place and your friend sent you the photograph. I believe we are connected with our friends in this way. I've had so many experiences in life where I am thinking of someone and then poof, they appear at my home, on the phone, through the mail...many different ways...even a chance meeting in a random place. In some strange and fascinating and very special way, we are connected to those we love, those we have a kinship with, people that have made an impact on our lives. It really is a miraculous and comforting thing, isn't it? There is an invisible thread that binds us together. It transcends time. It is magical.

I looked up your lake creature Mishipishu and he is very ominous if crossed. One must respect his waters. I suspect if you do, he would be a good friend for your travels and protector against harm in his lake :)

Michigan holds so much beauty. I love the first video with the fall colors. October is my birth month and so it has always been my favorite time of year. I love the changing colors, the crisp change in the air, fall festivals, cozy Hygge contentment. Fall always represents to me, new beginnings. I like that.
One day I will travel to Michigan. I know it is a place I would love for its beauty. I think we all here love nature. Natural elements of our world are exciting, awe-inspiring, they bring peace to our souls. When I am out in nature I realize how small I am among the wild and it humbles me and makes me appreciate that I am alive and appreciate that all of this beauty is there before me to be enjoyed. To me, it is a gift from God, my Creator, and I am thankful. Oftentimes when I am out hiking I wonder about those that went before me. I think about how unspoiled the land must have been many moons ago and how the people in that place and time felt, perhaps even walking in the same footsteps as I walk. I like that a lot...
Thank you for sharing your pretty videos and stories. As always, you give me much to think about and I enjoy that very much :)
Stay well, Fram. If you do go to Michigan better look out for that evil Gretchen Whitmer! She may throw you in the hoosgow for treading freely in nature without a mask! ;)

Anita said...

To answer your question !I do wonder why the myriad creation stories around the world seem to branch from a single (or, in the least, a similar) root.!

The Vikings' creation story began in a world before the world; in ancient times. In this ancient time, there was nothing but extreme cold and extreme heat. In the north was Nivlheim, here there was only fog, ice and cold. To the south was the warm Muspelheim, in some places described as a sea of ​​flames. In the middle of these lay the enormous and chaotic center where heat and cold met. This was Ginnungagap, and it was out of the steam that arose in the meeting between heat and cold that the first supernatural life arose.

Norse mythology, like all other beliefs and cultures, had wandered with people over time and land for centuries. For each new place it arrived, and for each new person initiated into it, it changed little by little. Humans adapted it to their own lives and surroundings. Names were changed so that they would not be too foreign, places they knew became the dwellings of the gods, and the traditions were chosen so that one kept the most basic of their own old traditions and took in what captured them most from the stories



You have a good question !I have wondered about it myself and came to the conclusion above

Anita

Fram Actual said...

I still have two people there I consider friends, one from the Marine Corps who was hit through both legs and spent six months in a body cast and the other a (sort of) hippy photographer and Army officer who came to work at the newspaper after I had been there a few months. The Army guy and I became pretty close. Strange bedfellows, speaking in a figurative way, but I have been married to two very (did I say very?) different women, which probably is even stranger .... or, perhaps, reflects the fence-walker in me. Well, let us not get into that ....

But, yes, Kelly. I agree that "In some strange and fascinating and very special way, we are connected to those we love, those we have a kinship with, people that have made an impact on our lives. It really is a miraculous and comforting thing, isn't it? There is an invisible thread that binds us together. It transcends time. It is magical."

Adding to that, I would say it seems to me our lives and experiences often overlap with one another in ways which cannot be logically explained. No, I am not listening to the music from the "Twilight Zone," but within the bounds of logic or not, I cannot help but wonder if we are not stage actors, as Billy Shakespeare once wrote:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts ....

The difficult thing about such a proposition is that one never knows if he (meaning me) is playing "on script" or "off script." I like to think I ad lib a lot, but who can know with certainty? Anyway ....

No, you are not late, Ms. California. These events have no starting time and no ending time, either, unless I am in a grouchy mood.

I assumed Gretchen Whitmer was the governor of Michgan, but had to check it out. From what little I saw about her, I agree with you and will keep a low/low profile whenever I am there .... which, I anticipate, will be not long after the Labor Day holiday has concluded. Autumn colors are early in that neck of the woods and it truly is the most beautiful season of the year. Autumn, like love, is a "many-splendored thing," to "liberate" a thought and modify it a bit. Then again, how can a person steal a thought?

Yes, Mishipishu is quite a guy and one tough hombre. It would be nice to have him as a buddy. As I have mentioned before, long/long ago, my Manitou and the Manitou of Lake Superior are best of friends, so I feel quite safe and comfortable when I am on or in The Lake. But, it never hurts to stack the cards in your favor.

So, Mermaid, I wish you an enjoyable weekend and thank you for your presence and your comment. Watch out for sharks, both in and out of the water .... and remember me in the land of several thousand puddles and one really/really big lake ....

Fram Actual said...

Yes, Anita. I am familiar with the "Old Norse" story of creation and have noted that the "collision" of fire and ice as the beginning of "the universe" is both scientific and logical in its structure. It is much more of a sound explanation than a simple, "god created this and that" description.

I was thinking more in terms of the introduction of a man and a woman on the earth. Odin forming Ask from an Ash (Askr) tree and Embla from a Elm tree or a vine is very reminiscent of the Adam and Eve story, which makes me wonder if the "Old Norse" account was influenced by the Christian (Hebrew) version or vice versa.

Essentially, I think the both stories originated from the same source and were embellished (or whatever) over time.

There are many instances of this happening. The Biblical tale of Noah and the Ark, for instance, was told in a book called the "Epic of Gilgamesh" in Mesopotamian mythology. This Sumerian story is older than the account in the Bible and was found on a cuneiform tablet from Nineveh composed in the seventh century BCE. The difference is the Sumerian version centers around the Euphrates River and the characters have different names .... but, there is no doubt the two accounts have the same origin and vary to a degree after being told and retold over generations and generations before stylus was put to clay.

So, what I am saying to you, Ms. Norway, is that I agree with you. We both are brilliant today ....

Thank you, Anita, for your return .... stay forever sweet and wise ....

A Cuban In London said...

That's a fantastic view and a great story. Thanks.

Greetings from London.

Fram Actual said...

There are many fabulous views in this world we belong to, CiL, most of them creations of Nature and many of them alongside Lake Superior.

I frequently say the best years of my life were spent living alongside The Lake, and I truly believe they were for a multitude of reasons. With a measure of good luck, I will live there again ....

Thank you, CiL, for your visit and your comment ....

Himawan Sant said...

I come to imagine your experience of being awakened alone by the morning sun that hits the face and the sand you sleep in in a place that has legend. Your story is interesting to read, Fram.

Regards from Indonesia.

Fram Actual said...

I had a few such mornings, Himawan Sant, but none so special as the first. I also had a few such nights, one in particular under a full moon and seeing a Great Lakes ore carrier cross directly through the moonbeam in perfectly still waters. At one point, that beach became my "home" for a few weeks and I would shower and change clothes at the newspaper where I worked. It was a fascinating life style .... for a while ....

Thank you, for coming and for writing a comment for me ....

Anita said...

Hi again..I thought I should write a little to you last night..But was disturbed by the Police Emergency Response Team when one of the patients had run away - Yes they came with shields and clubs and laser gunYou can imagine the sight of these coming around you hah hah hah .... But what I wanted to say was if you found out anything more about selfless love? Greek literature.I mean the love where you almost erase yourself for a period of time to be of use to another.It seems like those who do find a kind of peace in themselves but I think that every life has a special value but maybe that one chooses love for another and in a way does not think of their own is also a choice and a value? That was a philosophical question! I've had plenty of time to read your post now (everyone should do it, out of respect for the blog author now I mean) It's so nice what you write..It's a joy to read! I hope you find happiness again. You have been lucky to have had a visit from happiness several times so once again it is not e impossible!
Well I get to go back to my blog.Do not think I can answer everyone there only the closest friends.Wish you a nice day good friend!

Fram Actual said...

Thank you, Anita, for the kind words about my post. I have a simple, self-indulgent philosophy about my blog which goes something like this:

I write for myself what I want when I want ....
If someone comes by and reads it, good ....
If someone who reads it writes a comment, all the better ....

No, I have not read more about "Philia" as dispassionate, virtuous and unselfish love, and neither have I researched it. I know what it is and, if an individual is observant, it is there to be seen from time to time. It might be one person who gives up their own career so another can pursue his career; it might be someone makes certain another has the best clothing and food and material items at the expense of being threadbare and poor himself; it might be someone who literally sacrifices their life so another or others might live.

I think you understand well enough what it is as a single parent of a son.

As some have said, happiness is a state of mind an individual can find only within himself. Other people and places and possessions, can influence a person's state of mind, but only he can find his bliss -- or whatever word one chooses to use to explain it.

To quote literature professor Joseph Campbell, who compared mythologies and religions throughout the world and wrote about them: "If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living."

Incidentally, I have read his work extensively and "liberated" many of his beliefs and concepts for my own use. If you are curious, I would recommend the four-volume "Masks of God" set: Primitive, Oriental, Occidental and Creative mythology.

Whoops .... I am starting to wander now. Thank you, once again, Norwegian girl .... later and take care ....

Smareis said...

Boa tarde Fram!
Estava mesmo com muitas saudades, e sempre ela que me traz de volta.
Eu passei algumas vezes por aqui lia suas postagens mais saía devagarinho da mesma forma que entrava. Sempre acessava pelo celular e lia sem deixar comentários, risos.
Andei mesmo sumida do blog, estava um pouco reflexiva com tudo que anda acontecendo com esse planeta. Me desculpa pela demora em comentar suas postagens.
Essa imagem desse lago é muito bonita. Uma vista maravilhosa. Então já moraste diante desse lago maravilhoso. Deve ser uma bela visão, dois logo em frente a esse lago. Fiquei curiosa a respeito da lenda dessa ilha.
Sou apaixonada pela natureza, por tudo que ela compõe, e sou muita grata ao Criador pela beleza que ele nos presenteou.
O CRIADOR, nada mais é do que um artista. Fez a natureza como a mais bela pintura. Criou tintas que compõem a vida, dar luz à vida. Da música tirou a harmonia das notas, criando a melodia perfeita do Ser com o mundo.
Fram eu gostei muito do seu texto, mais o que mais me chamou atenção foi como você finalizou o texto. Gostei ainda mais...

(Fram escreveu... Não importava o tempo, eram momentos maravilhosos experimentando a beleza e o poder da Natureza ... momentos em que entendi o que realmente significa estar vivo e agradecido, além das palavras, estar vivo.)
Que bom poder ter gratidão pela vida, por estar vivo.

Que nossa semana seja de muita paz e de coisas boas Fram.
Estava com saudades!
Muitos sorrisos pra você. 😂😂

Fram Actual said...

Good evening, Smareis ....

I have missed you, too, very/very much .... maybe, even very/very/very much .... but I certainly understand how and why we all need to be away from people and places and things from time to time. As I keep saying, one of these days I will fly away from the sea of blogs and (probably) never return. We all have stages of life we pass through; this has been one of mine.

Yes, the world certainly is a mess, but as one of my favored historians put it: "Nations die. Old regions grow arid, or suffer other change. Resilient man picks up his tools and his arts, and moves on, taking his memories with him." The historian was Will Durant. He and his wife, Ariel, spent their lifetimes studying and writing and, presumably, learned the "lessons of history" well.

The Lake is very beautiful / very wonderous / very treacherous / very much dozens of descriptive and often contradictory adjectives. I once wanted to canoe across it at its widest point -- about 150 miles -- and had a plan worked out. I really doubt it will ever happen at this stage in my life, but you never know what I might try ....

The legend of Mishipishu extends far beyond Little Presque Isle and, in fact, encompasses beliefs among a number of Native American tribes from the eastern Algonquin confederation to northern Minnesota and the Sioux, who once lived in the proximity of Lake Superior, but were driven westward by the Ojibwe and replaced by them. For some reason, Mishipishu seems to have "taken up residence" in Lake Superior, but also roams the surrounding woodlands. A few islands have been identified as his "lair," so I gave him "my island" for a home.

I really liked what you said when your wrote this: "THE CREATOR, is nothing more than an artist. He made nature as the most beautiful painting. Created paints that make up life, give life light. The music took the harmony out of the notes, creating the perfect melody of Being with the world."

The thought and the words are beautiful and have great appeal. I will remember these words when I think of you, Smareis. Very lyrical / very poetic / very heartfelt words from a very special young lady ....

I have a great view from the window where I sit at the computer. I can see a panorama and watch clouds against the backgrounds of the sky displaying all its "emotions" -- blue with huge, billowy, white clouds reflecting sunlight, ranging to dark with ominous, gray to black clouds bringing wind and rain. When I look at this view, I fully realize how fortunate I am to be alive and thankful for every moment I have on this earth.

Hmmmm .... starting to sound a bit silly and cliché, but it is the truth .... life truly is a gift ....

So, thank you, for your smile, Smareis .... when you feel a breeze coming from the north, think of me, and when a south wind is blowing northward, remember to send a smile or two or three for me along with it ....

Stay safe and wise and beautiful, Smareis .... I think of you ....

Smareis said...

Oba, oba, coisa boa é isso, poder sentir saudades das pessoas que a gente gosta nessa blogosfera Fram. Você é uma dessa pessoas que gosto muito. Espero que você não levante voo tão cedo dos mares de blogs risos. Eu acho que você pode até se ausentar do blog por um tempo, mais acho que sempre vai voltar. Tem sangue de blogueiros assim como eu risos.

Esse lago é maravilhoso, e acho que você iria gosta do nosso pão de açúcar que tem no Brasil. Pesquisa aí Pão de açúcar do Rio de Janeiro. As imagens são de encher os olhos, magnificas. É uma aventura andar no bonde até chegar no topo do pão de açúcar.
Eu fiquei bem curiosa a respeito dessa lenda Mishipishu. Tem lendas que assusta um pouco risos.

Deus, nada mais é do que um artista.Fez a natureza como a mais bela pintura.
Criou tintas que compõem a vida, dar luz à vida. Da música tirou a harmonia das notas, criando a melodia perfeita do Ser com o mundo.
Da literatura criou o roteiro, na qual fazemos parte como personagens principais.
Quanto mais eu observo a natureza, mais eu fico maravilhada com as obras do Criador.
Que bom ser grato pela vida Fram. Isso é uma forma de oração que elevamos ao pai em silêncio. Isso não é ser bobo e nem clichê, isso é ter o coração cheio de gratidão ao Criador.
A natureza é a maior expressão do CRIADOR que pode existir. Os sons da natureza são encantadores, há música na criação da natureza, a mais bela que poderíamos desfrutar. Simplesmente aquiete-se e ouça...

Então é isso Fram, boa noite e se cuida...
Vento sul soprando para norte, levando sorrisos��������

Fram Actual said...

Once upon a time, when I was a college boy, the professor in a short story class told me I could paint very well with words. He was specific in reference to my description of a "fast boat" slowly coming in for a landing at an island on the darkest of dark nights with a crew of armed men and how they slipped over the side in silence into the water and waded onto shore where they faded into the woodland. It was a description based on an actual experience.

I think you paint very well with words, Smareis, and I am thinking specifically of the last portion of your note where you write about God and Life and Nature, with the sights and the sounds and we, the main characters in the script. Very eloquent words, as though you are writing a narrative based on an actual experience. There is no doubt you believe what you wrote to be true and self-evident. I think you might be nearer to reality than I am capable of being.

It would be fabulous to see the world from atop your Sugarloaf Mountain, Smareis. I think I would have a tendency to look out to sea, rather than at Rio de Janeiro, but, no doubt, I could not resist the temptation to look inland, as well. I have seen many photographs of your mountain, both looking at it and looking from it, and cannot imagine how magnificent the view must be when actually atop it.

People on the blog are as real and alive to me as the people on the street where I live and a few of them, like you, are nearer to me in many ways than they are. I think some among us are more comfortable and honest in our blog communications than we are talking with the causal acquaintances in our lives.

On the other hand, I have had a few very close friends over the years and I am not certain such friendships can evolve from "blogosphere" relationships. I like to believe that it is possible and I suppose time will tell. I know there are some blog individuals who have met from time to time, and I have done it myself, but no lasting friendship came from it. Hmmmm .... again, I guess time will tell ....

Mishipishu .... I wonder .... racial (genetic) memory or Native American science fiction or the "real deal" ....

I will end this note where I began, Smareis, with what you wrote. Your words were poetic and emerging from the heart as if being guided by an unseen power. I read some of your responses to comments other than my own. It is like you have been awakened from a long sleep and are inspired. Once more, I envy you your faith.

To observe Nature is to see the evolving story of this earth and forms a glimpse of a universal portrait. A literary agent once told me I was a good writer, but while the story I had written had a beginning and a middle, it did not have a true end. She suggested I do a rewrite. My reply was that my own story had a beginning and a middle, but it would be a long time before I knew if it actually had an end. I still am working on a rewrite and waiting to find out if there is a true end, content to see the sky and the clouds, and to observe and to learn from Nature for as long as possible.

I sense a breeze arriving from far/far away in the south .... thank you, Smareis .... stay safe and be happy ....

Anita said...

Hi Folks!
I read and enjoy all of the comments.You have many good friends and we all love you.I am sure you are a proffesor or something( teasing!)you are so wise and clever. full of humour and always a gentleman.I belive some of us on blogger can be true friends..but that depend on an visa versus understanding of friensship/love.I mean you dont go to pieces just for a bad comment, if that should happen..Many are too serious I think..Laugh little.For me I only live once and I will always be one of your invisible friends no matter if you marry again finds a lovely girl (you should! )or whatever you will be involved in.I like to read you and enjoy the company.Thanx for nice reply at my place..Stay forever as you are..Always be happy and never be afraid of anything(you told me..I remember very well.!!.and it helpted)
Ok see you around
Have a great sunday

Fram Actual said...

There is a retired NASCAR driver, Ernie Irvan, AKA Swervin' Irvan, who wore a helmet that had "no fear" written on it. I was watching a video of a Russian rock band a day ago in which the drummer wore a t-shirt which proclaimed, "never be afraid." I do remember telling you a few times to never be afraid of anyone or anything. I am glad it helped you and I am glad you have told me now to "never be afraid of anything."

Fear is a state of mind which can be controlled. To be without it is a good way to live, and most of us need reminding from time to time to maintain self-control. Thank you, Anita, for reminding me.

At the risk of sounding chauvinistic, I think the primary purpose of a man and a woman in a monogamous relationship is to have children and to raise a family. At the risk of sounding callous, I have done that and want time without responsibility to and for children.

I used to say I was looking for a young lady companion capable of watching my back -- both figuratively and literally. In a way, I still am, but more and more I am coming to believe it never is going to happen .... not so much because such women do not exist -- many do, some better equipped to watch my back than I am to watch their back -- but because most are not interested in that sort of lifestyle. Most want security and stability and I cannot provide those things. Let me put it this way .... I most definitely would not be high on any mother's list to marry her daughter.

I think it would be good for you to find a reliable Norwegian lad to spend the rest of your days with in surroundings familiar. Add to that, I know from my own experience the presence of an unknown man in the mother's life can be unsettling to an only son, especially during his teenage years, which, frankly, is among the primary reasons I have tried to keep a distance. Hmmmm .... I will write no more about that ....

You have too many complimentary things to say about me, Anita, and I am responding with words I do not feel comfortable using .... so, I will end this now with your words: "I only live once and I will always be one of your invisible friends no matter if you marry again .... or whatever you will be involved in."

Always be sweet and beautiful, Anita ....

Anita said...

Since you have not come with a new post, I have to thank you for your nice comment with me. To answer that I should find a man, the answer is no. Many people have knocked on my door lately and want to keep my hand but the thing is they get angry when I do not show interest.Then I think how can a relationship be build if one can not have a normal friendly conversation? That's when the truth about people come showing up, what they really are looking for and so on ..
So I dont think of that mess, love could do..
Hope you and yours are well. I have a shift left at my work. I have started a series of books called Jomsviking and Vin land(https://bull-hansen.com/jomsviking/ )and enjoy my free time

You have to come with a new post soon !

Anita

Fram Actual said...

You are wise beyond your years, Anita.

The older I get, the more skeptical about people and their motives I become. In a sense, we all are the same. Too often, we think of ourselves as special, and, in many ways, we are. But, "that specialness" is for others to see in us and not for us to think of ourselves whenever we pass by a mirror or experience a bit of good luck. We look for others who compliment our feelings and our goals. This is not a bad thing, but we also should be looking at people and thinking of how we might support their feelings and help them to advance their goals.

I try to read everything I can find about the Jomsvikings. Periodically, some idiot will announce no such group ever existed and attempt to prove it .... just as there are some who deny the existence of "shield maidens." By whatever names they were called in their own eras, such people and groups of people did exist, and not only among the "Old Norse." Archaeological digs are increasingly finding evidence of the Jomsvikings (the encampment at Trelleborg, for instance) and the burial of women who, no doubt, were warriors.

Here is an example: A 2,600-year-old Scythian mummy discovered in a wooden sarcophagus in 1988 had been previously thought were remains of a prepubescent male warrior, based upon the array of weapons in the grave and the lack of beads and mirrors typically recovered from female burials. The young man turned out to be a girl, who had not yet reached the age of 14 years. The body, dressed in a long fur coat, a shirt, trousers or a skirt, and a leather cap decorated with a red spiral, was accompanied by a bow made of birch, a quiver containing ten arrows with wood, bone or bronze tips, and an ax. Another grave site contained the bodies of four female Scythian warriors.

This data came from recognized, professional archaeologists, and while it does not prove the existence of "shield maidens" per se, it sure does demonstrate some young ladies were out there swinging a sword with the best of them. Why some people refuse to believe this, I cannot imagine ....

Since the books you mention are novels, I will take a look at them, but no promises.

You, too, Anita .... be good, take care, stay safe .... you already are beautiful and wise, so I will not mention them today .... later, Norwegian girl ....

Liplatus said...

Nice to read your memories of Michigan.
There is its own space and silence.
Good to follow nature.
Nature probably clean without pollution.

Michigan wants to take my thoughts into the past.
My ancestors once lived there.
They say that the landscapes / nature are much the same as in Finland.
The videos are stunning and their scenery.
Safe Lookout.

Greeting

Fram Actual said...

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan could be part of Scandinavia in terms of its landscape, Liplatus. It is beautiful and wonderful.

I have no doubt Nature can take care of itself, both in an earthly sense and in the overall scheme of the universe. Science seems to indicate that all life eventually will die, including the earth and, to its logical extension, including the universe. I do find that difficult to believe, but neither can I find belief through faith. So, I assume my curiosity will never be satisfied .... but,who can say with certainty ....

Yes, Liplatus, I remember your Michigan story very well and I also remember I said I would continue to research it, but faltered when I learned how many mining accidents actually took place during the time period when your ancestors were killed in one. I also recall that anonymity was your primary concern and you did not give me the names of the people involved. I cannot say it would be impossible to learn more, but without names the odds are remote that I could discover pertinent information.

Perhaps, some day, your own curiosity will overpower your wish for anonymity and you will give me the names. Perhaps .... or, perhaps not -- there are many questions to which there are no answers to be found.

In some ways I am sorry I left Michigan. It was a good, logical decision at the time, but there is no way to know how life would have been had I stayed.

Thank you, for coming and for writing here, Liplatus. I wish you the best of everything and contentment ....

Something special ....