Month: September 2016

Dilemma Driven

/ Leland Olson Hoel / Leave a comment

dilemma
DAILY PROMPT
Dilemma

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt.

Dilemma Driven

There are constructive dilemmas and destructive dilemmas. An engineer or a scientist working on a mathematics and physics problem might very well be facing a constructive dilemma. Either choice will have favorable consequences, and the outcome will still be more or less optimistic for the intended goal.

Are you in a destructive dilemma? That is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is acceptable or preferable. Your “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” One in this position has got traditionally described as “being on the horns of a dilemma,” neither horn being comfortable. “Between a rock and a hard place,” since both objects or metaphorical choices are rough.

If you face a dilemma, there is a chance it was self-created from one’s action or inaction about getting something accomplished in life, thus creating difficulty. A decision will have to be made, face the dilemma head-on and decide what the options are to turn the dilemma into something good and productive. The alternative, live with the consequences.

If your dilemma got created by something you have done on your own, retrace your steps and review your actions. You might very well be able to ‘take the bull by the horns and solve the dilemma without suffering severe consequences. One good thing about a dilemma, it can be one of the best learning experiences man can ever find himself in. You might say dilemmas are all part of life’s learning process.

https://lghoelson.wordpress.com

Do Not Panic

/ Leland Olson Hoel / Leave a comment

panic

Daily Prompt

Panic
Daily Prompt

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt.

Do Not Panic

If you are being chased through the woods by a big grizzly bear, you have a good reason to have a big, nasty panic attack. You cannot outrun that giant, ferocious bear. You will not be able to climb a tree faster than the bear either. You continue running as fast as you can in sheer panic, with the knowledge that he’s going to get you. There is one good thing about this whole scenario: that bear will end your panic attacks while eating you for lunch. You will have no more panic attacks. There must be a better way to get rid of panic than that.

Panic attacks are affecting more than 20 million people today. People are affected in different ways, churning stomachs, racing heart, fear of going out-of-doors, fear of being around other people, staying in your house alone,

doors and curtains shut. Afraid of the whole world.
Everyone seems to have different types of problems, and the doctors are at a loss for what to do. Psychology and many types of counseling get tried. Medications for chemical in-balance in the brain is used. A multitude of things get tried, yet they seem to be a Band-Aid approach. People still suffer in silence, hiding from themselves, loved ones, and the world.

There is an old saying; we are what we eat. I must be a refrigerator plumb full of fattening food. Diet points a suspicious finger straight at panic and anxiety attacks. In our modern world, with our hurry-up fast-food diets and artificially sweetened soft drinks, it all appears to be shining a searchlight on the problem of panic. The solution to everything doesn’t have to be complicated and costly. A simple change of diet could be the miracle cure for stress, anxiety, and panic attacks.

https://lghoelson.wordpress.com

Flag Ceremony for Harlan Olson

/ Leland Olson Hoel / 2 Comments

By clicking on the video link below you will be able to view the flag ceremony that was performed at my brother’s funeral.

Harlan passed away on March 8, 2016 and was buried at the Lake Poinsett Cemetery located on a hilltop between two beautiful lakes in northeastern South Dakota. Lake Poinsett is the largest natural lake in the state. The lake that can be seen in the background here is Lake Albert. Harlan lays at rest with dozens of other hunters and fisherman who went before him. They reside together there on a hilltop in Paradise, over looking the land and water they loved.

IMG_0019.JPG

IMG_0019.JPG

Pioneers chose this site for a cemetery in the 1800’s, when the first settlers arrived and started needing burial places. This is one of the highest, rockiest locations, it made very poor farmland. There was plenty of laborers needed to dig graves. Digging graves in rocks and gravel is a very hard thing to do, without having it cave in around you.

I thought about putting this flag ceremony on my blog site because many people have never had the privilege to see a flag ceremony being performed for a veteran. During the ceremony I could see Lake Albert down below, what a beautiful location for that cemetery. A place to truly rest in peace, next to his father and grandparents. One great uncle was laid to rest there in 1904. There are many other graves there from the late-1800s, also some from the past year.

There were no trees at that cemetery until 1947, a committee decided to plant evergreen trees. ‘Spruce trees’ and Scandinavians seem to go well together. White and Blue Spruce were placed around the perimeter of the cemetery, that was a lot of little evergreen trees. I recall my brother Harlan and I riding along with our grandfather on many occasions, with many cream and milk cans full of water. It was a very dry year, those little evergreen trees had to be watered regularly or they would not survive for very long.

Kids are kids, my brother and I made a sport out of jumping over those trees for many years, kind of a contest to see who could jump over the highest tree. Those trees are now about 40 feet tall. More golden memories.

A United States flag drapes the casket of deceased veterans to honor the memory of their service to the country. The waist high with the straight edge facing the recipient. Lean toward the flag recipient and solemnly present the flag to the recipient ceremonial folding and presentation of the flag is a moving tribute of lasting import to the veteran’s family. The flag is placed on a closed casket so the union blue field is at the head and over the left shoulder of the deceased. After Taps is played, the flag is carefully folded into the symbolic tri-cornered shape. A properly proportioned flag will fold 13 times on the triangles, representing the 13 original colonies.The folded flag is emblematic of the tri-cornered hat worn by the Patriots of the American Revolution. When folded, no red or white stripe is to be evident, leaving only the blue field with stars. It is then presented as a keepsake to the next of kin or an appropriate family member.The Flag Presentation Protocol is as follows: Stand facing the flag recipient and hold the folded flag

Survival Slog

/ Leland Olson Hoel / 4 Comments

deep-snow
Daily Prompt
Slog
Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt

Survival Slog

I’m very proud to have Viking blood surging through my veins, maybe perking, trickling, or seeping at times. I’m part Norwegian but mostly Finnish and Saami, reindeer people. I came from a long line of anglers, trappers, and hunters. They were all survivors, some living in the worst climate on this globe. Many of them came from north of the Arctic Circle. I have come to realize slowly, all of those ancestors in no way gives me a free pass to not respect or take for granted the elements of nature and the great outdoors.

In the winter of 1968 and 69, we had well over 100 inches of snow here in Northeastern South Dakota called the Glacial Lakes Region. That winter resembled a lot of places north of the Arctic Circle. The prairies of South Dakota and the Lake region have never been snowshoe country. That winter snowshoe was about the only way to travel. There were very few snowmobiles at that time. The rescue units had a snow-cat similar to those used in the Antarctic and the Arctic expeditions. That snow-cat did not get used for recreation, strictly for rescue.

I have always been one to ponder a project, then build it—a tinker who manufactures what he needs from odds and ends in our backyard or the old toolshed. I knew I needed snowshoes if I was going to do much of anything that winter. I came up with my designer snowshoes and proceeded to manufactured a pair in a short time.

My goal was to go deer hunting in a large area of the swamp over a mile square. There were many deer wintering in there. They had their own path system developed. I planned on an easy slog when I got to their trails. I drove as close to the swamp as I could get with my car, then strapped on my not-so-flashy-looking new snowshoes. I was ready to travel quietly and smoothly on top of the deep snow, no slogging for me. The Great White Hunter was walking on top of the snow, like a polar bear. I found out I had to walk with a whole lot different gait than I was used to, but I picked up and slid my feet along, staying on top of the snow quite well.

I got out to the middle of this magic deer marsh, where many trees had grown thick in one large area. I managed to catch my right snowshoe on a tree branch that was just under the snow. My right snowshoe just disintegrated before my eyes, and it wasn’t very long before the other one came apart. That’s when I finally realized just how deep the snow was. I went headfirst into the snow, floundering around getting up. It was way past my waist in most places. I found out it was next to impossible to get back up on top of the snow. Each tries to stand up would send the other foot right through, right back down to the bottom again that went on for quite a long time. I was weak and working up a sweat from plowing snow with my body. It also was starting to get very cold.

I was sitting there half submerged doing a reconnaissance job on my surroundings and the situation I got trapped. The hunter gets trapped, an amusing turn of events. I could see where the wind blew the hardest it made a good crust on top of the snow. I decided to stay away from the trees and follow these wind-swept areas. I was doing quite well, traveling without falling through most of the time. I was using my gun for a cane to help keep my balance. It was starting to approach the evening. I, even being the sturdy, proud Viking that I am, started to get a slight panic attack. I was soaked with sweat, still falling through a lot and rapidly running out of strength. The youthful limitless energy was gone. Looming doubts quickly formed about being able to get back to my car. That was a lonely, lost, hopeless feeling.

I started to consider the situation that I got myself into by not thinking it clearly initially. I should have realized from the start. If I would have shot a deer, there was no way I was ever going to get it out alone. I would have to contact someone with a snowmobile. They were rare. This was also the days before the cell phone.

I kept slogging along, thinking, I may not get out of this mess. A simple little hunting trip brought about my demise. He died in the snow, making it quite a story for people to tell years from now. I can hear some of the comments. “He was young and very foolish.” “Everyone knows deep snow trekking requires good snowshoes.” ‘Wasn’t as tough as he thought.” “He thought he could slog it out.”
I did somehow muster up enough energy to get to my car, another lesson from the school of hard knocks.

https://lghoelson.wordpress.com/

Easy Scratch Recipes Week 30

/ Leland Olson Hoel / 1 Comment

flt-bread

Easy Scratch Recipes Week 30

Flatbread

1 c. white flour                      1 tsp salt

1 c. graham flour                  hot water to make stiff dough.

1 Tbls shortening

Work shortening into flour. As for piecrust. Make it to stiff dough with hot water. Roll very thin. Bake at cookie sheet.
350 degrees 20 min?

Silence Can Be Deafening

/ Leland Olson Hoel / 3 Comments

 

silence

Silence
Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt

Silence Can Be Deafening

Silence is a powerful force for good or evil in this world. If you are a archery hunter silence will teach you to love and respect nature and the great outdoors and all the little creatures that inhabit it. The flying kind and all the others too. You learn what silence really is all about, after you spend countless hours in complete silence as a archery hunter. The main noise you will hear is your heart beating. You can also hear a mouse walking in the dry leaves many yards away. It is awe inspiring, a experience that is very hard to explain, a place for a good camera.

Silence is golden. That old saying started hundreds of years ago with the idea of being silent. You are not going to say the wrong thing and make yourself look like a fool if you stay silent. Nobody wants to be an idiot who is uninformed about the subject at hand. In that case silence has much value, maybe not golden.

Many inventors, scientists and engineers prefer working in silence so their minds have full concentration on the project they are working on. This mind work theory did a complete 180° turn in later years, as colleges and universities, and the dorm room used background music. That was to enhance the learning ability. Some even preferred to add a little smoke to the fire of the music to even have better, more alert minds to learn more, faster.

A few generations ago, children were expected to be seen and not heard. That is very hard task for any child to do, as all children would prefer to be involved in the conversation. They just want to learn! There is a possibility the parents preferre a child not talk in the presence of company, for the simple reason the child will no doubt tell something about them that they would prefer not to share with their house guests.

The Art Linkletter show on television had a special time dedicated to children.  Mr. Linkletter would ask simple, straightforward questions about their mother or father or both. The children always had a reply that was very entertaining for the TV audience. From the mouths of babes comes innocent candor, instead of the parental, preferred silence.

The Wyclif Bible centuries ago included the thought “Silence is maad in heuen”. [made in Heaven} I have always been under the impression that in Heaven there is going to be a lot of shouting, praising and singing. Heaven was going to be a place for everything except silence. I do feel that you should be silent and reverant in the church. In my day children were quiet as little church mice.

They were told about silence at home and again before they entered the church doors, they would be silent in the church. That strategy goes against praising and singing loudly to bless the Lord for all that he has done in their lives. Today silence in the church must be on a week day as far as I can tell. The silent church followed the entertainment ways of the world.

Silence was expressed in a 16th century proverb, now defunct – as many present-day feminists would prefer it: “Silence is a woman’s best garment.”The silent treatment is being used under many different circumstances for many reasons, to obtain many different outcomes. The modern day marriage counselors are kept working overtime from a little thing called the silent treatment.

At one time a prisoner was only referred to by a number there was no communication allowed. The plan being that would make a prisoner reflect on his crime and be repentant and become a changed person. After the silent treatment for certain lengths of time, the results didn’t seem to confirm a change of heart in many prisoners. I end this in silence.

https://lghoelson.wordpress.com/

Easy Scratch Recipes Week 29

/ Leland Olson Hoel / 2 Comments

 

thzezmcckc

Easy Scratch Recipes Week 29

Orange Cake

Squeeze the juice from 1 large or 2 small oranges . Save 1 Tbls. juice for frosting. Use remaining juice and enough milk to make 1 cup of liquid.

1 c. sugar            1/2 c. shortening

2 eggs                  1 tsp. soda.

2 c. flour             1 tsp. baking powder

Grind rind of orange and 1 c raisins at least twice. Save 1 Tbls. raisin and orange mixture for frosting. Bake in 9×12 pan at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes. T

 

What Now ?

/ Leland Olson Hoel / Leave a comment

thzns7zdvv

 

Perplexed

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt

What Next ?

I have become perplexed by my hospital’s concern for me. You might say it is above and beyond the call of duty. I am thankful that they have consideration for my well being 24/7 and that they care and are looking out for my best interests. They supply all of my medical needs when I do need them.

The reason I became perplexed began the other day, I just called the hospital to confirm my next appointment date. I dialed the number and it rang seven or eight times. I was about ready to hang up the phone when it was answered by a computer. On the other end the voice said, “If you have been having thoughts of suicide call 1-800-xxx-xxxx immediately.” There was a slight pause, the same voice then said, ” If you are having feelings of anxiety or depression call 1- 800-xxx-xxxx. Another pause then, “if you have been sexually molested or abused please call 1-800-xxx-xxxx.”

That long, thoughtful, computer message finally ended. I then got to ask for the appointment desk, I was put on hold for 20 minutes. There I sat listening to some kind of loud, unfamiliar music in the background with a lot of static in their woofers and tweeters.

My mind was roaming to and fro, between anxiety, suicide and depression I couldn’t really tell what was going on. After I sat there for those 20 minutes thinking to myself, it dawned on me. I never had any thoughts of suicide, depression, or anxiety before. I’ve been sitting here for at least 20 minutes, this is driving me nuts! Maybe the sexual part will work out for some good, have to think about that one. I can see the ‘HEADLINE NEWS’ 75 year old taken advantage of. Not sure if it was for, or against his will.

It just seems confusing or perplexing when your put on hold a long time, minutes seem like hours. You really have a heart-to-heart talk with yourself and can imagine many negative things going on in your head, even without some bats in the old belfry.

I never thought Murphy’s Law was in effect 24/7, but I found out, it is at my house. What can go wrong, goes wrong, quicker at our house. All the time! Now along with all my other difficulties, I drop everything that I put in my hands at least once or twice, maybe three times. I finally realized that is God’s exercise program for those to lazy to do their exercises. All of that picking things up, trying to bend over, in reality is an exercise program.

https://lghoelson.wordpress.com/