Doug Caldwell
Bio
I hope to learn from all of you members on this site and share in some tale-telling. I am looking forward to the different styles used to tell these stories. I look forward to reading yours.
Be Well
Stories (27)
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I’m awake, but my eyes will not open and I cannot hear or feel anything. My body appears to be paralyzed as I cannot feel my fingers, arms or legs nor can I move them. I also have no sense of contact with the ground or whatever I may be sitting or laying on. There is no gravity I can sense. Am I dead? Is this what awaits on the other side? I am not impressed so far. Spending eternity like this is gonna suck! I am forgetting something important I had to do, but I don’t know what.
By Doug Caldwell4 years ago in Humans
The Wonders of Strigiformes
Barn Owls? Not at this latitude, but we’ve got ten other owl species that are common: big ones and small ones living in the forest surrounding our home. They can frequently be seen hunting our horse pastures in search of rodents or rabbits. With a meter of snow presently on the ground their hunting techniques adapt to the environmental conditions during the year. During the snow- free time of the year, they hunt on the wing covering a substantial amount of ground quickly. However, in the winter season, they perch on the fence posts or some other location and scrutinize the area in front of them looking for the signs and sounds they have come to know as made by the small furry creatures living under the snow.
By Doug Caldwell4 years ago in Earth
Nature Can Be a Mother When She’s Angry
Hurricanes, atmospheric rivers, tornados, wildfires, floods, droughts, polar vortex, failed and destroyed crops and similar events appear to be increasing on our planet. Added to pandemics, diseases, cancers and infections that are evolving to be more resistant to our treatments. Why is this all happening? From a scientific position many point to climate change to blame for some of these, others believe technology and mankind’s altering and polluting of the planet has influenced some other of these troubles. I say overpopulation.
By Doug Caldwell4 years ago in Earth
Seeing Through Water
The bottom right corner of his PC displayed 01:24 AM. Another long night on the computer was coming to an end. He had only planned to spend a small amount of time finalizing the results from his latest round of tests, but as always, he was drawn into his project and time did fly. He had just this morning completed the last of a series of tests for the focus of his passion of the past five or so years.
By Doug Caldwell4 years ago in Futurism
No Stranger to Danger
In this-- my fifth year since retiring—I sometimes get asked if I would like to assist in projects being undertaken by my former employer. I’m torn in that some new adventures and very good wages would be welcomed, but I am now 65 and not as spry as I once was, and frankly I doubt if my wife would let me. She has become the 'Idiot Light' that shines bright when I’m about to do something reckless, and she has my history to look back on to help drive the point home for me. This tale is one of those past experiences.
By Doug Caldwell4 years ago in Journal
Brilliance Fades Away
I don’t like Mondays. Not because Bob Geldof made the phrase into a catchy tune back in the 80s, but because Monday—early Monday mornings to be specific, is when I must catch up on all the newsworthy events in our community over the past weekend and determine which of these I will write about for our local newspaper. If I am already engaged in writing an article, my editor will leave me alone and go find another of my colleagues to follow-up on his ideas for a story. He occasionally does come up with a good approach to a story, but also, he often promotes a dud to his less than enthusiastic reporting staff.
By Doug Caldwell4 years ago in Futurism
Tying Temptations
For context, it is important for you readers to understand there only two seasons in the Yukon: Winter and Not-winter. Both can last for five or six months in duration and each has climatic extremes that determine what we humans can do for fun and recreation out of doors.
By Doug Caldwell5 years ago in Motivation
Tiny
Tiny is short for Valentine, the time of year when we welcomed this then kitten into our home. She was recruited to be a pal to our other cat Misty who was lonely following the disappearance of her sister Angel who did not come home one summer day and never returned. We live on the edge of the wilderness in the Yukon and there are many wild creatures in our neighbourhood, some are opportunistic hunters like foxes, lynx, eagles, owls and coyotes who have been known to prey on cats that do not pay close enough attention when they are out hunting rodents and birds.
By Doug Caldwell5 years ago in Petlife
Mom & Dad Showing Me How
I find it remarkable that I am still learning new things about my parents after they are dead and gone. Why is it that some truly remarkable things we don’t appreciate until we are much older? I remember as a young kid growing up with my three younger siblings we always had a housekeeper to help around the house and babysit us while mom and dad were at work. This was an odd situation in the late fifties as the moms usually stayed home while the fathers left us each day to go do their jobs.
By Doug Caldwell5 years ago in Families
Nature is a Million Questions. Top Story - March 2021.
It was a Tuesday morning early in June; the sun warm and bright promising a lovely afternoon. I was checking the oil in our tour bus when I felt my sleeve being pulled gently. I turned to see an elderly lady – obviously a tourist here for a visit. “Hello” I said acknowledging her contact.
By Doug Caldwell5 years ago in Petlife
Tilting the Solar Windmill
Eight o'clock Thursday morning found Beth, Andy and Tom boarding one of Chickadee Aviation’s Chieftains – this one bound for Fairbanks. The weather had warmed to a pleasant ten below and was accompanied by a moderate snowfall the night before. This morning it was clear and promised to remain so for the next few days. Temperatures were expected to rise to above the freezing mark, which would make for slippery highways and a longer and more hazardous trip. Rather than risk injury and to save time they decided it would be prudent to fly instead.
By Doug Caldwell5 years ago in Futurism
Listen to Your Dog
Listen To Your Dog By Doug Caldwell Chapter One “I guess the most surprising thing we’ve found to date, is how much some dogs swear. When they are excited or upset with something they begin with a river of cussing that becomes more animated the angrier they get. We can now filter that cussing out once the dog’s basic vocabulary and emotional triggers are captured in memory, but it takes a few hours of use for the software to learn these patterns for that to happen, and the higher the cuss filter is set, the longer it takes the software to learn. So at first we recommend the filter be as low as possible to make it easier.”
By Doug Caldwell5 years ago in Petlife
