This week at the Carrot Ranch, Charli Mills discusses her daughter’s existence in the treeless landscape in the northernmost town in the world, Longyearbyen on Svalbard, Norway.
This video provides an introduction to Longyearbyen.
In her post, Charli warns that “The reality of climate change impacted the polar regions of our world first. Think of the Arctic as our canary in the coal mine … To say the Arctic is the canary means that our planet is changing so rapidly that species are dying.”
Evidence of those changes is discussed in this recent National Geographic article
and, while this video shows the changes to the Arctic sea ice from 1979 – 2018,
(Read information accompanying this video here.)
this article shows the situation updated to April 2019.
With the effects so evident, it is hard to fathom that there are still some who deny the climate is changing. To what end?
The phrase ‘on the rocks’ often refers to a beverage, usually alcoholic, served undiluted on ice. It can also refer to something in difficulty or failing. It was a combination of these meanings, minus the alcohol, I used in the title.
Charli’s discussion introduced her flash fiction challenge to In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story without ice. It can be a world without ice or a summer camp that runs out of cubes for lemonade. What does the lack mean to the story? Go where the prompt leads!
I took it a little differently.
Let’s Hear it for Ice
A world without ice —
That made me think tw—
Two times.
A world without ice
Would not be so n—
Pleasant.
We couldn’t play games
With a six-sided d—
Numbered cube.
We couldn’t have fries
With a side-serve of r—
Food grain.
Our food would be bland
Without pinches of sp—
Flavour.
A world without ice
Where rule is by v—
Badness.
A world without ice
We’d all pay the pr—
Cost.
A world without ice
I’d say in a tr—
Moment.
A world without ice
I’d even say thr—
Three times
Would never
Could never
Be anything nice!
Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.
How did I miss this earlier? I love it! But tell me honestly, would you really have fries – I’m assuming potato chips – and rice on the same plate? One or the other, surely.
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Thanks, Anne. I wasn’t thinking potato chips, I was thinking stir-fries but it didn’t fit the rhythm and I couldn’t think of a substitute. Because I was focused on the stir-fries, I didn’t realise that it could be interpreted differently. Thanks for pointing it out.
Yes, definitely one or the other. 🙂
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I see!!! How about rice and dhal?
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That’s a possibility. I’m not keen on lentils and have probably never tried dhal so I didn’t think of it. It would definitely work. I should have researched what to serve with rice. 🙂
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Ooh, n-
Clever!
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🙂 Thanks so much, Chelsea.
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I love what you’ve done with the word play and poetry Norah. Brilliant! Yes, a world without ice wouldn’t be nice. ❤
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Thank you, Debby. I appreciate your kind words.
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❤
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A clever take, Norah. I enjoyed the Ice challenge.
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You did well, too, Robbie. 🙂
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Your poem/comments are perfect to the challenge. You WIN the challenge. Ice on the Rocks – great title. And our life will be “On the Rocks” if we continue to ignore the need to take better care of our Earth. The point of those who want to ignore the crisis? Money – they want the big bad companies to continue spewing forth poisons to MAKE MORE MONEY. URGHHHH.
Wonderful work/words here Norah.
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Thank you for your lovely comment, Pam. I’m pleased the message of my poem and the post’s title was clear. Yes, the environment doesn’t have enough champions putting their money the right way round.
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A very creative take on the prompt. Really cool 🙂
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Thank you, Nicole. 🙂
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Very well done, Buddy. The title. Too perfect. The presentation, taking the expected word away- mimicking the dissonance and tension of this grim situation. But god bless us we are still playful, seriously so. Very well done Buddy. N’ice.
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Thanks, D. Your words of encouragement mean a lot to me. I appreciate it — you!
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Thank you for finding and sharing that video on Lonyearbyen. It gave me a better visual of where my daughter is. I don’t know how they manage the long polar night. The sea ice has been melting which sets off a chain of events, including more extreme weather events. How people can’t see this, blows me away. And your 99-words is great play!
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Thanks, Charli. The long winter nights would take a bit of getting used to.
I’m pleased you enjoyed the word play. I wondered if it was a bit trite, but I guess even children playing in the sand know a lot more about what’s going on than we often give them credit for.
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agree with all of the above!
Appreciated the extra informative videos and your very skilful way to draw us in with the missing words 🙂
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Thank you, Kate. I knew you’d agree. 🙂
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oops getting too predictable 😎
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Many of us are as far as the environment goes. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s perfect.
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so true!
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Fun way to get the message across!
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Thank you, Becky.
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You’re welcome, Norah! Very inventive writing.
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Thank you again, Becky. 🙂
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What a find. I thoroughly enjoyed the video and your response. Man is an amazing species, isn’t s/he?
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We are indeed. I found the video fascinating too. Thanks for reading and commenting, Jacqui.
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Very very clever. I had to look up trice!
I think your piece could be a Jeopardy category – fill in the blank and give the meaning of the word!
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Thanks, Jules. 🙂 I’m pleased you enjoyed it.
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I love how you answered this week’s prompt.
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Thank you, Susan.
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Well done, Norah!
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Thanks, Jennie.
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You’re welcome, Norah.
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the word cuts have such an impact. well done –
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Thanks, Beth. I’m pleased you enjoyed it.
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A very cunning dev.. trick that. I hope it will suff… be sufficient to ent… attract new readers . Very enjoyable Norah.
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Thank you for doubling the fun with your two-syllable words, Geoff. I’m am pleased you enjoyed it.
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That’s so clever Norah 🙂 Even taking the word away makes such a difference. I’ve been keeping a closer track of what is happening to the South Pole because I have a friend who spends time there who has made me very aware of the changes. I found the video most interesting to watch, thanks for sharing that. I have often thought it would be a most interesting experience to live through a polar winter. Imagine, four months when ‘day’ consists of twilight……. it has to be a whole different way of life drawing on different life skills and personal resources I imagine.
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Thanks, Pauline. I didn’t feel very clever – just trite, but it’s what came out.
There are big changes in Antarctica too. Does your friend holiday or work there? The husband of one of my previous work colleagues worked there for many years collecting meteorological data.
I agree, 4 months without sunshine would be very different from our bright days. It would be difficult to adjust. I would hope that melanoma wouldn’t be a problem though. That would be a positive thing!
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My friend is a geologist who spends months there every couple or so years and so can really see the visual differences, as well as the more hidden responses. He’s been saying (to me) for at least ten years now ice melt is accelerating faster than predicted and faster than reported.
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So sad. It’s really real when you hear a first-hand report.
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Nice post. Climate is changing, but the mindset of governing authorities is not changing, and this is creating more anxiety. I have recently published a post,
Natural Disasters
Hope you will enjoy reading this article. (Climate change is also one of the reasons behind these natural disasters).
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Nice post. Climate is changing, but the mindset of governing authorities is not changing, and this is creating more anxiety. I have recently published a post, <a href=" https://www.worldeyewatch.com/natural-disasters-donate-money-to-the-right-people/Natural Disasters
Hope you will enjoy reading this article. (Climate change is also one of the reasons behind these natural disasters).
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There is much truth in what you say.
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