Greetings!  Happy Mother's Day!  Today we celebrated our first.  It was an average day that had me feeling loved, appreciated and special from beginning to end.  My only wish is that I would have been able to spend it with my mom.  Celebrating her first as a Grandma.

The Lil' Spark is growing like a weed.  He has been in a hurry since birth.  Walking at 9 months and now he's in a full run.  He is so precocious. Curious, smart and so very, very sweet.  He's fond of tomatoes, watermelon and salmon.  Loves to wave buh bye and hi.  And adores giving big wet raspberries on unsuspecting (well, maybe a little suspecting) mama and grandma's. 

It's so hard to believe that he'll turn a year old soon.  Too soon.  My parents will be coming out to celebrate with us and we couldn't be happier.  It's so wonderful to be closer to family.  Then Lil' Spark and I will be packing up and heading north for a few weeks to celebrate my grandparents 65th anniversary.  Much fun to be had with Grandpa and the wee one.  I have a feeling there will be muddy toes, muddy fingers, muddy faces and many muddy clothes.  Sounds like fun!

There's so much to look forward to in the coming years.  Hopefully that will mean many laughs, a few tears, I'm guessing quite a few stitches, lots of band aids, and tons of kisses and hugs.  And hopefully, a sibling or two for the itty bitty. 

Happy Mother's Day, All!!!

Howdy Ya'll!

Howdy!

Greetings from the panhandle of Texas.  I'm not going to lie.  Texas is a LOT different than Alaska.  It's dry.  Brown.  Warm.  FLAT.  And while those things may seem like negatives, I have to say, that I'm finding that I like being able to see into the distance for miles.  I LOVE wearing flip flops in January, though we did get a spot of snow last night, and I find myself wondering what it will be like in "winter".  Um, it's January...

The people of Texas are nice.  Like, really nice.  We've already been invited out for dinner twice.  We're planning to attend a Valentine's dinner in a couple weeks, we have a babysitter, and I feel at home here.  Odd, seeing as we've only been here for a couple weeks. 

I'm not going to say we're settled.  Far from, but moving in that general direction. Sparky is working hard at his new job and the Sparkle and I enjoy our days walking in the stroller, playing silly games and driving to where ever we'll meet Sparky for the night. 

It's good to be closer to family.  Hoping we get a lot of visitors in the near future. 

I'm fixin' to pack up and meet the hubby.

Later Ya'll!

Moving On

It's true.  The time has come.  When I named the blog, I chose a name that was reflective of our current adventure and the possibility of new ones somewhere down the line.  We knew, or suspected, when we moved here that it would (likely) not be our permanent home.  

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here.  We have lived, breathed, enjoyed Alaska for 4 years.  The New Year will bring many changes to our lives.  A new climate, new friends, new challenges, new loves, new malls, new activities.  We are excited for the "new"s that will soon be coming our way.  

In our excitement we don't want to lose our love and enthusiasm for a place we've called home.  A place, and person, that gave us our most treasured blessing, Our Little Elf.  New doesn't come without hurt, disappointment and loss.
The decision to move south, WAY south, was not easy, though the opportunity it presents for all of us was undoubtedly the right decision, at the right time.  So moving on we must do.  

We'll be back.  To show Our Little Elf where he was born, where we brought him home to, and where we discovered the greatest joy in life.  We hope he'll visit with his birth family.  Know them, love them.  And while it will be different, we've spent years away from our family and still remained in touch.  We love them, and are so grateful to have them in our lives.  And Our Little Elf's.  They're family, after all.

So, for now, I bid adieu.  Time to dust off my boots, pick up my hat, and see if Texas brings us another little cowboy...or girl. 

Merry Christmas!!!

Too Busy to Blog

Greetings from beautiful Alaska!  We are enjoying an abnormally warm fall.  Summer was a bit disappointing weather wise, but fall left us happy and fulfilled.  We had our first sprinkling of snow on the last day of September, but with the snow now melted, it's back to fall again.

This is my pumpkin.  And the reason for my hiatus.  He arrived on May 31, surprising us all.  G&G Lucy from Minnesota were planning to be here when he arrived, but came a week later as scheduled.  He arrived at 11:12 p.m. and we arrived at the hospital 20 minutes later.  I got to see him just before midnight and tears of joy fell.  He was perfect.  7 lbs 12 oz of pure bliss.  His birth family came in droves to welcome him to the world.  Grandma, aunties, uncles, brother and cousin.  He is a very loved little man.

He's a sweet pea.  He has a the sweetest smile, a quick temper, loves music and his momma.  Daddy hangs the moon.  Cash adores him, constantly being told to "stop licking the baby"!  Ches loves to hover close, to keep track of the wiggle worm. I knew that parenthood would rock, but I had no idea that it would be THIS AWESOME.  He was so worth the wait.

We have submitted our final legal documents and we're just waiting for word that we can finalize and we'll be a forever family soon!  

We had a wonderful summer with the arrival and departure of both sets of grandparents.  You've seen that face, who could stay away?  And my younger brother came to visit as well.  He's Pumpkin's godfather and was here for Pumpkin's baptism.

This is the sunset we were treated to tonight.  The skies of Alaska rarely disappoint.  Between the clouds, the sunrises/sunsets and the auroras, it's a riot of color year round.  I snuck out while Daddy was feeding Pumpkin Pie some pears and rice cereal, to capture the glorious glow.  No editing was done to this photo.  It's exactly as it appears.

With Cash's arrival 2.5 years ago we've seen less moose in the yard.  In the winter we see them more often as they camp out in the hayfields in front of the house.  Yesterday we were quiet and restful, enjoying a quiet day.  I went to the kitchen to make a bottle for the wee one and caught movement out of the corner of my eye.  What a surprise!  This beauty hung out in the break about 20-30 feet from the house for about 30 minutes.  She was alert but very at ease.  She looks pretty and healthy.  Hopefully she'll stick around to give us some babies next spring.

When Daddy came home from work he was greeted by a younger 30" bull at the top of the driveway.  It's rut time in Alaska and this young gun was proud to show off for B.  He thrashed at the willows and thought perhaps he could reign victorious over the Silverado. Luckily B didn't give him a chance and sped up and out of his way.

Unfortunately this means that despite today's 60 degree temps Pumpkin, Cash, Ches and I couldn't wander the fields/woods as we wished.  We stayed in.  Away from hormonal moose just looking for a good time.

Happy Autumn!  

Another Chapterr

Today is the end of one chapter, the beginning of another.  Summer is coming, we've had a few warmer days, some droplets of rain, and some cool nights.  The light is back in spades, and it's still a shock in our fourth summer to have light at 11 p.m.

When I walked out of work at 16:30 today it was (hopefully) the last time I'll be leaving the building in a working capacity.  I have enjoyed my job, but in 15 days my new job will arrive in the form of a bouncing, baby boy.  In the meantime I have stuff to do.  Big stuff.  Sewing projects, walks with the dogs, some laundry, cleaning cabinets, and I'm pretty sure I can find something else to put a coat of paint on.  


Little Man's room is nearly done.  We're looking forward to sharing our Alaskan summer with a new bambino.  An Alaska Grown bambino.  


With Memorial Weekend upon us we're hoping to sneak in some fishing, a little ATV riding and hopefully some picture taking.  We're staying close to home, just in case Baby Boy decides to make an early appearance.  We've been told that BM (birthmom) has been having some contractions but whether or not they turn into something productive remains to be seen.  Since tomorrow was at once his birthday, I'm secretly hoping he makes his debut.

Hoping you all have a happy, safe, memorable Memorial Day.  


Happy Summer!

Nesting

We haven't been doing much outdoors.  Unless of course you count washing windows, cleaning up dog toys, and removing dead flowers of yester summer.


Our focus has been on the indoors.  Painting, cleaning, purging and selling things.  Making room for a bouncing bundle of baby boy. :) 


We're ecstatic and we're looking forward to a fantastic summer!!

Happy Spring!

Welcome to Spring 2012!


I'm hoping that March 21st isn't like Ground Hogs' Day.  I'd like to think that only better things can come your way when you start your "spring" with -1 and snow.  Eventually we did get a spot of sunshine and I think we managed to make it to 6 above.  Beggars can't be choosers, so I'm going to be happy with that.


This weekend we decided to take advantage of our sick free household.  We packed up and hit the snowy trail to one of our favorite stomping grounds.  Since it was mostly the same old scenery, and wildlife was hiding somewhere away from our prying eyes, the camera didn't get much of a work out.  But drive we did.  Brent took the furbabes on a bit of walk.  But since Ches has a penchant for buffalo chips, and they were oh-so-fresh, he had to cut that short.  


The wildlife was sparse, we spotted far away moose and few jumpy grouse.  But that's about it.  Luckily the snow is still a pristine white, but I know the muddy, mucky, icky days of break up are coming.  Can't we just fast forward to summer?!?!


In order to break up the long winter days a friend of mine started a facebook page and a blog about her healthy lifestyle.  It's great to see her so passionate about life and all things healthy.  To get us all motivated and inspired she started a Vegetarian Vednesday.  Our entire day is to be made up of vegetarian meals and snacks.  Each week she mixes it up with a "twist".  Tomorrow's twist is one meal or snack must be raw.  Entirely raw.  I'm going with a snack.  Ha!


So, if you're interested in healthier eating, and all things vegetarian-leaning-towards-vegan go here: http://ahealthierfitterme.blogspot.com/   You won't be disappointed.


I'm hoping that your first day of Spring brought you warmer weather and much more hopeful outlook for the following days!  


Welcome Spring!! Hurry up Summer!!!

Winter Blahs

Much of the country has had an above average winter.  Little snow, warm temps, but here in Interior Alaska.  Not-so-much.  We've had above average snowfalls in most of Alaska, and an average winter, from what the long-timers tell me.  I usually grow antsy this time of year, but with the lack of summer last year, I'm extra itchy.

We  have snow, and it keeps coming.  I can only imagine that I'll be wearing hip waders until June.  The moisture is good, but with the rainy, gray summer behind us, and now an above average snowfall all.winter.long.  I think we got it.  Of course more moisture means greener grass, greener trees and hopefully healthier, more bountiful food sources for all our hungry wildlife.  I just wish it would get here already!

This morning when I woke it was dark again, thankyouverymuchdaylightsavingstime.  But the added bonus is that the temp was actually ABOVE zero.  10 degrees above as a matter of fact.  This time of year the temps yo-yo, drifting up and down from -21 (yesterday) to 18 above (today).  After 4 Marches, I'm kinda just wishing we could skip to mid-May.  Ha!

My wish is that spring would giddy up already, and I'd like to fast forward past all the slush and mud and nastiness that's coming my way.  With 12 feet in our household, I think I'll just drape everything in plastic!  At least mud is sweepable, vacuumable and washable.  Phew.  And luckily, someone was thinking when they built that house, only a couple little pieces of carpet.  Extra Phew!

So for now I dream of warm temps, dry roads and summer days.  I want to walk in the field with the grass blowing around me instead of the snow pelting my face.  I want to ride ATV instead of freezing my eyeballs riding snowmobile (snowmachine for the Alaskans).   Summer, can you hear me calling?  Hurry please!!!

Winter, Winter, Winter

Greetings from the north land.  The photos below found us on colder days.  We are currently experiencing break up like weather which is good for the soul.  Today we reached a balmy temperature of 41 degrees.  The snow on the smaller portion of the roof slipped to the ground today.  

It's been a cold winter.  Particularly because I think the newness is wearing off for us.  We spent a large portion of January in the -40's and -50's.  Unpleasant outdoor weather.  February, so far, has been tropical, but I hear we're supposed to dip again soon.

This winter finds us with an unusually heavy layer of snow.  I have to admit, I quite like it.  Unlike our family and friends in the south, we've had plenty of powder for snowmobiling (you'll see our new addition in the yard), skiing- if it wasn't so dang cold! and whatever other winter sports crazy people enjoy.  Ha!  

This beauty is Mama.  She and her little one (tucked in the trees here) have been hanging out all winter long.  We must have plenty for them to eat.  Cash has become a big boy and no longer attempts to rumble with our friendly moose.  He's content to hang back and watch inquisitively.  Much to my relief.  The moose seem equally at ease with his comfort.  Little One and Mama have become frequent eaters at the Buffet of King and are no longer threatened by his presence.  

As you can tell, Ches has decided that she's staying inside.  Permanently.  She's not a fan of the cold temps.  She's becoming a hoarder which has me worried.  I don't have space for much hoarding here. Goofy girl.  She's been doing well on her meds, only one itty bitty seizure that we know of.  The warmer weather brings out the spunk in her, which makes me want to get her to a little more temperate climate.  

We're all antsy for spring, but not delusional.  We know that springs a ways off.  So we're trying to enjoy all aspects of winter.  I'm trying to get some pre-Spring cleaning done, in hopes that once the weather's nice we can run with it.  Zoom!  

Off to ride some snowmobile (snowmachine for you Alaskans) now. :)  

Happy Winter!

Uff da.  It seems that I've been slacking on the blogging business.  Truth is with a cold, dreary summer and an uneventful hunting season, there just wasn't much to blog about.  We've been managing to keep busy with work, some playing and preparing for all the changes that will eventually come our way.

 Bolio Lake (above) is now covered in a thin layer of ice.  Soon we'll be able to walk out, drive out and fish on it's frozen surface.  The entire countryside has a fresh layer of white, and we managed to score some large, fluffy flakes, which are a rare here.

With the changing of the seasons comes the loss of light.  In true Alaska form, this October 1st sunset left us loving fall, loving the return of the moon and stars, and the auroras, of course.  They've been active so far this year, and if it kills me I'm going to figure out how to capture them on my camera.  I will, I will, I will.

 The rush of autumn is gone.  The air has grown cold, in the last few days dipping as low as -20 degrees over night.  The cords are being carried, our winter packs are thrown in, and the early nights and late mornings are upon us.

Sunrise: 9:36am

Sunset: 5:17pm

Our new wood stove has been such a welcome addition that I cannot even explain how much more efficient, cleaner and easy to use it is.  We no longer have to keep piles of wood stacked in side the house, which means less debris and bugs.  Thank goodness.  

I'm sure the animals have loved the slow move into winter and the warmer-than-usual temps.  I'm not complaining either.  The dark, wet summer has left a sour taste in my mouth, and I admit, I've had a bad attitude about the onset of winter.  Now that it's here, it's not as bad as I imagined.

I can't believe it's already.  We've decided to do a little something different for Thanksgiving this year.  Since it's non-traditional and we're away from family, we're heading to Fairbanks to stay in a hotel, all four of us.  Then Brent and I are going to sneak away to a movie, and we'll end the night enjoying a part of our past.  PIZZA DELIVERY!!!!  Ha!  The little things.  We have so much to be thankful for.  Our family, friends, good jobs, warm home, health and happiness.  

November is National Adoption Awareness Month.  Please keep all birth mothers and their families in your thoughts and prayers.  Hopefully soon we'll be welcoming a child into our home and hearts, as well as, his/her birthparents and family. 


Hoping you find much to be thankful for in your world. 


Love, Karla 

Gramma Alice

It's been terribly rainy here the past few weeks.  Yes, weeks.  It's not even the rainy season.  When it rains, and you're stuck inside with no satellite tv, and a broke down internet modem you have plenty of time to reminisce.  And reminisce I did.

Gramma Alice isn't mine by blood, or even by birth.  But she's mine none-the-less.  She passed away 19 years ago, when I was 17 years old.  It was November, and cold, and I remember exactly what I wore.  How cold my toes were in my black patent heels, exposed legs and teal green sweater dress.  And how my heart broke.

She's always been there.  In my life.  I don't have a moment in time when she wasn't present.  She came to be our Gramma Alice because God, and my father's urge to farm, found us for eachother.  Alice Elsie Bruckner Hook.  She loved her husband, Lester, who passed shortly after I was born, she loved God, without fear, and she loved us.  My parents and brothers.  

When I was about 2 or 3 my father approached Gramma about purchasing her farm.  It's where he wanted us to grow.  Along with the crops and the pigs and our cousins and our aunts and uncles.  They settled on a deal that would allow Gramma Alice to own her piece of land, and stay in her home, until she was ready to leave.  What a wonderful gift we were given.

Gramma Alice was an only child, who lost her parents and her husband, and wasn't blessed with the gift of a child herself.  That didn't stop her from loving.  I sincerely think she loved everyone.  Especially children and animals.  

Eventually my parents, with help of family and friends, built us a home, a few feet from Gramma's house.  You could literally look out our windows into her windows.  Yet we all had privacy.  It was nice to be able to check on her, to know she was okay, even without leaving the house on a cold winter night.

Gramma came to dinner often.  Born with one leg shorter than the other, about 5  nights a week either my brothers or I would go over to walk with her to our house for dinner.  She sat opposite Dad at the other end of the table.  Strategically placed as not to miss a moment of Wheel of Fortune.  I do believe that the coming of Christ may have been the only thing to tear her away from Wheel of Fortune.  Ha!  She was a character.

My mom would often tell me that I was like Gramma in many ways.  She's right.  I am.  Gramma was a messy, messy cook, and a relaxed housekeeper.  She preferred to spend her time making her crafts, tending to her pets- house mice (shudder), and spending time with us.  For the record mice are banished from my home in any form, and I tend to clean my toilet before a sledge hammer is needed, but we're alike in that I'm a horribly messy cook.  We're both a little stubborn, a little too round, and don't know the joy of having a child of our own.  But we love.  And we're happy.

I know there may have been times that she really just wanted her peace and quiet.  Yet she never turned us away.  Her home was our home, and we were always welcome.  I'd spend hours playing in the upstairs bedroom.  Playing dress up in dresses that had not been worn by Gramma in years.  We played an out of tune piano until I'm sure she thought her ears would bleed.  We'd play I Spy for hours searching for bearded walnut shells, silky spider webs and a long forgotten calendar amongst her walls and shelves of treasures.

Gramma Alice was a hoarder long before there was a television show about it.  We'd create crafts from the boxes and boxes of saved greeting cards, multi-colored remnants of candles, googly eyes, pipecleaners and all kinds of recycled things.  Much to my mom's dismay she'd toss anything and everything in the garden in front of her house.  Egg shells, tea bags, coffee grounds, left over pieces of sandwiches.  Lots of things for our dogs to bring home.

She loved to make the trips to the barn to talk to the sows, play with the babies and even help feed them.  She loved when Kyle, my younger brother, would bring his horse, Passion, to her steps to see her.  She'd bring out treats for Passion.  And Kyle.

Halloween meant popcorn balls, Christmas brought rosettes by the dozen.  Fried in the freshest of lard, dusted with pristine powdered sugar.  And so, so yummy.  Occasionally I'd happen over at lunch time and end up with a plate of liver and onions.  Still not my favorite meal.  But I thoroughly enjoyed fresh fried parsnips, dredged in flour and fried in butter to golden perfection.  Mmmmmm.

Upon her illness and eventual passing, I just tried to block life without her.  She was always supportive, it didn't matter the course.  Mud pies, frog collections (that she'd mysteriously set free), dress up, dancing to Little Jimmy Dickens Out Behind the Barn on the black, white and gray shag.  I hope we brought as much joy to her life as she did to ours.  Ah...memories...

Summer, Summer, Summer...

Sunrise 3:15 a.m.     Sunset 12:15 a.m.

We're a few days after solstice, which is wonderful and disappointing at the same time.  We're having some of the longest days of the year, but it also means they're on the way out.  Darkness will continue to creep in until we're down to 4 hours of daylight per day.  Anyway...

I've been away.  I had a little mishap with my best friend computer.  I was waiting for Brent to get home from a fishing expedition.  In my sleep-deprived state of mind I shoved it off the bed and broke the hard drive.  I packed it up, headed to Fairbanks and was pleasantly surpised to be able to pick it up a week later.  Since then we've been a tad bit busy.  You know... playing.

Brent managed to wrangle a little time for his first dipnetting, subsistence fishing, experience.  They traveled the long road to Chitna, traveled the treacherous trail, came upon a breathtaking river, fished for 10+ hours, and returned with 10 fish of the 120 possible for the 3 families there.  10.  Friends of ours were there the day before and limited out.  Pfffft.  That's a lot of work, time and energy for 10 fish.  10.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.  Oh well...better luck next time.  Right??

We've been riding ATV a lot.  The trails this year are dry and easy to ride.  This is the way I most prefer to ride.  Easy.  Dry.  Though some might say that that's boring.  That's okay.  I'd rather not be waist deep in mud when eaten by a bear.  Okay, just kidding.  Maybe.

We've had a stray puppy, whom I would have loved to keep.  We called her Little Bit.  Black German Shepherd/Lab cross.  So stinkin' cute.  And smart.  When we were walking with Cash she heeled, sat, obeyed.  She was house trained and darn near perfect.  However, 3 big dogs in one tiny house.  Not gonna happen.  So we advertised, posted religiously on facebook, and finally found her people.

The past week has been rainy.  We managed to accumulate about an inch and a half of rain.  No easy feat for us.  Miraculously on Friday the clouds parted, the sun came out, and we've been enjoying a lovely weekend. 

Today temps topped out at 85 degrees and we soaked up every bit of sun we could.  We rode, we took the dogs swimming for just a very few minutes.  Got sprinkled with rain, and then the skies cleared yet again.  We came home to grill hot dogs and eat store bought potato salad, feed the dogs and enjoy more sun. 

The wildflowers are out.  Irises, fireweed, golden rod, arctic poppies, lupines, strawberries, and the smells are fantastic.  As we ride the intoxicating smell is something that I'll be certain to never forget.  It's absolutely fantastic.



Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Sunrise  6:03 a.m.  Sunset  9:20 p.m.

It's Break Up season.  Let me tell you, this may be more painful than late winter.  As you can see we're having lovely long hours of sunlight.  And we've been fortunate enough to have numerous days of sunlight, despite occasional snow showers here and there.  

The white is slowly disappearing, and yuck and brown is taking it's place.  Slushy roads can be frustrating, and fun.  With the 4 wheel drive it's pretty harmless.  My floors are muddy, the dogs are muddy, and Cash has a penchant for rolling in all things stinky.

The sun warms my face.  Enough to have me trekking through 3 feet of snow to plop my behind in the depths of it to soak up as much heat as possible.  I find myself wishing for the dusty trails of summer, looking forward to riding through the depths of night with the sun at our backs, and getting virtually no sleep.

In the past week we have seen the return of the geese, swans and even a small flock of cranes.  Soon all the water ways will be spotted white with swans, as well.  Song birds flit about, seeking the promise of more food to fuel their bubbly bodies.

The buffalo have moved back to the plains and fields behind Donnelly.  We haven't been so fortunate as to see them yet, but we've been tracking their movement through the things they leave behind.  I'm hoping they stick around for a while to have their young, I'd love to see them play in the meadows.

This winter has been long and hard for us.  I've heard mixed reviews of whether or not it was a harder winter than most.  The long-timers will think that perhaps this is nothing, but I know better.  Alaskans are tough.  

For now I'm imagining fields of wildflowers and endless trails to come.  Think Spring!

The Towel

When I woke up this morning my first words to the hubby were, "that's it, I've had it, we're moving"!  To which Brent succinctly replied "No".  That's it.  I got a lot of words in, unfortunately they were after he left the house.  The froze up, waterless house.

There's nothing like stumbling down the steps, blindly wandering through a dark house, tripping over toys and bumping into the table, use the bathroom facilities, flush, and nada.  Nothing.  Trust me, when you're expecting their to be a soft whooshing noise, followed by nothing.  You're suddenly WIDE awake.  WIDE. AWAKE.  Ugh.

After a little bit of a temper tantrum (on my part) and a swift retreat (on his part), I packed up my pity party and thanked God for friends with extra bathrooms, houses, offices, etc.  I found a place to shower, rushed home, went through my normal routine, and headed off to work.

This winter, and now break up season, has been challenging.  I'm thankful for the abundant sun light, rising temps, and even the dirty, melting snow.  I'm hoping, as in past years, that summer will revive my spirit and renew my love for this beautiful, bountiful state.

This morning wasn't the first time the well has frozen.  Our fire damage is nearly fixed.  I'm not really sure if, or when, the contractor's helper plans to come back to finish it up.  I can tell you this, I'm happy it's not my bill, because we'd be duking it out.  And I would not be paying.  The work is fine.  I've seen plenty of construction, and I won't say it's great, but it's fine.  The customer service, terrible.  As I said, it's not my bill, and I'm thrilled about it.

Sunrise  7:28 a.m.   Sunset  8:08 p.m.

The above, is the most perfect thing in the world. :)  I love the long days, the sun coming up high in the sky, light when I leave for work, light long into the evening.  

Yesterday I took my first evening walk, without a coat.  It was heavenly.  With temps nearing 40 degrees, and over night temps ranging between 5 and 20 above zero, we're inching, sneaking, toward break up.  Oh goodness, please let it come soon.

I'm hoping for lots of sun and warmth this weekend.  Perhaps Brent will take a little time off from chopping, splitting and stacking wood to play.  

Ooh, the possibilities are endless. 

Think Spring!

Old Dog, New Tricks

I'd start off by apologizing, again, for being neglectful.  Truth is.  It's been a long winter, and frankly, I don't think you'd want to hear what I have to say.  I can officially say that I'm beginning to think this winter will never end.  I don't know that it came particularly early, but for us, it's stunk.  The cold, the fire, the frozen septic, and chaos.  Our house STILL isn't fixed.  We did start using the stove out of necessity.  With fuel at about $3.60/gallon we would have been broke in no time.  Luckily, knock on wood, we haven't had issues.  

To say I'm frustrated would probably be the understatement of the century.  The fire happened weeks before Christmas.  It's March.  STILL not fixed.  As you might have guessed, customer service in this area is lacking.  I believe some folks would say that most people here have a case of "My Give-a-Damn's Busted".  Simply don't care.

To break up the monotony of February, Brent rented a snowmachine on President's Day weekend.  MWR was having a deal, so he rented a sled and got in a little caribou hunting, moose hunting and play.  It was darn cold that weekend, but he did have fun.  As you can tell, so did Miss Chessa.  She loves to ride.  And she thought she was pretty darn smart.  :)  Cash was scared of the sled, of course, and chose to run behind and bark.  Incessantly. 

A couple weeks ago we got some snow and a lot of wind.  Which made it nearly impossible for me to get my little sedan out of our driveway.  In fact, there were a couple days I had to have my friend, and boss, come and pick me up.  Nice.  

After some more frustrating and expensive encounters with local "business people" we decided to just go buy a plow and be done with it.  In the end it will be far less frustrating, and a lot cheaper.  And provides much more entertainment for the hubby.

In Mid-February I started a new job on post.   I went from working for one friend to working for another.  The transition from jobs has been fine.  The transition from work times has been quite another story.  Luckily with our schedules we're home and working together, and I even get to sneak in lunch dates with the hubster. Occasionally.  The new job is good, I'm enjoying the change, and despising being "the new person".  Hopefully I'll be completely comfortable soon.  Very soon.

As you can tell, everyone enjoys the new plow.  And since plowing is very hard work he takes his gaggle of girls (and Cash) with him where ever he goes.  Maggie (the neighbor's dog- front seat) is agile and frisky.  She likes to play games of leap frog in and out of the moving ATV.  Luckily Brent is adept at making sure that she doesn't get hurt.  By him anyway.

The sun is finally warming, and giving me hope that spring, or break up, will happen soon.  There's still entirely too much snow on the ground, and the temps aren't nearly as warm as I'd like them to be, but we're getting there.  Slowly, but surely.  The moose are lightening, which I'm assuming is a nutrition thing, and I'm hoping lots of them are cooking moose bambinos in there.

Soon we'll have to start watching for bear sign.  Hopefully even sooner than that we'll here the drip, drip, drip of melting white.  In the meantime we're embracing the last parts of winter and praying for a lovely summer.

Happy Nearly Spring!!

A little bit of this..a little bit of that...

I know it's been a while.  I've been lazy.  There, I said it.  Well, I don't know if lazy is really the right word, but I've been procrastinating this one, which always makes it worse.  I've had a couple things on my mind, we'll talk about those later.

This is Brent and the dogs on Christmas Eve.  We ventured out to take a drive, relax, enjoy our beautiful frosty surroundings and see what we could see.  As usual it was a beautiful drive, despite Cash's never-ending attempts to climb into the front seat, and when reprimanded the constant sighing and squeaky yawn he does to let us know that he's irritated.  Ches is a wonderful traveler, and I'm hoping (praying and begging God) that Cash will grow to be a better traveler.  Since the day was particularly frigid I stayed in while the Three Amigos decided to hunt up some rabbit, or something.

This is Chris-moose!  I (originally) wanted to do a post with just this picture.  Our Christmas Moose! Ha!  Such a pretty girl she is, all snuggled into the white wonderland.  I wonder what Santa brought this Mama and her baby??

Christmas Day we hosted 8 friends at our table.  It was a nice, relaxing day with so much food I thought I'd explode.  Our cabin in the woods was cozy and warm.  Great conversations, awesome food, some presents, and brimming with lots of laughs.  My only regret is that we didn't have a slightly larger, more comfortable area so we could have sat longer, chatted longer, and had more friends to join us.

For dessert (I don't love baking) Brent talked me into baking this gorgeous pecan chocolate torte.  Too bad it didn't taste as good as it looks!  It was okay, but sadly not the best thing I've ever made.  I think Brent was dreaming of a moist devils food, and this was NOT it.  I'll be trying something next time.

New Year's Eve we decided to take in some ice fishing.  What a gorgeous day!! It was 38 degrees out on the ice.  As usual I avoided the bulk of the fishing, and played with the pooches.  Sitting still, looking at an icy hole, waiting for a random fishy to swim by and happen to bite my teeny tiny hook isn't the most fun I can think of.  But being on the ice on a warm and windy day, playing with fish (see above) and having a grand ole time is right up my alley.

Poor little fishy. Mutilated by Cash as he tossed and chased and barked and tossed some more.  Before hauling the poor little trout off to be buried in a bank of snow. 

This is Brent and Whitey.  Taking a picture of the fish they caught. Yep.  Both of them.  It goes a little bit like this.  Early in the day Whitey was feeling relaxed and lucky, he laid is pole on a chair while he chatted and jeered the other inhabitants.  Much to Whitey's dismay, the pole lurched from the chair to slide down the hole, Whitey attempted to reach the pole, sticking his arm shoulder-deep in ice cold water.  Unfortunately his crappie flop only earned him a very chilly arm.  The (rented) pole was lost, and he spent a good amount of time belly-aching about having to replace the pole.

After a visit from a very nice conservation officer from Ft. Wainwright, Brent used the auger to make himself a hole outside of the shanty.  As he was waiting and waiting he felt a faint tug on his line.  He reeled it up to discover that he had caught someone else's line, presumably from inside the shanty.  Whitey happened to be walking by at just that moment, right before Brent tossed the line back in.  Whitey pulled the line, fish, and his lost rod out of the frigid water.  And that, folks, is the story of how Whitey and Brent caught the same fish.  Well, technically Whitey caught the fish and Brent caught the pole! Ha!

I'm pretty sure this photo strikes fear and loathing in my father.  I'm positive he was happy he wasn't visiting on this particular slobber-filled day in our lives.  My father tolerates my dogs, only because I leave him no other option, but he doesn't love them.  They're fine as long as they don't kiss, touch, jump or come within 50 feet of him.  Ha!  Good luck, Dad!! 

Brent and I decided that it would be nice for Charlie (dog #2 from left) and Cash (dog #4 from left) to have a play date for their birthday.  They turned 1 on December 26th!!! YAY!  While Charlie was visiting, Maggie (dog #1) decided to come and play, leaving us with a menagerie of mongrels.  They are so much fun.  Outside.  Outside Only.  Holy Cat!  4 dogs in the house is insane.  Crazy even. 

Alaska holds the most beautiful skies I've ever seen.  They are expressive beyond anything I've laid my eyes upon, and change constantly.  New Year's Day they presented us (and that's exactly what it was, a gift) with the most vibrant cobalt blue skies.  They ranged from navy (nearly black) to the faintest aqua and you stood and circled your body. 

The camera really does them no justice.  They were fantastic.  I just stood, in wonder, and watched them shift over head.  Saturated color, you could almost taste it.  Truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  And with that sentence, I'm pretty sure my oldest brother just broke into a fit of hysterics.  But you should have seen it.  Fantastic!

Another shot of blueberry skies....

The periwinkle hue over the roof top was my favorite.  I'm so blessed.  Alaska is beautiful, harsh, rugged and glorious.  I'm happy to have seen it, grateful to have lived in it.  It's like nothing I've ever seen before.  Leaves me wanting for more...

This is the usual scene at our house these days.  Brent and Maggie snuggled on the couch, Cash pestering Maggie to play, play, play, and Chessa begging me with her eyes to "please send Maggie home".  Ha!

In other news I have accepted a new position.  I am experiencing bittersweet feelings.  I will leave a job that I love, and a very, very good friend.  I will miss seeing her, and her family, on a daily basis, but it's not like I'm leaving the country.  I am taking a job on post, with another friend, so I'm lucky to have the best of both worlds.  I don't know when I'll start yet, but 2011 is bound to be a great year!

Happy New Year!!!

 



Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!  May you enjoy your time spent with family and friends, and take time to enjoy the season!  We'll be missing you all!!

Winter Solstice

Sunrise 10:45 a.m.         Sunset  2:35 p.m.

The solstice came yesterday.  Which means the longest of winter days are behind us.  Phew.  Unfortunately the additional light is slow to come for a few weeks yet.  We'll pick it up quicker as time goes on.  Did you all catch that lunar eclipse last night?  Spectacular.  I didn't get to see it go red, but I parts of it from the bedroom window.  Spectacular.

The past few days have been quiet.  I've been baking, attending Christmas plays and trying to get the house put back to semi-rights after all the crap that's happened.  I'm ready for some peace.  And I'm really hoping I didn't just jinx myself.

Friday afternoon Brent picked me up.  I dashed from the truck to capture the moon.  At 4:17 p.m.  It was so pretty and bright.  It casts eerie shadows across the driveway, making me more hesitant to spend anytime outdoors.  Without dogs and guns.  Luckily I have plenty supply of both.  Phew!

Lately I find Cash in this position a lot.  He's waiting for Maggie.  His buddy.  From a neighboring farm.  She comes to play every day.  Yes, every.single.day.  Some days twice a day.  Last Thursday I was off from work due to extremely cold temps.  -50 and below. So, this is Cash waiting at about -35 below.  He has thicker skin than I do.  No thanks.  Brrrr.  That also turned out to be the day we got our plumbing back.  Amen.  Hallelujah.  Praise God.  This is as rustic as I get.  I can't do outdoor "plumbing".  There are some miraculously strong people out there.  No thanks.  

Saturday we made a trip to Fairbanks.  We braved the crowds and craptacular roads.   Got our necessary items, that I absolutely could not find here in Delta.  Stopped at Pagoda for a quick and yummy lunch in North Pole.  Tried to visit the Santa Claus house to pick up Savannah and RJ's letters from Santa.  But alas, the lines were too long, and the parking lot was out of empty spaces.  We kept driving.  

Sunday Brent made us breakfast, I cleaned, baked and cooked.  Brent put a moose roast in the oven, and we just enjoyed the holiday season.  Sunday evening we attended the Christmas program at First Baptist Church here in Delta.  What a production!  There are some talented kids in this community.  The program consisted of 45 children, varying ages, and a team of dedicated parents.  It was uplifting, fun, joyful, and fun!  You could tell the kids were thoroughly enjoying themselves up there, and they all did a great job!

Later that evening I packed up some cookies and headed to a friends house for games and friend time.  It was the perfect end to a relaxing weekend.  I have no complaints.  None.  At all. 

Thursday I'll have off to prepare for Christmas dinner at our house on Saturday.  Friday we're off to do some ice fishing.  Finally.  It's our first trip and I'm looking forward to it.  Which means I can't procrastinate on Thursday!!  There will be 9 of us for dinner, and I'm going to have to get mighty creative to get us all in here.  But we'll work it out.  For sure. 

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!! Stay warm!

Baby It's Cold Outside

It's cold.  Not just cold, really, really cold.  How cold?  Cold enough that I left my car running for a good portion of the day.  Because I'm missing an important piece of equipment.  A block heater.  Kind of dumb for any Alaskan to live without one. Especially one without a garage.  But it is what it is.  So, run it did.  Thank goodness my lovely little Volvo is good on gas. Phew!

It's cold.  Cold enough to freeze a septic system.  Yep. You read that right.  And since we live in the land of self-sufficiency my dear hubby has been trying to thaw it.  He's done a lot of research.  Learned the tricks that do and don't work here in the tundra.  Until finally.  He called a septic guy.  This guy's words of wisdom.  "Good Luck".  Yep, that's it.  He wasn't going to bother to come out in -40 degree temps.  Nice.  It's obvious he's not the one peeing in the frigid temperatures.  No outhouse either.  I think I might have to build one this summer.  You know.  Just in case.

3 days I have lived without plumbing.  Plumbing, electricity and an internet connection were my only requirements for moving to Alaska.  Well, two out of three ain't bad!  Ha!  Honestly, I'm taking it in stride.  It's livable, though not ideal, but we'll survive.  The rumor is that Septic Guy #2 will make an appearance some time tomorrow.  Brent's not-so-secretly wants his last ditch effort to work.  I'm optimistic, but realistic.  I'm not canceling Septic Guy #2 just yet.

So, as of now we have no toilet or shower, and no wood stove.  I am very thankful for back up heat.  The rumor around town is that -40 is warmish compared to what we may get.  It was -48 degrees at the Clearwater Lodge tonight.  Where we ate dinner.  While the car idled outside.

We're snuggled in.  Waiting for normalcy to return.  Praying that it's soon.  And just trying to find the positive in all the discord that's found us.  Someone did tell me that Mercury was in retrograde.  I hope it's out soon...

Stay Warm!!

Keepin' The Home Fires Burnin'

**Before I start this post I want to say that we are all fine, unharmed, healthy and warm.  Enjoy the read.

Thursday evening I came home, as usual.  Stoked the fire, as usual.  Let out the dogs, as usual.  I took care of the dinner dishes that I had been too lazy to tackle the evening before, which is unusual.  I was doing dishes, laundry, and watching something on the computer.

I needed to soak one of my pans, the reason for my lazy delay in the first place.  I sat in the chair, computer on my lap, Ches at my feet.  Cash and Maggie (the neighbor dog) playing in the yard.  As I was watching I heard a dripping, or maybe a sizzle.  I glanced at the faucet.  Nothing.  I glanced at the fire place.  Fire!  In the wrong place.  Panic.  I let out an expletive.  And went into action.

I first replaced my pajama pants with real pants.  Jeans.  Slipped on my Uggs, shooed Ches outside, which confused her, dialed Brent.  No answer.  Panic.  Dialed 9-1-1.  All I have to say, is thank God for 9-1-1 dispatchers.  She kept me calm, kept me even, soothed my frazzled nerves.  I got out the dogs, put them in the car, and proceeded to back away from the house to give the fire truck room, if needed.  Said a prayer that it wouldn't be needed.  Was obviously frazzled, got the car stuck.  Left it there, running, with dogs inside.  Sent Maggie home, and she miraculously listened.  Did another silent Hallelujah.

When the operator was satisfied that I wasn't going to stay in the house, and that the fire personnel were on their way, I hung up.  Dialed Brent.  Got Steve (his co-worker and friend), and once I heard his voice, LOST MY MARBLES.  After I shouted that the house was on fire, about 3 times, I hung up.  At this point I was nearing a panic attack, and needed someone to calm me down.  I was alone.  I called my Mom.  Which in hindsight, only made her panic.  But she managed to calm me down.  The stove pipe was neon orange and glowing.  I had managed to save the dogs, the computer, the camera and the guns.  To be honest, I couldn't think of anything else that was that important.  We weren't inside.

I grabbed a coat for myself.  And some gloves.  It was -10 and I'd been outside for about 10 minutes in a thin t-shirt before I noticed that I didn't have a coat.  Once I'd grabbed a coat, and still on with my mom, I decided to head down the driveway with a flashlight, to signal the people coming to help.  I started out, forgot a gun, and headed back for a gun.  All the while my mom is trying to convince me that I can't go, I'll be eaten, or something.  That I should drive.  I had to cop to the fact that I got the car stuck.  Luckily I didn't have the where-with-all to be embarrassed.

I hung up and headed down the driveway, in the dark, sobbing, with a pistol and a phone.  By the time I reached the end of the drive way I got the giggles.  It may have been hysteria, but giggle I did.  As I stood there, calmer, pointing my strobing flashlight in every direction, seeking for glowing eyes in the dark.  Phew.  Relief.  Soon I saw headlights.  More headlights and FINALLY, heard the sirens, horns.  Utter relief.

Delta Junction has a volunteer fire department.  Let me tell you, they reacted quickly.  I saw the first, second, and third set of headlights.  Volunteers coming from their homes, to help me at mine.  I walked back to the house, and two firemen were already inside.  I just stood outside and watched.  Soon the big truck with lights flashing was there, and I could breathe.

I stood there, talking to my husband, whom I begged to drive carefully and assured that the whole house wasn't in flames.  Tried reaching our landlord.  And couldn't.  And waited.  Thankfully the men were much calmer than I was, and kind.  Considerate.  Conscientious.  Turns out that while the fire was very hot and very real, they managed to put it out quickly, all while being contained in the stove pipe.  Phew.

In the end we lost some drywall, and some insulation.  We'll need to replace the pipe all the way up through the roof.  But we are lucky.  Fortunate.  Blessed.  It could have been so much worse.    I have attached some photos of the damage.

This is the discoloration of the pipe and ash on top of the stove.  

The stove is fine.  In perfect condition, just coated in a fine ash.

This photo is the top of the pipe, where they cut  out the wall to access the insulation.

This is two pieces of charred foam insulation and the rope that goes around the top of the pipe.  

You can see the black charring on all of the pieces.

Our deepest gratitude and heartfelt thanks goes out to the volunteer firefighters with the Delta Fire Department.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!