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!!

Oh Give Me a Home...

I didn't realize it had been quite so long since my last post.  I apologize, I haven't been feeling well, so I've lacked the energy and desire to tell you about life in the Last Frontier.  Now that I'm feeling better and the snow is diminishing, I'm hoping that changes.  

Last week we saw beautiful weather, and mid-week, snow.  Yes, SNOW.  I was hoping that we'd seen the last of the blasted white stuff for awhile, but no.  More snow.  I adopted the mindset that since I couldn't change it, I could embrace it.  So, embrace I did.  I do have to say, that while the skies were gray, the snow fell in a soft, downy curtain.  It really was beautiful.

This weekend we found better temperatures, and while the sun stayed tucked away today, the temps were nice.  Of course, along with nicer temps comes the wind.  WHOOSH!!  I have a permanent whoosh going on in my ears.

Saturday we headed to Fairbanks bright and early to take care of some errands.  I always feel guilty for not stopping to see our friends when we're there.  But truth be told, we hurry in and scurry out, usually trying to beat last trip's time.  This trip was no different.  We made our rounds, crossed most items off our list and bee lined straight back to Delta.  It was much too nice of a day to spend in the "city".  

Once home and unpacked we took a little snooze.  Just a short one, I promise.  After all, Brent did wake me up at 6 a.m. on Saturday.  Travesty, I tell you.  After our nap, we bundled up and headed out on our first family (of four) ATV ride.  We rode a nice, easy trail that was still half buried in snow, but it was lovely.  Cash loves to ride nearly as much as Ches.  It's going to be a great summer!

We stopped at Clearwater Lake landing on the way home to explore the shoreline and get a glimpse of the geese that have returned to Delta. As we explored the quickly melting shoreline we stepped gingerly across islands of receding ice.  First Ches, then Cash, then Brent, then me.  As you may guess, me being last, is almost always a bad thing.  When we came to cross a particular spot on the shore, I stepped with my right foot.  The snow/ice gave way just enough to make me nervous.  I quickly retracted my foot.  You see, I have an issue staying upright as it is.  As I was turning to retreat I got "the look" from my husband.  So, fighting my own inner knowing, I proceeded forward.  Bad, bad idea. 

I stepped with the right, intending to make a quick left and a small jump.  I didn't make it.  I fell through the ice/snow straight through to the muck.  My right foot buried 12 inches deep in sludge.  I pulled, and it pulled back, threatening to keep my long sought after winter boots.   And as if losing a foot, and gaining 7 pounds of muck to walk off wasn't bad enough, I had to land (hand first) into a fresh pile of Cash poop.  Ggggreeeeaaatttt.  Thank goodness I was wearing gloves.  I survived, despite Brent's hysterical laughter, and Cash's enthusiastic licking.  Having a body/face/victim that close to the ground was far too much for him to bear.  I kept shoving, he kept coming back for more.  Little booger.

After that debacle I decided it was time to head home.  We loaded up and rode back to our haven in the woods.  We took a walk to the field to help clean off my boot/pant leg some more.  And then I retreated to the bedroom to watch The Time Travelers Wife.  As I was just finishing we got a very frantic, excited call from a friend.  The buffalo were spotted, and we quickly dressed and drove as fast as we could.

By the time we got every one loaded, out of town and down the windy, bumpy, icy road, the buffalo had moved off the road further into pasture.  Not being the kind to give up easily, Brent and Joe headed out on foot in search of the great beasts.  About a mile in, success.  As you can see by the photo above, it's a small herd.  However, I sense that there is more than one herd out there.  Just judging by the number of patties dotting the landscape and road.

I 

Once we were frozen and wind burnt we headed for home.  Pooches in tow.  Just as we turned onto our "street" we saw these guys.  They've been hanging around all winter, though before they were hanging with their mom, we suspect she was the victim of a car/moose crash in mid-March.  

They frequent Mason Street and often the field out front of our house.  I love seeing them around.  And it's always a good sign to have moose.  "They" say that when you have moose, you don't have bear.  I'll keep the moose.  Thank you very much.

Today we took a few walks to enjoy the lovely day.  Drove out to see if we could see more buffalo.  No cigar.  Battled the wind.  Baked some delicious lemon bars.  Visited with friends.  And just thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Happy Spring to You!

Crafty

Howdy Ya'll! Greetings from the North. Today was a beautiful day. It actually turned out a little warmer than I thought it was. It's sneaky here, the house doesn't get a lot of sun, so it always feels cooler inside. Today was no exception. We made it into the 50's which from what we here, are more typical temps for this time of year here.

I am feeling slightly better today. I had a surge of energy mid-morning and got quite a bit done. I even flipped the mattress and put on the new bedskirt, washed the sheets, and remade the bed. I also managed to do about 5 loads of laundry.

Late afternoon I hit my slump so I sat down on the couch and made myself some new tie backs for the kitchen and living room curtains. Okay, so it wasn't rocket science, but it was fun. I was having a hard time finding what I wanted, so I picked up some beads, waxed jewelry string and some lanyard hooks the last time I was in Fairbanks. I'm pretty happy with them, and now I'm thinking about doing some beading on the curtains themselves. We'll see how ambitious I get. But it sounds like a lot of fun, and now my creative juices are flowing.

Other than that things are pretty quiet around here. Brent starts his new shift tomorrow, so I'll have a slightly longer day at home alone. My goal is to find the hammer and get some things on the wall, and to get those tie backs up. Then we'll see how I'm feeling to tackle the weekend. I am still in need of some good hiking shoes, and we need to pick up some other things, so I'm sure we'll head into Fairbanks. And I think I'll pick up some allergy medication per Susan's suggestion and see if that's what it is. Uff da.

Well, I'm off to take some Nyquil and get some rest. Hopefully tomorrow will be better than today. Have a happy day!

p.s. Mom- the chicken is still alive. ;)

Warm, Sunshiney Day

Hello Folks!

The days grow longer every single day. As I type this at 10:45 p.m. we still have light. Quite a bit of it in fact. I have to admit, that I find myself languishing these nice, long days. I try to enjoy every minute of them.

Despite a record setting temperature of 74 degrees at the Fairbanks International Airport today, we still had frozen water this afternoon. Seriously? 74 degrees! Hopefully that will all end soon. The snow is melting quickly though we still have mounds where the sun fails to hit directly.

Ches and I had a great day today. She finally decided to play nice with the neighbors dog, and so we sat on the porch and enjoyed the evening sun, and giant mosquitoes with our neighbor.

Being from Minnesota I'm no stranger to skeeters. However, I have NEVER seen mosquitoes this large. They are huge! Ginormous. Honestly, if I can capture (um, kill) one I will take a reference shot just to show you. Apparently we're in for it when the smaller ones come, and I have a feeling we'll be investing in some face netting. Sounds like a lot of fun!

In an effort to keep myself sane I have been job hunting. My goal is to get on base, but we'll see if that comes to fruition or not. For now I am enjoying my late morning snoozes and wandering in the woods with Ches. I have a feeling she really likes my stay-at-home status as it usually involves a lot of outside time, and many, many treats.

Hopefully I'll be back with some photos tomorrow. Ches and I are planning to take a nice long walk to see if we can capture anything fun. Oh, and the grass is beginning to green up! Woohoo. Spring has sprung!

Have a happy day!

Water, Water Everywhere

Well, spring has definitely sprung. There is mud and water everywhere. We still have a good amount of snow, but if the temperatures continue to hover around 50 degrees we should be snow free in no time.

The loss of snow is also starting to become evident on the mountains as well. Every day there is more and more dark spaces on the mountains. This evening as we were driving we came upon many flocks of Lesser Canada geese scouring the fields and puddles for food. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the camera along, so you’ll have to imagine it.

This morning Brent let me sleep in. Well, he tried to let me sleep in. Yesterday’s migraine kicked my behind, so he was being the kind man that he is, and he didn’t wake me. Well, it was a nice thought, but at 5:30 a.m. I was wide awake. I laid down after Brent left and blink, blink, blink, no sleep in sight. So, I got up, made my list (thanks Mom- lol) and I was off to the races.

My first task was to iron all of the curtains that have been waiting for me. Have you tried ironing without an ironing board? Me neither. But being the creative person I am, I set up two tray tables side-by-side, covered them with a nice fluffy towel, and set off to make all things in my presence pretty.

After the 4 chocolate brown panels for the living room were done I moved onto the steel grey panels for the bedroom. Ooh la la. They are really nice, and thick. I definitely should have had them earlier this winter. But, now I’ll have them for next year. Think positively. Anyway, the panels are all the perfect weight in the perfect places. The kitchen/living room panels just dull the light enough so that we’re able to see without lights on, until about 9:30 p.m. And the bedroom curtains are thicker to make it nice and dark for sleeping.

The nights are still chilly. And our water continues to freeze nightly. Why? Well folks, that’s a mystery to us all.

After finishing up all the ironing I put new sheets and a new comforter on the bed. Ooh. Lovely. However, I still need to find a bedskirt and some finishing touches before I put pictures up for you all to see. I know, I know…I promise I will. Soon.

When Brent got home from work we took a little nap (since we’d both gotten up so early) and then headed into town to check out the Delta Dog House. What is the Dog House? I’m so happy you asked. Our neighbors bought a wiener wagon, and are serving food downtown Delta, opening day was today. So we trucked into town to support the neighborhood, and sample their wares. It was a nice treat, and much better than the meal we had out this past weekend.

Also, I forgot to mention earlier this week that my cousin Pam sent me a You Tube link for the Dead Puppies song. It’s slightly different than the version we used to sing, but it was very, very close. Thanks a bunch!

Have a happy day!

Little Willie Went Home

Little Willie went home, and this is what I'm left with. Well, this and the strip of paint missing from my bedroom wall. Silly boy. I have to admit, I was relieved when he vacated the premises, but I miss the little booger.

Ches has been relishing all of her toys and attention. She even took advantage of the peace today and snuck in a nap on the bed. I can tell she's slightly misses him, but I'm thinking she's more relieved than anyone that Wee Willie is gone.

In his absence I had a laundry list of items planned to accomplish today. And then I woke with a migraine. Instead of trying to fight it I just flopped on the couch, and eventually stumbled back to bed to fight the good fight. Once the nausea left, and the stabbing pain dulled ever-so-slightly I got my behind out of bed and did minimal work.

I started by soaking beans for homemade ham and bean soup. I have to say it turned out to be pretty tasty. Then I hacked up the rest of the ham and froze it, and that soup bone for another batch of something. Then I went outside and got rid of the rest of Willie's remnants. Picked up some litter from the driveway left by the previous tenant.

Tomorrow we are forecasted temperatures in the 50's and I'm planning to make the best of it. I think we'll celebrate the spring weather with a nice walk, and perhaps some fetch in the yard. Right now we have about 18 hours of sunlight. It's getting light about 5 a.m. and staying light until about 11 p.m.

Last week I ordered some lined drapes for the rest of the house. The sheers just weren't helping with the sleep factor. So they have arrived, and I plan to get the rest of them up tomorrow as well. Sounds like I'll have a very busy day! Have a happy day!

Dead Puppies Aren't Much Fun...

Before I start I want to say that everyone here is fine. No dead puppies. But that might only be because they're not much fun...

My brothers, uncle, cousins and I attended bible at Camp Indianhead. We had a camp counselor who introduced us to the awful, morbid, hilarious song about dead puppies. Yes, at bible camp. Ha. It is one of my favorite memories, and I wish I could remember the words. It was hilarious.

My day started out in usual fashion. We had trips to the woods for the dogs to do their duty. Then feeding time at the zoo with the normal chasing, shooing, growling and gulping of food. After all of that hoopla, the frozen water, and getting Brent off to work, I managed to sneak back to bed for a couple more winks of sleep. And man, someone is glad that I did.

I started the day thinking that it was a beautiful day in the low-mid 40's. In the late morning the sun came out and it was glorious. I tied Willie out in the front yard, and had Ches in the yard taking advantage of the quiet farm, and the sunny day. I decided since Willie had gotten stuck under the porch I would bring them in for a little break.

Willie comes in and was rambunctious. He loves to run around the couch. Around one end and under the round table on the other end. The table with the floor length cloth that he always gets stuck in. As he makes the corner for the second time I see him pull the cloth, causing the table to wobble, spilling my Diet Coke all over. Soda goes every where. Ev. Ery. Where. Insane.

I strip the cloth off, grab a few more items and head to the laundry room. In the process I let Ches out to run in the yard, sniffing and exploring. When I come in I decide to let Willie out to play again. I head to make the bed and hear a vehicle outside. As the van pulls up I step out onto the porch to see what they need. The driver steps out asking my name, getting Ches's attention as she bounds toward him barking like a raving lunatic, he lunges for the truck, and I try to wrangle her back inside. Once Ches was securely inside, he brings me my package, I sign in someone else's scribble, and we hear the most desperate yelping and yipping from under the porch. Willie is stuck. Again. 10 minutes later red-faced we're all inside and ready for a nap.

A little later in the afternoon I decide to let them out again. I go about my business, opening windows, letting in the fresh air and I realize that I cannot see Ches. So I go outside, notice Willie all tangled up, bring him in and he dashes for the back bedroom. I think to myself, "hmmm, that's odd." I go back out to get Ches and as she comes toward me there is the most horrid smell. POOP. Good heavens, she is covered. As I head in to grab paper towels to hook her to the tie out it hits me that somewhere hiding in my house is a mini-me also covered in poop. Oh. My. Heavens.

After much yelling, some gagging, crying (done by me) and a lot of shampoo they are clean and go into hiding. It was possibly the quietest afternoon I have had. I washed everything. Three times. And it still stinks like poop. I am done with poop. Seriously.

When Brent got home I told him the story and he laughed himself silly. Nice Honey. Next time I think I'll save bath time for him... lol.

This is Ches in hiding. I was drying her off and told her to go lay down. She did. And she didn't move for hours. At least she listens...

This is Willie thinking I can't see him. Even he was smart enough to hide in the corner, far away from me. (See that mark on the wall above him, that's where he gnawed the paint off the wall.)

On another note, this is a lovely spring sunset. There is water, orangy-red water, everywhere. I'm assuming it's the minerals (?) but the water runs red in these ditches. Since the ground is still frozen it all sits on top causing much mud and chaos. We will likely need our four-wheel drive to get in to the driveway by the end of the weekend.

Hope you are enjoying spring!

Have a happy day!

Spring is Springing!

Spring is springing! I would say that it has sprung, but I'm not quite sure that winter won't sneak back up on us and zing us one last time. I will say, however, that despite today's gray skies, the past few days have been delightful. The temps have been hanging out around the 40's and we hear a constant drip, drip, drip. Delightful. We still have not managed to escape the frozen well pump though. It's a mystery to all...hopefully we'll be rid of that nuisance soon.Buddie has taken up residence at the Squirrel Buffet that Brent brought to our backyard. I have had no current incidences of chasing little Buddie from the porch, and while it's for the best, I miss the little percocious little girl. I would snap a pic of Willie's buffet, but I'll save you all that disgusting photo. The little varmint kept me up for most of the night with the runs. I was not happy about 2:30 a.m. and I was flabbergasted as to what he may have gotten into.

This evening when Brent and I took him out to play the little scamp ran from pile of poo to pile of poo devouring his weight in feces. UGH. Seriously, I do not have a weak stomach, but I about lost it. So, now I don't know what I'm going to do to keep him out of the poo piles. We live on a farm for pete's sake! Poo is everywhere. Everywhere.

As you can tell by the pics he's growing like a weed. He's getting big and it's fun to watch him mimic Ches and her ways. Here they are searching out the next big thing in spring time mining. I just hope it's not more poop. Good gravy! What have I gotten myself into?

And here's that cute little baby face. Awwww. Today I scolded him for something, I cannot recall his every transgression, there are a lot of them, so I shooed him. He rebels by jumping up on the spare bedroom door and busting in. Apparently I didn't hear him whine to get out, so he pulled my jacket off the rack behind the door and decided to take a nap.

So, my day is coming to an end. I need to pack a ham sandwich for Brent's lunch tomorrow. He has a big day and has to be to work by 4:30 a.m. Since I am not in the business of getting up at 3:30 I'm packing it tonight, and then hitting the hay for a much needed siesta.

Hope you are warm in your world!

Happy (almost) Spring from Alaska!

GEESE!

It has been beautiful here in the land of the (upcoming) Midnight Sun! It has bobbled around the 40 degree mark for nearly a whole week, and we are losing snow like crazy! This of course makes the parking lots super slickery with the added melt, but it's worth it. I should really dig out Brent's extra pair of Yak Trax for walking the Poop Troop. But I don't know where they are, and frankly the effort doesn't seem necessary.

We have been taking the kids out back and running them senseless in an effort to get a full night's sleep. This worked on Wednesday night, but not last night. I am convinced that Willie must have been too excited about his gross (and disgusting) find in the woods. He was thrilled so we let him drag it around. In his defense it is just a grouping of feathers, but I still can't make myself look at it. He, is awfully proud, as you can tell here.

My friend Susan told me that she had heard that there were geese in our area, and that it was the first sign of Spring. Since this is my first Alaskan spring, I will take her good information. And this morning, guess what I saw? As I stepped out to let the kids out, we all stopped at the tell tale calls of the geese. Ches got super excited and took off bounding across the hay field, I think she thought I was going to shoot one, and Willie was flabbergasted, but the sight was great!


Today I had my friend Mary Lou over for lunch. I made some soup, salad and sandwiches. It was simple but good, and the company was excellent. While I was preparing for her visit I decided to run the vacuum quick. I normally vacuum while Brent takes the kids out to play, but since I was alone I had to vacuum while they were inside. Ches cowered on the couch hoping that I wouldn't suck her up, and Willie hid under the bed. When it came time to vacuum the bedroom I ran up the first side and heard him scrambling to the other side, pretty soon his little ebony head popped up and he whimpered. I turned the machine off, lifted him onto the bed, and started on my way. The poor little thing was huddled between the pillows shaking like a leaf during a hurricane. Poor baby. So of course I had to cuddle him a little bit, and then he bit my nose. Ingrate!

After dinner this evening Brent, Ches and I took a drive down Main Street U.S.A. to check out the scenery. Willie stayed home as he isn't a huge fan of riding in cars, so we left him home. When we returned we played and played and tried to avoid his piranha-like teeth. Eventually he pooped out and found a nice, comfy spot on Brent's lap to snuggle.

Happy Spring from the Kings!

New Things

One thing nice about moving to a new state, and experiencing a new season, is seeing new birds, plants and animals. This is a gray jay. They are quite large, and while I didn't photograph this one, we have one that was checking out our garbage can and an old piece of pizza.

I took out the garbage yesterday a.m. with Rambunctious Willie and Timid Ches to discover after slipping, tripping and swearing that I had forgotten the lighter in the house. When I returned with the lighter I saw Jay sitting on the edge of my can munching on pizza. So I left the garbage for a little bit so he could enjoy the buffet and I could get a picture. But I didn't manage to procure one.

In other news it has been 7 days since Willie's arrival. We're having a lot of fun with him, but he is a lot more work than Ches. A lot more. He and Ches play quite a bit, when she isn't tired of his nipping, and it's fun to watch him mimic Ches. He's gotten smart to the treat jar and now everytime he comes in he thinks he needs treats. Little booger.

This morning we woke at 4:30 a.m. to no water. Again. I called the neighbors to thaw it at 5:30
so that the neighbors might have water, but they didn't arrive until after 7 a.m. It's frustrating. It's on the list of things that need to be discussed shortly.

Other than that we've been enjoying the warmer weather. It's been about 40 degrees and we are definitely losing snow. However, our driveway has become a skating rink and it's kind of funny to watch Willie launch himself off the deck and slide for a few feet when he has to go out.

With the warmer weather we are definitely noticing more songbirds and finches. Hopefully they'll come closer in coming weeks so we can snap some pics of them. There certainly seem to be a lot of varieties. When I googled birds of Alaska I noticed that they have the red wing black bird here. I really liked them growing up so I'm anxious to see if they are this far North.

We are also having about 16 hours of light now. When I peaked out the window at 10:14 last night I could see the trees across the field. So that is wonderful. The moon lately has been nearly full, and a bright orange ball in the sky.

Hope you are all warm and enjoying Spring! Have a happy day!

Longer Days

Well, as you can see my little Buddie was back last week. She was having a hay day stocking up on yummy seeds that BRENT sprinkled in the backyard for the grouse. Since he attracted her I told him he couldn't shoot her. And he happily obliged. Yes, she is sitting on the logs of the house, but she retreats to her trees, so for now she's safe. And full. Ha!

Brent, Ches and I walked out by the pasture on Friday evening. It was beautiful so we took a nice walk around the farm, just enjoying the longer days. This is the sunset, it was just too beautiful to pass up. We also noticed coyote and moose tracks, so I have been on the lookout. But have yet to see either one. It's just through the woods, and without the underbrush we can see straight through the trees to where the moose has been hanging out. The coyote I don't suppose we'll see. I think he's hunting rabbits under the logs out back. I suggest he stay away from the chicken coop or he could be in big trouble.

Friday afternoon Brent spoiled himself and bought a new gun. It's a Mossberg Maverick 88 and it's solely for protection. This is his reaction after shooting it for the first time and learning that it had a little more kick than he thought it might. Too funny. His shoulder was still smarting today, which I think is really quite funny. Directly after this photo was taken (on Sunday a.m.) he tried to get me to shoot it. Um, no. Do I have stupid written across my forehead? Silly boy. But it was fun to watch him try to sneak a little rub in, like I wasn't going to catch him! Really.

Sunday we decided to get out and go for a little drive despite the 180 mph winds. Okay, so that may be an exaggeration, but seriously, it was ridiculously windy. And then, like idiots we drove SOUTH of Delta, which is notorious for being windier than where we live. We drove slow to capture the Alaska Range (above) and Donnelly Dome (below). But sometimes it was really difficult to even stay on the road.

We stopped at Donnelly Creek Recreation area. The creek was open so we stopped to see what we could see. It was really shallow, so there was nothing in the way of fish. But we did come upon some buffalo droppings. I think we might think about camping there sometime this summer. Depending on what we find in other areas.

I am guessing that spring is on it's way here. We have a huge increase in little birds around. I have yet to get close enough to get a picture so that I can look them up. But they are here. In droves. We have heard that the bear are indeed starting to come out of hibernation but we have yet to see sign. The days are getting long. With the sky beginning to lighten around 6 a.m. and dusk lasting until 9 p.m. or later.

I will be busy this week. I have agreed to puppysit a 9 week old black lab pup named Willy while his parents go to Africa. He is rambunctious and I'm not quite sure how Ches will like having him here. He's temporary and I'm sure she'll adjust in time.

I have yet to hear on the job that I applied for, but there is another opening that I will be applying for. I have no idea what my chances are, but hopefully in time I'll find something. I was convinced that I would work from home, and I may still, but I am craving interaction with other humans, so for now I'm just keeping my eyes open.

Hoping you are warm, safe and dry! Have a happy day!

Warming Up

Hello Friends,

I want to start by saying that I'm keeping friends and family in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota in my thoughts and prayers. I know that everyone is busy sandbagging, moving up and out, and I only hope that you all remain safe. Grandma and Grandpa I hope that you are managing to stay dry, and that the water stops rising in your basement. And I pray that the church remains unharmed. I have seen the photos, and wish I could be there to help you sand bag.

It is warming up here ever so slightly. That doesn't mean however that I'm even remotely hopeful that spring is on it's way yet. But I'm surprisingly fine with the snow and cold that seems to be deeply rooted here. I have heard rumors that there was actual melting on the road ways between Delta and Fairbanks today. But I wasn't out there. I can tell that the snow on the roof is slowly melting, bit by bit, and my bird friends, and Buddie, are increasingly active.

I was up late last night just contemplating life. I shut off the tv and could see a glow through the window. I didn't think much of it, thought perhaps someones headlights were shining from the neighbors across the field. So I got up, just out of curiosity. Man, I was so happy I did. The Northern Lights were fantastic. They lit up the entire sky. It's really surreal to watch. Sometimes it feels as though your eyes are playing tricks on you. But it is really fun, and eerie, to watch.

Other than that, we've had a frozen well pump the last two afternoons. Yes, afternoons. It's frustrating, and losing its novelty very, very quickly. However, when K comes to thaw it out she brings T to keep me entertained. He's 6. Today he decided that he should work out with my hand weights and exercise ball. He is entertaining to say the least. And Ches likes having an active and willing playmate.

I've been reading again. I took a little break. But I visited the library this past weekend and stocked up again. The job that I applied for closed on Monday. I have yet to receive a call or a kiss off letter. I'm on the fence about it. I am qualified, but who knows who else has applied. So, if I do, I do. If not, I guess I'll apply next time.

Until then. Have a lovely day!

Before And After

Wednesday morning I woke up and decided it was finally time to turn the mess above into a walk-in closet. We have two coat closets for storage for the entire house. Um, yeah. That's not working so well. So we decided to take bedroom #2 and make it into a walk-in closet, storage area. It also holds one of four windows for the house so I wanted to be sure that we could open the door and not be embarassed by the chaos above.

This photo was taken only for showing you the size of our closets. Not very big. Not very big at all.

When Brent got home from work he found this. And was pleasantly surprised. It is much brighter, and much more functional. In addition to the closet I moved our bed around so that we're able to open that window as well. And I think we'll like having just a little bit of room to move around in there as well.

How do you like my highend storage solutions? Ha! But seriously, they're moveable and work well in the area/space that we have. The totes will hopefully disappear as we buy a few more items for organization, but they work for now.

In between frozen shower drains and frozen well pumps we have been laying low. It's cold here. Yesterday afternoon we went for a short drive down the Tanana Loop and saw this guy. He was in a hurry to get away from us. Did you know that a full grown moose can jump anything 7 ft. or under with ease? WHO KNEW? That's just a little weird. They don't look agile at all.

I've been reading a lot lately. Soon the cows will be chasing away last year's calves and giving birth again the end of April. Also, we've read that moose become more aggressive this time of year due to starvation. That makes me a little sad. Who wants to starve? I guess maybe I shouldn't read so much.

After returning home from our drive we were playing outside with Chessa girl. And this is what the evening sun had for us. Isn't it gorgeous? Honestly, there is barely a day that goes by that I don't think "what a beautiful place to live". I'm thinking I might change my mind in spring, with the loads and loads of mud that are likely to find their way into my house. Ha!

Today we went to Granite View to pick up Brent's gun. FINALLY. We dropped off that beast over 3 months ago. So, I've expressed my frustration with the physical address/mailing address issue before, right? Here we go again. I honestly have no idea how many hoops we've had to jump through, but it's ever increasing. Brent's drivers license had our mailing address so we had to go to the DMV and change it over to our physical address and now we have the gun at home. Amen. Goodness.

We have been researching bear protection since we first learned that we'd be moving to Alaska. We love to hike, and we're looking forward to exploring every inch of Alaska that we can. So naturally bears were a concern. Brent ordered Bear Spray last night as our defense. It is 92% effective on brown bears, and 99% effective on other bears and wildlife. So, we're fairly confident that it's the right choice. There are huge numbers of bear killed in Alaska each year by humans who are threatened by their presence. That just bothers me. We both wanted a solution that wouldn't be fatal to the animals we come in contact with, and I'm convinced we've found the golden ticket.

Hope you're enjoying your nice weather! We're staying down around 0 degrees. I really doubt that spring is on it's way here...yet.

Have a happy day!

White, White, White

We awoke this morning to snow, snow and more snow. When the sun came up it was full and bright until it wasn't. The snow started again, and boy did it come down. I ran into Delta Jct this afternoon to do the weekly run to the post office, the grocery store, and the video store. By the time I got home it was near white out conditions, and a deep, deep reminder that it is most definitely still winter. Despite the fact that we "Spring Ahead" this weekend, it isn't happening here. Spring is not happening here. Not anytime soon in my estimation.

After hitting the video store I headed home to make some yummy french bread pizzas and pop in the first of 3 movies. There was no driving tonight, the roads are too crappy and with limited visibility and the possibility of Bullwinkle showing up on the hood of my Envoy, I passed. So we all snuggled up on the couch with pizza, to watch Wall-E, a Tom Selleck western (Mom you'd like it-wink,wink), and The Bucket List. So far, so good, I'm happy as a clam.

So we have been having issues with getting Brent's pistol here to Delta Jct. The sports store in Mankato didn't send the correct info, then we had the whole issue with Brent's account due to driving through Canada which was a mess so his credit card didn't work, and now the gun is here, but not only did Red Bear not send the correct information with the gun which makes it illegal for Granite View to give it to us, when the kind, kind people at Granite View called Red Bear to correct the issue, Red Bear yelled, screamed and eventually hung up on the nice people at Granite View. Which means that I have to call on Monday and try to talk some sense into them, or the gun has to go back. And then what? I'm 3000 miles away. That seems to be everyone's excuse to use and abuse me.

The week has gone seemingly well. With a few hiccups along the way. We did manage to rid ourselves of one stresser, I just decided to cut my losses and do what was necessary to evict them from my life. Done. Game over. Hasta La Vista! Sometimes being the bigger person is easier than being right.

We're hoping to get to Fairbanks sometime this weekend. I'm still looking for a table to double duty as a desk and a dining area. We plan to hit up a thrift store, or four, and see what we can find. I'm feeling creative and would like to put my stamp on this place. Something commercial just doesn't feel right for me, or this place. Who knows what else I'll find along the way. I'll let you know.

Have a happy day! Stay warm!