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 

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!!

Sunrise 9:43 a.m.      Sunset 3:15 p.m.

The days keep getting shorter and shorter.  This picture- sorry about the quality- was taken at 8:56 A.M.  Yes folks, that's the moon.  The morning moon.  The sun didn't rise for another 45 minutes after this photo was taken.

The temperatures have unseasonably warm for us.  This past week consisted of temps near or above 30 degrees, rain, snow and more rain.  My Volvo has a lovely crystalline sheen and it's nearly impossible to open the trunk.  Even more impossible is closing the trunk.  The graders and plows have been out, which is fairly rare.  They have sanded, grooved the ice coating the highways, and lo and behold, someone actually plowed the road to our house.  Last year we had tons of snow, and no one ever seemed to find us...hmmmmm...

While friends in North Pole and Fairbanks experienced power outages, we had black road reports out on base, which means all non-essential personnel are either sent home, or shop bound.  Brent and I both had early days on Monday.  School was out for Monday afternoon and Tuesday, thought they were back in session for one - I'm almost positive- rowdy day before Thanksgiving weekend.  I worked a record-breaking week of 7 hours.  I can tell you're impressed.

I took time to play in the ice and snow with my furbabies. I read a book, took a nap, made lasagna for dinner, and also managed to fit in some mundane household chores.  The dogs really liked having me around.  Treats, treats and treats...and throwing the dummies.  That's my purpose on earth, as far as Cash and Ches are concerned.

Brent has been busying himself with snares and traps.  I'm not thrilled about this hobby, but it brings him joy, and memories of many childhood winters with his grandpa.  It's proving to be a slow year, which is frustrating him to no end, and making me silently blissful.  I would never admit such things to him, but he knows how I feel.  We have a rule.  He can have as much fun as he wants, be as happy as he wants, but there is no discussing it with me.  Thankfully he can talk to my dad about it until the cows come home... phew!  

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day.  And we have much to be thankful for.  Life in the Last Frontier has proved to be challenging, exhilarating, happy and slow...all the things that we were ready for it seems.  Winter is a time of reflection, and the holidays only compound that, so I thought perhaps I'd be thinking more about "home" and my childhood.  I'm not, as much as I thought I'd be.  I'm thinking about our next adventure.  Where it might be.  When it might be.  And hoping it doesn't take us away from Alaska too soon...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.  Hoping you find much to be thankful for this holiday season.  Hoping your hearts and homes (and tummies) are filled to the brim!  

Much Love,

Brent, Karla, Ches and Cash

p.s.  Grammatical and spelling errors corrected- is that better Dad?? ;)

Let The Sun Shine In

I overslept this morning.  Big time overslept.  But the good thing is that when I woke, without peeking at the clock, I realized by the light in the room that I was late.  Like the fabled rabbit I was "late, late, for a very important date."  Well, maybe not a "date", but work. 

The days are getting longer, and the past couple days have been beautiful.  Full sun and gorgeous.  Today the sun decided to hide for the better portion of the day, but just when my mood was turning to a darker shade of blue, good ole Mister Sun peeked through and granted me a reprieve for my blah mood. 

I think I have said before that the dark doesn't bother me so much, and it really hasn't been as bad I imagined.  Last year when we arrived (a few weeks earlier than now) we were on the upside and all things were new and wonderful.  This year, while things are still wonderful, they are no longer new, and therefore reality has set in, a bit.  I do enjoy the lighter mornings, they make it a little easier for us, um, more resistant wakers to rise.  I'm not a morning person, putting it lightly, and it takes me a while to become my usual cheerful self.  By the time I leave for work now the sun is up, and I can see the mountains, the moose, and whatever else comes along my way.

Brent has decided to take up a new hobby.  Since he's about all things outdoors, it shouldn't surprise me.  However, he was resistant to it when we lived in Colorado, so it took me a bit off guard.  He's decided to try his hand at fly fishing.  I will say that I'm somewhat relieved, hopefully (with fingers crossed) it will give him a winter hobby that doesn't include dragging me out in the cold.

In addition to his new hobby, he's been keeping himself busy by chopping wood.  He's quite the efficient lumber jack, and all our wood has been chopped, split and restacked.  Now that the task is complete, I have no idea whate he'll do for the remainder of the winter.  Hmmm....maybe I should order him some fly tying gear...

Our tasks for the immediate future include keeping Ches entertained and well exercised, registering for next year's PFD- Permanent Fund Distribution, and enjoying all things that come with being residents of Alaska.  And then there are always taxes to file, of course.  I think I'll leave that particular task to Brent this year.

In addition, I am looking for work.  Additional work, that is.  I am quite happy where I am, but I would like to add some other sources of income to my life.  I have the time, and the patience, so I've been brainstorming.  My dear husband has his ideas of what I should do, but we'll leave them there, as ideas in his ever-storming brain.

I have been fortunate this winter to see more moose than I did last year.  While I haven't had the luck that Brent has, I have been seeing them out and about.  It never gets old seeing them, unless of course they're on the road.  That I could do without.

Time for me to catch up on soaps, and watch a little Jane Austen.  Friday tomorrow.  And more Sassy fun...

The First

Well, it seems it's been a while since I've been here.  I thought I'd have more time, and I guess I do, I guess my time management is the issue these days.  I have been busy, but just doing the good stuff, the fun stuff.  Cooking, taking care of my family and playing with our sweet Chessa girl.

The great news is that the sun is coming back.  It's noticeable now in the morning and in the evenings.  The lack of light in the evening never really bothered me much, but the mornings were a different story.  I was definitely lazier, sleepier in the mornings, and now I rise and (almost) shine with the sun.  But it's nice to see what's lurking on the sides of the roads when I go to and from work.  And the moose are a-movin'.

We celebrated our 1st Alaska Anniversary on January 10th.  We went back and read through the blog posts from our trip.  I remember the stress, the excitement, the sheer panic of the trip.  Looking back, it's the gutsiest thing I've ever done, and now it really doesn't seem like a big deal.  Makes me wonder...what's next for the Kings?  In the present, we are truly enjoying every moment in Delta. 

We love this area.  We've been busy making plans for summer travel, and seeing as much of Alaska as we possibly can.  Last year we spent a lot of time in the Delta area, and we're hoping to expand our travel range this year.  There are so many beautiful places in Alaska to see, I'm wondering what/when/where we'll choose first.  Hmmmm....

This also leaves me to ponder...who (**hint, hint**) is going to be the first to visit us in Alaska???  There's a lot of talk, my friends, but not a lot of action.  Yet.  Come on over....we have a lot of places to see and a lot of things to do.  And a freezer full of salmon to cook for you.

Work is going well for both of us.  We've been spending our time endulging Brent's current WWII infatuation.  We are watching a lot of war documentaries, including the ever-hard-to-swallow holocaust recollections.  I'm personally intrigued by this bit of history.  I think we're both looking forward to a European vacation in the future to see first hand (again, for me) the camps, the devastation, the emotion.

In addition to war documentaries I've been taking advantage of my spare time to do some cooking and baking.  This weekend a made a large pot of ciopinno.  Since I'm relatively new to eating fish or seafood I was impressed that I even decided to cook it.  Ciopinno is a tomato-based seafood stew.  I made ours with crab, scallops, shrimp, mussels and clams.  It looked good, but wasn't really my cup of tea.  Brent, however, loved it.  So guess what he's eating for the next month??? lol.

Saturday and Sunday we got out and soaked up some sun.  It was lovely.  Sunday was warm, balmy almost, which is funny since the rest of the nation is having uncharacteristically crappy weather.   I really hope that means we aren't going to have a crappy summer.  I will really be sad if that's the case.  lol.

So, that's what we're up to.  How about you?  I promise to post pics soon... :)

A Day of Rest

Greetings! It's definitely winter in Delta Junction.  Today has been cold, and it's about to get colder.  Tuesday we're being predicted temps around the 30 below mark, and in my estimation it's much too cold for that.

We've had more snow this week.  It hasn't amounted to much, as it's been of the light and powdery kind.  At our house we have about 6-7" of light, fluffy white...everywhere.  I forgot to take pics today, and since I won't have another day off until next week, you'll have to wait.  It's lovely, and you'll just have to take my word for it.

Today was -9 degrees.  I dare say it felt a lot colder, and it feels warmer out this evening.  I don't know if it's because the snow has stopped and the humidity has dropped, or if it indeed, just that much warmer.

The jobs are still going well.  We're both adjusting to the new schedules and the new demands.  Brent has taken on a lot of the cooking, packing, and some general housework.  More than he was doing, anyway.  And I have been trying to help more with wood hauling, playing with Ches, and general "manly" things.

In true Alaskan fashion I am hauling a cord around with me everywhere I go.  This may sound ridiculous to those of you who live in the south, but for Alaskans (and some other cold weather regions) it's just a way of life.  I unplug it in the morning, drive to work, plug it back in, work the day, and then come home, to plug it back in again.

Today I was off while Brent worked, yesterday I worked while Brent was off.  I did some laundry, made pasta for dinner and caught up on tv.  At one point on the day I was curled up on the couch, hot chocolate in hand, and a movie.  It was pure bliss.

In other news we've been seeing more animals.  Brent walked up the driveway to find 3 moose perched on our berm.  I'm happy to hear they are back, and can't wait to see them.  I wish I knew what they ate so I could bribe them.

Thursday night I got up over night to stoke the fire.  We are still having Toyo issues here, so we're relying on wood alone, so the stoking of the fire is necessary.  Anyway, I stumbled down in my sleepy stupor, got a drink, did my thing and decided to load the stove.  I stepped out in the frigid night air to grab a frozen log.  I jumped back in, closed the door, and tried to grab the too-big-for-my-hand log with one hand.   Much to my dismay, this very large, very frozen log dropped right onto my big toe.

Since I try very hard to not wake my husband I cussed quietly, under my breath.  While tears threatened to stream down my face.  I shoved, forcefully and angrily, that stupid piece of wood into that stupid stove, just as I turned to see Brent coming down the stairs.

Seeing that he was already awake I let it fly, and the tears flowed.  I'm pretty sure I blamed him for something, even though we both knew it wasn't his fault, and I hobbled back to bed, for another 3 hours of slumber.  Friday morning I woke to a very swollen, very tender toe.

The photo was taken today and it looks much better.  I'm happy to report it also feels better, and we now have a nice warm, large tote of wood sitting in the living room.  Sometimes it's about practicality and not pretty.  Ha!

Please ignore the polish, I clearly don't have time for a pedicure.

Friday evening we invited some friends over for a very casual happy hour.  I don't mind the work, but I'm a very social being, and the work, work, work was growing thin.  I picked up some spirits and ale, cooked up some uncreative, but comforting appetizers and opened the doors for some fun and relaxation.  It was a wonderful time, and it felt great to laugh and catch up with friends while sipping a nice glass of Moscato.

When our guests had left we headed up to watch a movie.  We snuggled in just in time for the itchies to catch up with me.  I got up to fetch the bottle of lotion from the closet and noticed that the motion light was on.  At first I thought it was just from the puffy snow, and then I saw her.  A slight movement, and I saw her, a very pretty, petite coyote.  I know, a coyote, not exactly exciting, but I love seeing the wildlife.  Any and all.  As long as she doesn't misbehave I'm happy to have her around.

My eyelids are growing heavy.  The temperature is rising, and I'm looking forward to hitting the hay with Brent and Ches.

Good night!  Stay warm!!

Winter Welcome

Hello Friends!

Welcome to winter in Delta Junction.  I'd like to post some photos of the freshly fallen snow, that is coming down at this very moment, but I've been a little busy, so perhaps this weekend I'll find some time to snap away. 

Monday marked a new chapter in my life.  In the past couple of years I've gone from working 1 job with loooong hours, to a reduced schedule, to absolutely no schedule, back to a part-time schedule, and now my schedule is working over-time.  Mind you, I'm not complaining, I'm having fun, I'm just needing a couple more days for adjustment.

So, Sunday evening I did not sleep a bit.  Well, just a bit.  About an hour and a half, to be exact.  But, I arose on Monday morning at the buttcrack of dawn to greet the morning with vigor and grace, and was bombarded with white.  White, wet, snow.  Which, of course, led to not-so-wonderful roads on my very first day of work, where I actually had to drive more than 5 miles.  Nice.  Or something.  Anyway...

Thankfully I was able to ride with Brent on this particular first day, which helped tremendously.  When I arrived it felt like the first day of school all over again.  Frizzy over-permed hair, a face that looked like it's a connect-the-dots puzzle.  I hate being the "new girl".  Luckily, there were 3 of us, and that made the transition a little bit better.

As first days go, it wasn't so bad.  We did a lot of sitting around, a lot of waiting, and a lot of laughing.  Sometimes all you can do is laugh.  But there was still a lot of awkward laughing, awkward silence, and introductions to more people that I won't remember, most likely.  But it was a good day.  And I was happy when it was over. Ha!

I have to say that I've been spoiled the last couple months, so I missed "my girls".  Especially since Monday was Courtney's birthday.  Bummed-ola. But I'll be back there in a couple of months...and I'm hoping the time flies by.

So, now that the first day is over, the rest of the days have improved markedly.  Today was better than yesterday, and I'm hoping tomorrow is way better than today.  But in other news, though the days are long, I occasionally get to squeak in a lunch with my hubby, which is a wonderful bonus. 

Other than that, there's nothing exciting to report.  I'm hoping that the bears are tucked away all snug in their dens, and that the moose will stay away while I'm traveling the road between here and Ft. Greely.

When I find time this weekend, I'll update some more, hopefully with some wintery wonderland photos. 

Oh, which brings me to another point...some people tell me that I may or may not glorify Delta Junction...I have a tendency to disagree, but we'll discuss it again in our next post... :)

Have a happy day!