It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Welcome to our winter wonderland!  It's Sunday, and we've had the most beautiful day.  Big, fat, fluffy flakes have been floating down to the tundra all day long.  It is possibly the slowest, most idyllic sight I've seen.  And since I have no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Today has been a very uneventful, but particularly wonderful day.  I woke to an eerily quiet house, as Brent had planned to go hunting with a friend of his.  I knew that he wouldn't be home, but Chessa was gone as well.  So it was me, alone, with the day to waste away.

The week behind us was a busy one.  We enjoyed our Thanksgiving day, just the three of us.  We slept late, played in the snow, and just enjoyed a day of rest.  I baked a coffee cake for breakfast, and then braised some grouse, which Brent provided for our Thanksgiving feast.  I cooked up some wild rice from home, similar to the rice dish that Grandma Adeline cooked every year.  We completed the meal with yams, green bean casserole, fresh baked rolls, and I even whipped up a pecan pie.  Needless to say, we didn't eat pie until  Friday.  We were too stuffed!

In the afternoon we hiked to the woods to cut our first Alaskan Christmas tree.  We haven't had a real tree in the house since our first year of marriage.  I believe we managed to ruin two vaccuums that year.  Apparently I thought "evergreen" extended into life after cutting, and there was no need for watering.  Or very little anyway.  Ahh.  Yes.  Lessons learned, indeed.

Well, this time around I was smarter about it.  But alas, we were both scared awake at 3 a.m. Friday morning to the sound of a crashing tree.  Needless to say, at that time of night, it wound up in the yard.  It has yet to come back in.  We'll see what happens next.  I'm guessing a much smaller, less messy tree.  Perhaps we'll go back to artificial (gasp!). 

So, we worked on Friday.  Came home to relax, then Brent had yesterday off with the Ches monster, while I plugged away at work.  Poor Chessa had a rough day.  She was attacked by a raven, good thing Brent was there to rescue her.  It got a hold of her when she tackled it, and had her lip in it's beak, poised with talons raised.  Brent helped him release her and gave it a little loft.  Hasta La Vista raven.

After a nice, relaxing day I'm planning to make dinner and then find my way back to the fresh Tide smelling sheets that have been calling my name all day!

Happy Day!!!

Thankful

Hello from Alaska! 

I have started numerous posts in the last week or so, and as you can tell, I have not completed a one of them.  I have been tired, lazy and unmotivated to complete the boring dribble.  So, here I am, feeling better and I have to admit, a little bit snarky.

We have been trucking along.  We finally got into a groove with work, and then I was stricken with my neck issues of last summer.  Thankfully I recognized the warning signs early enough and scheduled an appointment with my new favorite person.  Dr. Jamie.  She hooked me up to some electrodes and then cracked me.  I have to say, I felt much better leaving her office.  However, despite her wonders I'm still having issues, and I'm hoping she comes back to work soon.  I'm fine during the day now, but sleeping is still a bit tricky.

Brent's back to his normal schedule.  And while we don't see eachother much he loves lazing around in the morning, playing with Chessa, and then we meet for lunch at the Bistro on base.  It's inexpensive and easy, and the best part, no dishes.

Ches is doing well.  She has two new pair of boots that she loves.  While they're a little harder to stand on in the house, she loves the extra protection on her tootsies.  She has issues with snow balls between her toes, and the boots help considerably.  The best part is that they're from a company in Brainerd.  Ha.  Who knew?

Brent has become my hero, and finally got the Toyo up and running.  Now we can leave the house for longer periods of time without having to worry if the fire will keep the house warm enough, long enough.  We have also learned a lot about the wood stove, that would have come in handy last week, and now we're nice and toasty warm.  Sometimes too toasty when Brent gets to stuffing that stove.  Some nights I even crack the window...Uff da.

I had my first purse party last Friday.  It was a great success and I just love the vibe the excitement that purses evoke.  It starts out as a little hum and as people come it gets louder and louder.  I have two more parties coming up, one in early December and one in late January.  I'm also planning a Holiday Open House here at home closer to Christmas.  Should make for an interesting holiday season.

Thursday we're planning a true day of rest.  A day to relax and enjoy and reflect on all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for.  We are truly blessed.  And while this experience was perhaps the scariest we pondered, it has been well worth the effort.  It has brought so many wonderful things, experiences and people into our lives. I truly had no idea.  None.

We are planning to cook up some grouse, that Brent has harvested from our woods.  I am hoping to make some wild rice, yams, and pecan pie.  We have invited a friend/neighbor whose wife is wintering in Alaska, and we are hoping for a quiet, football-filled, nap-ridden day.  Later in the day, before dark falls again, we are planning to hike into the woods and harvest a little tree to be adorned with candy canes, pine cones and string of popcorn and cranberries.  When I think of it, I'm picturing a cross between a Charlie Brown tree and updated version that Laura Ingalls might have seen.  This could be interesting!

We still have a coyote around, and now I've been told that while I might think it's nice, they may be trying to lure my dog.  So now I'm a little less enthused about his/her/their presence.  I've been told that one will come in as bait, and then lure the dog away.  I understand that they're partial to female dogs, something about mammary glands...ANYWAY, we're being more cautious these days.

Brent, the-lucky-duck-that-he-is, woke to two moose rubbing themselves on the Envoy last night.  And while I really would have liked to have seen them, I'm very happy he didn't wake me.  I have been striking out on moose viewing luck, however, so I'm hoping for a change on that front.

We do have a bit of sad news to relay.  Ches's little buddy Willie was killed in a car accident a week ago.  He was such a sweet boy, and I know he'll be missed by us all.  Rest in peace Willie boy.

The days keep getting shorter and shorter.  We have about 6 hours of day light now.  I get up and go in the dark, and I come home at dark.  While it's not ideal, it's life.  For the moment I don't mind, and it's not nearly as bad as I had imagined.  I know that we will continue to lose light as the month goes on, but for now, I'm not too worried.

This is for my friend Tracy in Texas.  Yes, we plug in our vehicles here.  I will try to clarify it a little bit for you.  Alaska is cold.  Or it gets cold, and while it is indeed colder at night, it stays cold during the day as well.  So, it is necessary to plug your vehicles in whenever they sit for extended periods of time. 

The base here recommends plugging in at 20 degrees F or below.  I don't usually plug-in until 10 or lower, but it depends on the weather, I guess.  Most people follow the same guidelines.  Most Alaskans carry cords with them at all times, like they would carry a winter survival kit, an extra pair of gloves, etc. 

And yes, while it seems funny, stores/businesses do provide plug-ins for customers to utilize during their shopping/business times.  I don't really know that there's a set time that your vehicle can withstand the cold temps without restart becoming an issue.  I guess it will depend on your vehicle and the lengths of winterization, etc.  It helps save your vehicle/battery/etc to plug it in and keep it warm.  I've even known some people here to use space heaters inside their vehicles.  Though I don't, and I'm certainly not claiming that to be a safe option.

In other news, I have to congratulate my dad on his recent hunt.  He hunted elk in Northern Minnesota and brought home a nice cow.  I'm excited to see pics!  Congrats Dad!

Also, to my friends Kori & Jim in Colorado.  After 8.5 years of infertility, they are expecting a very healthy baby GIRL in May!  What a wonderful blessing and certainly a reason to be thankful this holiday season.

We are thankful for each of you.  Our family and friends, and others who happen into our lives along the way.  Hoping  your year is wonderful, warm and blessed!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Brent & Karla

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!!

The Good Life

Hi.  Well, it's been awhile.  Sorry.  But I've been just a little bit busy.  Just a little.  As you know I'm working out on base, at this point I'm working 60 hours a week.  As is nearly the entire crew on and around the project.  It's quite impressive, and I'm astounded at the progress that's being made.  I hope it's a good omen for things to come, even if they don't directly benefit me.

In addition, I'm working a handful of hours at Durham, which regrettably isn't enough, and I really miss "my girls".  I managed to squeek in a dinner and some shopping (courtesy of my third job) with them last week, and I had a blast!!!  I only wish I hadn't had a desk full of work to do, too.

So, the third job is selling designer inspired handbags, wallets, jewelry and sunglasses out of my trunk, or home, whichever you prefer.  I started this little venture before I knew about the job that has quickly become Job #1, no matter how temporarily.

In addition to that we've been doing little else.  We try to sneak in some sleep, some cooking, and even a little baking.  Occasionally I catch up on laundry and even the dishes.  Of course it helps that we're on opposite schedules and that with the ton of help that Brent gives me, we are hitting a pretty good groove.

Sunday I knocked myself out and made a smorgasbord of food.  I grilled some lovely steaks, baked some honey-glazed salmon (both products of Alaska), baked potatoes with all the fixings, candied carrots, fresh, crusty french bread, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  Needless to say, we'll be eating leftovers all week.

It's been chilly here, hovering around and slightly below zero.  I've been plugging in the vehicles for a week and a half now, and that always seems to illicit giggles from far off places, like Florida, for instance. (right Chantelle?)

__________________________________________________________________________________

Now that all that is out of the way, I'm here to converse, reflect on the opinion that perhaps, even maybe, I glorify Delta Junction, and life in Delta.

I disagree.  Whole heartedly.  And now I'll tell you why.  Delta itself isn't the most beautiful town I've ever seen.  That isn't to say that it's dumpy, or run down, it's your average rural small town.  In some ways.  In other ways, it's pure perfection.

There are other towns in America similar in some ways, I'm sure.  But I haven't found them.  The first thing I have to say is that there are no Jones' here to keep up with.  People live in big houses, little houses, stationary houses, houses with wheels in various forms.  In Delta, you just live.  Some have more, some have less, and it's not a constant nagging panic attack.

In addition, there is such beauty that surrounds Delta, that it's easy to view the whole works as the greatest place on earth.  Mountains, mountains everywhere.  And I have missed the mountains so very, very much.

But I think the best parts about Delta are just the liberties that are still in place here.  The fact that I can ride my ATV, without having to trailer it and haul it hours and hours and hours. 

There are tons of places to hunt, boat, fish, explore.  The sense of community is amazing.  And well, it's just an all-around great place to live.  If I wasn't so tired, I may be more poetic.  Frankly, I think if small town life is what you're looking for, Delta Junction, Alaska is the place to be.

Come check it out!  I'll meet you in town, and we'll catch up.

Have a happy life!

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!

The Last Ride of the Year

We've been enjoying a gorgeous, albeit it cool, fall.  We have had plenty of sunshine, and the temps are cool, but enjoyable yet.  After our 6 inches of snow in late September we've been virtually snow free, though I think our luck may be running out in that department. 

Two weekends ago Brent and I decided to make the most of the warmer temps and head out for one last ride on Meadows Road.  It was a fairly warm day, when propertly dressed, of course.  The problem was the WIND.  It was terribly windy.  I finally had to wrap my scarf around my hat to keep it from blowing off in the gusts and gales.  Unfortunately, it was so bad that we didn't stay out as long as we would have liked to, but we took advantage of the day and snapped some pretty pictures.

Donnelly with it's dusting of snow.  It actually had a pretty nice cap about a week or so before this photo was taken, and I'm happy to see that we've lost some of it.  I'm sure it will be frosted soon.

Now that Brent is working less overtime he's had a little more time to get out and do some salmon fishing.  These are the silvers, at the end of the run, the end of the spawn, and they're coming North to die.  By the time the reach us, they're tired and well spent, and although we don't eat them, Brent finds them a lot of fun to catch. 

In addition to salmon fishing in the river, he's been doing a little grouse hunting.  And just generally relaxing, which is a huge change for him, and something he finds very difficult to accomplish.

We've had some exciting, and nerve wrecking, encounters with wildlife.  I was headed to work one day last week to find a cow moose standing guard of my car.  Needless to say I shut the door and grabbed for the camera.  By the time I got the card put back in she had sauntered to the opposite side of the house and I managed to catch this (not-so-great) photo of her.  When my heart rate finally calmed down, I headed out to work.

Brent was out playing with Ches in the yard, walking the driveway in search of birds for the freezer, when something caught his eye.  That something turned out to be a black bear, at the end of the driveway, in nearly the same spot I saw him/her.  He reared up on his hind legs to sniff the air and booked it out across the hay field to the West of us, where Ches was hunting for voles. 

Fortunately they didn't notice eachother and Brent got himself, and Ches, back to the house without incident.  I don't think Brent will admit it, but he was a tad shaken.  All he was carrying with him was a .22.  Not exactly bear protection.

Last week was a whirlwind and was busy.  I was offered another job, so I'll be starting that in the near future.  My friends at Durham have been gracious enough to allow me to adjust my schedule around this temporary job on base, and I'm hoping that the situation will work out well for all of us.  At the end of the week Brent started his new shift, which is still an adjustment.  But I think he'll really like it when everything settles and he gets used to it all.

Saturday I spent the day in Fairbanks.  I was fortunate to finally meet up with Susan, a fellow blogger, in the North Pole/Fairbanks area.  We met up for a late lunch, and it was truly delightful.  I love to hear of others' stories of travel to and from Alaska.  Susan is a brilliant photographer, and if you can check her out here, I promise you'll be impressed.  We chatted and learned more about eachother, though I admit, we knew quite a bit through the blogs and facebook.  My only regret?  That I didn't have more time to stay and play and chat and catch up.  I'm looking so forward to doing it again, soon!

I had two goals for the day.  And I got neither accomplished.  After a hellish wait on an oil change at Walmart, I didn't manage to get in that day, despite a 2.5 hour wait.  I rushed, grabbed my things for Tanya's shindig and rushed to North Pole to cross item #2 off the list. 

Hmph.  No luck.  AT&T store.  Closed.  BUMMER.  I was so looking forward to finally having reliable cell phone service.  Everytime I make a call, get a call, attempt a call, I get dropped.  Grrr.  It's time to switch.  Maybe soon.

Saturday night I arranged for a babysitter and took Tanya out on the town to celebrate her 30th birthday!  I had messaged a few of her friends, with Tony's help of course, to meet us at Pike's Lodge for dinner.  We arrived, fashionably late, to a table full of smiling faces, all there to support Tanya.  We enjoyed great conversation, mouthwatering food, the carrot cake of my dreams, and gifts galore for the birthday girl!  It was a great, and memorable, night for us all!

Sunday morning I rushed around trying to complete the tasks from the previous day.  I never did get the phone, but only because I need to drag Brent back to North Pole to make use of his hefty discount.  I did, however, manage to get an oil change.  Two days wait, 5 hours total, after buying my own oil filter from another store...it's done.  I can safely say, I will be trying out someone else next time.  And for the record, there were several other people in the same situation. 

When I got home I was wiped out. I took a nap, and woke to dinner lovingly prepared by my awesome hubby.  I lounged, nursed a headache (no hangover, I was sober cab), and laid low.  Much to my dismay, and thanks to the weather, I've been having headache issues again. Hopefully the barometric pressure changes again soon...I could use a reprieve.

Have a happy day!

Windy City

I think that the people of Chicago are wrong. Wrong! Delta has definitely been the windy city the past couple days. My electric meter is working over time due to the contiual spot light on all things King. What am I talking about? My motion light. It's now running about 12 hours a day. I think it's time to flip a switch. Oy.



We are losing light at rapid speed. It's hard to say when we actually reach dark. I would guess between 7:15-7:30 p.m. Though with the gray days the light seems to disappear even quicker. The mornings are harder to gauge because the towering trees that surround our house. While the sun comes up, it takes a little bit longer to make it over my trees, so I'm not actually seeing sun/gray days until about 8:30 a.m. I promise to pay better attention in the coming days and report some facts.



The temperatures have been nice. Nice enough for me to leave my coat at home, though I've regretted it a morning or two. We are having temps in the mid-40's, which to my understanding are lovely days, and abnormal? The rumor mill is churning and I've heard we're supposed to stay nice into next week, even reaching temps as high as 60. Phew! I will have to get out my sunscreen!!

Brent and Ches have been hunting the woods high and low for grouse. We have few in our freezer, and I'm sure they'll be nice and tasty when we cook them up. Brent's also been duck hunting. Much to Dad's surprise we do have ducks left here, and each morning I wake to a cacophony of shots vibrating off the shores of Clearwater Lake. It's a highly hunted area...I guess.

In his adventures through the woods he's noticing a lot of moose tracks. It's great to know that they're around, but I'm a little bummed that they haven't visited the yard more. It's also comforting to know that moose usually keep their distance when bear are present. Hopefully that means our bulkier friends have kept moving out of the buffet, er, my yard.

I'm antsy, working on new things, and scheming, er coming up with new things to occupy my time. I'd share, but I really don't want to jinx anything, so I'll fill you in if and when, those things become truth.

Hoping you are all well.

Prayers be with my Grandma Blanche as she heals from a back procedure she had done earlier this week. It sounds like everything went well and she is healing at home with her family.

Thoughts and prayers with Brent's family as they grieve the loss of Grandma Helen and lay her to rest beside Grandpa this weekend in South Dakota. We will be with you in thought and prayer.
Have a happy day!