Garden Adventure (hint Moose are sometimes hard to avoid!)

 Yikes - I have not blogged with any regularity since April 18th. I will get back to that...this evening's adventure in the garden has ignited my motivation to capture an event!  

CoRielle and the boys gave me the gift of prepping the garden for Mother's Day. Some will remember we have a largish garden plot which was previously a horse pasture. The weeds have been a constant battle. We simply weren't up to it last summer and decided to "let the land rest on the 7th year" - um - Alaska weeds don't rest. Enough said.  

This year I decided to try to tame 1/3 to 1/2 of the plot....let the chickens try to tame the rest.  Not only will this be more attainable than taming the whole area, Michael and I don't NEED as much food as we have in years past. If the kids eventually want to garden parts of it, they can. We simply don't need to can 100 jars of pickles. 

 I also decided I was NOT going to focus solely on the work of gardening...my energy is low this year. I will work most days for a bit, and I will enjoy a cuppa chai tea in my garden or greenhouse each and every day of the season. This will help me enjoy the process. It will also help me see things I want to do the next day, or next year. Right?  Nature is therapeutic to me - and I need all the therapy help I can garner this year. My soul is weary and sad...and joyful and hopeful...and that is an odd mix to learn to carry at the same time. 

 Another garden goal for the year is NOT to plant 24 squash plants. We don't love squash. I had enough squash that I supplied our local Russian church several weeks with baskets and baskets of squash. I may plant 2 or 3 plants...ONLY. 

I have debated about when to plant because our last frost date is May 31st.  Michael and I finally decided to get a few things into the garden beds. I searched through the seeds left over from two years ago and made a plan. I hope the germination is still good. 

 I weeded 1/2 the green house, started some seeds, prepped some potatoes, and planted some peppers and spinach in the greenhouse, lettuces (3 kinds), kale and Brussel sprouts in the garden beds. A couple of weeks ago the chickens got into this bed which had asparagus and strawberry plants in it. They made a mess. I gave up and bought some strawberry plants to add to the bed. 

I am thrilled to discover a few spears have been spared. Maybe there will be more? 

Lettuces and Kale should be fine - if it doesn't freeze. 

We drove into JBER for a family game night. Michael and I came home early so we could get GG to bed. He is much happier with his routine in place. GG went to bed. Michael and I enjoyed the quiet house. We had a good conversation, there are few legal things in the works capturing our attention. It is good to remember we have left justice in the hands of One who judges righteously. 

I still hadn't had my cuppa chai in the garden today. I worked for a couple of hours in the garden, my hands ache, it was time to ensure I enjoy the garden.  I headed out. I dream of a pavilion in the garden...but at this point it more closely resembles a horse pasture with garden beds placed in it. 😂 The chairs were set between the beds and the electric fence - which Michael hasn't activated yet. We haven't had many moose in the yards for months. I sipped chai, got on Marco Polo to give Beth and Julie a personal update and a garden tour. I began to ask for prayer and discuss said legal details. I heard some noise. I thought Michael had come out to put the chickens in and was coming over to talk. I still had Marco Polo running when I turned to tell Michael to say hello...and low and behold!!!!!

They had come around the wood pile and were about to come between the pile and the fire ring to the nice green shoots in the garden.  The problem of course is that *I* was between them and the garden. I couldn't make it to the back door of the house.  I have NEVER been this close to moose...and she was a MAMA with BABIES.  I yelled for Michael. The living room window was open. He looked and saw the moose. He thought I was upset they would eat the garden. He got up to look and then noted me rooted in my chair.  

"WHAT DO I DO?"

He came out on the deck with the idea to shoot marbles at the burn barrel. But if they RAN - they'd run over me. He realized I wasn't concerned about the garden shoots. 

At this point I remembered the man in Homer who was in the paper this week for dying because he was trying to take a photo of moose twins. Well....I thought, "I AM in this predicament. I can't get forward. If I run, she's faster.  I may as well take a photo."

 I turned off the Marco Polo and took a photo. 

Michael continued to try to figure out how to help and where to advise me to go. 

I decided to talk softly, quietly mother to mother with mama moose. This alerted her I was sitting in the chair. They walked around the other side of the beds and left. 

I finished my cuppa chai.  I also turned Marco Polo back on, watched the end of the polo and laughed...a lot...and then assured them I lived through the adventure. 

By comparing the wood stump and moose in the first picture I am able to see just how close they were to me. The red X is where the moose were. The turquoise X is where I was rooted. The black dashes show I was much closer than I knew I was - Michael tells me it was 7 feet. 

I'm adding another garden goal - AVOID close encounters with Moose! 

May Game Night

 Nolan, Alex, Allie and Stacia began having game nights when the bachelors moved out of our house. This fall Jamin and Krista joined the group, and established game night as a monthly event. Yes, we have a family celebration at our home...and a monthly family game night too.  AND Krista and Nolan meet weekly for dinner -  others join when they can arrange the details.  Sometimes GG doesn't want to go out and either Michael or I go alone.  Honestly, we are getting tired of the divide and conquer solution. We'd like to do things as a couple. LOL 

THIS month Luke, Krista and the kids hosted game night and we simply told GG it was time to get in the car and we headed to JBER (Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson). LOL 

CoRielle and BreZaak came to base earlier in the day to enjoy the parks. This was Bre's children's first time to base. She took the time to show them around her old stomping grounds...including the site of her first job...Charlie's Steaks and Phillies. 

Bre and Kids at the BX food court - 📷via BreAnne

Krista had prepared a great set up for us. She had tables of games set up around the room, we enjoyed pizza and snacks and there was even a basketball hoop and exercise structures to enjoy outside. 

Cory, Arielle, Stacia and Nolan
Rylan in the background with the oculus

We were happy Mark and Mona, Luke's parents and their kids' grandparents, joined us this month. We haven't seen them, other than our court appointments, since we began attending church in Eagle River. It was fun to be able to sit, catch up and simply socialize...without any big feelings. 

Michael, Ellie Rae and Mark catching up 

Gideon joins the crew 

BreAnne and Allie

Jojo, Trudy and Charles try Jamanji 

Oh, the fun Army PT equipment bring...looked up at one point and saw Charles and Danny putting their heads under the straps.... time for more hands-on supervision. LOL 

📷via Krista

Krista and Danny, Jojo, Charles and Trudy 📷via Luke

I totally missed grabbing a photo of myself, Mona, Kaelyn, Luke, Bella or Jamin....and yet, I did grab these! LOL  The families with young ones decided to head home around 7:30 or 8 p.m.  This was the first time we had brought GG to a game night and he was ready to get home. We hadn't thought the logistics through. Our gals and Nolan were not ready to go home. We ended up heading home early so GG could get to bed, and they borrowed Krista's car and drove home when they were ready.  We returned their car Sunday at church.