Winter Solstice 2018

The shortest day of the year. This has always been a fact - but it hasn't been a THING until this year.  The dark has not bothered me living in Alaska, the summers with 20 hours of sunlight and 4 hours of dusk have had more of an effect on me, than the dark winters.

10:15 a.m. - sun rising

This year, however,  I HAVE CHICKENS! I know  they will be happier when the weather is warmer and the days are brighter.  I've been checking for frostbite, shoveling their yard, chipping ice from the inside of the coop....and I've been SHOCKED their egg production has not abated. Several have reminded me  we were almost to the darkest day of the year and THEN it will begin to get lighter.....

16 eggs from 16 girls today! Champs. 

They DO appreciate us shoveling  and spreading shavings

Winter Solstice....where we reside, in South Central Alaska, means sunrise at 10:16 and sunset at 3:35 p.m. today.  5 hours and 19 minutes of sunlight. The chart I am checking  doesn't show measurable difference for a week - but in a week we will supposedly have SIX - 6! more minutes of sun a day! Six more minutes!!!!  For the first time in my life, I feel like CELEBRATING Winter Solstice.

Yes, Michael left the leaning tree for me as it's emotional to get rid of it-
but I am fairly sure its charted for firewood for next year. 

This is how we filled the shortest day in the year. We visited a bit....

...and introduced Benny to the stash of Christmas reading under the tree. 

 "See, Auntie? That's the outside. Mommy takes me out there every day. It used to be warm and green.....but now it's white and if we don't hurry it will be dark and we won't see the moose and lynx. Hurry, it will get dark soon. Let's go." 

Yuuki has discovered the tree skirt. She has a perfectly fine, fluffy, fleece blanket....she drags it to the wood-stove to wrap up....and when she leaves the wood-stove, she sneaks under the tree to wrap up in the tree skirt. She's not done this in previous years. 

We aren't feeling Christmas stress. We have our family gift exchange on Dec 31st at our New Year's shindig....and our "immediate family"  exchange (as in those still living at home) won't happen until Epiphany. No stress - just prepping to celebrate Jesus' birthday. That means I DO need to consider a menu....and there is great discussion in our home about what sort of birthday cake Jesus likes best. It seems he does NOT like the typical green, red, dark, white cake others make....and I've been informed it would be heresy for me to make a Devil's Food Cake. It seems this is a debate only HE can settle....does he prefer an Extreme Moose Track ice cream cake or a Andes Chocolate cheesecake.  We may have to research the biblical practice of drawing lots to settle this one...but it best be soon so baking/assembling can commence!

There will be a family dinner and celebration on the 25th - and it has been decided -  along with the "Jesus stocking," - Christmas stockings will be opened at that time. Stacia has a project which will require TIME and so she, Krista, Arielle, Benny and I headed out to the stores. We thought Joann's would be dead as most would have bought materials for projects much sooner. Nope. Folks wait until the end. She and I picked up supplies and will sneak secret sewing time between now and New Year's Eve.

Where better to head for stocking stuffers than Walmart?  Last year everyone got several gift cards....$15 - 25 for 17 people adds up. I had also bought at Bed Bath Beyond, Ulta and Sportsman Warehouse. I agreed our expenditures were excessive for stockings and set out to fill stockings in a way that will leave a bit more padding in the budget AFTER Christmas. ::snort:: I think I managed it for $17.64  per stocking this year. That's less than just ONE gift card per person.  SCORE

Speaking of scoring - the last cart at Walmart 

 We headed home to meet up with the guys and Jamin for Pizza and games - it IS Friday. I was surprised by this package from one of my sweet gals in Japan. Thank you, Hope.

Real Ramen - sorta....and fun flavored Kitsu Katsu...and a beautiful pendant from Nozomi. 

I have wanted a piece of jewelry from Nozomi since I first heard of their project. I didn't get around to buying one for myself before we left Japan, and hadn't looked into buying any online. This is a ministry which employs women in Ishinomaki, an area greatly affected by the tsunami of 2011.  Nozomi means hope in Japanese, this ministry/company seeks to see and share "Beauty in Brokenness". They make jewelry from the broken pieces of pottery which littered the landscape after the tsunami. Each piece is named, by the creator, in honor of a woman in her life. They are beautiful - and the meaning....beauty in brokenness - redemption - restoration....shouts hope to my spirit and soul. What a beautiful surprise!

#bebrokenwithus

I didn't grab any photos of us playing Uno...or Jamin....but here are a few of a "riddle game" Krista tried to share with us.

Benny was more interested in the bells than in solving the riddle. 

Benny Does Yoga....

The girls decided to do yoga in the basement. Arielle and Stacia have been doing this for a couple of weeks. Benny likes to join them. He's pretty good at down dog. 

Auntie K and Benny

Yoga's hard work 

A lot of snow, combined with cold temps, have kept the chickens coop-bound. We figured they were getting coop fever. Krista told us it "felt like -3*" outside...but Alex was game to help. 

 We opened the chicken door, but they were having none of it! 

We shoveled a space for them in the chicken yard.  I thought their feet were cold, so I put shavings down too. They loved getting outside....or maybe they just loved the scratch and grubs. I'm thinking of ways to modify the chicken palace and yard before next winter.

Rosie is well-suited for Alaskan winters. She's gotten quite fluffy and has feathers down her legs and on her feet. She also has no comb to get frostbitten. They're all doing well. No frostbite. 

Yuuki is glad she's not a chicken. She's content to lay in front of the wood stove. 

Come to think of it, the humans were content to sit near the stove too. I picked up quite a few books at the library for Krista and Stacia and they passed a happy day. Alex played video games. 

Hmmmm......this is the moment little man realized Granna's rice cakes aren't plain. This one had a bit of almond butter and all fruit (no sugar). He took a small bite, then grabbed the rice cake out of my hand and shoved the ENTIRE thing into his little mouth. 

Salmon for dinner - Life Group after wards....and ending the night with Farkle...Life's Good. 

Auntie K Visit the Kids

It became apparent during the quake we needed to give some attention to the pantry in my nook. The shelves were always a bit "unsteady," and the quake proved just how movable they were.  Glass jars didn't stay put, the shelves were bending under weight and everything shifted and mixed into a big jumble.

Last week, I endured a "month long grocery trip." I purchased what I hope will prove to be a month of groceries.

2 1/2 carts of the 4 carts of groceries we purchased

As I went to put things up, Michael asked me to wait on the pantry items. He wanted me to firm up the shelves before I loaded them again. That worked well as I wanted to organize things well. Day to day life had mixed things up and the 7.0 shaker REALLY mixed things up. We are still finding glass in the nook.

This morning Krista, Stacia and I got everything organized and put back in the closet. I moved the empty canning jars down to the basement, moved older things to the front, and took stock of what we had that I'd forgotten about..... I plan to get out the label maker and make some labels so things STAY organized. My canning inventory is low. I need to get some spaghetti sauce, beans and chicken canned, "soon."

The "before" photos of the pantry and nook disappeared

Stacia realized she isn't feeling well - so she stayed home. Michael was having a "bad day," he stayed home too. Alex is ALWAYS happy to stay home. I took Krista and we went to visit Bre and the kids. Bella ran right to Krista and hugged her around the knees and offered to help her take boots off.

Bella and Auntie K

 Bella loves to introduce people to each other. She performed admirably. She said to Krista, "This is mom."   "And this is Bubbie (Gideon/brother)."  She is busy learning new words and sentences nearly every day. She's a charmer. She is now 2 1/2 years old. She calls Michael, "Papa," and has several names for me...."GG" seems to be her favorite, but  Gemma and Granna also appear.

For his part, Gideon loves to have EVERYTHING in it's place. He's darling. He races to put our shoes in the proper place and claps after each one is put up. He is the most cuddly, kissy baby I've been around. He's a delight. He is now 19 months old.

Big job for a sweet boy 

"Seesters" - Bella, Bre, Gideon, Krista

  Bre is 35 weeks pregnant. This is the point in her pregnancy when Gideon was born in 2017. She has been getting weekly shots and will get one more the day after Christmas. We are all praying she is able to make it to 37 weeks. If she goes into labor before then she would have to go to Anchorage. This is not a good plan due to the speed of her last labor.

Auntie K loves on the kids while Bre watches on 

Back home Arielle and Benny were up for a bit of a visit too.  Benny is 13 months old now and is one talkative little man. He brightens our days when he lights up at our appearance. He chatters non-stop and we predict he will soon begin to put words to the chatter.

Auntie K and Bennett (AKA Benny)

After dinner JaRissa drove out to the valley. They will be flying to Texas soon to spend the holidays and wanted to get some face time in with Krista before they leave. I didn't take a picture.

Everyone's in bed. I started reading a new book, "The Prodigal Prophet," by Timothy Keller, and realized I hadn't blogged yet....and I'm making an all out effort to get back into a habit.

LOVE THIS SEASON

Yes, winter is back. When the rain and "warm snap" came last week, I worried we wouldn't have a white Christmas...no worries. when the tire swing rests on the ground things are WHITE. LOL 

We took care of a lot of "stuff" today.  The recycling was delivered.  Phone calls were received and made. Trust disbursements were mailed and deposited. Jack Jack was moved from Stacia's room to the garage. We gave him a chance. She cleaned his cage daily - but it just smelled. We cleaned the room getting ready for Krista's arrival.  Michael put braces on my pantry shelves so I can reload the pantry. 

We are planning a tea for the Gherkin gals still in town on Sunday.  Stacia and I did a bit of baking. Mostly, we wanted an excuse to crank the music loud and spend some time together in the kitchen.

I tried TWO "peanut" brittle recipes and am not thrilled with any of it at this point. 

We couldn't seem to contain our excitement any longer and so we headed into Anchorage early. We stopped in Eagle River for a bite of dinner and to meet up with these three Gherkins. It's always fun to hear their stories. Jamin's real estate business is taking off and Jared started a new job this week. Josiah has continual adventures managing property in a rough area of Anchorage. 

We arrived about 40 minutes early to the airport. We settled in at Cinnabon to wait for Krista's arrival. What fun to run into Alicia for the first time since moving to Alaska. Her daughter was coming in on the same flight. Alicia and I were serving on regional/international PWOC boards in the same years. She lives out in the Valley too - I didn't snap a selfie.  I was hiding in the tree to see how long it would take Krista to find us - but Michael sort of stands out. LOL

Look at the world of yumminess Krista brought with her. Two of them are for Larissa. 

Krista and Maria, her roommate and one of my gals from Beale AFB,  visited a Christmas store in TN. Krista picked up this darling ornament. I cut off the bottom, (had our last name on it),  but it has all 9 children listed. She couldn't add spouses and grands as 9 was the biggest they made. Michael and I are far from the "empty canoe" syndrome at this point - but we didn't all fit on the one tree. 

I received notice the things I ordered weeks ago will arrive Jan 2nd. Go Prime! It's a good thing we don't open Christmas gifts on the 25th of Dec. No stress. Just fun and celebrating Jesus' advent. I pray you are having a good week as well.

Sunrise at 10:14 a.m. Sunset at 3:33 p.m.  (5 hours and 19 minutes of light) 

Hens in the Winter

I was told the girls would produce less eggs in the winter when it is cold and dark. 

We are THERE now. The sun rose at 10:13 a.m.  and set at 3:30 p.m.  We try to keep space around the coop shoveled and put shavings down so they can come out - but they've not been out in a few days.  They have, however, continued to lay 13 - 16 eggs a day. I have 16 hens. I sold 38 dozen eggs in November, and had plenty of eggs for our personal use as well. 

One day last week most of the eggs were cracked like this. It was a cold day.  The next day I picked up quite a few eggs in the morning that were fine. At night one was cracked. Still it wasn't until today, when Michael commented that he'd talked to a gal in church about frozen eggs, that I realized the cracking was because they'd all frozen.  I guess I need to get eggs more than twice a day when it's this cold. 

Do any of you have any other tips for preventing frozen eggs in the winter? I gave them to Yuuki. Michael said Krista says she thaws them and uses them. 

Sledding Runs, Hospice Quilts & Family

I SHOULD have gone outside to get photos or video of the kids today. Back in my bloggy/vloggy days, I would have....but it was 11* outside and the deck is covered in snow....my slippers have big tears in them....I wimped out.... must get some warm slippers which allow me to rush into the arctic conditions for quick shots. ::snort::

Arielle, Alex, Nolan, and Stacia have spent quite a bit of time this week building a jump for this year's sledding run. They've built steps to the top, and asked if we could get out there and "ice" it for them. We haven't yet. Today, Arielle, Alex and Stacia spent a lot of time "sledding" down the path, packing it down, in hopes of an established sledding run.

JaRissa and Josiah came out this afternoon. We visited, laughed, caught up on all the week's news and then watched a Spurs game. They lost. Again.

This was a healing moment for me. The red quilt is Mom's hospice quilt - a quilt given to me by the nurse when we switched mom to comfort care.  The Nativity is one our younger kids played with.  The quilt sits on a trunk with the Nativity on top of it.  I debated putting the quilt out. It's a daily reminder this year is different. It has a STUPID saying about death on the back, but in the end I knew it would be a reminder for me in year's to come, when I should be long over "grieving." A way to remember and acknowledge at Christmas. I have an ornament for the babies we've lost for the same reason. Benny was playing with one nativity piece at a time - over by the trunk/stairs.....

I picked up the quilt with the Nativity and moved it to the center of the room as we visited. 

He loves to push the angel and make the sound

He's dancing

It was the perfect picture. Mom didn't get to meet Benny. She adored her grandkids and great-grandkids....On the very day of the one year anniversary of Mom's move to heaven, a new great-granddaughter came home to the house where Dad is living. The photo is PRECIOUS and healing....but it's not my baby in the photo and I don't have permission to share online.

I watched Benny playing with a nativity on his great-grandma's hospice quilt.  A moment of great joy, with a shadow of sadness....family continuing on....I thought of this earlier in the week, too. God is gracious to remind us of the future, hope, and new chances to invest in a generation - right in the middle of grief.

The angel started making a most un-angelic sound. Benny knew what to do! He took it right to Gramps. Michael and Benny have a fun relationship. It warms my heart to see him reach for Michael.

Auntie Riss, Uncle Jared & Benny

These older Gherkins are pretty special to me too! 

Auntie Riss, Uncle Jared, Uncle Cy

It was a good day.

Snowy Moose

The moose have come back. Hunting season is over, and the SNOW is forcing them to look  harder for food. Our wooded area attracts them. They don't seem to have discovered this year's compost pile, or the newly planted orchard.

They are interested in the chickens and often stop to lean their heads over the chicken fence. One day I was cleaning the coop, heard an unfamiliar sound, and looked up to see three bull moose - one interested in the chicken yard and two locking antlers and waltzing back and forth.  We have had up to five moose in the yard at the same time.

Yuuki doesn't run when let out to do her business in this cold. She hurries to get back inside. She started whining, so Stacia put her leash on her and let her out. GREAT foresight... Yuuki began to pull her through the snow towards these interlopers.

Moose 1 and Moose 2 

 As she pulled leaves off the branch, the snow showered her. She'd stop and shake her head. It was cute to watch. It won't be so cute when they wander over to the orchard. We do have it fenced. With so many other options in the yard, maybe they'll leave the fenced trees alone.

I hope we have lots of moose when our out of state visitors are here! I never get tired of watching them - unless they are playing in the garden!

We are six days away from the darkest day of our year.....I am excited to start gaining light each day. I do love the seasonal changes up here.