First Backyard Fire of the Year

We have a rock-bordered fire ring down by our garden. We love it, but it is still under a LOT of snow. Michael purchased a portable fire ring when we lived in the RV....it is set up off the deck - up a slope....we've shoveled around it.....and tonight....we lit the fire.  The first fire/s'more of the season! 

But first....the re-stocking of the s'more kit...crackers, Hersheys, Kit Kat, Reeses, York, white chocolate bars, sugar free Lakanto chocolate bar, marshmallows, wipes, matches....we're set for the season.  Well - not really. I would love to find sugar-free marshmallows, but that is something I've not seen yet.

Alex dug around for the roasting sticks. Yes, THIS is planned. I thought the sticks were stored  in the greenhouse. The walls and roof of the greenhouse blew away. He dug around in the foundation to find them....but I wasn't ready with the camera. LOL 

Alex purchased a drone and is learning how to fly it and how to sync it to his phone/camera. Everything is moving towards new content for that defunct YouTube channel.  All it lacks is a spark of motivation..... 

Nolan works in the morning - and is still strictly maintaining his distance, I think news of Beth's infection after being so careful motivates us to keep the rules. The  rest of us gathered around the fire....This was Dad's first snowy campfire with us.  He enjoyed the summer and fall fires.

Grandpa, Michael, Stacia, Alex, Krista 

Dad and I

 THIS  is the FIRST time anyone started a snowball fight around the campfire. It is NOT our first snowy campfire...but G Dog  adds a touch of fun to the simplest day.  If you look closely...Alex has the remnants of a snowball on his ear and one is heading straight for Grandpa....he wants all to know he was NOT being a mean bully....G Dog started this and had thrown several before I told him he could throw back. LOL

As we sat and visited I remembered....camping with the Beth (she of Covid fame) and family decades ago...the fires, the flaming marshmallows, the ER runs and the Patrick McManus.  Visiting the Bowers and enjoying fires in their back yard. Inviting friends for spring/summer dinner in Montana, Texas, California....ending up in the backyard for a dessert of s'mores and visiting, while children play....so many nights around the campfire, vlogging, blogging, reading, connecting while we lived for 2 years in an RV.  Friends and family visiting us in the RV and joining in around the campfire... getting to know Cory around a campfire at a Campground in OR... campfires with CoRielle, BreZaak and kids while they lived here....

Yes, when isolation is over...we're having friends over to sit around the campfire and play frisbee golf...and we can do that at midnight around here!!!!  The kit is ready.

Move it, Move it....

We like to move it, move it...and we did it all day...maintaining proper social distancing all the while. 

Thursday mornings we rush to get out of the house for breakfast and Bible study. These days that means a drive through and a park, river etc. Study in the car. 

Autumn gave Stacia a fancy drink.

We were surprised how MANY were out today....our first rainy day. 

Back and home Michael and I made a polo for the grandblessings. We let them in on the family secret....I am super woman....

Krista was heading in to grab some gift cards from a local coffee hut....I went along. We ran into Kayle!  Good times!

Michael is working on making book shelf this week. I decided it was time to shovel the snow out of the chicken yard. It needs to melt so grass can grow out there....we've been letting the chickens free range...but they are making giant holes in any patch of  bare ground. They need their own yard to cultivate....until I need the garden tilled.

In the midst of my "spring workout"  (WW actually has snow shoveling listed as an activity with fit points)...Jessie showed up with SUGAR. Eggs for Sugar...it works. Our kombucha will live...and she and her crew were ready to get out of the house. We made the exchange at the front porch - all the maintaing proper social etiquette for these days.

Stacia had run the eggs up - so I shamelessly enlisted her help to finish the chicken yard. 

Still not totally bare - BUT the sun should be able to melt this quicker....

  

We turned our eye towards the rest of the yard....this lonely chair is frozen in place....for a bit longer.

Everyone has been posting spring garden shots - yeah. This is it. 

Here's my clothes line....

Dinner was left overs. The news arrived my dear sister-friend, Beth, has tested positive for two strains of covid. She has been uber careful, more so than anyone I know. She has gone out once in the past 6 weeks....for an infusion.  She has her groceries delivered, washes produce with bleach water, husband and son are working from home....this was an unexpected surprise....even though I knew she was being tested. Please pray for her body to fight this virus well.

We ended the night around a fire...and that deserves it's own post.

Spring Mornings

Still mornings. 

Quiet, slow starts to these spring days. 

Lingering in the word. 

Enjoying the twinkle lights and candles. 

Yes, this IS spring.  Our snow man has lost it's heard...and note the first bare patch of grass in our yard. 

The Mountains!

I started the day with a Zoom chat with four gals from church. THEN - I had to get out for a walk. I settled on a plan of a 2 mile walk and then  the elliptical.  The mountains speak to me. I can't get enough of them. 

I have started to send marco polos to my sister friends and my cousin, Lorri, as I walk. I get to be out,  alone and yet connected.   Today's walk was momentous. 

I passed by this and noted it was fresh. 

The thing is - I was in the zone....I was walking, praying or talking....and didn't put together that where there are fresh moose turds there may well be MOOSE. I rounded a corner and there were TWO MOOSE right in the road. I briefly considered passing on the other side of the road...you know the prescribed 6 feet of social distancing...as I approached their ears flattened and the hair on their necks stood up. I turned around. I didn't really want to go that way anyway as the tush-smelling pit bull was down there. Ah, I forgot to share THAT story. It seems even a beagle will keep other dogs from coming up to intimidate  a walker....alas, I walk solo this spring. RIP our dear friend.

I turned and re-thought my route...and realized I'd best go home for a pit stop (too much water and tea before the walk), and then I headed out again. The moose were STILL in the road; I tried a new route.

It was gorgeous. I found the best views of our mountains yet. I stood here with the field in front of me and could see Lazy Mountain to the left, the Matanuska Peaks ahead of me, and Pioneer Peak to my right. I took a panoramic shot - but it doesn't do it justice.

I should consider a shower and make up before walks if I'm going to keep taking photos. I simply love the mountains - think you know that though. I think I love them as much as my beloved ocean.

Pioneer Peak 

Mat Peak

What do you know? I guess that IS gray and not blonde. LOL 

Lazy moving to the Mat Peaks...

I got home and discovered I had walked 3.85 miles - handily reaching my 2 mile goal. Break up - Spring is upon us. It was 50* today...and everything is dripping...melty and slushy.  My daffodil garden has fallen on disrepair as the bank melts. It's not nearly as pretty white now....and our snowman lost his head last week, and his mid-section this week. He lasted 2 months.

The good news is I'll soon be able to reach the Christmas sign and store it away. 

I  moved the daffodils to the front porch....I found all the flowers the moose had attempted to eat in a puddle of melted snow. I'll see if I can re-attach them tomorrow.

I  put beans and a ham bone into the instant pot and prepared biscuits ready to throw into the oven after this evening's church Zoom. This time Michael and I were on a panel with some others for youth group. We tried to answer relationship questions. It was fun.

Finally, 7:45 p.m. and we were sitting down for  dinner. Poor Dad. We're lucky he's so flexible.

Remember When Shopping was Effortless?

Monday has disappeared...it ran into all the other days and I can't separate anything of note which happened on that day....

Today, however, was full of monumental outings. I got up bright and early to try to hit the store before everyone else did. I was somewhat successful. I discovered one cannot sip tea while wearing a mask.....Izaak had spotted sugar at Freddies and I hoped....arriving early....that I'd find some too. 

Yeah, no luck. 

This was the only sugar in the aisle....and I am not quite desperate enough to smash down cubes to make sugar for kombucha. I did find the last bag of organic cane sugar and snatched it up. I  have a friend who will bring me some sugar - but I was hoping it would be in my clicklist order.

Stacia bakes quite a bit and which uses sugar. Other than her baking, our biggest sugar usage is for making kombucha....

I find myself remembering when shopping was effortless, and planning how to stock up better to avoid this in the next crisis of the food supply chain.  First, I will buy an extra Costco size case of toilet paper....and I'm thinking big barrels, or tubs, for sugar, flour (or wheat berries) beans and rice....and then the typical canning. I'm trying to figure out where to store this food storage. I'll rotate items. We've done fairly well...except that freezer of salmon seems to have sprouted a layer of ICE CREAM when I went digging last week. ::snort::  Yep, they hid the ice cream under the salmon. We don't have quite as much salmon as I thought, but plenty. ::snort::

I came home, and SAT in the car, in the driveway, for 45 minutes. It felt good. I just sat....sent a polo or two to my sister friends.  The mountains were calling....and off I went.

I was able to get a 3 mile walk in which greatly improved my outlook on life.  I came home and got my typical 45 min elliptical workout in...and finally took a SHOWER...it's the little goals that matter. 

The map of this walk cracked me up. I titled it - all the detours. 

Krista and Stacia have each taken a dinner off my hands. Krista takes Monday night and made Swedish Meatballs with all the fixings.  Stacia made Chicken Paramesan, zuchinni fries, to which I added a plate of fruit and salad, for dinner tonight.  Stacia FINSHED GEOMETRY for the year!

All this and geometry too! 

Krista is busy making cooking videos for her life skills class. Today she made naan bread and hummus....both VERY yummy. 

I rounded the day out by hosting our final discussion on the Beatitudes for the gals from church. We are moving on to a study on communication - Words Matter.

Michael has been spending lots of time in the woodshop. He finished another fishing pole holder...and has started on a book shelf.

As for the pandemic....there is talk today from our Governor of a flattened curve and starting to open parts of the economy up....to watch and see what happens....I guess it is beginning by allowing elective surgeries again. I think I heard dental proceedings are still out and we are still under stay at home and travel bans.

Resurrection Sunday

We had dreamed of gathering with our church community, a giant family egg hunt out here, the cascarones from San Antonio, a big family dinner....but this year was different.

It was a lazy morning with no set start time. As everyone was up we watched church. We set Dad up with the livestream from our home church in Oregon as I prepared dinner. Unfortunately, we couldn't get it to cast onto the big screen...but he was happy enough with the set up.

I was finally happy with a ham I baked. ::wink::  Yes, even I had 3 oz of ham...It won't hurt once or twice a year.  The Resurrection Garden was a nice centerpiece. I'll save the pieces to do this again next year.

We had a leisurely morning, the grands weren't going to be here (I don't worry about the china, but their parents do)...so I pulled out the china from Mom G and Mom and I used Gram's silver....apple juice and kombucha are much more festive in the crystal. ::snort::  We told the boys they could come out from the Royal Blue Cave and join us around the table. They went back to quarantine afterwards.

The chickens enjoyed their Easter treat - a bit of scratch outside of their muddy, snow-covered chicken yard.

 
Bella turned 4 today!  BreZaak invited us all to her zoom party. It was a great way to get EVERYONE together. JaRissa joined from Juneau, Dakota from OR, and all of us from our various homes in the Valley.

Benny was ready to climb into the screen for a hug and a kiss. 

We watched Onward on Disney +....and then Stacia and I went out for a walk. We went on a route we've not done since last fall. The roads are clear. We even saw ONE TREE with buds on it - which Stacia thought were creepy. It was a good way to end the day.  This is 8:30 p.m. 

I've finally taken down the "winter" wreath - the one with pines and red berries. 

I can't quite get used to a snowy spring...but here it is...this is spring in Alaska. 

Saturday Seems Like All Other Days

I placed a clicklist order on Monday night - Krista and I  picked it up today at 3 p.m.   My frustration with shopping online may drive me to risk Covid and shop in person next week.  It's not their fault...but I could go in, see what is there, and make subs myself, rather than wait 5 days to find there are 8 potatoes (not 20 lbs) and no sugar.  ::snort:: Our garden potatoes have run out. I will be planting MUCH more this year.  I was shocked there was no butternut squash. That doesn't seem like a hugely popular item.  In any event - I get it. They're very swamped and supplies are limited. It seems to me this is a hard time to do click list...because say there are no butternut squashes....I would have subbed something else if I was shopping...but now it requires another trip to the store or going without. Seems quicker to just go...and then go to the next store if they are out of something rather than wait, go, and then have to go out again.  I DID get a ham - so we will have an Easter ham... and I have asparagus from last week when I unexplainedly bought 6 bunches of asparagus....I must have clicked that button a few too many times. ::snort:: I DID enjoy visiting with the young man who delivered the groceries to the car.

After our exciting groceries were loaded, we stopped by BreZaak's and dropped off a birthday surprise and an Easter treat...we went next door to CoRielle's and dropped off an Easter treat for Benny, too. The highlight of these trips is seeing the kids. This picture SAYS IT ALL....LOL

Gideon and Bella inside the screen

 Poor Benny caught us and simply doesn't understand WHY germs are bad and he can't see Coco and Baachan. I think it's easier for him if we catch nap time and surprises magically appear. 

Krista had a zoom game time with friends from Oregon. I cooked breakfast for dinner....during clean up I snapped this photo! Cracks me up. I love it.

Flip phone users unite!

Pandemic Stuff
Honestly, it's sad to me we've passed Italy in number of deaths...and I hear we've passed China, but I don't trust the data which makes no sense from China. In these times, I am humbled anew by the  hope found in Jesus.

People are guessing how much longer we'll be under  "stay at home" and "intrastate" mandates. I don't know. Some think within a week. Some say through May. I only know kids aren't going back to school this year. There is talk about the commercial fishing season being "cancelled."