New Summer Routine

 We are working into a new summer routine. It goes a bit like this. 

Allie and the boys go off to their workplaces most mornings. WHUT? Didn't I blog about that? Yes, Allie has been busy: applications, interviews, orientation and wala...a job that will work great with college. Summer is the perfect time to get lots of hours in before the fall semester. 

I get grandpa up and we accomplish all the morning things...then Stacia and I go for a walk. NOW....this has been working as Allie has been home this week. She stays up with GG.  Our goal is for us to get a walk in and then Stacia has told me she'll spend an hour a day in the garden with me while GG naps. She sets a timer and we go for it. We  love spending  time together and we enjoy doing a bit each day rather than 8 hours in the garden once a week.  I'm sure Stacia and Allie would alternate days in the garden and days watching GG, but Allie found a job very quickly.  The garden is a MESS out there...but bit by bit it will get there.  There is more and more in the greenhouse that needs to find a new home....and soon the melons will be ready to be planted in the beds. 

I am seeing a few sprouts from the seeds we planted last week. Obviously, I still  cannot plant in a straight line. LOL Look at the little lettuce...the spinach can't be far behind. 

And the asparagus has doubled in height overnight.  

We have one lone bed in the midst of the jungle planted. Today, we prepped one more bed, added old organic compost to it and planted it.  I can't get over what a difference it's made putting black plastic over the beds in the fall.  The beds used to be as bad as the ground around them.  Now there were just a few weeds to get out of this bed, and lots of weeds to pull from around the bed. 

Yes, we're still working on storm damage. 

We got cauliflower and green onions situated before Stacia went in. I continued and planted 16 Red Brussel Sprouts and 8 Brussel Sprouts as well.  Bed number 2 is fully planted. 

I am a bit worried those tiny sprouts won't make it...so I pulled pieces of scrap from the jungle and made a make-shift row cover for them. 

Two beds done....eight to go. 

Everything we planted last week has survived. 

I have come up with a garden uniform. Who knew how handy an apron would be in the garden? I can put my phone, clippers, markers etc.in the pockets...and I can clip the THERMACELL on it. When I have that running the mosquitos are tolerable.  The mosquito magnet quit working last year, Michael plans to look at it and see if he can get it up and running. It did a great job the one year it worked. ::sigh::  The mosquitoes don't seem to attack Michael as they do Stacia and I. I was driven to distraction last year until I bought one. LOL 

One last garden photo! LOOK AT MY NEW GARDEN BED!!! I love it. It was free. I love the backstory. It has been the baptistry at the church where CoRielle are on staff.  It sprung leaks and they are building a new one....Cory and Arielle knew just what to do with this....I've always thought a garden is a sacred spot...I'm thrilled. Not sure what I'll plant in it.  Hmmm.... Ideas? 

While we were all busy with "things" Michael repaired the mower blade and started mowing. 

All the garden stuff filled the morning. In the afternoon Stacia and I took Allie to her job orientation. We took advantage of the time to explore Wasilla a bit more. We visited the library and a shopping center. Allie was done with just enough time for the three of us to grab a yummy meal and head to church for youth and women's groups. 

GG is still "off."  He has various complaints, but they are fleeting. I've taken him to the doc and it seems to be just general malaise.  They DID call to schedule two iron infusions. That will help with his energy and shortness of breath. I'm not sure it will help with the others....

Simple "Summer" Pleasures

 

First peach of the season! Gotta love summer.
Taken tomorrow morning @ breakfast

I thought it might be a bit too early for peaches. The first order they didn't come in. This time I ordered a 1/4 case of peaches and a 1/4 case of nectarines....hoping....but not wanting to commit to a 1/2 case. The nectarines didn't come in, but the peaches were good!  The first peach signals summer is here....though we won't count it until Memorial Day. Peaches, cherries and nectarines are some of the simple pleasures of summer to which we look forward. 

Today was co-op day. Three pallets of fresh, organic produce directly from Organically Grown Company in Eugene, OR, along with another pallet or two from Azure and Frontier. It was a big order and took longer than usual...but it was worth the wait when dinner looked like THIS. Huge thanks to Stacia - the chef of dinner's Salmon dish, and Allie - sous-chef extraordinaire.  To spread the cheer we made a couple of quick boxes for BreZaak and CoRielle and delivered them.   Everyone loves co-op day! 

blueberries, watermelon, asparagus, raspberries, 
strawberries, cherries, oranges, bananas, apples
 and, oh yeah - Salmon Wellington

After

Cory gave us two bags of raspberry starts/canes/ whatever they are called. We are going to try to get that patch started again....maybe we'll put an electric fence around the patch this time. Those moose. 

BTW temps in the high 60's - even reaching a bit into the low 70's....maybe it will be a HOT summer this year. 

Moose Woes

We only have one bed planted and they found it! 

They were not deterred by the windchimes and pallets - at all. 

They tromped across the asparagus bed.  Adding insult to injury, they had the audacity to bite the tops off and leave them lying beside the stalks. 

...and so, Michael strung up the electric fence again. 

Gardening in Alaska. 

May Family Celebration

Grandpa and I didn't make it to church. We are perplexed....don't know exactly what to make of his symptoms, but if he has the ones he mentions, he needs to stay home.  It's hard to tell as he will tell us he's fine, we'll hear him telling others his throat hurts horribly, we ask him when he gets off the phone and he insists he's fine. He's eating fine. But...he has been very tired and weak.  SO - he and I stayed home and he wasn't happy about that but said he really felt too weak to go. 

Cy, Livie and Carrie showed up before Michael and the girls got home from church.  Livie had brought her recorder and was happy to play some more for me...and look at Millie....

Millie isn't sure what to make of the sounds coming from Liv. 

CoRielle showed up before the others got home. Michael did come home shortly. He had taken the girls to meet Jamin at a local lake for a quick bit of paddle boarding. Benny and Livie quickly moved to the trampoline. 

Benny was happy at all the new flowers to choose from. It was almost overwhelming. I heard him trying to enlist others into getting flowers for their moms. 

Jamin and the girls arrived home from paddle-boarding with tales of an assertive loon or two. LOL 

We knew Krista, Luke and kids would be late as would Bre and the kids.  We started eating and before we were done everyone had arrived. 

Today we celebrated JaRissa's anniversary,  Mother's Day, and Izaak, Arielle, Gideon, Kaelyn and Rylan's birthdays.  We threw in a bit of water balloon fighting as well. 

Jamin and Josiah and all the kids...

At one point we all ganged up on Josiah. Note Alex is holding him, Cy grabbed Benny as a shield and the rest are pelting him with water balloons. 

We moved inside for ice cream cakes and gifts. 

5 for Gideon, 25 for Arielle

Liv asked to play for everyone. I love her confidence. And she plans a mean recorder too! 

Liv, Alex, Nolan, Bre, Jojo

When the girls and I were in Anchorage last week we looked for and purchased a new swing for our swing set. We felt a toddler swing would be better for the kids than the climbing bar we currently have. These two loved it - and it made my heart glad to see them enjoying the swing set. 

Danny - 18 months

Annie - 3 yo 

On that happy note I'll end this post. 

Saturday Mishmash

 Saturday morning and we are unexpectedly running full speed ahead. Michael is home with Grandpa. Grandpa is still not feeling well. I suspect severe anemia; we are waiting for lab results. 

The girls and I leave the house early. Stacia and I fit in our Bible Study as we were in Anchorage on Friday for Liv's school concert and errands.  Allie vibes in the car for 30 minutes.  THEN, Allie participates in an ASL immersive group. In a God coincidence the leader graduated from the program Allie will begin this fall.  It was fun to watch as we finished our study. 

Stacia and I left Allie to her fun and headed out to meet some of the women from church at the bowling alley. Stacia and I aren't "real bowlers" but we're good sports....it was great fun to discover Joelle is also in the bumper-loving crowd.  We have one hour to bowl as much as we can....it's a fun break and chance to connect with friends. 

Go, Joelle! 

Jess, Britney, Jenni, Krista

Jennifer, Joanne

We rushed out to run errands while Allie moved seamlessly from her immersive experience to catching coffee with an acquaintance. We checked out a thrift store, stopped to pick up a gift certificate at a store in town,  picked up our click list groceries - and all the activities fit perfectly. We picked up Allie and came home...

I love days when the plan works as hoped. We spent a bit of time making ice cream cakes (Stacia), potato salad (me) and slicing watermelon (Allie). We're having the gang over tomorrow.  One of the watermelons was perfect - one was not. The chickens loved the treat. 

I checked on seedlings and discovered the fan had quit again. It keeps blowing a circuit. Michael promises me he can fix this. For the time being I need to remember to check more often. 

The seeds I started under the lights are germinating quicker than the ones I had to put in the greenhouse. I think it's the steady temperatures. I'm not sure if I should move the inside ones out and move the outside ones in, or just leave them to take their time....and start more inside. 

Inside Trays

Outside - starting to sprout...

The little garden bed we planted is doing well...surviving cold nights and moose threats. Michael has been too busy to get the electric fence up, and I forgot that step in the process when I planted last week. I bought a wind chime, and I am hoping it is a pest deterrent. LOL 

I plan to get outside this week and get more of the beds amended and planted. 

Extra Tidbits from the Week

It's amazing to be able to get OUTSIDE again on our respite dates. The grey water indicates the glacier upstream is melting.

Games....

 The chicks are getting bigger. Michael thinks they are still too small to move outside...but maybe in a couple of weeks. They are NOISY. They like to perch on top of the feed and water containers.  Changing their brooder is a two-person job now. They love to fly at one's face and make a break to the rest of the house. 

Wibbly Wobbly Acres Park is in full operation. 

"Look how big they are!"

I keep thinking when they are all sleeping on TOP of the heat plate, they could do without it....but then we find them huddled under it too. 

With fuel reward points - $5.04 a gallon - I hope that translates to a fat PFD (permanent fund divididend) in October for Alaskans. 

No filter - look how GREEN it has gotten in the last week. The weather has been amazing. It was over 70* today.  Several of us found time to just relax in the sun. 

We realized today it's been a very busy month. We've had groups over every weekend this month....I was saying the month would lighten up on Monday and Michael got a strange look and told me the month will be over shortly. LOL 

It's been a busy people month, but we have found time to relax and the connecting has been good.