More Friday Happenings

Bright and early Cory and Benny and Danny showed up. Cory had found an ad for a family moving into state who had cardboard to be hauled away. He and the boys picked up Michael's truck, got cardboard and two more loads of wood chips today.  

Danny & Benny - 📷by Cory 

The girls and I headed out at 0800 for breakfast. With finals and life we've not been out for a bit for our study. Sometimes life is hard and the three of us ended up laughing so hard, the GIRLS snorted, and we all cried. This all started as we shared how to pronounce Habakkuk...and then looked it up online...later we queried others.  It was good. 

Receiving a gift from Jennifer, an online friend, while at the cafe was the icing on the cake of life. Our local community/social circle has shrunk in the past months - but the online communities: missionary kid community, ministry community, blog community and military community have sure walked with us...and we love them even more for it. 

We went home by 1000 so Stacia could have a Japanese lesson. The boys enjoyed the time to play with Allie on the trampoline.  The girls had lunch and we met at Bre's for our Colony Day adventure.  

I laid a couple of boxes out in the garden until it was time for me to go to a counseling appointment where we continued to discuss HARD things, and community building, and faith. Josh continues to assure me I am not in danger of losing my faith. I am honest with God and my emotions. In fact, he shared I appear to have a deep faith...and others may not know how to handle me because we've gotten used to quick, happy, social-media meme faith. I'm living with faith and God in the broken and messy places. AND, since I'm allergic to the happy church face thing...it's a bit raw and authentic for the very ones who say they desire authenticity in faith. Hmm...do we really? More to think about. This I know...God is with me. Always with me. Still with me.  He sits with me in the messy. He heals the broken. 

We received news of a local hurting family. We made plans to reach out. We had dinner - trying to eat without a sink is interesting. I was not in the mood to watch TV ... the garden is a great place to relax at the end of the day and process.  I miss summer nights around the campfire. 

I love the wood chips! It looks so much more like a real garden! LOL Everything is biodegradable and so as the garden grows we can till it all into the ground. 

Note the red chair and little tea stand. I moved it around trying to find the best place for it. I thought I'd move it to the back and could see the entire garden...but then I realized I didn't want my back to the woods where I couldn't see moose and bear approaching...but then I realized I was sitting at the front and the moose came from the direction of the house. Hmmm...and then I realized the red chair makes one lean back very far and isn't a very alert position. It was getting chilly anyway, so I went to the chair in the green house. Stacia and Millie found me there and we had a nice discussion. She also misses the evenings of visiting....so it's time to switch from winter vegging to interspersing times around the table or campfire or in the garden - especially during the lovely LONG summer evenings. 

I decided it's only right to show you the areas of the garden space we have NOT tamed yet. LOL 

All the areas behind the metal baptistry and hoop house and then to the south of the hoop house are still a horse pasture covered with weeds and thistles. 

We are so THANKFUL for all the hard work Cory put into this project this week! In many ways it's an "extra" project we wouldn't have gotten to at all. The garden would have been planted but the weeds would have continued to win the morale war. As I set and pondered, I decided a pavilion is too much for this year with all the other projects, just getting the weeds tamed with chips is a good garden project for this year.  I do think I am going to paint the outside of the weather looking garden beds. I will do some thinking on if I can do that now or need to wait until we harvest this year's crop.  I'm thinking some fun colors would appeal to grands. 

Michael continued to wrestle with our kitchen plumbing. He has poured a gallon and a half of liquid plumber down our drains, he's taken them apart and snaked them out, there is sludge he can't reach. He talked with Luke, our son in law who is a plumber, and is going to try to rent some jet-propelled pump to get it unclogged. Meanwhile the unwashed dishes from Thursday sit. I so appreciate Michael and Cory.

Colony Days - Friday

 It may look like a community fun walk - and I know by the craned necks some were wondering and checking out our event. It was simply a summer outing with some of my favorite people!

Colony Days is second only to Colony Christmas around here!  Both events celebrate our unique history of being founded by pioneers who took the government up on the promise of land if they would move to Alaska and start a colony. This is a great day to visit the Friday Fling, a weekly community summer event.  On this Friday there are extra things set up for Colony Days, but the crowds are much less than they will be over the weekend. There will be a parade on Saturday and even more events to enjoy downtown. Bre offered her home as a staging area. Carrie and girls, myself and my girls, and Arielle and her kids met at Bre's and walked the mile to the celebrations. 

Bre (kids) Allie, Stacia, Arielle (kids), Carrie (kids)

The kids were excited for the bouncy houses. We agreed this would be our first stop. There were NO bouncy houses this year at all. I am guessing the fact that the big one blew over last year had something to do with the absence of all this year. And, while we had a great time, I will mention that this adult was disappointed to see less vendors this year. TONS of food trucks - which we all love, but the VENDORS like the ladies with the silver rings and the man who has made my light plate covers were gone. I buy a few more every time I visit the fling...sad.  It was pointed out to me that most come to the fling for the food trucks...so maybe Friday Fling is now a meanering walk down a buffet line, rather than a chance to buy from local artisans and catch lunch at a food truck. LOL In any even we are outside on a beautiful summer day and it is always FUN. 

To make up for the lack of bouncy houses Bacha bought the hugest bag of caramel kettle corn we could find for the crew to share. The walk with family was my favorite part of the day. A quick note to drivers. We waited at this corner through TWO CYLES OF THE TRAFFIC light both coming and going to Colony Days. Two cycles. We did not cross until we had the right of way to do so. We could have. Even with all that waiting...both times...there was a driver turning from the south side of the intersection to go north on Arctic who simply didn't think they should wait for kids crossing the street with the little white man on the traffic pole urging them on. That is wrong on so many levels. Bachan should NOT have to stand in the intersection and remind you to wait for the kids to cross the street...you don't need that extra 15 seconds you gain by passing when there are children in the intersection. We can do better!!!!!

Ava, Carrie, Annie, Liv, Arielle, Danny, Benny, Bella, Stacia
Allie, Bre, Jojo and stroller babes

Never fear once we crossed the intersection we were on the bike path the rest of the way into town. In our area of town they are doing road work and the notice we received said they were making a pedestrian pathway  - maybe it will be as nice as this one. 

Jamin, Bre and lots of grandsons

This space hosts one of our many community gardens. Danny WAS impressed but loves to show quirky faces when Bachan takes a photo! 

Danny LOVES gardens

Pedestrian pathways - love em! 

Seesters - Josi and Livie

Not EVERYONE loved being outside in nature. These two little Alaskans are not sure what to think about all the sun. 

Josi - 4 months today 

Ellie - 2 1/2 months 

We took a tour through the vendor and food truck area. Danny and I danced with the open-air band. Ice cream, corn dogs and a funnel cake were purchased and consumed. Several trips were made to the bathroom. AND some of us went on a horse drawn wagon ride! This was great fun. I plan on looking them up for a winter sleigh ride...they can do 16 at a time. It will either be Papa and Bachan and all the kids...or we'll need two rides. LOL 

Bachan, Danny and Annie📷by Bre

The guitar and sing along was a great touch. Annie was a bit sad she couldn't come up with a ballerina song or a mermaid party song...we DID sing "You are my sunshine" one of my favorites to sing to my kids and grands...and all verses of Baby Shark. LOL 

COUSINS! Gideon & Benny 📷by Bre

Jojo and Bella 📷by Bre

Where are the men of our group? We ran into Izaak while we were downtown. We didn't run into Starla and Jenni, but we did meet up with Jamin. I suspect the rest were working - Alex and Nolan are sure to have record breaking days at McDonalds now that summer celebrations are here. Jared and Larissa were both working. Cory & Michael were busy at our home. GG doesn't like events like this. 

This was a great afternoon outing. Stacia met a friend downtown, and they did some shopping. She found a great science kit and a "rocking motorcycle" at one of the thrift shops. We went back and I bought the motorcycle to add to our parks/recreation department. I am not sure if it will simply live in the yard, or maybe in the garden in my ongoing attempt to make the kids fall in love with gardens and gardening. I envisioned a pavilion in the garden with space for tea parties and crafts...but that's not happening soon. LOL  This may be the start. If worms and dirt aren't enough to lure them to the garden maybe the motorcycle will....