Friday around the Fire

 We've had a long day. Michael is in pain - fairly regularly. 

Melia and I had another dentist appointment. They confirmed she qualifies for braces. They discussed the co-pay ($2500), needed work and fussed about needing to see the oral surgeon. I am pleasantly surprised at the co-pay. We paid more than that when Krista had braces decades ago. 

Melia came home to school and then we spent a few hours playing with grands. We opted for an easy and fun meal....We grilled dogs and had s'mores. 

Ah - it's fantastic to be able to sit around the fire again! 

Spring is Officially Here

 Summer is here...OK Spring is officially here. The garden won't be planted until June 1st...but the temps are in the 50's (52*), the snow is all melted (green grass to come), Reuben Haus is opening this weekend (IYKYK), it was light at 10:30 last night and at 6:30 this morning, there's no snow in the forecast. It's spring. 

We celebrated by buying Melia a new bike and ordering a bunch of photos for a photo collage she wants to create in her room. I found baby Melia photos online, grabbed photos we've taken since she's been here, and we are getting close to enough photos.  I tried to convince her she should ride home (from Wasilla). 

I had an unfortunate health thing on the way home and that cancelled our aquacise plans...but we switched gears quickly when Melia asked for s'mores. The first campfire of the season. 

We got out the trampoline and started to unload the summer things from the trailer. 

The chickens found the way out of the fence...and are enjoying the garden rather than the yard. 

I held the ladder and Melia climbed it to attach the netting around the trampoline. 

I jumped first until it was pointed out to me that a person with an ear situation probably shouldn't jump. 

Show off! 

Finally, the s'more of which she dreamed. 

Michael wins for roasting the "perfect" marshmallow - but the season is early. 

It finally feels like summer is really coming. It hasn't snowed since April 21st.  The snow has receeded to reveal piles of moose poop.  It's spring.  It's 9:44 and as bright as it was at noon. Melia is working on a paint by number kit and Michael is reading. Stacia should be home from classes shortly. She sent this pre-finals vibes shot.  If finals are in the discussion the summer is really truly on its way here....

Picking Up After the Moose

It's Flannel Monday - and quite honestly today has been a hard grief day for Michael and me. It's been 1 year and eleven months since the fateful Monday which broke our hearts. We miss Josiah and that's o.k.  Rena, a friend of the girls from Master's Commission, sent these darling stickers. They're perfect. 

Even sweeter than the sticker is that it communicates she still remembers Josiah and cares for our hearts. 

We spent some time the last few days compiling a "Fall Project List."  We have already marked four items to be done in the spring. ::snort:: Michael repaired the play structure and moved Allie's things earlier...it's fun to see things moving off the list - one way or another. Jamin and Jared are planning a workday in October to help us finish what we need done.  We are motivated. 

I woke up first and took care of the Cologuard box...which I am hoping will take care of the nagging texts and phone messages I have been getting for the past month from Cologuard and my lovely doctor. I had a terrible time getting the timing down so I could mail it before noon on Monday. I live in ALASKA, and it has to go to Wisconsin and arrive on a weekday. I've had appointments and babysitting on Mondays and I wasn't about to chance going through all this only to have to do it again because it arrived on the wrong day. ::Snort:: 

I dropped by Arielle and Bre's homes to deposit things left at the house by their children on Saturday at our Family Gathering. I stopped by my favorite coffee hut for a chai...they will be closing on Oct 10th, and I have gift cards to spend. 

Michael pulled out and cleaned four exhaust fans.

Two moose have been enjoying the remaining bounty in our garden. I decided to get outside today between rain showers and start pulling the last things out to eat and to compost. It began to rain. I did get 4 of the 11 beds cleared.  The peas have taken over this year. I've been eating 20 oz of veggies a day. STILL there were just way too many of these peas....I pulled all the vines/peas and let the chickens have them. I simply don't think I can stand another pea. 

I harvested the celery the moose didn't eat. I chopped up enough for a soup I'll make this week and got the rest all cleaned and cut into celery sticks for munching. 

The moose ate all the greenery on top but seem to have left the sprouts alone. 

I picked the smaller kale leaves and then pulled the plants and let the chickens feast on the big leaves. We have had Kale for 2 1/2 solid months. 

Pulling the peas revealed how many carrots are still left in the beds. The wind and moose had done a number on the peas, and the trellis wasn't holding them up any longer. 

I harvested another head of cabbage and there are still 3 plants in the garden bed. The rest of the bed had beautiful plants, with the center head of cabbage missing. A hem - I don't mind sharing. There was more than the 3 of us can eat.  I pulled all the sunflowers. I also pulled the crookneck squash and harvested the small squash. I don't think it is warm enough for them to do much else this year. I still have beets, carrots, MINT, Brussel sprouts and the cabbage left in the beds...oh, and a zucchini plant and two rows of potatoes. I have cucumbers and tomatoes in the hoop house, but since our recent windstorms the plastic is missing, and it's too cold for those things won't mature. I plan to get them pulled this week too. I still have a greenhouse full of red and ripening tomatoes.   The chickens had a great day! I usually have a "lasagna bed" in the garden which gets a lot of the garden compost, but we didn't get one built this year. 

I pulled enough carrots for the upcoming soup. 

I was wet and muddy when I got inside. I didn't realize how muddy until I changed clothes and realized I was still seeing spots....muddy glasses and face. LOL 

I took care of closing an account for Dad and moving his money to a local account. I had the best discussion with Asam, the customer service rep. He ended the call by thanking me for having a "warm heart and an encouraging soul." He said he'd like to move to Alaska. I think Alaska would welcome him. 

The day ended when Michael was done with his work and able to retire to his recliner to catch up on puzzles and current events. I met Stacia in town, and we drove to Michael's. I didn't find the frame I wanted, but she found lots of frames to finish her room remodel. 

It was a productive day! 

Crankiness and Gratitude

Here I am...trying to get 2 posts published a day until I "catch up." Who are WE kidding? I still have photos and posts to write from when Josiah was alive. Someday....but here is a post from today. 

Michael has been in pain since we got back from our trip.  He's been sleeping a LOT because he doesn't feel the pain when he can sleep. There is something wrong with his hip and knee. FINALLY, the VA said to go into urgent care. They did an x-ray, gave him codeine and wanted him to see an orthopedic doc. AH....but of course, one can't make an appointment with the new doctor until the VA APPROVES IT. He began leaving messages, calling and emailing as soon as he left the urgent care yesterday.  Today at 4:21 they respond, "Sorry for the run around. Bring the discharge papers from the urgent care to our office and we'll get you a referral right away so you can be seen." The codeine isn't touching the pain. It IS making him throw up. He's been in pain for over a week now. There is no way he can make it to their office before they close and so now he has to wait until Monday to get the approval and then wait for an appointment...

As if that isn't a bad enough way to begin the weekend...a moose trampled down our fence and ate 90% of the cherries on our tree as well as breaking branches and stripping leaves.

Enough crankiness. I am thankful for two friends who let me send them photos of what I'm eating and hold me accountable to eat only what I'm told to eat. I may not get around to doing a health post for a bit so it's enough to know my doc has asked me to refrain from eating sugar and flour...She recommended a plan which has worked for her personally and as my labs were CRAZY, I agreed. I had to give up the sugar due to diabetes anyway - how much harder could it be to add flour to the mix. ::snort:: I am a month into Bright Line Eating and have committed to stay strictly on it until I see her again in a month. I refused to spend money on the boot camp, but I checked out a library book and watched videos on youtube.  I need the extra help not to throw in the towel and run for Krispy Kreme. All that to say when I look at my photo roll to remind myself what to blog all I see is photos of bright, colorful plates of food. ::Snort:: I AM thankful they let me blow up their phones. That's friendship there.

The first of many tomatoes?

The garden is always a place of gratitude. I've about given up on weeding at this point. I'm harvesting, putting things up and eating a ton of produce. I figure as the beds empty I'll cover them with plastic and I'll hope winter takes care of the rest of the jungle out there. Myrtle, our pet chicken, follows me around when I'm outside and she also LOVES the garden. 

The sunflowers have gone crazy this year.This one is quite a bit taller than I am. I'm wondering if I may get some sunflower seeds. 

I am thankful my favorite nail tech is back from her family vacation and I got to visit her today for a pedi. I do this monthly and it keeps a foot problem in check. 

I had packed a lunch earlier as I knew I would be out when it was time for lunch. Its another sunny day so I stopped at a park with my lunch and a book. It was sweet to remember coming to the park with groups of women and lifegroups...and to dream that maybe I'll build a new community and be meeting friends at the park again by next year. I am thankful for the yummy lunch and read in a sunny park. 

I am thankful for texts and polos from Allie and that she has completed her first week of classes. There are more students on that campus than there are people in our town. She was caught sleeping at a Hall Meeting - of course they started the meeting at 10 p.m. LOL 

Allie enjoys campus life

I am thankful Stacia is also finishing her first week of classes and her new work schedule. 

I am VERY thankful for library trips and I plan to spend the evening reading. 

Sprouts, A Visit and an Evening Vet Trip

 The sun is shining bright, and I jumped outside to enjoy it. In times past I would have gone for a hike or down to the swimming hole...but with Michael sleeping more these days and GG needing someone nearby I opt for the garden. I got 9 1/2 of our eleven garden beds weeded. 

I was excited to see sprouts in the bed planted May 28th (below). It's always a magic moment to see that IT WORKED. Years of living with my black thumb has left doubt things will actually GROW after all the prep and work. There are peas under the wire, radishes are up...

and if you look VERY closely - about lower middle of the photo - you can just see carrots beginning to sprout. I don't see any lettuce yet. 

As I weeded the sunflower/strawberry bed (former asparagus bed) I found one little asparagus shoot.  The chickens didn't get them all. LOL 

As I weeded this bed, I noted the cucumbers at the one end of the bed weren't growing. I pulled them and planted some string beans. I'll see if beans will grow best in the greenhouse or hoop house. One year they worked outside but the rest of years it's been too cool for them to produce much.

These tomatoes are in the hoop house. I trimmed the droopy leaves and weeded. 

More sprouts!

Celery and little spinach

Kale and lettuce sprouts

I need to find time in the greenhouse, but I want to work outside when the sun is out. This is the 1 1/2 beds I still need to weed this week.  Most of these beds are tomatoes.

Andrew and Jonathan showed up and put in 2 hours of work. Jonathan worked on weed eating the perimeter and around the garden and Andrew tilled a spot in the ground for corn and potatoes. I hope to get to them tomorrow.  The weeds are relentless when we plant in the ground. Yes, we've tried everything but herbicide. I just don't have enough beds for potatoes and corn. LOL 

Bre dropped by for a visit after VBS. It was a fun break before dinner prep. 

Gideon 

Annie, Gideon, Jojo and Bre

Bella is so gentle with the chicks! 

Krista and I noted a small wound on Millie in the morning. She was lethargic as night drew near. 

After dinner, when everyone was settled, we began to note and discuss Millie in more detail. The wound hadn't scabbed over.  Nothing made sense...but it was swollen and pussy and red... We headed to our emergency vet. 

BTW it 10:15 p.m. 

She is all better....and I'm just so very glad she was groomed days before this. ::snort:: It turns out it was a hair follicle that abscessed... We have 10 days of 2 antibiotics...she's wearing a t-shirt instead of a cone.  They said it could be recurring and the only way to make sure it didn't return would be to "punch out" a bit of skin...we opted to try meds first.