Papa is a GREAT Distraction

Into each young family's life come days when a bit of distraction is welcomed. I suggested to Michael this may be a day when Arielle would welcome a bit of Bachan AND PAPA distraction. We checked with Arielle, and she agreed she would love us to drop by.  Just as they were having an after-nap snack, we popped into the arctic entry. I brought Bachan's Basket (Zbars, Larabars, fruit snacks, a stuffed potato to play hot potato) and the boys were happy to see me. The REAL excitement, however, began when they realized I also brought PAPA.  Benny got so excited he ran and put on his Christmas suit! 

See the "potato" flying back and forth 

Little Buddy was happy to snuggle with Michael 

We weren't sure having us drop in visit would be helpful, but if nothing else we let Arielle know, "We see you. You've got this. We believe you rock motherhood." 

I do love my van. It does a GREAT job on the snow and ice. 

Yeah - snow. O.K. I get it. We live in Alaska. Snow is not a surprise. BUT, y'all it dumped two feet in a 24-hour storm, and then a day later 12 inches in 12 hours and it continued to snow all Monday. It was nice not to have new snow today. Poor Michael's back is complaining MIGHTILY about all the shoveling and plowing. I appreciate him running to play with grands when his back was sore. 

The rest of day was simply a lazy winter day. The girls worked on school interspersed with hot chocolate breaks. Stacia IS doing school, Allie does school at the table, so I snap her in the act more often. 

Allie & Stacia

Looking at this picture of Stacia reminds me of the elderly gentleman at the mall in Anchorage who was SURE she was Irish, "With your orange hair and green eyes!" We thought it hilarious. Bre reminded me my grandfather WAS Irish - she remembers the stories of him dancing jigs etc. There I sat and insisted to the gentleman Stacia was not Irish. Bre said she thought it would let the misconception ride as we were rather entangled with the gentleman and ready for him to move on. 

Chipping away at her first semester of college

The girls are still hacking and sniffling. They are happy for the slower pace our planned cancelled trip and the snowstorms have created in their schedules.  They were gracious to stay upstairs and engage with GG so Michael and I could slide across to the boys and Arielle.  BTW I am also thankful for this slow week created by the storm and all the things we rearranged for the trip we did not take. God knew just what we needed this week. 

While we were at CoRielle's I got a message from a gal who wanted to buy 4 dozen eggs. She asked if I could meet her at 3 Bears to do a trade - paypal for eggs. We had just enough time to drive home. Michael put the animals to bed. I started working on salmon chowder. The girls jumped up and helped me chop and dice veggies, it was all simmering when Michael and I left to run eggs. We ended up going inside for a few things we like to buy at this store (Costco knock off). The girls finished off the chowder prep, toasted garlic bread and served dinner.  We love having young adults in our home.  Michael does not usually drive me in the winter any longer. This is our 6th winter up here. We both felt better with him driving as we hadn't been out since the big dumping....we saw a couple of accidents and just keep wondering, "WHY?" The roads didn't look bad, but folks were sliding into each other nonetheless. Maybe the woman going 25 mph in front of you is a blessing in disguise - that's what I thought when Alex reported being behind a driver all the way home. 

I started some cinnamon rolls rising early in the day. They did NOT rise as I expected, but everyone was happy to have a quick snack and laze around the living room together for a bit of time anyway this evening. 

Millie likes lazy night in the living room too

Michael and I loved having the time ALONE in the car today. We realized we've not had any time out together (as in a DATE) since Little Buddy moved in with CoRielle. Arielle and the boys were our respite care. GG misses his time with the boys. We just realized we miss our time too. We'll have to work on a solution. 

Loving the wood heat 

Digging Out

 How much snow did we get? The weather service insists it was 12 - 15 inches in our area.  THIS was AFTER the 2 feet of snow that was dumped on Tues/Wed which we had just dug out of...two more storms are forecasted for later this week...one is expected to drop 2 - 5 inches and the other "may be another large storm."  They say it's a "rare occurrence" due to an "atmospheric river" 500 miles wide and 2000 miles long which came over from Hawaii and merged with the storm front...lots of moisture. 

It is enough snow the schools were closed down for the 4th day in a row (this doesn't happen up here), Alaska Waste didn't pick up, Alaska Daily News didn't deliver, McDonald's stayed closed (because many couldn't leave their driveways) and we have no idea if the mail was delivered because our mailbox is 1/2 a mile away and we didn't care to drive or walk today. LOL 

I KNOW Michael was SO relieved to have both boys home today to help with the snow. We have snow shovels and a little plow on our riding lawn mower. It took them 4 hours to clear the driveway and a few walks. 

Our Snow Removal Team 

I think if we are going to continue to live out here, we need to consider finding a used 4 x 4 and attach a plow.   Michael pointed out the areas where he is dumping snow this year and they got to work. 

First, Michael had to retrieve his shovels...and we are properly chastised...though it was funny to watch Michael sink in the snow for once. In family lore, *I* am the one that always sinks to my waist in snow.  It turns out I left a shovel on the deck for easy shoveling (at least for me) and Stacia left one out by the sledding hill she was trying to build before the plague hit her. Unfortunately, it is across the yard....

Hill directly above Mike, handle of shovel to the left right at the 
tree line

Millie was EXCITED to have someone outside to play with. Watching her run in the snow is Hilarious!

She caught up with Michael and tried to break trail. She quickly realized it was better to let Michael break the trail. 

At this point of the day, we could tell we had at least 12 inches of new snow. There is just over 25 inches of snow on our deck railing. 

Allie and Stacia worked on school today. They sound like they have really bad colds and are tired, but they are improving. 

It was the BEST call not to travel today. In fact, many flights are delayed or canceled out of Anchorage today. We may not have even been able to make it. 

Stacia also made cookies so there would be yummies when the guys came in. A new batch of kombucha was ready...this one is pomegranate/apple. I like this much better, but it seems others like more flavor. 

It was the perfect night to make a couple of quiches for dinner. Ye old ham and cheddar and one with asparagus, spinach, tomatoes, ham and mozzarella. Both were good. 

*Note all three plates pictured here are from Japan. I just began using them. I told Stacia this is proof I believe she is actually going to move to Japan. I've begun using the plates because I know I can replace them if need be. LOL 

The girls built a fire and kept it going so the house was toasty. After dinner we all gathered in the living room and watched Encanto.  The boys are sure they'll be at work tomorrow and headed off to bed. The girls watched the snow for a bit and did the same thing. 

Girls' Cars

We have been reticent to post photos of the girls' cars. An online safety thing.... The girls are proud of their new cars, and they are adults or nearly adult in Stacia's case....

We've decided to take the plunge and post photos of their cars. 

Can you make them out? This is Allie's new car. 

This is Stacia's new car. 

Snow Day

Five years. Mom has been "gone" five years. I'm not sure how one is supposed to feel. I've been told it would get "easier and easier," and that isn't quite my reality. It was terribly hard at first, then I seemed to hit a zone, but lately...the reality it's been five long years and I really am not going to have another conversation with Mom is setting in. It's hard. I've learned it's very possible, good even I think, to grieve and experience joy at the same time. 

There is one thing mom loved - SNOW. She told us repeatedly how excited she was to someday move to Alaska with us and get to be in all the snow again...and so it is fitting we have SNOW this December 12th - LOTS OF SNOW!  Today, I'm going to snuggle inside under blankets and enjoy a snow day in her memory...though we all KNOW Mom would not be content to watch it - she'd be out there in the middle of it...sledding, building snowmen and pelting us with snowballs. I sure miss her, still. 

Michael checked how much we had last night, and I can tell you we had 7 new inches at 0800 this morning. I have no idea how much we will get in the end as it has not stopped snowing since last night. 

Before you see the next photos you need to KNOW - YES, we DID shovel after the last storm.  FOOLS. The wisdom of the Japanese becomes apparent on days like this.  The city of Misawa did NOT shovel roads in the winter. We got lots of snow. Their philosophy "It will melt in time." BUT we DID SHOVEL. I had beautiful trails to the chicken coop, the compost, around my car...the driveway was shoveled...we could get ou of all the doors. Not so this a.m.  Millie was not impressed this morning when we could barely get the door open for her. 

This is the tallest we've seen the snow on the railing...because we clear it between storms...this is only our 6th winter but it sure FEELS like a lot of snow. 

 

Winter grilling anyone? 

I shoveled a path to the stairs for Millie. I figured she could just slide down the stairs. She did have the same idea at all. We have been training her to outside off leash and to come back...she didn't want to go anywhere this a.m. 

Hope for spring, summer and fall days....and next summer we'll have 2 new babies for the baby swing. 

The front edge of this railing was cleaned off last night. We've had a good 12 inches in the last 12 hours. 

This was all nicely plowed yesterday. Lovely trails around the cars....

Michael had shoveled paths so I could easily get to the chickens (red bldg on left) and compost (bin between coop and my van).  Maybe I won't compost for a day or two. 

I did have to go out and visit the animals. Dash is such a good sport. I gave him an extra treat or two today...though it IS warmer than it has been. 

About that chicken coop....

The chicken yard. Michael had shoveled a couple of areas for them but alas...snow everywhere once again. 

I turned around and realized I had to get the door open. LOL 

She does not seem suitably impressed with my efforts. 

I entertained them this morning with Karen Carpenter songs. 

For all the trouble, the girls rewarded us with 18 eggs this morning (and 2 more this evening). 

The greenhouse with a new coat of snow....another hopeful sign that this is just ONE of four seasons. 

Winter Garden

 This gardening stuff is HARD. I have been watching Youtube channels which encourage us not to forsake the winter garden. They tell me I can grow boatloads of cold weather crops....funny, their winter gardens sound like what I grow in the summer.  In any event, here are some shots of our winter garden. 

The roof of the hoop house collapsed under the 2 feet of snow from the last onslaught. Michael spent time yesterday shoring it up. 

The snow hasn't covered the beds yet, but it's getting close. I would like to try to grow some garlic next year.  I'm not sure anything else is going to grow under that blanket of snow. 

The greenhouse looks a bit forlorn this time of the year.  

If I want a winter garden, I need to HEAT the greenhouse or plant inside in pots. I may investigate growing some greens and herbs inside...but then again, I like having a break from gardening. 

The snow does make everything seems so quiet and peaceful and beautiful. It's a lovely place to live. 

Unexpected Saturday

 We are enjoying some lazy, sleepy days around here. There is a "bug" going around that seems to being with either mild sniffles or tiredness and aches and then proceeds to high temps. The girls have both been fighting it this week. Michael had a 24 - 48-hour bout with it. I'm taking my hippie pills and drinking my hippie teas and haven't caught anything. GG has been fine too. Nolan spends his days working or working on school, but we think he's fine. Alex was sick as well.  Since there have been fevers and great hacking going on in our home, we are all staying at home so we don't spread the cheer. ::snort:: 

I used the unexpected slow day to try a new scone recipe.  I got this one from Stacy. I compared it to the one I've been using (from my Misawa gals) and they were fairly close. Stacy's used no baking soda or cream of Tartar but more baking powder and twice the egg. It also had vanilla in it. 

The verdict amongst my taste testers is the flavor and texture of Stacy's were great, but they were much flatter than my Misawa Gal scones.  The only difference was the leavening, vanilla and an egg for 2 C or flour vs an egg for 4 C of flour. I think I'm going to try combining...the basic foundation of flour, sugar, butter and sour cream....but use the egg and Vanilla from Stephanies and the combination of soda and powder from mine and see if I can get them to rise higher.  The difference could also be that I patted the dough too thin. LOL  Ah well, I may try another batch tomorrow. 

GG is NOT sick. This presents challenges when the rest of us want to rest and relax. LOL  We eat around here, but we all tend to be of the "when you are hungry you get a meal" - which means we often feel like skipping a meal here or there. GG is of the "eat by the clock" mindset and we try to keep routines going...but it's truly amazing to all of us how much he eats. This is a standard breakfast. 

Yes, it's a slow day & I'm taking pics of GG's bfast

Michael felt well enough to do some chores outside and bring in a new load of wood. We are hearing tales of another winter storm advisory for Sunday Afternoon - Monday Evening. 

We were SAD to miss Colony Christmas AND Jared and Larissa's baby shower today. We had to postpone it to protect the healthy and Larissa and Baby Noah. 

Krista called and had made it from Guam to Seattle to DC.  That was a very long trip...made longer as the gal she was meeting and giving a ride to Lynchburg had a delayed flight. Krista ended up sleeping in her rental car and then the rental agency locked her into the lot so she couldn't leave until early the next a.m. 

The girls, Michael and I made a choice today. The girls are improving but they and I were scheduled to fly to DC on Monday. Their fevers are gone or manageable. They both still look and sound sick. Stacia has a cough (like her grandmother and sister) that could cause riots on a plane. I don't show signs of getting sick, but if I catch this it would be while we are traveling. That wasn't the deciding factor...but adding it all together with the winter storm advisory at the time we are scheduled to fly....and Allie needing to get school done....we opted to cancel the trip. I spent hours unbooking flights, lodging, DC tours. One hotel is causing me trouble, and I plan to cancel my honors plan with them. I've not heard back from one tour but everything else is great. Alaskan Airlines gave us all our miles back and a cash credit to use for travel in the next year. 

The girls (Allie and Stacia not the hens) spent the day resting, reading, working on a Christmas surprise, watching movies....

Winter Mornings

Stacia and I feel bad for poor Dash out in the winter. This IS his third winter, and he is "weathering" it, but these cold days are troublesome. The chicken's at least have a little red bulb to heat the coop a bit. 

He's always happy to see me in the morning, I'm careful to bring him some fresh treats. His water is always frozen - we need to get something fixed up to make this easier. He has a little log we've tried to insulate for him, he loves to snuggle into the log and watch the goings on in the chicken yard. I will admit he doesn't look particularly happy in this shot. More like "C'mon let's move to Hawaii!"

This batch of hens are much heartier than our previous batch. The others spent most the winter inside the coop. These have been enjoying the roofed area outside their door. BUT with a lot of snow and then cold temps...they are reluctant to venture outside. I bring them scraps every morning and a few of them will come out for the treats regardless of the weather. 

First out the door every morning

We are surprised they have not cut down on laying. This IS their first winter, they're young. I think we'll add a few young hens every year, so we don't end up with another year like last where we had no eggs all winter and spring. LOL  We get  1 1/2 - 2 doz eggs a day. 

Yes, I KNOW young hens lay more eggs. I DO think singing "sunshine songs" with me every morning encourages them and gives them hope that winter can't possibly last forever.  I start singing to Dash and can instantly hear them jumping from the roost and rushing for the door.... then, they begin to "sing" with me. It's great fun - helps me brave the temps to change water, gather eggs and feed animals. LOL Many stopped singing when they saw the light on the camera...but here's a taste of our fun. 

Michael has been caring for a mama and a late hatching chick in the garage. He tried to integrate them with the flock, and it didn't go well. We aren't quite sure what our next step is. Unfortunately, I believe this chick tried to crow at me a couple of mornings ago. We aren't 100% sure, but we may have a rooster. This complicates life. We don't need another rooster. There is sure to be murder and mayhem if we add another rooster to the coop in the middle of winter.