2010?!?!

Yes, I'm back in the blogosphere. I know you've missed us! In the past few months, we've moved into our new home, I've walked away from grad school, we enjoyed the holidays, and we're gradually getting into the groove of "big city" life again. All in all, life is much more peaceful than it's been in a while, and I'm thankful.

All gussied up for an anniversary dinner while spending a few days in Girdwood at Hidden Creek B&B. Our first getaway in 4 years; thank you, Granny and Grandaddy!

Cross country skiing in the meadows of Girdwood during the same getaway. Amazing snow! Fabulous company!

The view from our dining room window:

Speaking of great views, this is the view from Papa's office window.

So many uses for a Tonka truck!

Squirt Boy is an aspiring photographer, specializing in self-portraiture.

After a fun-filled afternoon of sledding with the Nobles.

Fuzzy Butt brings new meaning to the term "sled dog". Yes, she stayed in all the way down!

Squirt Boy ready to tackle the sledding hill in our big kicksled (with an adult driver). The boys got a kid-sized one in the mail just the other day; thanks, Grandma and Grandpa! Gus crawled up into it while Papa was putting it together, ready for a ride, and Squirt Boy can kick with the best of them.

"The better to see you with, my dear!"

Here's wishing you all the blessings of a fabulous new year, and I look forward to keeping in better touch.

Oh Dear!

Has it been a month already?

Sorry! I'll catch up soon.

The big news? We get the keys to our new house today!! Wahoo!! Will post pictures later...

The dust settles...

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks.

The house is finished! We finished touch up painting on Thursday afternoon, and drove to the Big City that night. Papa took extensive video and photographs, if you're interested. Too many to post here.

The house has sold! More accurately, it is 'pending'. In our little town, real estate transactions take an AVERAGE of sixty days to go from offer to closing. That said, we are still delighted that our little house in the big woods had an accepted offer within two weeks of being on the market.

We have moved! Really, we are still moving....staying at Granny and Grandaddy's for a few days, housesitting for friends for a month, trying to decide where to rent/buy/live while waiting for our little house to close, getting our Costco membership, reconnecting with old friends. Squirt Boy and Gus-gus have played at a couple of different parks and are enjoying some lovely time outside with Granny's new black lab puppy. Fuzzy Butt is learning to love the little guy, too.

Papa started his new job yesterday! He likes it so far. What's not to love? Hiking in the Chugach mountains, riding helicopters across Kachemak Bay, tootling around in a boat in Prince William Sound...sounds fun, no? And it's not a dream vacation in Alaska, but Papa's every day job now, along with schlepping unknown pounds of equipment up and down mountains to install, repair and maintain weather stations all around the state. A bear ripped open the one he repaired today. Hence, the need for repairs. Did I mention his cubicle overlooks Cook Inlet, with a stunning view of Mt. Susitna and Denali (Mt. McKinley, for you non-Alaskans), when the weather is right? We are super excited for him.

All that said, it was hard for me to leave Delta - our friends, our house, the Drive In. I very much enjoyed the slower pace of life there, and miss it tremendously.

We ran into someone you may know at our last supper at the Drive In.

And finally, this might be the REAL reason we left Delta, after all.

Please come see us in the Big City anytime.

Spring is finally here...

On May 5, a tinge of lime green graced our aspen trees outside the window by our bed. The leaves have popped! A rash of 70 and 80 degree temps hastened the snow's departure, and our avian harbingers of summer are flying through in droves. Yesterday, I watched around 300 sand hill cranes circle in the thermals above our house on their way north. The cranes, along with trumpeter swans, canada geese and the distinctive Turdus migratorius (Just for you, Dad.)let us know that summer in Alaska is just about here. Seven months of winter is a long time.

We are busy. Who isn't, when the sun shines in excess of 18 hours a day? School has finished. (Do a little dance with me!) Our house is almost finished. The grass and my rhubarb are growing. Squirt and Gus are as cute as always, and busier than ever. We are moving.

Oh?! You didn't know? Yes, just as our little house in the big woods is finished and the glorious Interior summer is upon us, we are moving back to the Big City. In 3 weeks.

Papa has taken a new job as a snow hydrologist. He will have a grand time in the far reaches of Alaska, installing and maintaining weather equipment in the summers, riding on ATVs, snowmachines, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft year round to monitor snow levels and analyze data that is useful for flood forecasting, how full reservoirs will be for hydroelectric purposes, and the like. If you know Papa, you know this is his dream job, and we really believe God has orchestrated this job change for him.

It will be good to be closer to good friends and family (Granny and Grandaddy live in the Big City). I will enjoy eating at many, many yummy venues. Target is there now.

That said, looking at leaving our life in small town Alaska is bittersweet. I love our friends here, the slower pace of life, our little house and the big woods that Fuzzy frolics in, the Drive In, knowing who's at an event just by the cars in the lot. I'm thankful to have tasted life in a small town. I will miss it.

Wanna buy a little house in 3.5 acres of woods?

The House

This weekend, Papa installed most of the remaining base cabinets in the kitchen. I really like them. Want to see them? Head to your neighborhood Lowe's and look at the in-stock hickory cabinets. They really are lovely.

Our flooring, however, is a sadder story. We went on our merry way to Fairbanks last weekend to buy cabinets, the rest of the flooring, and other sundries. We only need six more boxes of the Heirloom Hickory by Swiftlock. Wouldn't you know, Lowe's no longer has that ONE color. Anywhere in Alaska. (There are 5 Lowe's stores in our great state.) And things aren't looking so good for anywhere else, either.

Ah. But, the kitchen flooring aside, we have trim waiting to be painted and nailed to the wall, a couple of crawl space doors to create, some wiring and a little painting here and there, and the top two floors of our house will be FINISHED. Wahoo!!

Papa really has crafted amazing things from what was once a grove of poplar trees.

And so it begins.

September 28, 2008 (It's not autumn anymore, no matter what the calendar says!)

Winter fun

Squirt Boy has enjoyed a little kicksledding, stomping through the snow in new snow boots, creating snow bunnies with Papa, and drinking hot cocoa when he comes inside.

When Squirt Boy has cold hands, he runs up to me and asks, "Button?" Meaning my belly button. Meaning he really wants to warm his hands up on my belly. Do I let him? Of course. Does he let me? Not on your life!!

Fuzzy likes the snow, and Peanut slept through much of the excitement. He's not quite sure what to think of the cold little prickles when he's carried outside.

In house news, we now have a working toilet on the MAIN floor! Thank you, Papa! No more running up or downstairs, hoping that everyone will be okay for the few seconds it takes. And to think a year ago, we didn't have ANY functioning toilets and were using a honey bucket. We've come SO far!!

Recent Visitors

We've had many visitors this summer, including a grizzly bear in our trash on a couple of occasions. Sadly, I have no photos of the bear.

In August, Aunt Angie and Uncle Ralph came to visit. They had a grand time driving around Alaska and learning more about where we live.


Rome wasn't built in a day, but our new woodshed was. Thank you, Ralph!


Over Labor Day, our friends the Petersons made the trek from Anchorage to play with us. The girls were delightful company, for us and for the boys. We loved just hanging out with old friends.

The following weekend, Aunt Jessica, Granny and Grandaddy came to see us. Grandaddy made a great start towards filling up the woodshed.

The leaves have almost entirely blown off the trees, and we are holing up for winter. It usually snows here right around October 1, and stays until the end of April. If you end up missing winter where you live, please come see us.

Stay tuned for future photos of home improvements, when my camera battery gets recharged...

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Look at our beautiful deck and railing:

See the lovely green siding. Three sides of the house are completely finished. The front is about a third of the way done, and the next time you see the front door, it will be RED.

My lovely Mother’s Day gift from my boys, purchased at our local greenhouse. I will never buy a basket from a box store again.

Squirt Boy’s new sandbox. (Thank you, Grandaddy!) And his new Tonka dumptruck. (Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!)

We have also planted lilacs, potentilla (cinquefoil), raspberries, rhubarb and strawberries. Let the landscaping begin!

Dreams of Spring

Last week, we had temps over several days in the 40s with sunshine and (major) wind. I almost thought spring was here, as the frozen brown yard emerged from its winter blanket. Then, all hope was dashed when we had more snow and colder temps. So, maybe NEXT month....

In the meantime, Mama's belly continues to grow and grow. Peanut seems to wiggle and move and do all the appropriate preborn things, and Squirt Boy MIGHT have a clue that there is a baby in there. He zerbers my belly and pats "the baby" and giggles when Peanut moves underneath his hands.

Squirt Boy continues to delight and amaze us. His vocabulary is growing; in addition to his signs, we're hearing dog, ball, NO!, Mama, Papa and "ma" for moth. (I hope those beasties aren't eating what little yarn they can get to.) We often hear "goo ga" for good girl (Fuzzy's sometimes misappropriate name). He says "nee" for his knee, and can point out most of his body parts (and ours, too). He tries joyfully jumping, and doesn't get off the ground....yet.

He LOVES being Papa's helper and has learned to use a screwdriver properly. Here you can see the boys repairing our new pantry. We picked up this slightly battered, but very serviceable, locker at our local transfer station. It is now repaired, with shelves and paint, and is handsomely holding groceries in our kitchen.

Squirt Boy adores being outside. We enjoy walks every evening when Papa gets home, and he runs everywhere, tromps through whatever "new" snow he can find, finds and throws sticks for Fuzzy, and hates to come inside. Two little words do help on occasion: "Hot Cocoa?"

Papa has faithfully painted several rooms so far. The kitchen is now "Tide Pools", a soft blue-green. The main living area and walls going upstairs glow with "Warm Welcome", a medium, sunny yellow. The wall behind the woodstove boasts "Tomato Bisque", a lovely red to off-set the large yellow wall behind it. The upstairs loft will sport "Avocado Essence", a nice sage green. We are all about color at our house. The only white walls you will see are those that aren't painted yet. We have plans for orange in the main floor bath, a dark turquoise in the upstairs bath, and a rusty coral color in the master bath.

In other house news: we'll soon have a banister and railing for the stairs. We'll have lovely pine tongue and groove paneling on the vaulted ceiling. The upstairs bath will be finished shortly. We'll have doors in more strategic locations, so we'll be able to disassemble a portion of the baby gate maze. We're looking at flooring and carpet choices for the upper two levels. We're figuring out what type of trim to put around the windows. So many choices, but we continue to have fun with it.....most of the time.

As we get closer to spring, I find myself dreaming of putting in a garden and making use of the compost heap we started in the yard last year. I've found a great book by Mel Bartholomew called The Square Foot Gardener. I'm VERY excited about planting a low-maintenance, absolutely delicious garden this summer! Snap peas, miniature cantaloupes (the size of a softball), lettuce, spinach, basil, grape tomatoes, summer squash, sugar pumpkins, green beans, carrots...the possibilities are amazing! We could plant broccoli and cabbages, but a local farmer grows beautiful ones, and sells them at his U-Pick for 50 cents a pound. That's a bargain to me!

We also want to put in strawberry and raspberry plants, along with a lilac bush or two. It will be fun to focus on the outside of the house for the summer.

Yes, I've still been knitting. Some stealth projects for babies and birthdays that are coming up. I finished my socks. They are pretty. A little slouchy. I knit VERY loosely, apparently, and need to go down a couple of needle sizes. The foot fits nicely, though.

I also knitted a pair of longies for Peanut in a pretty blue-green yarn I had lying around. (Longies are pants and a cloth diaper cover all in one, for the uninitiated.) I hope to embroider some bugs or frogs or flowers on the rear, once we all meet Peanut.

There is much to be done in the next five weeks before Peanut (and Auntie Chele's) arrival! Feel free to come lend a hand anytime. Make your reservations now for all of your summer visits, too! We'd loved to show you around.

A Doorknob Away....

Our bathroom is a doorknob, a little putty and some touch up paint away from being COMPLETELY finished. Wahoo! Yippee! For those who have visited us when we didn’t have indoor plumbing, you’ll have to come back and admire Papa’s handiwork.

The house is slated to be sheet rocked sometime in January; after that, we’ll have a painting party. (Squirt Boy and I will run away during the “fun” of sheet rocking….perhaps to a large Alaskan city near you?) Feel free to come and fling some paint around. We’d love the help.

Winter has arrived.

Holy Cow! I haven't posted for a month and a half. This is Squirt Boy, about a month ago, when we still had leaves. Notice the pretty yellow hue to them?

In the last six weeks, we watched fall disappear, and now snow blankets everything. Just a few inches, but it will be here until April. Stray flakes are drifting down onto the windshield in their perfect crystalline symmetry as I type this. I don't mind the snow or the cold, now that I finally excavated my warm winter gear from storage.

Squirt Boy has yet to play in the snow. I'm still looking for his boots I bought him at the end of last season.... He lunges for it everytime we are outside. He's fascinated by the cold white stuff.

Our house is warm and toasty. We are fully insulated with a fabulously working boiler and a wood stove that cranks out the heat (and ambiance) on a cold night. We have one set of new stairs, and the bathroom is within two weeks of completion. Have I told you lately how excited I am to go potty INSIDE? :)

With the cold, knitting has recommenced. I have finished knitting my felted clogs. I need to sew and felt them. I have also started the baby Aran sweater for Squirt Boy that I got hijacked from last spring. I must. knit. faster. He's growing, and I'm making the biggest size! That, along with an impossibly long holiday knitting list, make me anxious to knit more and organize our home less. So my priorities aren't quite right.

There is also knitting to be added for a certain little Fisher that will be coming in April. Yes, Squirt Boy gets to be a big brother. Wahoo!

In the past six weeks, we've had several visits from family which have been fun. Granny and Grandaddy were here last weekend. Thank you both for all of your house help! Auntie Chele and Larue were here in September. We gave them a cold, but we had a grand time gold panning and enjoying the Alaska fall.

Now that we are reconnected to the internet at home, look forward to more frequent posts and more pictures!

And the skies danced...

Two nights ago, Squirt Boy's persistent molars woke him in the wee hours. It was actually dark, and after comforting him, I really needed to visit the bushes outside. I didn't want to go by myself, though. A number of grizzly and black bears have been seen repeatedly in our neighborhood over the last week or so, and I didn't feel like meeting one in our woods. Graciously, Papa answered my, "Will you PLEASE come with me?" plea, and it was more than worth it. Not only for personal relief, but because the sky was DANCING!

A shaft of moonlight pierced the darkness, casting shadows across our yard. As I looked up, what I first thought was moonlight took on a bright green hue, and started wiggling and dancing across the sky in beautiful curtains of light. We watched the waves arc across the night sky, and lingered several minutes to watch them wax and wane in intensity. I really do think God made the Northern Lights for those of us who must endure our seven month winter. What a treat!

Squirt Boy is officially on his way to a dancing career, as well. He took his first two steps yesterday afternoon at the Drive In, while lurching after my soda. (No, he didn't get any soda. Yes, he got a big whoop and hug and kiss.)

Some other things he's enjoyed lately:

Berry picking in an alpine meadow. Blueberries, this time. Yes, he picked and ate all he wanted. I'm looking forward to when he can start filling a bucket!


Walking Fuzzy. Notice his intense concentration. "Poodle on!"

Playing in the one mud puddle in our yard last night. He had a grand time finding soggy leaves in the puddle and waving them around. Though we have some fallen leaves (yes, it's fall here, regardless of the calendar), most of those you see are from felled trees for our soon-to-be-completed circular drive. Wahoo!

We'll be moving into the basement this weekend, and getting phone service next week. (A minor miracle here.)

Grandaddy is coming up this weekend to help work on insulation, the deck and the driveway, as well as to pull the tent trailer home again. Thanks so much, Granny and Grandaddy, for letting us borrow it!

House Progress

Today, you will have to use your imagination as you envision our cute little house in the woods. Much has been happening "behind the scenes"; pictures will be posted eventually!

We have lush, green grass growing in the back edge of our yard. Papa's experiment is growing beautifully! We are looking forward to extending that little patch NEXT summer.

In other landscaping news, Papa has encircled our septic pipes with rocks, creating some lovely flower beds into which we will transplant fireweed and wild iris. Building on a glacial moraine provides a plethora of rocks from which to choose.

Wiring continues in the house. The entire upper level is DONE: phone cable, thermostats, switches, outlets, ventilation, smoke detectors and light fixtures. Have I mentioned this takes FOREVER??? (Papa thinks so, too!)

I left my fabulous new washer and dryer spinning happily when I left. Papa installed those a couple of weekends ago. It's WONDERFUL to be able to wash the mud and berry juice out of our clothes, and not have to cart them too far. (Just from the tent trailer to the house, at this point.)

Two of the three bathrooms are insulated. I helped cut and stuff insulation. I was cutting on the front porch, in black Carhartts, in 85+ degree weather. Tiny fiberglas particles clung to the sweat on my exposed skin. (Note to builders: DON'T wear short sleeves when doing fiberglas....unless you have really hairy arms to deflect it all.) I can't say I'm too excited about further insulating, BUT will be VERY thankful when the temperature plummets below zero to have it all in the walls.

The bathtub is in position to be installed in the basement. I'm currently pondering paint colors for that room.

We have decided to use cypress green vinyl siding on the house, with the blue roof and a barn red door with white trim. We are also hoping to finish the deck in the next couple of months, with cable railing and more Trex for the stairs and top rails.

We are creating a circular drive, since we've realized that driving around the house (like we do now) won't work so well when trees and glass are planted. We marked trees in the woods last night, and Squirt Boy and Papa clipped the small ones down with pruning shears.

We are looking forward to moving into the basement in the next couple of weeks. We'll keep you posted.

The Update

The House

We’ve MOVED to (but not quite into) our new place! We are living in Granny and Grandaddy’s pop-up camper while we finish a bathroom in order to move in. We are enjoying dining on the deck in the evenings.


Papa worked hard to provide us a working kitchen this weekend, and hopes to have the REAL stove functional by the end of the week. Have I told you today how wonderful he is?


Look! Running HOT water!



The Visits!

We’ve been blessed with visits from family and friends the past few weeks.

Auntie Paula, Uncle Lee and The Cousins were here for a week in June (along with Granny and Grandaddy).

Blue Lantern finally met Squirt Boy, his one and only cousin so far, and gave Squirt Boy his first underdog.

Super Climber taught Squirt Boy how to climb the stairs. He was fascinated by her walking abilities, too.

Wonder Woman greatly enjoyed the hammock in the yard with her brother, mothering the dogs, coloring pictures and going on walks.

The older kiddos braved frigid Alaska waters and swam in Birch Lake with Grandaddy. They also had a super time playing with our friends Isaac and Abigail, and we of course ate at the Drive In. (More than once. Wahoo!)

Aunt Jessica visited the following week. She also experienced fine Drive In cuisine. She and Squirt Boy had a grand time!

Last weekend, Jim and Nancy from Connecticut stopped by while driving from Prudhoe Bay with Nancy’s brother, who just completed some work up there. Sadly, they didn’t see any critters on the way down, but we are glad they stopped by to see us!


Other Random Things

Thought you might enjoy seeing Fuzzy with her namesake. (I know you’re shocked to learn Fuzzy Butt is not her real name.) The irises grow wild all over town; they’re beautiful!


Miracles DO happen! My beautiful tomato plant drowned in an afternoon thunderstorm several weeks ago. I poured water out of the pot, and sadly watched the perky green leaves shrivel, blacken and fall off. Not being one to bury my dead quickly, the pot sat on the porch with my other plants (which fared a bit better, but not much).

We drove into the yard one evening about a week ago, and I yelled, “Stop the car!” I ran up the stairs, and saw this. I guess it’s not REALLY dead…..yet!


I also promised a picture of Aunt Jessica’s bag. She liked it.


We celebrated the 4th at our town’s little shindig. Papa threw an axe for fun. Squirt Boy waved a flag. (Notice how the flag matches his groovy shorts.) We ate DELICIOUS homemade ice cream. We moved over to our new place. It was sunny and beautiful. No, we didn’t see any fireworks. They don’t do them here until February. It’s not dark enough at night in July.

The following weekend, we went camping with the Ruse and Whitson families at Tangle Lakes. It rained, but we ate S’Mores and enjoyed great company all the same. On the way home, we explored some new territory for future camping excursions.

After camping, Squirt Boy went to a “Look Who’s Turning One!” party along with four other little ones who have birthdays this summer. We had glorious weather and a great time watching all the babies play and eat together.

He especially enjoyed the sandbox. We now have five bags of sand waiting for a new home.