tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45101579798982948462024-03-05T13:51:47.819-09:00Life on the Last FrontierA meandering blog with no clear topic. You will find me talking about knitting, building, kids, social and economic issues, Alaska, and lots of other stuff.AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-63595104070258143572011-09-14T21:44:00.001-08:002011-09-14T21:44:04.965-08:00VocabularyWe have lived in Alaska for more than 7 years now. But something you notice almost as soon as you get here, is that Alaskans have their own vocabulary.<br />Some of these unique words come from Native Alaskan words, such as cheechako, which is anyone new to Alaska, who hasn't overwintered here.<br />Others are just reflective of the unique experience of being an Alaskan, such as sourdough, anyone who has lived in Alaska for a long time.<br /><br />Termination dust is an obvious example. Termination dust is the first snowfall of the year that is visible on the mountaintops in the morning. It doesn't have to last all day without melting to qualify. It just has to be new snow. I have lived in other mountainous states, namely Utah and Colorado. Neither of those states had a name for that first snowfall. But Alaska does. <br /><br />Then there are the ways that Alaskans talk about other places. Anyplace not Alaska is "Outside". When people here talk about going Outside, they don't mean they are going for a walk. It means they are leaving the state, headed anywhere else. Never mind that Alaska is somewhat off the beaten track, so it would maybe make more sense the other way around. The other thing people say a lot is when they are referring to the rest of the country. We don't say "the contiguous 48 states" or mainland USA. No, you all are relegated to the "lower 48". And we don't even capitalize it, because Alaskans just don't think they're important, unless they need to go shopping :). And we don't know what to call Hawaii, except perhaps our favorite winter vacation spot.<br /><br />I think most of this is because most Alaskans, in which category I include myself, although I have not yet reached the revered title of "sourdough", are proud of this state and the life they have carved out here. I have lived in several other states, and it really is different here. And I love everything about it.<br /><br />Well, except it does get a little chilly in the winter. But I've survived it, and earned the right to complain about it.<br /><br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-74136786495199856732011-06-11T22:10:00.001-08:002011-06-11T22:10:17.637-08:00Long range planning<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/06/11/4771.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/06/11/s_4771.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />This is a cherry tree, that we just planted. We planted two apple trees also. I am not a tree expert, but it is my understanding that the fruit trees are grafted onto hardier roots than the fruit trees normally have, so that they can survive through Alaska's winters. <br /><br />Planting fruit trees is an interesting experience. All the work goes in up front, for a payoff that is at least two years down the road. But what a payoff it will be, to have fresh apples in the fall.<br /><br />This is something that we could not have done a week ago, because moose adore tender young trees. But we have a fence now, and we are hoping we can keep the moose out.<br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-67601458022642094802011-06-10T22:16:00.001-08:002011-06-10T22:16:32.517-08:00The garden fence<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/06/10/4746.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/06/10/s_4746.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />James and Ryan have been working on a project for the last week or so... A fence around the garden. The perimeter is 50' x 100'. About 2/3 of the area inside is tilled and planted. <br />They put fence posts 10 feet apart around the whole area, then strung 5' tall wire mesh around it. They then strung a strand of barbed wire a foot higher than that. There is room on the fence posts for two more strands of barbed wire, which would give us an 8' fence. <br />It might seem like a lot of fence for a garden, but we live in Alaska. Alaska has lots of moose and the moose's favorite summertime recreational activity is to wander through gardens.<br />One moose can do a lot of damage to a garden. They eat just about everything you would grow in a garden, except potatoes. They seem to have a particular love for broccoli. And what they don't eat, they walk on. And they have big, heavy feet.<br />Last summer, the moose ate 75 strawberry plants, all of my broccoli, peas, lettuce, the tops of the raspberry canes, etc. It is incredibly frustrating to walk out to the garden in the morning and see the devastation one or two moose will make overnight. Hopefully we won't have that problem anymore.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/06/10/4747.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/06/10/s_4747.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /> <br /><br /><br /> Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-52183045732068994782011-06-06T21:50:00.001-08:002011-06-06T21:50:31.825-08:00I'm back, and we're buildingIt's been awhile, and the only excuse I have is the one I always use, that work has been crazy. But it seems like things might be slowing down some, so I am going to try to start blogging again.<br />There is lots going on this summer, but I am not going to try to put it all out there at once. <br />The biggest project is the house. We are putting on an addition with a basement and main floor. The main floor of the addition is at the same height as the landing of our stairs, and it is accessed from that landing. On that level will be two bedrooms and a bathroom. The smaller bedroom will be Becky's and the boys will share the bigger one. The basement of the addition has a concrete floor and walls. It will hold a large pantry, a studio for James, and a sitting area that will double as sleeping space for any guests.<br />The basement floor and exterior walls were poured last fall. So far this spring, the framing has been done, and the roof sheeted. The roof doesn't have tar paper or shingles yet, but it will soon. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/06/06/5293.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/06/06/s_5293.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /> <br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-88070598960367436442011-01-09T22:35:00.001-09:002011-01-09T22:35:51.071-09:00It all started with one lightbulb<br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/11/01/09/4936.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/11/01/09/s_4936.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />My husband does oil paintings. He's very good, I think. One of the drawbacks, though, is that to paint, he requires good, consistent light. For the past almost 3 years, we have lived without electricity, which makes obtaining the light he needs difficult. We do have a generator, however. So he recently went out and bought a compact fluorescent bulb for a lamp we have had sitting around unused for the last 3 years. I came home from work that day to find the generator running, my husband happily painting, and this amazingly bright light in our bedroom.<br /><br />Since we moved into this house, we have lived without electricity, because MEA wants $30,000 to hook us up. That's a lot to pay for the privilege of paying them every month for the rest of our lives. Plus, we don't exactly have $30,000 sitting around collecting dust.<br /><br />We have made do with a propane lantern, and some battery powered LED lights that can sit on tables, counters, etc., and provide a minimally useful amount of light. <br /><br />But coming home to this huge amount of light in my house made us start a new conversation. When we built the house, we wired it for electricity, assuming that one day, we would have some. We just had not put in light fixtures or outlets, because we didn't think it would happen very soon. So we started talking about maybe getting some outlets, switches, and light fixtures, and a pigtail to connect the house to the generator. It didn't take much talking. We now have light in our house, and thanks to compact fluorescents that don't use much power, we can have light in our entire house if we need it, without stressing out the generator, at least for a few hours a day while the generator is running.<br /><br />This is a huge improvement. It has turned cooking and eating dinner into a completely different experience. I can knit in the evenings without a headlamp. Plus, we can charge the cell phones, the kids' nintendos, etc. We really love it.<br /><br />BUT. There is always a but, isn't there? In some ways, it feels a little like defeat. Like we compromised for convenience. It is also important to us to try to live in a way that is as friendly to the climate as possible. The generator runs on gasoline. A lot of gasoline. And I am guessing it does not run particularly cleanly. And it is noisy.<br /><br />We are making plans for solar panels, maybe a windmill, and batteries, and only using the generator for backup. But that is a long ways down the road, after the addition is done. We will have the generator for a while. Two steps forward, one step back.<br /><br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-65107589060121127562011-01-01T22:40:00.001-09:002011-01-01T23:03:11.091-09:00New Years ResolutionsIt's that time of year, New Years. Everyone and their dog makes resolutions about how they are going to change their lives over the next year, and I am no exception. But I always make a bunch of resolutions, and then forget about them. So I have a different plan this year.<br />They say that if you can repeat something for 30 days, it becomes a habit, something that becomes something you can do without thinking about it. So I think this year, I am going to pick 12 things I want to work on, and focus on each one for a month. At the end of the year, if my theory works, I will have made 12 changes in my life, while only having to think about one at a time. Here is my list, in no particular order:<br /><br />1. Write in my blog more often, at least once a week. There are a lot of issues that are important to me, that I want to talk about, but I have been ignoring everything because I work such long hours.<br /><br />2. Quit drinking diet pepsi. I figure I can wean off it in the first two weeks, giving me the second two weeks to get used to it. I had a bone density scan done a few weeks ago, and while I don't have osteoporosis, I do have lower bone density than 84% of women my age. The phosphoric acid and carbonation in pop leaches calcium from bones.<br /><br />3. Make healthier food choices. I think this one is pretty self explanatory. <br /><br />4. Exercise regularly, including strength training. Again, I shouldn't need to explain this one.<br /><br />5. Use reusable shopping bags instead of plastic. We use and throw away way too much plastic, and this is one big thing I can do to reduce my use of plastic.<br /><br />6. Get back in the habit of regular scripture study and prayer. Go to church every week.<br /><br />7. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We have put a lot of effort into using less, but have lost a lot of ground lately, mostly because we are so busy.<br /><br />8. Finish two knitting projects that have been sitting around for months, a sweater for my younger daughter, and an afghan.<br /><br />9. Get more organized and streamlined at work. Right now, I have cases that are months old, and it is causing problems. I need to get them closed. <br /><br />10. Get in the habit of taking vitamins, calcium, etc.<br /><br />11. Spend more time doing fun things with my kids.<br /><br />12. Quit using bad language. <br /><br />By the end of the year, I hope to have made a lot of progress. I will tackle #3 first, and I will go more into detail in another post.<br /><br />Happy New Year!<br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br /><br /><br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-48727673313835557642010-11-14T20:50:00.001-09:002010-11-14T20:50:47.766-09:00Peak Chocolate: The End Of The World As We Know Ithttp://news.discovery.com/earth/chocolate-supply-threatened-by-cocoa-crisis.html<br /><br />This article, and several others like it, are saying that due to poor agricultural practices and drought, likely caused by global warming, are leading to a significant decline in chocolate production. This will make chocolate increasingly scarce and expensive.<br />When I first read about this, I thought, yeah right. This has got to be a prank. But it has been a news item on several credible websites, including msnbc and discovery. <br />As bad as not being able to buy chocolate seems, we can live without it. But the same thing has been happening with many other things we need. In general, food production is in danger due to the same issues facing chocolate. <br />This is a problem that will only get worse unless we learn to interact with the world around us in a whole different way.<br /><br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-18480635998000400442010-10-05T22:16:00.001-08:002010-10-05T22:16:25.750-08:00Uh OhSo, there are several current event type blogs and websites I look at on pretty much a daily basis. Some environmental ones, such as grist, some natural resources ones, such as energy bulletin and the oil drum, some economic, such as the automatic earth.<br />Well, I was reading the automatic earth today, and today's post really alarmed me, so I feel a need to pass the word. <br />Please, please read today's (Tuesday's) post over at www.theautomaticearth.blogspot.com. <br />The first part is just them attracting notice to their speaking tours and cd. The second part includes several graphs that seem to indicate the direction this "recovery" is taking. Short answer- it's not up, and it's not good. But it is sort of what I've been suspecting. I am very afraid that things are going to get very bad, economically speaking.<br />I've also noticed that the stock markets are getting increasingly volatile recently, which I think means even Wall Street is getting jittery.<br /><br />Here is a link to that specific post:<br />http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/2010/10/october-5-2010-800-pound-gorilla-on.html<br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-47394408280545271302010-10-02T20:28:00.001-08:002010-10-02T20:28:02.612-08:00North Slope oil declinesBack in July 2007, I looked at the production declines in North Slope oil. At that time, it appeared that production was declining at about 9% per year. Oil production for fiscal year 2007, which ended on June 30, 2007, averaged about 738,000 barrels per day. If oil continued to decline at about 9%, then in fiscal year 2010, which ended on June 30, 2010, oil production would be about 556,000 barrels per day. The most recent figure available on the state website today was for the month of May. In May, there was 19.2 million barrels produced, which is about 619,000 barrels per day. That isn't an average for the fiscal year, so it isn't an exact comparison, but I think it works for an estimate. So it may be that oil production is only declining at a hair over 6% per year, which gives us about 3 or 4 extra years to figure out what to do when there isn't enough pressure to keep the pipeline going.<br />The good news is that local politicians are starting to talk about it. I am pretty fed up with politicians of all stripes, but they are the only ones that can make the necessary plans on a statewide level. I don't know if an extra 3 or 4 years is enough time, but we will see. This is crucially important, since 89% of the state's revenue comes from oil royalties.<br />The bad news is that it doesn't seem to be on very many people's radar yet. How can people prepare for changes if they don't know the changes are coming? <br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-12033974045649158532010-09-20T21:47:00.001-08:002010-09-20T21:47:12.088-08:00New crop<br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/09/20/3087.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/09/20/s_3087.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />This is part of our potato crop this year, that we harvested this weekend. I don't think we got quite as much as last year, because it's been a very wet, cloudy, cool summer. But it's a respectable harvest, nonetheless. <br /><br />Last year, we harvested enough potatoes that we saved 10 pounds for seed for this year, and still had enough potatoes that we didn't buy any potatoes between last August and this June. Almost a year's worth. We also had good strawberry and raspberry harvests, and I made strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, and strawberry raspberry jam this summer, all with fruit from our garden.<br /><br />This is important to us, as we are working towards greater self sufficiency. There are several reasons for this, but the most important one is because we feel we have to. As I have said before on this blog, we are at the very end of a very long supply line, way up here in the far north. If that supply line were to be disrupted for any reason, us Alaskans would run out of food very quickly. And I don't think that possibility is so very farfetched as people would like to believe. <br />It could happen because of an earthquake, or tsunami. It could happen because the economy tanks, or the price of fuel gets so high that it costs too much to send all the barges up here that we are accustomed to. It could happen when the pipeline shuts down and 89% of the state's revenue disappears.<br /><br />Better safe than sorry, right? So we grow a garden, and plan for more... More square footage in the garden, more types of vegetables planted, fruit trees, chickens, rabbits, eventually. Maybe a cow, or a goat, later on. Pigs, for sure. Potatoes are a good start.<br /><br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-14018154587344809872010-08-02T00:16:00.001-08:002010-08-02T00:16:29.191-08:00SalmonSo, James and Ryan went dipnetting yesterday. They brought home 48 salmon. A few we filleted, but most of them get canned:<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/08/02/120.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/08/02/s_120.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br />That is the first couple batches, 34 pint jars of fish. There are another 24 jars in the canners as I type. Plus, about 15 more fish are temporarily stored in the freezer at a friend's house. <br /><br />The job of gutting and cutting the heads off the fish was done by the boys. Then I took over. The fish got chopped into jar-sized lengths, soaked in brine for an hour, put in jars, then put in the canners. The canners take time to build up the necessary 10 lbs of pressure, then that pressure has to be maintained for an hour and 40 minutes. Then the stove gets turned off, and everything just sits until the pressure drops back down. Then the canners can be opened, the jars removed, and the next batch goes in.<br /><br />Sounds simple, and it isn't terribly complicated, but it's a lot of work. Each batch takes about 5 hours, start to finish. While the canners are going, they have to be closely monitored to keep the pressure even. It's a lot of standing, a lot of slimy, nasty work. And the whole house smells like fish for days afterwards. A lot of propane to run the stove for hours at a time.<br /><br />But, oh, it is so worth it! For lunch today, we opened a jar and made salmon sandwiches, with onions from my garden, and relish I made last summer. It beats tuna fish without even trying.<br /><br />And even though I know we had to buy the jars and lids, and the propane to run the stove, and the gas to get to the river, it makes me feel a little bit more self-sufficient to do this.<br /><br />We could have got even more fish. The limit for a family of 6 is 75 fish, and we only caught 48, just because James felt like that was plenty for now. Now that we have a system down, we may get our limit next year. We may try smoking them next year too.<br /><br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-75910549811703711332010-06-14T21:13:00.001-08:002010-06-14T21:13:48.461-08:00Dying YarnSo, the other day I took a class in which I learned how to hand paint yarn. I made two skiens of sock yarn:<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/06/14/2442.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/06/14/s_2442.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />I think they both turned out pretty. It was easy, and took about 2 hours. What did I use for dye? Wilton cake decorating coloring. The yarn was mordanted in a mixture of vinegar and water. So, unlike most dyes, there were no toxic chemicals. Definitely a plus.<br /><br />This was a fun, easy experiment, and now that I know how, I could do it anytime on my own. And I'm sure I will. <br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-52838407563552375422010-05-28T21:31:00.001-08:002010-05-28T21:31:57.371-08:00My garden<br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/05/28/2288.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/05/28/s_2288.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />We moved our garden this year, over to the northwest corner of our property. This area gets a lot of sun, so it is almost ideal. The only problem is that it slopes down to the north, but it is a gradual enough slope that it doesn't appear to be a problem.<br /> <br />The biggest problem is the challenge of creating garden space from what was forest until last fall. The big stumps have mostly been pulled out, but the ground is compacted and full of tree roots. Our pulaski's have been getting lots of use this spring.<br /><br />So far this year, we have lots of raspberries, 75 strawberry plants, 1 rhubarb, some onions and garlic, and lots of potatoes. We still need to create beds for carrots, peas, and whatever else takes our fancy. Beans, maybe. Or maybe we will try broccoli again.<br /> <br />We don't yet have a fence to keep the moose out, which is a potential problem. I lost all my broccoli to a moose last year.<br />Hopefully, we will get good yields this year, now that it can get plenty of water. I'm feeling hopeful.<br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-76572340475118317962010-05-27T22:34:00.001-08:002010-05-27T22:34:48.298-08:00Wishing wellWe have lived in our cabin for over two years. For all that time, we have had water issues. We did not have a well, and we certainly weren't hooked up to any city water. We have a 150 gallon water tank on the second floor of our cabin, and we have been getting water into it in two ways. For a while, we had been having a water truck come fill it up once a month. But mostly we have been filling up 7 gallon containers at the laundromat and hauling them. This is actually not an unusual thing in Alaska, but it is certainly a nuisance. <br /><br />So, I was quite pleased to come home from work last night to see this:<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/05/27/2155.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/05/27/s_2155.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />This is a well truck, drilling a well on our property. They had to go down 120 feet, at a cost of about $5000, not counting the pump and the generator to run the pump, but we have good water. Our water is maybe a little hard, but not too bad, and it tastes good. Today, James has been working on installing the pump and everything else, so hopefully by tomorrow we will be able fill our tank without hauling water. Plus we will be able to water our garden without worrying about running out of water for the house. This is a really good thing.<br />This is the well: <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/05/27/2156.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/05/27/s_2156.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='271' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />and this is the pump:<br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/05/27/2157.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/05/27/s_2157.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />The pump will go about 100 feet down the well. When we need to fill the tank, we will hook up a hose to the well, start the generator, and let it do it's job.<br /><br />The pile of gravel you can see behind the well is what came out of the hole, which is a bonus. We will spread it on our driveway.<br /><br />Pretty exciting stuff.<br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-68399542660056324082010-04-14T20:50:00.001-08:002010-04-14T20:50:39.737-08:00I shouldn't have said anything...About spring.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/04/14/1593.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/04/14/s_1593.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />4" last night. And my little plants are already getting root bound in their little starting pots. Guess they will have longer to wait.<br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-15655642367215163902010-04-05T12:42:00.000-08:002010-04-05T12:43:04.447-08:00SpringI haven't written in quite a while, mostly because my life in the last several months has been almost exclusively work and sleep. This time of year in Alaska, it seems that people lose their minds. We have had a huge increase in reports of child abuse. Also, over the winter, I really didn't have much to write about. The garden was quiet, and covered in snow, and not much got done on the house itself. So the blog has been quiet.<br />But now the snow is melting, and the sun is shining. It got up to a sunny 45 degrees the other day, so I put on capri's and sandals. We have lots of tiny onions, leeks, and garlic growing in our south facing dining room window. James planted a few carrot tops, and they are getting leafy, and we are hoping that they will go to seed for next year.<br />We have lots of plans for this summer. We have about 5000 square feet of garden to get ready for planting as soon as the ground thaws. We want to put a fence around the garden, and an addition with bedrooms for the kids on the house. James is considering digging a well. And we need to build a chicken coop and rabbit hutch. It is probably too late to build it for chickens for this summer, but we can build it this summer for chicks next spring.<br />So it looks to be a busy summer. I'll keep you posted.<br /><br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-75328372028032901112010-01-18T11:17:00.001-09:002010-01-18T11:17:03.766-09:00Rare Gems<br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/01/18/632.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/01/18/s_632.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />My favorite sock yarn comes from Blue Moon Fiber Arts (www.bluemoonfiberarts.com). At the end of last year, they sold for a short time what they call Rare Gems. It seems that it is leftover yarn that they overdye to make one of a kind skiens of yarn. They had them grouped into rough categories of earth, air, fire, and water. I ordered one of everything but earth, sight unseen. They are just beautiful. The picture is the skien of fire. It is quickly becoming a pair of socks, and I am totally loving it. You just can't go wrong with Blue Moon, even when you can't see what you are ordering.<br /><br />- Posted from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-88521945684396366202009-11-19T21:00:00.000-09:002009-11-19T21:01:32.958-09:00Not LongLess than a year ago, we got a second dog, a malamute. There is a picture of him here: <br /><br />http://lifeonthelastfrontier.blogspot.com/2009/03/monster.html<br /><br />He was a dog we adopted from someone else without knowing him at all. He was a friendly dog, but he really didn't mesh well with us. <br />He was afraid of James, especially if he happened to have a tool or stick in his hand, making us speculate about what had happened to him before we got him. <br />We have almost 3 acres, plenty of room for a dog to run, but he would run too far. And he usually would not come when we called him.<br />With all of that, he was friendly, very pretty, and gentle with the kids. He seemed like he was bonding with us.<br />Yesterday morning before I left for work, I went to put him on his chain and he got away from me. I called him but he would not come to me, and took off running. He didn't come back right away, which is not unusual. By last night I was starting to worry, as it is well below zero. <br />James called me today to tell me the dog had been hit by a car. He was already dead when James found him.<br />The kids were sad, of course, but seem to be handling it well. We will all miss him. Goodbye, Strider. <br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-2148737052200451042009-11-15T14:41:00.001-09:002009-11-15T14:41:47.401-09:00Winter<br /><br /><center><a href='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/09/11/15/698.jpg'><img src='http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/09/11/15/s_698.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Winter has arrived, a little late this year. This is the first year since we moved to Alaska that there was not snow on the ground by Halloween. <br /><br />Snow finally came though, along with sub-zero temps. Night before last, it got down to -15. That's chilly, even for Alaska. For the last couple days, we have had the wood stove running nonstop. <br /><br />Unfortunately, a couple days before it snowed, our kindling pile fell over, and it didn't get picked up. Now it is buried under 6 inches of snow. We know where it is though, and the snow hasn't melted any, so it hasn't gotten wet. <br /><br />I am pretty much enjoying these first few winter days, and the kids have been having a blast in the snow. Steven came home crying today though because he sledded into a tree. He's back at it as I type.<br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-35921741489571020722009-09-09T21:11:00.002-08:002009-09-09T21:49:47.509-08:00It's disgraceful...Yesterday, President Obama gave a speech aimed at our school children. The text of it can be found <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/">here</a>. It is completely non-partisan, not political in any way. He is simply encouraging students to do their best, and get an education.<br /><br />Our President says to our kids,<br /><br />"Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.<br />I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.<br />I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.<br />I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.<br />But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.<br />And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself."<br /><br />I can't find anything in this that I don't want my children to hear. There is nothing partisan. Nothing subversive. I don't understand why people objected to this.<br /><br />He also says:<br /><br />"And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.<br />The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.<br />It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other."<br /><br />I can't find anything wrong with that either. As far as I can tell, there is no logical reason whatsoever for all the commotion about this speech.<br /><br />And there has been a huge to-do about this speech. People talked about it on the news, threatened to keep their kids home from schools if the schools showed it, accused him of trying to start something akin to the Nazi Youth Corps. I think it would take more than a 20 minute speech to brainwash every kid in the country.<br /><br />I found out last night that none of my kids saw his speech at school. I called the schools, and they report that their phones had been "ringing off the hook" with parents upset about their kids possibly watching the speech. One principal told me I was the only parent he received a call from supporting the kids watching the speech.<br /><br />I am sorry, but I find this absolutely appalling. I don't give two figs whether Obama is Republican or Democrat, whether he has made mistakes in office (after all, no one is perfect) or any of that. He is THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. I think the fact that schools have opted to not show a speech made by the leader of our country to the children of our country is embarrassing, disrespectful, I don't know what.<br /><br />I don't even know what to say, except that I am ashamed that we can behave this way.AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-18083856676540200622009-09-02T21:12:00.001-08:002009-09-02T21:19:09.253-08:00socks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfzXbM3USCYUDE52vcN9czGdSrTdsvKZYHmG0WhCRDbkYxyHsdBIhhYRNmuaJWXLZZWuODxZKBnlBj47lzlcOQ412N_CCB8xrIZ6EyoyfMx7xGKrR6PhJ-wUKO9Rig3XpRXoaHLs1rcM/s1600-h/DSCF0975.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377105545405198034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfzXbM3USCYUDE52vcN9czGdSrTdsvKZYHmG0WhCRDbkYxyHsdBIhhYRNmuaJWXLZZWuODxZKBnlBj47lzlcOQ412N_CCB8xrIZ6EyoyfMx7xGKrR6PhJ-wUKO9Rig3XpRXoaHLs1rcM/s320/DSCF0975.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div>I really like knitting socks. For whatever reason, I decided the other day to sort out my sock yarn from my other yarn to see how many pairs of socks I can make. So, how many?</div><div> </div><div>Well, in addition to the 4 or 5 pair that are on the needles at the moment, and all the socks I have already made, I could make 29 pairs of socks. That is a different pair of socks every day for a month. And what did I do during my break at work today? </div><div> </div><div>Look on the internet at sock yarn.</div><div> </div><div>my favorite? <a href="http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/newmoon/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=19">this stuff</a></div>AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-69154179426428165402009-08-14T20:56:00.003-08:002009-08-14T21:31:48.289-08:00getting ready for winter...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNW33KqNW4KjvzARjBbaZdyUit-DKpr01Pllh2vH48_FNCPc0MtmGdArnBzOgEYp6yzATWy5ygYOaQBZ3Aghfe0JmDbUcEquA0unKBtt1_UWqbVVeMETIDPUAEKOZhdeh_zY9lYyTW4zc/s1600-h/woodshed+small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370054725716966770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNW33KqNW4KjvzARjBbaZdyUit-DKpr01Pllh2vH48_FNCPc0MtmGdArnBzOgEYp6yzATWy5ygYOaQBZ3Aghfe0JmDbUcEquA0unKBtt1_UWqbVVeMETIDPUAEKOZhdeh_zY9lYyTW4zc/s320/woodshed+small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Winter is a big deal in Alaska. It starts the beginning of October, lasts until the beginning of April. It is cold, and dark. Last winter it was 30 below zero for two weeks. Fall comes early; we've already seen some yellow leaves. The fireweed is already blooming only at the top, which in local lore, means that snow will be here in 6 weeks. As a matter of fact, I had a fire going this evening, but only a small, quick one, just to take the chill off.<br /><br />We heat only with wood. We have a wood stove in the middle of our cabin, and in the coldest part of the winter, it burns continuously. A few weeks ago, we finished filling up our wood shed. The roof slopes, and at the front of the shed, the roof is about as high as I can reach. Last year, we burned about 3/4 of the shed full of wood. All of the wood in our shed, James cut into stove length with the chain saw, and anything too big around he split by hand with an ax. I have not yet mastered the art of splitting wood, but I am learning. James did the cutting and splitting, and the rest of us, including Steven, picked it up from where ever on the property it was cut, put it in a wheelbarrow, hauled it to the shed, and stacked it. Realistically, besides James, only Ryan and I are strong enough to move a wheelbarrow of wood, but the kids are great for picking it up and putting it in the wheelbarrow. This is definitely a job for the entire family.<br /><br />The other major necessary thing for winter preparation is cleaning the chimney. We have a chimney brush, which is much like the brushes used for cleaning rifles, only bigger. James and Ryan climbed up on the roof and cleaned the chimney, resulting in lots of screeching noises coming from the chimney, and a pile of black soot on the floor of the wood stove. The soot was then shoveled into our ash bucket and taken out to the compost pile. We also caulked the seams in the chimney pipe, and replaced the gasket around the door of the stove. Everything is in tip top shape.<br /><br />So, the most basic and necessary part of winter prep is done, which gave me a huge feeling of relief. My family will stay warm.AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-60319588147511707482009-08-12T15:26:00.003-08:002009-08-12T16:44:30.293-08:00easy come, easy go....Just about a year ago, I was posting about my husband showing up with a brand new car. August 6, to be exact. One year and 5 days later, I am most likely saying goodbye to my little car. <div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369229053149822370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7F1oA0OZw9B6ETEOrs23sJxpwY6NrtqmVCCU30xeBWG8eXJKVNcixZY0XPcoZZ-VRVKPxhIRe1O30x0opf0XiQzX3XhTgahAnvRUxuKqk72rvqi21HCKkH79QIYlMgDebY4BIeoxWgwU/s320/lancer.jpg" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div>At 12:15 this morning, I was on my way home from a quick trip to Ketchikan, and was only a mile and a half from home when a moose walked out into the road right in front of me. I was going about 55, and all I had time to do was think, "Oh CRAP!" before I hit it. It rolled up and over the car, luckily more on the passenger side, which was empty. With the way the windshield broke and the roof collapsed, it would have hurt if it had been on the driver's side.</div><div> </div><div>The really scary part was that as I was driving down the road at 55 mph, with oncoming traffic in the other lane, my airbag deployed right in front of my face. I remember swatting at it, trying unsuccessfully to clear my vision, and focusing on making sure the car moved to the right. Since I couldn't see, my main goal was to NOT let the car go left, into the oncoming traffic. I was able to keep the car straight, and came to a stop on the shoulder of the road.</div><div> </div><div>The moose was given to a charitable organization to be butchered, as is done with all moose roadkill here.</div><div> </div><div>I suspect the car will be totalled. I have full coverage, but the insurance company will only pay resale value, so there will most likely be a gap between what they pay and what I owe. If they total it, we might take advantage of the cash for clunkers program, and trade in our 98 Durango that needs lots of work, and get another car. The problem is that the Mitsubishi dealership in Alaska closed, so we would have to do major car shopping. Yuck.</div>AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-14162531459249721522009-07-24T12:02:00.006-08:002009-07-24T12:29:17.330-08:00fireweed jelly<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7_N5-unuMHcNgzdRZxxRL7u8Fcawg6BwPL9FFezgpwgAc2A8O7UMZWu9OCMlf_F8CHpDjsiv39JtdW0i1Xk2thJ-y4Yiq__nUbGl2grbNBw4gJmQv2s7iz37vMtvIyE2VSxamzRe1ZE/s1600-h/DSCF0837.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362121569178988162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7_N5-unuMHcNgzdRZxxRL7u8Fcawg6BwPL9FFezgpwgAc2A8O7UMZWu9OCMlf_F8CHpDjsiv39JtdW0i1Xk2thJ-y4Yiq__nUbGl2grbNBw4gJmQv2s7iz37vMtvIyE2VSxamzRe1ZE/s320/DSCF0837.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>The other day, I made fireweed jelly. Fireweed runs rampant around southcentral Alaska, and we have lots of it on our property. Since last summer, I have wanted to make jelly with it, and I finally got around to it. Ryan and I picked two shopping bags full of fireweed blossom ends, which left no noticeable dent in our fireweed population. Then we picked all the blossoms off the stems:</div><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362122027075087138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgEv8PIUuZRuNG6cLbqwrWeNqxjEeZSKeUmBr2v29j6u9Ww0uqFQ6oFPuGwidspP5fDtsnBjLFPto52DdzQNXUFZQI_w-xUm20x5RLaXUM2oBvvOTXLhEIKnIMF82ADB4sMrTzu936S8/s320/DSCF0889.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><br /><p>Then rinsed them, put them in a pot with some water, and heated them until the blossoms lost their color, which only took a few minutes. Then strained the water, which then was actually fireweed juice. The fireweed juice was an ugly light yellowish brown, not at all what I expected.</p><p>To the fireweed juice, I added sugar and a little lemon juice. As soon as I added the lemon juice, the mixture turned a beautiful pinkish-purplish color, the color of the blossoms. Very interesting chemical reaction, I thought.</p><p>I then brought the mixture to a boil, added pectin, boiled for another minute, and poured into jars. Sealed the jars, and voila! fireweed jelly, 28 1/2 pint jars. This isn't the greatest picture, but the jelly is a beautiful rich clear pink color. And delicious!</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362123428350319362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiK5ejPLrCCexNMjZpwUDtzGXTKrtag-GcNKWpxF6gtt_nXjM4zdTAAFEeO2yW7-C8l6JbJPYihq13MjxkixQfx6o4nvNgMUecYWHO7OA71KHteA30cnaqx3hoBZcXSrPHVFm1hkKyN4/s320/DSCF0894.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>I really enjoyed this experiment, because I was able to harvest something that grows wild and abundantly on my property, and turn it into something delicious for my family. </p><p></p>AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510157979898294846.post-29926119499071744652009-07-11T13:19:00.004-08:002009-07-11T13:52:25.524-08:00canoeing trip<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rZimLAzcbSiA9IEvE2ZuBsN2SxuROvfq8xkhNbgoSXTUTqn3taXiD7cFOdaNOygF8lmd8AlUyIFWPLrKb37Q9uXEP7LqWfYjj10g0iwBYwiA2VAVN4QaLKeeNJ85Mj15_KF5K7BQuQY/s1600-h/DSCF0785+small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357320774422429106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rZimLAzcbSiA9IEvE2ZuBsN2SxuROvfq8xkhNbgoSXTUTqn3taXiD7cFOdaNOygF8lmd8AlUyIFWPLrKb37Q9uXEP7LqWfYjj10g0iwBYwiA2VAVN4QaLKeeNJ85Mj15_KF5K7BQuQY/s320/DSCF0785+small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This is a little behind the times, but last weekend we and another family we do a lot of stuff with went camping. We went to Tangle Lakes, which is about a 4 or 5 hour drive from our house, depending on how fast you go, and how bad traffic is. On Fourth of July weekend, with perfect weather, traffic was pretty bad, especially traffic of the rv variety. Motor homes go very slow on windy semi-mountainous roads, and you can only pass so many of them, since there are few truck lanes and the roads are, well, windy and semi-mountainous. </div><br /><div>Traffic aside, the trip was wonderful. The campground was full, which we didn't mind, since we don't especially like the campground-that-looks-like-a-refugee-camp scene. We found a nice little lake on very rocky ground, so we could drive on it like driving on a gravel road, something we do every day anyway. No one else was camped on this lake, so we had it all to ourselves, the dogs could run around as much as they wanted(there were 5 of them, 2 of ours, and 3 of theirs), and so could the kids (6 of them, 3 of ours, and 3 of theirs).</div><br /><div>James, Ryan, and Steven went fishing one day, and brought back 4 grayling, which were yummy cooked over the campfire. They say they caught and released many more, but no one in the other family likes fish, so they didn't want any to go to waste. (Our malamute ate all the fish parts that we didn't, and seemed to enjoy it tremendously.) We took the canoe out several times, and it was great. The lake we camped on fed into a larger lake. At the far end of the large lake, there was a beaver dam that we portaged across to a small stream that we followed until it got too shallow and rocky for the canoe. It was very pretty, and we found a beautiful spot that we could camp on if we wanted to load everything into the canoe the next time we go there.</div><div> </div><div>We discovered that neither of our dogs particularly likes to swim, although one of the other dogs with us did and almost drowned because he followed behind the canoe for so long.</div></div><div><br /><div>All in all, it was a great weekend, and very relaxing. This is the first time in a long time we have camped for enjoyment. Two summers ago, we camped on our property every weekend so that we could work on our house, and last summer we were tired of camping. It was great to be reminding that camping can be relaxing and enjoyable. We wore out the dogs and the kids:</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357321804106403666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8Cf173fHpCaVduF1UdbNc0csxkxrdZIepAfHc2O2R_ubIKjJH2L_Iho_D_WmSDjSklOfCsP6jVvDENRC8YvdHtG7_EFndFE5yNJ9Cnn5JsOC-rJAQTsihsn6wanWFBzkSQxWJvd31j4/s320/DSCF0802+small.jpg" border="0" /></div></div>AKfitknithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01606405275001893035noreply@blogger.com2