Why is is so Friggin Hot Here?!

 It's been a few minutes since you have heard from me hasn't it?!  That's because it has been so hot here that having the computer on and close to me is just about intolerable due to the heat that it puts off and how hot it has been here.  I am currently sitting at the kitchen table, writing as the chickweed dries without a dehydrator needed!  (right photo below) I also have been too tired from trying to keep plants and people and pets alive in this heat!

We're just getting to the point that the house is as warm as the outdoors, then it goes the other way and we open the windows to lot the cooler air in! (left photo - actually only 9:59 pm - but still)

Usually in Alaska we are begging for spring to come and for it to warm up a bit and for the snow/rain/sleet to GO AWAY! We did beg this year for the winter to finally be gone - it was long and stormy and hard!  You can read about some of the winter here if you missed that post. Lately though, it has been once again a Tenth of a Degree from Hades here in the burg with temps reaching 92 degrees and no rain in sight - for at least 10 more days!  I thought 2019 was hot but it has nothing on this year!  I have the Swamp Cooler going full speed ahead and we are at least semi comfortable in the house.  Outside is miserable!  For me at least!

We have been watering and watering here and at the school and we are still not keeping up with the drying sun and wind - the breeze just evaporates everything we put down, whether we use a sprinkler or a bucket to water.  I lost a head of lettuce due to dry - even though the sprinkler had been on the bed about 20 hours before and soaked it through.

See that poor little guy in the middle left?  Darn it!  Of course there is a random tomato in there (lower right of the bed)!  Just cant let them go when they want to live!  Tomato Problem!

The greenhouse is doing well - it has eaves that help to keep it shaded during the hottest part of the days and with the windows open I can get a little cross breeze in there with a fan!  

Poor Reedo is having to work outside with safety gear in this heat and I am reminded often of when we travelled with the kids to Arizona to see Aunt Chelle in June one year for a hockey clinic for Rye.  Reed was just 4 years old and had never experienced any heat to speak of.  It was 116 degrees in the shade, and we couldnt let the boys go in the pool, or scooter on the sidewalk - it was so hot their shoes were melting and the wheels on the scooters were getting soft!

Reed always thought it was too hot for clothes there - including swim suit!  Or he may have outgrown his before we got there!?

At the time, Aunt Chelle's house was a no swearing house, and I of course, swear like dock worker on a bad day! Sometimes my kids do too!  Just sayin'!  So Reed is in his underwear and nothing else, Rye is at the cool and delightful rink, and we are in Aunt Chelles kitchen trying to stay cool and I was loading her dishwasher.  Just as she comes in the door from the garage with a bag of groceries, Reed yells "WHY is it so FRIGGIN' HOT HERE?!?!"

I swear Aunt Chelle nearly dropped the groceries!  She definitely dropped her jaw!

The next day, we didn't just drop Rye off for his clinic at the rink - Reed and I stayed in the cool arena area- me reading a book and Reedo being a Rink Rat running around enjoying the hockey.  One of the coaches came over and said "Mama - you don't have to stay - we will take good care of your boy!"  To which I replied - "Its an inferno out there and nice and cool in here!  We'll just hang out for a bit!"  He laughed and skated away......

They did make it to a baseball game - Dimondbacks are awesome Mom!!  It was a night game so a little cooler for everyone!

Im hoping it cools off soon because my bum is also stuck to this chair and I have had to put towels on my office chair in order to get any work done!  Otherwise I am feeling less than ladylike in the office and sometimes cant get out of the chair!  I know you girls can relate!

Here's to a nice summer without getting baked like a toasted cheese!  Blessed Be and drink your water!

A Taste of Spring Alaska Style!

Spring has finally come to the Burg here in Big Lake, Alaska and it is about darn time! It has been a long cold winter, and seemed that it was also just dark and gloomy for most of it.  This has been one of the longest years I can remember and I am so happy for spring and growing things! 

One of my favorite things this time of year is that there is the beginnings of the green of new forage for people and animals - nutritious and delicious things to give us a break from the same ol' same ol' of the grocery!

Here we have some young dandelion leaves coming up in the brick patio.  Rich in vitamins, iron and minerals, this is the spinach of the wild.  I use young dandelion leaves in salads just like spinach or lettuce, wilted in pasta, or julienned and baked in a quiche!  No matter how you prepare it, it is delicious!  Make sure you are getting young leaves- old ones are a bit tough and stringy.  As with anything you are harvesting wild, also make sure it is not a favorite pee spot for pets or wild things - including wild men!

Here we have young fireweed shoots!  Use these just like asparagus shoots.  Strip the leaves, bake, roast or grill the stalks for a delicious side dish - these are also delicious included in salads or cooked in quiche, and we have even put a little batter on them and deep fried them a time or two!

 

Of all of the deliciousness that grows right outside our doorways here, this is really a treat and a treasure!  Only available for a short time in the spring, Fiddlehead fern- which is basically young fern shoots but they come up in a curlicue fashion that makes them look like the head of a fiddle - hence the name.  They are rich in vitamins A, C, carotenes, potassium, manganese, iron and with only 34 calories, they also carry a protein punch of about 4.5 grams!  That's a powerful plant right there!  Saute'd with a little butter or olive oil, salt and pepper, they make a delicious side dish on their own, or add them to a stir fry, and my personal favorite - put an egg on top and call it breakfast!

No matter how much the supply chain breaks down or items become hard to find- Springtime in Alaska makes it a lot easier to find your perfect flavor!

Be well and happy spring!

The Further Adventures of Brix and Naughty Ike!

 About a month ago I told you about Ike - the newest addition to the family in the form of what will one day be a giant dog!  Part Bull Mastiff and part American Bulldog, the vet estimates that he will weigh around 120 pounds by the time he is one year old!  Yikes!

Here he is at 52 pounds and about 20 weeks old!  He is very active and super strong!  It took two of us to give him a bath the other day....but thats a story for the next time!

Im pretty sure you have heard about my quilting design wall - on the wall outside my sewing room I have a big sheet of quilt batting that the quilt blocks sticks to so I can adjust placement or sashing.   

It keeps me from poking too many holes in the wall with pins and tacks trying to rearrange things to make them just right!  One set of tacks and it can be used over and over again.  Makes life easy.

Here is a set of bird blocks that I am working with on the design wall.  This pattern is split 9 patch, or disappearing 9 patch and it is fun and easy!  

The other day I came home and this was the sight that greeted me;

This would be part of my broom - my daily rider that I was hoping to not have to replace - they are getting hard to find now!

And then there was this.....the couch with part of my Aloe plant and a rice bag that had at least two pounds of rice in it all over the couch along with some fabric strips that I didnt know where they came from until Hubby says "you might want to check up by the sewing room - I dont know what all went on up there..."

Design wall down!!!!

This would be where the fabric strips came from.... the Woven Star quilt that I had been trying to get the placement right so I could sew it all together.

So.... the old batting may or may not have had some dog pee on it.....I decided to just get out a new piece and replace the whole thing!

Here is how I now finish the evening of sewing - I put the whole shebang up as high as I can reach - and so far Ike cannot!

Then just lower it back down when Im ready to work with the blocks again.

Its coming along nicely.

Here is another colorway - this is my new favorite block!  Fun and fast!

Brix says "It was NOT ME!!"

Ike and I are on speaking terms again!  He also had chewed up a TV remote, an Amazon Fire Stick, a large cookbook, and a yarn basket - it was a busy day!  I didn't get pictures of all of it.

He did feel bad, but we close all the doors and hide the mop and broom when we are gone!  I did find a new broom and I had to replace the mop a few weeks ago!  My house, however,  is not any cleaner for the changes!

May your worries be few and your stuff not chewed!

Blessed Be!

Of Ike and Men- the adventure begins!

Every once in a while it seems like the fates throw something good and unexpected (although maybe challenging) into our lives - and this time it threw us a friend for Brix as well!  Meet Ike! 

Ike is about 12 weeks old in this picture and weighs 29 pounds!  He is part American Bulldog and part Bull Mastiff.  He will be huge!  The vet says he will probably weigh between 115 and 120 pounds by the time he is one year old!  Holy Cow Hubby brough home a serious dog!

And he gave him to me for Valentines day!

The runt of the litter, Ike was living with a friend who had two of these dogs.  He had a stroke and the family decided they could only keep one of the puppies and so....

Check those feet! They are huge!

He is a very snuggly baby though and has no idea of his own size!

He is also a pretty good sleeper most of the time....although sometimes his middle of the night ends up being in the middle of the day and vice versa!  Its like having a two year old!  He also cries when he is going to sleep - he will be so tired but he doesnt want to go to sleep so he tries to keep himself awake by crying.  So pitiful!

He is a great little big friend for Brix too, especially since we had to put Ripley down and Brix had been so lonely.  Brix has been a somewhat reluctant friend most of the time starting out.  He is not sure he wants a friend who lives with us - he wants all the treats and attention for himself!

 Ike also keeps Brix and us really moving a lot more often than we were though.  Not a bad thing!

This is what Brix looked like waiting for Ripley right after we helped her cross the rainbow bridge- he would wait on the porch for hours, like she was going to come down the driveway at any time.

Sewing has had to change a bit since Ike likes to sleep right on my feet and sometimes on the sewing machine presser foot!  He has made a tangle of my machine thread a number of times - just trying to get comfortable under the table or chair.

His first visit to the Vet and they got out a cheese board and put some of the spray cheese on it to keep him busy while they gave him his vaccinations!  I laughed so hard!  He never even noticed anything while he was attacking the cheese!  He really likes the Vet!

Brix has his "spot" on the couch in our "movie watching positions" and Ike had wanted to have a "spot" also.... We had to make a rule that we couldn't have both dogs on the couch on top of me at the same time!  I nearly drowned in dog!

Brix is getting more used to him after a few weeks now and doesn't mind that he wants to share the blankets!

Ike sits very well and is very "food motivated".  Aren't they cute!  Winter is not the ideal time for house training a puppy, but we are working on it!  He is slowly getting the hang of things, and we are learning to close doors before we leave.

Gramma G lets him on the couch with her.  This was when he was only 32 pounds and she could pick him up.

This is a few weeks later at 45 pounds!  Hubby helped him onto her lap!  She still likes Ike!

We all like Ike - even though he does chew some shoes and the bathroom rugs, and we came home the other night and it looked like they had thrown a "frat party" in the house!  

He has been a blessing, and we are actually looking forward to having adventures with him and Brix again.  Stay tuned for the further adventures of Brix and Ike - there will be many!

  May you have easy days and many blessings.

Blessed Be!