Northern Noise

For some reason, we have acquired three big dogs. Once, a long time ago, we inherited a German Shepherd who, although very sweet, had serious anxiety issues. In an attempt to help her feel secure and have a friend, we decided to get a puppy. My husband wanted a big dog, a manly dog, and was delighted when we went to see the puppies advertised as 1/2 Chesapeake and 1/2 black lab. The sire they showed us was huge, as was the mom, and we thought the little male with big feet that we chose would grow accordingly. He was named Milo, after Milo of Crotona who carried the calf up the mountain every day, growing stronger as the calf grew. To make a long story short (the long story is quite a tale, though!) the pup turned out to be female, with stubby legs and wide, square hips. Sort of like a box with legs. So Milo grew, mostly wider vs. taller, and matured into a sweet, mellow dog. When we had to put down the German Shepherd, she was lonely and so we looked, once again, for a puppy. A...

I used to sew. Well, sort of sew. I used to do beadwork, making barrettes & keychains, glove tops and the like. I was taught by friends who were very gifted, and very patient. I was never a top craftsman, but I did okay and I really enjoyed it. When I lived in the village I'd spend a lot of time sitting at the table sewing and laughing with friends. I learned so very much about subsistence life, relationships, children, cooking and the importance of having people to share life with. When I look at who I am today, I credit those years between 20 and 25, and those hours spent sewing as a big factor. And, of the literal side, my non-artistic self felt vindicated - I COULD create beautiful things!! When I moved out to the coast and started teaching, my sewing got set aside. I had to spend my late night hours grading papers, or prepping for class and I just didn't have time. When I moved to Fairbanks, my beads came with me but went into the store room, and then into the ...

So yesterday I blogged about fall and how much I loved it. Today, I'm watching the snowflakes accumlate on the deck. Carpe diem, yes?

The weather has turned. Until Sunday morning, those of us in the lovely Alaskan interior (or at least on our little hill) were enjoying unusually warm weather. The leaves were changing, the underbrush turning red and orange, the high bush cranberries releasing a scent of sweet fermenting but despite the obvious signs, it didn't really feel like fall. The sun kept shining, the winds weren't blowing much, the sweatshirt I faithfully threw into the truck each day mostly stayed there as I enjoyed the lingering warmth. But yesterday, it all changed. It was cold in the morning, and when I looked outside, it was grey and still. I decided to drink my coffee in front of the window instead of outside on the deck. We decided it was time to do those "getting ready for winter" chores and headed outside while it was still cool. As we burned brush, picked and turned the garden, put away the deck furniture and mowed the lawn for (hopefully!) the last time this year, the air I...

So now that I'm a SAHM (as one friend put it) and we're on a much reduced budget, I've been spending some time scoping out sites that have suggestions for living on a shoestring. There's a couple of really cool "coupon" sites with information on finding and using coupons. Others focus on ways to reduced spending and save overall. I don't know that I really get coupons; they seem confusing to me and like it's a lot of work to find, print, organize, and use. Still, I should make an effort to explore and try it out. If it saves money, it's a good thing. Planning meals and making smart purchases will be a big one for us. When we're busy, we have tended to either eat out or eat processed, pre-packaged stuff. Just doing away with the Hot Pockets and canned ravioli will help save money. I understand that more rice & beans and less meat saves money. I wonder if it's more or less healthy for the kids and us?? Since the family will be bac...

Went to see the film Julie & Julia today. The basic premise is that a woman feeling sort of lost in her life decides to spend a year blogging about cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook. It was a good movie, well acted & entertaining. For me, it brought up the question of "why blog?" When the author first starts blogging, she's not sure anyone is reading. It seems she's using the blog as a largely way working through her own issues, figuring out how to start and finish a project and how to work with something (cooking) that's meaningful to her outside of her job. Eventually, tons of people read her blog and it ultimately turned into a book deal and a movie. Sort of a cinderella story for bloggers. I keep thinking about the process of blogging as a way of self-development, introspection, and obtaining perspective. My blog isn't as purposeful as Julie's was - I'm not setting a public goal and I'm not basing my writing arou...

I don't think I've spent a night alone in this house since before my son was born. It's different being home while they're all out of state than it is when they're just off around town or at work. It doesn't make sense why that is, but it's true. I'm looking forward to some time at home alone. And I've got a long enough stretch that I can work through the strangeness into reveling in it. Don't get me wrong; it's not that I don't miss my family immensely - because I do. I just think feeling comfortable with alone time is really important. It's a sign of a healthy person, I believe, and healthy individuals make healthy relationships. Last night I visited with a friend, who is also temporarily home alone while his partner is working in the field. It was nice to visit, to reconnect and to hang out a little. It reminded me that I can have adult conversation, that I have something to offer as a friend. One more step along my journe...

It's been a long time since I've been able to really enjoy fall time. Before I started teaching, I'd spend much of the end of August to mid-September camping and hunting. I absolutely love to camp in the fall. I love that the days get warm and sunny and yet when I wake up in the morning I can see my breath. That feeling of snuggling down deep into a sleeping bag knowing that once I emerge it will a race to get a fire started, some hot coffee brewing, and enough movement to warm up. This year I'm getting to see fall again. After a few days of rain, this morning is absolutely beautiful. It's cool, but sunny. The colors seem to be changing instantly, more reds and browns than greens and bright yellows. Dropping my son off at school today I could even smell fall. The crispness, and highbrush cranberries, and wet leaves. I thought about going moose hunting. I haven't shot a moose, or even been hunting, since I started teaching 15 years ago. We certainly cou...

It's crockpot weather! It's been cold and rainy now for days and everything outside has an overtone of gray over the brilliant fall colors that are developing in our woods. The upside for me is that it's great crockpot weather. I love to cook with the crockpot. Easy peasy in the morning (or the night before if I plan) and then when I'd get home from work there's the smell of real food cooking and minimum effort to get to a sit down family meal. Yesterday I was home with the smell; all day I felt like things were cozy & homey. I've got all kinds of crockpot cookbooks, most from garage sales and many years old. I like those old school recipes with real ingredients. Take meat, add cream of something soup, dried spices and maybe noodles, and maybe cheese. Those things I have in my cupboards. Nowadays, a recipe calls for all these expensive and exotic ingredients: coconut milk, sundried organic artichokes in thyme oil.... Give me old school. So yesterd...