Moose in the Garden!



John's garden fortress survived its first test of moose. A mamma and newborn walked all around the perimeter of the garden trying to find a way in. He had a latch on the door so even that didn't prove a weakness. Finally, though, they made their way to the end of the garden where John planted his potatoes. The potatoes were exposed! The baby nibbled a little bit, but the mamma looked at the orange rope around the wall of the garden and thought better of it. The orange rope worked!

Through all of this the kids and Grandma were on the picnic table where they would be "safe."



I only include this picture to point out the enormous camera lens on Grandma's camera. She is coming along to Prince William Sound with us today and bringing her great camera. When we return I'll have photos of the most beautiful place in the world, taken with the biggest camera in the world. I'll still keep my trusty camera in my pocket, though.

Ring Nets Required.



This is our daughter sewing new netting onto a ring net. She wasn't happy at all to have this unique talent to add to her resume. We are prepping to take a 4 day trip into Prince William Sound. We sleep on the boat and venture from cove to cove in pursuit of fish and shrimp. The ring nets consist of a large outer ring and a smaller inner ring. It sits flat on the bottom of the bay with bait clipped onto the middle in a bait jar. Shrimp walk to the bait and sit unknowingly on the netting. Then we come along and lift the rings up. The larger ring will rise up above the smaller ring forming the shape of a cup. And inside of that cup will be loads of shrimp!

There is a glacier that meets the ocean where we go for breakfast of shrimp and bacon. We scoop the chunks of ice out of the ocean that have fallen off the glacier to keep our fish catch cool. Seals sit on the ice at the base of the glacier and float around. Of course John always has creative new ideas for catching shrimp. Last time he visited the butcher for free scraps to use as bait. A few years ago we walked up to the river and stepping between Cabela's-clad fishermen who weren't catching anything and landed a big king salmon after a few casts. They gravitated over to him to see what he was using as bait...he had taken a piece of red yarn off his sock and fastened it to the hook.

Action Adventure Weeding.

I've had several emails asking for updates on our weed-eating ducks. Before I tell you about our weeding adventures, let me remind you that John has built up our rows so high, it is hard to weed the sides without causing them to crumble and erode. I brought the ducks into the garden thinking that when they found themselves surrounded by walls of chick weed they would think they had quacked and gone to duck heaven.

At first they thought it was yummy, but after 30 seconds of eating weeds they decided that it was more fun to be on the tops of the rows where our veggies are. I had a disrupter tool that I was using on the top of a row, and in my frantic effort to scare the ducks off the spinach, I put it down somewhere and couldn't find it again...rusty claw and wooden handle blend into dirt well. Now I'm weeding without my tool and the ducks are scrambling from the arugula to the brussel sprouts avoiding the chick weed.

So in walks John with his newest weeding idea. He reads the magazine "Mother Earth News." It looks innocent enough:



It is all about organic gardening and living green. In this magazine he read that a flame thrower is a good way to control weeds. Now THIS is manly gardening!



It doesn't sound very Mother-Earthy. He flamed through the garden and the chick weed melted like the Wicked Witch of the East. (Sorry, Mom, we've eaten a little, but we haven't yet worked it into salads and such. It is hard to embrace a weed after so many years of hatred.)

The ducks, who were already amped out, hunkered down. They now have been demoted from weed killers to cute pets. That's fine by them.

Yoga Quilting.



It has been raining a lot lately, which has been good for finding time to quilt. I'll start by saying I'm a beginner quilter. I have a friend who is an accomplished quilter who invites me over when she is working and needs some entertainment. When I was trying to make a cut on this fabric, I couldn't get all the pieces to stay still. I placed my forearm down and even started to hike my leg up to hold the mat. I call this my Warrior 1 Quilting Pose.

The Lure of Mermaids.



For those whom the promise of saltwater-fresh king salmon and monster-sized halibut isn't quite enough.

No post yesterday because we lost electricity all evening. We expect that to happen five or six times a winter, but summer? We haven't heard yet what the cause was. One summer we lost electricity and the word that came down as the cause was squirrels in a transformer box.

Strawberry Debutantes.



It is finally time to reveal John's prize strawberry patch to the world. When I told him I was going to take a picture of them he went out to water. Right before I took this picture he said, "They will look prettier in the evening light." He is primping them like they are getting ready for their cotillion. His little strawberry debutantes. This strawberry garden produces enough fruit for me to make batch after batch of jam. Originally I wanted the area to be my perfect flower patch. John wanted strawberries. It was a race to see who could plant the fastest. He won.

I see some dandelions standing off to the side like unwanted suitors. They'll be asked to leave.

Life Imitating Art?



Have you ever heard of a game called Sims? In this game you create a character that first lives at home with mom. Then the character has to get a job and move out into her own house. She has to manage her money and move into ever-nicer homes, acquire a boyfriend and throw outrageous parties. My kids like to play this game, and I'm proud to say that it has taught them some life lessons, even if it is a bit skewed and the connection to real life hasn't quite sunk in.

The other day we came home and found the television had been left on. My oldest daughter saw this and said in total honesty, without being cheeky or sarcastic, "In Sims, that would make the electicity bill go up really high." Even though we have nagged the kids for years to turn off lights, etc to save electricity, it didn't really sink in for her until she learned it the hard way on Sims by leaving a virtual TV on and getting a high virtual electric bill that was more than she could afford on her virtual income. Bing! A connection is made and the light goes on (or off rather, to save electricity).

Sawhorse Snag.


At the hotel where I backed into a cable in the parking lot, we found that parking was in a garage "for compact cars." When we parked there the night before the marathon the garage was empty and it all seemed roomy enough to park the minivan in. But the next morning, hurrying to get to the start line, my friend had to perform vehicle acrobatics with a 50-point turn to wiggle out of our spot...I wasn't driving since I put a hole in her bumper the day before.

We decided that whenever we left we would block the one spot that had no parking spot behind it (therefore we wouldn't be trapped later) with a sawhorse that was in the building. I used to know someone who carried orange cones in his car to block off the parking slots on either side of his fancy car in order to protect it. This worked very well a few times. The security guard finally caught on to what we were doing and removed it while giving us a look that said, "Move it again...I dare you." We didn't.

Alaskan Auto Body Work.



When my friend and I went to Anchorage I drove the early morning shift in her car. We got to the hotel and found a tricky parking lot. I tried to look out the back window when it was time to back up and had a hard time seeing through the kids, pillows, and blankets. Then we had this conversation:
"I can't see out the back."
"Just use the side mirrors."
"Okay."
And when I backed up we heard a crunch and the rear end of the car lifted. I had backed into a guide wire for an electical pole, right in the center of the bumper. When I drove forward it made a hole in my friend's car. No problem! Alaskans are known for their creative and enthusiastic use of duct tape for everything. She proved that she was a true Alaskan when she placed duct tape over the hole in her bumper. All done! It matched her paint, was all she cared about.

The Agony of Da Feet.


After the marathon I took my running shoes off and saw that blisters on my heels had burst and soaked through the backs of my shoes. I slowly peeled my sock off the foot that hurt the least....and saw this huge blister on my big toe! I spent twenty minutes applying blister packs and bandaids to my poor doggies before going to see a movie.

Near the start of the marathon a moose ran across the path and gasps of oooh and aah surged through the ranks. This confirmed for me that most people who participate are from out of state. The locals just set their eyes on the next water station.

The Thrill of Victory!


This last weekend I participated in my tenth marathon as a fundraiser for neurofibromatosis research through the Children's Tumor Foundation. You probably know that if someone says they participated in a marathon, instead of saying they ran in a marathon, that it means they were slow. Finishing is always a victory for me, but my real goal is to win the race against NF (neurofibromatosis), which my son, Leo, has. This year the NF team raised over $50,000 toward research. Maybe that money will serve to keep a clinical trial going long enough to find a treatment! To learn more about NF, see the link to the right.

This picture is of myself and Leo at the finish line. He had participated in the kids fun run earlier in the day. They usually get a medal for it. This year they got a little pin. You can see it on his shirt. He was a little upset about that pin.

No Clams Today

This morning we hooked the boat up to our Suburban, loaded 7 people and 2 dogs into the car and headed out to Homer. Our plan was to take the boat across the bay and dig for steamer clams, then fish for rock fish on the way home. At the top of the large hill heading into Homer we got a flat tire on the trailer. Immediately following our brakes went out. John put it in low gear and got us down the hill. When we coasted to a stop our car stalled out and wouldn't start again! Triple whammy! The tires were brand new and the car had been running perfectly until today. And it was raining. John never gets mad at stuff like this. He just put on his rain gear and crawled under the car with his crescent wrench. It was about 50 F out. John was in heavy raingear, mud all over him, sandals on and one leg of his gear ripped up to the knee. Of course he was wearing shorts under it all.

We ended up having to get towed back home. We still have no car. How sad!

How to Sneak Up on a Clam...

This is one of my mother's favorite Alaskan activities. First you find a dimple in the sand like this:

Then you sneak up quietly and quickly start your digging. If you don't move fast the clam will dart away quicker than, um, some sort of fast darting animal.

Then you shove your arm in the hole up to your elbow and feel around for the razor clam. Hopefully you don't find out why they are called razors. That is me with the clean hands. I prefer to dig as I'm too chicken to put my hand into holes where little creatures live.

They are best when you haven't broken the shell with the shovel.
Today's catch was 110 clams. This equals out to about three hours of work processing them at home. Ugh. We always get overzealous when out digging and then regret it when we are working the rest of the day.

Chickweed Chuggers.

The first phase of John's ducks-are-going-to-eat-all-the-garden-weeds plan is in motion. We just purchased two ducks who will be raised as weed hunters. You don't think they take their job seriously? Take a look at the picture below.

That's one serious duck!

Order Up!

John was a happy worker last week when he got to make a garden for someone else! When I saw the frame for this log garden on his flatbed trailer I was excited thinking it would be for flowers in front of our house. He was hired to make it by an admirer of his for whom he has previously built an addition to a house that included a log bed and even a toilet paper holder made out of a branch.

Lost and Found.

Last fall John took all the screens off the windows and brought his big leaf blower into the house. Then he went through the house "dusting" with the leaf blower. I was out of town for this creative house cleaning. I was sad to find that everything I had on the window sill in the bathroom was gone out the window into the yard. I found everything except for my mouth guard that keeps me from clenching my teeth. Just when I needed it, too! I searched and searched and couldn't find it. The other day I was walking through the yard and looked down and saw it! It was there all through the winter, survived the dogs who chew everything, and even evaded the lawn mower!

In response to yesterday's post, Ben sent me this photo and message concerning his recent trip to Kansas: "This is near Wetmore, nobody I asked could tell me anything about it."

Purple Pine Cones.

When we were chartering, I used to drive our clients to the water, and during these drives they would ask me many questions. The first question was always, "What happened to your windshield?" You know the answer to that! Everyone has a cracked windshield here. The next question was, "What do you do in the winter?" After the third question we would pass by a highway historical marker that is in Anchor Point and they would ask, "What is that marker?" I never knew, because who stops to look at those things when you live right by them? Since I've started taking a picture a day, I've found myself paying more attention to everything around me. So we are surrounded by hundreds of trees on our property, and I only noticed a few days ago that we have these purple pine cones growing on our trees. Is this peculiar to white spruce or all spruce? Is this a common sight everywhere evergreens grow that I've just become aware of? I don't know, but now you know that we have them here!

Mr. P. - Done Showing Off.

I was sad to hear the other day that a peacock my parents (Kansas) have fed dinner to now for years has died. He was very polite in showing up for dinner at the same time each night and they really enjoyed his company. My mother was even hesitant about going out of town for a few days, fearing that the peacock wouldn't get his dinner and would snub them in the future. Here's his eulogy, written by my Mom, in which she shows her great love for him by referring to him as a 'person':

"As I said 'our' peacock, affectionately known as PC, became part of the food chain approximately a month ago. It is believed the consumer of this tasty morsel was a coyote, since one was observed lurking close by. What can I say about PC: he was a very gentle soul, who asked for little from life. PC was a very independent person; he actually lived on a small farm about 200 yards away, but for some reason he didn't like to sleep there. So at sunset each day, he would walk across the road and through our property, making sure to come on our deck and check out the food de jour. When we were novices we would give him bread (usually some cheap white bread we bought specifically for that purpose) or sunflower seeds, but eventually I made a concoction of peanut butter, corn meal, Crisco and raisins - he loved the raisins and would usually eat them first. He would then proceed to the back of our property, to roost in a barn owned by another neighbor. At sunrise he would reverse his journey and rejoin his family. His demise was reported by the owner of the barn - he found a pile of feathers at the roost, and a carcass in his pasture. PC is missed by all who knew him (well, except for one neighbor who would occasionally shoot a BB at him)! RIP PC!"

We Need More Garden! I heard noise out by the garden and it turned out to be John making MORE garden! He's outgrown the 70 X 45 foot area that's chock full of veggies so he extended it outside the walls. Into moose territory!

Now we have these extra rows planted with broccoli and covered with remay.
Then he mowed the yard just so he would have clipping to dump on the rows. This will hold in the moisture and help stamp down the weed growth. I thinned out the radishes yesterday and he almost cried to see any little plants die. He considered rescuing them with their little exposed roots and transplanting them somewhere. Will the new rows survive the moose? Will we have enough veggies for our youngest to turn down at dinnertime well into the winter months? Will we be able to find someone to water all of this when we go camping? Updates to follow....

Bad Hair Day! Leo slept in the car all the way to Anchorage and woke up for the graduation with haystack hair. John used a bottle of water and the brush to fix him up.
Leo doesn't take a nap without his "Girl Pillow." A few years ago I made pillow cases for each of the kids. I let them pick out their own fabric and this is what Leo chose. I expect his first girlfriend to have a 40s hairstyle.

Moose Down. We made a quick trip to Anchorage the other day. On the highway at one point we saw tufts of hair blowing along the road and knew what would be up ahead. A truck and several cars were pulled over where a moose had been hit. It was lying in the road. The large delivery truck had just hit it. So sad to see.

Hauling Kids. Sophie went to a wonderful horse camp this week. She learned a lot about horses including leads, how to make a horse backup, loping, running barrels, how to keep a horse standing still, how to show, etc. One evening after work I went with a friend of mine to see what the kids were up to. They were at the beach having a cookout. And if you are in charge of 45 kids and 20 volunteers and need to get everyone to the beach for a cookout then you load them all up in a horsetrailer and drive them there, right? They had as much fun riding in the trailer as anything else.

How To Park A 3/4 Ton. Our 14-year-old has been driving for 8 months now and is especially glad that it is summer as winter's icy roads knocked out a lot of her driving time. Parking perpendicular to the curb has been a tough one for her to master, so this was an especially proud moment. See how perpendicular? She wasn't aware of the fact that she was taking up almost 2 spaces. And she actually is about 3 feet back from the curb. We'll tackle one thing at a time. This huge car is the only vehicle she's ever driven. I want to be there when she gets into a smaller car and realizes how much easier they are to drive.

There were two things I was going to point out about our car, that don't really show up well in this photo. See how the orange side lights are missing on the right headlight? That is because we hit a moose a few years ago. You can't tell, but there is a wire holding one headlight in place. The shield on the hood was actually put there to hide the dent the moose caused. And I can't believe our windshield cracks don't show up. Here's a close-up.
This huge hole in our windshield and the cracks that spiderweb all over the place were caused when a gravel truck passed me going the other direction on the highway and an avalanche of rocks slid off his piled-too-high load of gravel and cracked my windshield. Cracked windshields are a particular hazard around here because of the gravel business. Remember my picture of the gravel pit? We have resisted getting the glass replaced because the last time we did it lasted two months before this happened. But, it will have to go soon because it is right at eye-level to the driver, causing the eyes to fight over looking at the crack or looking at the road. I want to be there when Corinne first drives a car that has a clear windshield and realizes how much easier it is to drive.