Happy New Year

Wishing everyone a year filled with peace, love and happiness.

We will be spending the evening watching the torch light parade, and fire works at the resort (just a few blocks walk).   Hundreds of folks skiing down the mountain with red torch lights.  So beautiful.  We have had such an amazing year, and I am just certain that this next year will be that and more.  Wishing you all the same.

Dreamy

About 10 years ago my husband and I walked into a real estate office in Homer, Alaska for "fun".  We were teaching in the bush and spent the summer in Homer.  I said "Hey let's go to the real estate office and look at property for fun."  It was to be a game of sorts because we knew we could not afford land.

Two weeks later we were the proud owners of 9 acres.  We realized that fun was more fun than we thought because we could afford land.  Two years in the bush meant that we had saved enough money to get an affordable loan.

I call it our Ed McMann land because it is just so beautiful.  We got a great deal because we were the second purchasers.  It was one of the few parcels that was not slash from downed spruce that had been ravaged by the spruce bark beetle infestation.  We paid the land off in full about 3 years ago and this is where our yurt sits.

It is filled with wildflowers in the spring and summer.  Rose, lupine, wild arnica, angelica so many different species.  We evan have low bush blueberries!  Lots of plants to harvest.  The Sand Hill Cranes nest on the land, the moose browse on it, and there were brown bear sightings last year (did not like hearing that). 

We have decided to finally build on the land.  It is part of our retirement plan.  If we build it now, and rent it out (ouch someone else living in my dream) we can maybe have it paid off by the time we retire.  Big dreamy thoughts of possibilities occupying my brain.

The Cold Chronicles

Sunday night we had a power outage.  It turned into a 11.5 hour power outage.  We spent the evening with candles and headlamps.  The little guy had a blast.  We burned a lot of wood, but managed to stay warm huddled around the stove.  My hubby slept downstairs to man the fire so that we could keep a little warmth in the home.  What a good guy.  We were lucky that the weather was "warm" a balmy 20℉, not the 0℉ it has been.

We have been walking a lot.  Our son does not nap well inside so we often take him out for a 2 hour stroller walk, which is great for keeping us in shape.  My husband is a little more excited than I am when the temperature is low.

He will actually jog in any temperature.  He came home the other day with an ice horn coming off of his beard.  Kind of like a reverse unicorn.  He was covered in ice from head to toe.  Me on the other hand, no running warm or cold.  I need to be well padded.  I often laugh because there is no femine feeling when you are wearing so many layers.

We ran into a young girl running her dogs down by the airport on our last walk.

There is nothing better than a clear day surrounded by mountains.  These are the days that I could never leave Alaska.  

Happy Holidays

It is -6℉.  Yesterday it was 0℉, and despite the cold it is just beautiful.  We have been busy, busy, busy creating, trying to stay warm, and socializing.

Perhaps it is the green smoothies I have been drinking for the past week, or being off work for 2 weeks, or this moose who has been finding comfort in our backyard, whatever it is I feel inspired.  

I hope you find inspiration in your holidays.

The mountains have been shining.  I will return next week.  Until then, Happy Holidays!!!!  

Bring on the Daylight

As I mentioned before the Solstice is my favorite day because I know that we have turned the corner and are heading towards more light. Even though at first it only increases by minutes, each minute is a celebration.

Last night I went to a Burning Woman Lunar Eclipse Gathering at my neighbors.

My very artistic neighbor created this beauty of a woman. She waxed the legs (kind of funny), and wrapped her ankles in matches.

And when the lunar eclipse first came into view we lit her on fire.

It was perfect timing as my toes had started to turn into ice blocks.

We each put in 3 intentions, something to release, something to bring in , and something for the earth.  Such a magical way to celebrate the return of light and the beautiful moon.

Green Smoothies

When you live in a small house you just can't fit in too many appliances.  We were gifted a hand held blender about 10 years ago when we lived in a much, much smaller house (15X19), and we have used it to death.  We then bought a succession of inexpensive small choppers to make healthy homemade food for our son when he had his unrepaired cleft palate.  One by one they broke as cheap ($10) models do.

I have wanted to make green smoothies for my family for awhile now, but our hand held chopper left our smoothies with larger chunks.  My hubby was always gracious and swallowed (chewed) them down.  He also will eat my "backpacker" bread. Which is any bread that fails and becomes a hockey puck.  What a good guy.  I on the other hand just can not embrace a chunky smoothie.  Who can embrace that oxymoron?

So we welcome into our home a nused blender.  Nused being new to us, lovingly used by another.  My friend up the road just bought herself a Vitamix (green with envy) and so she brought us her Oster blender. Funny, first real blender at our ripe old age, but we are indeed thanful.

My friend also lent me the book The Green Smoothie Diet by Robyn Openshaw.  I need to carve out some time to read it, but the first chapter has gotten my attention.  Robyn is known as the  Green Smooties Girl and you can read her blog here.

The blender works way better than our hand held blender and breaks the ingredients down to a smaller chunk, but I have not reached smooth yet.  I have to strain the smaller chunks out of the little guy's smoothie or he rejects it.  So what he has is a healthy homemade veggie/fruit juice.  Todays smoothie included

Water

Apple

Bok Choy

Red Cale

Apple Juice

Strawberries

Two thumbs from all three of us.

This Moment

This moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. An idea from Soulmama.

Chop, chop, split, split, this moment and every moment.  It has been hovering around 0℉.  That is cold.