Tag Archives: Spring

Uncategorized

Spring Sprung!

5 Comments

Spring has come upon us with such a vengeance it’s as if the earth itself grew tired of the ice and dreary days. Yes our breakup has arrived and we have rivers running everywhere-literally. The mud is currently ankle deep and with the forecast we should see mid calf by weeks end. Yes folks we have our own way of measuring the breakups progress.

Still working on the greenhouse. In the pics it may look simple but I assure you it is not. It is a concept I have spent 2 years planning that hopefully will work out as planned. Here in Alaska weather conditions can be extreme and I might add I can be more fickle than the weather. I am tired of putting a building somewhere only to decide later it should of been placed elsewhere. My design can accommodate that!  My 12×24 greenhouse is actually 2-12x12s that with a few screws removed can be easily moved elsewhere or made into 2 seperate greenhouses. With our winters dumping heavy wet snow I also did not want a permanent roof so am designing panels that can be removed when the season is over. Plastic can get expensive so side panels can easily be recovered in sections versus recovering the entire thing. I’ll let you know as time goes on how it’s working out. There are no plans just what’s in my head so each piece must be cut to fit. I might add building on melting ice presents a whole different set of problems as every morning I must reshim to keep it square before work begins.  

 My chickens are finally getting into full swing and laying almost a dozen eggs a day. Pickled eggs are in the near future-My kids will be happy! Yep they love running in and grabbing a pickled egg and out the door they go-portable food that’s good for them.

My youngest son will officially be a teenager next week. Where does the time go? He’s growing up and looking forward to being able to take on summer jobs-I’m not sure momma is ready but will cross that bridge when we get to it. 

   
Fishing-it seems to be the topic at every meal. Everyone wants to go fishing and the season is quickly approaching but could we not have to talk about it constantly? Seriously my girls must be dreaming of fishing at this moment as its all they talk about. Hopefully we can get some pole time in and not be too busy. 

Not much else happening right now just gearing up for our busy season and will have more to share as time goes on. Hope your all living life to the fullest, making memories and being thankful for the blessings you have. Have a blessed day! 

    
   

Uncategorized

Spring-Forward

Leave a comment

It’s that time of year again. Oh how I love the crisp cool mornings while the stars are still out blanketing the night sky with the shimmering lights and the darkness envelops you like a swaddling cloth. Seeing and feeling this makes you realize just how minute you are in this vast universe. As I make my way inside with fingers and nose tingling from the cold the scent of freshly ground coffee fills the air. We may have lost an hour of daylight in the mornings but that’s alright with me as it gives me an hour to relish in all I have been blessed with. 

We have been quite busy on Two Moose Farm. New life sprouting, new births and the moose have returned and with that we have had fence repairs and new fencing to do. It seems the momma moose who has come around for the last 2 years has made her return. She will hang around most of the summer in the woods by the house, sneaking in at night to see what kind of treats she can find. I just wish she wouldn’t kick the fence down and would leave the items I have nailed high on the north wall of the cabin in their place. 

As I mentioned we had fence repairs to do and as the ice is still with us I needed to finish fencing an area but couldn’t drive posts so we made a couple of temporary panels. Now the yard is almost goat proof as long as the moose leave it alone. 

    
    
   
Dear hubby spent the last couple days doing some welding on a friends equipment and that was a nice change for him. He’s anxious to get on the water but since halibut season has been delayed he will find other things to occupy his time. 

Our little piggies are growing and venturing out now. I missed the opportunity to get pics of them in a water puddle but I’m sure it won’t be the last time as much like human children they find water puddles too fun to ignore. 

   
Today I have planned to start building another greenhouse. Dear hubby has the lumber cut and stacked already and with his help we should have a good start on it today.

With the day’s growing longer and the abundant sunshine it is getting increasingly difficult to keep the kids focused on school work. I believe it may be time for hands on learning. Building projects require the use of math skills right? Then of course growing plants will involve science and let us not forget the earthquakes and volcanoes venting. We are going to have to move our classroom outdoors for sure.

Well the sun is peeking through the trees and the roosters (11 of them that need to go to freezer camp) are crowing a concert and telling me it’s time to begin my day. As usual I will leave you with a few pics of my world. God Bless and don’t forget to enjoy this day. 

    
    
 

Uncategorized

Yes I wear combat boots!

4 Comments

Oh happy day! My boots arrived from Altai boots and I absolutely love them! I have to admit when I felt the box (it was very light) I had some doubts about the durability but let me just say that those doubts are gone! First of all I have to point out that we live in a very wet area where the terrain changes from muck and mud to timber and I have to traverse all in my daily routine. Not once did I slip and not once did I do the flamingo stand-you know where one boot gets sucked into the mud and you try pulling it out only to come up with a sock covered foot and the boot stays in the mud. Yes many times I’ve had to attempt to stand on one foot while retrieving a boot from the muck!  No more!!!!!  I might add they are pretty stylish too-for combat boots! I can’t wait to see how they feel tomorrow after the grueling tests I put them through today.  

   www.altaigear.com

We had a new arrival today. Our last nanny kidded until we start the next round in June. Another beautiful little doeling who dear hubby named Doris. 

 Everything is growing!!!! Last year I tried an experiment where I took potatoes that were beginning to grow eyes and not being one to waste I peeled them for a meal then planted the eyes. A few months later we were digging potatoes. This year I repeated the process and currently have about 40 plants coming up and that was 3 days ago!  I now have about 200 different plants growing in the greenhouses and outside with more to plant soon. We’re waiting on the piggies to finish tilling the next garden area. Soon my cold crops will fill one half of the fenced area and another greenhouse in the other.  

   The moose are really out now and we’ve begun keeping our eyes out a little closer oh and so are the Bears! My goodness I was a bit to close for comfort the other evening when I realized the grunting I was hearing was a huge brownie! I swear when he stood up he looked 12 foot tall! He truly was a big one though as his pads are as wide as my foot is long! 

 I buried my wheeler for the first time of the season and as it was getting late I called dear hubby and told him I was heading the rest of the way in on foot. He ended up going to retrieve the wheeler with the kids and I went to town. Had a wonderful time at my friend Maura’s and to be honest I enjoyed the girl time. The next morning I met Dear Hubby and 2 of the kids on the trail so the kids could go into town for some down time with their friends. Maura and I went to do a load of laundry (which is still in the truck) and get a few groceries. I had been on a search for Rosemary seeds but could not find any so bought one plant that I gingerly carried home. It was a fun day for sure but am still tired from hiking in with a full load. 

The kids went in today to their first shooting sports get together. Caleb did awesome but the girls still haven’t developed enough upper body strength and have decided they would rather watch for awhile and maybe try again at a later date. Caleb hit 10 out of 25 clay pigeons which for his first time skeet shooting was pretty darned good!

Our pig Charlotte is getting close to her farrowing time so tomorrow I will begin working on redoing the old goat pen. She’s going to be irritated that her buddies are not with her to use as pillows but she will love the not having to share her food!

Tonight I was feeling ambitious and made my Jalepeno popper chicken for supper so I’ll leave you all with the recipe if you would like to try it-my family including the kids love it!

Good night and I pray your all feeling as blessed as I am.

Jalepeno popper chicken 4 servings

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced in half then pounded thin

2 jalapeños split and seeded

4 tbsp cream cheese

4 thick slices bacon stretched

4 tsp Jalepeno jelly

Fill each Jalepeno half with 1 tbsp cream cheese and set aside. Lay chicken breast down place cheese filled Jalepeno on then roll up. Wrap bacon snugly place cream cheese side up in shallow baking pan. Repeat with remaking breasts. Bake in 350 degree oven 30 min remove and top with 1 tsp jelly each return to oven for 5-10 min. Or until jelly has melted. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.  These can be cooled and sliced as an appetizer too! 

 

Uncategorized

Long days have returned!!!!

5 Comments

well it’s 10:30 pm and starting to get dark. I love Alaska in the spring! The days are longer,fiddlehead are starting to come up, the sap running and everything is turning green.

I’ve always loved springtime. It’s Gods promise fulfilled of new life. Everywhere you look there is something fresh and new. From the sprigs of grass poking through the soil that was just a couple of weeks ago frozen ground, to the new animal babies hopping and jumping around. Spring to me is a time of renewal. When the doors and windows get flung open to allow the ocean breeze to push the staleness of winter out and usher in the energizing scents of salty ocean air mixed with the aroma of the spruce trees, grasses and even the faint scent of manure that will fertilize the gardens. Yes I love spring!

The kids sure enjoyed the day today. It was 52 degrees out and the ran and played for hours. Sometimes you just have to skip school work and allow their imaginations to let go and be free.  There were hunts for moose taking place in the front yard with stick guns at the ready. After the game was processed, a feed sack “hide” was then made into “leather” knapsacks to carry their bounty back to home. Of course no good homesteader would be happy with just red meat so they caught their fish but a bear got it so they decided bear was next on the list. Then they had to defend the farm from some invisible force to which I’m not privy to as I am but a poor helpless civilian who needed protecting. Oh to have the imaginations of children. To find happiness with a stick and the freedom to be anywhere in your mind you choose but for this momma I am happy they chose home as their exotic place.  

 Mike returned home today and our wonderful friend Dan brought Papa Fred out. Papa Fred is indeed sporting a broken wrist so for now his cabin building must be put on hold. He will mend quickly if he just gives it time to heal. On a good note the doc told him he is as healthy as someone half his age. 

My dear hubby is so awesome. He spent yesterday running papa Fred to the VA and digging raspberries for me. He then spent the night with Dan and Robin and what a time they had. Viewing pictures, telling stories and enjoying good company. It’s so nice having great neighbors.  Robin is currently incubating turkey eggs for me. She calls them her kids and watches over them like they were gold. I do pray they hatch. More so for her than myself as I don’t want to see her disappointed. I thank God daily for putting such loving people in our lives.

As I mentioned before Mike dug raspberry plants and stopped to share them with my lady friends out on the road. Mary gave him a sack of rhubarb for me to split and plant which I was very excited to get but then gave him 2 huge pots for me! I can now cook 30 gallons of sap at a time! Yes we are truly blessed! 

 Today Mike disassembled the green house Robin gave me and then he and Dan loaded it on the trailer Dan pulls behind their side by side. The load was a bit much for these terrible trails and the trailer rolled. I was worried sick but soon he came pulling in the yard with a lighter load but no damage to his trailer or person so I said a quick prayer of thanks before getting steam rolled by 3 kids and a dog rushing out to greet him. Speaking of the dog-Missy was upset when she realized Dan did not have Robin yesterday when he came out and today she was just plain mad! She rushed out, seen no sign of Robin and did her grumbling/growl thing she does then went and pouted. Funny how dogs get attached to people.  

 Sunshine is in the forecast for the next week or so and that is good news! Much to be done and with the longer days we should get a lot accomplished. Tomorrow I will be busy planting rhubarb and raspberries-you can bet I will have visions of canning dancing through my head!

   
 Well that’s about all I have to report as not much excitement but enough to remind us we are very much alive. I’ll leave you all with a prayer of Thanks and a hope that the sunshine warms your face tomorrow.

Uncategorized

Sprinter time! 

1 Comment

Well it is supposed to be springtime in Alaska, it’s not 40 below like the old song says but it’s not exactly sunshine and roses either!  I have decided since it’s not quite winter yet not quite spring we need yet one more season and we will call it Sprinter! Sprinter will be that in between time that anything goes!  Here is what Sprinter looks like it’s snowing and 34 degrees out. 

       

The sap run has been interrupted by the cooler weather so it’s going to slow down completion of that project. Here is what birch sap looks like before it’s been cooked down to reduce then after when it is syrup 

   

The process is very simple but time consuming. The pint jar is what remains of almost 15 gallons of sap. 

Oh here comes the sun again! This weather is quite fickle. Last week we had torrential rains and hopefully it will begin drying up. 

Dear hubby is hauling lumber from the sawmill today on his back as it is too wet to do otherwise and we are hoping it dries out soon because we will be needing some supplies from town.the wheeler is out of commission again and has us stumped as to where the racket is coming from. Always something isn’t it!

Babies everywhere now as we have the 5 new ones, one goat left to kid and the cycle begins again in 2 months. We are getting quite a bit of milk now so hoping that I can figure out what is going wrong with my cheese. Never had this problem before so it is a mystery. Going to try my old granny stand by recipe and see what happens. I’ll let you know!

   

        

Well sun is out and I have raspberries that need planting and more seeds to pot so I’ll bid you farewell for now and pray  your day is blessed with busy hands and a happy heart.

Uncategorized

Insomnia again!

5 Comments

was very tired after the big day yesterday and then the arrival of the new goat kids last night so thought I’d call it an early night. Crawled into bed at 11 pm and slept like a baby until 12:40. Eyes wide open and here I sit at 2:45 posting because sleep eludes me. I guess I will catch you all up on the past few days.

My youngest son Caleb turned 12 on Saturday. We planned a get together with friends for Sunday and met for ice skating and pizza afterwards. It was a great day until we came home in the rain through the mud and we’re all soaking wet! Regardless it was fun seeing friends and having the kids get some time to play with their friends. My oldest son Corbin even joined us for a couple of hours!

               

I was late getting chores done so as I hurried up to get the milking done the kids and hubby fed and watered all the other critters. As you all know we have goats that are kidding and no idea of due dates so I make my final checks each night around 9. Nothing really happening so I went back in and around 10 Mike had Caleb shut off the generator. He suddenly starts hollering for his dad and tells him “I think there’s a bear cub screaming for its momma out here” dear hubby chuckles and yells in to me-“Mom, better check your goats I think your herd just grew” upon closer inspection Bubbles who less than an hour before was playing and being silly had just given birth to twins. Mind you it was still raining and she was in the girls’ pen not in the kidding barn so with a bit of team work we moved her and the two babies, through the rain and into the warm barn. 

   

The smaller dark kid is a doeling we named Illiamna and will call her Illy and the larger light is a buckling we have named Junior. All are doing well and Bubbles will spend a few days with the kids before we separate her from them during the day.

The busy time is on us with the break up in full swing. Another week of these warm temps and it will be walking the 3.5 miles to the road as the wheelers won’t be able to navigate through the muck. I am anxiously awaiting seeds a friend gifted me from Denali seeds. They are supposed to be acclimated to our climate and growing season. Thank you again Cathy for yet another thoughtful and useful gift.

Chickens are laying now and it’s like a treasure every time we get an egg. My kids dislike store eggs so are very excited. I’m excited that the weather has warmed up and my friend Robin is incubating some Americauna eggs for me. Green eggs in my future-how cool is that!

Well our battery alarms just went off so it’s time to say goodbye before I lose the last of my charge. Praying your all blessed with happiness and peace. 

Uncategorized

Let it snow-No! make it go make it go!

2 Comments

I guess I have been spoiled all winter by the lack of true winter weather. Now that spring fever has hit full force it becomes bitterly cold and now I see white flakes falling from the sky. Make it stop!!!!!! No really, I’m done, bring on spring in the form of sunshine, skip the rain, mud and all things that could possibly hinder my progress and just let me have sunny days and green grass…..please! 

The latest cold snap has little frost bitten ears on my goat baby, a chicken with frozen toes now residing in the cabin and we lost several baby rabbits who got out of their snuggly nest and froze. Oh how I hate to see little ones suffer. 

As I sit pouring over garden plans and day dreaming of green grass I must remind myself it will be here entirely too fast and will leave even sooner but I just can’t help myself. I do this every year and after all these years it hasn’t gotten any easier.

The cold has increased the workload immensely with constant thawing of water dishes, bottles and bowls for all the critters and I have lost feeling in the tips of several fingers now due to frostbite. It will return, it always does but somehow whining about it makes me feel a tad bit better-you know misery truly does love company! On a good note the weather man says we have warmer days ahead so I’m holding him to it! 

I am on high alert now as it is typical for momma animals to pick the worst weather to have babies in so night checks will continue indefinitely which translates to a lot of sleepless nights for me. I really am not complaining about this though as I love seeing new life enter this beautiful world and it does bring me joy.

Still waiting on parts for our 4 wheeler. It seems to take forever sometimes but once again I am getting impatient.

Not much else happening in our neck of the woods so I will bid you all a good night and pray health, happiness and dreams of Flowers blooming, chest high hay and fields of grain dancing in the breeze. God Bless you all.