Star of the Internets

My beautiful little mansquito kitty cat, Henry is a star of the internets! He can really work his shrug. Check out all these kitties in hand knits, it is hysterical. If you are in need of pick-me-up, or a giggle, or a break from the trytophan haze, dip into the Flickr gallery. It is so worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends who check in and keep up with my weird schedule through this here website. I hope you all find some contentment and hospitality this weekend.

Smokin'

It's been a while since I posted a volcano shot. So, here is Mt. Iliamna backlit this afternoon, a nice coda on a busy, busy day. We were lucky enough to catch this lovely sunset from the end of the drive way as we came home. It was letting off a little steam. According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory there is no change in that status of Mt. Iliamna.

Now I am off to make White Lightning Chili. Yum!

Boreal Goodness

For your enjoyment. I had one really tenacious Boreal Chickadee at the suet feeder yesterday. The winds blew in a small front that is now bringing us a little snow. Enjoy. Disclaimer: On my computer this video is NOT sideways. I have tried five times to get this thing to upload correctly. Apparently, Blogger thinks this is correct. Who am I to argue. So, tilt you head. If that hurts, tilt you monitor. Sorry folks.

My sister has been in town from Bellbrook, Ohio. She is thinking of moving back up. I am encouraging her. It would be great to have her around. My girls just adore her. She is looking at want-ads, websites of employers and real estate. Keep your fingers crossed.

I am making my plan for next week so I am not running around like a crazy lady. I have guests coming for Thanksgiving. I need a plan! I will still, at some point, be a crazy lady, but my plan should minimize that. I also like to do surgical strike shopping, get in, get out; preferrably with very few other folks in the store, usually about ten o'clock at night, on my way home from work, with no children.

This is all on top of fixing myself. We were rear-ended on Sunday. Oh joy! Tell me what parent allows their seventeen-year-old kid to drive a bunch of his friends 2200 feet up a mountain to illegally snowboard on private property during the first snowstorm of the year? And bonus, he did not have studs on his tires. Sheesh! The accident could have been worse. He hit us while we were stopped at an intersection, we were not pushed into traffic. Zoey and I are the only ones sore. It really could have been worse. And I will feel better when I can get a full night's sleep.

Big, Fat Fluffies

Finally, I think the weather pattern may be changing. We are getting big, fat fluffies. Maybe we will be getting them most of the week. Yippy! This makes Tom and Zoey very happy. I even like it, too. Vivi will get to hone her newly emerging nordic ski skills. And everyone in town will finally get their winter driving chops back. I am so glad I do not have to go to work today.

Happy Veteran's Day! Happy Armistice Day!

Not Quite Freezing

It has been not quite freezing in town. We have been having a very warm October and November. Up here it has been cold enough to keep the snow on the ground, but not cold enough for the snow and ice to form sticky crystals. The upstart is that our road is super slick. If it were only my neighbors driving on it, we would have minimal problems. However, we have the most popular trail head in all of Alaska just below us. So, three times this fall the road has been closed by the Anchorage police department due to flatlanders trying to drive on plastic ice without studs. Two of those times I have had to be at work. Today was one of those days. I got to watch the guy ahead of me turn two and a half times around and then bumper off the sides of the road until he was at the bottom. While he was doing this the gentleman behind me was trying not to hit me as his car was sliding down out of his control. All this because they wanted to play in the snow but did not want to monkey with their tires. I did not have a single problem. Sigh.... Once the rest of Anchorage gets some snow the problems will abate, as then nearly everyone will have their studs on. Either that or the temperatures will dip and the make up of the ice and snow will change.

And thanks for all the concern regarding the winds. We regularly ride out winds that high and higher. We are good for a storm each year where the winds gust to 100mph. We have always been just fine.

Flip Side

If birds could be awarded medals, this one would get a medal for bravery. He is feeding on the suet feeder that was knocked down by the wind. There was very little action at the feeders today. I hope all these little guys have safe harbour in the hemlocks.



I have shown you so many pictures of gorgeous sunsets and alpenglow, lovely snowfalls, and many critters. This is the flip side.



To live at 2200 feet above sea level and above Anchorage there is a price to pay. For all the gorgeous sunsets we put up with extremes in weather. Right now we have a big front coming at us from the Gulf of Alaska. It is warm and wet and strong. It hits Prince William Sound and gets funneled through the mountain passes. The above picture is from the corner of our lot, looking up the road. It is beginning to drift in. Normally you would see Flattop Mountain and up Rabbit Valley. This photo is unretouched, no photoshopping. It is VERY hard to capture a picture of wind.



This photo was taken from nearly the same spot as the lovely sunset of two days ago. Yes, that is the same view.



The weather service folks tell us to expect some gusts to 80mph this evening. This is actually not too bad a storm.

November Sky

Like most photographs this one does not even begin to capture the beauty that met me when I saw the inlet. I came around the corner to my home, arriving from classes and piano lessons, and shopping. The girls were quiet and nappy, I was worn out and needing some quiet time. We all gasped. There was golden light imbuing the clouds, playing on all the waves below. Breathe in, breathe out. Yes, even with all the grey the light is gorgeous.

Spooky! Spooky!

Which is spookier and scarier? Hmmmm.....



A troll and a witch?



A pirate tween?


Or a kitty in a sweater? Wearing it all day? Mwaahhaaaa!!!!

Is this the Left Bank?

It seems that all my cool sightings lately come on Tuesdays, after piano lessons. Yesterday when I was unloading the groceries I looked out the window and saw about eleven birds on the powerline. They were watching all the action at the suet feeders. I do not normally see a flock of birds on our lines. I looked closely and realized they were Bohemian waxwings. Hot damn! Yes indeedy! I have never seen them at my house. Thanks for the visit, please come back anytime!

Zoey received her new biathlon rifle yesterday. She and her dad tinkered with it until 12:30AM. Hopefully, Zoey will now make her goal of earning a spot on the Alaska team for the 2008 Arctic Winter Games. Cross your fingers!

Full Moon Yurt

Eagle River Nature Center

We have a had a reservation for the Rapids Camp Yurt at the Eagle River Nature Center for about two months. We have been so looking forward to camping out there in the fall, with a full moon. The kids have been calling it the Yurt of Terror since it was so close to Halloween. When I woke up on Saturday morning this is what was on the front page of the paper and my task that morning was to pack up for our reservation at the Yurt. Hmmmm.....

Our friends Joe and Sarissa were coming, too, so a plan formulated among the outdoorsmen and we decided to go, but go making lots of noise and taking a mobile bear re-education program with us. We also knew we had Coho the Wonder Dog tagging along. I had all confidence we would be just fine.



We counted no less than six signs with about this same wording in the two miles it took to hike out to the yurt.







We spent the evening near the river. The men pumped water.



The girls spazzed out. They had fun with the little eddies of the river being in various states of freezing. Here they had managed to pry a piece about an inch thick out and have some fun with it.



They also tested the strength of the ice, no one fell in, but it did come very close. After holding the ice the girls were ready for a fire.







The next morning it was time to hike out.



In the morning before we hiked out Vivi had found some beautiful fur on several trees right at about her eye level. The kids were trying to guess what critter left it (Science Chimp, you would be sooo proud). They were sticking to wild animals. The color was right for several locals, and with the bear attack first in our minds the kids were convinced it was brown bear. Once I got my hands on it, I was pretty sure it was llama or alpaca.

When we ran into these folks. They cleared up a mystery for us. It was from this handsome llama named Skilly.







There were loads of high bush cranberries left on the bushes, some watermelon berries, and rosehips all revealed by the leaves leaving. I tried to get a shot of this gorgeous bunch of cranberries with ice rime on them, but the camera would not cooperate.



Fall was revealing sights not seen with all the foliage of summer.



Vivi spotted this juvenile bald eagle checking out the slow, late salmon in the beaver lake.



Isn't she lovely?



As we neared the visitor's center we ran into the witch of the hollow tree and her intrepid bear cub assistant. Vivi was awed! They were setting up for their annual Haunted Trail party.

Project Runway

Do you remember the play that Zoey was in this summer? It was a take-off on Three Billy Goat's Gruff. This play had a scene stealing young man playing a little troll named Grotto. He stole my Vivi's heart. All she has wanted to be for Halloween since this play is a troll. No more mermaids, no more princesses, no more frou-frou girly costumes for my Vivi. A troll, with bells on her shoes.




Tonight I finished the shoes. Halloween can be a very snowy affair, so these are really sole-free over boots for her snow boots. She will be warm and safe and a truly awesome troll. My fabulous mother has done the rest of the costume to Vivi's specifications, including sparkly green fabric. With a little up-do on the hair and some face paint she will be the troll of her dreams. Next week I will show you a pirate and troll who are related. Can you wait??

Boo Brothers

We have been very busy with preparations for Halloween. The pumpkin on the left is of Vivi's design but Daddy's execution. She was great with all the slimy parts. In fact, I think she quite enjoyed dealing the the pumpkin guts.

Zoey designed and carried out her work of art. She calls it the Jack-a-polka-lantern. You may not instantly spot the polka dots she put in with a melon baller. It was very fun around that house that night. Cojo was hoping for some pumpkin droppings. I'm not sure what she would have thought of them had she gotten any.







Yesterday Zoey was having a resurgence of ear pain, so she laid down with a hot water bottle. Vivi and I wanted to do something to make her feel better. And what could be better than cookies? I had super-special assistant Vivi in the kitchen. We even talked about halves and wholes as we measured.



And our downy boy has been visiting at both sides of the house. I really enjoy watching him at the feeder. It looks like he might not like to share too much.

Road Home

Now that the fish has quit flying and the construction season is winding down, I can get out of work a little early. When there is no activity at the warehouse it is hard to stay.

Today I cut out early and drove home looking at the alpenglow. This is one of the few rewards for dwindling sunshine and loads of snow. The mountains will just blush with the sunset. This was not even climax alpenglow, but it was enough to make me happy, slow my heart rate, make me breathe deeply.



After I parked the car and took the groceries into the house, I walked to the end of the driveway and said "hello" to the Alaska Range. The sunset across Cook Inlet was gorgeous, back lighting these two active volcanoes. That is Mt. Redoubt on the right and Mt. Iliamna on the left.



I came inside to start dinner when Zoey called me to the suet feeder. We had a downy woodpecker! Just this week we started drawing woodpeckers. They are interesting to watch and so calm. The mountain that is out of focus below the woodpecker is Mt. Susitna. She is also called Sleeping Lady. Dave has a nice post about the legend of Mt. Susitna. It's worth a look. Happy Sunday, all!

Rant Ahead!

I think this might win for bird feeder with the best view.




My lovely mountain retreat is about three miles from any major thoroughfare and about 2200 feet above Anchorage. It is about seven miles to anything in town, including piano lessons and writing classes. I choose this place to live and I love it. I try to only go down the mountain once each day, so as to save gas, wear on the car, and my sanity. This is my first year where I have really felt like a taxi driver. I have always tried to schedule a day each week where I do not drive. It is great in that if I can actually accomplish it, I will not drive for seven weeks in a year. It feels wonderful and relaxing when I pull it off.

This school year I have not been as successful in making that happen. I will drive everyday for about 20 weeks. Yuck! Sheesh! It really seems to suck my soul out of my body. I know I am whining, but please! At least I might get more knitting done (if Vivi lets me).

All this running around makes me miss some interesting stuff up here. For instance, when we got home from Zoey's science class (and the laundromat) there were new visitors to the feeder.



"Hey, Zoey, quick, quick, quick!"



"What do you think that is in the cottonwood? No not the grey jay, WITH the grey jay?"



We had three pine grosbeaks in that cottonwood tree next to the house. At the same time we had a hairy woodpecker at the suet on the other side of the house. I have never seen a woodpecker at my place before! And the grosbeaks haven't been seen since March. Now I have to figure out how those grosbeaks like to eat.

All this new activity makes me wonder what we are missing when we are gone.