Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
One of the last to get my rehire interview. I was asked to write my job description. This is going to be fun. In the big city five people do my job(s), of course they have more volume too. I stopped writing after the first page, it looks like bragging with two full pages.
During stressful times, Gracie, I think it's quite normal to have a lot of mixed emotions. And if anyone I know is having a stressful stretch right now, it's you. Thankfully, you and Mr. G. do have each other...and maybe your fur-fam helps, too. Just hang in there (I know that's easy to tell you from the hundreds of miles between us), at some point things will take a turn for the better.Is it normal to be up, down, up, down, all over the place? I am excited, then scared, then sad, then excited again, then feeling dread, back to sad, back to semi exited, numb, down again...etc etc etc. Blood pressure has been a stead 211/80, I'm always flushed and hot, then get cold. MrG is afraid I'm gonna keel over from a heart attack. To be honest...I sorta wish I would so I don't have to deal with this any more. But then...he would be alone. And have two old dogs to deal with. And have to start this new "adventure" on his own. I'd feel guilty. Mostly, I keep kicking myself because we have been such idiots to not plan for this. We were supposed to be sitting in rocking chairs on the porch...not starting all over again at the mercy of friends like two beggars holding out a bowl murmuring "alms for the poor?"
Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck fuck.
Sorry. Needed to get that out. Maybe my BP will go down now.
[several days later] Well, Uschi passed on Saturday evening. I felt fortunate to have been able to hold her for her last bit of time on this Earth and be there when she breathed her last and her little heart slowly stilled. I took her to the homestead this weekend and buried her next to her big buddy, Aja (who passed on a few years ago). Sad work, and difficult to dig a decent grave in the forest. The dogs loved that place and even on her very last weekend there, she asked to go sit outside to enjoy being there. There's definitely and empty spot around here and one of my cats is in deep mourning, missing her little buddy.Thanks for the kind words, Foxy! No matter how much I want to make more time for friends, local and distant, things just pile up. I'm waiting for a batch of curds to set up so I can finish the yogurt I'm making. If I don't get on the milk while it's relatively fresh, I just end up throwing away a ruined batch of cheese, or whatever. One of my milk customers came by this afternoon and promised he'd bring some more containers to be filled. Even though he's an MIT-trained chemist, me makes his living making homemade, Alaskan wild berry jams and jellies. So right now is prime berry-picking time for him. Then he'll be prepping for the upcoming crafts fairs.Greetings, Everwon!
It's been a while, hasn't it. Too many pages to read to catch up, sorry.
We've started our rainy season here. I am accustomed to slogging through ankle-deep mud to feed, water, and milk the goats. They still object to the mud. Goats do not like the wet, that's certain.
I've been working at both places, Birchwood and Willow, getting lots done. In Willow, I've been clearing "slash" (branches and leaves, etc. left over from felling trees) and cutting/splitting firewood. My plan to build the barn and move up to Willow this summer were put on hold after the partner shattered his ankle, but I still need to keep cleaning and clearing. That fire here last year, and the many devastating fires in the Lower 48 make it clear that one should take every precaution possible to "fireproof" one's homestead. I've also decided to terrace the slope on the south side of the house for my garden.
Since my last visit here, the Solstice has come...and gone. The nights grow darker, longer. The turning of the year progresses apace.
Hopefully all are doing well.
So happy you checked back in GW. When you are gone so long I worry about you even though I know how busy you are and how your schedule doesn't always allow for recreational computer time. And almost nobody reads every page when they check in here. But looks like your plans are progressing though it seems to me that commuting to Anchorage from Willow during the summer months is more practical than during the winter. But you live there and know what you can cope with. Anyhow happy you are well.
For all intent and purpose, it appears that my Doxie is prepping to go to the Rainbow Bridge. She's not eating, although she is
I hear you re life setting our priorities for us sometimes. So sorry about your Doxie. The pain of losing them is such a high price for all that unconditional love. But it's worth it.
I know a couple of folks you get true enjoyment out of smoking and their quality of life would be worse without it. If you can quit awesome, if you can't just don't do it around me or people I care about.
I would love to send some mead, but I'll have to find out how to do that. The USPS won't let you mail alcohol, and you have to admit, it does have a splash of that!Greetings, Everwon!
It's been a while, hasn't it. Too many pages to read to catch up, sorry.
We've started our rainy season here. I am accustomed to slogging through ankle-deep mud to feed, water, and milk the goats. They still object to the mud. Goats do not like the wet, that's certain.
I've been working at both places, Birchwood and Willow, getting lots done. In Willow, I've been clearing "slash" (branches and leaves, etc. left over from felling trees) and cutting/splitting firewood. My plan to build the barn and move up to Willow this summer were put on hold after the partner shattered his ankle, but I still need to keep cleaning and clearing. That fire here last year, and the many devastating fires in the Lower 48 make it clear that one should take every precaution possible to "fireproof" one's homestead. I've also decided to terrace the slope on the south side of the house for my garden.
Since my last visit here, the Solstice has come...and gone. The nights grow darker, longer. The turning of the year progresses apace.
Hopefully all are doing well.
Nice to here from you again. We sure did have fun visiting you. Any chance I could get you to ship us some of that mead for Christmas? I'll send a check.
Maybe UPS or FedEx? Soap and cheese, now...those I can send but cheese should wait for cooler weather, I think.
That'll work until they drop the box.It's not illegal to ship as a gift but shipping companies typically have private regulations baring the shipping of alcohol. What most people do is lie if asked and claim it's only glassware.Greetings, Everwon!
It's been a while, hasn't it. Too many pages to read to catch up, sorry.
We've started our rainy season here. I am accustomed to slogging through ankle-deep mud to feed, water, and milk the goats. They still object to the mud. Goats do not like the wet, that's certain.
I've been working at both places, Birchwood and Willow, getting lots done. In Willow, I've been clearing "slash" (branches and leaves, etc. left over from felling trees) and cutting/splitting firewood. My plan to build the barn and move up to Willow this summer were put on hold after the partner shattered his ankle, but I still need to keep cleaning and clearing. That fire here last year, and the many devastating fires in the Lower 48 make it clear that one should take every precaution possible to "fireproof" one's homestead. I've also decided to terrace the slope on the south side of the house for my garden.
Since my last visit here, the Solstice has come...and gone. The nights grow darker, longer. The turning of the year progresses apace.
Hopefully all are doing well.
Nice to here from you again. We sure did have fun visiting you. Any chance I could get you to ship us some of that mead for Christmas? I'll send a check.
Is it legal to ship that I wonder?
Yeah, I know folks who have tried that, it most often fails to produce a decent beverage. But, if you want some high-test, kick-ass, head breaking hootch, that'll do just fine. Most of my meads aren't really ready for 12-18 months, including at least six months aged in the bottle. I keep pretty detailed notes so that any failures are not repeated and successes can be done again. There are loads of variables that come into play, though.I tried to make some homemade wine once. I followed the recipe I thought. I started with a heavy glass five gallon container and added the grape juice, sugar, yeast etc. and placed a huge rubber balloon over the opening. Hombre painted a smiley face on the balloon just before it was installed. We set the container in a corner of the dining room to 'cook'. The process was that the balloon would blow up and when it went down in about two weeks, the wine would be ready. Well it did blow up so we had this huge yellow smiley face in the dining room for one week, two weeks, three weeks. . .the balloon never deflated. Finally we took the balloon off and sampled the 'wine'. I swear that stuff was 200 proof or more if alcohol can be more than that. And it tasted terrible. Absolutely undrinkable. So I poured it out. I'm sure it scoured out the drain and pipes really well.
Yeah, I know folks who have tried that, it most often fails to produce a decent beverage. But, if you want some high-test, kick-ass, head breaking hootch, that'll do just fine. Most of my meads aren't really ready for 12-18 months, including at least six months aged in the bottle. I keep pretty detailed notes so that any failures are not repeated and successes can be done again. There are loads of variables that come into play, though.I tried to make some homemade wine once. I followed the recipe I thought. I started with a heavy glass five gallon container and added the grape juice, sugar, yeast etc. and placed a huge rubber balloon over the opening. Hombre painted a smiley face on the balloon just before it was installed. We set the container in a corner of the dining room to 'cook'. The process was that the balloon would blow up and when it went down in about two weeks, the wine would be ready. Well it did blow up so we had this huge yellow smiley face in the dining room for one week, two weeks, three weeks. . .the balloon never deflated. Finally we took the balloon off and sampled the 'wine'. I swear that stuff was 200 proof or more if alcohol can be more than that. And it tasted terrible. Absolutely undrinkable. So I poured it out. I'm sure it scoured out the drain and pipes really well.
Heavy duty cardboard and tons of bubble wrap, they'd have to find a way to completely crush the box.That'll work until they drop the box.It's not illegal to ship as a gift but shipping companies typically have private regulations baring the shipping of alcohol. What most people do is lie if asked and claim it's only glassware.Greetings, Everwon!
It's been a while, hasn't it. Too many pages to read to catch up, sorry.
We've started our rainy season here. I am accustomed to slogging through ankle-deep mud to feed, water, and milk the goats. They still object to the mud. Goats do not like the wet, that's certain.
I've been working at both places, Birchwood and Willow, getting lots done. In Willow, I've been clearing "slash" (branches and leaves, etc. left over from felling trees) and cutting/splitting firewood. My plan to build the barn and move up to Willow this summer were put on hold after the partner shattered his ankle, but I still need to keep cleaning and clearing. That fire here last year, and the many devastating fires in the Lower 48 make it clear that one should take every precaution possible to "fireproof" one's homestead. I've also decided to terrace the slope on the south side of the house for my garden.
Since my last visit here, the Solstice has come...and gone. The nights grow darker, longer. The turning of the year progresses apace.
Hopefully all are doing well.
Nice to here from you again. We sure did have fun visiting you. Any chance I could get you to ship us some of that mead for Christmas? I'll send a check.
Is it legal to ship that I wonder?
Heavy duty cardboard and tons of bubble wrap, they'd have to find a way to completely crush the box.
I've considered buying gold, but I am better situated to stock up on feed and shelter for my animals. I also stock building supplies and such like, fuel, nails, lumber...I figure I can eat the critters (plus, they are a "renewable resource") and materials make suitable trade goods. Ya can't eat gold, or build much with it, push-comes-to-shove.Well, I have started buying Gold coins. I purchased three sovereigns today. But I am paying £15 more each for them than the price advertised on various web sites, because I brought them at a jewellers shop.
I prefer to get them from a shop than risk my details on the internet, and rely on getting them through the post.
Since I plan to keep them for years I expect them to go up in value.
I've actually been there, done that and agree wholeheartedly. My biggest challenge was having a acrophobic aunt along for the ride. I finally put her in the camper with a dose of her nerve pills. She slept most of the way, thank goodness. The squeals, screams, and white-knuckle grip on the dash were...trying.Just got back from a road trip up to Silver City then the Gila Cliff Dwellings (which we didn't hike up to). I'm exhausted. One thing is the trip up to the Cliff Dwellings from Silver City is a gorgeous albeit slow drive. The section of Rte 15 from Silver City is mostly winding, twisty road barely big enough for two cars to pass each other, the section after Rte 35 is much better and it's all mountain driving.
My ghost peppers are coming in!
I'm ecstatic that I was able to protect them from being drowned in the relentless rain we've had for two weeks -- that's why I grow in pots around here. We get more rain than Seattle.
From the stem end an orange washes over that evolves into a fiery red. They told me when I bought the seedlings they would be "very hot" but I didn't really appreciate how hot until I looked up some video of people actually eating one whole.... this is one million Scoville units baby.
Can I interest anybody in a nice.... salad?
Aunt Betty is probably right. So seems the way of all flesh. I'm crossing fingers that nothing disastrous happens in the meantime and that Uncle Ed has an easy, peaceful passage.Just returned from taking my Aunt Betty for a late eye injection for her macular degeneration. And for the first time she opened up and was able to speak about her fears that Uncle Ed probably isn't going to last much longer. He hardly eats, does not drink enough fluid to be healthy, and he is so weak he has to force himself to get up to walk. And he has been having severe spells of not being able to breathe because of his advanced COPD which of course is causing most of the other problems and is also exacerbating his glaucoma. Those of you who are still smoking, please stop. It just isn't worth it.
I've considered buying gold, but I am better situated to stock up on feed and shelter for my animals. I also stock building supplies and such like, fuel, nails, lumber...I figure I can eat the critters (plus, they are a "renewable resource") and materials make suitable trade goods. Ya can't eat gold, or build much with it, push-comes-to-shove.Well, I have started buying Gold coins. I purchased three sovereigns today. But I am paying £15 more each for them than the price advertised on various web sites, because I brought them at a jewellers shop.
I prefer to get them from a shop than risk my details on the internet, and rely on getting them through the post.
Since I plan to keep them for years I expect them to go up in value.
