Finnskimo

Fair?

2012-01-27T10:56:00.002-09:00

Life.

It's not fair.

This is MY weather.

You know, the weather where I have to plug my car in, pay $7.69 for a gallon of gas, only to fill up twice a week because I start my car and let it "warm up" for 45 minutes before going anywhere...where my dogs have to be kept inside all day so their feet don't freeze...where your face literally freezes after about six minutes outside. Where you don't dare lick your lips or they will freeze too!

This is my HUSBAND'S weather.

You know, where women wear thongs, and the smell of a Cuban cigar wafts around you. Where salsa music and good food awaits you at every corner. Where the sun is warm and not just light.

I wonder what your body does when the weather outside warms up literally 120 degrees. Or vice versa. What does it do when it goes from 82 degrees to -38?! I guess we will find out when he comes home.

(P.S. He's in Miami for WORK, no less! I need a work trip like that!)

Samaiyaqs

2012-01-24T14:56:00.002-09:00

Little Trout.

Frozen Whole.

To Eat.

From Noatak.

Real Good.

Lunch Time.

Seal Oil.

And Blackmeat.

Soaked Fingers.

Happy Eskimo.

Still Cold.

So Cheap.

Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts

2012-01-17T12:05:00.002-09:00

Last night we went to watch the Huskies play (GO HUSKIES!) the Galena Hawks. It was a great game, back and forth scores, but eventually the Hawks dominated the inside and won.

Throughout the excitement, the girls (Clara and Kaisa) were busy giggling away and playing Clapping Games. OMG! Do you guys remember clapping games!? They totally brought me back to being a kid! We watched the game, watched the girls, watched the game, watched the girls. Sigh...

My favorites are the fast ones and the ones you ALMOST can get in trouble saying:

Miss Susie has a steamboat,
the steamboat has a bell,
Miss Susie went to Heaven,
the steamboat went to,
hello operator please give me # 9,
and if you disconnect me,
I'll kick you from,
behind the fridgerator,
there was a piece of glass,
Miss Susie sat upon it and cut her little,
ask me no more questions,
I'll tell you no more lies,
the boys are in the bathroom zipping up their,
flies are in the city,
the bees are in the park,
Miss Susie and her boyfriend are kissing in the
D - A - R - K, D - A - R - K, dark!

Miss Sue,
Miss Sue,
Miss Sue in a rocker, eating Betty Crocker, watching the clock to tick-tock, tick-tock fernaminama, tick-tock, tick-tock fernaminama, DON'T MOVE!

Great big gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts,
mutilated monkey feed,
chopped up baby parakeet,
french fried eyeballs sitting in a bowl of blood,
and me without my straw,
so they gave me scab sandwich,
mustard on top,
eagle eye balls and camel slop,
all these things were made in a pot,
so they gave me puke with sugar on top!

Double Double Ice Ice
Double Double Cream Cream
Double Ice, Double Cream
Double Double Ice Cream.

Oh to be young again. I think we are due for a girls night of clapping games! hahaha.

A bit nippy.

2012-01-13T09:33:00.002-09:00

You know, the thing about living in the Arctic is that it's cold.

Rocket Science.

So, surprise of all surprises, it's been MIGHTY cold these past few weeks. The ambient temperature hovering around negative 20 to negative 30 below zero Fahrenheit. The wind chill has been pretty steady at fifty below zero, some days colder and some warmer.

I had posted on Facebook the other day that it was minus 67 degrees below zero and that kids were still expected to walk to school. And that my car, "big bertha" still starts, warms up and runs in the cold, which is why I am hesitant to replace her with a newer sleeker model who might just get cold and freeze up. When your car starts at 60 below, you really want to keep it.

My husband made this little iPhone video to show how cold it was on New Years Day. (and dark too!)

Boiling Water does amazing things when it's that cold out. Like freezing in mid-air and evaporating in front of you. :)

Bieber Fever.

2012-01-10T11:46:00.003-09:00

My 8 year old has Bieber Fever. Seriously.

And I refused to buy her a Justin Beiber doll for Christmas. Cause I'm a mean mom. That and because she has enough dolls. I told her if she wanted one, she needed to sell some Barbies to make room for JB. She said she was going to have a Barbie Stand...much like a lemonade stand, outside. In the cold. But she would stay warm, because she has Bieber Fever, remember!

Anyway, she took the high road and asked SANTA for a JB doll. Santa Momma was like, "Psh, whatevs, you're gettin' a sweater."

So, when Toys for Tots came through our schools and gave EVERY SINGLE child in Pre-K through 5th grade a present, imagine her surprise when she received, none other than a JUSTIN BIEBER doll.

If that doesn't show you Santa's listening, I don't know what does.

PS, Santa momma was happy that she didn't have to buy a JB doll. And yes, she did get a Sweater for Christmas. I am SO fun, I tell you.

Inupiaq word of the day...

2012-01-08T22:40:00.003-09:00

Alapaa

(ul-up-AAAHHHHH)

Alapaa means, "IT IS COLD!"

Very appropriate if you ask me. :)

See the windchill? -65 below zero. Stay warm.

GOOD NEWS though, we have a little over THREE HOURS of daylight! :)

Alive and Well

2011-12-21T08:29:00.003-09:00

Well. Maybe I spoke too soon when talking about being alive and well! But, I can attest that I am, in fact, Alive.

Being well is another issue all together! Bottom line. I'm back on my feet again. Remember THIS? Well, since that time, I have had a weak, cheap, ugly immune system. When I get sick, I get SICK. I end up in the hospital. I end up with an IV. I end up unable to walk. You know, things like that.

So I ended up sick. With Strep Throat. And it sucks. So the week before Christmas I spent a lovely weekend eating through my veins, and curled up in a ball.

Consequently, my daughter had a pre-op appointment in Anchorage a few days before Christmas, so our entire family rushed to Anchorage for Christmas. Which was OK because we were able to spend the holiday with the other kids in Palmer.

So...in short this is what happened in the past three weeks.

1. Sick with Strep.
2. Christmas in Palmer
3. Kaisa had surgery.
4. Recovering in Anchorage.
5. Sewing to pass the time.
6. Happy New Year in Anchorage.
7. Still here.

Anyway...I took my camera and have not snapped ONE PHOTO since being here. I don't know if it's cause I was sorta sick, or what. Anyway... I'll have a few tutorials coming up. (Cause I promised to do one and then...blah, didn't.)

So, we're alive and well. Thank you. :)

Fritz

2011-12-14T09:44:00.002-09:00

My daughter's BFF dog. Her Princess Beyonce (That's what she wanted to name her. We said no!)

We got Fritz when she was just a wee little Ewok from a guy (Guy, that's his name!) here in our town. We thought that Kaisa was old enough to be responsible for her, clean her messes, take her on walks, etc. And she was, usually. I've had to clean my share of messes, but in the end, Fritzy is a good dog.

She's the only dog that I've known who will watch Television constantly and try to jump in the screen! We moved our TV onto the wall because of that.

The other day, I shaved her (She's part Terrier, mostly Shitzu) and didn't really notice anything different, except that she did not want to play with Magnus, our beastly dog, who she LOVES tormenting. She just sat around all sad looking. I thought she was PMS'ing.

When the morning came (yesterday) my daughter screamed that her eye had popped out. Literally, her eye popped out of her head. So, I started calling around, Googling little dog's eyes popping out of their sockets, etc. We do not have a Veterinarian in town, the closest one is 600 air miles away, and you have to take a jet to get there. We do, however, have a "dog lady" who will check out your dog or cat for you for $20 and tell you to send her to Anchorage!

So, we did that. And thankfully I have awesome friends, so one friend took Fritzy as baggage (she even sat First Class!) and another friend picked her up and dropped her off at a Doggy ER in Anchorage.

And $950 later, Fritzy is up and at 'em, she is less one eye, but apparently it doesn't bother her cause she's having the time of her life, meeting new friends!

We are very happy she is still alive, and though we will now have a one-eyed dog, that's OK. Kaisa says that she can be a pirate next year for Halloween! :)

The secret life...

2011-12-13T15:19:00.002-09:00

Of me! Nah, it's no secret. If you're my Facebook Friend you already know that I'm a sucker for punishment so I string myself along most of the time on coffee, and good carby bread.

I realized that maybe I am just a teensy bit "busy" when I was asked to film something and I literally could NOT find a spot this week to do it. Which sucks, because it's sort of my job to film it! My email went a little like this:

Atikluk Purse

"Oh hi. Let's see, my schedule is as follows: M-F 8 am - 5 pm I am at work. Monday night I teach sewing class at Church from 7:00 - 9:00, and I have to make dinner sometime between work and class... Tuesday and Thursday I have Zumba, so I can't do it those days. Wednesday is the School Christmas Program (I was wrong, it's Thursday) so I will be busy with that... Friday I open the church up for those who want to finish their sewing projects from the Monday before. (Last week I did that). Saturday morning I have Zumba at 9:00 am then I'm hosting a Christmas Bazaar at the Long Term Care Center until 5:30, I also have dress rehearsal for the Church Christmas Program from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Saturday, that hopefully my sister will take care of. And then Sunday morning is the kids Church Christmas Play that I am not going to miss..."

Homemade "Meat Sticks" smoked and baked.

And all this between making dinner (I made my own Garam Masala last night for Caribou Tikka Masala, and it was SOOOO GOOD!), and sewing the Christmas Presents I'm making for family this year, AND finishing all the random projects I'm doing for other people (mittens, hats, purses, bags) so THEY could give Christmas Presents to people... AND finishing all the stuff for my own table at the Bazaar.

"Sourdough Starter Spoons"

To top it all off, we have done NO decorating this year because we found out the baby (8 yr old) will be getting her Tonsils out December 27th, which means her Pre-Op appointment is December 22nd, and we have to travel to Anchorage for Christmas. So, today I booked the rest of the familys flights on Alaska Airlines for the customary 30,000 miles so we could spend Christmas together.

Monkey Fist - Keychains

I guess you could say I'm a little busy. Juuuuuuust a little.

She's BAAAAaaaaAAAACK!

2011-12-09T15:38:00.002-09:00

Hi.

I'm not dead. Although I'm sure there are some mouse lovers who wish otherwise. Ah that's OK. I wish you well oh mouse lovers!

Long time no see ah!? (That's what we say up here. Don't you love it!)

It HAS been a while though. Oops. I know, I know, "blog etiquette" states that thou shall post daily, even if thou is in thine hospital...which I wasn't. Fooled you though huh!?

My husband was.

He's OK though. Yay. He'll be around for a bit longer, which is AWESOME. Totally.

I've been busy shoveling the 8 foot drift in front of my house, and busy in Anchorage working, hospitaling, drinking wine with my friend, visiting family, getting rained on, and getting stuck due to weather!

And shopping at JoAnn Fabrics! :)

It's been DUMPING snow on us left and right. Today at lunchtime I shoveled about 5 feet of snow that was over 7 feet high. Workouts!? Who needs workouts when you live HERE!

Anyway, tonight I'm teaching sewing at our Sewing Club, we usually meet Mondays but thanks to the storms we've had for the past couple of weeks, it's been postponed. SO tonight we will try to finish our Atikluk Aprons and figure out what everyone wants to do for the rest of the winter sewing season!

Have a GREAT WEEK! (And I'm back so I promise I'll post!)

Fancy Pants

2011-11-22T13:45:00.002-09:00

Yesterday my family embarked on an epic journey. We seemingly left our little town of Kotzebue and entered into another world. A world with marble tables, and real cloth napkins. A world of elevators bringing you to your destination, water served in glass goblets and a kids menu with an Alaskan Crossword Puzzle to keep busy.

We waited a bit to be seated in nice comfortable chairs. A Real marble tabletop awaited one of my kids to break their glass on it. But thankfully, they didn't. I mentioned quietly, "oohhhhHHh fancy..." to which my (mini-me) daughter guffawed, "This isn't THAT FANCY, they ain't gonna serve you WINE!" Touche` girl, touche`!

As I sat down, the view from my seat astounded me. Dark Blue seas gave way to a bright orange sky. The sun in full view on the horizon. Because of where we were located, you could look straight at the sun and not be blinded. It's so cold though, that the sun, I guess, is just for looks and a few hours of brightness during the day. There is no heat to it. As a matter of fact, it's colder during the day than at night when the waxing crescent arrives.

Caribou herds walked in front of us, taunting the inner hunter of my husband. Saying to him, "ha ha ha, you can't catch us..." He was beside himself in visible pain to be sitting 200 yards from them. Close enough for my 8 year old to take a shot. "We are EATING DINNER!" I calmly reminded him.

The menu was skimmed through and though the prices seemed high (to me), we went ahead and ordered whatever we wanted. A basket of rolls arrived at the table and my daughter exclaimed, "Man...real aanatuk!" (Ah-nah-took: means very sad, homely looking) while we all laughed. She's used to fresh rolls plucked out of the oven after a double rise, smelling of yeasty goodness. The taste was good though, so we enjoyed the rolls while we waited.

Our food arrived a bit later (and I apologize for not taking photos, next time!) and we all sort of gasped at how wonderful it looked. Eye Candy, for certain.

My meal consisted of a Country Fried Steak, perfectly buttered and smooth mashed potatoes. Just enough bacon and sausage gravy was spooned atop a hand dipped pan fried steak the size of my husbands hands. (And they are HUGE) Steak so tender you could cut it with a fork, even if you had wimpy arms! The marriage of butter mashed potatoes and the pan fried steak (not deep fried!) was enough to make my tastebuds do an Eskimo Dance of Quvaisunga (HAPPY DANCE) in my mouth. My perfectly steamed vegetables also were seasoned to perfection. Cauliflower still firm, yet soft, carrots glazed in pan drippings. Seriously folks, that Steak was so good, I hate to admit, but it was probably better than mine. And mine are made with Caribou and are REALLY REALLY GOOD!

My 8 year old decided she wanted "Pasta and Meatballs" for her meal. A choice of Fries, Fruit, or Veggies, yielded some Fresh Fruit on the side. When her meal came in a nice deep bowl, two of the largest meatballs I've ever seen were there for the taking. Corkscrew pasta was cooked al dente and bathing in a tomato based sauce perfectly seasoned for a child. Now, my children are not picky eaters by any means, (her favorite food? Tuna and Salmon Sashimi and Edamame) but this meal will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Especially if you tell them the meatballs are two HUGE eyeballs of a pasta monster that needs to be eaten up!

Kaisa exclaimed, "THIS IS AMAZING....I wanna work here. Too bad they have like laws and stuff that won't let me." All based on the fact that her meal was so good.

Dean went out on a limb and ordered the Creole Chicken with Italian Sausage and tomato sauce. I was surprised because he is SUCH a meat and potatoes kinda guy, I was thinking he would order what I did, or the New York Strip. But he didn't. And was very very pleased with his choice. It too came in an oversized hot bowl. Moist grilled spice rubbed chicken sat atop a bed of al dente pasta swimming in the sausage tomato sauce. Not too spicy for my wimpy taste buds, but spiced enough to satisfy my husbands. The Italian sausage was cut into coins and married well with the sauce. The serving was large enough to make Dean happy as he almost licked his bowl clean.

Halfway through the meal Kaisa said she had to use the restroom, so we ventured off to find it. Passing a Jade Counter, and several display cases showcasing local art we found it next to yet another elevator. When we walked in, the black and white tiled walls reminded me of Mukluk Trim made of Calfskin. While Kaisa did her business, she yelled, "MAN, These bathrooms are pretty nice and it's HARD TO IMPRESS ME with bathrooms...." To which I had no words to rebut! They were pretty nice though.

Koy ended up being safe and ordering Fish and Chips. They were battered well but the real showstopper was the tartar sauce, a creamy tangy dip served in a side bowl that made you want to stick your finger in it and slurp. Red Cabbage coleslaw also had a tangy bite served on the side. It's pretty hard to screw up fries, but to make them awesome is a gift. A gift Koy gladly accepted while eating the crunchy seasoned fries.

(un)Fortunately, my kids heard the servers ask another patron if they were interested in dessert, so (begged) asked nicely if they could get something from the dessert menu. To which we obliged because, well, I wanted dessert too! An order of Berry Cobbler came for me steaming with a scoop of vanilla ice cream sitting perfectly on top. The peanut butter pie was decadent in it's cute little round servings, but the real star was the HUMONGOUS Chocolate Cake that the kids shared. Not even able to get through 1/3rd of it, the remainder sits in my fridge for the rest of the week while they whittle away at it. Dessert? Passed my test!

Even though they didn't serve me WINE, I was happy to drink my pepsi in an ADULT CUP. I was happy to put my cloth napkin on my lap and I was happy not to clean up. The servers were great, taking turns busing each others tables, checking on us often, and quietly sweeping up messes when needed. My hats off to the chef last night as well. The food was AMAZING, and you can't beat the view.

The check, if you're wondering, was $97.85, and I have to say for a FULL MEAL with dessert, it was WELL WORTH IT for my family and I to eat out at a place like that right here in our own hometown of Kotzebue, Alaska. I highly recommend checking it out at the Nullagvik Hotel Restaurant if you're in town.

SONday

2011-11-20T14:11:00.002-09:00

I love Sundays. Really. Anything that starts out at church singing as loudly as we can has to be great right!? Even the pile of laundry that waits on the couch can't bring me down.

I have plenty of things to look forward to this week. Plenty of things to be thankful for. I've been blessed beyond compare. Life is so good.

Tomorrow I start my Sewing Classes here in Kotzebue. (Spread the word) I don't really have a "plan" per say because I want to get a feel for what everyone wants to make first. We have so many options. Atikluks, Mukluks, Aprons, Purses, Mittens, Fur Hats, Fleece hats, etc. And options with skin sewing by hand, or sewing cloth with a sewing machine. We are going to learn to make patterns, and use those to share what we've made! I'm excited.

Wednesday the twins come back up north for a 5 day visit with us and we CAN'T WAIT to see them. Our nephew Coltrane will also be here, and so all my mom's grandkids will be here!

There have been several caribou roaming around the town (yes, in town...walking around...hanging out with us folks!) My husband's cousin was petting the little ones while they ate on the side of the road. It's just like Finland! Anyway, they are super excited to go hunting when they get here. Maddie hasn't caught a caribou yet, so she'll have to give it away if she gets one. Max caught one last year so hopefully he gets one so we can eat! :)

And of course Thanksgiving is in a few days. We've begun the preparations, only as far as trying to clean up the house! Though this Thanksgiving will be different because we usually eat with our Aana Katak (and she's still in the nursing home in Anchorage), we will still try to get together in the evening so the kids can play Eskimo Bingo and we can visit. We have a large close-knit family, and we'd very much like to keep it that way.

We have a pretty extensive menu but so far we will have 8 or 9 extra people and maybe 15-20 extras for dessert. It helps to have two kitchens, and lots of cousins! :) Time to get baking.

Have a great Sunday.

Lessons...Dean style

2011-11-17T17:49:00.002-09:00

I have tried and tried and tried to get my husband to teach me how to make BBQ sauce. I have begged, pleaded and made bad deals, to no avail! He won't tell me.

So, how would YOU get back at your husband who wants to keep his BBQ goodness from the WORLD!? Duh, you sneak around with your long range lens and snap photos and BLOG about it!

So, here you go. Don't ask me how to make it, or ask him for that matter, cause he won't tell anyone. He's stingy. But that's OK cause he makes a case of this at least every month.

You see, we like BBQ sauce on things. Caribou, Ribs, Chicken Nuggets, Pulled Pork, etc. It's plenty good.

1. Cut up at least one onion.
2. Brown the onion and I think it looks like some garlic.
3. I saw at least two cans of Beef Broth...
4. Parmesan cheese Spread?! OK whatever works.

5. Some sort of McCormick Grinder. I couldn't see it very well. Dangit.
6. Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning, no wonder it has a kick.
7. Brown Sugar, nuff said.
8. Vinegar. Regular old white Vinegar.

9. Looks good. I stole some and used it to marinate some chicken. Man that was tasty!
10. Pineapple Chunks?! I woulda NEVER GUESSED!
11. Lots of Ketchup. Whatever cheap Ketchup you have on hand. I saw at least three bottles.
12. Looks good now huh!?

13. Honey, now that's goodness!
14. Tupperware version Chipotle Seasoning.
15. Hand Blender, I had no idea he knew how to use this thing. I guess he does!
16. Bottle that goodness up into canning jars.

Word up. Enjoy trying to decipher this. I think I'll just be happy he makes it. :)

Better than Starbucks!

2011-11-10T13:18:00.000-09:00

Especially when the closest Starbucks is, oh, 700 miles away. 700 air miles. Otherwise known as $720 in a round trip ticket. And as much as I love coffee, I'm not that rich, so we have to improvise.

I'll also be honest. I never ever EVER go to Starbucks unless they're serving the Pumpkin Spice Latte. (Shutup and get on the train, OK!?) Any other time I'm a Terra Bella girl. One hundred MILLION percent. Terra Bella. (Drive through off Benson and Little shop on Dimond in Anchorage!) Seriously, Terra Bella coffee will change your life.

It'll at least make you warm. :)

ANY-WHO, as we don't have a really great coffee shop here, and Mae is gone to visit family in my Coffee time of need, I figured I'd better make use of that Espresso Machine and just make my own.

Sigh.

Here's how I make my Pumpkin Spice Latte:

1. Place a spoonful of Pumpkin Puree in a cup. (We keep ours in a tupperware container in the fridge) (We also use disposable cups because this was for my son before school.)

2. Brew some good espresso.

3. Pour Espresso onto Pumpkin. Mix well.

4. Steam yourself some milk.

5. Pour milk into espresso/pumpkin mixture.

6. Pour 1-2 TBS Pumpkin Spice Syrup into your cup. (I make my own, stay tuned later this week when I show you how. Or you can buy it from Amazon too I just found out!)

7. Add Whipped Cream and a sprinkling of Pumpkin Pie Spice.

8. Give to your sleep deprived teenager so he can make it to school on time.

Step 9? OK, Step 9. Serve with Pumpkin Bread. (Maybe I'll share this recipe too. )

Enjoy.

1 minute of fame...

2011-11-09T15:18:00.003-09:00

Sometime this afternoon I started getting texts and facebook messages about hearing me on ABC World News Tonight.

Huh!?

Oh yeah, yesterday a local news station called and interviewed me for a while about the storm of the century. I talked mostly about how we have been living through storms for thousands of years. My grandparents lived through them in sod houses, I remember hanging out in a canvas tent with a wooden frame one time at camp during a storm. As long as everyone stayed safe and prepared, we would all be OK.

Watch HERE .

I did mention we had a plane that had to be tied down, and our car was parked in front of it...

This was taken during the "eye" of the storm. Looking great so far!

And our plane did survive. But other people's planes weren't so lucky.

But the best part of the ENTIRE interview (I thought) was when I told the interviewer what my husbands facebook status said, "Dear God go ahead and take the House but PLEASE leave the plane alone!" HAhahahahahAHHAhah. Man, they didn't play that part!

Oh well. The good thing about being on National Nightly News for only a small part is that I still have 14 minutes of fame left in my life! Next time I hope they share humor with me!

UPDATE

2011-11-07T17:54:00.002-09:00

Well, apparently I need to get more than one Dr. Pepper!

A statement released from NOAA today...

...SEVERE BERING SEA STORM EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

 A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING STORM LOCATED ABOUT 600 MILES SOUTHWEST
 OF SHEMYA THIS AFTERNOON WILL INTENSIFY INTO ONE OF THE
 MOST SEVERE BERING SEA STORMS ON RECORD AS IT MOVES NORTHWARD
 ACROSS THE CHUKOTSK PENINSULA TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS STORM
 HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE.

 THE STORM WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD WINDS OF 40 TO 55 MPH
 WITH HIGHER GUSTS OVER THE WEST COAST TUESDAY NIGHT INTO
 WEDNESDAY EVENING. STRONG WEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
 OVER ST LAWRENCE ISLAND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. GUSTS TO 70 MPH CAN BE
 EXPECTED ALONG THE CHUKOTSK PENINSULA AND IN AREAS NEAR KOTZEBUE.
 WINDS OF 60 TO 75 MPH ARE EXPECTED OVER ST LAWRENCE ISLAND AND
 THE BERING STRAIT COAST. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO APPROACH HURRICANE
 FORCE OVER THE CHUKCHI SEA AND NORTHERN BERING SEA. THE STRONG
 WINDS WILL GENERATE SEAS TO AS HIGH AS 20 FEET OVER THE CHUKCHI
 SEA...AND TO 15 TO 25 FEET OVER THE NORTHERN BERING SEA.

 THE STRONG WINDS WILL PUSH LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER INTO NORTON
 SOUND...RAISING SEA LEVELS TO AS HIGH AS 8 TO 9 FEET ABOVE NORMAL
 TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE HIGH SEA LEVELS
 COMBINED WITH HIGH WAVES WILL PRODUCE SEVERE BEACH EROSION AND
 MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING ALONG THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN SHORES OF
 NORTON SOUND AND ALONG THE BERING STRAIT COAST. HIGH WATER
 LEVELS WILL PRODUCE COASTAL FLOODING ALONG THE SOUTHERN
 SHORE OF NORTON SOUND. STRONG WINDS AND WAVE ACTION MAY PUSH
 ICE IN NORTON BAY ON SHORE.

 MODERATELY ELEVATED SEA LEVELS AND HIGH WAVES WILL CAUSE
 SEVERE BEACH EROSION AND MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING ALONG THE
 SOUTH AND WEST FACING COASTS OF ST LAWRENCE ISLAND TUESDAY
 THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

 ALONG THE CHUKCHI SEA COAST FROM CAPE KRUSENSTERN NORTHWEST...
 SOUTHEAST WINDS GUSTING TO A HIGH AS 70 MPH WILL PRODUCE HIGH
 WAVES AND SOME ELEVATION OF SEA LEVELS...RESULTING IN SEVERE
 BEACH EROSION AND MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING. THE VILLAGE OF
 KIVALINA WILL BE HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO DAMAGE CAUSED BY
 BEACH EROSION AND COASTAL FLOODING.

 THE STORM WILL ALSO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AND BLIZZARD
 CONDITIONS OVER ALMOST ALL OF THE WEST COAST TUESDAY NIGHT
 AND WEDNESDAY. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF AS MUCH AS 14 INCHES
 ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA COAST AND
 IN PARTS OF THE INTERIOR SEWARD PENINSULA.

 AGAIN...THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING
 STORM WHICH WILL BE ONE OF THE WORST ON RECORD OVER THE BERING
 SEA AND THE WEST COAST.

Read more HERE.

Life Threatening??!?! I think it's time for a vacation. For real.

I went to the grocery store today at 5:00 p.m. to get a few "things" (Like Dr. Pepper!) and it was as if the entire town had congregated there. Hushed visits of the impending storm caused a stir throughout the entire store. People were picking up staples, like eggs, milk, potatoes and onions. I, too, had to pick up a few things. We have plenty of deer, caribou, chicken, and lots and lots of fish to eat. So I got enough food to subsidize those items in our freezers.

We are also filling our tubs and totes with fresh water (though there will be lots of snow outside!), and digging out the propane heaters, propane stoves, etc.

We are also praying that everyone stays safe, and all of our houses stay intact.

Storm Season!

2011-11-07T10:47:00.003-09:00

I'm gong to the store tonight. I gotta get me a Dr. Pepper. Cause when it's stormy, I always ALWAYS seem to crave a dang Dr. Pepper!

According to the weather predictors we are in line to have a winter storm that has hurricane Force Winds, in addition to a Blizzard Warning. A 942 mb low is planning to hit the Bering Sea town of Nome has 65 knot winds and 15 foot seas. They're expecting power outages and will "probably" have to cancel school. We will get hit with the storm too, but we are a bit further north compared to Nome. Our storm warning runs from Tuesday through Thursday (maybe we won't go to work either eh!?) A 942 mb central pressure is the same as a Category 3 hurricane. This is all in addition to a temperature in the low 20's and 4-8 inches of snow and fog!

Dang. Everyone is comparing this to the "Storm of 1974", but the difference was that they had a bunch more ice coverage which basically means more shore protection. We have 60% less ice than in 1974, so it'll be interesting to see what it does this year. Anyway, I'm going to the store getting me some Dr. Pepper, maybe another gallon of milk and some pasta. Since our freezers are full of caribou, deer, shrimp and all that good stuff.

See you on the flip side!

Life is Tough

2011-11-06T15:11:00.003-09:00

I remember being a kid and I would always say, "That's not fair..." My dad would tell me, "Life is tough."

I hated him for that. I mean, I really really hated when he said that. But now that I'm 34 years old, I know he was right. Life is tough.

I spent a good part of my twenties feeling sorry for myself and blaming everyone else for my problems. I left home at age 18, literally, the morning of my 18th birthday at 6:00 am, I left home and flew 5,328 miles on a one way ticket from Kotzebue to Orlando not exactly knowing what I was going to do, but knowing that MY LIFE wasn't gonna be "tough."

I got married, had a baby, didn't call my parents until I had my child. My mom hung up on me. Whatever, if she wanted to be a witch, then I didn't care.

Until I realized that I needed my mom. Because I was a new young mom. But it still wasn't my fault. Cause Life wasn't tough. For me.

Eventually I came back home. Not because I really wanted to, but because I had to. I was almost forced to go back home. So I spent a lot of time blaming everyone else that I had to come back to this God-Forsaken town above the Arctic Circle without even, GASP! a movie theater. Sucky. I lived in low income housing, and worked two jobs, eventually realizing I had to go back to school. So aside from being a divorced, single mother, who worked full time, I also took on 18 college credits at the local Community College.

And when I was burnt out, it was everyone else's fault but mine. Now, I have to add that I had a difficult childhood. I was torn between things. Right vs Wrong. Good vs Evil. Sure, I went to church on Christmas and Easter. I did my part and memorized my lines for the Christmas Program so the other C&E Christians could Ooohh, and Awe and my awesome acting skills as the Little Drummer Boy, Mary mother of Jesus, Ruth...

Other than that, we went to church to attend funerals. And that was it. I seriously did not think there could be a "God" because how could this so-called-God allow such horrible things to happen to me? But life wasn't tough. Not for me. It just was someone else's fault. Not mine.

When I was 26 I had my second child. A little girl. And three months after she was born, her dad left me for another person. Not that I blame him, per say...I mean when you're mad at the world, it's hard to live with someone else and not blame them for your problems. So, I did what I always did. Blamed the world. Blamed God. Blamed my parents. Blamed my friends. Blamed everyone but me.

When Kaisa was just a month old, her God parents came over and said to me quite frankly, "We are taking OUR GOD-DAUGHTER to church. Feel free to come with us. Or not." And they took my infant, breast-fed only, baby with them to church and left me to wallow in my sorrows at home. (They took my son too) They never pressured me to go to church with them, cause I was quick to argue that God couldn't exist, and I was proof of that. If there was a God, I wouldn't have had such a "hard life."

Eventually, Kaisa's Godmother called and said she was hungry, so I needed to come to church. Hemming and hawing, eventually I made my way over there to feed my starving baby. It was Mother's Day in 2003. After a moments of trying my hardest not to listen to the sermon, I opened up and heard the Word of God. And I cried. And cried. And cried some more.

Unsure of exactly what I was feeling, I went back. And went back again. It was like every single sermon that Pastor Phil was preaching was meant for me and only me. Give it to God. Trust in his Word. Pray. Pray. Pray. God doesn't give you anything you can't handle. Obviously, that was true because, 1. I was still alive. and 2. I was STILL ALIVE!

After several months of crying every Sunday, it was like the clouds lifted and I could see. I always knew I was "pretty good" at things. Sewing, Baking, Teaching, Crafting, Building, etc. And I just didn't know what to do with that. When I started living the word, and giving it to God, for real...it all made sense. Help people. Teach people. Spread the word in actions not words.

Everything I've gone though, though some very difficult to talk about. "Things" that included several visits to the witness stand to face people who did horrible things to me, and my family members, "things" that included police visits, several hospital visits, broken bones, broken spirits were all NOT in vain. Now, I can walk down the street, I understand what it's like to be in that position. I see women and children scared and I know what's going on. So, I walk up to them, I say, "Hi!" with my most smily face. And I talk to them about their day, their week, ask their kids about school. And tell them I am glad they are alive. Glad they are here to share this world with us!

If it wasn't for my daughter's God Parents, David and Tina Matthews, and the fact that God still loved me after all the toxic worlds I spoke of Him, I would still be a miserable bitter person, blaming everyone else for my life. I wouldn't be able to give my whole heart and 100% trust to my husband. I would still be a difficult, bitter person, and not such a good mother.

Life is tough. Really tough. But no matter what, there are three constant things that I try to remember.

1. God loves me. Even though I am a sinner. Even though sometimes I don't love myself.

2. You always have a choice. Always. You can choose to be ugly. You can choose to be happy.

3. Someone, probably somewhere close to you, has already faced what you're facing. And they are there to talk to you if you want.

You will always get knocked down. Always. There will always be difficult times in all of our lives. Since it's Sunday, and we are watching Football. It's not whether you'll get knocked down, it's whether you get back up...

I try and try to remember that I need to trust in the Lord for the plan He has for me and my family. Even if we don't understand it right away, He still has a plan. The toughest thing in my life right now is trusting that everything will be OK. I love the Lord. But even though I love the Lord, I still struggle with this every day. As a matter of fact, recently my husband was laid off, and we are still struggling to see what is in store for us. We are trusting in the Lord and hoping for the best. Because that's all we can do...

Remember...Life is Tough. It's what you choose to do with it that makes you the person everyone sees. Be a quarterback. Get back up. Smile. Help someone. God Bless you.

Red Riding Hood

2011-11-02T15:41:00.002-08:00

My 8 year old wanted so badly to be Medusa this year. So I obliged. Purchasing some nasty green crushed velvet at a thrift store in Anchorage, in addition to the several snakes we would weave through her hair.

The costume came along very well in my head. She was excited to wear sponge curlers on Sunday night, and get up early Monday morning for school so we could expertly weave those plastic snakes through her curls.

I had to throw this in with the post. She was THE CUTEST PIGLET EVER!

Seriously...look at those hands...ready to cause a ruckus! (My niece Rea)

Little did she know though, that every little girl in our family has to be Little Red Riding Hood. I was LRRH, Saima was LRRH (my mom was the Grandmother, and we had a 6 foot Wile E. Coyote that stood in as the Wolf), Elsa was LRRH, and I think Clara was LRRH too.

My mom meticulously sewed each of us a costume each year. From Clowns, to Princesses, to Indians, to California Raisins (I was SO COOL!). Our Little Red Riding Hood dress was one from our Grandma, and the Hooded Cape (as I remember calling it) was made out of Red Corduroy. My mom didn't use patterns either, she just made whatever she could out of whatever scraps we had!

I desperately wanted her to continue the tradition and was happy she agreed. So, since we had a School Carnival on Friday, she thought she could just be LRRH for the carnival and be Medusa at school.

I sketched a simple dress I wanted to sew up. White button up shirt with a Peter Pan collar, Full skirt, tulle to give it volume, and a front chest overall section with Finnish inspired details, white pleated apron to go in front and of course a hooded red cloak.

Friday at lunchtime, I made the skirt and apron. (We had the shirt leftover from when Koy was a little boy, so I just cut the sleeves off, and curved the collar) Friday after work I made the Red Velvet Hooded Cloak.

She used the exact same basket we all used as children, and put her hair in braids.

Thankfully she loved the outfit so much that she decided that maybe Little Red Riding Hood was the way to go at school too.

I'm glad our traditions run deep. Now if I could just get one of my kids to wear my California Raisin Costume I made in middle school.... :)

Giggles (etc.)

2011-11-01T17:54:00.002-08:00

Oh...are you looking for the Baboon story!?

Too bad. Cause apparently, "I must not know how it feels to get beaten up..."

So, it's saved for ONLY SUPER SPECIAL people, on a blocked site. Those who appreciate HUMOR when they read it. And who don't go all ape-shit crazy emailing me about how "Inappropriate a Post like that is." (Yeah, I threw that Ape in there again!) Tell you what...why don't you call my Mouse Lawyer, cause I'm still being tried in that court too!

AND Really!? That's what you got from the blog!? hahahaha ahha... Sigh... It was about a monkey. Or, sorry, Pre-Pre-Pre-Pre Human, if you want to be "politically correct!" (Since I apparently am NOT!)

And yes, you DID entertain me. What with all the Leaves and Baboon Sex going on. Thanks for that. I appreciate it.

Oh, and the shopping too. Yeah, that's awesome as well. But not as awesome as the Zoo.

Costumes and stuff

2011-10-28T11:21:00.002-08:00

OK, now that I dug out Bernice, my sewing machine (old faithful) I'm in the sewing mood.

(*Yes, my sewing machines have names. Bernice is my old faithful. Tiffany is my new pretty high tech one. Irma is my Serger. And I think Kaisa named hers Ashley...or Beyonce, I can't remember...anyway it really helps when you sew something on backwards. "DAMMIT BERNICE!!! WHY'D YOU DO THAT!?" haha)

Luckily for my daughter, I can sew whatever I feel like without a pattern. So, I have been busy sewing away.

Tonight is the Halloween Carnival and even though my girl decided she wanted to be MEDUSA for her SCHOOL Halloween party, she decided that she would like to be Red Riding Hood for the Carnival.

Of course, I said yes.

So, aside from making my sister Elsa's costume, and my niece Clara's pants for her costume, I'm also busy whipping up a cute little Scandinavian Dress (I have to put in the Finn somewhere right!) and Red Velvet hooded cape before tonight's very expensive, pretty lame carnival!

Oh, and we made my other sister some facial hair last night too.

I like hers the best so far!

WHY? Why, why, WHY!?

2011-10-27T12:08:00.003-08:00

OK. I just can't get over a post I read. And I'm sorry all you "Go Green" types but this is one GREEN item I will NOT be participating in.

Handsewn Tampons and Sanitary Pads.

Who wants to bleed all over these poor cute little MONKEYS!?

WHAT!? Seriously. I had NO IDEA people did this. I mean, I know the 7 BILLIONTH person will be born this year on earth, and the underdeveloped countries still face some horrible living conditions, lack of vaccinations, etc. And for someone who will benefit with these items, then GREAT, go for it. Make you some Pads, with wings.

Well, I actually think these are kinda pretty...

But, why would you choose to sit in your own BLOOD?! Really. It's not like we have a CHOICE in the matter, aside from a hysterectomy, to BLEED each month. Why make it worse by sitting in a puddle of it, just to GO GREEN!?

OK. Don't get me wrong. I'm all about saving the world from trash and landfills. We TRY to save as much as we can. We recycle what we can (including cans, just look in the totes in the garage filled with my husbands empty Beer cans.) and reuse what we can. But I'm sorry.

I'm NOT going to be using a reusable PAD. or Tampon (ick.) anytime soon.

You guys think if I learn to crochet, that I can make these!?

If I have to bleed my own blood, NO ONE is gonna know. NO ONE will be the recipient of a bulky handmade fleece PAD sticking out my crack. NO one.

AND I'm sorry but I'm not sticking a sponge up my who-ha, no MATTER how much it saves the earth. SORRY KIDS, this momma is gonna continue using Tampax or OB!

"Moon Songes are extremely comfortable, soft, and textured much like the vaginal wall, you can even trim them to fit your unique form, so you won't even notice they are there! Sponges are naturally very absorbent, and can also be used during sex. Some women choose to use them for contraception with a spermicide of their choice.

Moon Sponges are very absorbant (they are sponges after all!!) and they only need to be rinsed and reinserted about every 2 to 4 hours (depending on the heaviness of your cycle)"

It's bad enough that it happens to women, why make it worse!?

LOOK! Different sizes even!

OK, I also understand that a long time ago, they didn't have access to disposable anything. I am a glorified cloth diaper advocate. (All of use girls used cloth, our kids used cloth when they were home, and I made a couple clothies for my niece when she visits) I breastfed my kids until they are old enough for SCHOOL (not really, but really!), and I come from a very "granola" family. I also know that a long time ago, when an Eskimo woman was on her cycle, she was BANNED FROM THE HOUSE, and could not show her wrists for fear that some bad ju-ju spirit would get her or her family. They used MOSS, LICHEN, and other absorbent materials. (Like apparently SPONGES!)

BUT THAT WAS 50 YEARS AGO! It's the 2,000's folks! Get you some Always with wings, or Tampax Combination packs and get on with your day!

OK. That's all for now. P.S. I took all these photos off of Etsy. Good for you if you reduce, reuse, recycle...but I'm not jumping on that train just yet.

Look, even designer fabric. Gee, I just figured out a use for all those Fat Quarters I have sitting around!!!

(You know what's funny though, I totally COULD MAKE the Pads! I have all the materials, and the know-how to do it. AND because I CAN make them, I am seriously starting to contemplate actually TRYING them. Cause we all know I'd love to NEVER EVER buy another pad again. Hmm.... We'll see...We will SEE.... Sigh...I'd have the cutest little pads ever!)

Warming up.

2011-10-25T09:05:00.002-08:00

Warming up in the Northwest tip of the United States is tricky sometimes. And I'm not talking about Halloween Tricky. Yesterday we had our first itty bitty storm, and it piled a whole 1 foot of snow in front of our garage and on our new deck.

The cars wheezed through the day, trying not to freeze and this momma had to dig around for the telltale extension cord coming out of every car in town, like a little umbilicus, marking the beginning of winter. Come to think of it, it is sort of like an umbilical cord for our vehicles. It provides energy to the Block Heater and the Oil Pan Heater so when it's 40 degrees below zero our cars will still turn over and start. My umbilical cord is blue. And it lights up at the end. Fun.

The weather right now is prime for playing out without snowpants, or a face mask. It's pure winter, at it's finest. Apparently Mother Nature doesn't know this and she will continue to force feed us cold weather until May, when it warms up again.

Luckily for us though, the sun is still trying it's damnedest to provide a source of heat. I can almost feel it at around 3:00 p.m. Pretty quickly, the sun will just be a tease to us Eskimo's and we will go to work while it's dark, pick up the kids afterschool while it's dark and enjoy our evenings while it's dark. And eventually in late December, when Christmas is in full bloom, our days will increase by 1 minute, then by 2 minutes, then by 3, and our wonderful warm sun will return to us from his migration south for the winter, and all will be glorified again.

Until then though, we know how to warm up. Whether it's with sealskin slippers, or wolf mittens, or homemade hot chocolate, or something warm and Bready. We know how to warm up.

Especially when there's Banana Bread involved. Cause you can never have too much Banana Bread!

WARM-YOU-UP-BANANA Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl mix together:
3 eggs
1 3/4 C Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 C Oil
1 stick Butter (melted)
3/4 C milk
1 TBS Lemon Juice
3 Mashed Bananas (about 1 1/2 C)

In another bowl, sift together:
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
3 C Flour

Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients. It'll be a little soupy, but trust me, it works. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp raw sugar on top. Bake for about an hour.

Enjoy with some coffee, or hot chocolate. Warm up. :)

Kotzebue Krud

2011-10-18T11:28:00.002-08:00

Fall time in the Arctic is absolutely beautiful. Berries, Caribou, Fall colors bursting about. Our Fall doesn't last long though. We quickly go from bring green mosquito infested rivers, to bright gold and orange cool Autumn days, and freezing nights, to snow on the ground, and everything brown underneath.

I think God made it gorgeous here because it is so short that you really have to stop what you're doing to witness it.

When Winter rolls around, so does the "Kotzebue Krud." A cold-like virus that will give mucinex commercials a run for their money. Your bones ache, you feel like you have strep-throat, and a headache that won't go away. People cough and cough and cough some more. And it lasts for MONTHS.

So, seeing as though I feel like I've been hit by a Mack Truck, I pulled out the trusty teapot and went to work.

Lemon Ginger Tea, with honey.

It gives you the warmth you want and need, while coating your sore throat in tasty goodness. I literally drink this for three months. Every day, all day long. As a matter of fact, when I travel, I take honey in travel containers (under 3oz, like what you'd use for shampoo!) and cut up lemon with pureed ginger so I can ask the flight attendants to just give me some hot water!

I don't use a recipe, really, but I'll try to recreate on for you, in case you've been hit with the Kotzebue Krud!

Lemon Ginger Tea with Honey.

For 3-4 cups worth

Juice one half of a lemon into a teapot, with a strainer.
Cut one knob of ginger off, and grate it into the teapot.
Pour 4 cups boiling water over the lemon and ginger.
Let steep for a few minutes.
Strain into your cup.
Add 1 tsp Honey and mix well.
Sip until your throat feels better.

Aana

2011-10-13T13:19:00.002-08:00

My aana. A fun gal. She's decided that she can say whatever she wants to you. I guess if you've lived through what she's lived through you're entitled. She frequently says to us, "did you get fat?" "Howcome you cut your hair?" "Don't be bossy." haha.

She has told many stories to whoever will listen. I try to record her as much as I can now that we have video functions on our phones, just so I can continue to feel close to her while she's away.

Away in a nursing home. 600 air miles separate her from home.

She's doing OK considering the circumstances. Doctors told us to come visit, and our entire family came in swarms. My sisters and I, my cousins, her children, her sisters, and friends.

She lives in a little house on front street, usually. And when it's time for birthdays, anniversaries or Christmas, we all squish into that little house with adults on the chairs, kids on the floor. (And even though I'm 34, I'm still "a kid.") and babies wandering around eating like little birds from everyones plates.

Her room at the Nursing Home feels like that. When I first arrived, my mom was on the floor doing a crossword puzzle, her oldest brother sitting on a chair reading. My aana was eating dinner and my cousin and her two kids were on the floor and on the wheelchair. Just like being at her regular house. Only the constant beep of monitors and nurses coming in and out sort of ruined my fantasy.

We all want her to come home. We all know she should be here. We all have been sharing stories. We all are hopeful.

My aunt Fannie and her family live in Anchorage, so they are able to visit the most often. They hang out, watch TV, play cards, share stories, etc. Those of us who live in Kotzebue come as often as we can. Work trips are scheduled around her Dialysis, Vacations are taken with an extra few days in Anchorage so we can visit. PFD tickets are bought so we can visit.

This was the first summer at camp without her. It was hard. Really, really hard. As a matter of fact, for the first time in a long time, I spent only ONE night at camp this summer. One night. After years of spending every Friday-Sunday there, picking berries, visiting aana, eating hotcakes. It was hard. Really, really hard.

I'm going to see her Saturday night when I go to Anchorage once again. I hope to bring her good news about camp, some strained berries, and maybe listen to some more stories.

My aana.

Flowers

2011-10-06T16:59:00.002-08:00

Traditionally, the 4th Anniversary is that of a bunch of flowers.

FLOWERS? That's kinda cheap don't you think!? I mean, I don't even like flowers! haha.

I think it should be fur. Every year should be fur. This year Dean is going to get himself a nice pair of tall sealskin mukluks that fit over his calves so they don't slide down.

Flowers. PSH. Eskimo's don't give flowers.

Happy Anniversary Dean. I love you.

2nd Anniversary

3rd Anniversary

Why I love my Husband.

2011-10-05T14:52:00.002-08:00

He texts me all day long.

Seriously, his ginormous thumbs don't even detract from his texts. He texts me ALL. DAY. LONG!

And all night long too.

Saturday night, I got a text from him around 1:30 in the morning. I can't even find it to just copy and paste either. Dang.

Dean: Hi Babe!

Maija: Hi.

Dean: I have Crabs.

Maija: Oh. From who.

Dean: BIIIIG ONES!

Maija: Nice.

Dean: They are in the bathtub in the kids bathroom.

Maija: From WHO?

Dean: Staheli.

Yup...I love my husband. Even though he has Crabs. Big ones.

On another note. My daughters dumb little dog, Fritz, always sneaks in the bathroom and tries to drink toilet water even though they have a water bowl in the living room. Anyway, she saw water in the tub and jumped right in. She screamed like a person and hightailed it out of there. She hasn't been in the bathroom since. :)

On ANOTHER note! I lost the Election yesterday by about 300 votes. :( Oh well. I'm glad people understand the need for change, but people are afraid of it. So, I'll just keep doing what I do and truly putting "Kids First." Thanks for the support though, it was overwhelmingly positive!

Making Differences

2011-10-03T14:36:00.003-08:00

Tomorrow is the "BIG DAY" up here in the Northwest. The big day for constituents to decide who will represent them in the Regional School Board, The City Council, the Northwest Arctic Borough Assembly.

All three equally important. All three with a large level of investment for those voted in. Which is why it is important for all of us to vote for a person who has shown, by actions, not by empty words and promises, that by voting for them the best interest of the entire population will be considered.

This year for the School Board, we have two distinct "groups" running together, in hopes to stay in office, or start office. The two groups are different in that one is a group of young women in their 30's who are PASSIONATE and EDUCATED about their children's education and well being. And one is a group of incumbents who are running on the EXPERIENCE pitch.

The young women want to make a positive change in the district. A Positive Change toward our own curriculum, following the Subsistence Lifestyle 95% of the population follows. They want our Inupiaq Culture integrated into the schools. (More than it already is.) They want the District to stop spending so much on operational costs, and spend more on EDUCATION. They want to teach our children to "go green" to save money on heating and energy costs. They have stake in our schools because every single one has children who attend school, or will when they are old enough to. They are open to communication and feedback from the region.

Of course, experience plays a key role in any "candidacy" but no matter how smart you are, how much you know about a subject, or how much time someone spends researching percentages, the true end goal is oftentimes met thanks to Passion. Passion performs miracles, and in our School District, with a graduation rate of 55%, a reading proficiency rate of 44%, a writing proficiency of 39%, a math proficiency of 33% and a science proficiency of 16%, we NEED that Miracle.

When you have to choose between Experience and Passion, don't hesitate for a moment. Passion gives you a sense of meaning and success. To achieve anything, you need a passion that is much more powerful that all your fears. Unfortunately, talent and passion are sometimes overlooked, especially up here, where everyone plays the experience card. They seem to forget something very important though...we have the same amount of experience as they do, we have just been doing it for free all these years. We haven't been paid board members, just community support lending our expertise out where it's needed. So, we all have Experience, don't forget that.

It is time for a POSITIVE CHANGE. A change that our District needs. We need to think differently to make a positive impact for our children.

I hope that all of you in the Northwest Arctic Borough will go out and join me to VOTE tomorrow, above all else. Above the Politics, the Posters, the Promises. VOTE and make a difference. VOTE and let your voice be heard.

And if you agree with me and are willing, I ask you to join me in voting for:

Igluguq Dianne Okleasik for Seat "G"

Angela Washington for Seat "H"

Maija Katak Lukin for Seat "J" (hey that's me!) and

Nicole Stoops for Seat "K"

PASSION. COMMUNITY. FAMILY. EDUCATION.

Fifteen

2011-09-28T09:47:00.002-08:00

On Sunday my son turned 15.

Fifteen.

Like as in, three years until he's an adult.

Like as in, Hi, I'm Koy and I'm 15!

Like as in, my mom isn't my number one girl anymore, cause I'm fifteen.

Like as in, I know you raised me alone but I know everything because I'm fifteen.

Like as in, you can't spank me anymore cause I'm five foot nine, and I'm fifteen.

Like as in, I can have a girlfriend now cause I'm fifteen.

I'm gonna die. Or cry. Or both.

'Bou on our minds

2011-09-23T11:51:00.002-08:00

The thing about growing up here, I've probably said before, is that we don't follow a "traditional" calendar. We follow a Subsistence Calendar.

Right now, we have several "gathering" items and several "hunting" animals. Caribou and Moose, to stock up for winter, Cranberries, Masu, Tundra Tea to gather for freezers.

Once the Caribou and Moose go into rut, we won't hunt them. We will move on to Seals during Freeze up. After Seals we'll go into trapping and Caribou during winter. Then on to Shiifish and more trapping until Spring hits.

Spring brings Bearded Seal, then Herring, Salmon, Blueberries, Sourdock, Salmonberries, etc...and September comes again.

The other thing about growing up here is that kids and adults alike have "Subsistence Leave" as a part of school/work. The employers/district know that hunting and gathering is important to most of us up here. A gallon of milk is $12, and ground beef is $3 a lb. So, feeding your family of 4 or 6 or 8 can get quite expensive. If we can hunt and grind our own meat, make our own steaks and roasts, then the cost of living is lowered tremendously. Not to mention the health benefits of eating straight off the land, completely organic, and free range!

My husband and I are both on Subsistence Leave in an attempt to get as much caribou caught, worked on and put away before work again on Monday. Three were caught last weekend (which according to the husband is not enough to eat Caribou three times a week for the year, oops), and we are looking to catch a couple more.

Also, if we catch more than a few, there are ALWAYS people who want/need caribou. As long as we don't mind taking care of them (killing, gutting, skinning, quartering, hanging) then people will take meat. And nothing, not even the bones go to waste!

So, today I am waiting for the weather to clear, because yesterday I FROZE on the way back from our day trip up river. I want to take the plane instead, so I stay warm. We are also heading to our "regular" camp at Sisualik, so no staying in a tent tonight...hello Camp House! Hello Sauna! Hello Wood Stove!

Hello Caribou.

Gooey Goodness

2011-09-21T14:31:00.002-08:00

I think Kotzebue is WAY behind the times... Cause seriously, we JUST got these huge marshmallows, and I'm sure they've been in "America" for months, or even years.

Whatev.

At least we have them now right!?

My husband has a fire pit at our house. He LOVES fall time. He puts the fire pit out, we eat S'mores every night.

It's awesome.

Especially with Extra Large Marshmallows!

Continuous Shooting

2011-09-20T10:53:00.002-08:00

Oh for the love of accidental continuous shooting.

Apparently...

I did not...

know...

that my...

camera...

had a...

feature...

called continuous shooting...

but now...

I know.

My "Date" Night

2011-09-18T10:41:00.002-08:00

*FAIR WARNING* There are dead animal photos in this post. Proceed at your own risk.

Hey, do you people have "date nights" with your spouses? Cause I think that's weird. But don't be offended cause Eskimos don't "date" we just look at someone, if he's a good hunter, then he can be our husband. Or vice versa, we look at each other, and if she's a good cook, seamstress, and mother, then she can be our wife.

JUST KIDDING. But seriously about Date Night's, that's odd to me. Seeings as though I don't think I've ever even been asked on a "date..." it's kinda hard to imagine Date Night. There isn't anywhere to go here. "Hey, you wanna go to Lion's Club with me tonight?" haha. "No Thank You!"

So, we go on other dates.

Like to fill our freezers with meat. So we don't have to eat icky beef, ever. I've already filled our freezer with Shiifish, and Salmon, Beluga Muktuk and Berries, so the last of it is red meat. Red Meat in the form of Caribou, Moose, Musk Ox, Sheep, etc. Free Range even.

Tundra Tea, boiled with water is the best stuff ever!

So, my husband and I went on a date. I packed up a cooler of food, he got the boat ready and got gas, the tent, cots, sleeping bags, catalytic propane heater (I'm spoiled), and four rifles. (Yes, we need FOUR rifles for two people!)

We headed out about 50 miles across Kobuk Lake and into Hotham Inlet. We saw a bunch of small herds of about 20-100 Caribou on the hills and just puttered around for a bit.

After finding friends on the banks of the river, we set up camp and ate some dinner. The men went up on the hill with their Binocs and checked things out. I simply snapped photos of the awesome golden sunset and view from my tent. It was beautiful. I always love watching the entire sunset in the Arctic. There is absolutely nothing like it in the world.

We ended up sleeping about 500 yards from a pretty big herd, they just hung out and we just left them alone.

The morning proved to be a little cold, with steam coming from our mouths when we spoke, or breathed. It was cloudy, overcast, and crisp. A perfect fall morning. Breakfast consisted of fried eggs, potatoes, ham, bacon, and onion wrapped in a tortilla. I sat outside and read about 100 pages of my book while the guys went back up the hill to check things out. Again.

Eventually we packed up camp and headed up toward Sivu. Such a beautiful drive. Mirror calm river and the golden colors of Fall surrounding us.

We came across three caribou, two bulls and one calf-less cow, all hanging out a couple bends passed Sivu. We thought we would shoot the largest bull and if we got lucky (i.e. if Dean was fast enough) to get the other bull too. Two was the goal. Two 'Bou would be enough for us to live for the winter. Three would be awesome, because my mom and dad really want caribou. Four wouldn't be possible, because we were in our small boat with lots of gear.

And actually, the original plan was for him to shoot the big bull with one rifle, and I was going to shoot the second with another. But, it turns out that we were a little far for an unsighted rifle and he doesn't like to 1. shoot without knowing we'll catch, or 2. shoot and have the possibility of injuring it, or 3. waste bullets. So, we quickly changed plans and would go for just one. It's a little difficult too, because we were driving the boat and we had to be completely stopped, or on land to shoot. So, one bull it was.

Well... after he shot one, both the other two just stood there... weird. They walked right next to us so he just shot another one. The third one went into the willows, then right back out. Once all three were down and dead, we saw the reason they refused to go into the willows. Plenty of fresh Bear scat.

Good thing I'm married to the worlds fastest Caribou gutter, because in 20 minutes all three were gutted, (nicely I might add) the good stuff was saved (heart, tongue, etc), and we were hauling them into the back of the boat.

We arrived home a couple hours after that, and after a hot shower began skinning and quartering out all three. My mom got one entire Bou, including the heart and tongue (the best part), but she wanted to take care of it herself, cutting and putting into bags for her freezer, so we just skinned it, quartered it and delivered it to the top of her freezer!

My "date night" ended at 9:30 last night when I fell asleep so tired that I don't even remember taking off my clothes and getting into bed.

Let me tell you, Best DATE NIGHT EVER!

Reminders

2011-09-13T10:21:00.003-08:00

Depressed. That's how I felt this morning.

Not actual Clinical Depression, because I don't usually feel horrible. But being sick, on top of some issues at work, on top of not being at camp, on top of not having any caribou, on top of kummaks going around at school, on top of my house being a mess, on top of my husband being gone for the month, on top of everything else in life just made me feel cruddy.

And then I got up this morning to take my dingy dog out to go potty and saw this...

straight out of the camera, with one "enhance" click on the mac. beauty.

Hmm, God's reminders are always there if you choose to see. I chose to see...and share.

Now I feel OK. Not great, but OK. :)

Guns and Wood

2011-09-12T15:37:00.003-08:00

My dad lives a very good life.

Perfect photos to use the "old west" action on.

He gets up, carves a little, listens to the radio, maybe watches some football or hockey or baseball, depending on the season, carves, cleans some guns, maybe hangs out with his bart, Chief, and goes to bed.

I want to live that life.

In Chickaloon.

Or Sisualik. But I've seen the ugliness that forced him away from there, so I'm on the fence about Sisualik. I've experienced it first hand. And lately, I'm sick to my stomach about it. I haven't been to my camp since July. I haven't picked a single berry this year. Dean hasn't even gotten us ONE caribou yet. OK done venting.

Huh, the universe is moving in the wrong direction.

But, it seems like everything is OK when I go to camp. Sisualik, or Chickaloon. My best memories are in those places growing up. Scared of moose and porcupine. And bees.

I love visiting my dad's "craft" home. He built it himself, with help from friends and kids, one log at a time. He's always doing something there. Even when it's checking out weasels in the wood pile.

Like making gun racks for his THOUSAND guns. Seriously, this man has more guns than we do...and that is a LOT. But it's OK cause he can make gun racks for them and hang them up with trigger locks, even though no kids are around.

I want a pot rack like this in my house.

Too bad I live in Kotzebue.

Eskimo Ninja.

2011-09-07T15:51:00.002-08:00

Went down the coast last night. Goose Huntin'

Holy windy coldness. Aside from freezing my patiq off, we did manage to score one goose, and several thousand sighted.

I think if it weren't for the wind, we could have just sat there and picked them off one at a time until we got our fill.

But, dang wind. Ruined our plans. Plans for goose roast, goose soup, BBQ Grilled Goose...shucks.

Lettum.

The crisp fall air is abundant. The tundra is crunchy and dry now. The cranberries are ripe and ready to be picked. Alapaaaaa, I should have worn ski pants.

Instead, I used a sweatshirt and a thin jacket. So dumb. Dean blamed me for wearing a cranberry red jacket, but seriously, I was the SAME color as the tundra! Deep cranberry red.

So I did what any other Eskimo Ninja would do. I weaved my own grass blanket to cover my jacket.

The Great Pumpkin!

2011-09-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

Every year at the State Fair, the farmers of the Mat-Su area wait in anticipation of the Great Pumpkin. (And cabbage, and carrot, and zuchini, etc!)

This year's behemoth weighed 1,723, beating out Alaska's current record holding 1,101 lb gourd.

Hey, Charlie Brown...I found him.

Hula!

2011-09-06T14:44:00.002-08:00

Hoop anyway.

I remember being a kid and I could Hula Hoop with the best of them. One, two, three, four, FIVE... I could do it all!

But I think that with age, comes a middle section that isn't quite equipped for Hula Hooping anymore!

So, that's out of the question.

But, luckily I can live vicariously though my children! And my mini-me can pick up a hula hoop and go, go, GO!

Word!

I love you more than...

2011-09-04T15:24:00.001-08:00

I love you more than Eskimo's love Seal Oil...
I love you more than Finn's love Sauna...
I love you more than Nuvivaks love rotten meat...
I love you more than Alcoholics love whiskey...
I love you more than West Coast Whackers love labs...
I love you more than Teenagers love their iPhones...

Happy 39th Birthday old man. :) I sure do love you.

Fast Thumbs

2011-08-31T08:25:00.002-08:00

I have really fast thumbs. You know, for texting... but sometimes having fast thumbs is NOT a good thing.

Especially when you have Autocorrect on your phone.

Then having fast thumbs is NOT good...because your dumb little iPhone doesn't keep up with your fast thumbs and it just corrects things if it wants too when it misses letters...

And then you have to deal with people laughing at you afterwards... Or questioning your meat preference.

I swear he doesn't really like the taste of babies...

I mean, I like Rhubarb...but maybe not that much.

No comment...

How about some Bacteria and Crazy for breakfast? (Actually I know some people who probably eat/are that for breakfast!!!)

Apparently I anal him a lot.

Big time in the City

2011-08-29T08:49:00.002-08:00

Twelve bucks for a two minute ride!? What fun the State Fair is this week. Actually I'm being sarcastic, cause its NOT fun on the pocketbook, or bank account. It's NOT fun...especially when it's jam packed with people who work and kids who have to go to school, like this weekend.

Oh well. $200 for a few thrill rides is OK once a year. I AM trying to cut corners as much as possible though. I painted the little girls faces so we didn't have to 1. wait in line, or 2. pay $15 each for something I could do myself. We have been taking our own water, and snacks too. We are at the fair mostly to work, so we get a $9 meal ticket each day and that is enough to sustain us until we get to McDonalds afterwards!

One good thing: We are staying in a hotel in Anchorage, and it has a pool. My kids will swim for three hour blocks of time...which they did the first day we were here. (Yay for free pools!)

The traffic though, OY! Luckily I just taught myself how to go through Wasilla, or on the Old Glenn and now it takes us just an hour to get back instead of the THREE HOURS it took us to get there yesterday. CRAZINESS. At least we got to see Bri and Sarah...she was her same feisty self, and Kaisa had a great time holding her hand and keeping up!

Hopefully after work today though, the roads won't be so packed (thanks for being MONDAY!) and we can get in and do what we need to do...

Which is skin sewing demonstrations. :) We are in the "Alaska Native Raven's People" building showing you all how EASY it is to make a pair of mittens, or an Eskimo yo-yo, or a pair of baby mukluks (today!). Come visit and I'll give you a little skin sewing kit to take home and practice with...then one day, you'll be making your kids parka's and hats and mittens and mukluks, like me!

OH YEAH... I have to say that all the people coming up to me saying, "HI MAIJA!!! ... HI Finnskimo! ... Hi!!! I wanted to come meet you in person! I read your blog..." has been quite fun! At first I was a little scared and nervous, but after like 15 people in the last couple days it's a blast now! So, SHOUT out to those of you who said HI! And especially to the lady from the Nome area who was really happy and said she salivates when I post about Ugruk and Caribou and Fish and that she enjoys reading about how she grew up too! (HI!)

Zucchini Muffins

2011-08-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Yum.

Thank you Full Circle Farm for sending Zucchini in my box!

We are all enjoying the MUFFINS!

Really Good Zucchini Muffins

3 C Grated Zucchini
1/2 C (one stick) melted Butter
2 TBS Oil
1 1/4 C Sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 TBS Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
3 C Flour
*add-ins
1 C Chopped nuts (walnuts are awesome)
1 C Raisins (or CRAISINS, which are better!)
Raw Sugar for the top

*Preheat oven to 350.
Combine Sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in zucchini, butter and oil. Mix well. Sprinkle in Baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg over the mixture and stir. Add flour and mix until just combined. Add Craisins and walnuts, stir to combine.

Spray your muffin tin with pam (or whatever generic variety). Scoop mixture into muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with Raw Sugar.

Bake until golden brown, for about 25-30 minutes.

Makes approximately 18 muffins.

Subsisting

2011-08-25T16:35:00.002-08:00

The fall time season in Northwest Alaska is our busiest season yet. I always laugh when people say things like, "I'm too busy," when asked to volunteer for simple tasks. Obviously they haven't met me, or read my facebook posts. Busy?! Psh. Whatev.

I leave the B-U-E for the big city tomorrow and will miss the best salmon fishing time yet. So, this week has been pretty much the same for me every day. Get up, Shower, Kids to school, Work, Bake at lunchtime, Get off work, Pull Net, Cut Fish, Clean Net, Clean Fish, Vac Seal Fish, Freeze Fish, Wash fish clothes, Go to bed.

I have a specific formula that I use for Subsistence. I want to eat Shiifish twice a week for 52 weeks, I want to eat Salmon twice a week for 52 weeks, I want to eat Caribou/Moose twice a week for 52 weeks, then I have to put away 104 vac sealed bags of each.

The Shiifish was done during April/May, and the Salmon is done now. (I don't like to eat Camo Fish, you know...the ones with the nasty stripes down the sides of spawned out fish...) And the caribou/moose is done next month.

So, don't tell me you're busy, cause my husband is out of town for the months of August and September so I am the mom, dad, baker, cleaner, cook, good cop, bad cop, employee, fisherman, fish cleaner, fish sealer, dog caretaker, etc. In addition to Zumba, Healthy Food Class, Church, and Garage Sales...of course!

At least I don't have to do laundry. Man, I'm gonna savor the 10 day BREAK in the big city!

It's time...

2011-08-24T16:39:00.003-08:00

I feel like I've been super lazy lately. Seriously. On Facebook it shows you posts from 2010, and all mine are like, "Oh Berries, here I come..." "Berries, you are MINE!" And this year, I have YET to go and pick berries.

I think my subconscious is on strike thanks to my uncle who told my husband and I, "YOU'RE TOO WHITE to be at MY CAMP..." even though its all of our land. Maybe he forgot that his sister is my mother, which makes me AT LEAST half native. Maybe he didn't graduate and doesn't understand blood quantum fractions.

Maybe he's just stupid. And I don't want to see him so I don't go to camp.

Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe not.

At any rate, it's Berry Time here. Last year I put away 37 GALLONS of berries. Handpicked...from four inches above the ground, in the tundra.

This year. Nothing.

Oh well. My daughter and my mom can do it for me. Or wait, I wonder if you have to be NATIVE to pick berries here too....

Let's get Physical!

2011-08-22T09:00:00.003-08:00

I wanna get Physicaaaaaallll, let me see your body rock!!!

My 8 year old knows that song. She sang it the entire time she had her sports physical done. It was awesome.

She doesn't know what the song is about, as far as she's concerned, it's about sports physicals.

Good news...both kids checked out A-OK to play all sports. Kaisa is ready to start Cross Country Running this week and Koy has already been doing it for a few weeks. We run actual "cross country" on tundra trails full of mud up here. The high school students have to buy spikes to use when they travel, because they don't know how to run on grass!

Kaisa is officially 59 inches tall. She's 8 years old. Has 20/30 vision! That's what I got from the physical. Worse than her though is her brother with 20/50 and 20/40 vision...WITH contacts on. Hopefully he can actually see when both his eyes are open though. He's 69 inches tall.

Both of them start school today. Finally. The summer just drags on up here so school is a much anticipated endeavor. Kaisa started the 3rd grade and Koy the 10th. Max and Maddie have been in school for a week in Palmer in 7th grade.

Maybe it's time to have another baby...cause I'm gonna be lonely in a few years! hahaha.

SURVIVOR!

2011-08-19T14:15:00.002-08:00

So my sister and I survived. We made it from Fort Hood, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska and it only took us six days! (I know, it could have been faster, but we wanted to hang out with people we knew on the way!)

Dallas, TX

Don't have many of these signs where we're from!

It was an absolute blast. A beautiful trip. A trip filled with new adventure, and I would do it again...if I had the time off and the gas money!

Denver with Lucy!

Before we left, I was WORRIED. I mean worried like no other. I probably even gave myself an ulcer. I kept Googling, "Safest way through Canada..." and I would always come up with these stories on TWO WOMEN FOUND DEAD off the side of the road...etc. I was freaked out.

Hitch Hikers in Montana.

Apparently I was worried over nothing. I seriously thought we were going to get beat up in Canada. But the Canadians were WAYYYYY nicer than the Americans! Everywhere we went.

Elsa and I "went out" in Montana...to Applebees. Call us wild!

Shoot, once, in a gas station at one am, in the middle of nowhere in Canada, a drug deal was going down behind me. I could hear them talking about the cost. I get a tap on the shoulder, and think to myself, "I'm going to get killed now. He's going to kill me and take my money. I hope Elsa is not sleeping..." And he says to me, "Excuse me Ma'am, do you happen to have five bucks I can borrow? I am short a little for my transaction..." I say, "Uhm, I have a credit card, that's all..." And he replies, "Oh, OK, sorry to bother you..." and goes about his DRUG DEAL...

I love Canada.

Protection!!!

And geez America...what's with all the hay bales?! I mean seriously. Hay, Hay, Hay, Hay, Hay, Hay.... Wheat. Hay, Hay, Hay, Hay, Hay....Cows. Hay, Hay, Hay, ...you get the idea. It would have been nice to see something other than hay. And cows.

We were lucky enough to need a hotel in Fort Nelson, BC...so we stopped at a Super 8 (hello pool SLIDE!) and while we were waiting for the elevator, it opened up. "MAIJA!!!" I hear...and it's a family from our town in Kotzebue, ALASKA, staying at the exact same hotel, at the exact same time, on the exact same day!!! Crazy. Small World, literally! So, Elsa and I just followed them the rest of the way. We even stopped at the "Sign Forest" and at a Hot Springs...where a bear walked 15 feet in front of us crossing the boardwalks. Nice.

Next time, we are staying here...

The only snafuu we hit on the trail was when I closed my eyes for a split second and hit the butt of an Elk at 5 am. We stopped after that and slept with the truckers at a rest stop. Other than that, it was a great trip. We pretty much stayed in motels/hotels along the way. Super 8 is pretty nice. I wasn't worried about the low "stars" on the ratings because seriously, we used to sleep on caribou skins on a plywood floor. Anything was better than the car seats we were in 10 hours a day. And all the hotels (EXCEPT THE HOWARD JOHNSON INN, DON'T EVER STAY THERE!!!) were really nice and clean. And VERY VERY VERY helpful.

We went from 118 degrees in Texas to 45 degrees in Kotzebue. Then since we have been home it's been about 70 degrees out, and beautiful.

Back to Fishing, and Berry Picking and Hunting Caribou. :) I sure missed AK.

Hi from the road!

2011-08-06T08:36:00.001-08:00

HELLO!

Long road trip. We are in Great Falls, Montana, about to leave America for the last time. Going on to Canada today,then Alaska (which is technically not "America" just ask the shipping companies!).

We have had a blast on our trip so far. Visited old friends in Colorado and Wyoming. We've seen so many farms I'm officially done with farms. My favorite thing though is driving through little towns that remind me of Radiator Springs from Cars. Oh and seeing the cows. haha.

I can't post photos, but we have quite the collection on Facebook so if you want to see them, check there!

OK, off to Canada today! See you on the flip side.

From Big to Little.

2011-07-31T11:56:00.002-08:00

Today my sister and I embark on a trip of a lifetime.

We are flying from Alaska to Texas. (I can't wait to see how many people say that "Texas is SO BIG!" Cause it's not. Really. Not when you're from Alaska!)

My baby sister and I will drive from Texas to Alaska on Thursday, so no Arctic adventures for you guys. But you will see our epic road trip!

And probably food. Cause I like food! haha.

So long!

Ding Dong Dog

2011-07-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

You guys wondering about my new dog Magnus?

He's around. He's no Nugent. I miss Nugent. This momma is having a really tough time liking this dumb, stubborn dog.

But lucky for him, he sure is pretty.

And dumb.

Bread and Jam

2011-07-29T15:20:00.002-08:00

Life's best combination right!?

I make jam. I make bread. What better way to celebrate a BAKE SALE, then having a BREAD AND JAM SALE!?

We have some fabulous tasting berries up north. I swear it's payback for all that snow we get. Flavor!? You haven't had flavor until you've had a tundra blueberry. Or an Aqpik, holy heaven in a berry.

And breads. Who doesn't like bread!? All the yeasty gluteny goodness hot out of the oven, with butter oozing down your hand. Top it with some strawberry-aqpik jam and it'll turn your frown upside down. Fo sho.

We frequently have bake sales here in Kotzebue. We raise money for all kinds of stuff. Medical patients, families who lose loved ones, upcoming trips for groups, youth groups, you name it, we've fundraised for it. (Wait, don't name 4H cause we don't have that!)

My sister and I were fundraising for my other sister to be able to drive from Texas (the SECOND largest state) to Alaska (the LARGEST STATE, just in case some of you Texans were wondering...). We have to drive from Fort Hood, to Anchorage. In a car. Through Canada! Yahooey!

And with the economy, gas is expensive! OK Back to bread and jam.

With countless doughnuts, muffins, over 40 loaves of Breads (Yeasty bread, sweet breads, beer breads and quick breads) and over 10 cases (Yes, I made over 120 jars of jam in my kitchen in two days) of Jams and Jellies made with local berries and flowers (Blueberries, Cranberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, Aqpiks, Raspberries, etc.) we sold out in less than an hour. I didn't even have time to take a photo of the two tables filled with carbs and sugar. =)

AN HOUR. Apparently Bread and Jam IS THE BEST STUFF ON EARTH!

*Next to Seal Oil and Blackmeat, of course!

Here Fishy, Fishy

2011-07-27T11:38:00.002-08:00

Salmon.

No good Alaskan will eat farmed Salmon. Or salmon sold in a land locked city in America either, for that matter.

No good Eskimo will eat Salmon they didn't catch either. Well, unless you're at a top sushi restaurant and you KNOW Kenji the Sushi Chef knows his fish.

You can yell, "YO KENJI! Make me some good Salmon Sashimi, will ya!" Or if he doesn't speak English, "KENJI hei! Watashi ni ikutsu ka no yoi sāke sashimi o tsukuru, anata narimasu!"

(Yeah, bet you didn't know I know Japanese did you! I totally paid attention in class in 9th grade. Ah, who am I kidding, I just Google Translated it!)

Anyway, Alaskans and Salmon. We are picky and spoiled. At least I am. Once when I was in college in Eastern Oregon, my cousin Josie and I went to the store and bought Salmon. We HAD TO. It was so gross. Almost put me off Salmon forEVER. No, not forever, but until I got home.

(Doesn't he just LOOK like an awesome Fisherman!?)

Spoiled. Very very spoiled. So, my friend Kookie and I, we were scouting the Subsistence Nets around town at lunchtime the other day when we happened across Henry and his bart on the beach.

"Hey Henry, you got net?" I asked.

"Ya, you know how?" he replied.

"Shucks, you know who my mom is!" I exclaimed.

And it was done, we put his pully system subsistence net out for the afternoon.

Three hours and 8 fish later, we were happy. So I did what any other smart, working woman would do. I called the President of the Salmon Filleting Association, and dropped those fish off.

Seriously, if there were a campaign for #1 Salmon Filleter, my sister Saima would win. She's good. I don't even bother butchering fish anymore. Between her and Dean, I haven't had to cut a fish in a while. Let me sew or bake or something, man.

A few hours later, we checked again and a total of about 20 fish were caught and filleted.

After work, I had enough time to brine and smoke a couple fillets in my deluxe smoke house my husband built, before our Salmon Class. What!? Salmon Class!? Why Yes Sir! Salmon Class. You guys totally missed out.

So, after eating like a pig (or an Eskimo, when it comes to Salmon!) at his very own smorgasbord consisting of Pecan Crusted Salmon (Recipe to follow), Blackened Salmon, Smoked Salmon, and Twice Baked Potatoes, I went home and had a serious Food Coma.

(Smoked Salmon, and three cases of Jam we made last night!)

And then I woke up and had to go to work. Boo!

Moral of the story: I love Salmon. NO ONE should ever eat Farmed Salmon. Eat Fresh! Or don't eat it at all!

Pecan Crusted Salmon (from Daniel's sister Alana)
1 fillet FRESH (or Frozen fresh!) Salmon
2 C Milk
1 C finely chopped Pecans
1/2 C Flour
1/4 C Brown Sugar
2 tsp Seasoning Salt
1 tsp Pepper

*Remove skin and bones (if you're picky like that, I don't remove the bones!) and cut into strips (Across not the long way!). Place Salmon in a Ziplock Bag with milk.
*In a shallow dish, combine the rest of the ingredients, mix well.
*Coat Salmon in Pecan mixture, pressing gently.
*Fry in large skillet in a little oil on medium-high heat until browned. Place fried pieces on a baking sheet, and once all chunks are done, bake for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Eat. Be Merry. Pretend you're an Eskimo.

Jam on it!

2011-07-20T17:03:00.002-08:00

Wait, I guess technically it's Jelly, rather than Jam, but whatever. I always want to sing that when I'm "Jamming Out!"

Making Jam. Or Jelly.

Fireweed Jelly in fact. Lots and lots and lots of it.

There is a good recipe that I always use HERE on my blog.

You just have to remember that Fireweed doesn't have Pectin, like unripened berries do, so it's harder to make it jell. So I just add another box of Sure-Jell and it always works out for the best.

You can substitute any other edible flower to make jam as well. Dandelions, Carnation, Chamomile, Clover, Fuscia, Gardenia... (Ah heck, just click HERE for a list!) Whatever jelly you're making will take on the awesome color of the flower you use. You pretty much boil off the color into the pot! Thanks to the sugar and pectin, it stays that color until the last smear on toast!

The best part of the jelly making sessions is that the kids can do all your picking!

Clara (pictured up there) actually picked a bee in her ziplock bag and didn't know until we were about to dump it into the bucket to wash the flowers! She THREW her bag at me when it started buzzing. My husband told us to put it in the freezer to "make it go to sleep" so we could get the flowers without getting stung.

The Bees name is Jerry and he is now in a jelly jar with holes in it on the counter.

Him and a spider named Tom, that we also found in the ziplocks.

Happy Jam Session!

The smell of the tundra

2011-07-14T11:53:00.003-08:00

I think I've talked about the smell of the Tundra before. The Lichen, the Tussocks, the berries in season. It is a smell like no other. It beats fresh cut grass anyday. ANY DAY!

I don't even know how to explain it. I always wished you guys could smell it too. I always wished there was a way to bottle it up and sell it.

There is.

What!? Yup, a friend of mine, and fellow blogger/artist/awesome-person bottled that stuff up, JUST FOR YOU!

Crazy talk, I know.

Salmonberry Origins is her Etsy shop filled with wondrous Arctic items perfect for you to experience.

Not only did she bottle the scents of the Arctic, but she also bottled (or tinned!) some of the SAME healing herbs, and items I use all the time. I drink Tiilaqait, or Tundra Tea all the time, I add a little licorice root and it doesn't need sugar, it doesn't need milk. Just good old Tundra Tea. And it's available for you RIGHT HERE!

Fireweed tea, for your late night relaxation. And Aqpik scrub to wash off the days worries!

What I am MOOOOST excited about though is the Scents for you to experience. There really is NOTHING like the smell of the Tundra.

PILOT BREAD the hard tack cracker that is in every good eskimo's cupboard! Add some Dandelion Bloom Jelly for a truly Arctic Experience.

Labrador Tea , or Tiilaqait, (Tundra Tea), the earthy, piney scent that everyone from up here knows means, Tundra.

Not only does she sell Arctic Spa items, but she has two other Etsy stores.

Salmonberry Dreams , beautiful earrings and necklaces, made from local organic items such as Caribou Antler, and Ptarmigan Feather.

Salmonberry Thoughts , which includes wonderfully sketched artwork and still shots from the top of the World.

I hope you'll join me in visiting her sites. Experience the beauty of the Arctic through Rainey's talented hands.

*I FORGOT... She has a facebook page dedicated to ALL her craftiness! Click HERE to visit it!

Quyaana.

Monday?

2011-07-11T08:30:00.002-08:00

You guys know I hate Mondays? I do. I mean, what kind of punishment is a Monday? Really. They should make fun things happen on Monday, rather than the get-up-and-go-back-to-work-after-playing-all-weekend routine. Right?

I know I'm right.

Saturday was my first day off since June 26th. I was tired. I decided that I wouldn't do that again. I think I run myself ragged until I snap in two, both physically and emotionally. So next year, we're going on VACATION for the 4th of July. Vacation.

Early Saturday morning I woke up to a frantic call from my baby sister Elsa. She couldn't even talk. I thought someone had died. I was crazy worried.

I shot up in bed and was as calm as a cucumber, "Elsa, calm down and let me know what's going on..." "Elsa, is everyone OK?" between her sobs, she was surprised and said, "huh? yeah..."

OK good, no one is hurt, gone, etc. Whew. Dodged that bullet.

But the words that came out of her mouth were just as bad. "Zach is getting deployed on MONDAY."

A day and a half notice.

Happy Weekend Soldier. You're getting deployed. Boo on the Army. Boo on the ridiculous war. Boo on those people who think Americans should stick their noses into other countries business. How about worrying about your OWN country??? How about the fact that in your OWN country there are still cities that have NO RUNNING WATER. There are kids who drop out of school so they can take care of babies. There are places where a gallon of milk costs FIFTEEN DOLLARS, and a gallon of water costs TWENTY. Our gas prices are hovering around Eight bucks a gallon now. And they're only getting higher.

Anyway, enough on that rant. War...what is it good for? Absolutely nothing. And I'll say it again...

I logged on to Facebook this morning at work to check my company site and saw this picture below. It is their last family photo together for a year. I have not stopped crying since.

So, now my sister who's anniversary is this month, will be without a husband. My niece will be without a father. But, I will say that he chose this career, and he is one PROUD SOLDIER. He serves the United States with Honor and Respect. He and his family knew the sacrifices they had to make to be in the Military, and they take those sacrifices with Pride.

And this Sister-Mom is so very proud of them too. I don't know if many of you know, but I was married before. My ex-husband was in the Navy. It was hard. Very hard. I hope and pray, and pray and pray and pray and pray some more that my sister and her family will stay strong, faithful, and proud to be a Military family.

So, if you're the praying type, please pray for my sister, my niece, and EVERY other Soldier we have stationed away from home. Away from family. Away from the Freedom they fight for. Pray, and pray some more to keep them safe. To keep them healthy. To keep them strong.

And even if you don't have someone close to you in the military, maybe you have some extra love to give? Maybe you have some homemade Smoked Salmon from Alaska that your husband cans, and you want to share it. Maybe you make beautiful quilts that are manly. Maybe you are a really good letter writer. And you want to share the love...

There are so many soldiers who are overseas, and they all deserve to have Alaskan Smoked Salmon and Canned Caribou. Or a quilt. Or a letter. Or some love. So CLICK HERE and see what you can do to help ease the loneliness and support our troops out there. My children, husband and I just adopted a couple. I sure do hope they like Smoked Salmon.

BusyTown

2011-06-30T12:37:00.003-08:00

Remember Lowley worm!? And Richard Scarry's Busy Town!? My favorite books growing up!

Well, they ain't got nuthin' on Kotzebue...

Don't expect to hear from me for a few days. How about next week sometime!!?

See ya.

P.S. if you haven't been to Kotzebue, this is the PERFECT time to come!

Done. Finally!

2011-06-29T16:40:00.002-08:00

So my Ugruk is finally done.

What starts out with a seal swimming in the ocean, and continues on to gutting, removing the intestines and cleaning them on the ice, to removing the blubber from the meat, the skin from the blubber, the meat from the bones, stripping that meat, hanging it to dry, ends with cleaning the meat, boiling the ingalauqs, and rendering the oil.

Which takes about a week and a half total.

And I'm FINALLY Done. And my body boycotts Ugruk and Seal Oil for about a month after this process because I am already so tired after working full time, that when I have to cut and gut, and strip, and hang, and render...I wear myself out.

But I am happy. My sister in Texas is happy. My mom is happy. And everyone who will share in our bounty will be happy too. Which makes it all worthwhile.

And if you've ever wondered how we render the oil, here's a video of my 8 year old "teaching" my cousin who made the mistake of asking her, "is this the way you do it..." how to correctly cut the blubber into strips to throw into the buckets, that will sit in the shed to self-render (melt essentially) into Seal Oil.

Enjoy.

Qagruq

2011-06-27T13:29:00.004-08:00

Aarigaa Qagruq! A time for celebration and giving.

A time for the whaling crews to share their bounty. And a time for us to enjoy their bounty. It really is ingrained in our DNA to share our food. When you live so far above the arctic circle in such a desolate place, we had to share to survive.

Most (I have to say MOST, because I know people who DON'T share) people up here, share, share, SHARE. They ask nothing in return. They are happy to provide and wish to give thank everyone for their help and prayers.

Especially in Point Hope. This year I believe they caught three whales. I could be wrong, but that's what I remember right now!

I was able to attend the Qagruq celebration where they gave away Akutuq (Eskimo Ice Cream), Avatraq (Flipper) and Mikigaq (Aged blubber, meat and blood). It was absolutely a beautiful day in Point Hope with the wind blowing, as it usually does, the Umiaq (Skin boats) turned to the side to block the wind for the elders. Plenty of tundra to sit or stand on and lots of fellowship.

I saw people who knew me when I was a baby, declaring, "You're so big..." Which to a different person, would be offensive. To me? I just smiled and said, "you're so old!" hahaha. My mom's Umaas my dad's Sunnaqs, and even my own classmates and everyone in between.

I waited patiently to hear the words, "Nalauqmiuts!" when giving away the Avatraq, my favorite part. They did say Iglaaqs, which I was one, but man...I can totally claim to be white (I am half!) and really wanted to get another piece!

The crews cut and handed out and the yells were heard above all the commotion. "Pastors!" "My Cousins!" "Brothers and Sisters!" "Visitors!" "My best friend!" Everyone who was called, walked up to the middle and received their piece of flipper. I went home with Mikigaq, Akutuq and one flipper. (Cause I ate the other one right then and there!)

I also came home with Natchiq, and a lot of scrap baleen so my kids could learn to etch. I did manage to purchase a beautiful etched baleen piece for my office too.

The tundra, though still speckled with some snow (yes, SNOW!) was alive and vibrant in color and smell. Tundra Flowers peeked out beneath the carpet of lichen and moss, daring to show their colors to the sky above.

My favorite part though was seeing old friends, and standing in awe of the awesome sewing skills of the Point Hope women. (The parky on the Right? They sewed that in ONE DAY!)

So, Quyaana Point Hope for allowing me to come to your village and experience Qagruq and sharing your wonderful bounty!

There is time

2011-06-23T14:05:00.002-08:00

There is time to flip Ugruk.

Ugruk in a bucket. Not quite the familiar is it!?

There is time to make jam.

Midnight Jam Making session called to me....

There is time to spray your dogs down when they're hot and the midnight sun is beating down on you for 24 hours a day.

Magnus getting the spray-down after work.

And there is time to vote.

My cousin Denali is the reigning Miss Teen Alaska, after winning the Miss Teen Arctic Circle Pageant here in Kotzebue a few years ago. She is the epitome of cool. Eskimo beauty, bred on the pebble beaches of Sisualik and Katyuuraq. She has blossomed like the fireweed each summer into the most beautiful and grounded person ever. Currently she is attending college at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Miss Teen Arctic Circle, running down the Sisualik Trail to Aana Katak's!

Next month, she will be heading down to the National Miss Teen Pageant in the Bahamas with my auntie Martha and a few supporters. It's quite an excursion to make when you live above the Arctic Circle and its prime Aqpik picking season. But we know that she will do great and wish her the best of luck.

YOU can help! Click HERE and log on with Facebook and VOTE for Denali for People's Choice. Click the Alaska link and vote away. Denali Quyaana ("Thank you" in Inupiaq) Whiting. Little Sisualik girl, all grown up.

Go ahead and vote more than once! Feel free to vote and vote and vote and vote some more. Take a break. Vote. Make dinner. Vote. Flip your ugruk. Vote.

Tis the season

2011-06-20T11:58:00.002-08:00

Ugruk Season.

Every Coastal Eskimo knows what that means. Busy, Busy, Busy. And Bugs, Bugs, Bugs. And pack ice.

Ahhhh, the smell of the ocean breeze. The feel of the spray of water hitting your face in the boat. Brings me back to childhood every time.

Luckily, my 14 year old son is able to experience that too. This weekend, he and the family and friends went Ugruk hunting. A quick jaunt to the pack ice and they came back with two.

Two huge ones, with great hides. The first one I got was an old bull. He had apparently been in some fights, because he was all beat up. Bruises filled his blubber, we had to get cut a lot of it out.

But that's life, I guess.

My meat is hanging, my arms are dead from cutting and cutting and cutting. Two other families are blessed with the first catch of the 14 and 15 yr old boys and life is great above the Arctic Circle.

That is, until you come back to town and see the Mosquito problem.

Hello Deet, where are you now!?

My Ulu and knives were all made by my father, grandfather, son or husband. Don't forget to check out Siksu's Knives on FACEBOOK or THE WEB

Midnight Sun

2011-06-17T15:20:00.002-08:00

So, I finally, after all these years figured out why we have a midnight sun in Kotzebue. I mean, I have worked and played and slept in the sun but last night it dawned on me.

Midnight Sun

We have a midnight sun because this is our largest harvest season besides the fall time, when we hunt Caribou and Moose. This is our Sea Mammal harvest time and when you get 1 or 2 or 3 ugruk, you have to stay up ALL FREAKING night to take care of it.

My favorite Ulu

Especially when its just you. And don't even get me started on BELUGA! They are HUGE!

I remember a few years ago, my "uncle" (he's not REALLY my uncle, but we call him UNCLE!) called me and said, "I got your beluga."

Huh??!?!? You got my WHAT!?

Beluga.

Junie pulling up a Beluga.

He got me a beluga. And it was ready to be taken care of. Right now. At 8:00 at night. After my softball game. Immediately.

Kaisa cutting Ingalauqs.

So, like a good little Eskimo, I went 8 miles out of town and fully expected my husband to be out there with me cutting and gutting and cutting and cutting some more until we were done. Well, he was a medevac pilot at that time and GUESS WHAT. BRIIIIiIIiIIiIiiiiIING! Phone call.

Our tools of choice. All handmade by my grandfather, dad or husband.

Medevac to Anchorage. That means a 6 hour trip and he had 30 minutes to get there. So, he did what any other guy would do. He left me there. Alone. With a knife. And my softball shoes.

Rishon learning to cut with his Tatta.

To cut my beluga. By MYSELF. And I did. for 8 straight hours I cut and cut and cut, until someone happened by at 8 am and said, "Hi Maija...you need help!?" I said, "DOES IT LOOK LIKE I NEED HELP!?"

Paulette Kavraq'ing (Yes I just put an English suffix on an Eskimo word!)

So he called my aunts and they all came rushing. Like family should IF I had a cell phone to call them.

Shon and Tatta Junie cutting Beluga.

Anyway, every year my other "Uncle" gets me an Ugruk. My husband can't "hunt" marine mammals and I'll be damned if I am not eating that stuff. So, they hunt for me. Cause we do that, we take care of each other.

Beluga in a truck.

This year was no exception. My uncle called and "the Ugruk Fairy had arrived." With an 8 foot MONSTER!!! Dangit and I still had to work. And cook and take care of my family.

Kookie cutting Ugruk.

THUS THE REASON we have a Midnight Sun. Because when the kids aren't asking questions and flies aren't buzzing around us and work doesn't beckon, then we can ENJOY the midnight sun at 2:00 am and cut our Ugruk in PEACE!

Maddie cutting Ingalauqs. (Seal intestines)

I love the midnight sun. I can sleep in the sun, shade, dark, light, floor, couch, chair, plane, work (oops) thanks to the sun. I can sleep anywhere. People take years to get used to it, but not me. When the sun is out I have more energy (to cut for six hours a night and then get up and go to work the next morning) and I'm not too tired! (Usually!)

Seal Intestines, ready to be boiled, after they're hung for a day.

So, I figured that a long time ago, before full time jobs for mom's they stayed up and kavraq'd and cut blubber and stirred their oil and dried their meat and hung their muktuk all night long, cause it was light out and they could.

Beluga Brain in a Bucket. Pretty good all Boiled up with salt.

For the past several days I have stayed up until about 4:00 am cutting, flipping, boiling, vac sealing, kavraq'ing, slicing, and eating Ugruk and Beluga. I put away at least three packages per month in our freezer so I know I can eat beluga and/or Ugruk at least three times a month until next year.

My meat hanging...

Then I also put away about the same amount of extras that say, "EXTRA" so I can give it away, send it to potlucks, friends, elders, and the sort. My husband travels to the villages to talk to Elders and he always takes beluga and ugruk to them. And then he comes back fat.

But I love him. He likes to share and make elders happy. Me too. We like to share. He doesn't actually "Work" on Ugruk or Beluga though. He just chops the stuff we need chopped with an axe and then gets rid of the carcass and bones when we are done taking all the meat off. And that's fine with me. Cause that's nasty work.

Little girls work. Cutting the red stuff off the blubber so your oil isn't yellow!

Last night after the girls went to bed, I got stuck doing "little girls" work. Cutting the blubber into strips to put into the buckets that will render down to make oil. LITTLE girls work. I swear it was cause my BFF Paulette was here and telling me what to do. haha. No complaints though.

I'm cutting blubber into strips.

And then that same "uncle" well, not really him, but my other friend Kookie, they caught a Beluga in a net and we rushed through my ugruk and ran down to the beach to help take care of the beluga.

Beluga cutters!

After 2:30 in the morning we were done with a beluga. Record time. Many hands make small work, or whatever that saying is!!! And now THIS YEAR, I have beluga, Ugruk and HOPEFULLY seal oil. (I'm not the BEST seal Oil maker!!! I'll admit that.)

Josie helping while her baby cries inside!!! (that's what we have babysitters for!)

And when my baby sister's friend goes to visit her, she will have Ugruk and Beluga and Seal Oil too. Cause that's what we do. Take care of each other. Did I already say that?

Well it's true. What's up in YOUR neck of the woods! (or willows, since we have no trees here!)

Job Descriptions and Previous Employment

2011-06-14T08:31:00.003-08:00

My son is 14 years old, which means he can legally get a job here in Kotzebue. When filling out his previous employment he asked if he could write things down like, "commercial fisherman for 4 years," and "hunter for my family since I was six," etc. I had to tell him that even though, at age 14, if the world were to end, he would survive with duct tape, a snare wire and a knife, that he could only write down professional experience, things he got paid for and he paid taxes on.

When he was a baby, I swore to myself that I wouldn't raise him in a city. A place where you worry about who your children are around or worry about them if you haven't heard from them for a while. Don't get me wrong, I freak out when I don't know where my kids are, but not nearly as much as I would in a city.

My kids have been shooting, gutting and cutting Caribou since they were out of diapers (before they were two) and taking shot guns out since they were six. They've been cutting Ugruk with me since they could yield an ulu (or knife) and cut the blubber into strips. They've helped me pick 40 gallons of berries for the winter, and fillet 100 salmon, then vacuum seal them for winter. They've sat on the ice fishing through a hole for shiifish so we could eat throughout the year.

None of that really matters though when you're 14 and want a desk job because being a hunter just doesn't "pay" for your things. Like wrestling camps and basketball camps, which cost at least triple thanks to airfare and lodging away from home. Since he's been fishing with a gill net since he was little, he is going to get his "helper's license" and "help" my cousin commercial fish. So he can go to wrestling camp, or Bible camp, or basketball camp.

Today my uncle dropped off an ugruk for me to cut up. Last week I told my kids to go fishing for me and get two buckets of Herring. So they did. Without question, and fully knowing exactly what to do.

They then scaled the fish and then beheaded and gutted them and soaked them in a bucket of salt water. During the process, they took out the suvaks (eggs) and ate them right out of the belly. And in a bucket they sit to be pickled so we can eat then during the winter.

I guess that just doesn't cut it though in "the Real World."

QuvaisuqtuNa!

2011-06-07T11:09:00.001-08:00

I am so happy.

I dance because I am happy.

I sing because I am happy.

I am so happy.

Aarigaa.

Feasts

2011-06-07T10:39:00.003-08:00

This week, Kotzebue hosted several young (think 20-40!) people into town for the Institute of the North's Leadership Conference.

I attended with great pleasure and an open mind. I have my own ideas about the issues we face in the rural areas, because I live here, but wanted to see if they are similar to those who live in urban Alaska.

*Dried Siilik (Northern Pike), Dried Whitefish, Smoked Salmon, White Muktuk (Beluga), Black Muktuk (Bowhead), and Caribou Paniqtaq (dried).

Among all the exercises, we ate...a lot. And played...a lot. I found (maybe I didn't find, he found me!) an old friend from my summer college days. (OLD!) And made lots of new friends. (Thank you Facebook!)

*Herring Eggs on Hemlock from Sitka.

*Dried raw Bearded Seal Meat (Ugruk)

Since I am super busy and don't like to air "issues" persay on this blog, I'll just entice you with the wonderful feast for our bellies we enjoyed on Sunday afternoon. I'm happy that everyone seemed to have a grand time visiting here, experiencing the high cost of fuel, milk, and electricity if only for a few days. Quite possibly this visit could be the catalyst for change in the rural areas facing this enormous cost of living. But, save that for another day. I'm just happy people came and liked it here! Cause I do.

*Aqpiks (Cloud or Salmon Berries)

*Blackberries. (That's what we call them, they're maybe Crowberries?)

It's so great to meet up with old and new. (Yes, you're old!) Thanks for coming. Come again soon. (But not in the wintertime when its pitch dark out and 40 below!)

*Condiments. Yum.

"Hello you fools, I love you..."

2011-06-03T10:42:00.004-08:00

Come on and join the joyride.

Hi. Again. I am not lost. I am just really busy! Super busy. So busy in fact, that I started to have this weird twitch in my eye and headaches every day and words became all jumbled up when I tried to say them and I kept doing things twice or not at all.

But after some long rest, I'm back. And I feel a little better. I think my body is telling me to slow down. And this time, I want to listen.

So, I'm sort of slowing down. As much as I possibly can without going crazy that is.

I managed to do 20 loads of laundry this week and had the kids match all the socks (Which was a feat in its own!). And great news...the Twins are back in town! So, now we have all four kids plus random village kids around and are cooking for 8 every night. Just the way I like it!

In other news...I failed to say Happy Birthday to my sister on my blog. She turned 21, but I'm pouting because she left us to go live with her husband in Texas at Ft. Hood. She took away our house-baby and left the ice for the heat. So I kivit and didn't write one. But I will. It's in my mind like Nugent's story. So, Happy Birthday Elsa! Your story is coming soon!

And speaking of Nugent. Our new puppy came. His name is Magnus! Such a strong Finnish name for a HUGE clumsy dog. Magnus' feet are much too big for him and he is only 10 weeks old. Dean found him from a service-dog kennel in Missouri. He's doing well with his duck-dog training though and he will make a hunting dog out of him sooner or later. Other than training, he is one SPOILED dog. We all just love him up.

And YAY! My husband is working on my new deck. Finally. So, now during the midnight sun we can all sit around the deck and tell stories about winter. And college. Or maybe not college! haha...

Anyway, I hope everyone's been well. I promise to share a great recipe in the very near future! And Nugent's story. And Elsa's birthday post!

And if you want to see what SPRING Breakup is like over in these parts... check out Cathy's Blog about Ice.

I think most of the Breakup is done now and we are all waiting for Kobuk Lake to flow away. This year Break up Ice took out one person's deck and hit the side of their house, so they have to fix the exterior wall. You'll see on her video that it just comes right up on the street to destroy whatever's in its path.

Home away from home

2011-05-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

I guess my camp in Sisualik could be my home away from home, but I sort of consider that my real HOME, so maybe Kotzebue is my home away from home! I don't know.

All I know is that every time I leave Sitka, I have a hard time. I've been all over for vacations. When I say, "ALL OVER" I really mean all over the world. I've been to most of the states in the US as well.

Sometimes when we're in Hawaii and its laid back and nice all the time, I say, "I could live here..." And that's the end of that. When I'm in Sitka though, I actually LOOK for jobs and houses and check out the schools.

Don't get me wrong. I love my job. I mean, really, REALLY love it. Here in Kotzebue. The only problem is that it's not Sitka! I feel like I have family there. That if my furnace quit working at 3am and my husband is out of town, I could call a few people and they'd come right over. I feel like if I had to leave in an emergency, that my kids and dogs would be taken care of. I've only ever (EVER) felt that way in Kotzebue, which is why I keep coming back.

Dean and Koy left to Sitka last week to participate and be there for the raising of the Totem Pole he carved in April. I wasn't going to make it, because we used a LOT of money to try to get Nugent fixed. But thankfully, on Thursday afternoon I got mileage credited to my Alaska Airlines Mileage account and was able to get a mileage ticket for Friday.

Friday proved to have a wonderful view the entire flight from Kotzebue to Anchorage. Including a perfect seat to the majestic Denali Peak.

I was in Anchorage for a few hours so I met up with a great friend and we went to eat sushi. Cause what else are a couple of Eskimo girls gonna eat? Raw Fish...doesn't get any more Eskimo than that. Well, it does...if the raw fish is also fermented... But that's another story!

I don't know if you guys know this...but I'm a fish girl. I'd eat fish three times a week if my family would too. I love fish. Any kind of fish. My favorite though, (OF COURSE) are Shiifish and Salmon. Not King Salmon though, its so fatty. I love the Chum we get up here. I love the Reds, and the Sockeyes. But really, any salmon will do for me.

Grilled Shiifish and Veggies with Rice!

I like Halibut too, but not as much as Shiifish. And sadly, even though I've been fishing quite a bit, I haven't caught ANY shiifish and I'm freaking out. FREAKING OUT.

Halibut Fish and Chips

So, I'm contemplating PAYING SOMEONE to go out and fish for me all day every day until I get at LEAST 25 fish. So I can gut, fillet and vac seal them for the rest of the year. Any takers?

Anyway, back to Sitka. I just love everything about it. The pier, the docks, the bears (wait, not the bears. I do NOT like that bears are around there!)

Except this guy, he's all boarded up at Fortress of the Bear, so I can get good photos of him!

I love the berries, the outdoors, the nice people who stop in the middle of the road to let you cross the street, etc. It's just such a community feeling there. Like here. But with trees and a McDonald's, and big boats.

I've always told Dean that we can move to Southeast, where he's from eventually. That once Kotzebue is wrung for all it's worth in terms of our family, that we could move. When the kids education is lowering, we can move. Actually, speaking of education, my 14 year old son decided that he'd like to try Mt. Edgecumbe Boarding School in Sitka next year. He has a career plan tracked out for himself and it does not include lower math and lower English in high school. He needs some more challenging classes and more "stuff" to do besides wrestling and cross country running. Even though it'll be tough and I'll miss my sonny boy, I always do what's best for my kids, and going to Edgecumbe is probably what's best for him right now.

Yup, he's that much taller than me... sigh.

A couple of fun things we did besides the Raising of the Pole, and Fortress of the Bear was walking around all the little shops Sitka has on the main drag. I couldn't believe they wanted $750 for a sealskin hat, but hey, if tourists will buy them, then what the heck!

Lots of Matroyshka dolls!

We walked and walked and walked. Every day we went to Highliner Coffee and had our customary White Chocolate Caramel Mocha on our way to Totem Park. We encountered plenty of tourists on cruise-ship days, and lots of wild flowers too.

I managed to forget a "hands-free" purse, you know one that you don't have to hold! So since Ashia found a sewing machine for $5 at a garage sale, I went to the fabric store and bought me some Moda fabric and fashioned myself the best hands-free purse yet! It has glasses holders and chapstick holders and a phone pocket. Not to mention the cute bow I had to make after realizing that the straps were too short to fit over my head and shoulder! I already have several orders for bags just like this one. Just don't ask for the pattern cause I don't have one. I just cut and sewed. It worked for me.

And lastly the worst thing about leaving Sitka was leaving friends. We stayed at one of my new BEST friends houses. I love it when I find a really truly good friend! And that's what I found with her.

Plus I really want to steal her dog. He is my husband in dog form. Snores, sleeps all over the place, and likes to chase animals. Ahh, Turk! I need a beagle.

So...don't be surprised if someday soon I decide to get up outta here and experience some trees. Cause you know, we don't have trees here.

Hello again...

2011-05-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

Hi there.

Back to the Arctic. Back to the snow and ice and no stairs/deck. Wait, my friend shoveled my deck for me, so technically I have a deck again!

I've found that I really, REALLY like the arctic spring. Sure, its great to get to a warm place for a week or so. (Hello San Diego Beach!) But when you're an Eskimo from the arctic, it's NOT fun to walk around continually dizzy from the heat. (Hello Heat Stroke!)

I guess the two big changes in our life right now are that I cut my hair, and we're getting a new puppy. Yes, Cutting my hair is a HUGE deal. Usually I just let it grow, and put it in two braids, cut off 11 inches and then let it grow again. Send it off to Locks of Love and everyone's good to go.

WELL...I've learned my lesson with Latina's! They do what they WANT to do! I went to a hairdresser in Palm Springs and showed her what I wanted. Some soft side bangs, long enough to put in a pony tail, and NO length cut off, but layered in the back.

ha. HA.. HAHAhahaha... That's NOT what I got. She cut so much hair off that my head is not heavy anymore. I first noticed that she wasn't doing what I wanted because a HUGE Chunk of hair fell into my hand. I stopped her and said, "Wait, uhm, you're not cutting length right, just a bit of layers." She says to me, "You'll LOVE it! I'm just doing layers now..."

Yeah, first indication should have been the POUND of hair that fell into my lap. Second indication should have been the fact that I got plain ugly bangs. BANGS. I did NOT WANT bangs. I hate bangs.

Anyway. Here's my haircut. Eveyone loves it. (Probably cause it's so different from what I always look like. Ponytail or bun. haha) I guess it's a "Wash-and-go" cut and I should be happy because I don't "do" anything to my hair ever. Just wash it, let it air dry and it looks like this. Be happy Maija.

And yes, we did get a new puppy. We don't have him yet. We did name him though. MAGNUS. It's a strong Finnish name! hahaha. And sort of funny at the same time. I love it. He's a little yellow lab. (I couldn't get another black lab) He arrives either the 18th or 20th, depending on flight loads. Sigh. I am not looking forward to another PUPPY in the house. But, my family is READY for a new pup. I, sadly, am not. But I'm sure he'll be so cute and soft that I'll love him. And he'll know NOT to poop on my carpet. Right???

And I'm not ready to write Nugent's story. You'll have to wait until I'm not all emotional and stuff.

Lastly, my BABY SISTER and her baby LEFT us yesterday. For Texas. Who would leave Alaska for Texas!? I guess her husband is more important than we are up here. (!) He's stationed on Fort Hood, so she left us all to be a big girl-grown up and play wife. Dangit. At least we have Skype right!? Oh, and FaceTime!

OK. Life's just plugging along up here. We still have lots of snow and ice. But its nice. Nice and cool but warm at the same time. And 20 hours of sunlight. Ahhh....

Sorry...

2011-05-03T21:04:00.002-08:00

Sorry I've been missing. I can't really type about anything right now. Lots of stressful things are going on in our house right at this moment. It's enough to make someone crazy. Like me.

First of all someone KILLED my dog. Like poisoned him dead. We live in a small village/town with NO vet, so when I noticed him acting all weird and drunk, it was 1 in the morning with a flight leaving at 8:00 am and one at 2:00 pm the next day. Due to cargo office hours, he made it on the 2:00 pm flight to the doggy ER in Anchorage.

Several thousand dollars later, he passed away. He was such a good dog, and I really have a long post about how he was the best dog ever (really, no comparison) but it still hurts me to tears every time I talk about him so you'll all have to wait. Especially since he died because someone mixed antifreeze with some caribou soup and set it out to trap dogs into eating it. And he happened to be one of those dogs who fancied himself some free caribou soup.

So, my kids, husband and I are having a very tough time with his death. I literally cried the entire flight from Kotzebue to Anchorage. Someone must have known what was going on because the flight attendant stuffed some tissues into my pocket and said, "My dog died 10 years ago and I still can't talk about it..." My daughter is having the worst time. You'll know why when I get around to writing the story of Nugent the Wonder Dog. She was especially close to him because he really did save her from a lot of dangerous things. He was her pal. Here are some texts I got from her the day after when she was having an especially hard time. (I'm in green, she's in white)

BOTH my grandmothers were in the hospital. My one grandma, my aana, is going to be sent to a Nursing Home because she needs to be on dialysis for the rest of her life. She did NOT look like herself when I went to see her. It was all I could do not to burst into tears. My other grandma was rushed to the ER and admitted on my birthday. She also spouted the "C" word when I visited last weekend. Sigh.

And I am out of town on a work trip. I guess the only saving grace is that I am in Palm Springs and its hot as heck here. This Eskimo is totally melting. (Don't you wish it was like that!? Get fat and just visit a warm place to melt it off!!) I missed Kaisa's first Piano Recital where she played two songs and I'm missing her Play she worked so hard on, and her last day of school picnic... (Yes, our kids get out of school THIS FRIDAY!)

Anyway, I'll be back. When I'm not melting, or crying.

My Place.

2011-04-27T08:47:00.004-08:00

Hey...welcome to my place. It's still piled with snow, and bright out 19 or 20 hours a day! This picture was taken at 1:00 a.m. last night (this morning?) on the tundra.

The temperature says its only about 30 above but when you're sitting on the ice in direct sunlight for hours on end, you can keep your winter boots on, with your tank-top and TAN away. Our temperature gage reads 65-70 degrees in the sun. And since we're in the sun all day long, its pretty warm.

Everyone here has a "native tan." One that wraps around their face like a reverse raccoon, thanks to the need to wear sunglasses from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. Our hands and necks are also darker than the rest of our bodies. Funny, but normal up here.

Since my husband is a pilot and we have a plane, he thought he'd treat you all to a nice short flightseeing trip "around the patch" as they call it here. Come take a look, you can see the Hospital, the Senior Center, the Grocery Store and MY HOUSE!

My town isn't very big. But its home. And you can fly around it in three minutes! See!?

Thanks for visiting!

P.S. my husband took both the photo and the video! He sure thinks he's cool in his airplane! haha. Shoot, who am I kidding, I think he's cool too!

Weekends, Birthdays and stuff.

2011-04-25T09:09:00.003-08:00

This weekend was a whirlwind blur of activities. Not quite as busy as last weekend, but close. I made a few things this weekend.

1. Spam Musubi. (How can you NOT like this!?)

2. A lined Easter Dress for my baby. (Thank you Walmart's $1 a yard section)

3. Blueberry Delight. (Seriously. Heaven on earth. And I totally had it for breakfast this morning!)

So, in other news, 34 years ago today, my mom had a baby. She was real pretty. Like the prettiest baby EVER. My dad though, he was rabbit hunting. He missed it all. But we had rabbits for dinner.

Anyway, that baby's name ended up being Maija and today is her birthday. (Yay me!) So, in celebration of her birthday... Here is a recipe for you!

Finnish Birthday Cake!
(Adapted from Nordic Bakery Cookbook and Grandma's Kitchen!)

Cake:
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 C + 2 TBS Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/3 C Self-Rising Flour

Filling:
2 C Whipping Cream
Powdered Sugar to Taste, and for dusting.
1 1/4 C Apple Juice
Choice of Fruit, sliced (Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Aqpiks, etc)

2-9" greased cake pans (or 10" springform pans, but who has two, except ME! haha)

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.

Place Eggs and sugar in large bowl and beat with an electric beater until the mixture is foamlike, it can take up to 10 minutes! When its ready, it will be almost white, and doubled in size.

In a separate bowl, sift the baking powder and flour together, then fold into the egg/sugar mixture as gently and briefly as possible. Do not overwork the mixture otherwise it will lose its fluffiness!

Divide the mixture into the prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown. Let cool while you make the filling.

Whip the Cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar to taste.

Remove the cooled cakes from pans, cute horizontally through the middle of each. Layer the first cake onto a cake stand. Sprinkle 1/4th of the apple juice onto the cake to moisten. Spread 1/4th of the whipped cream mixture over it, followed by 1/4th of the cut fruit. Repeat the process four times finishing with a decorative assortment of fruit on top.

Dust entire cake lightly with powdered sugar and serve immediately!

Enjoy!

Professional Hotcake Maker

2011-04-22T14:55:00.003-08:00

You know you're not from 'round here if you say, "Pancakes." Just like when people say, "In-OO-pee-ack" instead of "IN-you-pack."

Hello. My name is Maija and I'm a Professional Hotcake Maker. And lucky for you, I like to share.

So, if you were lucky enough to get some sourdough starter from the Hotcake Feed last weekend, or you're my friend and I just give you some, or you're my family and you FORGOT how to make it...I'm gonna share the recipe with you.

Beware. My hands are the measuring vessels!

Perfect Hotcakes

Sourdough Starter
Flour
Water (I use milk instead of water once a month to really "feed" the sourdough)
2 eggs
a handful of sugar
a pinch of salt
a small palmful of baking SODA
*Blueberries, or apples, or banana's or whatever you want to add.

*the DAY before, take your starter out of the fridge and let it sit through the day uncovered.
*the NIGHT before, take that starter and pour it into a non-metal bowl.
*Mix enough flour and water with your starter to equal the same consistancy as your original starter. Fill the bowl about 3/4 of the way up. (I always make more than I need so I can give starter to friends.) Let it sit overnight on the counter, loosely covered with a non-metal cover. *Mix it really well with a wooden spoon right before bed.

*In the morning, mix really well (there may be a liquid on top, just mix it up). You should notice a slightly sour smell. Remove about 1C of the starter and put it into a clean jar. Cover and place in fridge if you're not going to make hotcakes every day.

*Add two eggs,

*A handful of sugar,

*A pinch of salt,

* Mix well.

*Now comes the fun part! Add a palmful of Baking Soda and watch the magic.

It'll Bubble...

And bubble more...

And get nice and fluffy!

*If you're adding blueberries, do it now!

(yes, I totally overflowed this little bowl!)

*Place on a HOT skillet (Cast iron works best) greased with bacon grease, or crisco, whatever floats your boat. We use Bacon Grease. Hey, I didn't say it was Good FOR you, I just said, GOOD!

*When you start to notice the sides getting a bit dry and bubbley, then its time to flip.

*Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Enjoy with some butter and LOG CABIN syrup. Seriously, has to be Log Cabin, or I'll punch you. Sorry, did I write that out loud? OK, use whatever you have but if you don't use Log Cabin, don't complain when it doesn't taste like camp!

P.S. Beware of the random thieves who sneak around and eat your blueberries. They can only be caught by the telltale sign of a Blueberry-Thief!

Yay. Hotcakes.

Spring Festival

2011-04-21T09:55:00.003-08:00

(*Caution...photo heavy post after you read a bit!)

Holy Cow. What a whirlwind week. We celebrated the arrival of the sun for more than 16 hours a day with a huge Spring Festival. The 2nd Annual Arctic Circle Spring Festival that is! And it was GREAT.

The sun cooperated and shone above us giving us all that often-sought-after Eskimo Tan after several days in the sun.

The Arctic Circle Spring Festival was created by a group of volunteers who wished to celebrate the return of Spring to our home as a community, as well as to give an opportunity to experience our unique culture of the Alaskan Arctic. With events like Eskimo Football, Harpoon Throwing Contest, TWO Community Dinners and even a Snerts Tournament, this jam-packed 6 day event gave everyone plenty to do and see this week. "Headquarters" were set up at the Nullagvik Hotel Banquet Room where people could come in, warm up, have a cup of coffee and relax.

The highlight of the event was the mass start of the Kobuk 440 sled dog race on Thursday the 14th where all the dog mushers started the four hundred and forty mile race through our beautiful region all at once. Such a sight to see.

Also largely popular, (and by popular, I mean 14 gallons of sourdough starter was eaten) were the two free Sourdough Hotcake breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday. I mixed up two 7-gallon buckets of sourdough starter each night and in the morning made plain and blueberry sourdough hotcake mix that was fried on Coleman Stoves at Headquarters. Lucky people who brought their own container also got a "sourdough starter" that has been in our family for generations.

In addition to those above, we had two community dinners, one entirely of baked Shiifish. Alaska's answer to Maine's Lobster. And so much better, in my opinion! The cupcake contest and super cookie contest were also well liked and the winner of the cupcake contest was much deserving in her rendition of "Kobuk 440" cupcakes! (AND she made them in her "spare time" between working full time taking care of three little girls, taking a full load, and graduating college next week in Anchorage, and all that!)

Anyway, I'll explain a little on each photo...otherwise, ENJOY!

The entire cast and crew of the Kobuk 440 sled dog race. ("Native Tan!")

Ruth Iten, local gal after her strong finish of the 440.

Harpoon Target Contest

The intent of the Harpoon Contest is to see who's the best Seal hunter.

Isn't she the cutest little thing EVER!? Tiana Nelson hanging out at the finish for the dog races.

"Time Immemorial" play writers and actors, Jack Dalton and Allison Warden. I super cried during this part.

Here comes my husband!

Tea Making Contest! Contestants had to run down, make a fire, boil snow in a can and make tea.

Tea! I know who I want to bring to camp with me!

My friends Eric and Kari, hanging out...in the air...above me!

Flat Stanley is hanging onto the Arrow for dear life! He was visiting the ACSF this year.

Bullseye! Not quite, but almost!

Hotcake Breakfast makers, cookers, servers!

Nothing better than a deluxe Coleman Stove.

Especially one that makes Blueberry Hotcakes!

Wait, she might be the cutest little thing ever! Laci Hess.

Traditional bentwood snowshoes.

Claudey racing to the finish.

Here comes Ruth! (You can tell because she's not very tall!)

Here comes Hugh! With his KOTZ Radio hat.

Ken Anderson after his finish.

Twins!? We're not even that related! Distantly, maybe third cousins...but people like to come up to me and hug me and say, "HI LIZ!" I just say Hello back. :)

Pretty mama with her Indimo.

Snerts Champion! Attamak Sheidt. He has FAST hands.

One of the snow sculptures.

Free Dogsled rides for everyone!

The kids favorite event. The Clothesline Cash run races...

I would definitely do laundry every day if I found this on my line!

See!? Isn't she so darn cute!?

440 Mass Start.

Cupcake Contest winners!

Pete Kaiser, winner of the 2011 Kobuk 440 Sled Dog race.

Gunny Sack Races.

Arlene jumping high!

Better late than never!

2011-04-15T11:22:00.002-08:00

So, Monday was my baby's birthday. She's 8. Like half of 16. Maybe 8 going on 16 would be better put.

Anyway, I've been super busy. Busier than "normal" which is pretty busy. So, I guess better late than never right!!? My spring/summer/fall is pretty much named, "Busy," "Busier," and "Busiest." Although the Arctic Circle Spring Festival is keeping me BUSIEST right now.

She had a "rainbow" party. Because rainbow parties are easy to put together! You buy colorful toys and you decorate with all the colors of the rainbow. Easy! Easy is my friend when I'm busy!

The bane of my existence was this skirt. I'll never again try to make something that I saw on TV/Blogs/Etsy, I'll just buy it. It seriously took me like three hours to do all the stupid layers of tulle. Layer upon layer upon layer. But...it's OK cause she was pretty cute in it!

Thankfully I did NOT have to make a cake because we have a talented cake maker/decorator who will take your theme and run with it. It was perfect.

Even the inside was perfect!

I did though, make this Broken Glass Jello . It was pretty easy once I got the hang of it. Luckily I have two fridges in my two kitchens so one is always available to do six pans of jello at once!

She had a BLAST. Her 28 friends had a blast... (Yes, we made 29 party bags and there was ONE left over!) Shoot, even the parents had a blast watching "Musical Paper" and Eskimo Bingo! We had several Crafts to do as well like painting fingernails,

Making Suncatchers,

And making Rainbow Picture Frames!

Happy, Happy 8th Birthday my baby girl! (I'll make sure to write something grand next year!)

Big trees...

2011-04-08T14:05:00.002-08:00

My husband and I are in the land of trees. And rain. And totem poles.

And herring spawn. Mmm, herring spawn smells so good. I mean, it literally smells like shiifishing time at home. Right when the ice breaks and you can smell the salty, fishy ocean air. It's something all NW Eskimo's look forward to. Because that means its spring.

Sitka is a largely populated city with a small town flair. I love it. We have walked down the street visiting the little shops downtown buying Sterling Silver and Alaskan Fabric. And X-tra Tuffs!

A few weeks ago Dean came down to help carve a totem pole for the 100 yr celebration of Sitka National Historical Park. The scheduled pole raising was slated for Saturday with 22 dance groups, elders, and a community of people who support Totem Park. We came down a few days early to help with some finishing touches. Dean carving, me painting. In the rain. And wind.

But, thanks to the government shutdown, our $1,200 plane tickets were in vain. They canceled the raising "until further notice." At least we were able to visit this beautiful town and enjoy the sights while we were here.

Carvers and Painters: Kenneth White, Gary Lang, Christina Cranston, Tommy Joseph, Donny Varnell, Ashia Lane, and my husband Dean Lukin

Sometimes...

2011-04-05T10:26:00.002-08:00

Sometimes you need some Monkey Bread in your life. Sometimes that's what makes you feel better.

Noodles...

2011-04-04T10:15:00.001-08:00

Not pasta noodles, baby noodles!

Remember baby Noodle!? Well, today was her first birthday!

We had loads of fun stuffing as many people into my mom's house as we could on Sunday!

Her auntie Saima let her eat half the rainbow butterfly cake too. Well, technically she smeared half the cake on the table, but still...

And we had the customary "mom's rainbow jello" that we have at every kids birthday party! Except this time Rea's momma made it. It's the circle of life man...

A great time was had by all, and by the end of the day, the baby, the momma, the cousins and even the aunties were ready for a bath and a nap.

Happiest Birthday Baby Girla!

Hello!

2011-04-01T14:53:00.002-08:00

Well hello there.

It's me. I'm doing wonderful. I'm out of the hospital now, and finally back at work!

Yep, had me a stay in the hospital. Man, thank goodness I have Aflac!

I knew I was better when I started actually dialing the numbers on HSN for that super new crafty sewing machine that I REALLY NEEDED (but don't really need). And when I thought that no-sew glue stuff was the BEST stuff EVER made. Yeah, time to go home where I don't watch HSN.

Anyway, now that I'm out and SEWING again. I found these WONDERFUL little things and now I am desperately OBSESSED.

Mug Rugs.

OMG. They are the perfect little complement to your perfect cup of tea and muffin ! Seriously you guys. I have SO MANY fabric scraps that I whipped this red/pink one up during the last 10 minutes of my lunch break so I could bring it to work and rest my soda on it during the board meeting!

They are SO easy to make. Just check them all out HERE . Get crafty.

P.S. Thanks for all the well wishes, I feel like a NEW person. Except I can't eat spicy food. Or walk up too many stairs. Or...nevermind, I feel great. Thanks again!

Time.

2011-03-29T14:39:00.002-08:00

Gosh, people have so much time on their hands.

I look like I do lots of "stuff," (well I DO do lots of stuff) I have nothing but time these past two days. I am stuck on the couch. The only thing I can do is sit here, read, surf the net, eat applesauce, and sleep. I feel like time is standing still, except that everything around me is still mvoing at lightening speed. My niece's FIRST birthday is next week. Like as in, NEXT MONDAY. And I'm all about birthday parties, so this is a BIG thing. But I'm still stuck on the couch.

The weather has been absolutely beautiful up in these parts. Spring is here and in full bloom. Except our Bloom is different from your bloom. When I say Bloom I mean Ptarmigan are changing colors, rabbits are changing colors and the Shiifish have arrived. We are still buried with 12 feet of hard packed snow, but our sunny days start out at 6am and don't end until 11pm.

When the sun comes back, everyone is excited. And I'm stuck on the couch.

Sometimes I think this is a sign from above that I need to SLOW DOWN. I work full-time and rush home, cook dinner, make sure homework is done then pack my younger kids off to do something. Sledding, Fishing 30 miles away, community meetings, potlucks, etc. Anything to get them involved as much as I am. Anything to get out of the house. AND I sew almost every night. Skin sewing, cloth sewing, doll sewing, mukluk patching, pattern making, headband making (with Duct Tape!), etc.

But I've been sitting on the couch for two days with a secondary reaction to Strep Throat that is attacking my joints and immobilizing me from doing the simplest skin sewing. Yes, I can still type. I could type when I had blisters too, one finger works, I can still type! Now, to add icing to the cake of life, my son is sick. I swear that kid has inherited EVERYTHING bad from me. When we get sick, we get SICK. We don't get a cold, we get Pneumonia. We don't have sore muscles, we get flesh eating bacteria. We don't have normal blisters, we get those that cover our hands entirely. We don't have normal headaches, we get debilitating migraines.

I will admit, this might be the first time I've had Strep Throat, I might have had it before, it's a sucky thing. But my throat hurting isn't hurting as much as my joints are. I was super worried at the hospital wondering if I was getting early onset arthritis, but they assured me that thanks to my steroid use a couple of weeks ago from recurring blisters, that it was just the reaction to Strep that was doing that. Great.

I wonder if taking a Sauna would help... Makes me want to go to camp. But I can't cause I'm sick. Random thought, I want a 3,500 HP Generator for camp...WITH remote start! (My car doesn't even have remote start) A generator at CAMP with remote start would be livin' large!

So, I know this post is full of unfun stuff, but sometimes life is not fun. Sometimes you just have to sit on the couch and surf the internet at crafty blogs making mental notes about what you can do for your daughter's birthday that's in, OH CRAP, less than two weeks.

I think I could probably become famous if I didn't have to work. Seriously, I can look at a "Dessert Table" and recreate the entire thing. I can make and decorate cakes like a professional. I can bake just about anything. I can sew anything I see in stores with my own pattern. I can make mukluks and mittens and parka's with the best of them. I like to cut up seals and caribou and I love to go fishing.

Priorities I guess...I'd rather work and take care of my family full time and craft/blog/sew part time. I guess that works for me.

Don't get me wrong. If I won a lottery, I'd be gone from my job at least right after I trained someone else to do it. But only because I'd own a coffee shop/skin sewing business/outdoor store/B&B, and be super busy with that. :)

Laid up...

2011-03-29T09:58:00.003-08:00

or Down? I don't know.

All I know is that I'm so sick that I can't even sew. Not machine sew, not skin sew. As a matter of fact, this post has already taken me a while to write. But, that's OK. I owe it to my faithful readers! (just kidding, I actually had a funny story from last night!)

Anyway, I did go to the hospital and was diagnosed with Strep Throat with a secondary reaction that's attacking my joints. I guess due to steroid use from last week thanks to recurring blisters . So, some day I'm going to have a regular sickness. A regular cold. Regular Strep Throat. Etc.

Here's what my entire day/evening looked like:

Jodi Picoult's new book, Sing me home. Started and finished it yesterday. My "Best of the Best from Alaska" cookbook to peruse for things to make when I'm well again. Empty saltine cracker sleeve and empty Applesauce containers. My medication that hopefully works. AND $40 that we got from Kaisa's jacket pocket.

Yes, she was stashing $40 in her jacket. She pulled from each of four pockets: $5, $5, $10 and $20 bills. When we asked her how she got all this money she said, quite simply, "I saved it. I'm a good saver."

Muffins

2011-03-25T09:22:00.003-08:00

I love me some muffins.

Love. With a capital L.

Apple muffins, Banana Nut muffins, Cranberry muffins, Blueberry Muffins, shoot, even plain old plain muffins.

I love muffins more than cake. With frosting! That's how much I love muffins.

The other day I came across SEVEN GALLONS of blueberries in my freezer that were stuck in a large plastic bag and hidden behind some seal meat. You know what you do when you find seven gallons of berries? You SCREAM for joy!

And then you make muffins. (And Jam, but that's another post!)

Since I really like muffins and I make them ALL THE TIME, I like to experiment and I think I've finally developed the PERFECT muffin recipes. It's all trial and error folks. What better to do with your errors but to EAT them?!

Not to sugary, not too sweet. Just perfect Muffins to eat with your morning coffee. Or evening wine!

Cranberry Muffins (Lowbush Cranberry, AKA Lingonberry are the ONLY berries I use in this one)
*Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 ct. muffin tin with cooking spray.
*In a bowl mix together 3/4 C Frozen Cranberries (or fresh if its September!) and 3/4 C Powdered Sugar. Set aside.
*In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together 2 C flour, 1/2 C Sugar, 1 TBS Baking Powder, 1 tsp Salt and 1/2 tsp Nutmeg.
*In a small measuring cup, whisk together 1 C Milk, 4 TBS Oil, and 1 egg.
*Pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture and carefully combine the two until just moistened. Add the berry/sugar mix to the bowl and carefully fold together until Berries are incorporated and Sugar has dissolved.
*Spoon batter into oiled muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops with Raw Sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes until browned around the edges and firm to the touch.
Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins (Tundra Blueberries are the only berries I use)
This recipe is almost exactly the same, except you substitute Blueberries for the Cranberries, and Cinnamon for the Nutmeg. Also you add 1/2 tsp of vanilla to this recipe.
*Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 ct. muffin tin with cooking spray.
*In a bowl mix together 3/4 C Frozen Blueberries (or fresh if its September!) and 3/4 C Powdered Sugar. Set aside.
*In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together 2 C flour, 1/2 C Sugar, 1 TBS Baking Powder, 1 tsp. Salt and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
*In a small measuring cup, whisk together 1 C Milk, 4 TBS Oil, 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 egg.
*Pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture and carefully combine the two until just moistened. Add the berry/sugar mix to the bowl and carefully fold together until Berries are incorporated and Sugar has dissolved.
*Spoon batter into oiled muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops with Raw Sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes until browned around the edges and firm to the touch.
Enjoy!

They're super easy to make, as a matter of fact, I frequently make them for breakfast before work and for a snack during lunch. 30 minutes from start to finish.

They're good to the last bite!

Whip my Hair Back and Forth...

2011-03-24T15:40:00.002-08:00

I love Willow Smith. She is so freakin cute!

I mean, if I were a multi-billionaire, I would totally let my kids be on the Disney Channel! My sister would die before letting her daughter do that, but eh...lettum. I'd totally do it.

But alas, I am NOT a billionaire. Or even a Millionaire. Maybe a thousandaire but only in my vested account for retirement! haha.

Anyway, Clara's been bugging and BUGGING and BUGGING everyone to let her get her hair cut and the stars aligned on Tuesday so she could do just that.

We only have one hair salon in Kotzebue, and its dang Great if you ask me. Cheryl went to school and worked at some fancy-pantsy hair salon in the City but her family is here, so eventually the home strings tugged her right back where she belongs. Here. Home. In Kotz.

Anyway, she had some "Spring Break Deals" going on so my sister called for an appointment for Sweet Clarita.

Her only wish, "Side Bangs..." Her mom's only wish, "NO bangs!"

So they compromised and she got a few side bangs. AND of course, Kaisa was super jealous and wanted a haircut too, so Cheryl graciously cut some "side bangs" and curled her hair too.

Girls. Now they can whip their hair back and forth.

Community

2011-03-23T10:26:00.002-08:00

Community. I guess the definition would be describing a bunch of people who live in the same area. But up here, Community means so much more. Maybe we should say, "Family" instead.

Our community is small. Our town is small. Everyone knows everyone business. And you don't win the Iditarod without your entire Community behind you.

We got word from the Dog Mushers Association that they wanted to have a Community Welcome when John Baker came in from Nome with his family.

Community members got together Friday afternoon to discuss a potential welcome for him and his family. Ideas bounced off the walls of the Borough Chambers and everyone promptly forgot about it when the weekend rolled around.

Monday morning at around 10:30 am, I got word that he would be on the afternoon flight. (See how small our community is, we have a "Morning Flight," "Afternoon Flight," and an "Evening flight" and everyone knows what time those come in!) So that gave us exactly three and a half hours to plan and execute a Community Welcome for him.

Luckily, our Community is awesome and a couple of people got on the ball immediately. Cookies and Coffee came from NANA Regional Corporation , The City of Kotzebue rallied their Fire Trucks, Ambulances, and our local radio station, KOTZ started airing news that the community was invited to line Third Avenue (our only long street at about a mile long) after the flight came in to welcome John.

The school was secured and they scrambled to let their students know that John would be speaking about the Iditarod as well as his slogan, "I dream, I try, I win."

Three and a half hours after the initial email came through, our entire community came together, as we always do to bring home our Champion, John Baker.

To see Johns speech to the students, please visit Tundra Tantrum. She recorded it while I shot stills! :) Cause that's what we do, work together!

Caps, Caps for Sale

2011-03-21T13:10:00.002-08:00

Or Hats, in this case.

Warm, comfy Fur Hats.

Lately I've been on a sewing kick. I made one blond beaver fur hat and sold it last week so my son could have spending money in Anchorage for Spring Break.

Yesterday, I made three more. (Money is a good motivator when you want a new serger!)

One Women's Muskrat and leather one. One Sheared Beaver and Leather for Kids and One Sheared Beaver and Leather for Men.

All Dark in color, all warm on your head.

All perfect for our long days out on the ice Shiifishing. Cause its that time of year again.

Fishing! Yay. That means raw frozen fish, baked fish, beer battered fish, etc. And if you've ever had Halibut, Shiifish is BETTER. So much better. Ahhh... Shiifish.

Northern Traveler! (And Congratulations!)

2011-03-15T16:00:00.003-08:00

First off, Congratulations to John Baker from my hometown of Kotzebue for winning the Iditarod, an 1,100 mile dog race that spans half of Alaska. Its the first time since before I was born that an Alaska Native has won.

This picture was taken last year at the Kobuk 440 race, here in Kotzebue.

In other news...I've been out on Village Travel for the past week or so. Yay.

That means that my commute is in a Cessna Grand Caravan and I have the best-seat-in-the-house, which is pretty much every seat cause we have huge windows in bush planes!

My hometown from the air.

But when you're traveling to a place that everyone wants to get to, you end up taking the "milk-run" which basically means you village jump until you finally get to your destination two hours later.

Our villages are located on the River system.

Every morning I get up, pack my backpack full of things like food, water, a knife, a first-aid kit, a survival kit, extra underwear and socks, medication, my sewing kit, an iPad (to read and play angry birds) and my camera and set out to check out the country in Northwest Alaska.

I always bring along something to hand sew so I can listen to music, read and sew at the same time. Sort of distracting me from the fact that I'm in a small bush plane with one engine. I usually end up finishing whatever it is I brought on the way back home.

Sometimes my friends and co-workers go with me to villages like Noatak where we find people who will hang out with us when we're done with work.

I always wear warm gear in the plane, or at least warm everything and pack snow pants just in case. Plus we do a lot of walking in the villages, so we need some comfy warm shoes to keep our tootsies feeling good.

And sometimes we end up being picked up by an Eskimo Limousine and carted around the village from here to there. I love riding the Eskimo Limousine...its what I grew up with.

Lots of the places in the villages could be paintings they're so beautiful.

I always take the time to appreciate the hard work our people do to make things like sleds...

And baskets...

And other things that are important and much needed up here.

When I was on the sled out of Ambler with six other adults being pulled by a snowmachine with all our gear, I closed my eyes and listened to the strains and flexing of the sled. It was awesome to hear a wooden sled flex under and over snowdrifts carrying all that weight like it was nothing. I am in constant awe at tools the Eskimo's invented that are still here today. Sleds, Qayaqs (Kayaks), Ulus, etc.

Most of the time I like to just relax in the village. The life there is so much less fast paced than Kotzebue and even slower than urban cities. Its just peaceful and quiet. Perfect to read on a couch with your mukluks on.

Oh the Beauty.

2011-03-11T08:31:00.002-09:00

Sometimes we forget how beautiful it is up here. Sure, we live in Alaska, the "last frontier" but in the dark of winter I always love when "Spring" comes. My spring, not your spring.

In December and January, it is dark. Dark and gloomy. People get depressed. I sew. In February we just get storms. People get cabin fever. I sew. But in March, the sun decides to come up sooner and set later and we end up with cold crystal clear days where the sun beats off the snow from the February storms and brightens the darkest days. In March the northern lights come out and people go fishing. I go fishing! (And I sew.)

My spring is filled with 14 hour days of sun. Sun, SuN, SUN! I love to travel to the surrounding villages and check out people's lives. It's fun...in the sun!

I am lucky enough to have a job where I commute a lot to the villages around us. 35 minute flights in the morning to spend the day in the village, and 35 minute flights in the afternoon to go back home.

Yesterday I went to Kivalina. It was so gorgeous, the ENTIRE flight. It was smooth (always a plus for me!) and clear the entire way.

We hung out at the offices for the day and I did what we went there to do, then went exploring. I love walking to people's houses, knocking on the door and saying HI!

Chances are, they don't even know who I am, but I ALWAYS get fed, I always get laughs and I always learn something awesome. Our people are so generous and FUNNY. I am always laughing. And I always leave with something to eat. I left Kivalina with some trout for my aana!

When I get home I am always in a good mood. And last night, after I got home I sewed a bunch and then the Northern Lights came out. Just ANOTHER reminder of how beautiful it really is to live here.

Today (Friday) I'm heading to Noatak for the day. Yay! (It also helps to be related to most of the town, as I am in Noatak!)

Photo Challenge, Day 16

2011-03-09T16:01:00.002-09:00

Someone who inspires you.

Every Day I am inspired. Every day I spend time checking out the blogosphere and looking at other people's designs, creations, lives.

Every day I watch people overcome hurdles. Some mental, some physical, some emotional. And they inspire me.

You should always be inspired by other people. It's good for the soul.

My husband inspires me to be a better parent. His calm demeanor with the kids and dogs and messes really calms me down in my utter chaos of trying to be great. He watches the Outdoor Channel and drinks a beer while kids are running around crazy and dogs are biting each others ears off. I just want to scream, but he just sits there and smiles.

My step-kids inspire me to slow down. They come to us in the height of summer. When every Eskimo family is busy. Busier than normal. They are rushed here and there, we rush to camp, rush to get food put away, rush to the softball games...and rush rush rush. Which my children are completely used to. But they aren't.

My son inspires me to be more forgiving. As a mother, its hard to forgive people who harm your child. Years can go by and one glance toward that person, all the feelings come rushing back to the day your child was hurt. He, on the other hand, tells me to just forget about it. He's ok now, and I'm more affected then him.

My daughter inspires me to overcome. She has overcome some of the most difficult situations that a 7 year old ever has had. And she's always come out cheery with a smile on her face. She forgives, forgets, and moves on in a heartbeat.

I have a handful of people who really inspire me, one who inspires me to be a better friend, one to be a better baker, one to learn how to knit. But the one person who is the most inspiring to me is this woman:

She inspires me to be a better PERSON. And that's a big feat considering how much I do for people. I constantly think of what she would do in the situation. One, because she is a phenomenal Christian woman. She truly shows God's Grace to everyone while I spit my ugly words toward people. She is quick to love and slow to shame. Always reminding me (with a smile) that no matter what someone "does" to us, we still need to show them love. Even more so for "certain individuals." And Two, because she is just am amazing person.

In every life situation, Life, Death and everything in between, Emily inspires me the most. Thank you so much for allowing me and my children into your (and your son's) life.

Shooting tips from a 7 year old

2011-03-07T14:21:00.002-09:00

Now if that's not the most odd title! But comparable with "Mice Killers!"

Thanks for all of your help and recommendations about how to get rid of this horrible cold/flu/sinus/whatever-it-is. I'm still down in the dumps, but only by way of a stuffed up head and I can handle that.

I LOVE it when kids want to be a tiger!

It didn't stop me from painting faces for six hours straight on Saturday. Or making enough stuff for about 150 "Indian Tacos." (Which included that many fried breads big enough to fit on your plate! And Meat and Corn and Pico and Refried Beans and Cheese and Lettuce. Yeah, it was that good and I was that busy)

Sunday we finally were able to RELAX which meant sitting on our duffs in front of the television almost all day. Ahhh... We did manage to take Kaisa out shooting though. She got a Pink .22 single shot rifle for Christmas and has been itching to get some rabbits. And Dean's been bugging me to get reacquainted with my .357 pistol.

She needed a refresher lesson though, because she's seven and even though she's been around guns her entire life, we still don't let her handle them without one of us standing RIGHT next to her. Cause you know, guns are dangerous.

So, without anymore from momma, here is Kaisa:

Guns are Dangerous. They can't be played with. Even if your friend wants you to see their gun then you should tell their adult parent. (Apparently some parents aren't adults)

First you get your earmuffs on. I got mine from my brother. He's gonna paint them pink to match my gun. (Priorities) Then you get your gun. Then you get a bullet from Dean's pocket.

Put the bullet in the hole.

Push the thingy to the bullet and then push the thingy down. (Someone needs gun vocab lessons)

Pull the thingy back. You have to pull it back hard. And you can't wear gloves.

Aim at the target. You can't put your fingers on the trigger until you're ready to shoot.

Then put your finger on the trigger. Breathe real big and then SHOOT! (she CLAPPED her hands right here for some dramatic flair)

If you want to shoot again, you just have to pull the thingy back and open it up, but do it fast or else the bullet thing gets stuck.

And there you have it. How to shoot a gun from a 7 year old's perspective. I guess I'm very happy that she did mention that you should NEVER put your finger on a trigger until you are READY to shoot the gun. She did shoot about 25-30 rounds at a little bitty target in the snow, by herself.

She's not quite ready to go out and shoot rabbits, but she's getting there. And being an Eskimo, living in Alaska, she is going to know how to handle guns and how to handle guns at friends houses, because chances are, there are guns at her friends houses and who knows if their parents taught them the correct way to handle them. The more she knows, the better.

"Alternative Treatment"

2011-03-02T18:00:00.002-09:00

When I'm sick at camp with my aana, we have several different "alternative medications" that we use...

Swallow Feathers to cure Thrush.

Stinkweed boiled in spring water to cure most ailments.

Porcupine intestines dried and sucked on to cure a stomachache.

A spoonful of Seal Oil for anything.

And now...I am MISERABLE at home. Miz-ER-uble. I have a horrible head cold. Or something.

My right ear is plugged (although I did go to the hospital and I do NOT have an ear infection) and hurts like the dickens. My sinuses are so gobbed up it hurts to wake up in the morning. I have a fever, and my bones feel like I'm a brittle 95 yr. old woman who's never had milk in her life.

It hurts to breathe. It hurts to talk. It hurts to sneeze, which I do ALL the time. And I've had several bloody noses for the past couple of days.

SO...what kind of "alternative medicine" would you recommend for this gunk that's junking up my life?!

Go ahead...tell me, I'll try anything, I eat undigested porcupine crap remember?!

:) Thanks.

Challenge, Day 15 Part 2

2011-02-28T19:42:00.002-09:00

A picture of something you want to do before you die.

People call me crafty. I can sew. I can craft. I can draw. I can paint.

I can cut and glue and color and create just about anything I see on TV, blogs, magazines, etc.

But I. JUST. CAN'T. KNIT.

And I am so, so sad about that.

I really want to knit my own socks before I die.

Challenge, Day 15 Part 1

2011-02-28T19:34:00.003-09:00

A picture of something you want to do before you die.

I sure...

would love...

to visit...

Greece before I die.

And not cause it rhymes with my baby's name (Reese) but because I've already been to Finland, France, England and I think Greece is the bomb. Dot com.

Storming Flooding and Blowing

2011-02-25T15:24:00.003-09:00

You gotta love Alaskan Weather. One day its 54 below zero and freezing your breath as it escapes your nose. So cold you feel it in your lungs.

My aana visits Nina Ahkpuk, the Tribal Doctor over at the Senior Center.

The next day its 45 above and melting the sea ice in soft pillowy forms and causing the entire City to go into Disaster mode.

Today was a disaster mode day.

Fire Department personnel stood guard on each cross section of Front Street not because of flooding, but because the super-duper-awesome lights that went up this summer as a part of the "New and Improved Front Street" can not withstand the high winds we are all accustomed to experiencing in the winter.

Come on. It's windy in Kotzebue. That's not news. But residents on Front Street either were stuck in their homes, or shuttled over to the hospital or Senior Center "just in case." Like my aana, we took her over to the Senior Center to hang out while the winds blew and blew.

The warm weather and wind only compounded the "disaster" in Kotzebue when representatives from all over town met at the Fire Hall at noon to be prepared for the worst.

The corner of the Alaska Technical Center was experiencing flooding, so they closed down for the rest of the day. Their fire escape driveway was completely waterlogged when I drove by earlier.

Several yards on the outskirts of town were also experiencing flooding, although this photo is my next door neighbors yard and due to a Loader operator trying to catch up with the snow drifts and knocking down fire hydrants. (We were without water for like 18 hours. City officials and employees stayed up all night trying to stop the water from flooding through the road. I'm happy to say we DO have water again! Yay for City workers!)

The very end of the street where the Airport begins was also pretty close to seeing water come up onto the road. About 2:00 p.m. or so the wind switched and the water started to recede.

So, now I'm going to go pick up my aana and bring her back home. Hopefully she had a nice visit over at the Senior Center.

Read more HERE and HERE .

Storm Birthdays...

2011-02-24T15:07:00.003-09:00

29 years ago my sister was born in a storm. My mom and dad left me alone at home because it was storming so bad that they couldn't see. But she was in labor and my dad can handle all things animal, no things human! He wasn't gonna deliver that baby. No way, No how.

Mom and Saima in the Baby Contest 28 years ago.

So they ventured out with a snowmachine and sled behind. They got stuck. My dad gunned it and my mom pushed them out. Then a few minutes later she pushed Saima out.

She's tough.

See how tough she is. This is how she shovels.

For the past 29 years it has been stormy on her birthday. Here is the view from my open window....

When its nice out there is a huge maintenance shop with four large garage doors right there. Squint your eyes, you can see the doors. Go ahead...look REALLY closely. See. A maintenance shop! Right there!

In honor of her birthday, I'm gonna go out on a limb and write her a poem:

Ode to a Chicken Mama.

Oh Chicken Mama,
with your Tundra Chickens so warm
In their bed of imported hay,
Even in the birthday storm.

I remember when you were born,
Cause I was not a happy girl.
Why did we need another baby?
You made me want to hurl.

But eventually we got along,
Even if it took twenty five years.
I'll still never forget the time
You tried to kill me in tears.

But Oh Chicken mama,
You're almost thirty now.
And its time to listen to your big sister,
I'll even show you how!

Happy 29th Birthday Saima!