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

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

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...

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...

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.

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.

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

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.