A Yearning for the Wild

"Nature calmed me, focused me, and yet excited my senses."

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder.

Bear Spray

Photo courtesy of REI.com

Those words send shivers down my spine. Two days ago, we trekked to Thunderbird Falls. It is a quick and easy hike with a nice view at the end. We made it to the end and decided to stop and enjoy the view while snacking on our goodies. My friend wanted to keep an eye on her littlest who is a bit of a dare-devil and was leaning over the deck which spans over a cliff. Her middle child ventured over to her bag. The bag held a rather large can of bear spray every hike. My friend turned to look at her middle child, dropped the youngest on the deck and expressed to her middle child her concern and for him not to pull the.. pin... He sprayed her in the face - square in her eye and along down her arm. She screamed, "Bear spray - everyone vacate the area!" We were a bit trapped on the deck since the spray let off right at the opening of the trail. Stunned we stared at each other. Quickly the effects of the fury which was let loose hit us. Coughing and yelling, we all squirmed off the deck. My poor friend screaming in agony. We flushed her eye with water as long as we could, took her home and washed off. The shower did not help very much. Actually, it added to the pain. Her child who sprayed the can was also doused and screamed every time I got water anywhere near him. The sensation was actually quite painful. Even for me and I was merely misted from afar. I claim the sensation as the fire and brimstone of Hades. My friend held strong and we called the poison control number. They explained it will be okay - everything done so far is right in line.. except the spray reacts to the oils in the skin. Therefore, oil needed to be spread over the effected area and washed off a few minutes later with dish soap. That did the trick. An hour later, everyone was at ease yet still in aftershock from the event. The best part of the day: When my friend exclaimed, "Worst hike EVER..." followed up with "I feel SO sorry for those bears..!"

Photo courtesy of HowStuffWorks.com

Bear spray (shiver) - I don't know how a bear could continue on fighting with a spray of that in its face. "Good" stuff.

Surviving Alaska 101 part c

The season we are enjoying right now is called break-up. Snow starts to melt and form a gross dull grey-brown coating, the streets become muck, and the old grass from last year starts to peak through along with it's putrid smell. Ahhh the smell of old rotten things mixing together to form a concoction of old trash, animal feces and rotten greenage. I call it break-up stew. As you can imagine, this is not exactly my favorite time of year...although the positive thing about this time of year is the anticipation we all have of brighter things.

In the summer (aka construction season): Party all day and night because you can't sleep when the sun is shining through your window at midnight! People emerge from their hibernation and bust out their tank tops, shorts, sandals, and bikes in April - when the snow is not yet melted and it is still 30-40 degrees outside. Summer here is very green and we feel it is getting really hot at 65 degrees. 60 degrees and up happens about (maybe) 2 months of the year. Everything is outside. We are all outside. We do not go inside until it starts raining cats and dogs late August. Then we get ready for winter.

In the winter: Get out your skiis, sleds, snowshoes, snowmachines, and all your snow gear because sitting inside the house all winter will give you cabin fever. If you start to feel depressed, shine some light on your face. The darkest days of the year are in the winter here. Some people have to utilize a SAD light or light therapy to generate some energy. Many people take a much needed vacation to sunnier places for some relief.

Right now, my relief is spelled C-R-U-I-S-E! That is what my husband and I plan to do this August - when the rain season hits Alaska. Cruise on out to Mexico. Adios Amigos!

Surviving AK 101 part b

Eat scrumptious, warm, quick to make food. Preferably use the oven to warm the house on a cold morning:

A new tradition in our house is to eat German Pancakes on the weekend...

These are not sweet by themselves but very delicious with sweet toppings. We added a sprinkling of brown sugar and powdered sugar along with sugar-free marmalade. Topped it off with fancy whipped cream.

Mmmm...yum-o!

Surviving Alaska 101 part a

I am fortunate to have this in my house:

to help me survive yet another round of this:

(it happened last night)!

Just keepin' it real. This is what I've been up to lately. I was busy, busy, busy with volunteering, driving, coping, moving (two times), cooking, baking, reading, bathing, dressing, exercising, tending 3 children and a husband, organizing and occassionally sleeping. :-)

This sort of thing, while absolutely fun, got in the way too:

I've also had writers block. Not sure where my head is but if someone finds it.. please return it to our new home. :-)

To be continued.....

Goals and Scoring...

Sometimes one must take one step back before taking two steps forward. Through the sludge of stress and grievances, we hope to find light and great happiness for our family. Nothing tragic is happening. Just many mini-tragedies. More like a soap opera than a tear-jerker really. In the latest episode of The Days of OUR Lives, we find ourselves on a roller coaster of emotion. Luckily, I have a very supportive husband who loves me and his children and is looking to protect and care for us the best he can. Hopes are lost and gained again. Our goals are still the same, though, and we still have time on our side. May we find peace and serenity. It's not a job I speak of or anything like that. Just situations. Many situations.

SERENITY NOW!

Taking 5 Today...

Taking 5 to organize. I realize I need to organize my house better as well as my cleaning routine these days. I am ready to implement the following into the daily humdrum of life:


Everyday 5 minute jobs:

Bathrooms: swipe toilet, clean mirror, wipe down sink, quick mop floor
Kitchen: sweep/quick mop floor, throw out trash, load dishwasher, hand wash dishes
Dining: quick wipe chairs, table
Living room: pick up loose papers, gather misc. items, dust, quick vac
Car: clean out trash
Garage: take papers inside, put items away in rooms
Bedrooms: put loose laundry in bins, quick clean up
Laundry area: one load in and out a day
All: sanitize door handles


Every week:

Monday: Water plants, clean out car (vac, windows, wash outside if needed)
Tuesday: Heavy duty vac (use the handle on trim, under furniture and couch cushions)
Wednesday: Clean out fridge/pantry, gather trash, set out trash cans (trash is Thur.)
Thursday: Clean windows and mirrors, write and send letters/mail
Friday: Iron, recycle, clean out oven
Saturday: Family project (30 min - 1 hour in morning)
Sunday: Set bags in car/ garage


Once a month:

Meal plan
Clean out trash bins
Heavy clean kitchen and bathroom floors
Wash down walls and doors
Change out calander
Organize garage bins
Go over budget

Menu Planning Monday 08-03-09

I am BACK! Woo hoo - it's been a long summer and I took a long break from blogging, but I am back in the bloggy world now.

Here's my Menu Plan for the week:

Monday:
Breakfast – Cereal, boiled eggs, toast, water
Snack – Carrot sticks and ranch, water
Lunch – Ham sandwiches with lettuce and tomato
Snack – Crackers and cream cheese, water
Dinner – Spaghetti and meatballs, salad, breadsticks
Dessert – Cookies and Horchata

Tuesday
Breakfast – Scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes
Snack – Applesauce, graham crackers
Lunch – Chicken quesadillas, Spanish rice, corn, milk
Snack – Apples and almond butter
Dinner – Chicken and rice soup, grilled cheese, broccoli salad
Dessert – Jell-O

Wednesday
Breakfast – Oatmeal, toast, fruit
Snack – String cheese and cherry tomatoes
Lunch – Soup, toasted bagel with cheese, juice
Snack – Apples and honey
Dinner – Baked salmon, cheesy cauliflower, wild rice
Dessert – Warm rice

Thursday
Breakfast – Toast, kiwis and grapes, milk
Snack – Boiled eggs
Lunch – Leftovers
Snack – Nuts and raisins
Dinner –Tacos, fruit salad, Spanish rice
Dessert – None

Friday
Breakfast – Cereal, bagel with almond butter, milk
Snack – Fruit leather, water
Lunch – Grilled cheese, carrot sticks
Snack – Yogurt and crackers
Dinner – Eat out
Dessert – Ice cream

Saturday
Breakfast – Egg Muffin, fruit, milk
Snack – Mixed cereal, water
Lunch – Popcorn, smoked salmon
Snack – Grapes, deli meat
Dinner – Aloha chicken kebobs, (pineapple puree, sweet potato puree)
Dessert – Coconut “flan”

Sunday
Breakfast – Cereal, toast, eggs, grape tomatoes
Snack – Cheese and apricots (dried)
Lunch – Sloppy Joes, sweet potato fries, milk
Snack – Crackers, juice
Dinner – Chicken salad, breadsticks
Dessert – Ice cream

Monday
Breakfast – Pancakes, scrambled eggs, apple sauce
Snack – Fruit
Lunch – Pea salad, cheese and tomato sandwich
Snack – Edamame
Dinner – Lasagna, salad, milk
Dessert – None

Let Freedom Ring