pieces of the puzzle

I've moved!

2011-07-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

I've moved! I tried my darnedest to figure out how to combine my two blogs, but just could not. So please follow this link to my new blog, The Weathered Pane! It's still about me and my life, with a little garden thrown in, some food, lots of grandkids, an occasional funny and all that. See you! Nancy

projects waiting

2011-06-28T16:55:00.000-08:00

Do you have problem getting your husband to do projects around the house? Like painting? I do. Some times. I can bring it up in a conversation many times over and still nothing. I know plenty of women who would just take the bull by the horn and head to the paint store and get the paint and stirring stick and trays and anything else they need and do the job themselves. My husband won't let me paint. He knows how I would do it.... and he's right.... I'm a sloppy painter. I wouldn't tape baseboards or trim or light fixtures. I would paint right around it all....

Confession: When I get to that point that I'm ready to paint myself.... all I have to say is: "I think I'm going to paint the bathroom" and my husband will be on it it just like THAT! Do I actually intend to paint myself? No! I just know my husband will realize at this point that I am dead serious about getting the job done and he will, at that point, get on board with me. He's a good man.

With that said, I am "allowed" to paint outside! Where the spray paint can dissipate throughout the neighborhood and the paint on the blades of grass will get mowed. Yes, here I am master! Well, kinda sorta. He still directs me, which is fine, because what do I know about the proper way of using a can of spray paint....

I have a couple projects this week. Lawn chairs. Those ugly, white, plastic lawn chairs that over time get stained and you dread having company sit in them. So I decided to paint them. A lime green. Or the closest color I could find.

I have to say that even spray painting is hard for me. I end up with drips, and runs, and dark blotches. So I sigh a heavy sigh of frustration, and my sweet man will take over and fix it all for me. Does he know I plan it that way? We do make a good team.

Another project is this old chandelier I found at a garage sale for $5.00. I painted one a few years ago, but it turned out so well, that I thought I'd do another one. I bought white paint.... but am tempted to paint it a color much brighter! Say lime or light blue....?

What do you think?

Tracy Arm Fjiord

2011-06-26T07:16:00.008-08:00

For those of you who don't know..... Juneau is land locked. We're part of the mainland, but there are no roads in or out of Juneau. The only way you can leave is by plane or boat. This makes it not only expensive, but also difficult, to get away for the weekend. For those of us without a boat, a day trip is usually a drive "out the road." From one end to the other of our road system is about 60 miles.

Another option for a day trip is to take a cruise to Tracy Arm. This is a full day of pure enjoyment as you join Adventure Bound Alaska for some of the most beautiful scenery in the world!

That's what we did on Monday. My sister is visiting Juneau and it was a challenge to come up with some kind of activity that would keep her mind occupied for the day. This was important because it was the one-year anniversary of her husband's passing.... We knew it would be a difficult day for her. That there could be a lot of deep sadness.

So we packed some survival food.... and headed to the Captain Cook, a 65' sightseeing boat. Along the journey we saw so many whales....

And icebergs.... Deep deep blue in color. They say 80 percent of the berg is under water so just imagine the damage this berg could do to our little boat!

I love finding shapes in objects--like this mushroom.

We saw some of the most incredible scenery, with sheer cliffs etched out from glaciers long ago. There were deep deep cracks in walls of rock that look like it would break away at any minute. Dainty yellow, orange, blue and red wild flowers creeping along any inch of surface they could find.

This is a trip everyone should take. At least once in their life time. I know Steve (my sister's husband) would have enjoyed this trip immensely as he was a mountain climber in his younger days. I bet he would have imagined himself climbing these very sheer cliffs.

But Steve is in another place now. Or so we thought.... Imagine my surprise when I learned that the Captain's name on the boat was Captain Steve! Coincidence? I think not. I hope my sister found peace on this day.

Father's Day

2011-06-25T21:38:00.002-08:00

Well, a little late posting pictures of Father's Day, but things have been busy here! It doesn't get much better than my son fixing us dinner. He's some kind of master chef, and everything he makes is a 5 star meal. I could certainly make the same meal, but it would never taste the same.

Like vegies roasted on the grill. They would be over cooked, or the onions would be under cooked. I'd have too much olive oil on it or not the right spices... It would be edible but wouldn't have that "just right" taste.

Our menu meat consisted of slow cooked country ribs. And by "slow cooked," I mean slooooooowwwww cooked. Four hours of cooking on a briquette bbque. They were the best ribs I've ever had.

Hunter learning to be a camera man:

Ellis and Grandpa Soapy.

Little Miss Avery. She's all tom boy! Look at how dirty she is!

The finished meal: slow cooked ribs, marinated flank steak, grilled vegies, and a salad. A meal certainly fit for any king!

Thank you, kids, for the best day ever!

what my birds do....

2011-06-24T06:14:00.000-08:00

I love my Blue Jays, don't get me wrong... But my beautiful flower boxes go from this:

To this:

The Blue Jays scatter my soil all over the place, and new seedings get tossed to the ground....

They pick the lettuce and the green onions. They peck off the flowers from my plants as if they're saying, "he loves he he loves me not, he loves me he loves me not...." This is (WAS) a beautiful rose....

I don't know what to do about these birds of mine. I suspect they're planting the peanuts I give them, so I have no one to blame but myself! But some times I think they do it just out of spite, because I didn't feed them when they thought they should be fed. I guess I'll never know.

today....

2011-06-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday....
I am a "young" 59...
Well, my mind feels like a young 45, but my body...
yea... 59... maybe 60....

Today my sister also comes to town....!

We'll celebrate my birthday, then tomorrow go on a day cruise to Tracy Arm Fjiord.

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the death of her husband,

and I'm hoping a day trip will help ease the pain of the day.

We'll put in a full day of babysitting. I suspect the grandkids will be on their best behavior with someone new in the house....

Then the birthday celebration....

I've never cared for birthdays and probably need to do some deep reflecting on why....

Maybe I don't want to be forgotten.

Or maybe I WAS forgotten once....

I know I'm not keen on a lot of personal attention.

Or picture taking (I take HORRIBLE pictures!), of which there will be some taken.
Maybe I secretly DO want all the attention....
But don't want to be disappointed when people don't show the love....
so I pretend like it doesn't matter to me....
(course, you'd have to LET them know it's your birthday
if you want the attention)

Maybe I've been disappointed in gifts before....

Like the jump rope I got many many years ago from my husband... because he thought I could lose some weight.... (yea.... he's no longer my husband!)

I'm certainly not one of those people who celebrate all week long.

I dread this day and only wait for it to be over....

But then there's all the love from family and friends,

and it makes it a good day

and I wonder.... why do I hate birthdays so much?

another year

2011-01-01T08:05:00.002-09:00

Gee, can you believe another year come and gone. It seemed like just yesterday that we were fretting over the end of the world in 2000. I'm not a big fan of New Year's Eve for a couple reasons, one of them I've just come to realize recently.

Where turning a year older on my birthday doesn't bother me, New Years does for that very reason. I feel another year has passed me by. Another year of possibly missed opportunities, un-wise spending, and unrealized dreams. Another year closer to the unknown. And this worries me. Just for the day. I'll spend the day reflecting on this past year, what went wrong, what I could have done differently or not at all, and how I can make improvements. I'll set priorities and goals, write them down in my notebook, and work throughout the year to continue achieving them. And every year I get better at it.

You see, I'm a list-oriented person. I make lists. Long lists. Short lists. Lists categorized. And lists of silliness. I write it all down in my annual notebook, where I keep all my most important papers, ideas, and plans. When I travel, I take this notebook with me. Why? I have no idea.... Other than it's important to me. It has my life in it. Or how I see my life. Or how I wish my life was.

So, today, I'll reflect. Not a lot, but enough to put the past year in perspective and determine whether or not I'm heading in the right direction. To set new goals, if need be. In doing so, I'm realistic. You won't find "lose 50 pounds" because I know, in reality, that for me to lose any weight, I need to work on five pounds at a time. But I will include "eat healthier" or "cut down on portions" or "cut back on sweets." Lifestyle changes.

This year I'm including a couple new goals:

Be more frugal. Really consider whether I need the item I'm about to purchase.
Use cash for weekly grocery shopping. I've heard this cuts back on your spree spending.
Look at the ingredients list of all things. If I can't pronounce the ingredients, or know what they are, continue shopping. We've noticed we shop more in the Organics section now.
To use, reuse, or refuse. We already recycle as much as our city allows, but there's still so much waste. I'm going to try to get away from buying products that have so much packaging, or packaging that can't be recycled. And even if it can be recycled.... maybe I can find another use for it and extend the life a little longer before sending to the dump. Like mail. I keep all envelopes that come in the mail now and use them for notes or grocery lists before recycling.
Pay myself first. This simple thing.... yet so hard to do.... This year, "pay myself first" is on the top of my list.

So there you have it. Some of my new goals for 2011.

christmas 2010

2010-12-30T10:49:00.001-09:00

Christmas is over for another year. It's SO over, that we already have our trees down and decorations put away! It just seemed the right thing to do.

It was a good Christmas. Josh, Nicholas and Shodie were here to join us this year. It's been a few years since we woke up to a big Christmas.

Then we had a long wait before the rest of the kids joined us at 4:00. Dinner was made. Table set.

Then the chaos that is Christmas.

It was Avery's first Christmas and she knew exactly what needed to be done.

It was a good day. A long day. But an even longer day for the big kids and grandkids. I'm thinking we need to rethink our Christmas Day plans next year so the kids might be able to enjoy the spirit of Christmas rather than watching the clock to see where they need to be next....

lump crab

2010-12-26T08:01:00.000-09:00

Do you ever question your sanity? Whether everything is really okay with you? Mentally? Or do you pass it off as just getting older....?

We were getting ready to head to some friends the other night,for some holiday cheer.... I offered to bring an appetizer. My first choice was going to be crab tarts but I didn't have any Dungeness in the freezer nor could I find any cracked Dungee at the supermarket. You can buy canned crab off the shelf, but what's "lump crab"? Seriously? Is that the name of a type of crab--like Dungeness or King? Maybe a combination of crab? Anyhow, we opted against using a generic crab.

Plan B was to take some prawns over with a little cocktail sauce. That would be festive, and who doesn't love to chomp into a nice, cold prawn?

Unless it's a nice, cold, RAW prawn! I don't know what I was thinking. Mike offered to peel them while I got ready. I told him to rinse them good, and I showed him how to then lay them on a triple layer of paper towel to dry them off good. I'd even gone so far as to lay them on a platter, surrounding a dish of cocktail sauce. It was all so nice and pretty.

Then it happened. I grabbed one to take a bite and it was like I had been hit over the side of the head. WHAT WAS I THINKING?! How did I go from fresh frozen, in the freezer, to the platter? When did I stop having the good sense to cook raw seafood???

Can you imagine how mortified I would have been had I taken that pretty little plate of tidbits to our friends for their gathering? Really. Seriously. Can you???

This isn't the first thing that has had me questioning my mental state of mind.... but the worst.

merry christmas

2010-12-24T08:00:00.000-09:00

My letter to Santa was short this year. I asked for peace. Peace for my family and friends who are struggling with relationships, finances, and grief.

If I could, I'd wrap my arms around all of you and keep you safe.

You're in my prayers every day and my hope is that you have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year filled with good things and small miracles.

I pray that no matter what kind of Christmas you're having, you can feel God's love and blessings sprinkled around you in all that you do.

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S !

it was so worth it

2010-12-23T19:09:00.000-09:00

Hey, sis. I suspect you're sound asleep as it's midnight on the east coast. I just wanted to let you know that I ate a cinnamon roll for you. I know how you're going in withdrawals.

Mike makes a batch every year for Christmas. It makes four pie pan sizes. Some years they're huge, too big for me, but this year he really hit it on the nail. I wasn't going to have one. My blood sugar, you know. But that would have been just plain rude not to eat one. Disrespectful. So I did. And I can feel my blood sugar rise as we speak. But it was so worth it. Especially with that dabble of butter melted on top. Oh. So. Good.

It's going to be a long night. I'm washing bedding.... This isn't something I would normally do at 5:15 at night, but Hunter had a little accident during nap time. You would think I'd have learned by now.... and put a rubber pad underneath the kids during nap time. But I don't. Well, not always. And especially not Hunter because it's been a long time since he's had an accident. So the bed got stripped down to the pad and the comforters and sheets are being washed. It's just that those big, bulky comforters take forever to dry. You have to keep turning and fluffing them. Well, maybe by 10:00, it'll all be done.

We had a good craft project day today. On the spur of the moment, we decided to make gingerbread houses. Okay, first off....this isn't something you do on the spur of the moment. Had I given it any thought, we would have done the frame of the gingerbread house yesterday or the day before and let the frosting set.

OR.... here's an idea.... Maybe I should have tried making one on my own before subjecting to the little kids to it!

But they had a blast and put so much energy into it. They really concentrated.

I felt horribly bad when the roof would slide off... or the walls would collapse. But we didn't let it deter (Peeezzzzz nahhhhhhh) and I'd re-caulk it with frosting and we'd continue on. I did find that putting a graham cracker on the bottom to kinda hold it all in place was a good move.

All in all, it was a fun morning and I'm so proud of the little kids for sticking with it.

Then when their moms came, and they rushed them over to look at it, you just knew how proud they were. It's times like this that it makes babysitting so worthwhile.

Hope you're having a good time. N.

Christmas traditions

2010-12-23T07:00:00.037-09:00

House decorated. Check.
Cards sent. Check.
Cookies made. Check.
Tree decorated. Check.
Christmas Day dinner planned. Check.
Packages wrapped. Check.

Yep, it looks like we're pretty much ready for Christmas to arrive. We still have a couple gifts to deliver, but will hopefully get that done Christmas Eve. We've been to a couple Holiday gatherings already. A new "first" was a Winter Solstice/Eggnog party, but we opted for a wine tasting party instead. What fun!

I love traditions. Especially Christmas. We wake up extra early. The kids arrive. We have a nice breakfast. We leisurely open presents. We visit. Laugh. Talk. It's a good day. NOT!

Oh, we have a wonderful Christmas, but ours is an extended family and some year's it's like putting together a puzzle, trying to make all the pieces fit. But they do. Every year our "tradition" is a little different. When the kids were small and still living at home, it was easy. Our dinner was usually ham and scalloped potatoes. Bucky made Chinese food a couple years. But now my menu varies depending on what time of day the kids arrive. Bucky and Michelle also have her family to visit--her mom/dad and grandparents. Plus it's her brother's birthday Christmas Eve! Talk about a full schedule. Poor kids. Course, they somehow manage to fit it all in.

But some times it's hard to work around all these other commitments into a holiday that also works for us. I mean, really, who wants to wait until 4:00 in the afternoon to open presents! I'd rather be in my pajamas recuperating!

Because our holiday has become somewhat "un"traditional, I try to put a little twist on opening presents. Maybe I'll think of a theme and buy gifts that fit within that theme. For instance, if one of the kids was into gardening, their gifts would fall within that theme--gloves, yard art, picture of gardens or flowers.

One year the kids couldn't open up their gift until they guessed what was INSIDE, based on the wrapping. That was fun. Bucky got his right off. A DVD player. His outside wrapping consisted of an electronics gift card hanging as a tag. Tracy's present was a big box tied with laundry line. For the life of her, she could not guess what her present was. The morning was dragging on. We were getting giddy from laughter. Finally, we had to start giving her verbal clues. I mean, the poor girl just could not figure out what was inside her box. Bucky started guessing, trying to help his sister. We gave Tracy clues that had to do with laundry, washing, etc. Finally, Bucky yells out "IT'S A LONGENBERGER BASKET!" How he ever figured it out, and not Tracy, I'll just never know. But it was a fun game.

This year I'm not putting any name tags on the gifts. The kids will decide who gets to open the present.... based on the outside wrapping. On each present is a separate little gift, acting as the clue as to who the present might be for. This clue is based on a gift list I either got from one of the kids or based on a recent conversation, or a hobby of theirs.... Sound hard? I don't think so. Okay, so to give you an idea.... Let's say the present is for Mike and I know he loves baseball cards, so I attach baseball cards to the ribbon and bow. Course he would know it was for him. But not all gifts are going to be so easy to read and could go to a couple people. It should be fun....

We've noticed a new tradition happening this year.... Toys appearing as Christmas decorations on the tree. Where's Waldo? Merry Christmas!

child labor

2010-12-22T07:00:00.016-09:00

Dear Sir:

Thank you for contacting us regarding the recent accusation that we use child labor in our day care facility.

Hunter, I told you we shouldn't have been jumping on the bed.

I can assure you that the children that are entrusted into our good hands and kind hearts receive nothing but the best treatment. 

Hunter, that thing isn't going to get you!

You're welcome to visit our day care facility any time you feel it's necessary to check on the welfare of these children.

You missed a spot, Hunter. Then YOU do it, Ellis!

Please call before dropping by so we can ensure the house is in order. 

Sincerely,
No Babies Were Hurt Day Care

The clock says it's time to quit now, Hunter.

What can I say, they WANTED to vacuum!

a glitter week

2010-12-21T07:00:00.007-09:00

A note to my sister.

Hey, sis! Hope you're having a great time in PA with the kids and grandkids. We had a busy week here.

It started with baking some of Mike's favorite cookies. The kids like to refer to them as "pa's special" cookies. And they are special. I bet you can never guess what the secret ingredient is....

Ellis is the more exacting of the two. She's very attentive to detail and will take her time to get the right amount of dough on the sheet. Hunter, on the other hand, believes Bigger is Better. Especially when it comes to cookies, so why not just drop it all on top of one another.

Last week was also a huge glitter week. When it comes to glitter, Hunter is the King hands down! This kid lives to sprinkle glitter! I made some "frames" out of popsicle sticks for the kids to paint and glitter. They had so much fun. Did I tell you Bucky stopped by this weekend and goes, "yea, thanks for the glitter." Ha! But I know Bucky was impressed with them. He just has to be the "tough" dad. I put a picture of Avery in one, that Hunter picked out. And another one of Josh, Shodie, Ellis, Kona, and Hunter--the one of them all on top of each other on the stairs. When Hunter saw that picture in the frame, his eyes just lit up!

How could I not share that with his dad? And, what's a little glitter anyway.... :O I just wish I had taken some pictures of them. They really were so very sparkling.

Let's see.... it's been cold. Really cold. We still have lots of snow on the ground. Frozen to the trees. Everything is pretty right now. Maybe we'll have a White Christmas. Love you. N.

blueberry boy

2010-12-20T07:01:00.003-09:00

Dear mom:

Today I had blueberries for lunch. They were good. Ellis didn't want her's, so I ate them. They were good too.

Love, Hunter

annual sugar cookie decorating extravaganza

2010-12-19T08:32:00.001-09:00

an email to my sister
sent Sunday, December 12

We had another successful Sugar Cookie Decorating Party. I was up and at it by 7:00, getting blueberry muffins made and the breakfast quiche warmed up. I cheated and bought cut up fruit this year... I had planned on buying one of those fruit platters that Fred Meyers carries.... it used to be $14.95.... is now $24.95.... So I bought a smaller container and then added other fruit to it.

I never buy orange juice but on occasions because I know the girls like it, and we also had hot chocolate and coffee (with Baileys). It was a decent spread for breakfast. Then for lunch, we had mini croissants filled with chicken salad. I love putting grapes in it for an added crunch and tanginess.

The table got set up with all my mini spoons and knives, toothpicks, paint brushes; different tools to use to spread the frosting and make designs with. And don't forget the frosting. I think I made 10 pounds of powdered sugar icing this year with only a little left over! Yes, we were zinging!

Okay, so this is how the event starts out: We're crazy about details when decorating the cookies. We make the snowman look life like; the trees are sparkling with miniature lights. The snow globe looks as if it's just been shaken and the caps and mittens look like they could actually keep you warm.

Then, as the morning moves on, and we realize we still have hundreds of cookies to decorate.... we start decorating with less details. Maybe the snowman only gets eyes and a scarf around his neck. Maybe the snow globe looks like it hasn't been shaken in years....

Then, another hour goes by. Our pile of undecorated cookies doesn't look like it's getting any smaller. We start slapping on the frosting a little faster. Instead of individual cookies, each with their own personality, they're all beginning to look like twins.

Still, we keep at it. An hour. Two. Then three. Tracy, Michelle, Shodie, Jill, and I. Oh, and Miss Ellis who's also here at her first Annual Sugar Cookie Decorating Event. She's the creative one this year, making sugar cookie SANDWICHES with frosting between them. Oh, so good! And Avery got to join us this year and was so good sitting in her high chair, enjoying all the crumbs we gave her. Hunter was hanging out with his dad today, which was probably for the best. I had a little table set up for the two little kids to sit at and decorate/eat to their heart's content, but I have to admit, it would have been a little more intense had Hunter been there. He has so much joy in him, and he would have been so thrilled with each cookie he had decorated, that he wouldn't have been able to contain himself! Still, it would have been fun to have him there enjoying our family tradition.

Anyway, it was good to have Ellis and Avery there with us this year. A girl's party. But I'm glad it's done for another year. It's a LOT of work, but well worth it. We have fun.

Now we have all these cookies to eat, and share, and eat some more. It's almost a shame to eat them, because they're so pretty! But we all manage. I keep mine in the freezer so they're a little less accessible... a "little" less accessible....

Merry Christmas!

an email to my sister

2010-12-18T08:25:00.003-09:00

An email to my sister (annual sugar cookie decorating party)
Sunday, December 12

Morning. Seems like forever since I've written, but it's only been a day. I'm looking out the window at all the beautiful snow. We got about 5" yesterday, and with the Christmas lights twinkling in them is so gorgeous.

I'm pooped. Still have this darn cold. Thank you Hunter. I started feeling it Wednesday or Thursday, and now today it's in my chest and I can't cough the darn stuff up. Maybe after my shower. I woke up with my nose all crusted. Fun. But it sure has thrown me for a loop.

I had a full day planned Friday and it was all organized--doctor appt, grocery shopping, make cookies, bake quiche, make chicken salad, get everything ready for Saturday morning. What I failed to add onto the list was a 2 hour nap first thing in the morning. So from there, my day just went downhill.

I came home from my doctor's appt and just felt shitty so thought I'd take a little nap. Well, then grocery shopping ended up being a bigger deal than usual. My brain isn't working at even half capacity and I found myself going back and forth from one end of the store to the other, picking up items I forgot. Never mind I have the list, in order that I shop. It took me longer to shop than I had anticipated and we didn't get home until 1:00. I told Mike to just put the groceries on the table and I would put them away AFTER I got my dough made and chilling. Well, several items I needed were in the bags and I ended up having to scrounge through them. I had groceries out and laying all over the place.

Okay--Batch One. Went okay. It went into the fridge. I decided to make Batch Two and Three together, so I didn't have to waste time washing my bowls and blender, etc., after Batch Two. I have a Kitchen Aid and figured it could handle the load. So in went the 2 pounds of butter and six cups of sugar. Then the first six eggs. It was then that I noticed that oil was dripping out of my beater! Thankfully.... and don't tell anyone.... but I just wiped it down and hoped that none actually dripped into the batter. Hey, I wasn't in the mood. So I continue adding the "one egg at a time" and had added two more eggs when the third slipped from my hand and fell into the bowl. Within mano-seconds it had disappeared from sight, as I frantically tried to shut the damn machine off and salvage my dough! I kept pulling the lever closest to me, which turns out is not the on/off, but the lever to lift the blades up. By the time I reached to the other side of the machine and turned it off, there wasn't an egg shell to be seen....

So here's my dilemma.... Do I keep going or do I toss the batter out and start all over.....? Remember: This is 2 pounds of butter and 6 cups of sugar and 8 eggs.... That's a lot of $$$. And if I can't SEE the egg shells, what are the chances you'll be able to FEEL them as you bite into the cookie....? What would you have done?

Okay, so I tossed it all out and started over. This time, I still did the double batch, which was mistake number one to begin with. But instead of cracking the egg into the bowl, one at a time, which is a challenge in itself with a Kitchen Aid because you only have this little bit of room.... I cracked all the eggs into a bowl and let them slide in that way. Mission accomplished! Now the butter, sugar, and eggs are blended and I've started adding flour. It became clear that I was not going to get 14 cups of flour into this bowl. I don't know what I was thinking. So I poured the batter into a larger bowl and ended up mixing it by hand. Yea, you know how easy that was in my weakened state? Not fun.

So the dough is in the fridge, chilling. I'm putting groceries away and making quiches and doing all that other stuff. I'm so very tired. It's 5:00 by now. The dough has been chilling about 2.5 hours.... I'm looking at the clock asking myself how on earth I'm going to pull all this off with the few hours left. But I go for it. I flour the dining room table (it's granite) and start rolling. As soon as the dough hits the table, it melts on me. I scrape it off, add more flour, try again. It melts. I keep doing this, adding a little more flour to the table, to the rolling pin. To the cookie cutters. Nothing. I can't get it to roll. It just turns to mush. So I gather it together and throw it in the fridge and grab another handful. Same thing. If I'm lucky, I can get one or two cookies cut out before it melts on me. I'm sick. I'm frustrated. I'm getting mad. I've never had this kind of problem before and I've never let the dough chill for 6 hours. I keep trying, with little success. I finally get two cookie trays filled and am feeling triumphant! Then Shodie and Josh arrive....

She starts helping me. By now, I think the table has become 'seasoned' enough. And the dough has chilled just a little more. And she's having a little more luck than me. But then, as the dough cooks, it melts out of shape. Georgia, it just kept going from bad to worse! I've never had this happen. My snowmen looked like a snowball. My stars looked like starfish. My Christmas trees looked like they were covered in so much heavy snow that all you could see was this rounded shape. Then Shodie asks, "did you use any different ingredients this time?" And I did! I've always used Tillamook butter. This time I used not only a Fred Meyer brand but butter from Costco (Lando Lakes maybe?). Plus I've always used nothing other than Pillsbury Flour and I've converted to generic brands. Same with sugar. So is this why I had so much trouble with my cookies this year?

Bottom line.... we eventually got done. Shodie took over rolling the cookies out and I was in charge of putting them in/taking them out of the oven. This was something I could manage at 8:00 at night! I think we finally finished around 8:15 or 8:30, but man what a ride it had been. The whole event was just disastrous from the beginning. I finished cleaning up and just went to bed. I was so sick and so weak and so tired and I hurt so badly, that I could barely stand. I think mostly my ego was hurt.... I've never struggled so much with a simple cookie recipe and then to have Shodie be able to pull it off....

This was last year's batch, but I was too tired to take pics this year.

Anyway, if you need to go to the bathroom or get another cup of coffee, now would be the time. Chapter One has been written. N.

chillin with old man winter

2010-12-17T08:07:00.000-09:00

Oh, the weather outside is frightful....
But the fire is so delightful...

Well, in my mind it's wonderfully delightful.
Especially on this chilly 11 degree morning.
Makes you not even want to crawl out of bed.

But today is a glorious day, despite the cold.
The ground, covered with frozen snow,
with little snippets of color and past life showing through.

The promise of a better today.
Knowing that today is reserved for
just me and my hubby.

A day with no chaos. No struggles.
No yelling, screaming, fighting.
No toys to trip over. No struggles with naptime.
A free day
To do errands. To read. To wrap presents.
To catch our breath so we can do it all over again on Monday.

Have a wonderful day!

an email to my sister (just an ordinary day)

2010-12-16T08:54:00.000-09:00

An email to my sister.

Thursday, December 17.
Okay... Finally, I have a minute to get my email off to you. I had good intentions this morning, but it's getting hard for me to get out of bed at 6:00 a.m.... A combination of not feeling well, snuggling in my warm bed, and the cold bedroom. But my trusty alarm clock is there every 15 minutes, shaking me, making sure I don't stay in bed when he thinks I should be up....   So I eventually give in. Get up. Sit here at the table for 15 minutes or so, NOT drinking coffee because I don't feel good. Then I grab my book.... the same book I've been trying to get read for months now.... and head upstairs to ride the bike. With that done, I barely have time to come down, get my shower (if there's even time), get dressed, and be ready with a smile and love in my heart for when the first grandkids arrive.... I'm almost exhausted by this time.

So, I decided to make a big batch of cabbage salad, like I said. I emptied the produce drawer of a whole green head of cabbage, a red head (which I ended up throwing out), a green pepper, an orange pepper, a few stalks of celery, some diced onions that were leftovers from other meals, some chopped green onions, and a bunch of parsley. Then I chopped up some dried cherries (but you can use raisins or cranraisins) and almonds. And the dressing is just the typical mayo/sugar/vinegar recipe. I'm talking a HUGE bowl. Okay, so now you don't think it went that smoothly do you????

I had no sooner started chopping the cabbage..... Did I mention it was around 8:10 a.m..... about the same time I make breakfast for the kids? Yea, I don't know what I was thinking.   But they could wait. I'm chopping away and the kids are running in and out of the kitchen, throwing open the fridge door. At one point I went to close it and the stack of Styrofoam containers from last night's Chinese dinner went flying to the floor. Chinese food everywhere. So I stop chopping to clean up the mess. Well, one thing led to another and next thing you know, I'm cleaning out and scrubbing the produce drawers out and wiping out the fridge. While on my hands and knees, I notice how grossly disgusting the front of the fridge grate is so I pull it off, pull out the 2" thick pile of lint, or whatever-it-is. The grate got washed down. All this, at the same time I'm supposed to be fixing breakfast and making the cabbage salad. But I'm good. I can multi-task. So I keep at it. Get the kids breakfast made. The fridge cleaned out. The salad made.

No sooner did I get that mess cleaned up that the kids were at the table for their glitter project! Lordy lordy does Hunter have a love for glitter! This from a boy who will spend very little time doing crafts, seconds. But give him some popsicle sticks, paint, and glitter, and he's good for an hour! I sent several glitter "frames" home for the mommies last night, and glitter ornaments. Let them enjoy some of the flyaway glitter for a few days! But it makes the kids so giddy. They're so happy with their little projects, making something for their moms and dads. So, what's a little glitter on the table. On the chair. On the chair pads. On the carpet. On me. On my face. On my clothes....In the whole scheme of things, it's so minor. But I have to come up with some new craft projects for them to do.

I've managed to do four loads of laundry today, in between salad making, fixing breakfast, serving lunch, reading, changing poopy diapers, and craft projects. An apple crisp just came out of the oven. The Juncos, Chicadees, and Siskins have been fed. Dogs have been let out, brought back in, let out, brought back in, let out, brought back in, at least that many times TIMES 2. Hunter and Ellis are napping.

So, this is my day. Not much different from most other days. Uneventful. Boring. Lacking substance, creativity, and love. Just an ordinary day.

Anyway, the clock is ticking before the kids will be awake and I need to do a few more things. It's only 1:30. I should be able to accomplish a few more things before the day is over. Mike will be leaving at 4:15 today for a Lions training session. They learn how to load and unload passengers on to a helicopter in preparation for tomorrow night's Flight Night. This is where locals can take a helicopter up and over the Mendenhall Valley to look at Christmas lights. It's an annual event and one of their biggest fundraisers. But it will be a long, cold night for the volunteers. So I need to get all my stuff done before he leaves tonight so I can give the kids my total, undivided attention.

Glad you're having a good trip. Be sure to tell the kids hello for us and a Merry Christmas. N.

snowscapes

2010-12-09T07:33:00.000-09:00

We've had a little snow here in Juneau, maybe 6-8". Then it warms up, rains, and turns to slop. Then it freezes and the roads turn into a choppy, bumpy mess. Then the roads get grated and we end up with an ice rink for a road. Then it snows again and we start all over.

My back yard:

My favorite Katsura tree. Beautiful no matter how you look at it:

Some Viburnum with Kona and Sadie in the background:

A Japanese Maple:

The grandkids shoveling pathways:

Why is it bird houses always are the perfect yard art?

peer pressure

2010-11-07T16:51:00.010-09:00

I tried it.... I tried being semi-old, older, of the senior age. At least that's how I've been feeling lately. I've always highlighted my hair until the last year or so, when I let all the natural grey/silver shine on through. And boy did it shine! And I liked it. I actually loved the color.... Until I would see myself in print, then I would wonder who that OLD person was. Seriously. I could not believe I looked like my grandmother!

A few weeks ago, I ran into an old friend. I said, "hi, Deb!" She returned the "hi," and then about five seconds later, goes, "OH! Nancy! I didn't recognize you!" It was a hard pill to swallow.

I didn't mind being of the senior generation. I didn't mind being 58. I didn't even mind the grey. So why did it bother me so when someone I've known for 25 years, didn't recognize me.....?

Today I got my hair colored, again.... Peer pressure.... It happens to the best of us.... But I don't feel so old, and that's an okay thing.

first frost

2010-10-26T20:27:00.000-08:00

All winter we patiently wait for the first days of summer to arrive. We wait and we wonder. Will it be another rainy summer? Will it be a decent summer where we're lucky to see a few days of sunshine? Or will it be one of those rare summers where we bask in the sun all month long.... Then.... before we know it, we're doing fall cleanup and getting the yard ready for winter again.

That's what my sweet hubby and I have been doing the last few weeks. Cutting all the plants down to the ground, exposing slugs. Putting yard art away for another season. Tidying up the yard. Admiring the good, the bad, and the ugly, making notes of what did well and what changes will need to be made the following year. Then, just as we wait for the dog days of summer, we wait for fall to arrive. That first hard frost that tells us summer is truly over.

We don't have to wait any longer. It finally arrived a few days ago, in all its glory. While the shrubs were still covered with their early morning frost, I headed outside to enjoy those last moments with the garden that I love. As I wandered along the garden paths, I could hear the garden going to sleep for another season, as leaf after leaf dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

Seasons come and seasons go, and with each new season, new challenges and new wonders. It's almost time to let my garden go for another season. Soon, it'll all be covered with a white blanket of snow and then the waiting begins all over again.

a giveaway

2010-10-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not having a giveaway.... But I know someone who is! Check out my new friend, Tammy, at Stitching n Shipping. She's having a special giveaway in honor of Pink Ribbon Month, dedicated to those who have been affected by breast cancer. The giveaways are some lovely lovely sachets.

While you're there, also check out Tammy's ebay site as she's donating 50% of every sale to the Susan G Komen for the CURE campaign. Just don't bid on my items :)

What an inspiration she is.

Nancy

good neighbors

2010-10-11T09:00:00.003-08:00

I'm one of those lucky people who has good neighbors.
You know what I mean?
They're friendly.
They're happy.
They're always watching out for us.
Always with a smile and a wave.

Even once inside the house, I can feel them watching.
And watching.
And watching....

Say "hi" to Casper and his friends! Scooby Dooo is there somewhere, too.
They moved in a couple weeks ago....

Every holiday new neighbors move in. They're not all this friendly, though.

leaves

2010-10-10T07:00:00.001-08:00

There's leaves.... and then there's leaves....

I love all kinds of leaves....

Big leaves.
Small leaves.

Fall colored leaves.

Hanging leaves.
Concrete leaves.
Concrete??? Yes! These were made from real leaves cast in cement. I love love love them! You can use them in the house, as yard art in the garden, or hanging on the wall. These are made locally, if you're interested.

my fall garden

2010-10-09T08:00:00.001-08:00

I love my garden. Especially in the Fall, when the colors are changing.
It's almost done for the year, and that saddens me.

My azalea:

Just an ol stump with stump mushrooms growing next to it:

The secret door to Fairy Fairyland:

The beach:

My red Final Astilbe:

My footbridge:

Yes, I love to wander through my garden.
Especially this time of year.

not too old

2010-10-08T08:00:00.001-08:00

I went south last weekend to visit my sister and part of the itinerary was to attend the Tillamook Seafood Festival and visit with the aunts. It was the greatest time, and the best memories were made. We'd been planning this trip since July, but I was dragging my feet and almost didn't go. Then my sister shamed me into going, and I'm so grateful she did.

I've not really had an opportunity to spend much time with my aunts since living in Juneau so this visit was long overdue. We stayed up until wee hours visiting! Okay, 9 p.m.... But then was awake at the crack of dawn visiting again. Aunt Rosy served us her famous waffles with homemade strawberry freezer jam. When she brought the waffle iron out, I commented that it looked very old. She replied that it wasn't... it just browned after using it the first time.... Then she hesitated, and thoughtfully said, "it's not very old.... maybe 40 years...."

Yes, Aunt Rosy has probably never thrown a thing out in her life. Her home reflects the love she has for her daughter and the love others have for her. She showed me a package of old flash cubes.... Yes, flash cubes. The kind you used in the 60's, wondering if they still worked.... We laughed and told family stories. Then it was time to leave.

Two of my favorite people:I'll always hold this visit close to my heart as one of my favorites. Aunt Rosy is 91 and you just never know what life has in store for her. But she has been a good role model for all of us on how to take care of ourselves, how to eat healthy, get regular exercise, learn new things, live life. Have no regrets. Of all my favorite people.... she's right up there. I love her dearly.

one day at a time

2010-10-07T13:37:00.006-08:00

True love. Don't we all dream about it? Finding our soul mate? Living happily ever after?
Then suddenly, just like that, it can be taken away from you. Now you're a shell of a person, trying to find your new normal. Trying to get into the rhythm of things. Learning to accept, and embrace, the loneliness that surrounds you every single waking moment of the day. But, especially the nights.

I can't imagine what it's like to lose someone you love so deeply. I would stay in bed all day, curled up in a ball. I would relive all the wonderful moments we had, over and over and over again in my head. I would smell him on the pillow next to me. I would want to die.

Then, one day, I would crawl out of bed and maybe even get dressed. I would check the mail and even turn on my computer. I would eat cold cereal. The healing process has begun.

I've never lost someone I loved so desperately, although we did find ourselves in a situation many years ago that required Mike to go south to work. And I stayed here..... It was the worst of times. I could not function. I could not think straight. I missed him so desperately.

We traveled back and forth, but it was never the same as waking up to the smell of fresh brewed coffee every morning, or going to bed in his arms every night. I desperately missed him. Every single moment of every single day. For almost three years.

Besides missing all the every day things we did together, like grocery shopping, holding hands, talking over dinner, I missed Mike even more during those times when I had to do his "manly" chores. I could mow, but I knew nothing about checking the oil in the lawn mower! Or what would happen if you let it go dry.... Then there was the morning I sat outside in the pouring rain, trying to lay flat rocks for a patio affect. I knew nothing about how to do it properly to begin with and the fact that it was so much work.... I missed Mike most that morning when I cried in despair. Silently. In the rain. All by myself.

That's as close as I've ever come to losing someone I loved so deeply. I can't begin to imagine what my sister is going through after suddenly losing her husband.... It's times like this when living so far away has its disadvantages. I don't have the convenience of stopping in for a short visit to make sure she's doing okay nor do I have the luxury of staying for a long visit. Instead, we try to fly south for a long weekend every month, just to be a presence, help her with chores, or just to visit. I hope it helps her. I hope she knows that there isn't anything Mike or I wouldn't do for her. And if we don't catch on that she needs help, all she has to do is ask us and we'll be there. We only get one family and we've learned from experience how quickly that family can be taken away.

I know my sister will be just fine; is already doing much better. But it'll take time to completely heal. She'll figure out her new normal, her rhythm, in her own time. She'll eventually re-claim her life. Every day, just a baby step closer to being whole again.

glacier

2010-09-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

The Mendenhall Glacier on a sunny and clear day. I never cease to be in awe of its beauty on a clear day. It looks like someone painted a mural in the background. That's Canada behind it.

When I came to Juneau in 1971, the glacier stretched to the barren part of the mountain on the right. It's constantly calving large chunks of ice that float in the lake. You can walk up to the face of the glacier.... if you're one of the braver souls. Me, not so much....

Hiking on both sides of the glacier is a favorite past time of locals and tourists, where you have some great views of the ice field and lake.

Later! Nancy

front porch

2010-09-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

I can't help it. I love love love the golden colors of Fall.

My idea of a perfect Fall would be adding the adventure of visiting a pumpkin patch. It's on my list of things to do.

Later. Nancy

leaves and beads

2010-09-20T07:00:00.001-08:00

We try to do crafts at least once a week. Both the grandkids seem to love doing them, and it keeps them busy for a few minutes.

Last week we collected Fall colored leaves and made these little hanging decorations. They strung the colored beads and I added the leaf for them.

They get great enjoyment out of sharing their creations with their moms and dads. I hope the parents enjoy them as much.

Later! Nancy

out of the mouths of babes

2010-09-19T07:00:00.001-08:00

We're having The. Most. Incredible. Fall. A typical Fall season starts in August when the weather changes from "okay" to cold, wet, rainy, windy, dark, and dreary. It's the beginning of our winter. For whatever reason, this year we're not seeing it. We've had 10 days, maybe 2 weeks of this incredible sunny weather. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right.

According to the weather service, Juneau is 10 degrees warmer than normal. Instead of temps in the 50's, we're still in the high 60's. We're not having the wind or the rain. We're just enjoying the sunshine.

The grandkids were outside today playing in the sun. Butt naked, of course. Keeping clothes on these two is next to impossible. They don't care what the weather is doing. I fixed a picnic lunch for them. As I got ready to set the plates down on the tablecloth, I noticed one corner was all wet. I asked, "where did this water come from"? And Ellis patted her behind and goes, "my butt." Out of the mouths of babes....

Later! Nancy

hydrangea

2010-09-16T08:00:00.003-08:00

Isn't this Limelight Hydrangea gorgeous? I have several of them in my gardens, but this one is outshining all of them. I wonder why....

I think most people are familiar with the classic blue Hydrangea, but I almost prefer this one. The flower is so dainty, almost lace-like.

Later! Nancy

hop to it

2010-09-15T09:00:00.001-08:00

I love this picture. So simple. Hops. I wonder how many it takes to make beer.... :)

Nancy

harvest day

2010-09-14T12:58:00.007-08:00

Harvest day on the farm!

We have a couple apple trees, that are mostly ornamental. Our summers are not long enough or warm enough to actually grow full-term apples. But this year our trees were loaded with the little guys. Mike counted well over 150 apples on two trees!

They're not the oh-so-sweet-and-yummy kind where juice runs down your chin when you take a bite. They're more a cross between sour and not-so-sour.

But the little kids love eating them anyway.

We harvested them today. Decided to get them before the bears did....

I'll probably make applesauce out of them.

bench

2010-09-12T07:00:00.002-08:00

My son-in-law is so very talented.

He can take scrap wood, and make something like this:

It's a child-size bench, but big enough for us larger people to sit on comfortably. It's built so sturdy, that there's no worry that we'll sit down on it and go crashing to the ground.

e

Great job, Adam! And, thanks!

posies

2010-09-10T16:00:00.000-08:00

Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posies....

Isn't she just adorable? This is one of the few family heirlooms my husband has in his possession. His is a difficult situation--a blended family after they were adults. His dad re-married a wonderful lady (Gracie) after their mom died, but she has two kids. When his dad died, Gracie's family quickly moved her out of state. This first move, they tossed or gave away everything they didn't think she needed.... Or maybe it was just those items that belonged to Mike's side of the family that wasn't needed.... After Gracie moved, she still had a few items that belonged to Mike's side of the family.

Recently, Gracie's family moved her into an assisted living home, and has since had a garage sale and pretty much given away all her other belongings. With no regard to Mike or his brother or what belonged to their side of the family. It was just given away, tossed aside as if it had no history, no family value.

It's heartbreaking when blended families can't acknowledge the other side. There was no regard for Mike or David or their family heirlooms. All Mike wanted was a vintage Red Riding Hood cookie jar that he cherished. It was his grandmothers. It had memories. But his step-sister decided she wanted, or needed, it more....

So Mike got this posy girl. Sadly, it means nothing to him. It's nothing he wanted. Nothing he remembers. Nothing that brings back fond memories. But it's all he got.

Personally, I think she's adorable and love it. I tried researching her on-line, but couldn't find anything about her. All we know is Mike's uncle purchased her in Italy. There's one word engraved on the underside--Delfino. She's about 15" high. Maybe one day I'll find some history about her.

yard art

2010-09-09T13:02:00.007-08:00

To me, a garden is just plain boring if you don't have yard art.

New to my garden this year is the Pink Flamingo. Yea, they are a little cheesy, but my neighbor gave it to me so I had to find a prominent place to display it. Then I got to like it.

You've all heard rumors about how big the mosquitoes are in Alaska.... Well, it's no exaggeration!

This is a scuzzy bird bath. But it works for me.

What type of yard art do you have?

Later.... Nancy

harvest

2010-08-31T07:34:00.004-08:00

Last year we tried our luck with cherry tomatoes on the back deck, up against the house where it was nice and warm, and actually did quite well. We did so well, in fact, that we increased our crop this year with great expectations.

As you can tell, the plants did really really well. This picture is of two potted and two hanging plants, but the potted ones are still about 6' tall. And talk about blooms. We have TONS of blooms.

This is our harvest....: One teeny tiny tomato. One..... One. My cousin asked if we had any bees this year, and after giving it some thought, had to say "no, no, we haven't...."

Maybe next year we'll have bees and better luck... Nancy

bark

2010-08-30T16:08:00.004-08:00

Not the woof woof kind.... the good kind.

The white chocolate oh-so-yummy-you-think-you-died-and-went-to-heaven kind.

The foundation for this recipe came from Barefoot Contessa, but I pretty much use whatever is in my pantry.

Here's the recipe for White Chocolate Bark:

1/3 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans) (I used dried sunflower seeds today)
16 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup diced apricots
1/4 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Bake nuts for about 8 minutes, then set aside to cool. Once cool, chop into smallish pieces.

Place 3/4 of the chocolate into a glass bowl and microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until melted. Once melted, immediately add the rest, stirring until melted.

Pour chocolate onto parchment paper (on baking dish) and spread into a rectangular form, about 8x10".

Sprinkle with nuts, dried fruit, coconut, whatever. I gently pat it into the melted chocolate to keep it secure.

Set aside for 2 hours, or put into refrigerator for about 20 minutes to harden.

Break into pieces. Keep in fridge or at room temp. Great dessert. Or anytime treat!

Enjoy! Nancy

flour child

2010-08-28T07:35:00.006-08:00

I love cooking with my grandkids. The biggest problem I find is that both Hunter AND Ellis want to help. At the same time. Last time we tried this, they were both on the step stool, one got pushed by the other, and Hunter went falling straight backwards to the hardwood floors. From standing on a step stool, two steps high. The thud was horrible. He cried for 20 minutes. It was more than I could handle.

Now, only one grandchild can help at a time.
Last week Ellis and I made banana pancakes for breakfast. She was standing on the step stool, waiting for directions.

Or so I thought....

It would appear that while I was getting the pan hot on the stove, she was thinking Krustez was pretty good to eat.

By the time I turned back around, here was Ellis, covered in Krustez mix and ready to put another handful into her mouth.

Keep in mind, it was just Krustez at this point. Dry flour. No liquid.

You would have thought one handful would have been enough for this little girl, but she grabbed another handful and stuffed it into her mouth. Just a handful of dry powder....

As the saliva mixed with the flour, we had a gooey, gummy mess. But she didn't seem to mind. She just kept eating Krustez.

Later.... Nancy

2010-08-26T07:25:00.004-08:00

It's a nasty job.... but one that needs done.... Hunting for slugs. I have this beautiful beautiful back yard, and the slugs are demolishing it, one leaf at a time, as they nibble away. So yesterday, with bucket of salt in hand, I went on search for the elusive slug. It wasn't hard. They were everywhere--crossing the lawn, napping on stems, eating leaves. All my gardens are lined with large rocks and wood rounds and you can always score if you tip those over. And piles of eggs! Yea, I'm not going to have any slugs next year.... I told Mike that when we get around to cutting all our plants down this Fall, he can do the snipping, and I'll go behind him with the vinegar and squirt the buggers. Have no mercy! Take no prisoners!

Later.... Nancy

banana pancakes

2010-08-25T06:15:00.003-08:00

There's a song by Jack Johnson... Banana Pancakes. He's singing along and then there's a little snippet where he says eating banana pancakes. Maybe he's making banana pancakes. I don't know. I love to sing and am not afraid to put my own words to songs....

This morning we're having banana pancakes for breakfast. My new most favorite breakfast! I'm sure there's real recipes, but I just smash a banana or two into my Krustez batter and call it good.

You can eat them smeared with peanut butter (like my husband does), with syrup, or just plain. I like to eat them plain, as they're just that good.

Every time I make them, and eat them, makes me think of being in Hawaii....

Later.... Nancy

day care fun

2010-08-24T10:41:00.008-08:00

I have to admit that when we first started babysitting grandbabies over two years ago, I thought we were crazy. Okay, I still do.... but it's getting a little easier. The babysitting part is getting easier. The days are still really really long. But we're having fun with them. Avery (almost 8 months) has just started crawling and, naturally, she navigates to the opposite side of the room that her toys are on.... And thank goodness for hardwood floors.... I can't even imagine throw up on carpet....

And Hunter and Ellis are just adorable. There's no getting around it. Hunter is the focused one, loves to play with Legos and can put a 60-piece puzzle together as good as Grandpa. Ellis, would prefer to sit and have a conversation. Which we do. Then we laugh. So, yea, it's getting easier in the sense that we can now have conversations with them, reason with them (or sometimes beg with them), play with them, and laugh with them. And laugh we do.

Like today, Ellis (almost 2 years 4 months) was spinning and spinning around, going, "grandpa, I make you dizzy!" But, of course she is! Then, for no good reason, other than she was spinning, she goes, "put your seatbelts on!" Huh? Okay.... Then there was something about Disneyland.... Maybe she's starting to plant the seed....

Yesterday we strung beads and made a necklace. Ellis, in her grown up little voice goes, "This is so BEEEEUTIFUULLLL!" Yes, it was. Her little fingers worked hard to get those beads on the string.

Today is puzzle day. Well, every day seems to be puzzle day. Now, call me prejudice, but I think it's pretty amazing that Hunter (not even 3 yet) can put together 60-piece puzzles. Just like that. As Ellis will say, as she's jumping up and down while clapping her hands: "Hunter is AMAZING!" Yes, he is.

It's especially fun to see how these little people care for each other, take care of each other, and look out for each other. Yea, they pick on each other, and there's the shoving, pinching, and biting. We won't mention any of the other stuff that goes on here.... but it's part of being Two. But in the end, when they put their arms around each other and each say "I'm sorry.....", it's just about the two nicest words in the dictionary.

Later, Nancy

shameful

2010-08-23T07:35:00.005-08:00

I've never been one to exercise.... it's shameful, I know.... and it's even harder to admit to people. But it is what it is. I blame my parents! I like to walk and stroll and garden, but I don't "exercise." Until recently. I've gone two whole weeks of walking every day. I'm so proud of myself. Okay, so it's only around the block, but it's a BIG block and it takes about 15 minutes of power walking. But this morning, I was still in bed when my neighbor/friend/walking partner stopped to wait for me. Still in bed! On a babysitting day! Crap.

It DOES upset me. See, I'm one of those people that will find any reason not to do this.... Oh, I don't mind walking, but to do it for exercise.... nahhhh.... and once I find one excuse not to do it, there will be another and another.

So, today, as soon as I'm awake, I'll have to walk around the block on my own. In the rain. By myself... I can't let this beat me. Please please help me stay on track. Send me an email, a comment on my blog, write on my facebook account, anything to keep me on track.

Later.... Nancy

moving forward

2010-08-22T08:07:00.003-08:00

When I retired almost five years ago, I really didn't know what that meant for my husband and I. We had visions of traveling to Maine to eat lobster, to cruise through the Panama Canal, to soak up the sun in Hawaii all the while sipping tropical drinks, and so much more.

We envisioned having adventures of some kind. Possibly even moving South.

So far family has tied up most of our retirement, which is okay, because it's giving us time to figure out what we want in our next chapter.

But the time has come to move forward with plans.... we're not exactly certain what those are yet, but we know they may involve sunshine... maybe some sand.... possibly an extended stay in Hawaii at some point.

Mostly, I want adventures again. I want to throw our daily routine out the window, do nothing at all if the mood suits us.

I want to live in Hawaii for a year's time, then pack up and move to a cabin in the woods, filled with books waiting to be read. I want to wake up in the morning and look out over a stream or small river.

I want to grow a vegetable garden. Visit Farmer's Markets. Ride Amtrak.

I want to experience rain somewhere else. And maybe not be quite so cold, somewhere else.

I want to spend time with family that I have lived away from for 40 years.

Yes, it's time for some adventures. To throw caution to the wind and just go for it. If it doesn't work out, so what? At least we would have tried. So from this day forward, my focus is going to be on the next chapter and what we need to do to get there.

keep it cozy

2010-08-21T08:01:00.004-08:00

With fall just around the corner, I start dreaming of a simpler life.
A quiet life.
A cozy life.

I dream of cozying up in a snug little cabin in the woods...
with a fire burning to keep me toasty warm....
a cup of hot chocolate....
with mini marshmellows floating on top....
and my favorite book waiting.

This is the life I dream of. The simple life.

north to alaska

2010-08-10T06:55:00.006-08:00

Alaska, the Last Frontier. What do you think of when you think of Alaska? Igloos? The song, "North to Alaska!"? Polar Bears? Dog sleds? Snow? Wildlife roaming the streets? Here in Juneau, we don't see a lot of wildlife, but we do see the occasional bear and deer. Bald Eagles are everywhere and always fun to watch.

We went for a drive to the Glacier yesterday, about a five minute drive from our home, and this bear crossed the street ahead of us. Just a small black bear, but still, a BEAR!

We were able to watch it for a bit before the dogs zeroed in on it and started barking.... This is when the bear looked back at us, going, what is THAT noise?! We decided it was best not to cause the bear any grief, and left.

family

2010-08-09T06:52:00.003-08:00

We've always known that "life can be short...." But when it happens to you, it gives the saying a whole new meaning. We recently lost a very valued member of our family to a horrible disease. It happened so quickly. We knew he had a short life to live, but didn't realize the disease would take him over two nights. It's been a month and a half now, and we still think of him daily. He was a strong man. A quiet man. An honorable man.

Never assume your family and friends know how much they mean to you. Tell them. Often. Don't beat around the bush. Just tell them through your actions, your gestures, and your words.

family picnic 2010

2010-08-08T07:52:00.008-08:00

It starts out like this:

He Who Brings Own Apron, Be Chief Grillmaster:

We visit:

We eat:

We visit some more:

We drink:

We have TOO much to drink:

We make pacts:

We listen to Alika:

And watch Ingrid (pronounced “Inya”) Gosney dance Hawaiian:

We dance:

We listen to Alika perform some more:

The result of too much drinking:

The best times are spent at Camp Kalama....

an august garden

2010-08-08T07:31:00.005-08:00

Pictures of my new garden. This one was created late last summer and is already doing so well.

My new most favorite berry: Serviceberry. So sweet.

I can't help but love the combination of Dragon's Blood Sedum, grasses, and Hostas.

My new favorite ground cover:

These golden spireas have become one of my favorite shrubs. Their bright, cheery foliage brightens up any dark corner. Behind is the beginning of a hedge of Japanese Maples.

Some Fall colors.... August 8....

a visitor

2009-11-16T10:38:00.004-09:00

It's that time of year when we are "allowed" to feed the birds. I say "allowed" because we're discouraged from putting bird feed in our feeders during the summer months for fear that it will entice the bear population into our back yards. And it does. We've had bear feed on our birdseed in year's past. But now the Fish and Wildlife people encourage us to not put food out during certain months of the year.... or when the bear are out. Now that they're in hibernation, we can, once again, feed the birds. And mine get a real smorgasbord of food throughout the winter months!

I've never been very good at identifying birds. Maybe it's because they don't stand still long enough for me to study them, or maybe it's because there are often more than one than could fit the bill. I am confident in identifying my Chickadees, Juncos, Pine Siskins, Stellar Jays, and a few others that are constant visitors.

But yesterday we had a visitor. A Northern Pygmy Owl! I think.... (I'm waiting to hear back from the Audubon Society to see if they can identify it for me.) I just happened to walk into the back room to watch the birds feeding, and, there, on the deck I saw two birds fighting. Or I thought they were fighting. After that first glance, I noticed that they weren't fighting, but that one bird had the other one in it's claws. As I looked closer (and he was only about 6' away), I noticed a baby owl with a Junco in his grips! I couldn't believe my eyes! But regardless of how rare or how cute he was, he wasn't going to come onto my property for his meals! As I opened the door to "shooo" him away, he flew up onto a bird post--with the Junco in his talons! That, in itself, was a feat because the owl wasn't much bigger than the Junco. I ran out to shoo him again, and he flew off with the Junco! Somehow the Junco managed to get loose and fly away, and I can only hope that he was okay.

I followed the owl to where he was perched in a tree. He was only about 4-5' above me, perched so cute on this branch. Watching me. Staring at me. Probably really pissed that I made him lose his dinner! I was able to get some pictures; not very good, but you can see how cute he was. He just sat there, watching me. I couldn't believe I was watching an owl. In the day time!

I did my best in looking him up in the Guide to the Birds of Alaska and believe he was a Northern Pygmy-Owl. I think..... See what I mean about not being so good at identifying birds. It LOOKS like one.... but it's RARE to see one in SE Alaska..... Okay, so this was a rare siting.... He was only about 7" big, had no ear tufts, and a yellowish beak. The reason I picked him over another small owl is because the bird guide says that daytime activity is a diagnostic feature of this particular owl. So there you have it.

I stayed on guard at the back door, watching him for quite awhile yesterday, as he stayed perched on one of the pruned branches of the spruce tree. It just happened to be in the middle of the bird feeders, where he had a birds-eye view of what was going on. His presence didn't seem to stop the Chickadees and Juncos from coming back to eat.... At least he didn't nab another poor bird on my watch! At least not that I saw....

He's welcome to come visit anytime.... And he's even welcome to nibble on any mice he can find... But he's not welcome to nab my birds, in plain site, off my deck!

Cheers! Nancy

friends

2009-10-17T08:24:00.005-08:00

We took the grandbabies for a ride to Eaglecrest yesterday.

Things got awfully quiet in the back seat....

You think, "maybe they fell asleep...."

So you turn your head to see what they're doing.

And they're holding hands.

Just sitting there, in their car seats, miles apart, holding hands.

Watching the world go by.

Content to be best friends.

How precious is that?

being spontaneous

2009-10-05T06:54:00.005-08:00

My hubby and I love to experience the greatness that is Alaska. The trails. The glaciers. The rivers. The fishing. Okay, so that's partially a true statement. We love to experience it from the car!
We go for a lot of rides. Every week we go in a different direction. Then on the third week, we start over again....

Juneau doesn't have a lot of roads. We're land locked, meaning the only way you can get in or out of the area is by boat, ferry, or plane. There are no roads to take us from Juneau.

Some times it's hard to live such a limited and confined life. There are those days that you wake up and want nothing more than to pack a picnic lunch and head down the road; just keep driving until you're ready to return. Or explore a different area or attraction. We don't have that option.

Being spontaneous takes on a whole different meaning living here. It all pretty much requires advanced planning and a ferry or airline ticket. So much for being spontaneous. Oh, you could wake up in the early morning and decide to go to Seattle for the weekend. That would definitely be spontaneous! But you'd have to be out of your friggin mind to do it! Or rich.

You see, Juneau has only one airline that comes into town. Alaska Airlines. And since they're our only form of commercial transportation, they can pretty much charge us whatever they want. So when people in the Lower 48 are experiencing price wars and low prices, we are not. When people down south decide to travel at the last minute, chances are good you will be able to find a very cheap fare because the airlines want to fill seats. Not so here. As your travel date grows closer and closer, the price of the ticket will go up. If I wanted to fly to Seattle tomorrow or within the next few days, it would cost me well over $1,000 to get there versus the normal fare of $600. We pray that there won't be any deaths in the family without advance warning!

We do enjoy the beauty that is Alaska, from the roadside, from our car. It works for us. Our longest road is about 60 miles from one end to the other. It's a gorgeous drive. Along the mountains, through the groves of trees, along the water. There are many islands between us and the open ocean but we'll see boats of all sizes out fishing. Maybe a cruise ship or a ferry on their way North. Kayakers. Maybe a whale breaching. Or sea lions. I love when the dolphins (or is it porpoise?) follow us along the road.

Yes, Juneau has a lot to offer. So much beauty and we enjoy it every week.

And there's always something new to see at the glacier whether it be eagles and bear or icebergs in the lake from calving.

As winter approaches and the lake freezes, this area will become a playground for all ages. You'll see cross country skiers, sledders, hikers. People bundled up in their cold weather gear, holding a steaming hot cup of cocoa in their hands.

And the best part? You can experience it all from the warmth of your car!

Nancy .....

todays favorite blog

2009-10-04T08:00:00.007-08:00

Have you visited Aina's blog yet? I've had it under my radar for a year now and find it to be the dreamiest of all things dreamy and wonderful!

Foto: Per Gunnarsson - Sköna HemModern Country.... don't have a clue what she's saying, but it doesn't matter. The pictures speak a million words. Google says this site is in Norwegian, and they offer to translate it to English. No! I love it just the way it is. It adds a certain charm to it. I love all the white.

But she offers a little for everyone from decorating, gardening, crafting, relaxing.
This is a site you just want to sit and drool over for a very long time.
And just enough English to give you a feel for who Aina is. I love this blog!

Nancy .....

killing frost

2009-10-03T18:57:00.005-08:00

We had our first killing frost last Monday. It got down to 28 degrees. According to the weather man, we're a couple weeks early this year. I went outside and captured some pictures before the morning sun melted the dew away. I love this time of year.

Red-leaf rose.
Tor Spirea.
Astilbe.
Birdhouse with red Astilbe and Japanese Maple.
Siberian Iris and ornamental Grass.

autumn

2009-09-18T07:00:00.007-08:00

I love the amber colors that are autumn.
The golds. Reds. Yellows. Browns.

Winter crops.
Crispy, juicy apples. Winter squash baked with brown sugar.
Baked goods.
Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin desserts.
A second cup of coffee on a dark and dreary day.
A potpourri of oranges, cinnamon, cloves,
simmering on the stove, filling the room with its sweetness.

Plaids. Sweaters.
Scarves wrapped loosely around your neck.
Gloves to keep your hands toasty warm with the colder temps.

The slight glimmer of a candle or amber light glowing in the dark.
Enjoying an evening with good friends or relaxing with a good book.
These are some of the things that make wrapping our arms around the upcoming winter just a little easier.

you have to wonder....

2009-08-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Oh, if you only knew what was behind that mischievous smile and sparkle in his eye!

This little guy is all boy. Never stops. Busy busy busy. Pushes all the buttons. But how can you resist when he smiles at you like that? Or comes over to plant a smooch on your face when he knows he did wrong? Yea, I'm thinking this is my son's payback....

the calm after

2009-08-18T18:43:00.003-08:00

The calm after.... after what you ask?

The first fall storm of the year. And a doozy it was.

My daughter's birthday dinner. With homemade pizzas grilled on the bbque. So good!

Eating too much good food.

A hectic day of babysitting two active grandbabies.

Bathing two dogs.

Wondering how on earth I'm ever going to be ready for the Garden Tour this weekend when I have no time.

Learning that my husband may need more spine surgery and will be out of commission for months.

Thinking vacation can't come soon enough....

a fall day

2009-08-17T15:56:00.005-08:00

I think our summer is done.... It was certainly nice while it lasted. This was an incredible summer with weeks of sunny, dry weather. And temps into the high 80's! This is so not typical for Juneau where it rains all the time. Or so it seems.

Today was an incredibly stormy day. So much that I'm sitting here, in the late afternoon, sipping coffee. What a nice thing for a day like this. Some Baileys would have made it better, but I didn't feel like getting out of my chair to get it.

I was supposed to work outside all day today. Our yard is going to be part of the Master Gardener's Tour this year and I have lots to do yet to get it ready. Well, not really. It's in great shape. I just feel like I should be puttering out there, pulling every single weed that sticks its head in my direction. But it was just too nasty to be out there. I'd be fearful for my life! A branch might come flying in my direction! And the rain. Did I mention the rain.....? Lots of it. So I decided to make some zuchini bread instead. Oh, I did donn my rain gear and go out for an hour and a half while the bread was baking and it wasn't so bad once I got outside.

But I feel like today is the turning point from summer to fall. And what better way to "give in" than to light candles, turn on dim accent lights, and plug in the little twinkle lights (without the twinkle) that I have in various places of the house. NOW it really feels like fall! But it's one of those dark and dreary days and we need a little extra light to cheer us up.

Today is also my daughter, Tracy's, birthday. We're going to grill pizzas outside on the bbque. They are so so yummy! We'll let the men do it. They can take cover in the garage (partially out of the rain) while the pizzas bake and us ladies will wait inside in the nice, warm (and dry) house, waiting to be served upon. Yes, we will. And the men will. We have good men.

gerbera in the bird bath

2009-08-17T06:00:00.001-08:00

I've never been a huge fan of gerbera. They seem too delicate for our rainy summers but they're doing just fine. Could be all the sunshine we're having.... I can never keep water in this bird bath so decided to just keep a planter in it instead. The real test has been the last couple days of nonstop rain. Heavy coastal mist, light drizzle, and heavy heavy rain. And they still look nice! Hmmmmm may have found a new favorite!

the trough and woodstove

2009-08-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm really not certain what this container is.... a trough....? For what.....? It was left here by some kind previous owner.... Rather than take it to the dump, I decided to make a planter out of it. One man's junk is another man's treasure.... I love putting plants where it's not expected.

Like here. This is another gem that was left behind. It would have cost a pretty penny to take it to the dump, so I had my husband remove the door and transport it from the shed to this little garden room. A little dirt and there you have it! A planter!

house and curry

2009-08-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Gardening, for me, is about the details. A garden with nothing but plants can be a little uninteresting. But bring in some rocks, some wood rounds, a bird bath, different colored foliage or different shapes, and it changes the whole perspective. Like this little house. Weathered. Broken. But it has its place on this broken piece of pallet. It's proud! It's interesting! It has a place in this world!

Next to it is a planter box, practically rotten, but it still held dirt. So what better way to honor this little shadowbox of a garden, then to plant some curry. It's a lovely addition to the compost area. I love this little picture.

hawk

2009-08-14T18:00:00.003-08:00

My mom was a fantastic birder. She knew the names of all her birds. Me? Not so much.... I love to watch birds, feed them, and am amazed at them, but I have a dickens of a time when it comes to identifying them. Or remembering what they are from season to season.

We have a hawk hanging around our place.... I believe it to be the sharp-skinned hawk. Heck, it could be just about any kind of hawk and I wouldn't be able to identify it correctly! REGARDLESS of which type it is.... I want them gone. They don't belong in my back yard. Or my front yard. I have birds. And little squirrels. And baby squirrels. I suspect that's why they're here....

It's not the first time we've had hawks hanging around. The fascinating part is the interaction between them and our Blue Jays. Now, I don't know how a Jay gets this certain job.... if he has to apply, or if he's assigned the job by virtue of being the oldest, the youngest, the dumbest, the bravest, or what.... But there's always one Blue Jay in the flock that is expected to keep the hawk away from the others. You'll see the Blue Jay flying, like crazy, with the hawk right behind. The Blue Jay keeps him away from the food source so the other Jays can enjoy their meal. Hawk free. It's interesting to watch. I feel sorry for the Jay that's been assigned this job. What if the hawk is faster? What if the Jay gets caught.... It's a brave Jay that gets this job....

my orchard

2009-08-13T06:00:00.003-08:00

I don't really have an "orchard." I do have a couple apple trees along our property line.... There are a couple apple trees we can grow okay, and the Montmorency cherry does really well here, but our summers aren't warm enough, or dry enough, to produce mature fruit. This has been an incredible summer for Juneauites and we've had a couple dozen apples on our tree. They won't mature, but it's still fun to see them.

Ligularia under the apple trees:

And a little bird house on a fence post:

I keep expecting to wake up some morning and find that a bear has enjoyed a midnight snack, but maybe they're waiting for them to ripen a little more! Nancy

squash?

2009-08-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love my yard and I love to share it with others. It brings such peace and calm to my life. Even weeding. Gardening makes for good therapy; it really does have a healing power.

Earlier this summer, I went out to empty our compost bin and found some seedlings growing in the top of the soil. They were trying so hard to grow, that we left them to see what would happen. Well, THIS is what happened! We're not exactly certain WHAT it is... possibly a yellow crookneck squash.... We'll see. Whatever, it's a happy clam in that compost bin.

chef in training

2009-08-11T06:45:00.003-08:00

Isn't she so adorable.... my little granddaughter....

In her little red apron from Williams Sonoma....

Yep, we'll be baking sugar cookies before the holidays....

Bon Appetit! I can hardly wait to try some of these make believe muffins! Nancy

local attractions

2009-08-09T06:00:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year....

For spawning fish.... trying to make it up Sheep Creek so they can die.

What a way to go....

For wildfires in Canada and Alaska.... (wildfires have burned more than 2.2 million acres this summer in Alaska....). Some how the smoke manages to filter its way to Juneau. What you can't see in this photo is the glacier or the mountains surrounding it. We have THAT much smoke!

For garbage bears.... This bear is making the rounds in a neighborhood, enjoying tidbits it can find. These are the dangerous bears because they get used to humans and get harder and harder to shoo away. They'll eventually get relocated or removed....

Some things never change in Juneau.... Nancy

the water runneth over

2009-08-07T06:12:00.001-08:00

Do you hear that......?

It's my very own waterfall.....

And my very own sandy beach....

And my very own creek....

All in our back yard!

At least the beginning of my creek bed. Still lots to do... more rocks to place, more gravel to add to all the nooks and crannies, soil to add so plants can be planted....

It's awesome!

Stay tuned. Nancy

we're busy busy

2009-08-06T10:29:00.009-08:00

We've been busy around here this summer. Record temps! Record days of sun! Record non-rainy days! Wow! We've hardly had any rain this summer, just incredible incredible sunshine. You can't imagine how hard Juneauites work and play when it's sunny and nice out. We work hard and play hard because one just never knows when the weather will change for the worse. Which is most of the time.

Mike finished putting the patio back together. We had it torn out when the excavator leveled our back yard. Next year he wants to put pavers in rather than flat rocks because flat rocks are just too hard to find in Juneau. So it's a little uneven and not perfect enough. Being a mason for 30 years, he'll get it right when we have more time. But it looks good for now.

We gave away our hot tub last year and had this big, empty spot on the deck we didn't know what to do with. Well, I know what I wanted... but hadn't won my hubby over yet.... But we're slowly making it into a little room for me that I can sit and drink my morning coffee and not get dripped on from rain. This year we cut down more trees and de-limbed many (topped them off) so we could get more sunshine and day light in our back yard and, now, we have this record warm summer and we're wishing for some shade! So we hung some cute bamboo blinds to ward off some of the hotter morning sun. We got the blinds put up yesterday as well. I had to replace an indoor/outdoor rug we had in our den, an area where the dogs go in and out with wet and muddy feet, so I took the old rug out and put it under the bistro table. With all my annuals and some herbs and vegies in pots.... I love it! Another project to check off the long list! I love finished projects!

And when my hubby isn't working on my "to do" list, he's helping me tend to grandbabies. Hunter is 20 months now (on the right) and Ellis just turned one in May. Two of the cutest (and smartest) little babies I've seen in a long time! :O

Me, what am I doing while my husband is working on my list.....? Much of the same--landscaping, working, babysitting, making special little areas in the yard where we can sit and just enjoy. This is one of my favorite areas:

We'll sit out here and have lunch some times, where we can look out over all our hard work. Maybe in a few weeks, we'll sit out here and hear the sound of a waterfall.... just part of my new water feature that is getting put in. There hasn't been enough progress though to put pictures. But soon. For now, I can enjoy the loveliness of my gardens.

Later. Nancy

independence day

2009-07-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

Happy 4th of July!
Hope you have a fun, and safe, holiday!

bragging rights

2009-07-02T06:18:00.000-08:00

I think I have the nicest looking compost bins! Never having grown hops before, I didn't know what to expect.... so I planted them along the split rail fence.... then learned the rails don't have enough substance for the aggressive vines to cling. So they grab on to the compost bins, driftwood, apple trees, and everything else that gets in their way!

I had this grand idea to re-locate them to some of my larger Spruce trees in the back yard. They've been de-limbed somewhat so we have these bare tree trunks that are just itching to have a vine climb them. I relocated one this year but got behind schedule so will need to move the rest this fall or next spring. They have some heavy duty root systems which is surprising for such a dainty vine. But this one seems to be quite happy in its new home and I can hardly wait to see it in its advanced growth stages.

I was greatly surprised this spring when I saw that my Lewisia survived our horrid winter. To begin with, I wasn't certain how hardy it would be for our winters and really wasn't expecting it to survive. And the fact that it was planted in a basket and left out all winter and still survived, just amazes me. There's no good reason why it should have survived, yet here it is, healthy and blooming! It's hard to tell from this picture, but it's a bright bright pink, almost fluorescent. That's a sedum growing with it. I love this combination and little accent to the garden.

I've never had much luck with Sweet Woodruff but may have found the perfect garden to plant it in. And it's taking over! Last summer I planted it in three different gardens and only one area survived. Why? They were all planted in the same soil conditions, within close proximity to each other, similar light conditions..... I feel good having had some success, so will try planting it in other gardens again this year. Then keep my fingers crossed. I think they're one of my favorite ground covers with their little green leaves and dainty white flowers.

I love setting flower pots on my moss-covered stumps. These are some pretty little violas.

I find it interesting how my likes and dislikes change from season to season; from month to month some times. A year ago, it would never have dawned on me that I would be buying and planting grass in my gardens! Especially grass that one might find out on the Wetlands! Yet, here's proof that I'm losing my mind in my older age! I actually have learned to love grass though and the wonderful accent they add to the gardens.

I love my garden and all its little rooms. I especially love the accents I have tucked in each one. I could spend hours outside, just admiring them, loving the peace and contentment they provide.

a garden tour

2009-07-01T06:11:00.004-08:00

Some times I wonder if I was born with dirt under my fingernails.... Was it my destiny to be in love with plants and tending to nature? I suspect it was. It was how we were raised. Gardening, taking care of pets, tending to wild creatures, appreciating nature around us.

Then there was Mrs. Baxter. She was our next door neighbor and they had a plant nursery in the field next to us. I don't recall ever going through the nursery and I'm not even certain it was.... or just greenhouses where they grew their own flowers. She had THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GARDEN IN THE WORLD. Or at least in my world. It was full of dahlias. She lived in an old, rock house filled with antiques and outside were gardens and pathways that we could get lost in. I never wanted to leave.

Today, I'm still trying to live in that garden.... Without knowing it, or understanding why until recently, it appears I'm recreating my past into the future. Tending to the birds and squirrels. Adding a small creek bed and pond. Designing my gardens with pathways that wind, secret rooms, quiet places to sit and reflect, accents to surprise you.

For me, it's not so much about plants that bloom, but having a place where the dogs can romp and roam and the grandbabies can explore. When I make a new garden, it has to be dog-friendly so if they do happen to wander recklessly inside the boundaries, any damage won't be devastating. I try to fill my garden beds with hearty shrubs and plants that will bounce back if they get trompled on.

I also love to incorporate what you find in nature, into my landscape. Ferns, driftwood, naturalizing ground covers, rocks.

I LOVE FERNS! They make such a great backdrop for plants. You can put ferns next to iris or sedum or astilbe or most anything and it looks good. I love ferns just as much as I love the actual bloom on a flower and I probably love Fall colors more than I do actual flowers. When I buy shrubs, I often seek out those plants that will provide something back to nature, like berries for the birds, and then the Fall colors.

Yard art is another necessity for my gardens. Whether it be my little gnomes resting lazily on a boulder, watching the world go by, birdbaths which are nothing more than a ceramic saucer filled with water and sitting on a rock. I think rocks and wood rounds also make great accents in a garden. They add a certain charm and an inviting feel to the garden. Often, a garden's focus is not a plant at all, but some kind of yard art whether it be an old bucket filled with old soil and covered with moss or a weathered piece of driftwood I found along the beach.

One day when I was outside working in the back yard, I found the entrance to what I believe to be a garden fairy's home! Could it be??? I've yet to see the little fairy girl that lives inside this moss-covered tree stump, as I suspect she only comes out at dusk when all dangers have passed. I believe she sprinkles her fairy dust over my gardens and casts her fairy charms in such a way that it's the real reason my gardens look as lovely as they do. Yes, this little door holds all the secrets to my garden.... One day, when I'm wandering down the garden path with my little Hunter or Ellis, I think she'll show herself.... But until then, she'll continue to watch over my gardens, dusting it with fairy love.

Happy gardening! Nancy

instincts

2009-06-30T06:30:00.006-08:00

Some might think the Stellar Blue Jays are a royal pain, but we get so much enjoyment out of watching them. You can tell the ranks of some of them. The Baby Blue Jays arrived a few weeks ago, the little fluff balls. They look like we do on a bad hair day with their down poking here and there. By the time they're pushed out of the nest, they've already learned where to go for the good food. And they know how to push my buttons to get more. And I have to admit, I'm an easy target and an easy student.... It's like they're at a movie theater, watching a movie on the big screen, as they peer inside our sliding glass door, watching us. They just stand there, on the stoop, watching.... and watching.... Waiting for their peanuts.

This spring we noticed that one of our squirrels had made a nest in the stairwell on the back deck. Of course we weren't happy about that, but what were we to do at this point? We couldn't evict her! We've just kept our fingers crossed that she didn't do any damage to the house. Now we have babies. Two of them! They started venturing out last week, trying to be brave soldiers. Yesterday the two of them were fighting. Mike said he saw one fall out of the tree and the other one came flying down the trunk after him, chasing him. I could just hear their momma: "You boys go outside and play. We don't rough house in the nest!"

Now the Blue Jays know the sound of the perklunk of the peanuts as they land on the deck. And they come flying. The adult squirrels learned that when they heard the Blue Jays squawk, that food was on the table, and they would come running for their share of peanuts. I've noticed this weekend that the baby squirrels have also learned that when the Blue Jays are around, it usually means food, and, now, they come looking for their meal. But they're still very timid around the aggressive Blue Jays and aren't quite sure what to do. Poor little brave soldiers. But they stick with it long enough to grab a peanut and head back to the nest. "Look, mom, Breakfast!"

We live such a simple life and these are our simple joys.

Have a good day. Nancy

my name is nancy, and I'm an addict....

2009-06-29T08:00:00.020-08:00

"I love to garden" would be an understatement.... "I'm addicted to buying plants" would be an accurate statement.... But I do love gardening and I do love buying plants and I do love falling in love with different foliage, different colors, different plant combinations. It's my passion and my hobby. Sadly, it's also an addiction.... I can't stop buying plants. No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I tell myself I'm not buying any more plants.... I still load the car up after every work day. You see, I work for a plant nursery in the summer. It's like giving candy to a child who doesn't have the good sense to say, no thank you, it'll rot my teeth....

But it's a lovely yard! With lots of different gardens, pathways, places to sit and rest. Every summer I have a new project or two (or three) that I've taken on for building more gardens or adding more features. Or maybe there's a new shrub I want and need a place to put it. See, it doesn't take much for me to bring a plant home. Some times it's because it's the last one at the nursery (and who will want to buy one single plant...?) or no one is buying a certain plant so I'll bring many home and give them life. There's never one good, single reason why I'm tempted by a certain plant. It's just because I'm addicted to plants....

Last year I decided to (1) have our back yard leveled out and a dry creek bed installed to hopefully solve our problem of standing water and (2) be finished with my landscaping projects once and for all. In that order..... Here's where you can hear my husband laughing! My original plan was to keep it simple enough that I could do it.... How hard could it be after all??? But summer came and went and I became 56 years old and my body 112. The 45 year old inside of me moved aside to let the reality sink in..... I was no longer 55 years old and simply could not do such labor intensive work any longer. So I hired the owners of the nursery where I work to come in and create this "dry" creek bed.

So one thing led to another, and, well..... I don't want to spoil the surprise, but do want to share the development of this creek bed with you. Take you on the journey with me!

Here's what's happened so far. The big rigs came in--the dump truck, the excavator, the crew:

In no time at all, our lawn was dug up and a trench 3 feet deep and 40 feet long was dug. This will become a french drain and hopefully our standing water will drain here and not somewhere else:

The first load of rocks was delivered and carefully added to the trench:

With the french drain finished, we started on the creek bed. Did you notice in my entry paragraph I talked about putting in a "dry" creek bed to collect the water runoff? Well, it's now become a real creek, with real water, AND a pond! Woo hoo! Here the crew is laying more fabric over the rocks/french drain, which is now becoming the creek bed. More rocks were laid in and around the bed to make it look like a river's edge:

A dump truck delivered a load of boulders and the excavator operator gracefully flopped each one in its designated spot:

At the same time, a load of D1 gravel arrived. This would help level out one of our problem areas and tie the creek bed in with the other gardens:

The excavator has strategically placed boulders around my garden edges to tie the entire back yard together. Here the crew is smoothing out the rough edges, adding river rock around the boulders to make it look like a river's bank. I'm loving it!

More strategically placed rocks.

Our dog, Sadie, is trying out the new pathway. Before, the trails that weaved in and around my gardens, all came to an end at the edge of the lawn. I wasn't certain how this would all transition together:

We're almost done with day one--placement of the pieces. Several more dump trucks later and the soil was placed for new gardens. Music to my ears! Originally I was going to develop this garden next year.... But if it's in place now, I'm bound by the Gardener's Creed to plant.... This starts at the creek edge (where the pond will go) and goes along the fence line for 70 feet.

Lastly, another dump truck arrived with a load of sand. This will become the base of our lawn AND also provide a little sandy beach at the creek side for the grandbabies to play in.

So there you have it. This year's project. Phase One: Placement. I'm hoping to see the crew this week to finish the creek bed. All the rocks have to be individually laid. Glad I'm not working on this project! After the creek is finished, then I can start planting around the creek edges, around the boulders. So, stay tuned for Phase Two! Nancy

finally, spring

2009-05-27T06:11:00.008-08:00

I had a good evening. Spent a good deal of it visiting old friends. Blogs that I hadn't visited in a very very long time. Catching up. Seeing what was new. It seems everyone has just continued on, sharing their homes, their craft projects, their family.

Here, in my town, we survived another winter of way too much snow. Our winter was too long. Too cold. The good news is, we've had an incredible spring so far. For a change. One thing you need to know about Juneau is it rains all the time and if it isn't raining, it's dark and dreary, and cold, and damp. It can be a very depressing town. And we've had horrid summers the last few years with winters being even worse. So we definitely deserve decent weather. For me, weather in the 60's is just perfect.

It poured down yesterday, for the first time in a few weeks. We definitely needed the rain to soak our soil good, so our plants and trees could grow. But as luck would have it, my husband no sooner finished fertilizing every single plant, shrub, and tree in our rather large landscaped yard.... that it started to downpour.... I hope it had a chance to do some good before being washed away.

But here it is almost June and our gardens are just starting to come to life. The leaves are out on the trees now and our earliest spring blooming perennials are in bloom. One of our earliest spring bloomers is the Trollius, or Globe Flower, with its cheery yellow flowers. Beautiful and so cheery!

My grandbabies are due any minute, so I better run. Hunter is now one and a half years old and Ellis recently turned one year old.

Until next time.... Nancy

should I....?

2009-05-26T16:49:00.004-08:00

Here it is, almost the end of May. Almost three months since I last wrote... Where has time gone? I'm still here, although I've not been blogging much lately. Obviously! I've not kept in touch with any of my blogging friends. I've been bad, very bad. Yet, here I am, once again thinking of reaching out to the blogging world and asking for your friendship. Bloggers are such a special group of people. So understanding and supportive. We share our deepest secrets, loves and fears, our failings, our successes, and other most precious details about our lives. To total strangers! Yet, these strangers become our most precious friends. We depend on them for kind words and support. To make our lives right. So if blogging is so great, why do I keep stopping?

I went back to older posts today, looking for something specific, and have to say, I laughed at more than one! In the earlier days, I always seemed to have something to say. Yet, today, my mind is blank and that causes a problem in the blogging world. Blogging should be fun, not a source of frustration, trying to come up with something to say. Yet, here I am, once again, trying to get back into the blogging world, trying to think of something to say that would entice you to return.... Wish me luck!

For now.... Nancy

it's only Monday....

2009-03-02T14:52:00.002-09:00

This is what all the tired, 56 year-old-babysitting-grandmas are wearing these days....

Clothes that are inside out.... and neither me or Mike noticed it for hours!

And it's only Monday.... three more babysitting days to go!

is it spring yet?

2009-03-01T17:28:00.001-09:00

Tell, me, can it be so.....?????

Spring???

Soon???

Maybe if we put our lawn furniture outside....

I wonder if a hair dryer would help....

no babies were hurt....

2009-02-24T09:30:00.008-09:00

Are you looking for a new Day Care Provider?
Look no further!

No Babies Were Hurt is Juneau's Premier Day Care Center.
We specialize in babies under 18 months.

We provide excellent care.
We're a grandma/grandpa team with 98 years of child care experience between us.

We study the ABCs, 1-2-3s, and Coloring101.

We teach the basics of cooking. With meal time, comes lessons on selecting heart healthy foods that you might find in the pantry, and eating etiquette.

All babies get a well-rounded meal. Unfortunately, they only get one meal each day due to the unfortunate state of the economy.

Play time is a huge part of the day when babies get to climb over the dogs, climb furniture, and master the stairs.
We also provide toys that encourage mental and hand/eye coordination.

We give music lessons to those musically inclined (for an additional fee) and reading lessons to those advanced one year olds.

We believe that fresh air is important to the well being of all children. Regardless of the temperatures outdoors.

Although we encourage the freedom of speech and movement, and encourage laughter and silliness, we pride ourselves in having "eyes in the back of our head" which allows us to stop inappropriate behavior before it begins.

If you would like your baby to part of this incredible environment, give us a call today.
We're experienced and affordable!
1-800-NoChildWasHurt

a simple kiss

2009-02-13T15:52:00.005-09:00

I want to kees you....

and kees you....
and kees you....
You are my favorite Valentine.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Disclaimer:

2009-02-13T14:59:00.008-09:00

This is my granddaughter, Ellis. Isn't she a cutie? She's 9 months already!

This is our bedroom window. And that bright light? Sunshine!

Disclaimer: No babies were harmed in this activity..... I don't think....

Okay, let me back up. Anyone who knows Juneau, knows we don't get a lot of sunny days. Juneau is, by nature, a dark and dreary place most of the time. But when the sun shines, it shines bright and it's gorgeous outside. As is evidenced by the bright light coming through the bedroom window.

Yesterday and today have been absolutely beautiful, sunny days. A bright blue sky. A few white clouds. The snow sparkling. It's beyond words. Okay, here's the setup: One baby, one window, blinds that are shut. Grandma has little Ellis in her arms as she goes to open the blinds. As the blind goes up, and the sunshine finds its way underneath the blind and peaks its sunny face into our bedroom, it's getting brighter. And brighter. AND BRIGHTER. The brighter it got, the more Ellis snuggled her little head into my shoulder. TA DA! Finally the blind has been lifted and little Ellis screams! "NO!!! WHAT IS THAT BRIGHT LIGHT???!!! MAKE IT GO AWAY!!!! IT HURTS!!!!" as she quickly snuggled her face into my neck. Afraid to look. Afraid of what else was to come. Poor little girl. She's been scarred for life. I'm sorry but I laughed so hard. Mostly because we've all felt that same horrific feeling, wondering what the hell is that??? as we shield our eyes from the hurt, the pain, the brightness. Anyway, maybe you just had to be there....

We headed out early to do errands today. The "usual" stops--Costco, Walmart, Fred Meyers. I took this picture of the ravens outside Costco. I thought it was pretty funny. This isn't a large tree, actually quite small to have so many ravens sitting in it.

In my younger days, I used to throw out old bread products (bread, buns, crackers) but then it dawned on me a few weeks ago..... what if I saved it all and fed the birds with it. So that's what we do now on our day off. We take all our discarded bread products and go to a parking lot and distribute it to the Ravens, Seagulls, and Eagles. It's like the horror movie, the Birds! All of a sudden, dozens and dozens of these gigantic birds all descend on our car! Flying over us, landing on us, circling around us! It's a frenzy! We're fearful for our lives. For our own safety. So we quickly roll up the window and skedaddle out of there. Okay, when I say "we" "we" "we", I mean "me." My husband is an accomplish but only as the getaway driver! God, I'm so pathetic. I need a hobby. Or a new life. Oh, wait, I do. Facebook! Gotta go and see what's new there! Have a great evening!

just another day

2009-02-09T09:37:00.004-09:00

Yes, just another snowy day in Juneau.... Let's see, my last post on Friday said "more snow." Then it rained over the weekend and our driveway was flooded. We've had so much snow and it's made an effective wall of compact snow and ice. The snow melt and rain just didn't have any place to go but been linger in our driveway where it was probably 6" deep in the lowest spots...

Then, more snow. We woke up to another 7" this morning and another 9" is expected by tonight. Will it never end????

During our rainy spell, it gave me time to read this book: Worthy's Town, a novel by Sharon Rolens. Beneath the quiet surface of life in Old Kane, Illinois, love, cruelty, murder and friendship drive the destinies of Worthy and Willa Giberson and their boy Cappy in this best-seller spanning 1925 to 1950. The novel is the story of a small town and its vanishing way of life as well as the story of the Gibersons. As they and their neighbors deal with an approaching world war that they naively believe will not touch them, they deal with more subtle wars already in their midst.

Anyway, it was pretty good. I'm cleaning out my bookcase and trying to read all the books that have been sitting there, just waiting for their turn. I love books. All kinds of books. But the time has come to downsize some, so I'm getting rid of probably half of them.... cookbooks, gardening books, novels, history books, series. I'll keep my favorites; those I seem to read over and over again. It wasn't an easy decision to make as I truly do find great comfort in my books. I suppose it takes me back to my grandma's place as she, too, had an extensive library. Her stairwell to the second floor was lined with shelves just filled with books. I'd spend hours sitting on the ledge, thumbing through them, and felt even more joy when we were allowed to "check" them out. So my goal this year is to read those books that are still waiting in the wings and to not buy any more until I have! Wish me luck!

2009-02-06T08:02:00.003-09:00

Today it continues. More snow. About 8".

the day after

2009-02-02T06:39:00.006-09:00

I'm glad Super Bowl only comes once a year! Course, for me, it's all about the Eats. It's a regular Food Fest! My kids come over and we all sit around and visit and laugh and have a good time while my sweet husband tries to watch the game! He doesn't complain. Although I think he should! We have yakking, three dogs running around, two babies making noises, AND we're all in the same room together! None of us understand the game (except my husband), we're just in it for the food and commercials :O

This year I decided to clean the pantry out of all food tempting. I'm "prediabetic" and am supposed to be watching my sugar and fat content. Well, I do.... I watch it go right in my mouth! So I decided to just bake up all those pre-packaged desserts and empty out the freezer and start the year anew.

(This picture is just the dessert table. Lemon bars, Triple Chocolate Brownies, Rice Krispie Treats, Chocolate Covered Cherries, Harry & David's White Chocolate Moose Munch, leftover candies from Halloween and Christmas, with a little vegies tossed in! )

I tried two new recipes this year--one for ribs and one for chicken wingettes. They were okay.... but not ones I'd make again. The most sought after, and desired, food item at any family event is Mike's Famous Garlic Dip. If you like garlic, you need to try this at your next event. It's a recipe that his step mom always made. Mike adds so much garlic that it makes the top of your head sweat! And it's so addicting.... truly.... once you start, you simply can't stop stuffing it in your mouth. I'm not a delusional person. I know my children come over for the garlic dip, not to see me....

This year we started a new generation of Garlic Dip lovers. Little Hunter LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Mike made him a special dish that wasn't as hot, but he still thought it was pretty yummy.

Garlic Dip

1 cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
1 cup mayo
1 LARGE spoon of crushed garlic (or enough to burn....)
Shake of Worcestershire

Mix it good and serve with potato chips. YummmmME!

unbelievable at 60

2009-01-19T06:47:00.004-09:00

Yesterday was a rare day, indeed, as Juneauites experienced something that doesn't come along very often. Heck, never! We were giddy with excitement. We were calling each other on the phone, talking about it. It started early in the morning, which, in itself, is a miracle. We enjoyed it all day long. We took off our sweatshirts and vests. We had the doors open. We were outside, in our short sleeves, enjoying the heat wave! Yes, a heat wave in Juneau, Alaska, in the middle of winter! Never mind that just a week ago, it was -8 degrees and then a week of snow. Yesterday was unbelievable. We don't generally experience this warm weather in the summer months! And to wake up and have it almost 60 degrees out, was just short of some kind of miracle. Global warming, I suppose :O

Juneau is a cold place. Even in the summer months, we don't experience very warm weather, or very many warm days. One of my secret desires, is to some day live in a place where I can wake up, get my cup of coffee, and go out on the porch and sit in my jammies and enjoy the morning. And be warm. You can't do that here. Well, you can, but it wouldn't be enjoyable in 40 degrees. So the fact that we had temps in the 50's and near 60 yesterday was one of those "once in a life time" events, I'm sure. They said it was Chinook Winds. I never knew we had Chinook Winds. Chinook salmon, yes, but not winds!

Chinooks warm Juneau
Chinook winds flowed in to Juneau over the weekend creating unseasonably high temperatures. Sunday's high reached 53 which surpassed the previous high for the date of 52 set in 1981. It reached 48 for a high Saturday, which was only one degree off from the all time high for the date of 49 established in 1965. The thermometer at the studios of KINY and KSUP downtown were crowding 60 degrees Sunday morning. Meteorologist Corey Van Pelt in the Juneau Forecast Office says the Chinooks are part of an overall large scale pattern shift where warm air is coming from the south and the cold air that hung around for about a month was shoved into the Lower 48.

So I'm sorry that our winds sent the cold air down south, but what's a girl to do. We loved it! We were so busy outside, working wherever there wasn't snow piled. My husband even washed the windows. Outside. In the middle of winter! Woo hoo!

dancing in my seat

2009-01-18T08:23:00.006-09:00

Yes, I danced all night long. In my chair. To the tunes of the great James Cotton! Can you believe that we actually got someone like James Cotton to our little town? They said 800 people showed up to listen to him play his superharp. 800 people. In a small convention hall. Dancing in the aisles. Enjoying the moment.

But let me back up.

The concert didn't start until 7:30 but being the early birds we are, we arrived at 7:00 p.m. to ensure a close parking spot. Never mind that any where you need to park in Juneau is "close," we just didn't want to have to drive around looking for a place. Okay, so we arrived at 7:00 to find that the parking lot to the Centennial Hall was already completely full! And here we thought we were like 20 minutes too early! We found a parking place not far away and headed into the building. There we found ourselves amidst the silliest group of people we've ever seen in Juneau. The meeting hall was packed with people ; a good majority wearing Xtratufs! I've never seen so many Xtratufs in one place! Men with flannel shirts and Xtratufs. Young females in short skirts, wool tights, and Xtratufs. Children running around in Xtratufs. They were worn straight up, rolled down. It was evident everyone came wearing their finest clothes for this event!

Okay, so we're in the building. There's hundreds of people waiting in line. AND the "lines" are defined with duct tape taped to the carpet to help you find your way from point A to point B. Just like the ropes you'll find going through security at the airport or at the theater or banks to keep people in line, to help them move to the next counter only it's taped on the floor! And everyone was in their own line! We followed the duct tape as it weaved back and forth, back and forth, to the ticket line. It was the most hilarious thing I've seen in a long time. Only in Juneau!

It was pretty while it lasted

2009-01-17T15:25:00.005-09:00

Well, it was pretty while it lasted! It's still pretty, with all the snow on the ground, but it's been raining for days now so it's melting at a rapid rate. We must have gotten 60" or more in a matter of a few days. So much we were running out of places to shovel it! You can only throw it so high, after all!
My husband and I have a system worked out where we share in the load of keeping everything cleaned off. He's more meticulous than I am about it and will do his darnedest to get the driveway completely cleaned off. "That's good enough" is my philosophy!

My husband mostly takes care of the front of the house and I take care of the back. We have a rather large driveway that he does with the snow blower. And then he does the public road along our property line so when the city plows come, they don't shove the snow right back into our driveway. This is probably the smartest move we can make as it really does save us a lot of work. Some times it seems just maintaining the front yard is a full-time job, but it's just one of those things that needs to be done. We don't want to run the risk that one of the kids, or other visitors, will fall and hurt themselves because we were too lazy to keep our property safe. Okay, so in addition to the driveway and porch, Mike also uses the snow blower to keep a path to our back yard. This would be our emergency exit should we ever have need. So he's a busy boy with his man toy.

Now, my part is the back yard. My "toy" is a snow shovel and boy do I know how to work it! We have a rather large deck that is multiple levels. All in all, it takes about an hour's time to do the deck. At one point, Mike measured the snow on this fire pit and bench (above) and it measured 43". We just left it to see how high it could get!

As if we didn't have enough snow to shovel.... we also have our dogs to think of. When you have so much snow drop in such a short period of time, they don't have an opportunity to get out there and forge their own trails. So I did it for them! Yes, we do have spoiled dogs!

You can see that the dogs are enjoying their race track as they romp and run, chasing each other.

All in all, I had three different paths for the dogs to choose from, all wrapping around and meeting up with another trail. It was fun and something I didn't mind doing. I know the dogs needed the space to run and get exercise, not to mention a path to somewhere that they could go to the bathroom :O

So as is the routine, it snows and snows and snows and everything is gorgeous. Then it warms up and melts so everything is a sloshy, sloppy, slippery mess. Then it'll freeze again and the roads and walkways will become, well, an icy, uneven mess. Then it'll start snowing again and the cycle continues. It's all part of living in Alaska. We really don't mind. Oh, we'll complain at times, but we know what has to be done and life goes on.

baby it's cold outside!

2008-12-18T11:40:00.007-09:00

Brrrrrrr. It's been cold here the last few days. Down to about 6 degrees at night. Here's some wintery pictures I thought you might enjoy.

This is what our Rhodies look like when it's so darn cold outside. They just close their leaves and hunker down until it warms up. If it was only that simple for the rest of us!

No angel should have to endure this bitterly cold weather, but, still, she sweetly smiles, thinking of warmer days ahead:

One of my favorite scenes in the winter is this old, rotten pallet, broken hoe, and rotting bird house. I hate to throw anything away.

A pathway less traveled in my back yard. I love how all the shrubbery takes on a mystical look with a little snow and ice crystals on the branches and leaves.

My favorite bird home on a stump. This little house has had more pictures taken over the years than anything. I wish birds would actually use it, but they don't.

I love including yard art in my gardens and most of what I have isn't fancy stuff bought at a high end nursery. It's throw aways or other treasures I've found at the thrift store. My son brought over a metal bowl this summer. It's nickel or aluminum with some patina to it. They were going to throw it out but figured I could put it to good use. So I set it on this stump to use as a bird bath and then added a rock in the middle for the birds to sit on. Perfect!

A star is born. I got interested in topiary this last summer as a unique and perfect addition to my gardens. It's funny how your likes and dislikes change. Just the previous year I wondered why anyone would want something like this in their garden. Now, here it is a year later, and I have one in my garden. But I love it and it adds just another element and dimension to the whole picture.

Even though our gardening season is over for another year, it still brings me such great pleasures. I love wondering through in the early mornings, or when it's still a little dusk, snapping pictures of the unique shapes. You never know what you mind find. Cheers! Nancy

Holiday cheer

2008-12-18T11:30:00.000-09:00

My husband, who is solely a beer connoisseur, made an interesting comment the other night. He said, "we should have a Holiday drink." Hello....???? I've been making one for the last couple years and no one has (a) noticed, (b) partaken, (c) really cared. But it is nice that he's contributing to the Christmas preparation; he usually leaves all the details up to me. So I'll start looking through magazines or go on-line and see what I can find.

Do you have a favorite drink that you serve at Christmas time? I made this pretty little thing for Thanksgiving this year. It was pretty, but tasted pretty bad.

It was a recipe from Food Network and looked really good and fun! Ingredients included whole cranberry sauce.... mint, lime, and vodka. I still think it's festive and a perfect looking drink for the holidays, but I won't be making it again.

What do you do? Do you have a special drink for the holidays?

Decisions decisions

2008-12-16T07:22:00.008-09:00

Is there such a thing as intervention for buying plates? If so, my husband would be inviting you all over to perform such an act! You see, I love dishes.... And it drives my husband crazy. He keeps telling me we're going to have to buy a bigger house, just to store all of them. Okay.... If that's what he wants.... Anything to make him happy.... See? That's the type of relationship we have. It's a good marriage. I buy and he lets me! :)

Okay, so all I usually buy is four cocktail plates. That way I can get enough to satisfy my love and need to have them, plus I can use them for salads, lunch plates, or desserts. Christmas plates are my favorite. Okay, let me re-phrase that. Christmas plates are my favorite.... at this time of year! We could have a Holiday party for at least 32 people and everyone would get their own dessert plate. Here's some of my favorites:

Charlie Brown Christmas trees are my tree of choice, so it's only natural I was attracted to this tree plate.

These bright and cheery red and white snowflake plates can be used all winter long and make a great plate for even Valentine's Day.

My daughter, Tracy, gave these to me a few years ago. Each plate has a different design and are so very cute.

This was the beginning for me.... I love these cup and saucers. They're Pfaltzgraff and were bought so many years ago. They're discontinued now otherwise I'd have a whole set of them.

I love these Holiday plates but especially because they can be used all winter. I start using them in mid-November for desserts.

These are probably my favorite because of their versatility. They truly could be used all year long, if I needed them to. In fact, I loved them so much, I bought probably 12 of them!

So do you see my husband's dillemma....? All he has to do is grab a plate when he wants to make a sandwich. I have to decide which ones to bring home!

Which is your favorite?

please call before stopping by....

2008-12-14T07:49:00.013-09:00

In the olden days, I loved it when company stopped by; unannounced; to enjoy a cup of coffee and some gossip. To me, that was a pure sign of friendship, knowing you can just drop in on your friends without them worrying about appearances--unkept hair, messy home--welcoming you with open arms. Today, if someone dropped by unannounced, I would worry they'd break a neck!

My home used to be neat and tidy. Everything had its place; all the clutter and "stuff" was organized. We're "seniors." We're retired. Our kids are grown. So it's only natural that we would keep a clean and orderly home....

I love having every thing in its place.... But does this look like a neat and tidy place?! I think not! This is what our home looks like most days a week!

Let's see.... two car seats, an Exersaucer, a walker, a stroller; two dog beds, dog toys; coats and hats thrown on the floor. Big toys, little toys, push toys, stacking toys. Toys everywhere. Books stacked; books tossed; books on top of books; everywhere. Blankets on the floor; baby blankets on the couch. Bibs, wipes, diapers. Bottles. Can you see the vintage wooden bowl full (or half full) of oranges.... on the ground.... oranges usually rolling all over the place....? Barricades in the middle of the room to prevent exiting and access to other places; barricades to trip over.... Oh, and did I mention two dogs and two babies?

Yes, this is our home.... Four days a week.... Please call before you drop by so we can make a pathway from the door....

And the culprit of most of this mess? This is Hunter, my one year old grandbaby. One year old, moving quickly into the Terrible Twos, I might add.... and can you read what it says on his t-shirt in the photo below? Messes just follow me around. Messes indeed! You pick something up, try to put some order into your day, then turn around and it's back on the ground again!

But isn't he adorable? It seems like just yesterday that he was born, and here he is, already one year old.... My husband and I get to babysit him two days a week. He arrives with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face. He's definitely a boy; into everything. If he's on a mission to touch something, he'll get there. Then he turns and looks at you, with his hand hovering over the item of his interest, as if to say, "see what I'm doing...?!"

I thought my "baby proofing" days were over, but here we are again, watching two precious little grandbabies. The focus on our daily routine is now--what can Hunter get into and where can I put it.... You won't see any magazines or books or journals or other organized clutter on the coffee tables most days. Candy dishes are put up out of reach. Things are tucked behind doors. Four days a week, this home belongs to the babies.

Even though Christmas decorations are minimal this year, I wanted those I did put out to be special, for the grandbabies. They needed to sparkle, to have lights, to be touchable. I didn't want my grandbabies to be denied the marvels of their first Christmas at Grandmas. So whether they're gigglin with the rockin penguins or ringing the jingle bells, I know they're feeling the spirit of their first Christmas at grandma and grandpas.

Now this sweet little thing.... she's my granddaughter, Ellis. She's 7 months old and just as sweet as can be. She definitely has grandma wrapped around her little finger. We babysit her four days a week. She loves her grandma and at any point during the day, she' can be found watching me, just staring; then as soon as I look at her, she opens up this beautiful smile. Yea, she loves her grandma. And her grandma loves her.

These precious little babies.... They'll bring a whole different meaning to Christmas this year. They're going to bring the spirit of Christmas back into our lives. Give us a reason to Believe again. To have Hope that Santa really DOES exist. Santa, or the Spirit of Santa, has always existed in my heart. This year the Holiday Spirit has been a little more difficult to produce, but I there's still hope. And I know just the two little Christmas miracles that can help.

Christmas spirit

2008-12-12T08:00:00.002-09:00

Christmas used to be my most favorite holiday of the year.... I looked forward to this time of year like a little child waiting for Santa.

A Christmas list of gift ideas would start to formulate in late October. Family and friends is given great consideration on the perfect gift(s) to give. This is not a task I take lightly.

A charity is considered, weighing pros and cons of each and every one. Collections start to accumulate for food drives and the homeless.

My collection of December magazines are brought out and each and every one is looked at, all the while drooling over what could easily become our home this season.

Special menus and recipes are considered. What better time to get together with friends and family and share good food.

Lists are started. Every aspect of Christmas is written down so as not to forget to do any single part of it.

I have dozens of Christmas novels that are read and re-read every season. Never mind I know how they all end, they make me happy.

The freezer is full of cookies, fudge, and Party Mix.

Every corner of the house will be decorated--including the bathroom and bedroom. Wherever your eye rests will reveal some kind of eye candy.

Christmas cards are written, with a short, personal note written in each one.

And all the while, Christmas music can be heard in the background.

So where is my Christmas spirit this year??? I feel more like Bah Humbug than Ho Ho Ho. In year's past there wasn't any single part that I didn't love with all my heart.
Minimal decorating has been done; slapped up like it doesn't matter. It was done out of obligation, not spirit.
The novels still sit, collecting dust.
Christmas magazines of year's past will sit for another year.
I suspect sugar cookies will be the only baking I do this year.
Christmas music has taken a back seat to other priorities.
We'll get a tree today.... I suppose....
Oh, and don't expect a Christmas card this year.... or if you do, it'll most likely just have "Merry Christmas" written in it.

See what I mean about having the Bah Humbug attitude this year? I even considered going south for Christmas so I didn't have to bother with any of this.

The Grinch has certainly stolen the Christmas Spirit....

one batch too many

2008-12-11T15:00:00.013-09:00

21 cups of flour, 18 eggs abeating, 9 cups of sugar, 6 cups of butter, 3 batches of sugar cookies.... and a table full of caallloorrieessss..... (sing to the tune of Partridge in a Pear Tree....)

It ended like this....

A long, folding table AND a card table.... covered with decorated sugar cookies.... I suspect you could have gotten a sugar high just looking at all of the cookies. Big ones. Small ones. Christmas trees. Stockings. Stars. Mittens. Ornaments.

It started like this....

First one batch of sugar cookie, then a second. Two batches is a norm for us. It gives every one enough cookies to take home and enjoy, plus enough to give away to family, friends, and co-workers. But as they laid there, stacked one on top of another.... it just didn't look like enough.... I bought some new cookie cutters this year and they were on the large size, so it's possible they used up more cookie dough, and we may not have enough... So two batches became three batches of sugar cookies....

Now, looking at these pictures of undecorated cookies, you have to agree that it doesn't look like all that many.... and this is three batches! So you see my dilemma! But I digress....

Somewhere in the middle of all this, came the decorating....

Decorating sugar cookies is an annual event for my daughter and I. We make them twice a year--Christmas and Easter. My son's significant other and other extended family members usually join us. This year my ex-husband's wife also came. Technically, she's the kid's step-mom, so that makes her family, right?

Baking and decorating cookies is usually an all-day event. It was also a huge mess, trying to roll out dough and decorate at the same time. HUGE mess. Now, I do the baking one day so when we all get together, we only have to decorate. It's so much more fun and much less hassle.

The details....

We use only the best, the finest, the most expensive professional decorating tools we can find. Toothpicks. Skewers. Paintbrushes. Cheese spreading knives. Baby spoons. They seem to work just fine.....

Here's Michelle and Tracy busy decorating. Only 239 more cookies to go! We try to make each cookie unique... paying attention to details that will make it so.... At least for the first few dozen. As the morning ticks on, the icing gets slapped on a little quicker, cookies tend to be a little messier (at least on my part), and details.... well, the snow man with the black top hat, the orange nose, and red scarf flowing in the wind.... is now a white snowman!

But we have fun. It's one of our family traditions that I look forward to every season. Spending time with my daughter, making memories, is important to me. And having Michelle join us (in the blue), makes it even more special because one day she could truly be a part of our family in the legal sense (she already has our heart).

Here's some of my favorite cookies. New to my stash this year is the snow globe! Isn't it cute? And the stocking was also a fun one to decorate.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2008-12-10T09:18:00.005-09:00

A Winter Storm Advisory was issued Monday and we were expecting to wake up yesterday to about 20" of snow. In anticipation that roads and sidewalks may not be cleared and usable, schools and the city and federal governments were lenient in allowing workers and students time to get to their destination.

Fortunately, in our little micro climate, that didn't materialize, although we were ready for it.

All the snow shovels were in place (one at each door).

Extra snow melt had been purchased.

Snow blower gassed up and ready to roar.

This is how it looked yesterday morning before it really got light, and then later in the morning. Beautiful!

It was a very heavy, wet snow; the kind you can barely scoot a snow shovel through. Back breaking work. And because it was so heavy, that meant it was really really wet, and it quickly fell off the trees and melted....

But, we're expecting another dump today.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

I'm thankful....

2008-11-24T06:31:00.008-09:00

Today I'm mostly thankful for good friends.

People look forward to the weekend for a variety of reasons. Maybe you like to sleep in... or just lounge around in your jammies all day doing nothing in particular; maybe it's your only chance to read your favorite magazine. Maybe you like to go to church, shopping, or hit local garage sales.

For me, it meant work. Yes, I looked forward to the weekend because I got to go to work! During the work week, I have the privilege of babysitting my grandbabies. Two of them. Babies.... six and eleven months old... This I do for my children and grandbabies. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing them every day, watching them grow; knowing they're in a safe and loving environment. But the weekends.... well, they're all mine! I get to go to work and play with the plants! This is my therapy. What I love to do.

But the downside of working weekends is that I don't get to do garage sales. So what does one do when found in this predicament? You whine to friends and beg for sympathy for your self-imposed plight! And, like all good friends, they had the perfect solution. They'll shop for me! Course, the fact that they just happen to be full-time garage sale enthusiasts didn't hurt. We were having drinks one Friday evening and I casually mentioned "if you ever find an old window pane....." all the while thinking, yea, that'll never happen.... and next thing you know, they're presenting me with this old, distressed window pane. How cool is this! I originally wanted one to hang outside, under a spruce tree, but decided I could enjoy it every single day if I hung it inside. I love it!

So today..... I am so very thankful to our good friends. Friends who look after friends. I didn't need them to... or ask for their help.... they just did.... For the past three months my husband has not been allowed to drive, well, or do much of anything for that matter. He had surgery and has been in recovery. Our friends would take him to his doctor's appointments (because I had babies to watch) or do other errands for me for no other reason than to help out; to make our lives a little easier. They knew this was a difficult time for me; trying to be all and do all, for all people. Their acts of kindness saved me more than once whether it was the dinner they provided, a safe haven to hang out and forget all my worries for a short while, or the errands they ran for us. So today I am grateful and so very appreciative of the kindness of others.

Here's to good friends!

winter is on its way

2008-11-22T07:43:00.006-09:00

It appears winter is on its way now.... This isn't our first snowfall of the season and it won't be our last. I wish Fall didn't leave us in such a hurry though, but would find reason to linger a little longer. The colors of Fall are such a simple pleasure, and even more so once you realize that it wasn't so long ago when the only landscaping here was the color of ice....

With the Mendenhall Glacier just down the road from us, we've been watching it recede for years. As huge chunks of ice break off and melt, more of the mountainside underneath becomes naked; now a bare canvas to the possibility of cottonwood, spruce trees, and other foliage transforming the bare rocks with a carpet of color. And it is!

When I moved here in 1970, I found it to be a very difficult transition for many reasons. But one of the biggest was that there wasn't any color in the landscape. Despite rumors that nothing would grow because of our weather and the poor poor soil, die-hard gardeners plunged forward, finding the perfect blend of plants and colors to transfer our gray town. Slowly, over the years, seeds are deposited in the forested land and new foliage takes hold. Today our town is filled with color all season long! Cottonwoods have found their niche in the Tongass National Forest, adding their personal touch to the landscape painting. We have nurseries that bring the perfect addition to our yards.

Our color is all gone now. For another season. And, in its place, we'll have the color of black and white for the next several months. The darkness that winter brings and the snow that helps lighten the days. But that's okay because it brings its own mystic to the landscape and goes perfectly with the winter Holidays!

Have a wonderful weekend! Nancy

murphy's law

2008-11-18T07:20:00.003-09:00

Why is it....

You wash your car, and it rains....?

The other line always moves faster.....?

When you invite a repairman to fix your broken appliance, it'll always work perfectly fine....?

You always find something in the last place you look....?

You get the flu shot.... and you get the flu....?

Yep, I've been sick sick sick with the flu. Haven't had it for YEARS! Got my first flu shot, and I get the flu. Go figure.

seasons come and go....

2008-11-13T06:25:00.012-09:00

but rain stays forever.... At least here in Southeast Alaska. Lordy lordy have we had our share of rain this summer. Most recently, 32 straight days of "precipitation." And here it is fall; technically, our rainy season. Still, fall is probably my favorite season, despite the forecast for rain rain and more rain.

Yes, I love fall. Especially my gardens this time of year. I used to think the key to a gorgeous garden was flowers in bloom all summer long. But over the years I have come to appreciate the silent beauties. The oranges, golds, yellows, and reds that only fall can produce. Now my gardens are planted with fall in mind and the burst of color that comes just before the dreariness of a long and dark winter. (Wentworth Viburnum and Tor Spirea in the front)

Fall brings with it a mystery of what's yet to come. There's nothing more exotic than morning dew that lays gingerly on the tree branches, looking like single droplets of swarvoski crystals. As the weather turns colder, our morning dew turns to frost crystals. And fog gently weaves in and out of our massive spruce trees, hovering as if slowly unveiling the day to come, letting just a hope of blue sky to peak through.

Yes, we welcome today with open arms, lapping in the beauty that fall brings. And tomorrow.... with winter just around the corner.... well.... let's just say tomorrow is another day. Nancy

i'm back!

2008-11-11T08:08:00.006-09:00

It feels good to be back blogging.... At least for the time being. It's been a busy six months but times are slowing down, my life has a few free moments, so I thought why not. Sure, why not.

So what have I been up to these past six months? Babysitting grandbabies full-time. Working at the nursery on weekends. Landscaping my back yard in my free time. Every spare moment has been used. And now, winter is setting in. My hours at the nursery have decreased to only a few. The yard has been put to rest. And I don't know what to do with all my free time! So here I am! We'll give blogging during the winter months a try again and see how it goes.

Anyhow, this is my debut post and I'll write more later, bringing you up to date with pictures and stories.

For now.... Nancy