Martha Stewart would be so proud

So, while it's been a quiet winter, I've been semi-productive concerning indoor activities. I played in the pit orchestra for a community musical Peter Pan:

That took up a ton of time- the rehearsals were long, and the play ran three weekends. The actors were on flying machines which was kinda neat. But we had a ton of fun down in the pit. We had endless snacks and didn't take things very seriously since no one in the audience could see us. I felt honored to get to play- the pit was invitation-only and there were four violinists. It was really fun getting to play with such great musicians, and the music was literally changed and re-written every rehearsal, so we were always on our toes.



Having had the back-issues, I have perfected my sock-knitting, and moved onto knitting socks in patterns. I really like the pattern-thing, it makes the socks thicker and warmer, and I don't think I can go back to just plain socks any more. It's hard to see the details on this yarn though because it's so dark:


We've also continued our Dessert of the Month nights- we make a dessert from Martha Stewart's magazine based on what's seasonal for each month.

January: Banana Tart Tatin:


February: Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue:


March: Lemon Thyme Pound Cakes:


Another teacher at my alternative high school was having hip surgery two days after my back surgery- in honor of it, they made him this cake (it's a pretty big joke because he's the biggest stickler about the high school guys not 'slouching' their pants)... it's called a Kasilof Man Thong....

Wildlife Sightings

So here's a collection of wildlife pics from the past few months:

Mama and baby moose on the way to work in the morning, around 8am:


Bald eagle hiding in the snowy trees:




Law-abiding, anti-jaywalking moose, waiting at the crosswalk:


Just grabbing a bite while he waits....


Moose strolling through the post-office parking lot:




This poor paranoid rabbit feels like he's being watched....


Unwittingly stalked by a creepy kitty:


Overachiever cat-stalking.... not going to happen buddy:


Can you see the moose in camo?


Magpie on a tree:


Tuxedo cat in his natural habitat:


Gotta love Homer.... OF COURSE everyone down there would have the freezer space for 10 chickens:

Tustumena 200

So we went to the Tustumena 200 again this year. It's one of the qualifiers for the Iditarod, so usually there are some big mushing stars. There were a lot fewer of the stars this year. No Lance Mackey, or Sebastian Schneulle, but DeeDee Jonrowe was there and she's always a crowd pleaser.

Dog mushing transportation accommodations- definitely traveling coach the whole way:



Hands-down the most well-mannered team:


This is my favorite sled dog- Varmint. The name does not fit the dog. He's owned by a friend in Clam Gulch who trains mushers. If I could have a dog, it would be him:


Leading the first team out to the starting line:

Alaska vs. the Midwest- No Horizon in Sight

I know it's been a long time since my posts lately. I had back surgery two weeks ago, and leading up to that, I had a nerve that wasn't firing in my leg. So it's been a pretty quiet winter, without much action or excitement, since I've had some precarious back issues and ice is not necessarily my friend. But now I'm catching up.

So I really liked my pictures of the Midwest- it was nice to see the open sky and lone trees. I thought I'd post some pictures of the typical Alaska winter as a nice comparison. No horizons to be seen:









(Funny what a difference blue skies make)




Turnagain Arm: it's neat to see the chunky ice on the water


Mountains instead of Fields:




(See the power line?) :








Gorgeous sunrise around 8am on my way to work one morning:


It's undeniably beautiful, but I still miss those open skies, and those lone trees and wind breaks though.