The guest room is ready!

Jim's been hard at work, not just building the chicken coop (which is coming along nicely, thanks for asking, and is nearly done) but also on remodeling the guest room. 

Here's what it looked like in there before we moved in: a long skinny 8x13' room with baby blue paint and spotty-patterned blue and beige berber carpet on the floor. 

The new carpet throughout the walkout basement gave us a good excuse to spruce up the guest room and we decided to give it a new coat of paint.  Yep, a new coat of paint, and one leisurely weekend. That's all it needs. New paint. So the guys took down the built-in shelves on one wall of the room so that when we moved the bed back in, it would fit better. That messed up some of the texture on the wall.  Hm. That, in turn, meant it needed to be sanded down, but that's okay, we're going to paint anyway. The bed looks so much better on the wall where the shelves once were that it will be worth sanding down that wall. But that made the wall too smooth and it's going to need some new texture. Drat. Okay, new texture and then new paint. 

But y'know, with the bed on that wall where the shelves were, now there isn't much room to open the closet doors. How about just taking out the closet doors? They don't work that well anyway. Yep, that's a good idea. So: new paint, new texture, closet doors out.

But that looks stupid over there, with no closet doors. Just a gaping hole with a clothes rod inside it. The room would look ten thousand times bigger if we just took out the closet door framing, wouldn't it? Yes, indeed. Too bad that also means re-sheet rocking the ceiling AND the three closet walls. That brings us to new paint, new texture, closet completely gone, new sheet rock, new ceiling.

Having taken out the old sheet rock inside the exterior wall, it makes more sense now why that room always seemed a little chilly. There's supposed to be insulation in there. In the whole wall, not just part of it. New paint, new texture, new sheet rock, new ceiling, new insulation.

Without the closet there, the former closet light fixture makes no sense where it is, and there needs to be a better place for the closet light switch, and why is that phone jack in that awkward spot on the wall where there's no place to set a phone? Um, where are we? Oh yeah - new paint, new texture, new sheet rock, new ceiling, new insulation and we should replace the light fixture with track lighting, move the light switch AND the electrical outlet since we're re-rocking anyway, and move the phone jack to the other side of the room. 

Shouldn't new paint and new carpet deserve a new quilt for the bed? Naturally. After all, Jim says, it's what Alaskan women DO. They QUILT. Okey dokey. We bought fabric for a new quilt. And once Jim and James got all the sheet rock replaced and textured, now there's the glaring problem of that bent old breaker box panel and phone cable panel. What to do, what to do? The quilt will have a lot of pattern in it so we don't want artwork or the room might look too busy. The panel is too big for readily-available mirrors to cover. And we're used to the midnight sun, but we can't assume our summer guests will have an easy time with it, hence we need to make some blackout curtains to go over the window in there, since I'm already going to be sitting at the sewing machine working on the quilt, right? So let's review the list, shall we? New paint, new texture, new sheet rock, new ceiling, new insulation, replace the light fixture with track lighting, move the light switch and the electrical outlet, move the phone jack to the other side of the room, make a new quilt for the bed, somehow hide the electrical panels and sew up some curtains.

Nooooooo problem.

Fast-forward two months.

The paint is a shade of green that reminds us of the Kenai River water on our first trip to Alaska in 2001, and the blackout curtain is the same color. The carpet is a cushy brown plush. The phone jack is near the bed and the track lighting accentuates the word "Relax" over the baker's racks that are filling the space where a dresser or wardrobe will eventually go. The light also accentuates the first three rows of the quilt that will, someday, be finished and go on the bed. In the meantime, it's a wall hanging that covers the electrical panels.

There now, see what a difference a little fresh paint can make?

A Whole Year!

Today marks the first anniversary of our arrival as permanent residents in Alaska. My, how time has flown. My, how our lives have changed.

While there are things we miss about living in The Contiguous States, like inexpensive fresh produce and toasty summer days, there are things we wouldn't have experienced anyplace else but here. Honestly, a year and a half ago, this was the last place on earth I wanted to be, but now I wonder if I could go back without experiencing a bit of culture shock already. I think we've adapted to our new environment quite well, and it feels so natural. As if we were headed here our whole lives and just didn't know it yet.

So, here I am, surrounded by my dogs, my men busy at work, the windows and door open to the sunshine and the sparkly lake beyond, the smell of wildflowers wafting in, yesterday's batch of soap waiting to be cut into bars, and I feel content.

Hello. My name is Deanna. And I'm an Alaskan.

My Hoosier cabinet

Now that we've been here juuuuuuuust aaallllmmmmost a year, I've decided it's time to put my own style on the interior of this house, which will involve a whole lot fewer kitschy moose knicknacks than were here when we bought the place. When the new carpet went into the walk-out basement, all the furniture down there had to come out, and that seemed like a good time to rearrange some stuff. One of the things I really like about this house is that all those antiques and vintage oddities we've had forever look like they were meant to be here. It's not uncommon to walk into an Alaskan kitchen (or other parts of the house) and see vintage items still in regular use, and I've tried to copy that way of thinking and use my old things where I can. If they're still good, still useable, and still safe, what am I saving them for? 

First up: The Bar. This was my mom's BFF's kitchen cabinet back in the day, and when her husband made her some built-ins, my mom was pretty keen on having her old Hoosier cabinet. I'm not totally sure why we grew up calling it "The Bar," but we did, and it stuck. That poor cabinet has a lot of miles on it by now, having been dragged from Kansas to Texas to Alaska and a bunch of stops in-between. Now, here it is, living in a log cabin in rural Alaska, and it feels like it was born to be here. I actually have a friend up the road who uses her Hoosier cabinet largely the way it was intended - in her kitchen, as part of her cabinetry. I've used mine in the past as a display case, but I can't remember actually putting my kitchen stuff in it, ever.  

Until now.

It's not technically IN my kitchen, but it's just on the other side of the house (which really is only a few feet) from the kitchen. My dear brother sent me boxfuls of fabulous antique goodies that I've heavily mixed into my own vintage goodness and am having fun making displays of them. Now that I think I've got this batch the way I want them, I took a picture and am calling it done. The picture was taken from the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the master bedroom on the top floor. To the right of The Bar is Moya's favorite window that looks out over the chicken coop and the woodsy lot next to us. To the left of The Bar is the sliding door that opens onto the balcony that overlooks the lake. I keep my mixing bowls and some serveware in the skinny door on the hutch part, restaurant-sized rolls of plastic wrap and foil are in the roll-top part, and non-everyday kitchen utensils are in the drawers, including the electric knives and ice cream scoops and whatnot. The green scale is accurate and I do use it. In the jar are some of Jim's quail egg shells that we emptied and kept, just for fun. 

I'm so entertained by the number of these products that are still available today. I use a lot of them regularly. Well, their modern counterparts, anyway. Remember that clicking on the photos will enlarge them. 

The basket of chicken egg shells came from the hatchery where Jim got most of his birds, but our birds didn't lay these. Jim's aricaunas will lay blue and green eggs like them this fall, though. The mini cookie press was a thrift store find this week. I'm gathering up enough vintage cookie presses that I may "need" to make a display of them by themselves someday. The Miracle Filters Filt-R-Fat, but those aren't ones I use. I filter my bacon grease through modern coffee filters, which are pretty much exactly what the Miracle Filters are.

Now, if you turn away from The Bar and face the staircase, you'll see my wallflowers. There's a gap in the wood trim there, and I don't remember why I stuck a stem of silk sunflowers in the hole, but I did, and there these flowers have remained. They make me smile.

To the right of the wallflowers is a shelf that's even with the floor of the master bedroom. Here it is:

This is part of my wind-up toy army, with which I shall one day take over and rule the world. Fear the tiny whirring sound! Fear it!!

[ahem]

Too much caffeine. I should go get on the treadmill and try to work some of that off. See you later!

25 Wonderful Years

You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. ~Dr. Seuss 

Twenty-five years ago today, I walked down the aisle and into the arms of my precious husband. I love that man so much it leaves me in awe. He is the man of my dreams.

My life has been a lovely mix of unexpectedness but evenness, of adventure but security. 

When I was young, I thought people who were married long enough to have metals associated with their anniversary years must be soooo... old. I don't feel old, even though we've reached the magical milestone of our Silver Anniversary. I can barely remember a time before Jim. I met him in high school when we were about 16 years old and we've been a couple since we were 17. I've spent a total of 28 years (including dating) looking with love into his eyes, while he lovingly looked back into mine.

Thank You, God. I do not deserve this man, but I'm so glad I have him.

I love you, Jim. Happy 25th Anniversary.

Jim's Flock Update

The chickens and quail are getting big now. I don't think I've mentioned yet exactly how many and what kind of birds we have... There are four golden Wyandottes, six Aricaunas, one Barred Rock (Happy Father's Day gift) and nineteen quail. That's a lot of poultry! Between the rain showers and in spare moments away from work, Jim and James have been building them the world's cutest 8x10' chicken coop. For those of you who've been here, do you remember that ugly shed in the back side yard? James tore it down and the coop is going where the shed used to be. This is what it will look like when it's finished, except imagine it has windows and is painted red with white trim:

Here's the progress so far, starting with Jim and James putting up the long walls. 

The ridgepole is being set:

And the roof has been started:

Alas, the end of the weekend and more rain have meant the construction had to stop here for now:

Meanwhile, some of the older hens got a chance to go for a little field trip in a puppy crate, so that they could explore the grass and maybe eat some bugs. The white and the ginger ones are Aricaunas, and the spotty one is a Wyandotte.

Last night's surprise event was Jim's discovery of his first quail egg! We thought it would be another week before he would get any eggs, but evidently he's got some precocious ones in the flock. I love this egg, because it's smiling.   :D  And no, we haven't eaten it. Yet.

In other news, when it's pretty, I can take Little Sweetie out for a spin.

I went to a sourdough bread making class with the Back To Basics group, and one of the women shared her 50+ year old sourdough starter. I'm thinking I'll dry what I have left of the starter and reconstitute it as needed, because we just don't eat enough bread to need the starter around all the time. I've made sourdough pancakes, loaf bread, rolls, and soft pretzels.

James found work at Jersey Subs in Soldotna and this is his second day working there. So far he's got full-time hours and we hope that will keep up.

Gotta go now. I've got sewing to turn in tomorrow when I go to the workshop for my weekly lesson / work session. The cobbler's elves aren't going to show up and do it for me so I'd better get off the computer and go be productive. See you later!

Jim's Flock

Two and a half weeks ago, Jim made the decision to start a flock of poultry. His goal is to move away, even if just a little bit, from dependence on the grocery stores. After talking to some friends who've raised farm animals for food, chickens for eggs and meat seemed like a good way to dip our toes into a new level of self-reliance.

It started out innocently enough, with an order for a dozen chicks from the local feed store. Poultry raising is popular here, and certain birds have a waiting list, such as the Aricauna hens that lay blue and green eggs. We have six of those, and four golden Wyandottes. They're all pullets and we can expect them to lay eggs beginning this fall. Here are most of them the day they came home:

A sweet yellow Aricauna:

There isn't much that's cuter than a sleepy baby chick.

Unless, of course, you're talking about baby quail:

Jim did some reading, and discovered that while we seem to have made good choices for our chickens, quail might be a better choice. They start laying eggs in six to seven weeks, and any excess roosters we might have are ready to eat in about the same amount of time. So he headed out to Sterling Meadows Hatchery to pick up a few. Yeah, a few. As in fifteen. Jim is ga-ga over the quail and when three of the first tiny chickies passed away a few days apart, he replaced them with 9 more. We've got a total of twenty-one of them now, and we know that when they're older and we discover how many of them are roosters, the quail flock will necessarily have to be pruned. Our variety is a Coturnix quail rather than bobwhites. Some are goldens and some are tuxedoes. The "feed dish" they're using in this picture is the lid from a Pringles can.

An inch and a half of adorableness:

Last weekend, Jim attended a class at the Hatchery about brooding. I admit I suggested that he might want to consider getting a Silkie chick or two *next year* but evidently I didn't make myself completely clear on the "next year" part, haha, and Jim came home with two blue Silkies. I apologize in advance for the diabetes-inducing sweetness of the following image.

Silkie hens are famous for brooding the eggs of other breeds of chickens who've had the brooding instinct bred out of them over the years. They come in other colors, but the blue chicks were the only ones available at the time. Jim's on the list for the next unclaimed golden one. They remain fluffy throughout their entire lives because they don't have barbs on their feathers, so they keep that downy texture. They have blue/black skin and meat, making them unpopular for eating in America, but they're considered pretty tasty in other countries. They also have five toes instead of the usual four.

Go ahead, little chickie, get used to sitting on those eggs.

The chicks all seem to like James, who's holding a Silkie here. Silkies are good pets and we're having no problems working on socializing them, since they're just so darned adorable and so soft you can barely feel them.

It won't be long before there are two coops in the yard - one for the quail, one for the chickens - and fresh eggs on the table. Yes, the first eggs we get will be so small we'll need a dozen per person, but that's okay. We'll get to the full-sized eggs before you know it.

Now, will someone please help me get the Super Chicken theme song out of my head???

Wow, it's been a month since my last post!

It's been a long time since I posted last, but that doesn't mean nothing's been happening. Au contraire, mon cheri, it's because I've been too busy to post.

Let's see... Where shall I start my update? I believe I'll start with this morning's 4.7 earthquake. Since I've only been in small, wiggly earthquakes, I still think they're cool. This is the second one I've felt, the first one for Jim, and James slept through it. In his defense, it was at 4:00 in the morning and he was on the ground floor, so I can't blame him.

And oh yeah, you probably figured out from that last paragraph that James is home from college for the summer. Yay!! He brought home lots of happy memories and dirty laundry and I couldn't be happier to have him around again.

The migratory birds are back, and we have ducks and terns and the occasional seagull on the lake. There was a beaver swimming in the lake one day, too. The grass and trees are greening up nicely, and that delicious signature Alaskan smell is in the air. Someone released four or five domestic rabbits and we see them around sometimes, especially this one that spends half the day, every day, in our yard. I told Jim he should pretend to be Elmer Fudd and set a trap for it.

Jim and James saw some wild caribou while they were out running errands one day last week. I wasn't with them, and am sorry I missed seeing them in the wild. After seeing the racing caribou at the Rondy, it's been a goal of mine to see the Kenai herd, but I've sadly managed to miss them so far. Well, spring isn't over, and I'm still keeping my eyes peeled.

After a lot of fun discussion on Facebook and through emails with my friends, I finally named my fur business. Look for the website for Smiling Otter Studio to be available soon. My task has been to make children's hats for Northland Furs in Soldotna, and I found out I'll also have some in Northland Wildlife Studio in Sterling. Lee says she'll be sending samples to Alaska Fur Exchange in Anchorage to see if they want to order some as well. I'm hoping to have a second project added to my responsibilities soon so I can have some variety. I've had my first paying fur work in the form of two bear pelts that needed repairs before being rugged. They were a lot of work which didn't pay much and the smell of bear was hard to take after a while, but if offered another bear pelt to do, I'd grit my teeth and smile and say "Yes, please; thank you very much." Anything I can learn at this point has benefits beyond the money, and who am I to turn that down?

The main thing keeping Jim busy lately has been his new flock of quail and chickens. But they're going to get their own post soon, so I'm not going to tell you anything about them just yet. You'll have to stay tuned...