School?

After months and years of self righteous determination to avoid “college” and thus convention, I have collapsed under the societal compulsion to pursue “higher education”. I hope it will be awakening for my occasionally under-stimulated mind. I mean, I could take more individual responsibility for providing myself with education and intellectual stimulation instead of casting all obligation towards UAF. I could, but for now, I’ll give this a try. Maybe I’ll get something extra fun out of it, like a cool degree.

Judah is pumped about it. She already scribbled in my Biology text book. She also now says, “school”.

Um, I even have an assignment to maintain a blog about writing…so I’ll be doing that here. I’m sure it will be fascinating to read. I guess I’ll mention various writing assignments now and then and maybe elaborate on the particularly compelling ones; possibly even on the not so compelling ones…if such an assignment exists, that is!

Muddy Boots

Judah loves her mud boots. Luckily for Judah, she lives in Homer where it is perpetually rainy and thus muddy at all times. Even in February. There is apparently no non-rainy season in this region, which is fortunate for some (yuppies and Judah), as it rather necessitates mud boots. While I am convinced that soft soled shoes (especially ones handmade on etsy!) are much better than hard soled shoes for normal foot development…Judah does not care. She loves these boots. She really really loves her Xtra Tuffs (thanks, Drake), but they are much too large for her, and they make her fall. Alot. I had to hide them after she tumbled down the staircase while wearing them. But then she found them while I was at work, threw a tantrum and Zach was compelled to let her wear them again. Alas, they are still too big and are now concealed in a less accessible location. See how much she loves her boots?

And do you see this ridiculous face that Judah insists on making when I attempt to take her picture?

Sourdough…

Judah and I have been experimenting with sourdough lately. We have made some great bread, mostly whole wheat with some other grains added in for intrigue… I’m really learning alot about the amazing properties of sourdough and how useful an addition it is to one’s diet. We generally only eat sourdough bread (and pancakes!) but Zach is usually responsible for all of the bread making however, since he has been off becoming a fire fighter we have had no one to bake our bread, so Judah and I stepped up to the task. This website has been a helpful resource. In light of Judah’s recent dental crisis, it is especially important to us to ensure that she is not only consuming a healthy diet, but also a proper balance of various foods that enable her body to process the nutrients it is taking in. When improperly prepared, bread and grains can really limit the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Hence, sourdough! Also soaking or sprouting grains is an ideal means of preparation. It’s interesting information and so far, the baking of the sourdough has been fun! As you can see.

Shards of Coffee

I just really love French Press coffee. Coffee in the morning, coffee in the afternoon, coffee most anytime is such a nice thing. But it’s not just the putting the coffee in the mouth that is so enjoyable, it’s the whole process. Grinding beans, boiling water, the sleek aesthetic appeal of the french press…I love all of the aspects and without including them, coffee is just not as enticing to me. Coffee tastes better and more like coffee this way, in my educated opinion. If my ritual consisted primarily of plugging in a machine, I would drink considerably less coffee.

The unfortunate aspect of this process that I hold so dear is how unbelievably fragile the glass caraffe proves itself, time and time again. As if I really need to keep testing it. My cathartic ritual shattered to a halt this morning; alas and alack! I suppose I’ll buy a new glass replacement. I mean, I have a plastic coffee press…but it’s for camping and it’s unsightly. I like the brewing of my coffee to be beautiful. I really do.

Roy

There are alot of moose in Homer. There are alot of moose in Alaska. Judah has been spotting various moose recently and even having some close encounters with a few of them and she loves them. She knows what a moose “says”, she knows about their antlers and their velvety noses, she reads books about them and she calls them “Roy”. Roy. All of the collective moose are known as “Roy” in our house. It’s much simpler than giving them each their own name, I suppose, but it seems a bit silly. She is constantly yelling for the moose. It’s always, “Roy! ROY! RROOOYYYY!!” This morning as we were driving to work she was hollering for Roy. Lo and behold, can you guess who showed up outside of work today, to munch on the trees? Roy, himself. I imagine that it will take some time for her to realize that Roy is not exactly her friend in the way that say, our dogs are her friends. I mean, Roy is definitely her friend, but it’s just not quite the same. It’s still a little confusing to her (and to me!) why we can’t hang out with Roy on more of a personal level. Like today, for instance, when she wanted Roy to come inside and read a story with her. It was a story about moose, after all. It makes sense that we would include him.

Roy and some buds

Bath Time

Judah loves to take a bath. She loves it when I get in with her. She especially loves it when Amesa gets in with her. The dog however, is not too fond of bath time, as you can tell by the tortured expression on her face. But Judah is determined to wash the dog, since they are in the bath, after all. And if Amesa is good at anything, it’s tolerating Judah and accomodating her playful whims and antics.

Happy Cake

Judah and Zach thoughtfully made a cake for my birthday last week. Zach claims that Judah did most of the assembling. It appears to have been a very fun time. Even in black and white. Blaster was pleased to be able to join in on the excitement as well!The end result was this:And this too:It was a wonderful cake! Zach is amazingly skilled at giving gifts as well as at making cakes. He gave me a lovely handmade pottery wine caraffe that he found here. It’s beautiful and ever so useful as I have been mostly pouring my wine straight from the carboy these days…

Little Truck

Zach has a nice little truck that he bought here in Homer last summer. This is a picture of Judah pretending to drive:

She absolutely loves this truck (as does zach, although he generally shows more restraint when expressing his emotions towards said truck). She is constantly longing to sit in it, drive it, touch it, stare at it out of the window, eat the snow off of the bumper, etc.

The sad news is that Zach is thinking of selling this great little vehicle. So, there’s the notice for anyone who may interested in throwing their dollars into a white diesel truck of the Toyota variety. And imagine how sad the face on this little girl is going to be when Dada sells her favorite truck.

Happy Days

It is very clear to me this year, that the designated time we have together to celebrate Christmas, is really all about spending our time together, peacefully and happily and mirthfully. The surrounding months are busy with work and classes and various time consuming activities and events…but I am so thankful to have this protected time together for now. And this is how we choose to spend it:

Baking Christmas Eve banana bread. Sleepy Stockings… (artfully knitted by my mother)Loving each other!

Taking a wintery walk in the snow with our dogs.

As I write this, Zach and Judah are working on a barrage of Christmas cookies in the kitchen…it’s a lovely time.

Snowy Trees

It’s finally winter in Homer!

Judah loves to play in the snow. She was extra pumped when we all trudged through the snow to pick out a tree and despite never having selected a Christmas tree before, she was quite involved in the process and assertive about which trees met her approval.

We had a nice time decorating (and repeatedly undecorating) the tree and hanging lights. Judah observed Zach hanging lights in our house and now assumes that he is responsible for all of the lights she sees around Homer. Most places we go have holiday lights hung, and she happily points and says, “Dada!”, clearly pleased to see how proactive he has been this year spreading Christmas cheer.