Borealkraut

Parenting and Economic Incentives

2011-03-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

We recently watched the movie Freakonomics, which I found quite interesting.
Economist Stephen Levitt and journalist Steven Dubner (there is also a book and a Freakonomics blog) study how economic incentives influence human behavior?

Sin taxes have been around for a long time, such as the cigarette tax to influence people to smoke less. Positive incentives abound too: remember tax credits for installing solar panels after the first energy crisis in Billy Carter days, or more recently, health care plans offering rewards if you join a gym...

One of the experiments done in "Freakonomics" was to see if paying money for good grades (an economic incentive) would work to improve school performance of 9th graders who were failing.
The experiment was set up by the Economics Dept of the University of Chicago: the students were paid $50 if they kept all their grades at C and above, plus a chance to win an even bigger prize ($500) plus a classy limousine ride.
Interestingly enough, the program did not work as well as some might have expected. There were some improvements in grades, but really not as much as they predicted/hoped. The researchers were wondering if perhaps it was already too late for these 9th-graders -- would the experiment have worked better in elementary school? Is it even the right approach?

It made me wonder about the role of incentives in parenting -- how much do parents use incentives in raising their kids? And is it even a good idea?
We all have heard not only of parents that pay for chores and good grades, but even earlier in life, use candy as rewards for everything from potty-training to eating broccoli.
I call that "bribing", and I personally do not think it is such a good idea. Why -- what's wrong with a little bribery? OK, maybe a "wee" little bit, occasionally, is probably ok. But what if it's overused? Do incentives rob kids of the chance for self-motivation?
Kids start expecting something (money, candy) for things that really should be done as a matter of course -- eating your vegetables, clearing the dishes, doing your homework -- isn't that simply part of being a member of family/society?
True, when first introducing a toddler to something new, like potty-training, parents often resort to incentives. The Freakonomics team told the story of potty-training Levitt's 3-year-old daughter: M&M's for going on the potty. Sure, for the first 3 days it worked like a charm, but smart little Amanda had soon learned to game the system: a few dribbles for a handful of M&Ms, then back to the potty for a few more dribbles... you get the idea! The incentive program had back-fired: the parents had become a slave to the M&M payment system.

So what's a desperate parent to do? For potty-training it's probably pretty harmless to try incentives (I remember we used stickers at some point) -- as with so many things in life, when the kid is ready, he/she will start using the toilet (Digression: I remember a Kindergarten teacher once reassuring me that she's never had a child arrive in her class in diapers: "Honey, your kid will get there, eventually, on his own!").

But what about later in life? Especially during the tweens and teens? How can parents motivate them to "do the right thing?", especially when the kids seem to be immune to parental words of wisdom and/or even pleading? If you ask your teen to help clean the house or car before grandma gets picked up at the airport, and they won't do it unless there is compensation negotiated first, then something is wrong in how that family works.
Like the researchers in the Chicago experiment mentioned above, effective parenting needs to have started at a much younger age!

A friend with a toddler asked my husband and I recently about how we raised our kids -- did we use incentives? Not much at all, we realized, other than perhaps the incentive of love & praise. Kids naturally want to please their parents, and if they are rewarded for doing the right thing ("Thank you", "You're such a big help", "I'm so proud of you."), that seems to work well in most cases. Admittedly, raising children is not always smooth sailing -- sometimes there are situations where material incentives might well be appropriate.

Remember when the toddler wanted to help with everything, and you know that it will end up a great deal messier than if you just did it by yourself? Somewhere along the line, their eagerness to help disappears, becoming "work" rather than "fun". Getting the kid to pitch in becomes a battle of wills, bribes, and punishments in some families -- what happened?

In an ideal world, parents can raise their children with the expectation that this is what family members do to help each other out. They've made it about love, trust, cooperation, rather than about "what will I get out of it?". I'm not saying it's always easy, but it's certainly worth trying to start without material incentives!

I'm afraid that using candy and money for incentives leads to selfishness. And in my book, raising a child that think first about "How's that going to benefit me?" is not a good thing -- unless of course they're headed for Wall Street...

Photocredits:
Encefalus.com
washingtonindependent.com

The Joy of Naming Kittens

2011-01-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
Our household is blessed with two new bouncy kittens: they sure are a great deal of fun.
Right before Christmas we went to AKcat in Wasilla (a shelter that specializes in kittens) and picked out:
8 week old FEMALE, striped, poly-dactyl (i.e. extra toes, a characteristics of Manx cats and associated with inbreeding)
10 week old MALE, black

You may ask "What are their names?"

In our family, cats have always had a multitude of names. Let me give you a little background. When I met my husband 20 years ago, he came with 2 cats: a male Manx (polydactyl without tail)named Gorbachev and a female Siamese named Belinda Sue Carstairs III. For short, we called them Kittyboy and Kittygirl. These 2 lived long and happy lives, until old age finally caught up with them. For a few years we enjoyed pet-free lives that made it easier to travel and go camping anytime without having to make arrangements for pets. But Youngest in particular has been begging for pets for years: 2 years ago we acquired geckos -- still fairly easy pets to leave for a few days camping. But we were ready to get cats again (and I have to admit overcoming my last resistance when we started getting mice/voles in the basement, plus the kids swore up and down that they would be "real good" about cleaning the litter box).

Back to our new kittens. We decided that it might take a while to find the perfect name -- after all, you got to let their personalities come out.
Our first choices were the obvious names describing each by their characteristics (striped and black). On the drive home from Wasilla, the kids came up with "Tiger Rose" for the female and "Midnight" for the male. We had just watched the movie Dr.Zhivago the night before, and my husband (who has a thing for Julie Christie) thought that Larissa Antipova (Lara, Dr. Zhivago's love interest) was the perfect name for our beautiful sweet kitten.

For the black kitten, my husband suggested George Foreman, but Wolf and I preferred Kunta Kinte from Roots, but that was voted down by the other half of the family. We needed a Black name that was not "politically incorrect". So we decided to look for a Scandinavian name, and modern family that we are, we went straight to Google Translate with its nifty feature of letting you listen to the pronunciation.

"Black kitten" translates to:
svart kattunge (swedish and norwegian)
svartur kettlingur (icelandic)
musta kissanpentu (finnish)

which would ,incidentally, be same result if you searched for the word "Negro".

"Midnight" translates to:
midnatt (swedish and norwegian)
miðnætti (icelandic)
keskiyö (finnish)
this last was one of our favorites -- it sounds so cool!

Another good name for our black kitten is something that reflects his panther-like demeanor. We think he moves a lot like Bagheera in the Djungle Book, and she looks like little Mowgli beside him, being so tiny: he sometimes walks/pounces right over her, or when they wrestle they look like Bagheera and Mowgli!

But interestingly enough, the name that actually stuck for the black kitten is Kalle. It's the scandinavian form of Karl, and we sort of named him for the character Kalle Blomkvist in the Astrid Lindgren "Pippi Longstocking" series, which is also the nickname given to one of the main characters in Stieg Larssen's "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" of the Millenium trilogy, which we all read.

The female kitten's name, however, is still not entirely settled. It seems to be Larissa for the parents and Tiger Rose for the children.
The candidates for her scandinavian name are:

"Tiger" translates to
tiger (swedish, norwegian and icelandic)
tiikeri (finnish)

"Stripes" translates to
ränder (swedish)
striper (norwegian)
rönd (icelandic)
raidat (finnish)

Given how much this kitten purrs, we thought of translating the word "Motor", which yielded the best choices in the finnish language:
mootori
käynnistäjä
liikkeellepanija

For short, when she purrs contentedly in our laps, we sometimes call her Lili'uokalani, the name of the last Hawaiian queen, which is what comes to mind when trying to recall that last finnish entry for motor!

Check in with us in another month to find out what we're calling our kittens then!

Auf Wiedersehen, Germany!

2010-11-09T04:30:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day in Germany. Appropriately, it is raining -- but I did have some beautiful warm fall weather during my 2.5 week stay. I'll be sad to leave, especially since I don't get to see my parents and siblings very often, but I'm also happy to be heading back to Alaska. I miss my husband and kids, and even the cold (they have 5" of snow already).

I'm going to miss speaking German.
I'll miss the food, especially breads and cakes (but I'll be eating healthier at home).
I won't miss the crowds of people.
I'll miss the cultural opportunities, especially classical music.
I won't miss German toilets.
I'll miss hearing the large variety of dialects and languages spoken.
I won't miss how little space there is here: streets, parking spots, kitchens, etc.
I'll miss how environmentally conscious the typical German is; at least compared to the average Americans.
I'll miss the fact that one can get most anywhere by public transport or bicycle.
I'll miss the food (I already said that), and the wine and beer!

Most of all, I will miss my German family!

Where the witches dance

2010-11-08T03:09:00.000-08:00

Every morning here in Germany I head into the forest behind my parents' home and take a brisk walk. I love being alone in the woods, inhaling the scent of decaying fall foliage, (as opposed to the car exhausts on the streets and Autobahn) . As I walk/jog along, I pass several old bomb craters from WW2 and remains of old bunkers, a reminder of the many battles fought along the German-French border.

There are lots of different paths in these woods, but they all lead to a clearing called the "Hexentanzplatz" (where the witches dance), which also features an old stone monument from the time of the Romans. I' m amazed at all the history I'm surrounded by -- every piece of ground here has been inhabited, and probably fought over, for thousands of years.
An American who lives here told me this story: A German was telling her about a building that was very old, bragging "This is older than your country!". She jokingly retorted something along the line of "What if I don't care?". The German responded with "See, that right there is the problem with you Americans!"

Well, I am in awe of all the history that surrounds me here in Germany -- but I can also see how history/tradition/religion/culture can be used as an excuse for not changing, for hanging on to old prejudices. When I recently spoke with a cousin who is rather unconventional, she quibbed "During the Middle Ages they would have burned me as a witch!" I thought that was a strange thing to say, not something that I give much thought to in my daily life. On a tour of a nearby town the next day she pointed out a basket suspended above the river that was used to dunk witches or other dissenters until they drowned (if they survived it was considered proof of sorcery, and if they didn't, o well!).

photo credit http://images.elfwood.com/art/s/i/silveries/witches.jpg

Taking care of friendships

2010-11-07T04:12:00.000-08:00

There is a German expression: "Freudschaften pflegen" which translates loosely to taking care of friendships. But the word pflegen (=caring) implies a level of care that is more along the line of nursing or even healing. And indeed, Germans do treat friendships very differently from mere acquaintances ("Bekanntschaft" in German).
Blogger Amiexpat wrote recently about making friends in Germany, and I found the discussion very interesting. Americans are quick to make friends while Germans take it very slow and steady -- it often takes years before they decide to use first names and use "Du" instead of the formal "Sie". It is also true in both countries that as we get older we have a more difficult time making friends -- for some people in both the US and Germany, the only close friendships are those made in school/university years. I think that is sad: especially given how much more mobile society is becoming, many become lonelier as friends move away or pass on.

I have not always been good in the "Freundschaft pflegen" department: not only have I moved a lot, but have not been the best at correspondence or picking up the phone. Facebook has helped me (and many others) reconnect with old friends who we've lost touch with -- but Facebook per se is no substitute for friendships, but only a first step in re-connecting.
Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a day with an old highschool friend from the Philippines. We had found each other on Facebook after some 30-odd years, and since she lives in Belgium now, we we able to meet up during my Germany visit. It was GREAT-- we found that we had a great deal in common (besides our gray hair we both refuse to dye). Sometimes old friends grow apart over time (becoming fundamentalist Christians, greedy businessmen/women, or even Tea Party Republicans) -- but luckily my friend is none of those!
And now I've got some serious Belgian chocolate to haul back in my suitcase. Thanks Meg!

Dirndls: old, new and recycled

2010-11-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my "Tante" and I went into downtown Munich to go Dirndl-shopping.

What's a dirndl, you may ask. Originally, the word "Dirn" referred to a young girl, but eventually "Dirndl" became the name of the traditional dress worn by girls in the Alps, Southern Germany and Austria. The dress traditionally consists of a blouse, bodice, skirt and apron. How the apron is tied has important symbolism: tied on the front on the wearer's right means she is "taken" (married or engaged), whereas tied on the left means she's available. Somewhere I heard that when tied on the back, the wearer is widowed -- so make sure you don't get this important fashion detail wrong!

My eldest daughter went to Oktoberfest with my sister's family last year when she visited Munich. This October, I dug out my old dirnlds for our Alaskan Oktoberfest (see photos here), and Eldest had so much fun wearing my old dirndl that she asked me to bring her back a dirndl from this Germany trip. But not one that modestly buttons way up to the collar -- no, siree! Rather, Eldest wants a traditional dirndl that displays the goods, where tying the apron strings on the left will bring the desired results!

A genuine dirndl can be pricey. My sister had found a lovely dirndl at a second-hand store called "Resales", and that's where my Tante and I went on my last day in Munich. And we did find a lovely silk dirndl for Eldest (new, but reduced to 79 Euros).

Then we started looking for a dirndl for me! First I tried on some dresses that made me look like a good matronly German Hausfrau! But then we did find a used dirnld for 19 Euros that made even me look sexy -- all I need now is a proper bra to let this dirndl shine in its full glory -- I'm sure the bra will cost more than the dirndl!

Lastly I need to tell you a German wartime story: My grandmother, who fled from the Russians invading Berlin with 5 small children, did manage to bring along her sewing machine. After the war, she took apart a Nazi flag (red background, white circle and black swastika), and sewed dirndl for her 3 girls from the material!

Munich with my favorite aunt

2010-11-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days I spent in the Bavarian capital, München: my sister lives here with her family. After a whirlwind get-together with her family, they've flown the coop, and now it's just my "Tante" and I. As is so often the case with my extended German family, it's been well over a decade since I've seen her, as she lives way up North in Hamburg. It was great to spend quality time with her -- the kind you get only during long walks or car rides, or in the evening after everybody else has gone to bed!

My Tante and I are having a wonderful time. She's my mother's youngest sister: energetic, eccentric, funny but also very insightful. She and I drove to the Altmühltal where one of my many cousins lives on a farm. I promise I'll post pictures and write about that visit at a later point -- a sweet great-niece (nearly 3 years old), pigs, horses, mother-in-law stories -- it was a great visit!
Today we returned to Munich (and only got lost once on the Autobahn), and then got together for "Kaffeetrinken" with a blogging pal of mine, Honeypiehorse of Our Feet are the Same. This is only the 2nd time I've met a blogging acquaintance, and once again, it was really fun!

Honeypiehorse (HPH for short) is a literal translation of "Honigkuchenpferd" -- something that only a German would understand! HPH is American (Californian) and lives in Munich with her German (Bavarian) husband and 2.7 children. I found her blog when I started blogging a few years ago, and it is definitely one of my favorites! She's an amazing woman: I admire anybody who can learn not only our crazy language (which she speaks "ausgezeichnet"), but our culture as well. I'm so glad we met, and that my Tante from Hamburg was willing to venture driving Munich's "Mittlere Ring" during rush hour. DANKESCHÖN.

Frühsport with Yodeling

2010-11-02T13:07:00.001-07:00

Every morning my father and I took a brisk walk in the forested hill behind my parent's house.
Our last morning together before his trip there was a dense fog in the whole valley, and we kept climbing higher and higher through the beech-oak forest to get above the fog. The sun was shining by the time we got to the top, the Schwarzenburger Turm. We climbed the tower and had a wonderful view of the surroundings -- you'll have to wait until I get back home and download the pictures to see!
On our way back down the stairs we passed an elderly gentleman and said "Guten Morgen!". We had nearly gotten to the entrance when we heard him yodeling at the top -- an amazing sound with all the echos of the tower's stairwell.
And the Saarland is not anywhere near the Alps -- but the tower worked perfectly!

Humor from Cologne

2010-10-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

My father is "Kölsch" -- which means from the city of Köln am Rhein (Cologne/Rhine). He is a very serious German and speaks standard or "High" German, but once you get a few glasses of wine into him, his more light-hearted side and the Kölsch dialect from his childhood start to emerge.

I too was born in Köln, but moved away as a wee little lassie. Perhaps I'm so serious (straight-laced) because I did not spend enough time in Köln or the Rhineland...?

Next to my father's computer, there are some "Ground Rules for Life" consisting of expressions in the Kölsch dialect, in red following the "Hochdeutsch" or High German, then my English translation below. Part of what makes this funny is the contract between the high-fallooting (sp?) High German and the simple Kölsch expressions.

Artikel 1: Sieh den Tatsachen ins Auge. Et es wie et es!
Look facts in the eye. Kölsch literally: It is what it is! /Things are what they are!

Artikel 2: Habe keine Angst vor der Zukunft. Et kütt wie es kütt!
Don't be afraid of the future. Kölsch literally: It comes as it comes!

Artikel 3: Lerne aus der Vergangenheit. Et hätt noch immer jot jejange!
Learn from the past. Kölsch literally: It went well -- barely!

Artikel 4: Jemmere den Dingen nicht nach. Wat fott es, es fott!
Don't mourn for things that are gone. What is gone, is gone!

Artikel 5: Sei offen fuer Neuerungen. Et bliev nix wie es wor!
Be open to new things. Nothing stays as it was!

Artikel 6: Sei kritisch, wenn Neuerungen überhand nehmen.
Kenne mer nit, bruche mer nit, fott domet!
Be critical of new things. Don't know it, we don't need it, get rid of it!

Artikel 7: Füge Dich in dein Schicksal. Wat wellste maache!
Accept your fate. Whatcha gonna do!

Artikel 8: Achte auf deine Gesundheit. Maach et jot, ävver nit ze of!
Take care of your health. Do the right thing, but not too often!

Artikel 9: Stelle immer zuerst die Universalfrage. Wat sull dä Quatsch!
First ask the universal question. What is this nonsense!

Artikel 10: Komm dem Gebot der Gastfreundschaft nach. Drinkste ene met!
Follow the rule of hospitality. Have a drink with us!

Artikel 11: Beware dir eine gesunde Einstellung zum Humor. Do laachs de dich kapott!
Keep a good sense of humor. Laugh till you break!

Herzlich Willkommen in Deutschland

2010-10-26T01:23:00.000-07:00

I made it to old Germanz (the y & z are reversed on the German keyboard -- causing me to constantly mistype)! Still it's easier and cheaper than using my iphone without wireless!

My brother picked me up in Frankfurt and I was going to stay 2 nights, but an impending strike by railroad workers made me decide to hop on the train the next morning and get to parents' house while the transportation system was still running uninterrupted. I arrived in Saarbrücken just fine, albeit still jet-lagged -- although there is no direct connection between the 2 towns and I had to transfer several times, everything went smoothly with German efficiency and punctuality.

It's good to be "zuhause" or home, but of course "home" now is in Alaska with mz husband and children. We talked this morning on the phone (their bedtime), and they just got their first snow (brrr!). Here we have beautiful fall weather with frost and fog in the morning, then sunny during the day. My father and I just took a nice walk through the beech forest on the hill behind their house. My mom and I got to sewing/quilting right away and I'm thoroughly enjoying all the pastries, bread, cheeses and Wurst -- seems like it is always mealtime, "Brotzeit" or "Kaffeetrinken".

I'm starting to work on a list of "Best and Worst" of being back in Germany, and I already know that toilets feature on the latter. I'm loving the beauty of the countryside: the quaint houses and gardens (often build into the hillside making use of every last square meter) and the churchtower in the middle of town, often with an old castle overlooking the village. I have a feeling that I'll be looking like a tourist everywhere with my camera -- it's an interesting experience documenting one's childhood turf as an adult!

Tschüss! Bis bald...

Oktober and Germany

2010-10-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

Oktober and Germany go together like beer and brats!

I'm very excited to be flying to the "Old Country" at the end of this week to visit my family. Alas, I'm leaving behind my own husband and kids.

Here are some pictures from last weekend's Oktoberfest: My girls and I dressed up in our dirndls, the traditional German/Bavarian dress.

My baby is a TEEN!!!

2010-10-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Youngest turned 13 today, and is thus officially a TEEN.
Seems like yesterday when she was a red-cheeked toddler calling "Mommy", and now she calls me "Mom".

My sweet daughter: You're such a gift, such a wonderful loving person. Keep up your positive outlook on life!

I love you!

Technology catches up with an old lady...

2010-10-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

If it weren't for our kids, I'd probably be completely stuck in the last century, like using paper and pen to communicate!
We now took the BIG plunge and became an i-phone family. Youngest is turning 13 this week, and is ready for her very own cell phone -- and this forced the issue we had been debating for a while: "to switch or not to switch?"
Well, we did switch! Now the whole damn family has i-phones, and we can not only call or text, but also check emails, surf the web, facebook, listen to i-tunes, navigate using GPS location/street maps, take and share photos...

Our oldest daughter spent the last 6 months hiking the PCT, and I've been amazed at what all she can do per i-phone, even posting entries on her blog! Hubby pointed out to me that i-phones are the equivalent of a digital Swiss Army knife: one tool does everything. Nifty!

Now, I need to learn how to use it!!! Luckily, I got kids...
PS (very embarrassing): I only learned to retrieve text messages on my old cell phone yesterday -- I've got a long way to go....

Is Yoga Un-christian? and who cares...

2010-10-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

A Baptist minister has been making news lately with his assertion that the practice of yoga is un-christian. Reverend Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, warns Christians of failing to see the "contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of yoga."
How narrow-minded! As if anything that does not come down directly from the bible is automatically circumspect. I'm often aghast at the intolerance of many Americans toward non-Western culture (just look at how they treat muslims!) And this is especially strong among evangelical Christians who look at everything through just one filter, namely the bible. Rather than seeing humanity and communality between cultures, they see only "Either you're with us, or against us". How is that going to make for a better world? How arrogant to think that your world view is the only correct one!

In an article at the Huffington Post, "Calm Down Christians, Yoga is Not a Thread", author and interfaith minister Philip Goldberg traces over 100 years of history of how yoga has been perceived in America: Mohler is not the first American to warn of dire consequences! Still, the vast majority of yoga practitioners aren't doing it for any particularly religious reasons (nor are they about to be converted to Hinduisn) -- rather, it's a form of exercise with a spiritual component.

I go to yoga, and I don't go to church.
Those are not connected!

I'm not much of a fair-weather blogger

2010-10-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Dear reader -- you may have noticed that I don't post much during the summer.
Well, now it's officially Autumn, and foul weather has arrived in South-central Alaska. We've had wind and rain the last couple of days (and snow last weekend!), and the frost has put an end to our gardening efforts.

Therefore, chances are I'll have more time to blog again now. In fact, I started blogging two years ago around this time of year. It's been fun -- I'm not at all a regular or dedicated blogger -- I only blog "when the mood strikes". After all, it's only a hobby, and one should never become a slave to a hobby!

So what am I up to these days? Well, my olderst daughter is about to return from hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), roughly 2660 miles. It will probably be a difficult re-entry into "real" life, after having spent 6 months away from "regular" civilization -- probably on par to returning from a stint in a war zone or in prison, where one has gotten used to a life very different from "normal". Now she has the challenge of re-entering the job market, which has not improved a whole lot since she left...

At my own work, school class fieldtrips are slowing way down, and the Nature Center has started "winter hours". For me, that means I'll have time to bake and start quilting again -- I've agreed to make a 15th Nature Center anniversary quilt for next spring, so I better get started on that. Also, I'll be taking a trip to visit my folks in Germany later in October.

For now, I'm busy with "fall" cleaning around here (sort of the equivalent of spring cleaning): mosquito screens are taken down; the garage has been cleaned out enough to make room for the family wagon. The camper is winterized and stored, and firewood stacked for the winter. Soon, we need to change the summer tires to studded winter tires so we can drive on the ice and snow that is sure to come soon.

But not too soon!

PCT Finished!!!!

2010-09-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hurrah!
I just got a call, the gals finished the PCT tonight.
My daughter writes on facebook:

DONE! I'mdoneI'mdoneI'mDONE! Left Mexico 5.25 months and 2663.5 miles ago, hot Canada this morning. I'm thinking of getting myself a Segway so I don't have to walk anymore... Going to work on getting life a liitle put together (read: watching chick flicks, taking naps and showers) in Seattle for a few days, then home!

We're all looking forward to seeing her soon!

PCT Update: Cascades

2010-09-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

The gals (my oldest daughter and her 2 friends) are getting close to the finish! Thanks to Satellite technology, I know that right now they are camping (wet, cold and shivering?) somewhere N of Skykomish, just S of Mount Baker. They've been hiking for nearly half a year now, for two and a half thousand miles -- I can hardly fathom it!

Even if they can't see it yet, I bet they can just about smell their goal (Canada) from there.

Why so much sugar?!?

2010-09-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not anti-sugar, but really, why is it that American food is so super sweetened?!?

Today I bought a smoothie at the grocery store (having just finished a workout and needing something to hold me over for teaching). I usually make my own smoothies, but this morning I got out of the door and sort-of forgot to eat a substantial breakfast -- and I don't go too far on just a cup of coffee w/ biscotti.

Anyway, I bought this smoothie, a.k.a. "dairy beverage", and it was TERRIBLY sweet. Turns out to not only to contain HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) but a long list of other ingredients like sucralose and other artificial ingredients I was not familiar with, and I could not get it down. Not wanting to waste food, I later tried to "thin" it down with some OJ and plain (unsweetened) yoghurt -- what a waste -- I still could not drink the stuff. YUCK! I finally tossed it.

Been another busy day today, and for dinner Liesl made us a quick pizza using a commercial pizza sauce (the one that comes in the Bobboli pizza crust package) -- yikes, again, way too sweet!

I keep on cutting sugar out of American recipes -- last week I made zuccini muffins in an attempt to make a dent in our zuccini stash -- I ended up cutting the recipe's sugar by half! The kids never complained: it was still plenty sweet...

So if you're wondering why I don't blog much anymore -- I'm too busy gardening, working and cooking from scratch...

PCT Update: Washington at last!

2010-09-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

The gals have crossed the mighty Columbia River and thus stepped over the Oregon-Washington stateline. They're down to their last state on the 2600+mile through-hike.

Washington is not exactly a small state by any stretch, BUT they'll be in CANADA within the month! Hard to believe that they started at the US-Mexico border this spring!?!?

For you Germans out there, what she's got left is the equivalent of hiking from the Southern border of Germany to Denmark!

Falleri, Fallera...

Where did August go?

2010-09-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

It's the 1st of September, and fall is definitely in the air !!!
Leaves are starting to turn color, and we're hearing Sandhill cranes -- way up high in V-formation, heading South!
This past month has just flown by: first 2 weeks of August we spend visiting hubby's folks in South Dakota, with a short stop in Colorado. Upon our return to RAINY Alaska (records have been set -- longest consecutive period of rain) -- we dove back into school/work and music. The kids participated in a 2-week marathon Chamber Music Festival, which culminated in 4 concerts last week, which were wonderful!
But, we're exhausted!

Someday, hopefully before the snow falls, I plan to post pictures -- I took alot, but now I've got to find the time to "wade" thru them...

Over Labor Day we're hoping to go camping nearby (weather permitting), with Wolfman recovering from the removal of 3 wisdom teeth -- that takes place tomorrow!

WISH HIM LUCK!

The Clouds will continue... until Morale improves!

2010-07-29T00:02:00.001-07:00

It's been a very cloudy, cool and rainy July.
Even the hardiest Alaskans are complaining -- the lack of sunshine is getting everybody down.

I'd have to check with the resident climatologist (he's asleep right now), but I doubt this summer has set any records for nastiness -- it's just a cooler summer than we'd like.
But just think of the advantages a summer like this offers:

1) No sunburn, no cancer

2) Less people on the trails

3) Best lighting for photographing flowers and landscapes

Time to stop complaining, and get outside!
The word "outside" has 2 meanings in these parts -- when written lower-case, we mean "outdoors", when written upper-case, it means "out of state", a.k.a. taking an airplane to the lower 48 (which is what we're just about to do!)

Like the saying goes: "The warmest winter I've known was a summer spent in Alaska!"

PCT update: Northern California

2010-07-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

The PCT hikers are now in Chester, Northern California. The longest state is soon through-hiked (that's PCT-talk), and there's only 2 more to go: OR and WA... The goal is to get to Canada before snowfall (but then again, their team name is "Djibouti or Bust")...

I'm happy to report that my daughter's foot is all better. I've been receiving packages of stuff she no longer needs now that they're past the high Sierra, The other day I received an ice axe in the mail, just wrapped in newspaper and packaging tape -- truly the strangest item I ever received in the US mail!

Meanwhile, our family is packing for our own adventure: vacation in South Dakota, where hubby's family lives. No ice axes needed for the Black Hills, however!

Kitchen chores -- as done by house elves

2010-07-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

In our household, kitchen chores get done by house elves, even though our last name is not Malfoy! For those few of you who may not know what house elves are: they're servants (more like slaves) in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Dobby (pictured), is a house elf. Beloved by many a Harry Potter fan, with his big eyes, big ears, and heart of gold, he saves Harry Potter's life numerous times, ultimately dying for him in the last book (sob!)

But back to kitchen chores, like parents all over the world, we've struggled to find a good arrangement for our young brood to help with the daily kitchen chores. Somebody's got to do the dishes, and besides, it builds character! The obvious one was for the kids to take turns: today it's your turn, tomorrow your sister, etc... And they, in turn, started referring to their assigned day as "house elf" day, reflecting the fact that in their own minds, having been assigned to wash dishes was just shy of slavery!

But there was always squabbling, and they begged us to revise the system. For one thing, each child seemed to feel very "put out" when the other did not have to do any chores on that particular day (nothing is worse than having to do chores while your sibling is watching!). SO, they kept on wanting to change the system, and after a while we reluctantly agreed, ok, why don't you come up with your own system!

Here is what they came up with -- yes, it's complicated, but they seem satisfied, and it works!
1st day (Monday): The "Clean" house elf empties the dishwasher and sets the table -- in other words, takes care of the clean dishes and helps with dinner prep. The "Dirty" house elf clears the table, helps put food away, and loads the dishwasher (not their favorite job!!!).
Next day: reverse

Simple enough, but how about the trash? To a parent that sounds like a clear-cut job for the "dirty" house elf -- but even that got more finely sub-divided: there's the actual carrying of the trash to the garage ("dirty" job"), putting in the new liner, and doing the recycling ("clean").

I admit that we parents did some eye-rolling at all the negotiating that takes place, but I now realize a couple of important things:
#1 they're doing it, with less reluctance than when we assigned their tasks point-blank.
#2 they like each other's company -- and they're often found negotiating finer points among themselves, like "If you can put that pan away and refill the ice cube tray, then I'll scrub the pancake mess off the counter, and then we can make cookies together after dinner..."
#3 there's power in self-determination- even among mere house elves!

PCT update: Putting up feet in Tahoe

2010-07-16T22:17:00.001-07:00

The gals are resting at Lake Tahoe, having hiked over 1000 miles -- mindboggling, isn't it? My daughter hurt her foot and is needing to let it rest and heal for a spell. She writes:

Crunched foot joint has taken me off the trail for a few miles and a few days. I want to be sad that I won't be "true to the through" but I'd rather sacrifice these 50 miles and my hike's purity than my chances of finishing the next 1600 miles of the hike. I simply redefine 'success' for this endeavor from "Hiking the PCT" to "Hiking a vast majority of the PCT without doing anything too stupid."

I'm glad that she chose rest -- and I wish I could be in Tahoe to spend some time with her! Instead, my good friend Patti gets to spoil her instead of me...

No TV?!? Dude, you're weird!

2010-07-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

We're having a great summer here. Cool, but not too rainy. Kids are keeping busy, outdoors and indoors, and they're getting along great (for the most part). And they're not watching any TV.

Just picked up Youngest from Music Camp yesterday.
She related this comment from a fellow camper, upon hearing there's no TV in her life:
"No TV, really? Do you have X-Box? Wii?"
"No."
"Dude, you're weird!"

Photo credit: http://www.rebelart.net

The Prof, a.k.a. husband, just got back from a conference, and he too had a conversation with a fellow "camper" about our TV-free household:
"I bet you don't have any kids."
"Actually, I do. Teens."
"What do they think of not having any TV!?!"
"They're jiggy with it."

And indeed, our kids are truly fine without a TV, never having had one around -- and they wouldn't want it any other way. They to get to watch movies on DVD (we even have BluRay, so we're not entirely last-century), but they don't feel like they're missing out on anything by not having cable or network TV.
HONEST. It is possible to raise kids without TV!

Sunshine at last... and feeling safe in bear country...

2010-07-09T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today the weather has been GORGEOUS -- one of those days that makes up for about a month-worth of Alaskan winter snow/ice/rain. Only yesterday was I blogging on my food/gardening blog, Borealkitchen, about how it's hardly worth growing tomatoes here in Alaska -- but today the sun seems to be saying "Hey Alaska, I can shine!!!"

At the Nature Center I now get many groups of summer camp kids -- it's so much fun taking them on walks and teaching them about geology, plants, animals, etc. But mostly, just to watch them discover things along the hike: a butterfly or caterpillar, some red berries (are they safe to eat?), a hole in the ground (who lives there?)...
Some of these kids are rather urban, and are scared we might encounter a bear and moose. Today I had this one little 5-year old who held tight to my hand during the walk, and kept on asking me about bears. "If the bears here are wild, will they attack us?" -- No, they just want to be left alone, and we'll make lots of noise and they won't get near us. "So your bears here are nice?" -- Well, yes, I suppose! They seem to know to stay away from people...
After re-assuring her some more and confirming that I carry bear spray and a radio, she said "So your job is to protect us and keep us safe."

Never thought of it in those terms, but yes, my job is to take kids out into nature, give them a chance to explore, and also, to help them gain a sense of SAFETY about being in the outdoors.

Photocredit: http://dadomatic.com

How to tell people I blog

2010-06-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging for a while now, and enjoy it!
I started with the idea of keeping far-away friends and family posted on what's going on in my life (and in my head), but blogging has become something I'm doing because I enjoy writing, for myself, for the sake of writing: getting words on cyber-paper JUST BECAUSE. I write 2 blogs actually, and it's more likely the recipe/food blog that I might mention. But when I tell a friend or co-worker "the recipe is on my blog", I often get a funny look or stunned silence -- why that reaction to blogging?

I read a recent post on this subject by Ian (a Canadian living in Hamburg, Germany) who's blog is called Letters Home to You. I enjoy reading it, and he recently posted "How to tell people you're a blogger".

I know it’s not as if I’ve grown a second head or have one of those dumb-looking disks dangling from my earlobes, but still I hesitated before telling them. ...None of it needs any justification, rationalisation or explanation. It is what it is. So yeah, I’ve been blogging, but I’m still OK.

I do so agree with him. Blogging needs no justification. It's a personal choice, a hobby.
Some people scrapbook, others write letters to the editor of the local newspaper. Some people like to forward emails to everybody whenever they come across a funny picture or a worthwhile cause. Others post frequently on twitter or facebook, or post snapshots on picasa or blipfoto. Some people blog...

What I enjoy is having found an outlet for writing, for ideas, for discussing what matters to me, such as the environment, or good food! A lot is about my family, and perhaps that interests nobody but my family -- fair enough! Nobody has to read my blog -- hey, it's o.k. by me.
I blog because I enjoy it. PURE AND SIMPLE.

photocredit: http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poem_illustrations/405.jpg
accompanying the poem'The Two-headed Monster" by Darren Sardelli

PCT update: Snowy Sierra

2010-06-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

The team is now 3 twenty-something girls, and they call themselves "Djibouti Booty". Trailnames and hiking groups are changing frequently, but they've seemed to have settled into a nice little female core group, and currently they are known as Thump-thump, Microbust and Sweet 16.

Now the stretches of the PCT hike between points of civilization are getting longer & snowier: I just heard from my daughter while resupplying in Independence/ Lone Pine, CA. They had just climbed Mount Whitney, 14,500 ft. WOW!

From what I gather, they are getting incredibly strong, sun-burned, and are constantly thinking about food -- it's difficult to carry enough calories for the 7-10 days stretches of that kind of exertion...

It's my "Take the cubs to Work" SUMMER

2010-06-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

You've heard of "Take your Child to Work Day", haven't you?

This summer I'm incredibly lucky -- Wolfman and Liesl have been coming to work with me once or twice every week, ever since school let out.

Sometimes they go on a hike first, but afterwards they help at the front desk: taking parking fees and making change, helping the other staff & me with whatever is needed, and of course, answering the 2 most ubiquitous nature-related questions:

Where are the bathrooms?
Are there any bears?
(Last year a resident volunteer wrote a whole song about this!)

The only scary part of this is (no, it's not them hiking the trails alone in bear country), but the fact that the 16-year old is doing the DRIVING!

Photocredit:
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/images/hunt/bear/cubs.jpg;//www.alaskaseaplanetours.com

PCT Update: High Sierras - watch out, here she comes!

2010-06-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

My daughter and her friends (the 3 musketeers), a.k.a. " Djibouti or Bust" have crossed the last section of the Mojave Desert after their rest in Agua Dulce. They've resupplied in Tehachapi, and are currently ascending Walker Pass... soon to arrive at Kennedy Meadows (Mile 703).

This is where they start getting into more serious High Sierra hiking! There's concern over how much snow they'll encounter. Plus, my daughter is always on the lookout for handsome and rugged men with beards -- like this one!

What an adventure, and less than 2000 miles to go...

Photo credit: http://www.ventureforth.co.za

What constitutes a HOT day in Alaska?

2010-06-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me assure those of you from outside Alaska that we don't live in Igloos -- in fact, we live in the proverbial Banana Belt of our fair state. It does actually get hot here -- well, sort of!
How hot?

1.) We do occasionally wear shorts (some do as soon as the snow starts melting).
2.) Our kids do occasionally run through the sprinkler -- a rarity, admitted, but it did happen today!
3.) When it gets really hot, we even drag out a fan to cool down the bedroom at night -- as you may guess, nobody has air conditioning here.

Today was HOT -- I started gardening as soon as I got up (to avoid the hot part of the day, but mostly, because I did have to go to work later). As I was working in my sadly neglected flower bed, I kept finding the remains of some old candles that had fallen down from the deck at Christmas and had been covered in snow until early May. I piled them up on the stairs, and this afternoon when I got home, there was a wax puddle. Now that's HOT for Alaska!

Our high today was a whopping 77 degrees, which might be as hot as it gets for the whole summer. And that's just fine by me!

Photocredit: http://blog.kidsurplus.com

PCT Update: pictures & baking up a storm

2010-05-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

The PCT crew (they're now hiking in a group of 4) are spending some "Zero Days" over the Memorial Day weekend, resting in Agua Dulce, at the edge of the Mojave Desert, not far from Edwards Airforce Base. Sounds like people who live along the PCT are incredibly friendly and helpful -- it's just amazing!

My daughter, Eldest (for lack of a better name -- as her trailname keeps changing) has just updated Mile 454 on her blog, Kitchensister, and if you want to see some great pictures and video clips from the trail, click directly on the upper row of her pictures, or on "View my Gallery" -- this takes you to her Picasa album.
Phone reception is not great, but we did talk recently (there was some confusion and hurt feelings over a request for replacement of gear, resulting in me spending last Friday afternoon on an expensive shopping trip to REI that was not needed after all, but all is forgiven now!)

So now Liesl (Youngest) and I have turned our kitchen into a production center for Backpacking Breakfast bars: see my other blog, Borealkitchen, for details and recipes. The two of us are having soooo much fun developing recipes, catchy names, and packaging for these bars -- our menfolk are rolling their eyes, but seem to be plenty willing to give opinions and taste-test...

Move over, commercial bars, we got our own brand-names:

A-Bar: Awesome Alaska Bar
baked bar containing oats, cranberries, pecans, pumpkin seeds, flax & sesame seeds.

T-Bar: Truly Tropical Bar
contains Oats, Mango, Apricots, cashews, almonds, almond butter, honey, crystallized ginger.

O-Bar: Ominous* Oat-Carob Bar
contains Oats, carob, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almond butter, honey
*this name is due partially to the ominous brown color, and the fact that carob is NOT popular in this household

That's as far as we've gotten so far, but we've got lots more ideas:

B-Bar: Bravo Blueberry Bar

P-Bar: Perfect Pumpkin Bar

M-Bar: Mom's Apple Pie Bar

any suggestions?

When I'm old...

2010-05-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Youngest (a young woman now!) is very aware of time and passages right now -- today is her last day of childhood, or at least, of elementary school. She graduates from 6th grade today and is then officially in Junior High!
She told me the other day: "When I'm old, like 50, I want to be like you. And also like my teacher, Mrs.A -- she's training for a 50 K now. For both of you, exercise and health are important, and you don't feel old. That's how I want to be!'"

What a compliment!
I turn 50 this year (disclaimer: I am not training for a 50K), but I do keep active, and I certainly don't feel OLD.

Digression: My grandmother, when she turned 50, stopped wearing a bathing suit in public! She would have considered it "indecent exposure"!

Photo credit: http://wolfeyebrows.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/lady-in-her-swim-suit.jpg

Semantics: Naturist vs. Naturalist

2010-05-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

My job title is Naturalist, which is defined as an expert in Natural History.
Not to be confused with Naturist, which is somebody who likes to go nude, i.e. wear no clothes.

Today's Anchorage Daily News has an article about Nude hiking in Alaska -- not exactly a trend I see catching on big-time, given our state's abundant crop in mosquitoes...!

But I better be extra clear, pronunciation-wise, when I describe myself as a naturalist. And specify that I do wear clothes, which naturists refer to as "textiled".

Picture Credit: http://www.dw-world.de
accompanying article that reports nude hiking has been banned in the Swiss Canton of Appenzell.

PCT Update: San Bernadino Nat'l Forest

2010-05-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

As best as I can tell, the PCT gals are currently hiking through the San Bernadino Nat'l Forest (photocredit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons). They are now somewhere North of Lake Arrowhead, roughly between the town of San Bernadino and the Mojave Desert town of Victorville (Route 66 went through there). They might have stopped at the Hot Springs at Deep Creek, and will soon be hiking along the San Andreas Rift Zone, after crossing Interstate 15 at Cajon Pass near Silverville Lake. Within a day or 2, I expect them to call while re-supplying in Wrightwood -- meanwhile, I just wish they would remember to "push the button" on the SPOT every night!!!

Digression: The SPOT is a Satellite GPS Personal Tracking device, and lets loved one such as WORRIED MOMS, check on the progress of somebody hiking in a remote wilderness. The Prof (my husband) is starting to grumble when I keep on checking the computer late at night and first thing in the morning, and worriedly report that the SPOT hasn't been activated in over 24 hours. "Just think, in the old days, you wouldn't have heard from them for 5 days at a time, and been just fine with a weekly phone call!" EOD

After Wrightwood (near Big Pines and the Mountain High Ski Resort), the PCT passes through the San Gabriel Mountains and descends to Highway 14 at Agua Dulce. The next stretch takes them through the longest dry stretch (western arm of the Mojave Desert) before climbing the Tehapachi Mountains.

Right now I'm working on a care package to mail to Agua Dulce -- perhaps I should include some dehydrated water (ha, ha, ha!) for the long dry stretch!

End of schoolyear BUSY-ness

2010-05-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

It's just been crazy around here: something going on most every single night!

We're still managing to eat dinners together, but then have to rush off:
Volleyball practice & icecream treat after -this Saturday is Pixie's last game!
String Instruments getting hauled around - lessons, recital (both kids, played beautifully last night), and Wolf's orchestra also played "Pomp and Circumstance" at High School graduation the night before.
Babysitting - Youngest is in high demand.
Phonecall - Eldest called from PCT, made it to Big Bear City, and we all talked to her for a long time. She's 1/10th of the way.
Birthdays - 3 celebrations this week.

All is well, just super BUSY!
Next week school ends, and we go CAMPING!!!

"Why would she work here?"

2010-05-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

A mosquito landed on me recently while teaching outdoors. Kids can get very distracted by such things and it can be a challenge to get them refocused (forget teaching if they spot a squirrel!).
They often interrupt me with: "em, Naturelady, there's a mosquito on your forehead."
So I shoo away the mosquito, saying something like "it's just a mosquito, don't worry about it".
Soon another mosquito lands on me, and I hear the following exchange:

girl 1: Another mosquito landed on her.
girl 2: Mosquitoes don't bother her.
girl 3: Yeah, why else would she work here?
girl 1: what do you mean?
girl 3: It's a Nature Center, stupid! Mosquitoes are part of nature!

So there you have it.
If it only were that simple-- how about all the pollen that are bothering my allergies right now?

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

It's a gorgeous Mother's Day here in Alaska, and we're celebrating Wolf's Birthday too, who made his appearance on another gorgeous Mother's Day 17 years ago!

The PCT gals send a pictorial Mother's Day greeting by writing I Love U in the snow along the trail.

To view, follow this link to their Picasa page, MothersDay Greeting from PCT

Misadventures on the PC Trail

2010-05-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

The PCT gals are detouring around the snow-bound section over Fuller Ridge as recommended, and have picked up the Pacific Crest Trail at Black Mountain Road.

Their progress can be followed on SPOT -- see sidebar on this blog.
They also posted pictures from their first section the hike from Campo to Idyllwild.

I'm not entirely sure what exactly happened this morning, but I received a message from my distraught daughter after she realized she was somehow separated from her camera and Leatherman (see picture). Sounds like it was lost, or perhaps, stolen by a fellow hiker....

She's retracing her steps, and I'm trying to help out by making a bunch of phone calls (to motel in Idyllwild, and the trail angel who gave them a ride this morning). No news so far...

Besides meeting some wonderful people on the PCT, she's also finding out about the less savory side of humanity -- I guess she's learning not to trust every handsome guy she meets on the trail!

I wish her luck. The camera and leatherman might be goners, but I sure hope the rest of the day (and the trip) will turn out better!

PCT update: too much snow!

2010-05-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

From what I am starting to gather, the PCT North of Idyllwild is way too snowy, and the gals are going to hitchhike and get around it.
Yesterday I talked to my daughter while they were re-supplying in Idyllwild, and they did not mention anything about that. Today when I checked their location on SPOT expecting them somewhere N of Idyllwild, I was surprised to seem them backtracking back South -- WHAT WAS GOING ON?
Being a good worrier like only moms can be, I left messages for the girls along the lines of "what's going on, why are you backtracking?"
Finally I had the good sense to check the PCTA website, and found this announcement under trail updates:

On 05/04/10 PCTA received trail condition report from thru hikers; it took 9 hrs to travel about 12 miles. Fuller Ridge is still dangerous and under ice/snow with lots of exposure. They had a good topographic map and compass and had to do quite a bit of route finding and still ended up off track a few times but made it to Black Mt. Rd. late last night. PCTA is currently recommending: Hikers hitch from Idyllwild, CA on Hwy 243 North, to Black Mt. Rd. (8miles) Then, hike the 8 miles from the Black Mt. Rd./243 Junction, up to Fuller Ridge Trailhead in order to miss the dangerous section that the two hikers mentioned. (16 mile total detour ) (Black Mt. Rd. is currently closed and gated at hwy 243, but open to foot traffic). Fobes Saddle to Saddle Jct. is still under snow. Dangerous conditions exist around Apache Peak. We recommend that hikers that are not comfortable with snow travel or equipped with light mountaineering gear get off at Fobes Saddle and hitch to Black Mt. Rd. in order to bypass the dangerous conditions which exist in the San Jacinto Mts. (If traveling through the San Jacinto Mts., light mountaineering gear, a good map, compass, or G.P.S. is recommended.) For more information contact PCTA’s Idyllwild office at 951-257-4100

Now I understand -- they probably hitch-hiking to get around that stretch, perhaps even by way of Palm Springs with a visit to a spa...?!?
Still hoping to hear from them soon, as hitch-hiking makes me more nervous than them hiking thru bear country...

Update on an update -- looks like they hitchhiked do Hwy 74 and are now camping along the PCT on the same stretch they just did a couple of days ago. Maybe they're figuring on doing that stretch twice, then hitch-hike around Fuller Ridge and pick up the PCT again at Black Mtn Rd.

Enough worrying -- they're probably hoping to meet up with some cute guys that were a day behind them...

Joys of teaching... with jello

2010-05-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

I just finished 2 days of 4th grade Geology camp, and now I can teach about glaciers in my sleep!
One of the really fun things I get to do is to demonstrate glacial action with the use of gummi bears and blue jello.

We are surrounded by glacial features in this glacier-carved valley, but few kids really understand geology because of the large time scale involved.

Around here there are many glacial erratic boulders, and there is one right near these kids' school that often gets painted by rival schools. Last week the rock was yellow, but this week it's blue!
When I ask the students if they have ever seen a glacial erratic boulder, they say "no", unaware how the yellow/blue rock got to where it is now -- what fun it is to tell them about how that rock got there -- this is the kind of thing that makes geology relevant to them. I love to be able to teach "hands-on" science, and the biggest praise I get is when a kid tell me after the lesson "I really get it now!"

For teachers out there -- here's what I do:
1) Before class, I built a mountain-valley landscape on a large tray, using crushed soda cans and the like for the mountains, then covering the whole thing with aluminum foil, and then some clear plastic wrap.
2) In the first part of the lesson I do a demonstration using gravel, carving a U-shaped valley with snow and ice, demonstrating moraines.
3) Then I get out my Aluminum-clad landscape and sprinkle a few gummi worms, telling the kids that they are rocks and boulders.
4) Next, we have us an ice age! I start piling on the blue jello spoonful after spoonful high in the "mountains", while talking about the process of firnification (how snow turns into glacial ice).
5) They watch the jello getting heavier and heavier in the mountains, until gravity starts pushing it downhill -- and the gummi "boulders" start getting pushed down the valley.

Then I have them write a little story of how their school rock got to its present location.
I remind them that the word erratic means "out-of-place", and the rock obviously does not "belong" there, in other word, did not start out there. So while the kids are all quietly writing their stories, I serve up dessert: a bowl-ful of glacier-jello with a few erratics embedded in them...

PCT update and vocab

2010-04-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

The PCT gals has made it to Warner Springs (Milepoint 110.6), which is West of the Anza Borrego Desert, East of Hellhole Canyon and Lake Henshaw, in the Cleveland National Forest.
After re-supplying, they will continue North, crossing Highway 74 at 4,900 ft and then climbing the backbone of the San Jacinto Mountains.
The next town will be Idyllwild (PCT Milepoint 178.6), which they will reach next week, approximately May 4th.

As I'm following their progress on daughter's blog, I'm starting to learn the PCT lingo:

PCT = Pacific Crest Trail. Nobody cool ever spells this out!
Thru-hiking= Hiking the entire trail from end to end (CA-Mexico border to Canada, 2650 miles)
Resupply points= towns or post offices where hikers replenish food (from stores or packages shipped to General Delivery)
Bounce-box = Box mailed ahead to next re-supply point, such as chargers for camera, shampoo, etc.
Zero Day = A day spend not hiking: rest day
Slack-packing = not carrying your full load, such as when somebody gives your gear a lift to the next campsite, which must feel heavenly!
Ultra-light = Equipment pared down to lightest weight possible
Trail name = Nickname used while hiking the PCT
Trail magic = when people do nice things for hikers, which apparently happens alot!

And a little fun fact from the PCT website:
It was recently pointed out that fewer people have thru-hiked the PCT than have climbed Mt. Everest! Could it be that a thru-hike is tougher than climbing the tallest mountain on Earth?

Dreaming of the desert flowers...

2010-04-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air, even in Alaska (nevermind that it snowed again just last week) -- and my tulips and rhubarb are up! Vicariously I'm enjoying the desert bloom, since my adventurous daughter on the PCT is currently hiking through the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, and the wildflowers are supposed to still be beautiful, especially after a rainy winter in Southern California.

These photos are obviously not mine (credit goes to the official Anza Borrego website, www.parks.ca.gov).
Many many moons ago, hubby and I did camp and hike there one spring, back when our now nearly-16-year old was still in diapers -- and yes, he did end up with some cactus thorns in his tender behind at one point....

It truly is an amazing thing to see a desert in bloom!

The bears are out!

2010-04-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

Started seeing bear prints in the snow last week. I'm definitely carrying bear spray on the job now, but I got the best protection possible: 20+ loud school children behind me... Fat chance of actually seeing one!

...and my daughter is a Valkyrie

2010-04-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

My older daughter, the one who's hiking the PCT (see post here) is searching for a trailname -- apparently everybody has one (or gets one), and she's considering "Valkyrie". She's also becoming known for having signed the mile 0 register as, "Looking forward to snacking, napping, and bearded men".

This past weekend was the big "PCT kick-off" at mile 20.8 in Morena, CA.
She and her hiking partner (trailname still t.b.d.), are meeting lots of interesting people! She's blogging from the trail at Kitchensister.blogspot.com

You, dear reader, might be curious about what a valkyrie is or does:
they are female figures from Norse mythology who decide who will die in battle.
All I can say is: Watch out, bearded men!

I'm a Viking!

2010-04-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

Conversation overheard behind me as I'm leading 6th graders on a fieldtrip at work yesterday:

Kid#1: She has an accent. I wonder where she's from?
Kid#2: Who? The guide?
Kid#1: Yes, of course. She talks like someone from another country.
Kid#2: You're right. I think she's like ... from Europe, maybe?
Kid#1: I know. She's from one of those countries way up there, in the North.
Kid#2: You mean, like a Viking?
Kid#1: Exactly. She's a Viking.

My daughter is tougher than your daughter!

2010-04-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Eldest, is embarking tomorrow on an amazing feat: backpacking 2,650 miles (4,260 km) on the Pacific Crest Trail. It starts at Campo, CA at the border to Mexico, and ends in Manning Park, BC, Canada.

Time for me to get to blogging again (which I have been neglecting lately due to general busy-ness and a few too many good detective novels). But now I get to worry (mother's perogative) & follow my daughter's progress on this daunting task.

What posesses this child of mine, I can't say. Obviously I like nature, hiking, the outdoors, but carrying a big pack and walking 2650 miles!?! That just seems cruel on them poor feet -- but I'm supportive and admit to being very impressed nonetheless.

It's been my daughter's dream for many years, and together with her college roommate she's plotted and planned this for a few years.

Campo: April 20 is Day 0, Mile 0
Campo, CA is a small town east of San Diego (popn 3251, elev 2620 ft)
For the first 110 miles, the PCT passes through Lake Morena County Park and beneath Interstate 8, then climbs through chaparral, scrub oaks, and pines to the rim of the Laguna Mountains. They'll stop at mile 43 in Mt.Laguna, popn 80, elev 6000ft, to resupply.
The trail dips into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park at Scissors Crossing, then winds up, down, and around the San Felipe Hills and lesser mountains of the Cleveland National Forest.
(info from Wikipedia and Forest Service brochure)

Warner Springs, approx.April 30, Mile 110.6
Warner Springs, CA is a small outpost with a very limited store, which is also where my first package will reach them. From Warner Springs, the PCT continues through the Cleveland National Forest before crossing Highway 74 at 4,900’ and climbing the backbone of the San Jacinto Mountains.

For some peace of mind for the poor parents & loved ones, they'll be carrying a SPOT (Satellite Personal Orbital Tracker), which is basically a GPS tracking device. Each day, they plan to press the "I'm ok" button, and then we can follow their progress by going to

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0pnPIct53szAFGaU9KZT6WIlFhT2Vn5Y3

I shall try to keep you posted.
You can also follow her blog, Kitchensister, where she'll be posting her adventures along the PCT.

Homeschooling -do children benefit?

2010-03-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

It's Spring Break, we just got a bunch of new snow, and the kids are relishing their mini vacation: a full week of sleeping in every morning, goofing around with each other, skiing, sledding, and generally enjoying the absence of structured school days. But do they ever wish they were home-schooled?

Alaska has a fairly high percentage of homeschooled children -- due in part to remoteness, rugged individualism, religious freedom issues, or perhaps because the state has some of the most lax rules (See ADN Homeschool: Making the Grade?). In fact, there is even a whole "unschooling" movement which believes in child-centered learning (see more her e).

I've been wondering, is home-schooling good for children? This may seem like a loaded question -- but I don't mean to "attack". I just honestly wonder about home-schooling, and how these children fare later in life.

May I first of all say that all children should (and do) learn at home. Home/parents/family are a child's first and foremost influence in life, and hopefully, it's not only a loving environment, but also a place to learn. Children learn by watching parents, by playing, by helping (baking cookies, gardening, fixing the lawnmower)...
My children, as I said, are not home-schooled. Honestly, I've never even considered it. I grew up going to schools, public and private, in several different countries. Formal education was highly valued by my family, and by German society as a whole (in fact, Germany requires all citizens of a certain age, something like ages 6-18, to attend school, and it is illegal in Germany for parents to keep them at home). This is very different from the US, where over 2 million children are home-schooled.

At my job, I often meet home-schooled families, who seek out our nature education programs to complement their home studies. Some of the children are amazing: motivated, engaged, curious, and very sweet. Some seem poorly socialized, disruptive or extremely timid. Many seem poorly prepared, especially when it comes to math and science past about 5th grade -- yet others are little geniuses, bright and way ahead of their peers in public schools.
The parents of home-schooled children also vary widely. I've met wonderful parents who seem to be doing a great job and are very engaged in their children's education, even raising them bi-lingually (something I never did manage with my brood!). Yet I've also met a few demanding and unpleasant parents, who feel that their children are superior to regularly-schooled children, and demand special treatment (such as not having to pay or expect us to teach science without any mention of evolution)!

Why home-school? For some families it seems to be special circumstances, such as a handicapped child, and the parents fear that he/she will not be served well by the school system. Some families home-school on account of odd travel or work schedules, allowing fathers to spend more time with their children when they're home. For some, a bad experience (or even a parent's bad memory of their own schooling) leads to an abandonment of formal education. And of course, there are parents who have strong philosophical/religious reasons for wanting their children away from mainstream formal education -- in other words, sheltering their children from what they perceive is negative about the world at large.

Home-schooling takes tremendous dedication and patience. Families with several children are especially challenged to provide a good education for ALL their children -- sadly some of the older children seem to be getting less attention when the bulk of the effort shifts to the younger ones. Unless an older child is very motivated, big gaps in their education may develop. For example, I took a 17-year old home-schooler under my wing a number of years ago: she was very interested in biology and ecology -- but because she was given the freedom to only focus on what interested her (and that did not include physical sciences such as chemistry), she ended up with problems understanding basic biological processes. She did pursue a college degree, but it took her much more time to "catch up" and get up to speed -- making her college degree a longer, and much more expensive, pursuit (4 extra years meant, in effect, having to repeat high school in college).

One big concern I have for older home-schooled children is the lack of real-world experiences, especially in the social realm. They often lack social skills (and I'm not talking about manners -- in fact, they're usually plenty polite around adults). These children may have experienced group dynamics in Sunday School and summercamp settings, but they often lack experience in dealing with people outside their own social circles. They may be naive, never having had exposure to cultural or racial diversity, or meeting people who come from different backgrounds economically or culturally. And they can be clueless when it comes to dealing with interpersonal conflict, never having had much practice in dealing with such problems. I don't mean to imply that conventionally-schooled children are automatically more socially adept, but chances are they're more likely to have had a wider range of exposure and practice than highly-sheltered kids. Parents don't relish having to prepare their children to deal with bullies or other unpleasant people in life -- but sooner or later, we all are faced with them.

Home-school parents often have very strong personal views about religion, morality, etc. and they pass these to their children. Not that this is a bad thing per se-- a parent's job is to provide a moral compass and thus to give their children a strong foundation. But no matter how nice the parents are, as the children are growing into young adults, they do need more than just their parents' take on the world in order to be prepared for the real world, especially as they get older. Personally, I think this needs to start before children enter their teenage years.

I think it's a disservice to limit ones' children exposure to the extend that they're lost when they do get out in the real world. I suppose that ultimately this is the biggest challenge of raising kids: preparing them for being on their own someday. Homeschooling parents may argue that there is no hurry in sending their children into the real world -- so I ask, when do they plan to let their children go & trust them to negotiate life on their own: at 20? at 30?

Which brings me to my biggest concern: that home-schooled children often lack something that I value very much: critical thinking. If a person is never exposed to intellectual discourse during the course of their education, when/where will they learn it? Many home-schooled children probably get very little experience in debating different viewpoints, in listening to (and considering the merits of) other ideas. I wonder how many home-schooled children fall into one of two extreme camps as they get older -- either they end up strongly rebelling against everything their parents stand for, or alternatively, they adapt their parents' (pre-set) worldview as their own, unquestioningly, without a chance to form their own unique worldview?

So, here's what I wonder: Where do children learn openmindedness, tolerance, perspective?
I think it's best as a combination of home and school, or another way of saying that, it's got to be a combination of learning from parents and non-parents.
Isn't there some sort of saying somewhere about parenthood not being about raising a child as one own's, but rather that the child is on "loan" for only for a short while, but ultimately, the child never truly "belonged" to the parent.

I like to think that the prof (my husband) and I do a decent job of guiding our children through life -- and we strongly believe in spending a lot of quality time together -- but we do value formal education (we're educators/academics after all!). Despite the fact that we both have advanced degrees, neither of us feel adequately prepared to give our children a well-rounded education, especially at the secondary level (even if the prof and I had the sciences covered, read a lot of literature, speak another language and appreciate art and music, we still feel there's still a great deal more to education).

I recently a discussion about homeschooling with the younger 2 children, and they both agreed:
"Even though you guys are both great teachers, we're so glad we get to go to regular school -- our lives are so much richer than if we'd been home-schooled."

Earthquake in Chile

2010-02-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

An earthquake of 8.8 magnitude hit Chile at 3:34 am on Saturday, Feb. 27th. There are reports of many deaths (in the hundreds) and many more people left homeless! My heart goes out to the people of Chile, and I hope that the world community be as willing to lend them a hand as they have been in Haiti...

The city of Concepcion was hardest hit. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Maule province, North of Concepcion. The area most severely affected by the earthquake is also the most populated area in central Chile -- between Valparaiso and Concepcion.
I spend much of the 1960's living there, on the coast in Vina del Mar, nextdoor to the port City of Valparaiso. We moved there after the 1960 earthquake -- the strongest ever recorded at 9.5.

I remember seeing some of the remaining damage as a child, but even more so, I remember how acutely aware everybody was of earthquakes. In fact, we were drilled in earthquake preparedness in school before learning how to read and write -- we'd have drills and everybody would disappear under their desks within seconds!

The Spanish word for earthquake is "terremoto", literally "earth shake", and the German word is "Erdbeben" which also means earth shake. I was 3.5 years old when we moved to Chile, and shakely began my first of several bilingual careers. I do remember small earthquakes -- nothing terrible happened, but understandably, everybody around us was terrified whenever the earth shook, and a kid picks up on this. The concept and words "terremoto" and "Erdbeben" therefore, were both very scary to me! One day when I was probably 4 0r 5 years old, I was asked by a elderly German lady if I wanted some "Erdbeeren" (German word for strawberries), and I ran away screaming "NO TERREMOTO!!!!" thinking she had just asked me if I wanted an earthquake!

Nobody wants earthquakes, but they are a fact of life along the Pacific Rim. Here in Alaska, we're also in a very active earthquake and volcano zone, and we too, could get hit anytime (1964 Anchorage got hit with a 9.2 earthquake on Good Friday). We like to think we're prepared, but I'm sure we would also be greatly impacted!

Many of Chile's earthquake experts were helping Haiti when this earthquake struck. I hope the good "karma" of helping in Haiti will be repaid by the world community helping Chile in its time of need.

Felix & Pedro

2010-02-20T22:57:00.000-08:00

Let me introduce them: they live on my kitchen counter.
Pedro is my "pet" a.k.a. sourdough starter, a live culture of bacteria and yeast, and I feed him every day with water and flour (but when we go on vacation, I store Pedro in the frig -- unlike pets).

We've been eating lots of home-made bread, everything from traditional sourdoughs to potato bread, whole wheat breads with sprouted grains, and rye breads. Recipes, trials and tribulations are posted at my rambling food blog, Borealkitchen.

Every weekend, I combine 1 cup of Pedro with 1/2 cup from the other jar, which I've name Felix (plus some oil and an egg). Then I fry up a batch of Sourjacks, or Sourdough pancakes. They are about as authentic Alaskan as you can get, and absolutely delicious! Exact recipe can be found here.

Why did I name them Pedro and Felix?
"Sourdough" is a nickname for old-timer Alaskans (especially miners), because in the Gold Rush days, the only way to get bread or pancake to rise without the use of Baker's yeast or eggs was, of course, by using a sourdough starter.

The "Sourdough" miner who first discovered gold in Fairbanks (which was our first Alaskan home, and where I first started regularly baking our daily bread) was an Italian immigrant named Felix Pedro --more about him and Fairbanks Gold Rush history here.

What religion am I?

2010-02-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

Today I came across an unusual, interesting website, called Beliefnet.
I took a quiz to find out just where my religious views fit. I was surprised how thorough and thought-provoking the questions were, and liked the fact that I was asked to weigh the importance (low-high) of each question. It starts asking about concepts God, afterlife, human nature, but goes into moral issues too. Like I said, I found it more thorough than most quizzes of the "20 questions" variety...

The top 3 that came up for me were:

Liberal Quakers
Unitarian Universalism
Neo-Paganism

The first 2 did not surprise me at all (that's pretty much what I had figured), but the third came as a bit of a surprise -- I suppose it has to do with my love for nature, rather than any Wiccan tendencies hidden deep in my soul...

On the very bottom of the list (which basically ranks how much your view match with over 20 religions), I found out that I match the very least with the Roman Catholic Faith. That did not surprise me either, but I do still have a a great deal of respect for RC and other traditional/orthodox religions. That is, if they truly follow Jesus Christ's teachings, concentrating on things like love, and fight for social justice rather than stupid things like opposing gay marriage...

When asked to describe her religion on her Facebook profile, a friend of mine put "Religious no, spiritual yes", which I think describes me too.
I do care deeply about many things, and do believe in some sort of supreme force or Ultimate Truth, but am not too worried about details. I think there are many paths to God, and that no one religion or belief system holds a monopoly on truth or salvation.
What matters to me a great deal is how we treat life on this earth: each other, animals, plants, the environment (and I suppose that makes me a Pagan!? -- for a discussion of the origin and definition of the term "pagan", see this Religious Tolerance website)

If you're curious and want to take the test for yourself, here's the link:
http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/BeliefOMatic.aspx

Those darn grocery bags...

2010-02-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: http://learningfundamentals.com.au/wp-content/uploads/plastic-bags.jpg

Are you as tired of plastic grocery bags as I am? Here in Alaska we still see WAY too many of them, often flying around in the wind and getting caught on whatever protrudes from tundra or taiga. A few communities, such as Bethel, Alaska, have managed to outlaw them (Bravo!) and I hear that Los Angeles is planning to this coming July, but here in the Anchorage area their use is still rampant.

I try to bring my own bags whenever I go shopping, but I admit that I don't always succeed. And even if I do remember (or have run back to the truck to retrieve them), I find that the sales clerks are not always very accommodating to us BYO baggers. I practically have to force my canvas bags on them, and if I was too slow but still insist on using my own (after they've started bagging), they've been known to sigh and wad up the plastic & toss them. I once asked a teenage bagger to please re-use the plastic for the next customer, and he said "why?"

In fact, I've discovered that those self-checkout stands that are cropping up everywhere are my friend after all, since I get to bag my own groceries, and take my own sweet time instead of being rushed by a clerk...

Here's a funny anecdote: Right before Christmas I found myself shopping at Office Max, ending up with way more than the 1 item I went in for -- and no canvas bag with me -- and so I decided to purchase an oversize (very useful) re-useable bag that say in big letters "REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE". And the clerk scanned the pricetag, and proceeds to pack it in a plastic bag!
Go figure...
ALASKA: We still got a long way to go, baby!

Recently at the Nature Center, we had a well-attended program about permaculture (Thanks Dani & Gus!), and we had a lively discussion about what steps we can take in our own lives to reduce waste and live in better harmony with our environment.
As part of the program, Dani showed us how to crochet those flimsy grocery-store plastic bags into sturdy baskets using "Plarn" (plastic yarn). And I got hooked (pun intended)!

I already made 3, and just started another (it's fun!!!!)
Here's the how:
Step 1 (non-crocheting husbands and boyfriends, step right up -- you can do this!)
Cut the grocery bags into strips. Either cut rings across and loop them together, or cut them in one continuous spiral, starting at the handle. Optional: rolls these up in a ball (loosely). you'll need a LOT of bags, one or two dozen depending on the size of your final project.

Step 2
Using a large crochet hook (size N or larger), start by making a circle or oval. I like to start with an oval of 4-10 stitches, making single stitches and increase at each end as needed to get a flat oval (at each end, I make duplicate stitches in 3-5 stitches for the first few rows). Once my base is large enough, I switch to double stitches.Then continue to crochet to desired size. I find that a large opening is more "user-friendly" at the grocery store.

Step 3
A pair of handles is made by crocheting a chain of 15-20 stitches, reinforced by single stitches or wrapping. Alternatively, sew on a rim and handles of strips cut from old jeans.

Voila, you're done. You can stretch this bag quite a bit still (use your feet) and it will keep the shape. Remember, these bags are quite strong, and it's fun to do. You'll find yourself raiding your friends' recycling for fun colors -- I'm now making orange stripes from the newspaper baggies, green stripes from the PetZoo, and red dots from Target...

Careful, this is so much fun it can get addicting!

Fruit bats in Alaska?

2010-02-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

Maybe the long Alaskan winters are getting to us.

I call my Youngest "my little fruit bat". She LOVES to eat fruit. While most kids crave sweets or carbohydrates, my little Pixie is always asking for fruit. Bananas, oranges, apples are currently our fruit staples during winter. But she's getting a little bored with the menu.

Youngest: Mom, next summer, could we PLEASE grow some fruit in our garden?
Me: Do you mean berries?
Y: Not just berries, lots and lots of fruit, like cherries, peaches, pears -- you know!
Me: But fruit trees don't survive our Alaska winters. Sorry!
Y: Ooops, I forgot! (Pause)

Y: Mom, can a human survive on just fruit?
Me: Not here in Alaska, but I suppose, if you include nuts, you probably could -- strictly speaking nuts are seeds...
Y: Yeah, I would like living on a tropical island: coconuts, pineapple, mangoes...
Me: ...papayas, jackfruit...
Y: What' that?
Me: I think we need a fieldtrip to Hawaii...

photocredit: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/caribbean/wildlife-facts/2005/wildlife-facts_images_2005/jamaican_fruit_bat.jpg

a dozen roses for...

2010-02-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

My son bought a dozen roses for his sweetheart today: they're white with a hint of pale peach. Very lovely!
Here's a picture of Wolfman and his sweetie.

That reminds me of Valentine's Day a long time ago, in a place far far away:
When I was about his age, we had moved to the Philippines, and I attended Brent International School in the Philippines. I was shy, barely spoke English, and had a crush on a senior. Not expecting that he'd even noticed me, I was completely surprised when I received a single red rose from him on Valentine's Day!
It absolutely blew me away -- even though he'd given roses to several girls, that did not matter -- he had noticed me!!!

Ahhh, to be young...
Thank you, Jaime, for making my Valentine's Day some 30-odd years ago! And kudos to my son, who made somebody very happy with a bouquet of roses today.

The Great Cricket Getaway

2010-02-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

The other night, just starting to drift off to sleep after late-night blogging about my lastest sourdough baking adventures (Borealkitchen.blogspot.com), I was awakened by a panicky 12-year old: "Mom, help, I bumped the cricket box, and it fell, and now they've all escaped in my room!!!"

Yes, indeed, of the newly replenished stock of crickets (a.k.a. lizard's lunch box), all but 2 had gotten away. What to do?

Well, I tell ya, those crickets are VERY good at hiding. We looked, and looked, and found 1.
Next, I'm dragging the vacuum cleaner up the stairs (it's well past midnight by now), and we start trying to "find" crickets in the crooks and nannies of a very messy room. I doubt we found any.

Finally, we give up. I convince her it's safe to go to sleep "No, they won't hop all over you while you're sleeping...", and crawl into bed. I don't think I got to sleep until after 3 am -- was just way to awake (this old body does not deal well anymore with late-night interruptions!)

Ever since then, even after a THOROUGH vacuuming of the "cricket room", we've been encountering the occasional cricket here and there -- most frequently in the bathroom (Moisture attracts them thirsty little critters).

I hope there are not too many survivors, and that they don't start mating!
I'll keep you posted ...

photo credit: http://www.nyworms.com/images/groupcrickets.jpg

Golden Wedding Anniversary

2010-02-02T13:31:00.000-08:00

My parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary this past weekend!
I wish I could have been there to help celebrate the big event, but alas, it is a rather long way from here to Germany (there are no direct flights from here during winter!)

From all the reports, it sounds like the weather in Germany was rather Alaskan -- snow and unseasonably cold temperatures. But the weather did not dampen the spirit, and relatives and friends congregated for a big feast. Note to Americans: Europeans really know how to mark special occasions! While many Americans prefer to hide the passing of time, Europeans will acknowledge and celebrate big birthdays & anniversaries by inviting their friends to a big formal affair!

Here's a picture of my parents -- in icing -- from their wedding day 50 years ago!I've always thought that when my mother was young that she resembled Ingrid Bergman, whereas my father has always looked like a quintessential professor to me, then and now!
I want to wish my parents all the best on this special occasion!
And I'll excuse them & my siblings from having to travel to chilly Alaska in another 10 months, when I reach the ripe old age of 50! Instead, we'll all get together in Germany at some other time (preferably when it's warm) and celebrate a family reunion...

For an anniversary present, I gave my parents a Llama.
Yes, that's correct!
I donated funds in their name to Heifer Foundation. I actually chose the category "where most needed", given the crisis in Haiti right now, and a food- and income-producing animal (such as a llama, goat, chickens, rabbits, cow) will go to a needy family somewhere to help them move toward self-reliance, with the animal providing a sustainable source of food and income.

Why a llama in particular? Our family lived for many years in Chile, and thus our family has a soft spot for the people of South America.
Read more about llamas here.

Liebe Mutti u.Papi, Hier sitze ich im kalten Norden und ueberlege mir was ich Euch zur
Goldenen Hochzeit schenken kann? Es soll etwas besonderes sein, etwas sinnvolles, etwas
was lange haelt, darf nicht viel Platz einnehmen, und es soll Bedeutung haben --
immerhin habt Ihr 50 Jahren, viele Weltreisen, 3 Kinder, 7 Enkelkinder zusammen-- und so
kam mir die Idee: Ich schenke Euch ein Llama.
Keine Sorge, dieses Llama kommt nicht auf den Balkon! Eine arme Familie irgendwo in den Anden bekommt in Eurem Namen dieses Llama durch Heifer International geschenkt, und verhilft ihnen zu einer besseren Existenz. Dieses Geschenk ist in dem Motto von Confucius: "Give a man a fish, and he has food for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime."

Ihr habt uns Kinder durch Euer Beispiel und die vielen Jahre in Chile und Philippinen gelehrt auch an andere Menschen zu denken, und ich hoffe Euch mit diesem Geschenk eine Freude zu machen.

Cabin Fever

2010-01-30T20:00:00.000-08:00

Winter in Alaska is no reason to stay cooped up, even if we sometimes don't feel like getting out of bed. But the days are getting longer, and when the sun shines on those craggly spruce trees, it is an outright "Winter Wonderland"!Here are some photos from a recent cabin trip to Byer's Lake in Interior Alaska. Two women and a total of 3 teen-age children (both of our husbands had to bail out last minute on account of work). But this trip was long planned, the temperatures were reasonable, so darn it: we went, we saw (Mt.Denali, "The Great One", even if only briefly), and we conquered (snow-shoeing, sled-packing, firewood-carrying, etc)!

That's was the view from our cabin overlooking frozen Byer's Lake with the Alaska Range as backdrop. We went skiing and snow-shoeing on the lake, and youngest built a fire, using only flint from her 5th grade survival kit -- she was determined & worked HARD!

And here cabin life at Public Cabin #2, where we stayed cozy and warm, and played many roaring rounds of Taboo!

Working Girl earns big Mulah!

2010-01-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

You know you're getting old when your baby is earning BIG BUCKS babysitting other people's kids.

Yes, Youngest, who is 12, is now in high demand: once or twice a week she babysits 2 children (a 3-yr old girl and a 1.5 yr-old boy) for a local family.
She's mastered dirty diapers, temper tantrums and is starting to see thru the toddler's attempts to manipulate her. Hopefully this last skill will come in handy when dealing with boys in Middle School!

Conversation last week:
Youngest: "Mom, how much does a car cost?"
Me: "That depends! You might be able to find an old jalopy for maybe $500 to $1000, if you're lucky."
Y: "How about a brand-new car?"
Me: "What kind?"
Y: "You know, a 4-wheel drive car or truck, something you can drive in Alaska all year round."
Me: "I guess well over $20,000 for something like a Subaru, and more like $30,000 for a truck."
Y goes off to her room with calculator...

Later that evening, I overheard her talking to her girlfriend on the phone:
"Yeah, I've been doing some calculations, and if I keep on babysitting and saving my money, I'll be able to by myself a new truck when I'm a senior in High School!"

I hated to tell her that her calculations might have been off by an order of magnitude...

photocredit: http://www.psychologytoday.com

Living greener by eating less meat

2010-01-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

When I was young, I was a vegetarian for many years. Like many young people, I used to think in "black and white" terms: meat was bad, vegetables were good. I had read Frances Moore Lappe's book "Diet for a Small Planet" my first year in college (having just moved to the US after living in a developing country, I was aghast at the waste and conspicuous consumption) -- I became convinced that meat production was a waste of our planet's scarce agricultural resources. By the time I had children I started eating meat again -- in fact I craved it when I was pregnant!

I didn't give all that much thought to how food was raised as I was busy raising and feeding my growing family -- I was thinking less about the environment and more about cooking well-balanced meals and avoiding junk food! But it does turn out that meat production can be very wasteful indeed, and is perhaps becoming more so than when Lappe's book was first written! I'm now coming back around to thinking about those issue again. A big turning point for me was reading Michael Pollen's In Defense of Food and Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

As I've been learning more about where our food comes from, I find I don't care to eat industrially-produced meat, and the alternative (organic, local, wild) is much more difficult and expensive to come by. I have friends here in Alaska who will only eat meat they hunted or caught themselves -- but alas, hubby is not "into" hunting, and our freezer is already out of salmon fillets. ASIDE: in many parts of Alaska, churches and other non-profit organization have volunteers who will process road-killed moose, and the meat is donated to food banks (plus the volunteers get a cut -maybe I need to sign up in order to get some "church moose"?) -- since it is illegal for the driver of the vehicle to simply take home the moose they ran over! EOD, End of Digression.
I'm realizing more and more that not all meat (or eggs and dairy for that matter) is bad -- rather, it can vary greatly. For example, cows are naturally grass-eaters, but in an effort to grow beef faster and faster, they are now fed a diet of mostly corn (which is difficult for them to digest) and thus cattle are given lots of hormones and antibiotics. These are showing up in our drinking water! DNA analysis shows that between corn-fed hamburgers and HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) that's used heavily in processed foods and sodas, Americans are starting to have a food signature that's mostly corn (an interesting movie to see is King Corn)!
The implications of how food is raised have huge impacts not only on the nutritional food value of our food, but on the health of our planet as well. So I'm finding myself eating less and less meat. I'm not a vegetarian, and I do think it's natural for humans to eat meat -- evolutionarily we're omnivores after all -- but yet, I feel less and less like eating industrially-produced meat.

This past year our family has been eating more vegetables, legumes and whole grains, due in part to getting a weekly CSA box full of fresh organic produce! And I must say that I feel healthier and even have lost some of that 40+something weight gain (without even trying -- I certainly am not the "dieting" type (more on that topic on my post Diet is a 4-letter word).

But really, how much meat do we really need to eat? Humans certainly can and do thrive on a mostly vegetarian diet. I admit that while I enjoy a good cut of meat, I find myself less willing to buy what's for sale at the grocery store. Right now I'm reading an interesting book by Nicolette Hahn Niman called Rightous Porkchop (Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms). The more I learn about the food industry, the more I want to get away from industrially-produced meat. I stand there in the grocery store and wonder: did this meat come from a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) where animals are kept in horrible conditions, standing knee-deep in their own excriments while being fattened on corn products and kept from getting sick only by heavy administration of antibiotics? Were these eggs laid by chickens crammed into barns by the thousands, unable to walk even a few steps? Did the bacon come from pigs produced in a giant warehouse operation that produces more wastewater pollution than a small city?

I do recommend the movie Food, Inc (Santa brought me that for Christmas), which does a good job of reporting on food issues without being overly sensational. It makes a really good point about how we vote on food issues every time we're at the checkout stand of the the grocery store -- as our food purchases get scanned, we VOTE with our dollars: for example, as organic products are making more and more gains in the US/World market, industry is starting to pay attention! Within the last few years, our family has switched first to organic milk, then many of our vegetables, chicken and now also beef. And of course we do love eating our Alaskan Wild salmon!

I'm still working on figuring out eggs -- there are a few with the label "organic" and many more with the less meaningful label "natural". Some brands advertise they're antibiotic and additive-free, vegetarian-fed (= no animal by-products), and even cage-free. But does "cage-free" mean they really get to roam the farmyard, or did they get an itty-bitty "yard" attached to a giant facility that very few of the chickens can even get to? Vegetarian feed is better than ground up recycled dead chicks, but then again, eating bugs is actually an important and normal part of a chicken's diet...
Ideally I'd like to raise our own chickens, but I'm worried about the wildlife factor here: would raising backyard poultry act as an attractant to the many bears (black and brown) that occasionally roam our neighborhood? I wish I could find a good local source of eggs that don't cost an arm and a (chicken)-leg! These last few years I've been buying Wilcoxfarms Omega-3 eggs available at Costco (chickens that are fed grass-based diets do lay eggs that are higher in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids) -- but it's still part of a huge factory-style operation (I think?!) -- but then again, one step at a time: at least they're not as bad as some of the other industrial producers out there...

So here I am, puzzled. I go grocery-shopping (and vote!) every week, and I want to do what's best for my family and for my planet. My boys/men certainly do like their spicy food and meat, while my daughters and I would be happy eating mostly vegetarian. So the compromise I'm making is that I try to cook more and more with organic/local produce, and while I do cook with meat several times a week, I use smaller quantities than I used to. For example, I might use sausage more as a spice than a main ingredient, or make stir-fry or curry with more vegetables than meat. I've learned a couple of things over the last few years:

change seems easier when it's gradual.
if I cook too "healthy" and lean, then they eat more snacks/junkfood inbetween meals.
I am the queen of the kitchen:)
they will eat what I cook --an awesome power, I know -- and I'll try not to let that get to my head!

Photo credits:
Meat from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons
Eggs from http://www.zetafarms.com

New Years Wishes, Reflections, and Pictures

2010-01-02T10:14:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a very good New Year!
Just cooked up a proverbial storm of New Year's food (recipes at Borealkitchen.blogspot.com).

As is typical for this time of year, it's cold here, with temperatures below zero Fahrenheit. Here are some pictures from yesterday when we drove to the Mat-Su valley. The first part of the drive was in the sunshine (view of Talkeetna Mountains from Chugiak):By the time we got down to the Knik River, we were very much in the fog -- looks cold and grim, doesn't it? It actually is amazingly beautiful, I think -- reminiscent of the Dr. Zhivago, which we just watched -- a tradition for us during the break between Christmas and New Year.
By the time we got to Wasilla, we could see the sun again.

We've entered a new decade -- I hope that it's a better one politically compared to the last. The post 9-11 decade (a.k.a. George W. Bush era) sure seemed full of fear. Fear of terrorists, fear of economic collapse, fear of reform -such as fear of "socialized" healthcare. I say "Bring it on!" I'd like to see healthcare reform continue to be "tweaked" and improved over the next decade or two, and hope that we adopt more and more green energy policies, that we reform agriculture to be more sustainable, and that US foreign policy become less about fighting wars and more about peace-making!
On a more personal level, our family has entered our second decade of living in this beautiful valley, and feel very blessed. While we still sometimes miss Fairbanks and Colorado where we lived during the last millenenium, we have grown very fond of this valley. The children are growing into lovely young ladies and gentlemen, and bring us parents much joy and pride. We feel very satisfied in our jobs as well -- we're truly blessed!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T11:52:00.000-08:00

Morgen, Kinder, wird's was geben,
Morgen werden wir uns freu'n!
Welch ein Jubel, welch ein Leben
Wird in unsrem Hause sein!
Einmal werden wir noch wach,
Heisa, dann ist Weinachtstag!

Wie wird dann die Stube glänzen
Von der großen Lichterzahl!
Schöner als bei frohen Tänzen
Ein geputzter Kronensaal!
Wißt ihr noch, wie voriges Jahr
Es am heil'gen Abend war?

Wißt ihr noch die Spiele, Bücher
Und das schöne Schaukelpferd,
Schöne Kleider, woll'ne Tücher,
Puppenstube, Puppenherd?
Morgen strahlt der Kerzen Schein,
Morgen werden wir uns freu'n.

Photo credit: http://wonderfulthings.info/christmas/images/danishjuletree.jpg

Happy Solstice!

2009-12-21T22:24:00.000-08:00

It's all uphill from now: we'll be gaining sunlight from now on!
Only a few minutes at each end of the day, but by mid-January we'll start seeing the sun again at our house, which is currently being blocked by the mountains surrounding our valley, such as in the picture below, with just a tad of evening light hitting the top of Polar Bear Peak.

We had the shortest day of the year today, and it was properly celebrated at our house by SLEEPING IN!

Sankt Nikolaus

2009-12-07T22:47:00.000-08:00

I do love this time of year!

Yesterday was Sankt Nikolaus, and being German, that means I sneak out of bed late at night and stuff everybody's boots with lots of chocolates, nuts, oranges and other gifts. This is one of my favorite parts of this time of year, with baking, crafting, and Christmas music, but mostly I love just "hanging" with my family & dear friends.

Here in Alaska we use some pretty serious boots this time of year, which is handy for getting lots of Sankt Nikolaus loot: our kids are savvy and take the felt boot liners out on Nikolaus-Eve, to maximize the haul!

Sankt Nikolaus is when I really start getting into the spirit of the Advent season -- yesterday we got our Christmas tree, put some Christmas CDs on the stereo and started hauling the decorations out from the basement. It's wonderful to watch the kids re-discovering and reminiscing as they unpack nutcrackers and ornaments they made in Kindergarten!

Yesterday, as we all sat around the tree, sharing memories, the kids asked their dad about his memories, and were surprised to hear how different his childhood experiences were from their own. His own dad died of cancer when he was 4, right around the the holidays, and sadness was forever intricately associated with Christmas-time -- I'm sure his mother had a difficult time for many years after, especially around the holidays...

Not everybody loves the holidays -- in fact, some detest it. Children of divorce often find this time of year very stressful -- everything from making a craft and school and having to decide which parent should get it (how cruel is that!-- teachers, please let them make 2!!!), to having the holiday itself split up, feeling torn apart between two parents.
For years I watched my Eldest, a child of divorce, stress over Christmas, and there was little I could do for her other than to try to provide as calm an environment as possible at home. My wish for her is PEACE & JOY, but especially inner PEACE. That is also my wish to all children of families affected by tragedies such as divorce, illness or death. Hang in there, and don't feel there's something "wrong" with you for not being full of holiday cheer!

THANKFUL

2009-11-29T22:21:00.000-08:00

I don't know what's wrong with me, but instead of the usual winter slump (a.k.a. mild depression) that usually hits me by the time this dark time of the year, I continue to be basically HAPPY -- you know, cheerful, ready to sing "The hills are alive..."
What gives? Instead of getting grumpier as I get older, I get happier. I'm just plain old THANKFUL for the good life our family has. Soppy, I know...

It's been a very nice relaxed Thanksgiving for the Borealkraut family.
On Turkey Day, Eldest came for the feast together with her 2 roommates, and we really enjoyed visiting with them, including playing a rousing game of "Apples to Apples" and telling various embarrassing stories of when the kids were small. Eldest wrote me a sweet Thank you email the next day, where she shared that she and her roommates thought our family was very "loving". Shucks -- I'm just a sucker for stuff like that -- I'd have been ready to hand over my car keys if she'd asked for them right then...

We did not end up going on our annual ski-into-the-cabin trip the next day: the Prof and I both were suffering from back pain, and decided that we just were not up to pulling sleds and sleeping on hard bunkbeds (yes, we were definitely being whimps, but we're allowed at our ripe old age!). So instead we just laid low and enjoyed hanging out with the kids, reading, watching movies, and nibbling on turkey left-overs.

But other good things happened as a result of us not going to the cabin. We got to meet Wolf's new girlfriend, A, and her family: first we had a chance to meet them all at the sledding hill in a downtown park, and then tonight A and her sister came over for dinner. They live in the Valley (another valley than our little valley: so it's at least a 30 mile drive), so the families meeting was a big step -- yes, a little awkward at first, but I think it went well, and we're really pleased how nice A and her family are! It's like in the movie The Sound of Music, when Maria tells of how Mother Superior always said "When the good Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window." Not that I'm particularly religious, but I have to admit, I'm really happy for the Wolfman that it worked out that way -- Howl!

Photo credit: http://www.artknowledgenews.com/files2009a/Julie_Andrews_The_Sound_of_Music.jpg

Dirty Laundry

2009-11-18T09:51:00.000-08:00

Now that I got your attention!...

This post is literally about laundry, and its environmental impacts, rather than the airing of anybody's dirty laundry (I'm just not the gossiping type...)

This is the first part of my GREEN series in which I intend/attempt to write about how I can help to do my part in helping the environment -- you know, less wasting of energy, sustainable living, etc.

I'm starting out with the ordinary subject of LAUNDRY:
Everybody does laundry -- clothes get dirty, and then we wash them. In an effort to do my part in keeping this planet from Global Warming at an alarming rate, I try not to use an extra-ordinary amount of energy in keeping my family in tidy whities! My part may be tiny, but it's still significant -- if nothing else by the influence I have on the next generation: my own 3 kids!

Surely everybody has heard of the 3 R's: "Reduce, Reuse, recycle". More recently a new word has been added to this trilogy: rethink. That one's my favorite -- just stopping to think about the impact of the myriad daily decisions we make each day, and how they affect the environment!
Back to laundry, some Americans are starting to RETHINK their relationships with their laundry detergents, washers, and clothesdryers.

First of all, we can easily REDUCE (REUSE) the amount of laundry generated by wearing our clothes longer before laundering them. This may be a tough sell, especially to teens and pre-teens who go through clothes like there's no tomorrow, but really, they do care about the environment, so try that tactic (are you paying attention, Youngest?)

RETHINK our tools
Detergents: switching to environmentally more friendly detergents by avoiding phosphates and chlorine. For a review of detergents, their cost and environmental impact, go to consumersearch.
Also, simply using less. When it comes to everything from shampoos to laundry detergents, we don't need to use so much of it! Many products are more concentrated today, so we need less, and thus generate less empty plastic bottles...

Washing machine: about 5 years ago, we replaced our inefficient older Whirlpool with a water-saving washer made in New Zealand: and one of the first things I noticed is how much more efficient the spin cycle was -- and when laundry is less soggy, it takes less energy to dry them!
Also, avoid running small loads -- it's definitely inefficient.

Dryer: Best of all is to avoid using it in the first place. Hanging laundry up to dry the "old-fashioned" way is surely the most environmentally friendly.
Back when I was a young new bride and husband #1 and I bought our first house, we went appliance-shopping, and I had to convince him we only needed a washer, no dryer. Maybe, I said, when we have messy kids, and live in a cold place like Alaska...
Now I do have kids, live in AK and do own a dryer. It's old and runs on electricity instead of the more efficient natural gas (but it does have a dryness sensor, which does make a lot of sense!). But I don't use my dryer all that much.

Most Americans feel like they can't go without a dryer, time-wise and space-wise.
I would argue it does not take all that much space and time, and I'll go over what I find helps me to minimize the use of the dryer. Even in the winter (especially when it's super cold and we heat our houses, and the indoor air is very dry) you don't need to stick all your clothes into the dryer -- just to vent that heat to the outside!

Unlike my German relatives who choose not to own dryers at all, out of principle, I do actually like having a tumbler, because I DO NOT LIKE TO IRON. My mom spends hours ironing, and that would drive me batty!
So I use my dryer to get the wrinkles out, but don't actually use it to dry the whole load.
Here's what I do (and I NEVER iron, except as a hobby, such as when I'm sewing a quilt!).

I take laundry out of washer and start sorting:
1.) Socks, bras and other small items go on the space station right above the washer -- mine looks something like the item from Hayneedle.com pictured on the right.
2.) Anything made of synthetics is easy to hang up and dry wrinkle-free -- I just give it a good shake and hang it up -- it will dry quickly, and I don't have to deal with that static you get when they're come out of the dryer and cling to everything.
3.) Big things (like sheets) get hung outside over the railing in the warm season, or hung over chairs and couches if no visitors are expected.
4.) Drying rack is great for towels and other uncomplicated laundry such as T-shirts, etc.
I like to set it up right in the laundry room next to the baseboard heat, or this time of year, in front of the woodstove. In the summer, it often sits on the deck, where it is quick and easy to move indoors if it looks like rain!
5.) Hangers are my friends! I have a closet rod above the dryer, and all the shirts go from there directly into the closet -- no folding of shirts, no sirree.
6.) Pants go on those skirt-hangers that have a clip on each end. I hang mine on the shower curtain rod -- where there's enough room for those long dangly legs. By the next time we need the shower, they'll be dry and ready to hang in the closet.
6.) Anything that's made mostly of cotton has a tendency to dry with lots of wrinkles in it, so here is where I use the electric tumbler for "antrocknen" or slightly-drying: I toss them into the dryer for a few minutes (3-5 at most, & no need for those dryer sheets), then take them out damp and hang them up on hangers. VOILA -no need to iron.

This works pretty well for me. If I'm really, really, REALLY busy, then I might end up using the dryer and pulling fewer items out of the tumbler for air-drying on hangers, but I always pull out at least a few of the heavier items -- think of how much energy is used just to dry towels and jeans -- just by pulling those out I've saved that energy.

PS: it helps, of course, to distribute laundering throughout the week -- that way I can fold away the dry load when I start the next...

Photo credit here

sub-zero weather

2009-11-17T11:38:00.000-08:00

It's COLD!!!
Probably won't get above zero degrees Fahrenheit today, and down by the river it's -20F.
Home sick, got another puker on the couch (Youngest)! So I'm too lazy to search hubby's computer for good pictures of how COLD and BEAUTIFUL our valley is right now -- but do go visit The Schneiders -An Alaskan Yurt Family blog for some great photos of this valley, including a time lapse series of the sun barely flitting along the mountains (be patient & let it load first, then click on the arrow below last picture).

Cheers,
Youngest and I are crawling back into bed!

2009-11-12T23:33:00.001-08:00

It was my birthday yesterday, and I'm feeling great (despite the fact that the stomach flu is making the rounds in our household -- so far only through the male population!).
True, I'm another year older, but strangely, that does not bother me at all. I don't feel old, even though now I am as close as I can get to the big 5-0 without actually being there yet!
Here's a photo of moi, taken by hubby when we went blueberry-picking this fall. I usually don't like to have my picture taken, as I'm not photogenic at all. But on that particular beautiful fall day, I didn't mind him clicking away...

I'm a really lucky person: I've got a loving family, good health, and live in a really nice place!
I know that it's more luck than earned -- luck to have met and married a wonderful man (I suppose I can take some credit for having at least been at least a decent enough person) , genetic luck in that I have not inherited lousy DNA, and luck that the winds blew our little family to Alaska (the last great frontier!)

What makes me ponder this right now is that I recently received a real good rating when I applied for life insurance -- I got a clean bill of health! Apparently my health history and blood results indicate that I'm at a low risk to keel over from a heart attack anytime soon.
I can thank my parents for good genes -- on my father's side everybody seems to live well into their 80's without any heart problems, cancer, diabetes or Alzheimers. Watch out kids, you may not see any of that life insurance money for at least 30 years!

I'm truly lucky to be healthy. Besides inheriting healthy genes, I suppose I can take a little credit for a reasonably healthy lifestyle. What does that involve? What helps is not smoking or drinking (I do enjoy a glass of wine or beer a couple of times a week, however), sleeping well and not having a stressful life or job, eating reasonably healthy foods, and staying active.

I'm no sports nut, and certainly don't run marathons. But I do manage to be active everyday -- it may not seem much, but at a minimum, I guess I easily get those minimum recommended 20-30 minutes of light aerobic exercise every day. Most days that's just simply walking (lots), but it might also be gardening, snow shoveling or yoga.

Food is something everybody seems to be focused on these days, or even posessed by. Yes, I try to eat reasonably healthy, but I'm no health nut, either. In fact, I have a pretty healthy appetite: I eat a lot, and I have never really gone on a "diet". I'm not skinny, but not overweight either. But I do watch what I eat in the sense that I'm aware of what I eat -- what I aim for is to eat whole foods. By "whole" I don't just mean "wholesome", but also "real", as in not highly processed. As much as possible, that means fresh produce, whole grains, healthy proteins. But I also enjoy food, and if one day I feel like a Reese's Peanutbutter cup, by all means, if I crave one, then I have one. Preferrably just one, savor it, and then not have the need to eat another for a long time.
Depriving oneself of certain "forbidden"foods (such as chocolate or icecream) is just a bad mind game, in my book, and can lead to breakdown and overeating. I find myself doing much better around tempting desserts now that I've made "peace" by allowing myself simply to eat "anything". I am now often just as happy to have a carrot for snack, instead of a cookie, without feeling deprived. Perhaps this comes with age, because my younger self would have gone for the cookie!

Last, but not least, another factor in being healthy and happy, to me, is having a creative outlet. This is often not considered when people list necessary ingredients for health. But exercising the mind is as crucial as exercising the body. Without that, my life becomes rote, routine, listless. I need to have a creative outlet in my daily life, be it knitting or sewing, discussing politics, listening to music, cooking a good meal for friends and family, reading and/or writing. These are all things I can and will continue to do for many years to come.

I leave you with a story I read once about a very old lady who loved to quilt, and continued to quilt even when her eyesight had long gone dim. How did she do it? Whenever her grandchildren came to visit, she had them thread all her needles for her, and stick them into the curtains. Thus she always had a ready supply to keep on quilting...

I'm at the point now that I need reading glasses for fine print and threading needles, and pretty soon you'll be seeing me with a pair of granny glasses dangling around my neck from a beaded chain. But hopefully I'll have a smile rather than a frown on my wrinkled face!

Berlin Wall tumbling down...

2009-11-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall tumbling down. What a momentous event!
Most everyone remembers exactly where they were when they heard big-momentous news --such as when the twin towers came down on 9/11/2001, or when the Challenger blew up, or the Kennedy assassination (well I was barely out of diapers on that one...)

And I hate to admit that I barely remember the Berlin Wall tumbling down -- my own life at the time was tumbling down around me: my then-husband had left me and my 2-yr old daughter...
But life has a way of going forward, my life turned around, and my then 2-yr old daughter (Eldest) has just now returned from a month in Germany, full of stories "Berlin was my absolute favorite city -- it's the best party town, ever!"

Full circle. I've been to Berlin only once as a young adult, when I was around her age, and remember vividly the divided city: East Germany with it's graying buildings that still had bullet holes from WW2, the East German police with their guns and dogs when our train pulled into their stations, then crossing the border, giving way to colorful, lively, and yes "Party-town" West Berlin!

I heard on the radio this morning that for a few euros you can buy fake passports with East German transit stamps in them -- I still have one that's for real! Never would have guessed back then that someday it would be a souvenir of a bygone era...

Letter to a 5-year old friend

2009-11-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

Dear Little One,

You and your family have been a part of our lives since long before you were born-- you're practically extended family to us, and feel sort-of like an auntie ( your Crazy German Aunt?).

You're VERY special to us, and we love you!

I'm writing to you because we have an issue with dinners when you come over to our house. Unfortunately, your behavior has become so much of a problem that it makes dinnertime unpleasant -- for me, the cook, for your parents and everybody else at the table. I hope we can find a way to turn that around.
First of all, let me assure you that to me, personally, it's not a big deal if you don't eat what I cooked. I'd love for you to try what I cooked, but if you end up not liking it, then that's that. No problem.
But I do have a problem when you fuss. When you whine "I don't like it!" or even say "Yuck" before we start eating -- well, that hurts my feeling. I think you can understand why: if you made your mommy a present, and she said "I don't like it" before she even opened it, that would really hurt your feelings, wouldn't it?

Your parents usually ask you to try new foods. You may not feel so adventurous, especially if it looks unfamiliar (crazy German food)? Your parents are just doing what all good parents do -- they ask their kids to give something new a chance. Because they know if you never tried anything new in your life, you'd still be living on breastmilk and baby food, and I bet you've come across many yummy foods since you ate strained peas as a baby!

So what I'm asking of you, please don't make such a big fuss when you eat dinner at our house. Here's a deal: First, give it a try. I'll serve you a small serving (one bite). If you don't like it, say so politely ("No more, thank you"). That's all. No big deal!
Hopefully there will be something at the dinner table that you do like. But if there is not, that's still not a reason to fuss.
You can ask nicely if there might be something else for you to eat, but there may not be (that will really be up to your parents -- they may choose to tell you there are no other choices). You won't starve, but you won't get dessert either.
At this point, you may start feeling very sorry for yourself. What always seems to happen with kids at this point is that they start a big fuss, trying to get their way. We've all done it at some point in our lives, and guess what, we found out the hard way that it's really not worth it!

Here's what I need you to understand: fussing will not get your way at my dinner table like you did the other night. From now on, I'm going to ask you (or any other kid fussing), to leave the table. It's really very simple. You're welcome back when you're calmed down and can be polite.

Oh, by the way, here's a hint: if you tell the cook when you do like a dish, that will not only make him/her smile, it will even make them cook your favorite foods more often!
PS: unless they're still on breastmilk , of course:)

Taxing sugar???

2009-10-30T00:52:00.000-07:00

Americans eat (and drink -- in the form of sodas) way too much sugar: refined & high fructose corn syrup is showing up more and more in processed foods from breakfast cereals to salad dressings. In small quantities, these may be harmless, but the trend in our increasing unhealthiness among Western nations is alarming.

Obviously, just as it's not healthy for us to eat loads of fats, we should not consume all this sugar that's hiding in much of our food, and it contributes heavily (pun intended) to childhood obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc. I wrote about this on a previous reflection post, entitled Diet is a Four-letter Word.

Recently, I got to thinking about something I heard on the radio one morning while barely awake when the alarm came on: a proposed tax on sugar in drinks, a penny per ounce on sugary drinks. Is that a good idea???

Pros
It would make us more aware of how much sugar we're consuming.

Some people would indeed change their habits.

The pinch in the pocketbook is not a hardship to the extend that sugary sodas are not nutrition we need: they're not "food" we need to sustain us (in other words, real food is not being taxed).

The money collected in taxes could be used for a good cause (education about dangers of childhood obesity, for example).

Cons
Diet drinks are not necessarily any healthier. Maybe they should be taxed too?!? For more info, here's more about the link between diet sodas, weight gain and diabetes.

Taxation for behavior modification is controversial -- would it really change behavior, or would people just start getting used to it after the initial "shock", and keep up the unhealthy habits..?

Would "natural fruit juice" start replacing refined sugar in most drinks, allowing manufacturers to charge a higher price, yet without significantly affecting the desired outcome, i.e. people still end up just as overweight on fructose as they do on sucrose...

Would the government end up being a "sugar police"? Is sugar the last legal drug...?

Hey, we're evolutionarily programmed to like sugar: we all know our early human ancestors had a better chance of surviving (and escaping the sabertooth tiger) if they found foods high in calories. But that's not the situation we're in, now is it?

I admit that I love dessert as much as the next person -- but I believe it should remain a special treat, rather than an abused substance!

Time passing...

2009-10-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? These last few weeks have just flown by, and I did not even properly acknowledge my husband's birthday. We started celebrating a few days early with our annual Oktoberfest. This yearly occasion calls for a keg of his favorite micro-brew, Moose's Tooth Fairweather IPA. Maybe that explains why I haven't blogged lately -- but we did finally finish that keg, and we even went out to eat on a real honest-to-goodness date (both of the school-agers were invited to parties, and we looked at each other and said something like "remember when we used to go on dates?...and needed a babysitter...") Alas, why is it that when you don't need babysitters anymore, you start to forget to go on dates...

October has nearly flown by. Halloween is around the corner, and I'm busy at work getting ready for the annual children's Halloween Party we host at the Nature Center, complete with a witch in the Hollow tree... I leave you with this picture of my kids (plus a few borrowed ones) taken a few years ago outside the yurt that I'm currently busily decorating for this year's event.
The tall one is Wolfman, and the skeleton is Liesl -- by now she's as tall as the masked man in black, who in turn is 6 feet tall! Time's a-flying by...

Birthday Pixie

2009-10-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today my little, nay, long and lanky girl turns 12.
Happy Birthday, Liesl!
I remember well the day you were born: those alert big blue eyes taking in the world. You've always had an intensity about you -- even as a toddler you insisted on "self", doing by yourself anything your 3.5 year older brother did. With determination and grit you did it, too!

Now you're a young lady -- graceful, funny, still intense, and amazingly generous & wise.
Someday soon you'll be breaking boys hearts, but right now, you're perfectly happy hanging out with your family, friends, and pets (I know you'd have a whole zoo if we let you!).

You have a great sense of "self" -- don't ever let peer pressure take that from you. Stay true to yourself -- you're unique and wonderful.

Let there be light (in a box)

2009-10-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

Today the view beyond this computer screen looks something like this:

in other words, it's foggy and misting.
Our days are getting shorter and shorter, and before we know it, we'll be going and returning from school/work in the DARK.
Time to get out the Light box, which is an artificial lamp that many Alaskans sit in front of every morning to get our fix of the right kind of rays so that we make it through the winter without going mad or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

photo credits:
http://www.karlandbeth.com
http://www.wwu.edu

Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama

2009-10-09T08:24:00.001-07:00

Woke up this morning with the news that President Barack Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. This announcement came as a big surprise, and already there are negative comments floating around. Altogether, it seems that our president's efforts on behalf of world peace are appreciated more around the world than they are in his home country. The Nobel Peace website states that he was selected "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".
I don't envy the President's job -- it's got to be one of the toughest jobs in the world right now -- what a mess he has inherited! I, for one, congratulate him on being selected for this honor. It speaks of the high hopes much of the world has on his ability to affect positive change!

Yikes, I was on the evening news!

2009-10-08T23:19:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I'm fairly camera-shy, but I did end up on the local evening news recently. The occasion was a story about the proposed expansion plans of the Nature Center where I teach.

Sooo -- if you're curious about what I look and sound like, and how taking a group of Middle Schoolers on a nature hike is a lot like herding cattle, go to KTUU and type "Eagle River Nature Center" into the search field on the upper right-hand corner (I hate to admit that I have no friggin' idea how to load a video onto this blog post).

And when you see all those bulges and are wondering if I've gained weight since you last saw me -- it's my uniform: I carry a first aid kit, radio and bear spray!

Where is a good place to see wild animals?

2009-10-06T10:01:00.001-07:00

Today I tackle the question "Where is a good place to see wild animals?"
It was yesterday's question on Plinky.com, a website whose sole purpose is to provide something for us bloggers to blog about -- never heard of it until I saw Solipsist's post, where he mentions me (blush!) when apparently dumbfounded with an answer to the wild animal question...

Everybody assumes that when you're in Alaska, you see wildlife all the time. In fact, many tourists are either too terrified to walk more than a few steps from their cars, fearing being ripped apart by a huge grizzly, or else they arrive, such as at my place of employment, with camera around neck, expecting or even demanding to see a big wildlife (moose or bear), figuring a sighting is guaranteed.

I received an email this summer from a German tourist who claimed that a bull moose crosses our parking lot every evening at 18:00 -- he wanted to know if that moose is still around during his upcoming visit. Earlier this summer, an RV-touring Swiss showed me a postcard (see picture on left) and said "I vant to fotograf a bear katchink lachs today." I had to tell her that these bears were photographed at the McNeill River Preserve, which is an expensive trip off the road system -- not in her (or our family's) budget.

I sometimes meet disappointed visitors such as one loud New Yorker who walked the whopping 1/2 mile to the Nature Center's viewing deck (it was the middle of a hot summer day) and demanded "I've been here 2 weeks and haven't seen any wildlife yet! -- where the hell can I see moose and bear?" When I suggested the zoo, he scoffed "I can go to the zoo back home!". I held my tongue, but was tempted to tell him "sorry, but our mechanical moose is currently out of order." Instead I patiently explained how dawn and dusk are better times for wildlife viewing...

The truth is that wildlife is shy, and that is a good thing! Even us locals don't see wildlife all that often, although I'm lucky to be able to say that I come across them at work occasionally. But it's not like I see them every day!

I can count on one hand the number of times that I've seen moose out of my kitchen windows, and I've lived here 10 years. I've seen black bears in my yard too, but again that's rare, and it usually means that somebody in the neighborhood left out garbage or grilled some awfully good-smelling salmon!

What is amazing is that we have moose and bear here in the first place! I leave you with a picture of a bull moose that I took this summer at our mailbox -- sure wish he'd show up with that German punctuality every day!

If you'd like to see a post with pictures I took of a moose re-arranging our lawn furniture, click here for a post I wrote last fall.

Keep out of the reach of children

2009-10-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today I bought a new nailbrush, and as I was extricating my new purchase from its wasteful packaging material, I was struck by the warning Keep out of the reach of children.
Now let me get this straight: this item is dangerous to children? How, pray tell? Is it that a child could use it incorrectly, and hurt themselves in the process?

By all means, I will heed this warning and keep my children away from this dangerous item -- I would much rather have my children run around with dirt (and all those nasty bacteria) under their fingernail -- that is infinitely preferable, isn't?

Photo credit: http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com

Eldest in Munich

2009-10-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

She made it to Munich, and even to the "tail" end of Oktoberfest!

Here's my sister (in the dirndl) and my daughter -- you can see the family resemblance. How I wish I could be there too...

This week I'm cooking German food in their honor (see Borealkitchen, my other blog).

As we were sitting around a good German meal last night, the kids were comparing notes on their visit last summer to Munich and their Tante Elke, my younger sister.

Youngest: "She's like a darker-haired version of mom, and really funny."
Me: "How's that?"
Wolfman: "She's a trickster-version of you, mom! I love how she made fun of you. Like teasing your American pronunciation of 'genau'."

Eldest is blogging about her experiences in Germany on her blog Kitchensister.

Expat meme

2009-09-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

Frankly, I don't really like memes, but here's one I find myself wanting to take. It's from the blog Letters home to you, who does not care for memes either -- that why I could call it a non-memer's meme:)

Ian (who is Canadian living in Germany) answers are in black bold. Mine are in red (German living in US). I'm surprised how similar some of the answers are!

How long have you lived away from your home country? Going on 20 years. 30 years and counting...

Do you still feel like you’re just visiting? All the time. I’m serious. Ditto.

What do you notice the most has changed about your home country when you go back for a visit? More American influence in media, language and culture in general. Ditto.

If you were to move again, would it be back to your home country? Without a doubt. Actually no, but I'd love to spend more time visiting, perhaps even a year-long sabbatical, but I'm not sure I'd want to live there permanently.

Do you ever get homesick? Only in the run-up to a holiday back home. You can tell right here because I start to write memory-laden posts about the old days. Ditto.

If you read the news, do you read it in your native language or that of your host country? English mostly, but German and French as well. I rarely get ahold of German reading material.

What do you like the most about living in your host country? The amount of free time I have. It’s something I value very highly. That and no Sunday shopping. One day a week where consumerism has to hit the brakes. I like the wide open spaces -- there's still wilderness left here.

What grates you the most? Whiners who bitch and moan about Germany but refuse to leave, offering up a dozen excuses for not doing so. Get the hell out if you don’t like it. What are you waiting for? Someone to decide for you? What grates on me is selfishness of Americans: the "why should I care about the world's dwindling resources -- there's plenty enough for me..."

Did you speak the language of your host country before you arrived? Not a bit.Yes.

How long did it take before you felt comfortable speaking the language? I’m still not completely comfortable unless I’ve had a couple glasses of beer. I'm very comfortable in English and am understood just fine, but beer still helps to get over being conscious of being different.

If people switch to your language when you speak to them in their language, how do you react? I like it! It means they’re reaching out for a connection, which is good, so I usually say something back in English to see how far it will go. I like it when somebody speaks German to me, but if pronunciation is poor and I can't understand it, then that's awkward.

What has been the biggest change you’ve had to make in leaving your home country? In Hamburg, I can’t go hiking in the mountains. There’s no skiing or mountain biking worth getting excited about for a thousand km, and I can’t just drop by a tennis court anytime and start playing. Food, culture, Gemuetlichkeit.

If there were a button to improve anything about your expatriate life, what would it say on the button? For free flights home, press here. Ditto, squared!

Eldest is off to Germany

2009-09-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

My dearest Eldest daughter!
You're off to Germany for a big adventure -- I can hardly believe that you're all grown up now, all finished with college, such a capable young lady full of promise!
You'll be getting to visit my quirky family of origin, and maybe now you'll understand your German mom a little bit better. You'll be experiencing so much -- have a beer for me at Oktoberfest: I moved away from Germany before I was old enough to go!

So here is a little bit of "advice" from Mutter to Tochter:

Sorry, can't help it, so I might just as well say it & be done with it: be careful!

Enjoy yourself: you'll have lots of fun with your positive attitude.

Expect different cultural attitudes: Germans are not just Americans in Dirndls and Lederhosen! If you approach them with an open mind, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you do find communalities.

The language thing will be overwhelming at first: your head will spin -- but before you know it you'll be an old hand ordering your Wurst und Bier vom Fass!

Germans can be gruff: don't let that get to you. They're not all bad, and you'll find that the bark is worse than the bite!

Germany is full of contrasts: I can't wait to hear your impressions. Regional differences are more noticeable-- there's a much stronger sense of place.

You'll have such a wonderful adventure -- wish I could come with you! I'd grab a Rucksack and hop on a train with you -- but having your mom along would cramp your style when you meet a good-looking guy! Just do me a favor, don't come back with someone named Horst!

Fall Fotos: falleri, fallera...

2009-09-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

The Value of Education?!?

2009-09-10T00:18:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe how many kids were kept at home here in backwards Alaska on Tuesday. I guess their parents did not want their children to be exposed to President Obama's speech about this terrible socialist idea (namely the value of education,?!?!)
My son's High School history teacher didn't show it because it supposedly "did not have any relevance" -- what the @&F*%?
I had a school class on a fieldtrip at the Nature Center and the teacher said many stayed home because of the speech -- who knows, might we have piped the speech to them in the woods?

My daughter's 6th grade teacher taped the speech and showed it a day later -- good for him! Parents had the option of sending a note if they wanted to have their child to go to another classroom during the speech. I bet they would not have had to do that last week when our Republican governor spoke last week at a local school about the same topic...

SO, let me get this straight -- people kept their kids home to prevent them hearing Obama telling them to stay in school and work hard. I kringe at the message these parents are giving their kids: are they saying don't stay in school like Obama tells you to -- emulate Sarah (the Quitter) Palin instead...

Actually, come to think of it, there's one of those celebrity READ posters at my kid's elementary school with Palin in a dogsled holding a book, and the message is "READ A BOOK" -- how subversive!!! I better start writing nasty letters. After all, there's not many letters difference between Palin and Stalin! And if kids don't value their education, they may not be able to tell the difference...

Yikes, do they have any room in Canada...?

Harvest time

2009-09-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

There aren't many things that are as satisfying as harvesting your own food.
The blueberries are ripe now at the higher elevations, the rosehips are ready in our neck of the woods, and we've been eating lots of good stuff from our own garden now: zuccinis, carrots, kale, and even tomatoes!

It's the root crops that I find most intriguing to grow -- perhaps it's because we don't see the results of our labors, being hidden underground.

The carrots are truly sweet here in Alaska, benefitting from long daylight hours -- I could easily grow more next year. Beets are growing very nicely too, ready for Borscht soon. But the potato crop is my favorite. The plants may not look like much when they're growing in the garden, starting to turn a little pale-yellowish as the days get shorter -- but then comes the reward of the harvest!
I think of the Irish crofter, digging in the dirt, and each potato turned up is like a nugget of gold: it's the food that will sustain. I've read that as far as a poverty-crops go, potatoes (together with a few other crops like cabbages) are apparently fairly sound nutritionally.

Youngest and I have only dug up less than quarter of our potatoes and carrots so far, and they are wonderful. Sure, they're readily available at the grocery store and farmer's market.
But there's nothing better than that joy of watching my child serve carrots from her own garden plot at dinnertime: "I grew these!", and everyone agreeing that they've never tasted any better!

photo credit:
potatomuseum.com

Party-poopers

2009-08-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

Warning, this is a bit of a curmudgeon-ly post: you've been warned!

Here I go:

At social gatherings (a.k.a. parties), I do not care to stand around listening to a bunch of guys "male posturing". Because to me, men bragging about their cars, fishing trips, business successes or anything else is just posturing -- they may as well be comparing the sizes of their dicks!
They just go on and on about themselves! No matter where the conversation leads --politics, science, the weather even-- this type of male (type A personality?) just likes to bring the conversation right back to himself and what a hotshot he is!

Myself, I rather go over and see what the ladies are talking about. I don't care about shopping, fashion or make-up, but more often than not, sooner or later they do get around to talking about some stuff is that close to my heart: children, education, family, health... But no matter what the topic, women tend to be more consensus-building, self-disclosing, yes, they're more likely to listen. Most importantly, they don't blatantly think of themselves as the center of the universe!

The question begs: is it all just basic Darwinian evolution at work? Men competing for power and access to females, while women are nurturing their young? Or did I spend too much time in graduate school taking courses in evolutionary biology?

Maybe I'm a bit biased -- just a teensy bit...

Phew, got that off my chest!

Photo credits
http://static.zsl.org
http://www.grg.org

Healthcare debate

2009-08-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

When I first came to this country, people would asked me if I came from the "socialist or communist" Germany -- and why the heck was it called "democratic" when it isn't? Don't they get free healthcare, and have no choices and freedoms?
Well, I hardly knew where to start answering! In broken English I'd try to explain that
(a) I came from West Germany, which was democratic (official name was Federal Republic of Germany) while East Germany (even if the name was German Democratic Republic) was communist, but that (b) West Germany did also have "socialized" healthcare, but it was not free - it was paid for by taxes (doesn't anybody understand that nothing is ever truly free?), and that you still had choices & freedom, and, most difficult of all (c) that socialism does not equal communism!

Today, I just came across a blog new to me, Solipsist, by a writing teacher. I really enjoyed his discussion on healthcare, and he offers an excellent explanation as to why Americans are so scared by the word "socialized" in front of Medicine.
and here I quote the Solipsist:

...maybe people get turned off by the phrase "socialized," which makes them think of socialism. Now, here again, the main problem is that the word "socialism" has gotten a bad rap. Political scientist Robert Axelrod in a book about cooperation, effectively defined socialism (or at least a socialist state of mind) as "niceness." So what's the problem with "niceness"? Well, nothing, but many people equate "socialism" with "communism"--which are not the same thing--and "communism" with Russia and in particular with "Stalinism." The thing people don't realize is that calling Josef Stalin a socialist is like calling calling Tony "Scarface" Montana a pharmacist...

Anyway, even if my family is among the lucky ones to have decent health insurance through an employer, I do feel that the AMERICAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS BROKEN, and it needs FIXING!
How is it broken? Let me count the ways... the US spends much more on healthcare per patient without delivering better health; the unfairness of denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions, the huge number of un-insured and under-insured, and on and on...

Let me just give you one tiny lousy example of BROKEN: a gainfully employed (but under-insured) friend of ours ended up making the risky choice of NOT going to the emergency room with a dangerous bowl obstruction, risking rupture (and thus possibly death), because he simply could not afford it -- he's still paying off the bills from his last one several years ago that precipitated a HUGE chain of medical problems. Note also that an indigent or homeless person in the same situation would have been treated for free. THERE IS SOMETHING TERRIBLY WRONG WITH THAT!

Don't get me wrong: I don't think that it's "unfair" when the homeless get treated in the Emergency Room-- it's the compassionate thing to do: we don't let people die in the streets! I digress here, but there is a whole big problem with homelessness in this country, and much of it has to do with how poorly we deal with mental illness, and again, healthcare reform could help...

I think that access to affordable healthcare should be a basic right just like access to education -- maybe it would help if called our public school system "socialized education". Most countries have just that, including ours, as it is obviously in a society's best interest to educate its citizens. Imagine a world where not everybody could afford to send their kids to school -- what kind of a heartless society would that make us?

Here's an account of a British(-American) Mommy blogger entitled "Hey America, socialised medicine is not that bad!", very enlightening!
I also recommend any of Honeypiehorse's social commentaries: very insightful.

Recital

2009-08-28T10:22:00.001-07:00

Both kids kept up their string lessons over the summer, and got to show off their musical prowess at a recital this week.
Wolfman played "Nina" by Pergolesi, and he played it beautifully -- really "polished" that piece! Too bad Pergolesi died so young (age 26) as he wrote excellent lyrical music -- read here for more about Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736).

Liesl played a fiddle tune named "Leatherbuttons", accompanied by big Bro on the cello. She did very well (seems to have gotten over her stage fright earlier in her musical career), and it was so sweet to hear the siblings perform together!

Here are a few more pictures of the recital:
the wonderful accompanist Ruth,

there's always a beginner playing variations on "Twinkles",

many more cellists such as this one playing Bach,

and this last violinist who gets my vote for the most unique shoes!

Back to School...

2009-08-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Hey ho, hey, ho
it's back to school they go...

Yes, it's that time of year -- the youngstas are headed back to school bright and early tomorrow morning. Parents everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief!

Actually, this summer our kids (the 2 remaining who are of school age, entering 10th and 6th grade) have been a breeze. They're old enough to take care of themselves while mom & dad are off to work, and never set the house on fire even once. They take care of their chores (usually), don't fight too much, and even practice their instruments without being nagged about it -- when did they grow up to be so responsible?

Luckily they're not 9-5 latchkey kids -- our schedules are flexible enough that usually one or the other of us got to be home at least some of the time. But it has been great to be able to trust them, not worry about them, and not have to spend a huge chunk of change on daycare or camps. They both are much happier just "hanging out" en famille -- organized camps are not their "cup of tea". Some people thrive on being busy, but our lot (the kids and the 'rents) love having a laid-back summer -- there's plenty "busyness" the rest of the year...
We did not go on any trips Outside (a.k.a. the lower 48 States) this summer, but have done a fair bit of fun stuff around here, including a few great camping trips. Bicycling, hiking, s'mores around the campfire, reading, picking berries -- that's what summer is about! One of the highlights of my summer was them coming to work with me occasionally -- volunteering to help out at the Nature Center.

When they were younger, I was lucky to be able to stay home with them. My job grew in hours and responsibilities as they grew older -- I started first as a volunteer, then very part-time during the peak spring/summer fieldtrip season with summers off. Now I work 3/4-time year-round, and still get to be home when they return from school -- couldn't ask for a more ideal job!

But I do think that in the American school system summer vacation is too long -- 3 months! True, some children (with rich parents) go on amazing trips and specialty camps. But most don't, and they lose out academically too. Students forget a lot over the summer if they're not engaged and challenged (Nintendo & the tube are unfortunately the entertainment of choice, rather than playing outside) -- i just can't imagine how long it takes teachers to catch them up on math, let alone study habits and routines. If I were gone from my job for 3 whole months, my brain would do a major core dump, and I'd have forgotten procedural details and quite a few phone numbers...

I like vacations -- don't get me wrong. Kids need them, and adults too! I think US workers don't get nearly enough vacation from their jobs to take a good break and RELAX, for their health and sanity's sake-- instead many are juggling to find daycare or summer camps for their children who are out for 3 whole months when they themselves have only a few weeks' leave! I see many of those summer camps coming through the Nature Center on fieldtrips, and they vary greatly -- some of the counselors are great, and some so young and inexperienced that they have little clue on how to deal with their charges... I've met some wonderful dedicated people, but I imagine that many a young college student who's doing this for a summer job ends up getting turned away from this field after negative experiences -- I know it sounds cynical! My sincere wish is that our society learn to place a higher value of those working with children: they're our future, and we ought to pay and respect all teachers much MORE!

So here's a "hip, hip, hoorah" to hard-working and dedicated teachers everywhere!

I nee a Project like I need a hole in the head

2009-08-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading the book Julie & Julia, and am looking forward to seeing the movie with Eldest, my daughter known in blogland as "Kitchensister" -- she's a great cook and I'm sure we'll enjoy seeing what probably is best described as a chick-flick food movie (at least that's what I tell my hubby as to why I need to see this movie with Eldest instead of him!).
For those of you not familiar with the movie(click for trailer here), here's the essence:
29 year old NY secretary, Julie Powell, feels a need for a project, and takes on cooking all 500+ recipes in Julia Child's famous cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and blogging about it -- setting herself the challenge of doing it all in year's time...

I just finished the book tonight, and I admit it, I enjoyed it -- it's about two women searching for meaning in life (Julia Child also started her cooking career late in life), and the process of embarking on the "Project" helps both woman find joy in their lives.

The natural consequence of my delving into this story is, naturally, a search for my own year-long personal "Project" and blog about it -- something that will change my life?!?!

Shall I cook my way through all of Paul Prudhommes' Cajun recipes -- that would make my husband VERY happy, and do no good to either of our waistlines? Nix that!

shall I be the perfect "Hausfrau" and actually keep a clean house for a year? Nix that!

shall I cook my way through a different cuisine or cookbook every week? Hey, I like that idea!

shall I pull a Barbara Kingsolver and cook only healthy organic local food for a year? Noble thought, but can't realistically pull that off here in Alaska! Nix that.

shall I spend the winter cataloguing and scapbooking 20-some years worth of family fotos, including an actual digital library that makes sense? Talk about a big job!

shall I make a handknit sweater and/or make a quilt for everybody on my Christmas list? See you in a few years-- I have enough unfinished objects (UFO) in my craft area that I don't need to start any new ones for a good year. Nix that!

shall I forget all about food and crafts and practice yoga until I have the perfect flexible body and find enlightenment too? Too esoteric...

shall I ... you fill in!

Playing forester again!

2009-08-13T23:50:00.001-07:00

I have a degree in Forestry, which I get to put to use occasionally. And this week was just such an occasion: I was assigned to check our trails for hazard trees.

Hazard trees are not exactly a Homeland Security issue. It's a matter of evaluating potential risk: which trees along the trail are likely to fall in a windstorm, and would they cause much damage? It's one thing if they only block the trail until we can send out a guy (or gal -- we do have a few on our trail crew) with a chainsaw. But the most serious case would be if a tree falls on an innocent person sitting on a bench or picnic table...

So I got to do the first round of evaluating hazard trees. Once again, I'm lucky to be paid to spend hours hiking the beautiful Alaskan Outdoors -- can't beat that. And this time, I took my family along: the prof was the photographer, the son was in charge of GPS, and Youngest helped take notes and take samples. We made a great team!

The Big Black Box

2009-08-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I spent many hours moving a Big Black Box (my compost bin) across the yard to a new location -- a strange thing to do on a picturesque sunny afternoon, but it was worth it.
To me composting is all about enriching the soil for gardening -- plus, of course, reducing waste and watching that miracle of decomposition in action.

I admit that the compost-moving operation turned out to be a LOT of work, and I really did not know what I'd find inside! A pleasant surprise was that I ended up harvesting something 6-8 buckets of decent soil for my vegetable garden!

The reason that I felt the great need to tote a ton of yard waste across my yard was basically that I was unhappy with the lack of progress my compost bin was making -- I knew that it was way too dry (being a big plastic box w/ lid --rather reminiscent of a latrine, actually), and since I could not reach it with the hose, it rarely got watered.

I set up this big black box 2 springs ago, all excited to make my own compost. I picked that location for its distance to the house, and was glad of it when a black bear discovered it shortly after I had started composting in it! Lesson #1: No household wastes.
You should have seen me that day -- banging pots together to get "Blackie" out of my yard. Afterwards, I promptly removed all kitchen scraps (causing some of the frame to break as I precariously leaned over the edge). Since then, I only used it for grass clippings, fall leaves and the dead potted plants from the deck after the first frost.
I basically pretty much neglected it other than throwing in the occasional grass/leaves, having started an indoor worm bin in the garage for my kitchen scraps. Whenever it did look in the big black box, there was a bunch of very dry-looking straw. Last summer we only had 2 days where the temperature got above 70 Fahrenheit, and I had pretty much come to the conclusion that composting in Alaska was a waste of space.But my success with the worm box, and the warmth of this summer, got me to rethinking my hard-nosed position. I came to the conclusion that I could do better by moving the big black box to a sunny spot right behind one of my new raised beds, where I could water it right along with my growing veggies, plus being right there, it would also be a handy receptacle for all the green waste products of gardening such as thinning the carrots, etc.

Today, as I disassembled the big black box, and after getting past the top half of dry grass, etc, I started finding some wonderful black COMPOSTED SOIL! Miracles of miracles -- 2 years of utter neglect did produce some decent soil. How I love sifting my hands through that black gold. Between that and the harvest from my worm box, I added a hefty dent in my newest raised bed project -- yes, I do plan to grow a bigger garden next year.
Ahhh, the satisfaction of a job well done, and as a bonus, clean crocs for the whole family!

If you'd like to see a list of how my garden crops fared so far this summer, click to see "Gardening Successes and Failures", which I posted on my other blog, Borealkitchen.blogspot.com

Aha moment -- an addendum to Crow Pass hike

2009-08-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

Why did I not think of this BEFORE hiking Crow Pass?

Had a perfectly good solution to the problem of crossing an ice-cold glacier river, sitting right in the attic with the boating gear which we hadn't used in years: neoprene socks!

It was a middle-of-the-night revelation, and I promptly went searching for them (the next morning). I lent the socks to friends who were about to go on the Crow Pass hike for the second time this summer, and we had just compared stories of painful feet!

Here's the glowing report:

"The Socks made all the difference in the world -- my feet never felt uncomfortable, so less painful. Amazing technology!"

Crow Pass Hike

2009-07-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

It's been 2 weeks since this hike -- the blisters have healed, laundry & work is caught up on, and I'm itching to do some more hiking -- so I better post these pictures and tell the tale:

CROW PASS: A Tale of Many Crossings

Two middle-aged women set out on an adventure: 24 miles from Girdwood to Eagle River over some spectacular Chugach Mountain terrain -- two nights of camping along trail, fording a major river, no kids, husbands, or cell phones -- relying just on ourselves!

Originally it was going to be my 22-yr old daughter, some of her friends and I, but Eldest ended up doing research in the Shelikof Strait, West of Kodiak. So instead of a mother-daughter trip, it became a 2-girlfriend trip. My long-time friend C flew in from Fairbanks for the weekend. My worried husband dropped us off at the trailhead in Girdwood: reports of the ford site being waist-high made us all uneasy -- we promised that if the water was too high, then we'd just turn around!

We had a wonderful trip! Both of us lamented that we had not done anything like this since before our children were born, and now for each the oldest child had graduated-- where did the time go?

The first 4 miles lead us up and over Crow Pass (picture above) and back down, climbing and descending 2000 ft elevation, right past Raven Glacier (see picture on left).

The weather was perfect.

It had been really hot (for Alaska-standards) and the glaciers were melting gang-busters. Therefore we had to cross several smaller creeks, such as this crossing here of Clear Creek at its confluence with Raven Creek. We each carried a separate pair of river-crossing shoes. Take a look at those COLD feet!

We camped in a meadow along Raven Creek, waking up the next morning to over 100 runners passing: this was the weekend of the Crow Pass Marathon. Incredible athletes -- this year the 3 hour record was broken (see ADN news article & pictures here) -- to think it took them 3 hours what took us 3 days!
The last runner was somebody I knew, and she called out to us leisurely eating our breakfast "That looks like a lot more fun" -- she had just climbed and dropped those 2000 ft in something like 1 hour!!!

We reached the ford site at mid-day. The Eagle River was impressively high when we got to it -- raging full of gray glacial melt water. Nobody was around, and we decided to go for it. We debated whether we should ford together or separately, and on acct of our heavy backpacks decided to go solo (unbuckled, ready for ditching in case of falling). We were worried about making things less stable holding on to each other, plus we each had picked up an alder walking stick along the way. In retrospect, we would have been better off crossing as a team.

So intrepid C went in first, and I followed after a little while. If you've never forded a river, let me tell you, it's an amazing and scary experience! The cold of that icy water hits you like you can't imagine. But what was even tougher is the tremendous force of that water, and how hard it is to get a steady foothold -- or shall I say numb-hold? My feet felt numb after a few minutes, and it was a challenge not panic, but just keep telling myself to "keep going -- you can do it!"

I don't know if it took 5 minutes, or 10, but by the time I got the other side (only an island, there was more icewater to go!!!), I ripped out my sleeping back and put my icecube feet inside. Ohhh, did they hurt warming up! But soon I was warmed & fed (chocolate helps!), and we did the 2nd crossing of the braided river, which luckily wasn't as deep or wide as the first part.

We hiked a few more miles and made camp for the second night. Vigilant about encountering bears, we carried bearspray and cooked & ate away from our campsite, plus I carried all the food in a bear-proof container (just for kicks, here's a NY Times article about a NewEngland black bear who figured out to open bearproof containers). All we saw of bears is this and other lovely piles of scat.

We had about 11 miles to hike on our last day, without the elevation extremes or wet crossings. Plenty more creeks to cross, but there were lots of bridges. I admit I was a little worried when we got to raging Icicle Creek (picture below), but luckily there was a log for crossing with a rope just a little further upstream.
Here's my favorite when it comes to creek names: Yakedeyak -- just say it real fast!

About 5 miles from home, there's a spot named the perch, with a good view of the "mighty" Eagle River, which we've come to call it. The river may look peaceful from up there, but we're here to tell you it's nothing like that.

We did it!
We were proud of having done this hike, and talked about getting together and doing another one next summer, perhaps somewhere in the interior (where the rivers are warmer...?)

When we got home, the kids cooked us a hearty supper of basghetti and meatball, we drank some wine, and slept like babes!

Forensic Motherhood

2009-07-23T14:23:00.001-07:00

Envision yourself coming home from an afternoon of shopping (dad gives mom of three kids a well-deserved break), and as mom walks up to her house, she finds it deserted. BUT, there is a trail of blood leading up the stairs, and the front door is wide open. What happened? Who got hurt? Where did everybody go?...
This happened to my mom some 40 years ago -- before the days of cell phones, or, apparently, before the days of pencil of paper. My mother nearly went out of her mind until my dad finally arrived back from the hospital, where my little sister had gotten stitches on her forehead, after having run into my brother on the swing (remember those wooden boards with sharp edges -- this was before someone smart designed the soft butt-hugging type that does not require surgery when you rammed another kid...)

Nothing that scary happened to me, but the other day I got home from work to a rather strange scenario, hubby having taken the kids to their music lessons in town.

Door is wide open...
I walk into the kitchen: there are 4 cereal bowl with the remains of milk and granola. I only have 2 kids living at home, so how is that possible? Easy, teenage son probably ate 3 bowls, and the 4th belongs to his little sister.
It gets better! I need to get some dinner started, so I turn to the stove. There is a black liquid oozing out from under the stove, and a yellowish-red powder dusting the counters and floor. Several pots and pans are on top of the stove, with various blackish-graying substances on them. Ahhh, now I remember, they had wanted to cook black beans for burritos -- Son had declared that he was tired of PB&J, and wanted to learn how to make burritos, from scratch!
I had soaked some black beans overnight. Instructions were to "cook until soft", mash them with a potato masher for "Refritos", then add spices. Turns out the pot of beans boiled over, explaining the black ooze. There was an attempt made to mash the beans BEFORE they were soft, which caused quite a few chunks of gray-black matter decorating my kitchen. Lastly, Son attempted to grind the spices -- problem was that he opened the lid while the blade was still spinning....

There are days where I would have been mad at the mess, but that day I only chuckled, being rather proud of myself for having figured out what happened. This is as close to CSI (=Crime Scene Investigation, which Germans would call a "Krimi" ) as I'll ever get -- I love watching the TV series -- the scientist in me enjoys a bit of detective work that goes into figuring out the clues left in the evidence at the scene of a crime...

Ahhh, the joys of forensic motherhood!

For the Black Bean recipe, go to my other blog, Borealkitchen

Photo credit to www.all-about-forensic-science.com for the blood spatter picture.

Why don't she write?

2009-07-14T00:16:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't get eaten by a bear, or carried away by a cloud of fierce mosquitoes! (But we did stop by this sculpture of a giant Mosquito in Delta Junction-- picture credit goes to a German blog Petaflop.de.)

We just get back from a most
wonderful camping trip to the Interior -- camping in and along the Alaska Range: it was magnificent!!! One week away from civilization (where even Sarah Palin news did not reach!) And yes, I will post pictures, but they'll have to wait, BECAUSE:

we're having an honest-to-goodness HEATWAVE here in Alaska -- we're into our second week of this amazing (above "normal") weather: it's been getting into the mid 80's (Fahrenheit) -- that's 25 C for you Europeans.

SOooo, needless to say, why blog when you can get a tan? work in the garden? drink cold beer, shooting the breeze, while sitting on the porch with good friends?

I'm afraid I might have jinxed this by (God forbid!) digging out my summer clothes yesterday(yes -- I was seen wearing SHORTS!) -- the clouds might roll in anyday!

Actually, I'd welcome some good rain for 2 reasons: first and foremost, there are a number of big forest fires burning in Alaska. Plus, at the end of this week, I'm planning to hike the Crow Pass Trail with a girlfriend (26 miles from Girdwood to Eagle River). This long-planned adventure involves crossing the Eagle River right below where it flows out of a glacier lake, and with the current heatwave causing gang-buster melting of the Eagle glacier, the river is swollen: icecold and chest high -- this will be an ICE COLD experience!

Wish us luck!

Camping at Eklutna

2009-06-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated Father's Day by going camping, which is one of our favorite things to do during Alaskan summers. We went to Eklutna, which is really only one valley over, but a world away (no phones, no computers, no worries...). Eldest didn't join us -- alas, she's got her own life to live...

Here are some pix:

The family portrait with the Eklutna lake (actually a reservoir) in the background.

For kids, going to Eklutna is all about the MUD!!!! Our own kids seems to have gotten too old to get really INTO the MUD, so I photographed a bunch of other kids who were obviously relishing the fine glacial flour -- this is what ours used to look like whenever we went up there (they had a set of old clothes that were simply labelled "Eklutna").

Our own kids: portraits of Liesl and Wolfman.

Our friends, J & J, who joined us on Saturday.

Last, but not least, yours truly in a rather silly state, after just having re-discovered German Weizenbier!

BRRR!!! Midsummer Cold Front

2009-06-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

BRRRRR!!!
We just had the longest day of the year, and this morning it was 34 degrees Fahrenheit (that's barely above freezing -- around 1 degree Celsius for you Europeans) at the river below our house (we woke up to a balmy 38 here!) Needless to say, I put on an extra sweater --staying in bed was not a choice this morning, but that's what I really wanted to do!
The mountains across our valley were covered tonight with a fresh dusting of powdered sugar /nay, snow.
Note: the mountain is Eagle River Overlook, the same mountain as on the Borealkraut header above, photographed from our front porch (poor us, having to look at that every day!) -- the rainbow picture was taken another year, later in the summer.
Cheechako (or newcomer) Alaskans call this kind of snow "termination dust", because it typically occurs around September "terminating" summer -- but let's not call it that! This is merely a cold front in mid-summer, and there is still plenty of summer left!!!
It was really quite beautiful today, and it did warm up to somewhere in the upper 50's -- yeah, I know that some of you may not exactly consider this summer! One of the Out-of-State visitors on my guided hike today asked if we even knew what an 80 degree summer day feels like. I said, yes, that's what I call too hot!

Best and Worse Part of the Day

2009-06-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

We have this ritual in our family: every night we gather at bedtime and each of us shares our "best and worst" part of our day. We do this even when one of us is traveling -- whoever is gone will try to call around bedtime to participate, if possible.

The rules are simple: we start with the kids, and everybody shares something from their day in each category. You gotta have one of each: finding a "best" part helps put some perspective on even the lousiest of days. Similarly, we sometimes laugh how good a day was if the worst we could come up with was "xyz"! But the "worst" is not meant to be a complaint or "dumping" feast -- no, merely sharing the facts with the rest of the family, perhaps the telling helping to process and put the event in perspective...

Lately we've added a third category, the "sensory experience" of the day, and that has quickly become a fun addition that we all look forward to! The "sensory" may be good, bad, (&ugly), and can involve sight, sound, smell, taste, or even just plain weirdness. For example, the first ever was when papa reported seeing a transport of stacked port-a-potties (latrines) on his commute home from work! Sometimes the sensory experience ends up being the taste of a new food, hearing or seeing a wild animal, or, invariably, the occasional description involving a public restroom or the school cafeteria...

Above all, this little ritual helps our family gather one last time before we go to bed -- even though we're together for most of our evening meals, and we tell each other about the events of the day -- it really helps to have a dedicated time for each & everyone to share, and then be able to put it all "to rest" before going to sleep.

HOW and WHY? When the kids were younger, we always cuddled and read aloud at bedtime (and we actually still do!). But as kids get older they often outgrow cuddling, yet still need that closeness to their families.
We started this on a family vacation in the Utah, and even had a "Talking Stick" (a Native American tradition -- click here for instructions on how to make one). Only the family member holding the stick gets to speak -- no interruptions are allowed! Now we don't need the talking stick anymore, but whenever we find that the speaker is getting interrupted too much, we grab the back-scratcher I keep next to my bed, and whoever yields it, he or she hold the floor!

Family vacation pictures

2009-06-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

Bicycling & beach-combing on our recent vacation to Homer on the picturesque Katchemak Bay...

Youngest seems to be the only one willing to have a picture taken these days -- Teen boy won't let mom near him with the camera!

Liesl at the Pratt Museum donning an industrial survival suit (your only hope if capsized in the cold Alaska ocean!). Next, she's checking out a display explaining how the tilt of the earth makes Alaska's summer days so long -- right now we have over 19 hours of daylight!

Sunset at Anchor Point (about 20 miles North of Homer), with the active volcano, Mount Redoubt, in the background.

I leave you with one last picture (taken at least 5 years ago when the kids were still significantly shorter than their mother!) to appreciate that it's not always nice weather beach-combing in Alaska.

In love with Homer

2009-06-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with Homer, and no, I'm don't mean the goofy Simpsons TV character, but rather, the town of Homer Alaska.

We spend 3 days there over Memorial Day weekend, and not for the first time, I started wondering what it would be like to live year-round in this lovely small town at the end of the road (on the Kenai peninsula South of Anchorage) overlooking Kachemak Bay.

Here are some pictures I took around town -- I love the setting, the colorful buildings, the art, but most of all the fact that this town cares about the environment and is so refreshingly liberal (unlike most of the rest of Alaska)!
The first images are of a restaurant by the n ame of "Cafe Cups". I hear it has excellent food, but we did not eat there -- maybe next time...

We bicycled around town a lot, and being avid readers, the family stopped by the Homer Bookstore. I just love the wooden sculpture of the "Reader" on the bookstore's front porch.

The Salty Dog Saloon is sort of a landmark on the Homer "Spit" (a tongue of land that sticks out into the bay -- you can see it on the postcard picture at the top of this post). The spit is where the tourists hang out, and we went there for halibut fish and chips.

Here a few pictures to capture some of the funkiness of the town. I don't know if it's the truck or its contents that's for sale (coal gathered on the local beach), or how regular rune readings differ from mini rune readings -- but I do know that this town has character!

Small-town Alaska: Hope

2009-06-07T23:14:00.000-07:00

This is my very first entry participating in the Small Town Sunday blog challenge (see Wendy's Small Town post for details).

My pictures are of a very small Alaskan town (in fact, it's population is a mere 137 souls), and it has the wonderful name of Hope, Alaska.

The town of Hope was founded in 1896 when gold was discovered at Resurrection Creek. It is located on the Kenai peninsula side of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, more or less right across from Girdwood (home of the Alyeska Ski Resort). The 1964 earthquake destroyed much of the area.

Here's Main Street: Cafe and Social Hall.

We camped at Hope over Memorial Day weekend: the National Forest campground is located on a bluff, which overlooks the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet. This inlet has amazing tides (daily difference of some 30 feet) -- take a closer look at high tide vs. low tide by double-clicking on the photos.

Kids had fun skateboarding at the campground (yes, their mean parents insist on helmets). We took a nice hike on the Gull Rock Trail, where Youngest climbed a downed spruce (this area was heavily hit by the spruce bark beetle outbreak in the late 1990's).

After 2 nights at Hope, we headed South to Homer -- pictures to follow soon.