Orchid Days

Since this past December when my orchid started to send up a new shoot, that could one day become a bloom of flowers, I have been watching it with a careful eye. Giving it some extra attention, being sure it did not receive too much water nor too little, constancy and fastidiousness were the name of the game. Ever since the buds appeared and started to rapidly grow my gaze has been distracted from my work to watch this bit of wonder on my window sill.

This is the first orchid I have had and now two years later it begins to bloom under my care. Oh the joy.

Happy Tuesday dear friends.

Let us Begin...

Let us begin the time of fasting in light!

Preparing ourselves for the spiritual efforts.

Let us purify our soul; let us purify our body.

As from food, let us abstain from all passion
 and enjoy the virtues of the spirit,

So that perfected in time by love we may all be made worthy to see the Passion of Christ and the Holy Pascha in spiritual joy!

~from the Lenten Triodion

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This is posted on Flying Squirrel blog and is worth passing along.

Alaska History Lesson

Click on the photo to enlarge for view-able data. 

Timeline from the Alaska History and Cultural web site.

We are still such a young state with plenty of growing pains left to manage.

Alaska

North to Alaska! North to the Future! The Last Frontier! The Great Land! 

Alaska holds many lures for people from around the globe and the reasons that entice these people to this great land are countless. Some come to visit while others come to make this place their home. I have found that those who come to visit leave with a grand feeling of amazement, even though most only get to see a tiny fraction of the state’s wilderness. The common visitor travels the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska, to Anchorage, and then to Denali National Park, which would geographically be like a visit to Atlanta Georgia, Springfield Missouri, and then Des Moines Iowa. Which I suppose does not sound very exceptional but if you think of it in terms of the variation of scenery you might have visited New Zealand, minus the sheep, Bergen Norway, minus the cute houses, and Denali National Park, there are no comparisons that I would hazard to guess could be placed up against Denali.

Visiting Alaska is like any other vacation; you get a glimpse of new sights, eat the local gastronomy, and enjoy vistas that are different from where you call home. But making the choice to live here is a standalone story of extremes.

The population of Alaska in the 2010 census was 710,231 of which only 14.8% are American Indian or Alaska Native which leaves 85.2% of the population, what I call, transplants. These transplanted persons arrived in bulk between 1940 and 1970 with some of us now being second generation Alaskans, which by the way is a big deal around the state for the non-Alaska Native population. There are some who can claim the title of third generation Alaskan but granted they are few and far between at this point, but in time I can see their numbers growing in the generations that follow.

Even though our population numbers have grown at a rate of 13.3% in this new century I can tell you that there have been plenty of old timers, Sourdoughs, who have left the state for warmer sunnier climates. They are moving to places where the physical demands of the daily living conditions are not so harsh, leaving room for Cheechakos to make this state their new home.

These Cheechakos (or if we were talking about the wild-west of the Southwest United States they would be called Greenhorns) always show up with wide eyes and grand dreams of the Last Frontier. Most of them arrive with their heads filled with falsehoods and myths about what it takes to survive their first winter in Alaska. In truth this unforgiving land will chew you up and spit you out like an old piece of leather if you are not careful. Most Cheechakos do not and cannot fathom the psychological reactions that are induced by the lack of daylight. The effects that the darkness has on a person’s wellbeing can change the thought processes that control their daily life choices. They in turn make decisions that they would not otherwise have made, causing a chain reaction of mayhem and dysfunction. The darkness coupled with bad choices is one of the largest contributing factors for an unsuccessful transition to living in Alaska.

Likewise the summer with its seemingly endless supply of sunshine and never ending days swings the pendulum to the other side of the extreme. There is an abundance of joy and laughter, life is good again, until the crash. Winter will be back, and the dark of night will rule our behavior.

I recently read a survey that pegs those that live in Alaska among the happiest in the nation. If this survey was conducted in the summer months I could completely believe its outcome. However, ask any Alaskan the same survey questions in the deep of winter, or if they truly enjoy living here, if they are happy, and you will most assuredly receive a different result.

As Alaska comes out of its winter stupor and the daylight returns I can tell you, I for one, am happy to be Alaskan. Bring on the summer!

49 Over 48

Photo from the interwebs

Just in case you had forgotten.

Hope & Cope

“It’s not the problems that defeat us, even when we lose. But when we refuse to rise to a challenge, turn our backs on need or ignore a threat, that's when we lose. So choose to kindle the flame of hope. It's the only way to cope.”  Michael Mertes.


Well said Mike! Rock on! As in Rock the Mike!

Bathroom Remodel at the New Home

We have started our first major remodel project at the new home in Anchor-town, the main/guest bathroom is getting a face-lift. The only things that remained in the bathroom were the mirror on the wall and the bathtub. We selected the white subway tile look with green & gray glass blocks and stones for an accent border.

 

So far so good and all the rows are as close to level as I could get them. 

I am sure that I have mentioned before that our new home is a downsize from our old home in Fairbanks and we now have less than 800 square feet of living area. This means space saving ideas are a must and this barn style hanging slider door was just what the bathroom needed to give the appearance of more open space. It has worked wonders in the illusion of wow-this-is-a-good-size-bathroom way.

Tiling projects are fun and challenging but I think my hands are telling me otherwise. I cannot wait to show you the finished project.

Happy Monday!

What does your week hold in store for you?

Once in a Lifetime Pi

Photo from the interwebs

The number π is a mathematical constant, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, commonly approximated as 3.14159.

And today is just one of those days that will go down in history as the best Pi day ever!

High Five Friday for Making Rivers

High five Friday for springtime walks with my fella and making rivers across the path so the overflow water can drain to the other side.

May you find joy in each day by sharing the love!  P.S. you should know that 13 is so our luckiest number!

Tip Tuesday ~ Judge No More

We are constantly being criticized and at times judged by others.

You drive too fast.

You drive too slowly.

Your hair's too short.

Your hair's too long.

You don't see the world the way I do.

Criticize. Judge. Criticize. Judge. Criticize.

From our outward appearance to our inward beliefs we are constantly judging and being judged by others.

There is something to be said for being surrounded by like minded individuals and feeling comfortable to be yourself without the fear of being judged. Likewise there is something to be said for spending time in the world surrounded by those who will judge you. Don’t kid yourself, they will judge you.

Both situations build character as the saying goes.

We cannot control or stop what others say about us, think about us or whether they approve or disapprove of any of our driving skills, but we can control our own reactions to their conclusions.

It is this control of self that still catches me off guard when my own knee-jerk reaction tries to take over and I can feel the words frothing in my mouth to criticize them in return.

Stop. Stop. Stop.

Stop is the next word we should hear in our ears, mind, and heart.

Stop criticizing. Stop judging.

It is a very important step in showing the world the kinder person that you truly are on the inside.

High Five Friday ~ City Ninja Update & Feeling Brave

High five Friday for feeling brave and for the fact that I have been driving around the big city of Anchor-town for just over one year! And this City Ninja was informed that her gas mileage has gone down while the use of expletives has increased.

 I just don’t see the correlation. Do you?
 (Insert cheesy grin here)

Strong Daughter

I am a strong daughter.  I have all that it takes to endure your loss and live my life, make you proud of me still. Oh some days the hurt is so debilitating I could crumble. I will live those moments of tears and heartache and then I will live my life to the fullest.

Laugh and love with the best of them.

For I am your strong daughter.