A Scarf and a Tickle

The weekend was nice. We had the girls come visit us Friday night where they were entertained by watching cartoons, and looking at images on my computer. It was a simple night since they were both suffering from colds. Desiree is showing off her new scarf that I made for her in the above picture. She then played with the camera taking pictures of us. I felt that only one was worth showing. Desiree and I had to team up to get a picture of Phillip. We can take pictures of him, but he will never smile. He seems to look more like a deer caught in headlights than a person getting their picture taken. So I saddled up to him in the chair and asked Desiree to take our picture. Just as she focused the camera I grabbed his knee to tickle him. It worked perfect! Desiree was surprised at how happy I was, but she was quick to high-five me for the teamwork.

Back to the grind at work. So much fun! I am busy trying to develop a Middle East project in my World History class. I also have to prepare to have a substitute in my room at the end of the week because I have to fill in as Dean of Students in the office. Not a job I am looking forward to, but it will be good experience. I just hate being out of my classroom.

I Love Fridays (even at -30)

Phillip grows impatient with my dawdling this morning. He has just said to me, for the sixty-leventh time, “Hurry up. You’re going to be late to school!” So to further bug him I whip out the camera for a candid shot in the kitchen. It is blurry, but you can’t miss the exasperated look. Well, the weather stuck it to me for complaining about the cold earlier this week. Try -31F upon waking this morning! “How do you like them apples?” Old Man Weather hissed at me. Who cares if your water is running at that temperature! There is no way I am touching water in this cold. I leave for work, again, without a shower. And I am not a bit embarrassed.

Repairs, Creaky Joints, and Another Clock

Phillip, the greatest guy around, worked hard yesterday to make the cabin more livable. He placed another layer of insulation in the attic and put heat tape on the pipes to keep them from freezing. Thank God his friend, Lawrence (another Talking Clock), was available to help him with the task. I have already noticed that the monitor heater comes on less frequently and it seems warmer in the house. I also was able to take a hot shower this morning before school. I took such a long one that I was almost late for work. Bless the heated indoor plumbing, a luxury we too often take for granted. Thankfully I do not get too caught up in my showers with Phillip yelling the time through the door. As long as he doesn’t do it on my days off I can tolerate it.

Speaking of Phillip, the poor guy has been hobbling around on his bad foot this week. It seems to bother him even more in this extreme cold. Actually, we both notice creakiness in our joints in this deep freeze. I cannot imagine the horror of being elderly in this cold. Ah, something for us to look forward to. Anyhoo, Phillip has an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon soon and we are praying that this doctor has some answers for his pain. Drugs are not the answer for him, Phillip is voting for amputation!

Monday Morning in Alaska

Sometimes I forget why I like to live here. For example, this morning I awoke to a world where the temperature outside was -20F, and the temperature of the floor in the bedroom was 40F. I think I could actually leave the contents of my refrigerator on the floor and it would not spoil. My oil stove is running non-stop and my water keeps freezing up. As a matter of fact, my new cabin is not the paradise I had hoped it would be. Not only have I lived with total colliform bacteria in my water since I moved in, the foundation continues to settle, I can’t keep the place heated, and now I am going days on end without bathing. This weekend the wall in the bathroom shifted, thus creating a gap in the wall where the boards pulled apart and it actually busted the nails when it gave. I don’t even want to get started on the floors and how those boards are pulling apart. Yesterday when Phillip crawled under the house to fix our frozen water, the heat tape that was supposedly placed there on a thermostat was discovered to be invisible. Or, more likely, nonexistent. So it may be time to actively look for a new place to live. On a positive note, at least the cold weather provides clear, sunny days.

As some of our readers may know, our friend Wildfire is pregnant and ready to pop. It is my hope that she will send me an updated picture of her beautiful self and her giant belly so that I may post it online for everyone to enjoy. (hint, hint) Anyhoo, I finally finished the blanket for the baby. I will attempt to get a picture to post before I mail it to her.

Russian Christmas or Bored With A Kiln

In other towns people took down their holiday decorations and Christmas trees more than a week ago, and the stores are all decorated for a Valentine’s Day that is more than a month away. In Dillingham, our Christmas season is just ending. Today, Jan. 7, is Russian Orthodox Christmas and somebody ordered up a white Christmas. The snow looks beautiful today even if the skies are an iron gray.

Instead of enjoying myself in some outdoor winter activities, or curling up in front of the oil monitor with a cup of cocoa, I am standing around a kiln in the art room at the local school attempting to fire my first load of ceramics. Since I was assigned to teach high school art I now have the pleasure of spending twelve hours on a weekend to run a kiln for the students. And I thought I would enjoy teaching art! I think I am just anti-clay. It is too messy, too time consuming, and let’s face it – I cannot make anything with it!

Phillip is keeping himself occupied today by volunteering at the Christian Teen Center that is being built in the old Head Start building. He is there doing demolition work by himself. It is colder inside the building than it is outside! I know he is happy to be volunteering, but wishes there were others there to work with.

My big plans for the evening are a movie rental and some visiting people for Christmas. Phillip and I have been going by his grandparents house every day to check on them and visit. It gives us something to do. We have found that our phone never rings and many of our old “friends” have disappeared since we are unwilling to drink with them. Oh, well. Their loss.

Where in the world is Cricket?

Some of you are still unsure of where I live so I thought I would provide some information about Dillingham. Dillingham, Alaska is located in the southwest area of the state deep in the Nushagak Bay, which is fed by two rivers - the Wood and the Nushagak. Dillingham is a small town of around 2,200 people (depending on your source) that provides a hub of services for several villages in the region.

There is no street light, no movie theater, no shopping mall, and no fast food establishments. We do have two grocery stores, a bank, and a regional hospital. The school district provides a K-5 elementary school, a 6-12 secondary school, and an alternative high school.

There are two to three dog teams in the area, no one lives in igloos, and we use US currency for all monetary transactions. We see ourselves as a commercial fishing community with sockeye salmon being our "bread and butter". There is nothing quite so impressive as seeing the entire fishing fleet choking into the harbor during a closed period. We are working on educating people about wild vs. farmed salmon and we can humbly say that we provide the best wild salmon in the world!

Dillingham is, I believe, one of the most beautiful places in the region. Of course, the downtown area has a lot to be desired, but the surrounding countryside is breathtaking. In the summer the sky is an amazing blue and the tundra is a blanket of greens and golds. In the fall, the tundra is a canvas of color. Rusts, oranges, golds, reds, purples cover the world. It looks like a sea flowing away into the distance on an alien planet. The best part of Dillingham is that unlike other areas in Alaska, we have trees!

2006: Looking Good

This year is looking good so far. We have had mild weather in Dillingham and it looks like it will continue to snow little by little, hopefully giving us better snow-go weather.
Phillip and I are busy and happy with our lives, and supporting each other in some serious new year resolutions. Last night we played the longest game of Skip-Bo in history, thus ruining our enjoyment of the game. The neighbor has acquired a new electric guitar and amp and gives us a taste of his practice session every night through the wall. Phillip has accepted the noise challenge and plans to move his 1400 watt sound system in tonight. If you call me on the phone in the near future and I cannot hear you - you will know why.