Alaska on my mind...

Remember that Moose Shed?

May 5, 2023 – 9:30 am
Posted in Alaska
Tagged antlers, break-up, horns, moose, moose rack, sheds, winter
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Thing 2 found a single moose shed back in January, I posted about here.

Well, low & behold, he found the other one. Pretty much in the same spot, just deeper in the snow bank, which has started it’s spring retreat So now we’ve got a nice matched pair to do something with!

He said he wants to hang them in his room so I mounted them on a Birch slice. I added some removable vinyl wording and we used them for an interesting display at the Home Show. Now to get them mounted in his room!

The cool things you find in Alaska!

May the Fourth Be a with You!

May 4, 2023 – 7:10 am
Posted in Alaska
Tagged adventure, alaska, baby yoda, may
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May the Fourth Be a with You!

May??

May 1, 2023 – 8:00 am
Posted in Alaska, Family
Tagged AK life, Family, friends, garden, melt, mud season, snow machining
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How is it possible? It seems like just yesterday we were snow machining and hauling loads of it away!

Signs of spring are very welcome! I’ve spotted Canada Geese flying in and Dean saw some Sandhill Cranes the other day. You can start to hear a few songs birds now and then but I’ve yet to spot a Robin. I’m behind on getting all of my Birch trees tapped, maybe today I’ll get another one or two done?

May is always a busy month physically but also emotionally as well. Besides the happy celebratory days like Mert’s birthday, Mother’s Day, a sweet little red-headed girl’s birthday and my Seester & John’s anniversary, it brings somber reminders of those we’ve lost as well.

Today would have been my step-brother Michael’s 54th birthday. Blessed memory.

My Grandmother’s, also of blessed memory, 97th birthday would have been on the 27th. She’s been gone for 18 years now.

We’ll celebrate the official end of the school year, although does it ever really end?? Ours just morphs into summer school and next year.

Memorial Day of course, somber for those remembering a loved one who paid the ultimate price for being an American. Whilst the rest of us kick off the summer season with joy. Both extremes of celebration wrapped up into one day.

All of the flowers watered by last months’s showers should begin to pop their blossoms. It’s time for some color other than white everywhere.

I hope your May is full of beauty and goodness. Soon, before we know it, fish camp will be here and my mantra begins… “winter is coming”!!

Sourdough Sunday: Tapping Birch Trees

April 30, 2023 – 7:47 pm
Posted in Alaska, food, Sourdough Sunday
Tagged AK life, birch, harvest, sap, tapping, water, wildcrafter, wildcrafting
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Last year Thing 1 wanted to try her hand at tapping Birch trees. We found that we all quite enjoyed the flavor of the fresh Birch sap/water so we’re at it again.

I actually found some time to tap one tree today and hopefully will tap a couple more over the next few days

I picked this nice Birch near our house.

You want a good sized healthy tree. We try for a 8-10 inch in diameter tree or larger. We also only tap an individual tree once then let it rest for a number of years before ever tapping again.

I drill a slightly upward angle with a drill bit close to the size of the small end of the tap. Going into the tree about an inch and a half or so. There’s plenty of instructions online of all the technical steps if you want those.

Once the hole is drilled you just hammer the tap into the tree until it’s secure. Hang your bucket and let it drip.

We check the progress frequently to see how fast the sap is flowing. Also, anxious-to-drink-the-sap kids go out and fill little glasses to sample. That’s the trouble with having a tapped tree so close to home!

After about 7 hours we had a good 3/4 of a gallon. We poured off two quarts and filled some freezable bottles for a cool summer treat. Tomorrow we’ll see how much more we get.

Drip, drip, drip.

Birch water is a great source of minerals and other good stuffs. Check it out! I’m not really a fan of the syrup yet, but I’d like to try Birch beer (non-alcoholic) and Birch ale this year, if we get enough sap. And of course filling up several freezer bottles and popsicles for summer!

Today in History.

On April 30, 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first U.S. President. *Insert some witty comment about last great president.*

In 1803, Cajun cuisine became an official mainstay of the American diet when the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. At the bargain price of 60 million francs, the equivalent of about $15 million American dollars. Now we have Étouffée and Muffelettas, a deal at twice the price.

In 1926, a pioneer of female flight, Bessie Coleman died. She was the first American woman to obtain an International Pilot’s license from FAI. She learned French and went to France to get what America had denied her due to her skin color. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Determination looked good on you Bessie! Blessed memory!

On this day in 1945, Adolf Hitler and his newly wed wife Eva, committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin. There’s no joy in the loss of any human life. But…

In 1975, the horrid Vietnam War ended as the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon (AKA Ho Chi Minh City). fell to Communist forces. We still see the damage done to this day both public and private.