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Tag Archives: Alaska life

Desert Lap Book

We started this lap book the first week in February. For this session we watched copious amounts of YouTube videos about desert biomes. Lesson enrichment included crafts like mask making and sand art. And we planned to prepare some prickly pear cactus to eat, if we could have found some locally. We incorporated lessons about sand and silica and glass as well. So this module was heavy on the crafting and very hands on.

Since my kiddos were sick during this beginning of this lesson plan, we relied more heavily on videos. Even when your sick you can still watch a video. 👍🏼

Desert mask complete with saguro and barrel cacti, a jack rabbit & rattlesnake.

We also spent a fair amount of time discussing sand. What is sand made of? We learned that sand is mostly rock particles but can also contain glass, bone, shell or coral fragments and more commonly in today’s age, plastic particles. (Of course this includes beach sand in addition to desert sand.)

So after a series of sand composition, construction use (desert sand does not work well for construction purposes) and magnetic sand experiment videos we made some sand art!

Sand art
Same uniform, different day

There were lots of writing practice sheets, some math and endless desert fact sheets! Lap books are a lot of fun.

Desert Animals Ad Lib

Apparently it’s too much to ask of these northern grocery stores to stock cactus in the fresh produce dept. So we’re going to have to be satisfied with pickled nopalitos. Which the entire family approves of, to some degree.

Cover Art
Inside
When the marker runs out of ink…
Penmanship practice
Lil Bit’s Lap Book

And that’s it for another fascinating study of our amazing planet’s diversity. What’s up next? Good question.

My view from the office today…

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My view from the office today…

March is Slipping By

How is it that we are already 2/3 through with March? The smell of break-up is in the air. Everyone, including the dog, has some measure of spring fever. The seeds are started, foraging lists are made (schedule of foods to be harvested by month) and I’m reminded that I need to do my once a month canning.

Thing 1 and I are working on a project plan for the garden and food production for this season. I’m looking forward to working with her! Plus growing our own veg!

We have oodles and oodles of things to do ’round here as soon as the snow’s gone. Impatiently waiting…

Sourdough Sunday: Mr & Mrs Sourdough

I met Joe & Nancy during my stint at Central Peninsula Children’s Advocacy Center. They attended CPCAC’s “Grand Group“, a grandparents raising their grandchildren support group. With their quick wits and genuine care for humanity, especially children, I quickly became a fan.

I was enthralled with their tales of homesteading and operating a general store out in the middle of nowhere, north of Fairbanks. The shear strength of character these two have is that of a respectable sourdough quality even before factoring in the foster parenting part.

Knowing the love and compassion they have for children and the efforts they have gone to over the years is simply based on the miraculous.

Nancy has even written a children’s book titled Elliot the Moose. Moose being my favorite creatures automatically made her a star! 🤩 What’s not to love about these people?

My copy of Elliot the Moose

The Carlson’s closed up shop and moved closer to family. Despite the notion posted in this article, they are still around. I hope to see their next book published soon, chronicling their experiences raising their 25 children.

For me, these two are iconic Alaskan Sourdoughs, of which I’m privileged to have met! And they set the bar high for me!

I Reopened My Etsy Shop

I’ve been wishing for a flea market locally for about a year now. We have pop up markets in the summer but nothing year round. I decided that instead of pining away for a nonexistent local market I could use my dormant Etsy shop for my creative outlet.

Oh and a new addition to the shop: Thing 1. Known elsewhere as The Lowest Pickle, she’s got some of her stickers and jewelry listed.

Head over to Bearthangel on Etsy and check it out. Sign up for notifications when we post new items!

Remembering Dana

My cousin by marriage, Dana, of blessed memory, was a petite, sweet, fiery, passionate woman who shared many of my own likes & dislikes. We were the same age as well. We lived far apart but whenever we were together there was no shortage of conversation.

Today she would be 50 years young.

She passed 15 days after her 38th birthday, far too young.

I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one. I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done. I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways. Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days. I’d like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun; of happy memories that I leave when life is done. ~Afterglow, Anonymous.

Sourdough Sunday: Making Do

Can a wood stove classify as a sourdough? If so, this old boy is high on the list. Someone’s handiwork, made of plate steel, it sported a 2″ boiler valve on the backside which we’ve determined was for air intake and long ago plugged off with ash build up. This old stove has kept Dad & his cabin warm for more than 30 years. (The floor was unpainted under the metal disks the legs sat on. I know he painted the floor right before I visited in ’92.)

This stove was repurposed from another location and at the time was a big improvement from what Dad had, which, for a while, was a homemade 55 gal barrel stove . In the true sourdough spirit, you use what you have until you can upgrade. Often those improvements were found, made, repurposed or gifted to you. You just weren’t in the position to go buy a brand new replacement nor able to haul it out easily. And all too often sourdoughs used some awful sketchy wood stove setups!

Besides having a small fire box and just not burning through the night, the old thing was so leaky we always seemed to smoke ourselves right out. Every time you opened the front door of the cabin a big puff of smoke would come out from the middle seam of the stove doors. Even with new gaskets it would still belch out smoke.

The old grumpy honeybee.

It does have the benefit of a cooktop and plenty of space for the water pots. And it’s hell bent for stout. It will have a new purpose to be sure.

Empty stove corner.

We wrestled the heavy old thing out to make room for our new-to-us Earth Stove. I scored this one off Facebook marketplace from a nice fella named Dave. I’ll admit, being able to drive right out with it in the back of our truck made replacing this stove possible. I can’t image trying to pack it in any other way.

Smaller footprint, larger firebox!

There’s just enough room for the two water pots on top of this stove. Or one water pot and the coffee pot. Priorities.

Come spring we’ll pull this stove outside, remove the rust and re-black it. It will look like new! Maybe we’ll paint the floor too.?.?

The old stove will make our new shop nice and warm next winter. That is, if we get it built this summer. 😉 A place where we don’t have to worry about things like smoke leaking out and such. The old boy will go on to warm us for a long while.

Lovely snowfall

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Lovely snowfall

Planning a Visit?

Over the years we’ve had a few visitors, my Mom & Seester, my cousin Shirley, friend Lynn, fake sister Nikki… But as many or more have promised to visit and never have (looking at you Wes!). Always they ask, when should we visit and what is there to do? Of course I always say June is too busy, but come any other time! And there’s so much to do. How much money (or how little) do you want to spend?

Halibut and salmon fishing are always top on people’s lists. Then there’s hiking and camping and sightseeing and hanging out in Homer and on and on.

Locally we have quite a few things as well. Soldotna has a nice little homesteading museum. Plus lots of fishing access. A wonderful park in the middle of town and all summer long the Music in the Park Series, free on Wednesday evenings.

For more local opportunities click here. I advise people to discover things that they might want to do then decide when to come. All too often I’m asked about seeing the Auroras and people have no clue that this is a *winter* activity!

So if you’re planning a visit this year (Thing 1’s graduation??) and are looking for something to do while you’re here, start planning now! Maybe we’ll see *you* soon!

Glorious Day for Outside Play

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Glorious Day for Outside Play
A little target practice with their BB guns.