giving thanks

this has been a fantastically long weekend.

first we ate like queens and kings and hung out alaska-style around a bonfire smoking stogies and drinking wine.
then, we desecrated our bathroom (very satisfying- begone white linoleum and cheap "subway" tiles)
then i snowshoed at independence mine (with karen, who deserves a medal for making the trek, in a snowstorm, from los anchorage)
and then skied out at the moose range with my boys.
and we've still got an entire day before our work week begins.

someone gimme a woooo hooooooo!

did i mention it's DUMPING?????

skinny skis

we spent sunday skiing out in the moose range.
im here to report that my boy has made a skiing breakthrough, and i've never been so proud.
some might say;
first tooth -GREAT!
crawling- AMAZING!
first steps- A TRIUMPH!

but kicking and gliding through the trees listening only to our breath and the quiet of the frozen world around us, well to me, this was truly PRICELESS!
and it made me feel chest puffed, lump in throat, proud.

we first strapped skis on jade when he was toddling around the living room.
this year marks his third ski season.
he'll no doubt be tearing it up on alpine skis this year, although the mountain and lifts are not yet open. at the end of the year last season, he was barreling down the slopes at alyeska, terrifying me, and thrilling his dad.

by my account, skinny skis are more difficult to navigate, and getting up after falling down can require the dexterity and acrobatics of a circus performer.

last year jade went from the phase one strap-on skis, to a real pair of kids madshus nordic skis. our final outing in the snow last spring with these new skis resulted in tears and frustration, so we were understandably tentative heading out yesterday.

but something wonderful clicked in jaden's body and mind, and he joyfully and happily kicked and glided his way through the woods for nearly 2 hours.

the light is low and flat this time of year, although the sun peeked through the trees on the way back to the car.
here are some shots from our day.

do you like the new header up there? a big thank you to karen for showing me the ropes!

i am home sick today, guiltily in my pj's with a steamy cup of tea at my fingertips.
do you know how much crap there is on daytime tv?

another weekend has come and gone.
the sun has just come up at the crack of 10 and is shining on the talkeetna mountain range now, making everything pink and lovely.

the moose have evidently decided our yard is home, and the strange, assorted group of 4 are napping in the side yard again. the largest mama moose has an injured front leg and seeing her hobble up and down our hill is hard to watch. it will be a long winter for the beast, if she survives and is able to forage for food. we dont have too much snow right now, i imagine it will be tougher as winter closes in.

the days are growing very short here, and for me, this is the toughest time of the year. we now have just over a month until we reach the shortest day (sunrise 10:14, sunset 3:41) then slowly things begin to change.
truly, solstice gained a whole new meaning for me here.
by the end of march, sunset will occur at 8:41 pm in the greater anchorage area. february and march are lovely winter months here.
we are trying not to succumb to thinking its okay to don pajamas at 4pm.

we've still got political news here in alaska. we are still counting ballots for the state senate race between our country's longest serving, although recently convicted, senator stevens and his opponent mark begich.
it looks like begich (the current mayor of anchorage) is gaining some ground in the ballot count.
the last i looked he was up by over 1000 votes. officials anticipate it will be a few more days before they have a final tally and then surely there will be a recount.

there has been much speculation here about what might happen should stevens be re-elected. there are a few loyal faithful who have said they would not ask him to step down, and there are many vocal senators who feel that being convicted of a felony is simply counterproductive to serving in the senate.

hmmmm. is there any wonder where i stand on this? republican or democrat, seems like a no-brainer to me.

there has also been discussion, that should stevens win, and then be asked to step down, there will be a special election to fill a vacant senate seat.
gee, i wonder if anyone here in alaska might be interested in that seat?
keep counting folks!
and GO begich!

november

as sarah palin begins to sort through 150,000 dollars worth of clothing, life in the mat-su borough returns to normal for the rest of us.

i have surprisingly little to say after weeks of incredible, political bullshit, which led up to the election.
(audible satisfied sigh)
it seems the american public haven't lost their way after all. i worried after bush was elected the second time we were too far gone.
i'm so happy to be wrong.

the days are shrinking and jaden routinely asks if its dinner time around 3pm, which is commonly followed by "is it almost my bedtime?"

an odd assortment of moose moved into our yard last friday and stayed for 2 1/2 days. 2 adults and 2 gangly, teenage moose ate slept and gazed at us through the trees. such odd creatures, giant, distant cameled cousins, they are.
they enjoyed a pumpkin snack too.

that's all the news that isn't.
only 42 days till the solstice.
time to get connected with my pagan self again.

election eve

it feels as though the entire world is collectively holding its breath.

i made myself feel a little bit better by tuning in the the bbc this afternoon. they are reporting the "whole world" is routing for obama, and site that even the conservatives in parliament prefer our democratic ticket.

tomorrow will undoubtedly be a very long day.
im slated to work until 9pm on election day, and hope for the sake of patients, they all wait until wednesday to come in for the jock itch they've had for 6 months.

im going to be a little bit distracted.