It just seems to be a challenge

to get to this blog lately. Maybe not the blog itself, but to taking pictures to share with you! I need to just jump in the car and drive ... with a camera in hand. So in the meantime ... you get to walk around the yard with me.

The fish are running on the Klutina and Jari is planning on heading there tomorrow. Friday evening entertainment for me was defrosting the freezer. Crack. Me. Up. What happened to good ol' Friday nites ... those when you went out to eat or something like that. Now I'm thrilled to get the freezer defrosted! Maybe so I can go fishing?

The rest of the weekend was typically busy and so good.

Saturday:

• glasses in to get the bows fixed (I am now wearing prescription reading glasses)
• refrigerator cleaned (really need to hit the grocery store)
• stop in at a retirement party to celebrate a career in the Army
• laundry room mucked out (at least for the moment)
• our field of dandelions got mowed
• completely missed all the photo ops at the Colony Days celebration. Bummer.
• a trip to Target (it is amazing the things that I schedule into this life of mine)
• Jari finished building me this!

The space without plants has been Duke's space. It was his place to lay and protect "his people". Back against the house wall ... just as in our other house. Anything I tried to plant just didn't survive. He just laid on it and killed it. Sorry, Duke. It is no longer yours. I want to tie something around the joints of this little rustic fence. Either some young sapling branches or some birch bark. Either way ... I love it! The first half of the area is full of strawberry plants. I put them in the ground last year and they are really going wild this summer. Now to fill the other side with the same. I was told yesterday that I could do this

with the runners. I snipped off the ones that were headed in the wrong direction and we'll see what happens. I may not need to buy another plant. My strawberry rhubarb pie garden may just work out after all! Who needs a salsa garden, right?

Jari also made me something else that I was asking for ... but I need to take the broom to it before I dare post a picture. It does look quite sweet. Cost nothing, looks good and serves the intended purpose. Can't beat that!

Some things just take a while to get done. Why is that? We Jari put plastic up on one side of the porch over the winter ... the last of which finally came down yesterday evening. And several baskets went up. Now the flowers just need to grow!

Tom Huhta was here for the weekend (bringing along his 10 year old son who dreams of moving here someday) so we had a nice discussion Saturday evening, followed by a very nice Sunday afternoon. We had Steve and Jeannette over in the evening. It has been so much fun having them here in town. Moments like these ...

are pure priceless. (Anna, I pilfered a picture from your FB.)

Otherwise, I'm just enjoying summer ... and planning a wee bit for winter.

Was just pumped yesterday bright and early in the morning. Once in a while I hop on the airline sites to see if there is anything worthwhile anywhere. Last year I missed the deal because I didn't have time scheduled off of work. This year I got it! I've already scheduled vacation from work for the end of February and beginning of March. What would have worked as far as Spring Break last year won't work this year. SB is one week later. Kids are going to miss 2 weeks of school. Ouch. We'll just have to work and plan on that ahead of time. Two tickets down. Several more to go. Fly from Anchorage to Phoenix for 25,000 miles round trip (20,000 if you use a US Airways credit card for your $30 fee). Anna figures she can do the missing school thing. Let's hope the state of Alaska has some money come PFD time in the fall ... and maybe we'll manage to get a couple more flights scheduled. Now I have to just fix the vacation days at work. I have us leaving a day earlier that I planned on. Messes me up all the time .. this leaving after midnight stuff!

Off to work and then maybe some overtime this evening. Someone gave me a great idea for a chicken dinner last week. I can't remember what he mixed in with the honey! (I wonder if his wife remembers .. I know where to find her.) It is driving me crazy! I'll do what I can remember .. and put it in the crockpot instead of a baking bag ... and see what happens!

Have a great day!