Sweet Homestead Alaska: April 2012

Yes that is still snow on the ground!

Wow! March seemed to come and go very quickly. It was a windy month with temps that went up and down in Yo-Yo fashion with spits of snow here and there. Ken spent most of the month working hard at the Airport job. He started as an oiler working 7 days a week 12 hours a day. When that position was done they had him working nights 10 hours a day 7 days a week driving a big dump truck. He was also going in early everyday to cut firewood from the huge stack that they cut out when they started clearing for the new landing strip. It was a real blessing that they made the wood available to the public especially since a vast majority of the folks in the area rely on wood for heat and a many number rely on it for cooking also.

We had one March birthday and that was September who turned 13. She requested cheesy tuna mac for her birthday meal and we made snow ice cream and a chocolate cake with chocolate trifle frosting.

The airport job ended just in time for Ken to attend the Spring Carnival with us. We all had a good time and played some different games this year. There was of coarse the toilet seat toss, then ice mini golf, a golf ball toss, and a pan race. The pan race consisted of running around cones while balancing a metal pan on your head. Then there are the pop scramble and the beer scramble that are like Easter egg hunting with cans of soda or beer. After the main festivities they have the snow machine poker run. We haven't done the poker run.

Lisa doing Pan race

Women lined up for pan race

Men starting pan race

Golf ball toss - littlest kids

Rose and Easton the youngest competitor

Lisa and next age group doing the golf ball toss

Wyatt doing the toilet seat toss

Wyatt doing mini golf

Oak doing mini golf

Lisa doing mini golf

Pop Scramble

Beer Scramble

Our next big event was a three day two night trip into Fairbanks to resupply. Overall it was a pretty nice trip, not as overly rushed as usual. We we're able to meet up with some of our Fairbanks friends at Denny's for Kids eat free night and had a good meal with some great friends. All in all the trip was uneventful coming home until we got to the driveway that had drifted badly from the wind and with the weighted down trailer ended up stuck. Though after some shoveling and pulling we got it out. We also brought home from this trip 10 new Buckeye layer chicks and 20 cornish X meat birds.

The first week of April September and Ian went into the Manley school for state/federal testing. They rode in with our friends/neighbors from across the way who's oldest son also had to go in for testing. They seemed ok with it but were glad when it was over.

The highlight of the start of April was Darrell and Donna's long awaited return from the land of Sunshine and motorcycles also known as Arizona. We are EXTREAMLY blessed that Donna is recovering well after cancer surgery and is showing cancer free. Darrell is doing ok but still trying to do too much and wearing himself out. We are all so happy to have them home and glad to be able to dote on them a bit after such a long absence.

Then came Easter which was also Ken's Birthday this year. Saturday we went into Manley for the Easter egg hunt and picnic put on by the Manley Hot Springs Crafters Guild. It was alot of fun visiting with everyone. Then on Easter Sunday we attended service as usual at the Manley Hot Springs Baptist Church. The house was packed which was a huge blessing and Pastor Earl gave a nice service. After the service we had a potluck with as always a ton of great food and a wonderful time of fellowship. Darrell and Donna were not feeling well enough to attend so we put together some plates of food and brought them home to them. I couldn't let them miss out on all the great food. In the evening we had a ham dinner with cake for Ken's birthday.

Easter Egg Hunt at the school

Me and the boys

September in the Blue hat, Lisa in Red and many other kids from the Village

April has been a month of change. The snow is melting slowly and drying out much faster than last year. Baker Creek broke up 2 weeks early and many are saying that everything is ahead of schedule this spring. Darryl is working at Dart AM Farms now and enjoying it. Ken has been helping a local man build a small rental cabin. The kids are really enjoying the warm weather that has been in the 50's-60's.

Sheet of Snow/Ice sliding off Darrell & Donna's House

The Rock Crawler

Kids go for a little ride around the yard.

As the snow melts down there is a stream that runs along side of the Elliott Highway and over driveways and in some cases into yards.

That driveway goes to the gravel pit across the street from us.

This month I also spent time pet sitting. I watched a dog and two cats for some friends and then I got to take care of 30 dogs (including 6 tiny puppies) for Brent Sass of Wild and Free Mushing. Brent is a neighbor and the one that gave me my dogs Pam and Quinn. He ran in both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod this year. He got rookie of the year in the Iditarod. Brent is a really nice guy and has a great group of people who work with him out here in Eureka. You can tell they spend time with their dogs. The dogs are all super friendly which means the ones who don't make it on his teams make great family/Jr. mushing dogs. Yesterday was my last day with the dogs and I will miss them. Especially the mom of the puppies Chicken. I think maybe as mothers she and I seemed to bond. The last few days of working over there she would be so excited to see me and met me with lots of wiggles and kisses. Of coarse it doesn't hurt that I was the one bringing her food lol..

Our days are now filled with projects that are like so many things popping up out of the snow. Things are being moved in preparation for building the second half of our little cabin. There are chicken to feed and water. Eggs to collect and sell. Dogs to care for. etc..... etc..... always something to keep busy and working hard around here. It doesn't leave much time for writing blog posts but I'm trying to get on when I can and write a little at a time. We have alot of work ahead of us this summer but hope that being in a more stable place we will be better set up this winter and wont have to work quite as hard and so be able to play a little more. I hope to be able to write this summer about fishing, hunting and other great Alaskan activities. We'll see how things unfold.

I hope that everyone is doing well. As always I want to thank or friends, family and community for all of your support, friendship and love. We are surrounded by such amazing people and feel so very blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives.