A Real Alaskan Housewife

Yeah...I was looking forward to doing some running outside. (Not that I run inside...no gym membership or treadmill.) We have had record cold temps. Average daily high has been 6°F. With less than 6" of snow accumulated...well...let's just say I was not keen on freezing my ass (legs, nose, ears & other parts) off. Forcast says we should be getting snow this weekend. We'll see.

The last several days we have had a wind storm rolling through our wonderful place in paradise. We've had gusts up to 80 miles per hour with sustained winds at 50 to 60 miles per hour. As a result it has been quite chilly. During the wind storms I usually don't go anywhere unless I have to. I don't have asthma but I have tons of allergies & who knows what is blowing around in the wind. Thankfully, I didn't have to work these last couple days. So here we are. Saturday morning. The wind seems to have died down for the most part. I can finally try 'freezing-my-ass-off' running. Otherwise known as cold weather running. Most of the year I do my running the same months I shave my legs on a regular basis. You know, the months with no "brrrrr" in them? So my running season has been April - August, maybe the first two weeks in September. Depends on how cold it is. See, I don't like the cold. I am most assuredly a warm weather kinda gal. I stay here bec...

I love to read. As a kid, I remember doing chores and reading at the same time. Reading while washing dishes or vacuuming was easy. Couldn't quite figure out how to read and sleep at the same time. My library is large and varied. Right now, all the books are in storage but they could easily fill at least five bookshelves and that does not count the cookbooks, craft or DIY books. As a full-time mom, working full-time and a Girl Scout leader, I don't get much time to read. I snatch five minutes here (while on the toilet), 10 minutes there (while waiting for the kids after school) or where ever I can. Have to admit, I can easily have an hour of uninterrupted time on Fridays while the kids are at Sylvan Learning Center, but the knitting group meets at the coffee shop in the parking lot. Knitting, my other favorite hobby. Last night, I decided to go to bed early (10 instead of 11) and spend some time reading  Superfreakonomics  by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. Usually I will...

For most of my adult life, I have been worried about becoming my mother. Don't get me wrong. I love my mom. However, she is very negative about almost everything; she is always right & if your opinion is different than hers, then there is something wrong with you; she treats her grand-kids different depending on how well she likes the spouse; she is a hoarder-growing up she was poor & she was taught that everything has multiple uses NEVER THROW OUT ANYTHING!  I think I have done a good job at not becoming my mom. There have been times when I will do or say something & I hear my mother...so I stop, evaluate & choose to act different. I forgot about my dad. My dad was raised in poverty, parents were not caring, lots of siblings (12 I think) so what the family had was spread very thin. Growing up for me was not as bad as my parents. Six kids, raised in the Coast Guard, two parents who were married over 30 years at the time of his passing in 2003. Comparing the thre...

Been some time since my last post. In my head, I have written at least 30 posts. The subjects vary from my DD19 graduating, to our trip, to looking for work, to going Gluten Free, to the beautiful summer in Alaska. Alas, being a post only counts if they make it on the blog, right? Anyway... Summertime in Alaska! Woot!!! According to KTUU , the weather forecast is as follows: Monday: Rain, High 59 & Low 44 Tuesday: Partly Cloudy, High 61 & Low 43 Wednesday: Mostly Cloudy, High 58 & Low 45 Thursday: Mostly Cloudy, High 59 & Low 44 Friday: Mostly Cloudy, High 61 & Low 47 Saturday: Rain, High 58 & Low 49 Hmmm....Hoping the Saturday forecast will change for the better. Meaning no rain. Saturday my DD10 & I are running in the 2012 Alaska Run for Women. Personally, I don't care if it rains but it would be easier to keep DD10's spirits up if there is no rain. Anyone know a good anti-rain dance?

Sitting here watching Hollywood 411, William & Kate's wedding. Prior to this was a show on Princess Diana. Watching that show really brought back memories of wanting to be like Diana. Wanting to be compassionate like Diana. Wanting to be a loving mum like Diana. Wanting to be glamorous like Diana. Heck, if I could be a Princess, that would have been FAB! I remember watching some of the wedding in 1981. I was eight and I think we were living in Texas. I remember thinking "There is a King and Queen? Wow!" About that time is when I became very interested in Fairy Tales, Robin Hood & King Arthur. In Junior High (Seattle) and High School (Seattle, Weaverville & Kodiak), I used to fantisize about meeting a mysterious stranger, falling in love and being swept off to a castle in Europe. Deep down, I knew that would not happen. There was still a bit of hope. Even when I attended Stirling University in 2000, I still had hope. I read alot about the current Royal Family. ...

The Spring Equinox has come and gone. As of today, the current forecast for Wasilla is 33F & mostly cloudy for today. Thursday, mostly cloudy, high 40F, low 20F with snow & rain showers. Friday, cloudy with rain & snow showers, high 40F & low 15-20F. (view from front door) Currently, still snow on the ground. Lots of ice slicks. No leaves on the cottonwood or birch trees. Sigh...soon the snow will go. The kids can play in mud puddles. The trees will sprout leaves. The grass will grow. And I will need to get the vehicles washed every week. Breakup can be brutal on vehicles. Dust, mud, rain, road salt, kids washing the van with muddy snowballs. Waiting...for Spring. (view from my back door)