SUN

If you haven't lived in a snowy climate before, you probably don't know that it's sunnier in the winter than it is in the summer. This is all because of the reflection off the snow/ice. It can be worse than reflection off the water because it's solid and dangerous when icy. The bummer is that I misplaced mine when it was dark over winter. I'll find em this weekend when i do my mass spring cleaning.

Bunny Boots!!!

I ordered Bunny boots last week after my ice fishing trip when I realized that my toes were cramped in my "big boots" and thus losing circulation and warmth. Freezing toes on tundra is BAD.

Bunny Boots (Mickey Mouse Boots) Black- Rated waterproof and warm to about -50 (or -80 depending on who you talk to)

Bunny Boot, White- Good for anything colder than the Black ones

Story goes... Bunny Boots (black ones are sometimes called Mickey Mouse Boots)  were originally a US military issue boot meant for cold weather. They are rated to ridiculously cold weather. Waterproof because they are made from a single piece of rubber. From images, it almost looks like it's a single piece that they somehow molded around the insulation.

Layers

Cut in half

There is a layer of insulation and a valve that you use to keep warm air inside (haven't quite figured out how that works. I think you have to leave valve open on flights). 

I found boots in my size on ebay for $45 brand new. After having the coldest winter in 30 years here in Alaska, I opted to go ahead and get the white ones just to make sure I got to keep my toes no matter what. Only downside is that it's spring-time now really (no coats at 25 degrees ;))

(looks sheepish)

I've neglected you guys for so long. I'm sorry. Since my last update though, I've now ridden a snow machine, I've driven a snow machine, I've drilled a set a holes in about 4 feet of ice with an auger, I've gone ice-fishing (but didn't catch anything), snow machined to another town and saw 2 cases of frostbite, and saw my first Camai festival (Dance Festival, pronounced Ja-My). I do have pictures but still have to go through things and post them. so they're COMING SOON!

On another hand, it's about 35 degrees and everybody around here is in t-shirts or long-sleeve t-shirts. No jackets. The break-up is probably coming soon. I'm hoping my place doesn't flood much. We'll find out.

after a long break...

Iditarod

Here's whats been going on in Alaska...

It's still cold, but we've got about 12 hrs of daylight now. Roughly 9am-9pm.

Sorry for the delay. I had a rash of Migraines followed by some recovery. And then a new facebook game addiction (medieval war game).

cold again

-9 with and feels like -35  after adding 22mph winds. Some frozen car doors and whatnot around town, including my house locks (i really don't like our new doors)

It could happen anywhere

I realized I haven't updated recently. Not much has been going on really. But here are a few things that've happened...

The river has some overflow from partially thawing.

I did interviews last week for my assistant/case manager's replacement. We're working on hiring them, but the process is partially out of my hands. We had a not so great candidate, a good candidate and great candidate.  They'll have a month work work with the current assistant/case manager before taking over completely on their own.

Somebody stabbed someone to death literally right across the street from the police station. Who doesn't think they'll get caught when they kill someone right across the street from the police station. Needless to say, they were caught and medically processed right down the hall from my office. I'm really glad I keep the back door to my office/exam room locked all the time and also glad I didn't know about it right away.

My assistant/case manager is on vacation in Hawaii and i'm super jealous. While I'm here i'd love to make a trip down there since there are practically direct flights from here (from Anchorage there are). And the flights are much much cheaper from here than from practically anywhere. And honestly, off season there is still WAY warmer than here and also much cheaper. So not yet, but at some point, I kinda hope I get the chance to check out Hawaii. Then again, I also want to go to Denali and climb part of it and go to Fairbanks and Barrow and Kodiak. We'll see what happens and doesn't while I'm here though.

There's apparently a puppy play camp that occurs a few houses up from my house during the day. I keep coming home from work and finding half a dozen or more dogs romping in the snow. They're cute, but they're also totally in the way.

I found out there's a $450 subsidy that occurs if I bring an iphone to my wireless network. So i ordered an unlocked iphone (3GS, 8gb) from Apple. I shipped it to KY and I'm having a cousin (Thanks L!!!) turn around and ship it to me cause apple won't ship to a PO and the fed-ex guy in town has been known to take apple boxes and forge signatures. The only difference between here and somewhere else is that you know the guys face and see him all the time (I don't know the guy, but others do).

Oh, and the Fitness Challenge is going well. I know of at least one person that's lost over 24 inches and personally I've lost over 13 inches and we're only halfway through the challenge. We just have to keep going. My gym-wife (workout buddy) has me hitting the gym 4 days a week doing at least 4 miles each day but if she had it her way, I'd be there 5 days a week. That's a lot of time and a lot of miles. And it's paying off.

Back when we had the cold snap, my alarm/auto-starter somehow froze/broke. I'm not sure if it's possible that it's a fuze since I think it's a separate system or what's going on but the key fob lights up even though nothing happens in the car. I miss my auto-starter. When it gets a little warmer I'll play with it and see if I can figure it out.

Basically, lots of little things but nothing big.

Fireflies

Did you know there aren't any fireflies in Alaska? Or at least the Tundra region of Alaska. I guess I've always just taken it for granted that fireflies exist and it's a summer rite of passage as a kid to stay up late enough to be able to catch them either in your hands or put them in a jar

3 day weekend

one of the wonderful things about working for a gov't affiliated facility is that I get most of the holidays that private locations don't take off. So... 3 day weekend this weekend. Gym, cleaning and laundry to kick everything off.

Plants - recommendations welcome

So I've always had an aloe plant and sometimes a spider plant in every place I've lived. Partially because you can't kill them even if you try. OK, well that's true for the spider plant but not the aloe actually. I've killed one of those.

well, I've been trying to grow roots in an offshoot from a spider plant for like 3 months and the shoot is still alive in the cup, but there are no roots. Granted, this might be because I'm trying to grow it in my office which has no windows. can anyone recommend good plants to grow in very low light situations? anything I can buy seeds for especially?

Beets

Oh, if anybody's got something yummy to make with beets, I'm getting some in my box this coming week and I've NEVER cooked with them so I'm clueless. Any recommendations would be great.

Turkey Chili

So the Produce is really making me cook. I had a red onion and a bell pepper and then I had ground turkey from my meat order. I threw in a can of stewed tomatoes, chili powder and some sweet baby rays BBQ sauce. I actually threw in some carrots before I remembered I was making chili and not stew. Oh, and a little bit of hot sauce. It smelled yummy and tastes yummier. I usually like adding corn too but didn't thins time.

Turkey Chili

1 lb ground turkey
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 red onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots
Sweet baby rays BBQ sauce to taste
Chili powder to taste
hot sauce to taste.

Potato Leek Soup

First of all, I have to say that I'm actually pretty proud of myself that I made a Potato Leek Soup today and it came out pretty well. I looked up a couple of recipes online and combined what I liked and didn't.  -> this is a big thing for me because I don't cook. I can follow a recipe like its nobody's business, but i don't walk in and look at ingredients and just decide to make things. I always wanted to learn but I just haven't had luck. plus, it's a pain to cook for 1.

I started off with a single leek stalk and chicken broth (organic, gluten and MSG free), and 6 small-medium potatoes. I got the potatoes and leeks in my weekly organic produce delivery. Then I added in some spices that I saw in a couple of the recipes (marjoram, parsley, salt, pepper and thyme). I just made it smell good. I didn't taste it much while i was cooking actually but the house sure did smell good.

I threw everything in a pot with some margarine and let it cook on a med-low heat for a while (potatoes are soft without being smooshy). Ladle and serve. It made 4-5 servings. I'll put the other servings in the fridge and reheat as necessary, though I suppose freezing would work too.

Potato Leek Soup
2 lbs (6 small to medium) Red Potatoes (~493 calories)

3 cups chicken broth- can use vegetable broth too (30 calories) 
1 leek stalk (~54 calories)
~2-3 Tbs margarine (Smart Balance is what I used) (160-240 calories)
Salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme and parsley to taste

Throw into pot on stove on med-low heat and cook until potatoes are soft enough for your own taste.

Healthy quotient: About 817 calories for the pot, with 5 servings: ~165 per bowl.

Next on my weekend to-do list... Turkey Chili (i've got a pepper and onions that could really be used).

Skating the dog...

As I'm driving home I see a dog pulling his teenage owner down the street. Except, the kid is standing up with his feet braced and he's just skating along behind the pup. A new way to take the dog out.

Baby, it's warm outside

OK, maybe not for the rest of you. But it's in the 30s right now and has been that way since last weekend. When you've had -50s for the week or so before, the 30s feels like spring. Most of us are wearing much lighter jackets and not nearly as many hats or gloves have been seen around.

Heatwave Blizzard

so it went from -30 up to 28 during a blizzard. we still have winds 30-40 mph but it's only feels like it's about 12 degrees.

I walked out to unplug my car in pj pants and a flannel and it felt fantastic, definitely acclimating.