Regular Tuesday with Irene

Look at what Valda found meandering past her greenhouse Sunday morning. I'm glad Marina was able to see proof of this bear because she has a small habit of scooting off to Valda's for visits without telling anyone. No, not really, but when she went over last Saturday morning, with permission, she informed Valda and our other neighbor Patty that she had run away and that I didn't know where she was.

I'm sure that now her tall tales of adventure will be of bear encounters instead of stealth breakaways from this oppressive house and it's overbearing brothers.

This morning, Irene was slated to attend a field trip for Chris's class (swimming lessons), and so we thought our Regular Tuesday was a little to early to be anything but coffee. Well, we managed to sit around and chat long enough, that I was able to sneak in a sandwich.

Topics Covered:

How today I am not feeling oppressed by my S. A. D. (seasonal affective disorder). I was good, I sat by my box and I felt like I could actually remember something. Lets hope it lasts.

Hockey team management

How I have such a wonderful support group at the WW. I love Monday's!

A cycle that I've noticed in many marital situations that needs attention (no, not just mine and hers...). I call it the Lack of Intimacy Abyss...harsh words create angry/sad feelings, angry/sad feelings create emotional distance, emotional distance creates the lack of intimacy, lack of intimacy creates...well, we all know what that can create..., the creation of that leads to harsh words... its a cycle that needs to be halted for marriages to thrive! How, with the S.A.D. problem, the collective bad vibe in the world about the financial crisis and election, and just feeling overwhelmed with life, the urge to snap at each other is much greater than usual. Our need for civility in these most important relationships is vital! If any readers need more information about my theory let me know.

The surprising lack of gossip in our lives at this moment. Of course there was some (read the theory) but less than usual. What is the difference between gossiping and sharing information? Are we spiritually evolving? Sadly, probably not...

A really important lesson that I learned from my Dad when I was young; "For things to change...you have got to make a change!"

The price of a ticket to Bali in January went down to $1000 this weekend...including tax...it's got me thinking...

A reminder that in friendships, it may feel that one person is pulling the weight...but that we need to remember that there was that time, not long ago, when the tide had moved the other way and it was the other who was able to be there in harsh times... this is what a life friendship is about.

I left Irene's and putzed around town. I saw the new concrete slab that the fabulous team at Strong Construction is giving us for our fireplace hearth. They do beautiful work! Then I was cruising to my house and I decided that I needed to go visit my friend Maygen J. and her beautiful baby Iris.

When I arrived Maygen was just getting home from work. Iris was asleep in the car. We sat on her porch in the sun and had a funny chat. Then she shared her garden with me. Sadly, because I am not a professional photographer, this picture can not capture the beauty of this landscape; the garden, the birch changing colors, the ocean and the glaciers behind. What a productive garden! I was inspired that I may be ready to attempt a garden here at this house.

When Falcom started school at Otter Beach, Maygen was one of his teachers. Now, she is teaching Willie ceramics at the high school. We sat in the sun, laughing, kvetching, sharing the highlights of our wild lives and the problems we face living in this climate. It was so fun!

Look at these flowers...can you see the butterflies?

One thing I failed to mention is that our friend Russ (aka Russell the Muscle) is home from medical school and is waiting to find out some scores on some test. With an active personality and not enough to do, he decided to come down to Homer to hang with us for a few days. Loyal readers of this blog may remember his wife coming down with their boys this past summer. (It was 'Face of Alaska' day and she and I went out for a desert tour?)

Vince has had a terrific time with Russ. They even sat on the beach together enjoying the sun today.

Our Russel Tradition is that he makes a pizza feast for us. He scrapes everything he can find out of the fridge, hand raises the dough, and experiments with sauces. This tradition was especially fantastic for Willie as pizza is his all time favorite food and that he also loves to cook! Because Russ has been out of the country we have not gotten to have the pleasure of a good Pizza night in a few years. Tonight's star pizzas included, Willies super meat and cheese and Tabasco and red pepper. DeeJay's meat and broccoli and fire super hot sauce, the thick crust pepperoni, the light ranch dressing mixed with rooster sauce.

picture by Valda

It has been great having you with us Russ! Good luck on the next leg of your trip!

Seasonal Afftective Disorder R Us -or- Pictures from the Weekend

Picking Peas at Valda's. Ooh! I just remembered I was supposed to put these peas in the curry I made for dinner that night! I can't remember anything!

Please read the following disclaimer before going ahead with this post:

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a serious problem that many of us suffer from. It is a sneaky menace that threatens us in so many ways. Although, I am writing about it from a place of sarcasm and humor, I am deeply affected by it and I do not wish for any of you to shy away from the help you need because of something I may say off the cuff in jest or sarcasm.

Let's race for the cure (and I have a feeling it's over at the Uhaul office)!

I've been in a seasonally affected daze these past few days. Let's see which of the following symptoms I can highlight;

According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of winter-onset seasonal affective disorder include:

1. Depression (Does the "How could I pull off going to Hawaii?" thought count?)


2. Hopelessness (Does the "oh, God! My whole life has become about folding clothes and scrubbing the toilet! I'm stuck here for life!" conversation count)
   
3. Anxiety (yea, a bit)
   
4. Loss of energy (did I have any to loose?)


5. Social withdrawal (OK, here is one I can skip)


6. Oversleeping (This list leaves out the waking up to early, not being able to drift back to sleep and then not being able to wake up)


7. Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed (I haven't been blogging lately....I also haven't been eating out lately)


8. Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates (This isn't really a change, I love eating! The kids deserve the benifit of freshly baked oatmeal cookies since they have a stay home mom. ooh, I have been struggling getting motivated to count my points!)
   
9. Weight gain (I love eating, what can you do?)


10. Difficulty concentrating and processing information (Yea, I almost caught my kitchen on fire because I forgot I was cooking. So, maybe I never had ADD after all?)
    

So, I've been glued to my light box and still forgetting EVERYTHING that I need to do and dreading all the routine stuff that I need to do. It's getting to be a problem, but yesterday was wonderful and I have pictures to prove it!

Falcom designed this mermaid dress out of items from nature and transparent tape;

Then we went to my friend Bobo's birthday party (my friend Gage's daughter). Bobo and I really like each other. She and I had a good time at her party. Somehow I managed to only have one piece of cake. Good for me. Look at the little cute diva.

What have I decided to do about my seasonal affective disorder? I am going to buy a dawn simulator. I am going to sit by my light faithfully even though it is a time vacuum. I am going to plan women's products parties so that I can have more excuses to get out of my house and hang out with fun girls.

Irene has this line from her comedy show; "Why should I have to medicate myself because you are an ass....." I told Russel today, "Why should I have to medicate myself because we live in a stupid climate?" He said, "Do you feel better when you are in Hawaii." Without even a blink I said, "YES!"

Then I think, yes, the climate is stupid, but the neighborhood and the environment is so rich. What is the trade off? That is when I get to bullet two on the list... Hopelessness "I'm stuck in a Buddhist Hell! Completely beautiful and serene...lulling you into spiritual complacency." Look at this sunset...isn't it enough to make you forget that you had to spend over an hour this morning sitting by a light box?

Time Warp

The polls have closed! You have voted and now I will be in the Women's Products Industry! In light of that, today I decided to clean my marital sanctuary, My Room. Underneath a pile of dust and junk I found a disc with these pictures on it and decided it would be fun to look back at the winter of '04 and our vacation to see our boys in Saipan.

Notice the sun, the dark skin, the tiny bodies! They are so cute!

Enjoy!

Wise Family Visit

The Wise brothers and sister came over today while their dad went out to the Russian Village to do sports physicals on the young athletes. This marks the first time Irene has left me alone with Maya. I guess now that Maya can say my name, we are bonded enough. I should say that she actually shouts, "Raina!" It makes Irene and I laugh to think that even tiny non-speaking babies still might have the stereotypically Asian, R/L problem.

While the little boys watched TV (because it was pouring rain), and when Marina bored of it, Maya spent her time at our house playing with DeeJay and Willie. Island boys know how to treat little kids. They both were so warm and lovable to this little spit-fire girl. These two are such sweet and wonderful boys. They will make great dads someday. And by someday I mean like 10 years from now.

At one point there was a bad smell coming from the small girl and Willie told me he thought she needed a diaper change. "Do you still know how to do that?" He asked me with a twinkle in his eye. These two are crazy!

Look at this crew sitting around the table. Such a big family...having watched them grow, I feel so blessed that I get to sit with them and listen to their stories. It is such a bright and colorful gang. I am thankful!

Regular Tuesday with Irene - and Suzanne...and Mindy

This girl is after my coffee stained heart!

Today's Regular Monday with Irene began with a coffee date at my neighbor (yes, three miles as the crow flies counts as a neighbor in these parts!) Suzanne's House. I love driving to Suzanne's because there is a large swath of open undeveloped country between Hutler Road and her house that reminds me of what I moved to Alaska for. What makes today so spectacular is that I got the chance to meet her fabulous sister-in-law Marie. Those of you who are regular readers looking for irregularities will notice that it is not fall in this photo. You are correct, but I did not think it polite to capture the pre-shower coffee drinking that was going on. I think that even pre-showered she is fabulous! She's not sure about that, and so I respect her camera free request. I mean really, who wants to see a picture that looks like this?

Topics Covered:

Medication Good

Marie Great! and lives very close to my own mother, the terrific Mema!

Her first Netflix Delivery. She picked something incredibly depressing, you know, it might as well have been called "rape, murder, child stealing... oh my!" She cried the entire way through it. I said, "My God! You and Irene...Two people who chronically pick the most depressing movies when you really need to be watching something funny. The last one she picked was about these Vietnamese water buffalo herders raping villagers and then taking the offspring of that encounter to live with the heard. Hello, it's called comedy. I can't believe either one of you!"

How wonderful the house looks

That Pit (her dog) is not snotty, just drooly

How people who share a birth date have very similar dispositions

How some people pretty much suck, and it is ok to take care of yourself when dealing with them.

How DeeJay threw a total pissing fit because I insisted that he and Willie have their pictures taken at school for picture day. (Yes, Willie was completely thrilled about it) "You would have thought I was asking him to amputate a finger." They laughed as I relieved explaining to him how excruciatingly bad his life would become if he did not take those 5 minutes out of his day to memorialize his youth for me.

How much fun it will be four wheelering with her up the bay.

Things we can't blog about

It was about this time that Suzanne and Marie realized they needed to drive to town and the phone rang. Mindy was home from school today with a sick kid. "Would I come over for a cup?" How could I turn that down?

When I arrived this is what I found. Mindy said, "Do you think he has pink eye? He's not goopy or anything." I said, "You are asking the wrong gal. One time, when we were living next to Priscilla in town, Marina was playing around in the street and Irene drove up and from 20 feet diagnosed her with pink eye. 'Alana, how could you miss that!' she said picking up her cell phone to call in a prescription. 'I thought it was just from the shampoo?' So, yea, you'd better call."

She was able to make an 11.30 appointment. How fortunate, just in time to paint my nails (hands and toes) and have a bite of this massive mound of misshaped cookies. Rice flour, what can you do?

Topics Covered:

Rice Flour. What can you do? Well, you can continue mashing them all together into a square pan cool them into a sheet cookie and cut them into squares.

How we are so so so ADHD that finishing one subject from beginning to end was extremely difficult. But it is nice because we understand each other.

The two pounds I lost at the WW this week.

GIPPA - The Girlfriend Information Personal Privacy Act and how I may not have been stern enough with a few girlfriends about the law and the repercussions that can occur when you break GIPPA.

Things we can't blog about. And there was a lot!

Suddenly it was 11.15 and I was off to Irene's!

Could I take a more endearing photo of Irene's little princess. I know, a future coffee lover! My spell is working!

Topics Covered:

Irene's terrific blog post about the Russian Old Believers that live in our area. She read about the Seldovia trip and even had a link to the TV show about them. She could totally relate to the amazing wonder of them rocking out with Falcom. I forgot to tell her that one of the things that most blew their minds in Seldovia was that their church was in 'THE MIDDLE OF TOWN!' Here is the link to the show;

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26788731#26788731

Riley home from school; sick or just sick of it?

Things we can't blog about

Matt and her watching some Netflix movie called something like, "A rape and child abduction in Bejing." I had a serious Deja Vu. "What is it with you and Suzanne? Don't you read the descriptions of the films? Don't you realize winter is coming?" They kill me!

How I was having a perfect moment yesterday, sitting in the sun, in my front window, laptop in my lap, breeze blowing through the open window. I was in Heaven. It didn't even bother me that I wasn't cleaning anything all day. To kill time I did a search called, "fun in Kuala Lampur" and just looked at images when I found a blog from a young woman who reminded me so much of another woman I know (quite frantically well, I must add). From the high octane romance that she fears she'll never recover from, to the friend getting the arranged marriage, to just thinking way to much, to loving good food... Irene's eyes bulged at the description, she was also seeing the similarities. How, for the first time I felt the compulsion to write to a stranger, who in no way seemed strange. The modern world is an interesting place.

Children in bed with her; darling life stage or irritating menace? This week they were safety engineers of sorts.

More things we can't blog about

There was so much chatting and fun... and then it was time to come home and be a fully engaged mother again.

PS Both boys took their school photos today. Willie enjoyed it. DeeJay did too. I really had to bite my tongue about the fact that he choose to leave on his 'uniform' red hooded sweatshirt for the picture. I wonder if he also kept the sunglasses on his head? I don't care, he is now memorialized for me. I was so pleased and calm that I taught him how to drive a clutch tonight.

Yes, it was a good day.

First Frost

Willie saw his first frost today. He was so excited! "It snowed!?!" DeeJay quickly told him that it was not snow, just frost and they began scraping the windows. Willie made a frost snowball. At least someone in the family is visably excited about the coming winter!

First Frost also means good-bye to the bees. Vince had considered over wintering them, but after the bear attack, the death of their queen, and this wet summer, he decided not to let them suffer through the winter. This year we only got about a half gallon of honey.

Field Trip to Seldovia or To Puke or Not to Puke, That is the Question...

Today the second and third graders from McNeil Elementary School and Mrs. Boone's second grade from Paul Banks Elementary made their yearly pilgrimage to Seldovia on the Alaska State Ferry System.

Seldovia is a quaint village off the road system in Alaska. It lies across the bay from us and it is where I move to in my, "I need solitude" fantasies.

I was excited that I was able to join Falcom and his class on a trip to my fantasy town until about 3 in the morning when Marina came in and told me that a tsunami was breaking at the foot of our house and that she was scared. We laid there together and I told her that dreams of tsunami was just one way for God to scrub our karma and as I was explaining I heard what had inspired her dreams. The wind was blowing 40 to 60mph into our open sail of a house. As I whispered softly to her, "It's just a storm coming in honey...go back to sleep." I was yelling to myself, "The ride to Seldovia is going to be full of barfing kids! Oh No!"

I was to meet them at the ferry terminal at 10:30 and from the wind and white caps I was praying that the trip would be cancelled. I did not want to be in charge of any puking children. I buckled down, got tough, and got my group: Falcom, Kiriana, and Elizaveta. These two girls are Russian Old Believer kids. They were wearing beautiful sparkling dresses. My son had not even remembered to bring his rain coat from school. (Even though I reminded him a dozen times). We got on board and as did all the kids, we started eating. I thought, "Well, at least when all these kids start going, the puke will be fresh." I took every barf bag I could find and stowed them away, I was ready.

In a sweeping bit of good luck, the pessimist in me was thwarted when the sea was relatively calm and not one kid on the entire ship puked! Yea!

Rain... it rained the entire day. As parent chaperones we were given a handbook describing in thorough detail every educational opportunity we should be offering our students. I looked at my group of three. I considered my inner barometer of patience. I evaluated the amount of rain that was falling and I marched us immediately over to the playground. When the girls were tired of being wet (two minutes into this picture of swinging) we walked right over to the Boys and Girls club where the three of them delighted in that big Seldovian living room.

In the Russian Old Believer culture, there are a lot of rules about diet and music and hanging around non-believers. They can't share food. They can't eat off plates that aren't brand new or their own. They can't do music. Now this Kiriana (holding guitar) must have more liberal parents than Elizaveta because she knows all the Hannah Montana songs and also knows how to pose for the camera. On the ferry she asked me about Falcom liking to do girls stuff. I asked her why she likes vanilla ice cream and we talked about how you can't really say why you like things, that you just do. I don't know if the talk helped, but, they played Barbies and pool and then got on these guitars and really jammed.

I hope these pictures I took of the girls don't get them in trouble with their parents. But they were just so cute. We tried to go on a hike, in the pouring rain.And it worked until Kiriana fell into the mud. Then we were back at the Boys and Girls Club. We took a tour of the school given by the third graders and then we went back to the Boys and Girls Club. After school they were able to crank the music and put on the microphone. Then the kids really had a blast! It was fun to hear the kids reaction to Falcom..."Did he just sing that or was it the CD?" "Did he make that up or did he know it already." "Falcom, I like you when you sing."

After a while, other adults started coming to the Club. The place was getting so full and I knew that if we didn't try to make it to the museum they may never let me chaperon again, and so I bundled them up and off we went to the general store for an ice cream, then off to the museum being educational each time we could lift our heads without being blinded by raindrops.

The roof of this store was covered with seagulls and Elizaveta was completely enthralled.

We got to the museum and then huffed it over to the Slough, where the tide was high and the scene so picturesque, but all I could see when I would look behind me was this:

And so, I huffed us back at a good clip to the ferry dock where we climbed back on board the ferry, found our table, and proceeded to eat, again.


An hour an a half later we were back in Homer, tired, cold, and fortunately, with stomachs still full.