Family Day, 2009

Active Members of the Greear Family

DeeJay and the Time Bandit

Family Day is our yearly custom honoring the day that we finalized our adoption of Falcom. This is the day that we were blessed to become a family. Family day is one of the most important holidays we celebrate each year.

This year Family Day fell on a Monday and so we celebrated on Sunday. With all that was going on and with the kids aging, we decided for the first time in 6 (or 7) years not to go to Nikiski Pool and instead voted to boat to Seldovia with bikes.

We spent the day walking around, enjoying the sights, a little food, a little basketball, a refreshing dip in the ocean, a little ice cream, a little laughter.

Climbing the rocks at the beach... DeeJay, having forgotten his cell phone and ipod at home, lays on the rocks and sleeps. This short nap gave him the power to swim later.

Nothing better than having my family together in Seldovia on a sunny day.


I am blessed to be a part of this family.
Falcom gets a brain freeze

Saturday Fishing

There was an accident last week in the Greear Home.

This first picture is of Glenn's boat cutting through the fog beside us.

While the little kids and I were in Anchorage and while Vince was in Soldotna working, the big boys were home alone. They probably spent some time in the basement by the stand up freezer, watching TV or sleeping, but they did not notice the cool breeze that the open freezer door was sending out into the space. By the time we noticed it it had defrosted most of the fish we had put away for the winter. We spent the next week eating a lot of fish.

This lack of fish necessitated our fishing.
It was a beautiful day on the sea. We caught an unusually high number of skates (they are in the ray family). We think we ended up hooking 6 of them, which is unusual. We saw no whales, but plenty of otters and birds.
We ended up with our limit of little 'chicken' halibut. I am sure it will be plenty to keep us going through most of the winter. I was just informed that we do not have enough to make it through the winter and will be fishing again next weekend.

For me, it was fun to be with my family on the sea.
Here is the Radeke Family and the now famous Time Bandit of Deadliest Catch fame!

There are other things that needed to be included in the photos but that my hands were too slimy to capture. One especially, the Filipino Lady standing at the cleaning table at the harbor collecting everyone's halibut heads and halibut skin. She left with a very large cooler full of them. She'll make soup for the year with the heads and fry the skins like potato chips. Her American husband made it clear that he was not a big fan of fish head soup, but he does not believe in complaining about what is set in front of him.

In a very White American way that I am not proud of, I turned to my mother (who has lived in the Philippines and speaks the tiniest bit of Tagalog) and said, "You know, this just reminds me of how Filipinos will eat ANYTHING." I know I only said that because I was flashing back on lunches I shared with my co-workers at the Duty Free Shoppers in Saipan, and the post traumatic stress disorder that followed. One meal in particular that my Carolinian co-worker took me too at the Filipino buffet across the street from the mall. He only took me there to watch me try to be polite as I tried to choose between blood stew and pig ears. Oh yes, he was rolling! He and I have one important characteristic in common, we both really know how to amuse ourselves and on this day he was the one being amused.Oh, this is off the subject but since the nation is talking about health care reform, I suppose this would be a good time to add a little background on the inner workings of Alana's health care philosophy...

When I learned that the naturalpathic medicine of choice in that part of the world (Southeast Asia/Pacific Rim) is to eat a black dog before winter as a blood tonic, the validity of all nauralpathic medicines came into doubt for me. Ever since, I've been all about the occasional antibiotic.

Just saying...

Teri's Birthday Smash!

One of the most difficult things about living a life and blogging about that life is that when living enough to have things to blog about there is little time to keep up with the blogging! This is especially true today. I think I will make the next few postings pictorial rather than verbal because, it feels overwhelming otherwise.

Friday, I lunched with my kids at school. Both kids seem to be getting on well with their classes and their friendships. I am blessed to have the kind of life where I can spend a few hours with them on any given day. Seems that in today's world this is not the norm.

And now to reveal the cliffhanger...

Teri is our girlfriend who lives in a palace on our road. In Princess style, her handsome husband and son threw her a 50Th Birthday Bash at the Bear Creek Winery here in Homer. I couldn't exactly talk about it on the last blog posting because of my blog following...she would have found out the secret!

Although the rain was coming down, the setting was splendid as we watched her shock and amazement over the surprise party.
The food was delicious and I must compliment Sean M. and McNeil Canyon Meats. Well, I must also honor everyone else who brought a potluck dish. When we were invited it was made clear that there would be no counting points (a Weight Watchers habit) allowed! Good thing because there was a baked brie surrounded in phyllo dough with nuts that was out of this world!

The wine was flowing freely and a gentleman who will remain nameless cracked out a box or two of Cubans and I think that at some point every man (and woman) there was enjoying a cigar. I must say that there is something mystical about outdoor parties that have an aroma beyond fresh air, flowers and trees. Picnics at the beach have it when we are burning driftwood. Bali has it with the incense and the clove cigarettes. It is a sweet smell, escapable because you are outdoors, and pleasant. Ah...

As we watched Teri work her way through the party, laughing and thanking everyone for coming, Suzanne and I have decided that we must really rate in order to be honored with an invite to such a spectacular bash. Thank you for having us!!! Teri, May your second 50 be just as fun and lively as your first, and may you keep basting us with your zesty temperament... It does keep things lively!

We love you Teri! It was a fun night... thank you for including us!

Back to Business

Can you see the birch leaves changing colors? It's still subtle, but it won't be long until the color green is officially stored away until next spring.

This week has been about nothing but the business of getting back into the school routine. It feels to me that we didn't even have a break; as if summer was unusually short. Strangely, by Wednesday it was like nothing had happened between the end of May and now. Falcom is up at 6am every morning, dressed and ready for school. Marina is sleeping until I wake her and she begs not to go. DeeJay is waiting until 7.10 before he will get into the shower, just as he's done since his sophomore year. Willie is the only one who is shaking things up a bit and that is because he has to work after school and so he is having to plan his day a little more closely.

Mema came over on Wednesday and helped me move furniture. Now, instead of sitting on my couch while I drink coffee and chat with the Paag brothers each morning, I am sitting in a recliner. (You know I'm laughing right now! Am I any different than my children?)Even Scratch is holding his post on the stair landing.

A quick over view of the week:

Tuesday

Regular Tuesday with Irene happened at Sharon's house. So many topics were covered, but the biggie was that Sharon is officially over the top in her super stardom! Not only had she made jam from Watermelon Berries, which is nearly impossible because there is nothing to them but water and seeds, she is also making cheese from raw milk she gets from the Kilcher farm, building a sauna by herself, and working full time. Irene and I sat in awe!

Wednesday

Irene and I had a great chat with Jerami while she was getting her birthday haircut. It was really funny and fun to be with the two of them. We also had a play date with our friend Ella. Valda came to dinner. Willie learned the value of calling a job to find out when he is scheduled to work (as he and DeeJay were interrupted by a concerned co-worker calling during dinner, "Willie, you were supposed to be here at 5, where are you?"). Experiential learners, three out of four kids in the family... It is hard to watch...

Thursday

Vegetable boxes and Irene's birthday lunch. This open face veggie sandwhich was phenomenal. (Isn't this a strange perspective with Maya and the salad?) Vegetables are coming to town via a new carrier. This has changed the delivery time from 9am to nearly noon. The change has really put a crimp in my princess lifestyle. Part of being a princess are the frequent lunch dates that must be attendended. Lunch dates will have to be scheduled around veggie boxes from now on. This is so un-princess-ish.Marina and I went to our garden and did some harvesting for the Turkey Pie I made for dinner. We picked brocolli and carrots. We stole baby potatoes from their hiding places. Suzanne came over. Pie was a super smash! So were the Swiss Chocolates K and G brought back for us from their trip! Yum!

Today

I am going to spy on my kids at lunch... Oooo I'd better not go into the glorious details.... Where is the cliffhanger in that?

The School Year Begins!

What is the mystical component that enables these children to not be able to wake all summer, and then, on the first morning of school rise and shine at 5am only to be told to get back in bed for another hour? Is it excitement? Anxiety? A mixture of both?

Marina has had a wiggly tooth for several weeks now. The root snapped a bit while eating dinner over the weekend. Fortunately, school was starting because there is only one person qualified to pull teeth in our house and that person is Mr. Pete Swanson, school principal. How he has managed to become elevated beyond dentist in her mind is beyond me, but sure enough, the first chance she had she was in his office and the third tooth is gone! We are thinking that she may be the first person in McNeil Canyon School history to loose a tooth the very first day of school. Falcom was happy to see his classmates, his new teacher, his workload. With the mystery of the day revealed he was able to have a super fun day.

School actually started for Willie, DeeJay and I over a week ago when the High School began passing out school schedules. I have learned that taking a more assertive approach to scheduling is more effective than waiting until the first day to hammer out the details. Because of this their days went much more smoothly.Willie is happy about his new schedule. Although he does not have an elective, he is grateful that all of his teachers are kind and that he will be getting extra help. I am grateful that I am not a parent of one of these kids with only 5 out of six classes who have to leave campus for that hour each day that they are class-less.
The thing that stood out most in DeeJay's mind is how many freshman there are at school and how little they are. I was surprised when DeeJay insisted on taking the bus to school. I mean, he is a senior now and can drive. That doesn't mean I want him to, I just thought he'd plead for it. While dropping the kids off at McNeil this morning I realized what was going on and took this secret picture... More girls ride the bus than ride in the truck.


At dinner I took an informal poll. Results revealed that all kids were glad to be back in school and that they are all excited about what the year is going to bring.

East End Road Book Group Meeting -or- How Marina is the Ruler of Her Kingdom

This week I took Falcom and Marina to the bookstore. While we were there Marina picked up the audio version of Skippyjon Jones. This book has become this summers favorite tome.

The following night Marina asked me for Suzanne's phone number. "Hello Suzanne. No, this is Marina. I need to call a meeting of the book group. I need to share my book. Yes, I think Friday will work just fine. Thank you." And so, Marina keeps our book group alive by scheduling meetings for us!Suzanne brought her mother Lorianne. Jean was able to attend. The rest of the gang was absent. As always, the food was delightful! The conversation somewhat restrained, as this has been a heavy emotional summer for all of us. Jean cut her hair for Locks of Love. I've been stewing over the boys school schedules and everything else all week. Suzanne is back at work full time. Mema read the heavy "Five Smooth Stones." Not our most lively meeting.

However, Marina did an excellent job sharing her books with the group. We then retold the story of how, when she heard of Mema's going to today's street fair in town with Priscilla and Beverley, she looked right at Mema with arms wide and imitated King Julian from Madagascar 2 perfectly by saying, "Good News Freaks! I am coming with you!"

Hearing her call those Grandma's 'Freaks' really did me in.

For all of you who do not have children and have never amused yourself with King Julian before, please see the hilarity for yourself, click link below. You only need to see the first 35 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6WG6ctb6Fw

Varicella Round Up!

This year the government ordained that no child shall attend public school without the full bank of Chickenpox vaccinations on board their tiny bodies. (I will not go into a debate about this mandate here). It can be imagined that there was a great publicity push to begin getting all of these children vaccinated during the last school year. And then in the early summer. I fear that few of our busy Alaskan families heeded the call.You know, Alaskans in general do not want anyone telling them how they should be living their lives. This was more pronounced twenty years ago when we all moved up here and each person had ten acres of forest and swampland. I knew a very cute young mountain man who told me, "If you can't pee off your porch without anyone seeing, you are living too close!" I found this to be a good metaphor for our state.

I am taking it by the scene at today's en mass Varicella Shot Clinic at the Elks Lodge in town, that we, as parents, didn't want to believe that the school district and state government would actually go through with this infringement into our personal space. But...the barrage of emails and phone calls from the school let me know that indeed, Marina would not be attending school on the first day if we did not give her these shots, and so...

We started the day on a fun note...my knee is well enough to ride my new bike through the town. Falcom, Marina and I rode through town to complete ALL of our errands for the day. I love the sun and I love riding bikes with the kids, especially now that I don't have to follow behind them screaming the entire way, "Stay on the side!" or "Stop at the corner!" This day of riding was a revelation!

At 4.35 pm we headed down toward the beach through the Islands and Oceans trail, ending up at Two Sisters Bakery where we purchased a post shot treat. When we arrived at the Elks Lodge at 4.45 pm the line was out the door, through the parking lot and around the corner.

Oh yes, we knew nearly everyone in line. Irene and I, in a strange bit of uncoordination, found ourselves far enough away from each other that we could not visit. We used Falcom to play telephone. Vince was really disappointed he would not be able to attend. He just loves hearing the blistering cries of children recieving shots echoing out through the cavernous hall.

The father in line behind me and I were considering if it was worth coming to the clinic early or should we have come late? Since the entire town is going to be here and it's not really usual for Homerites to be on time...

And then it was 5. The Public Health Nurses swung the door open and we were snaking into the basement of the Elks Lodge. There were volunteers everywhere. Each one had a specific role is keeping the process rolling. In fact, not only was Edie there, but Valda had gotten pulled into it as well.

Because I am marginally organized, I only needed the shot for Marina. Because I am becoming a master of bureaucracy, or because I've spent some time in Asia, I was able to quickly fill out my forms and push my family through the maze and soon we were ahead of a few of the families who had been dutifully waiting in line since 4.30pm. (At this point I would like to mention that there were some brilliant mothers in my peer group who got together and coordinated their line holding efforts. One mother watched several of the children while another mother waited at the head of the line for probably over 30 minutes! Brilliant!)

Around us children were wailing. I turned and began photographing the en mass anxiety attack when I was stopped by the Fire Chief. He informed me that I was violating H.I.P.P.A. by photographing the scene and that if I could not stop I would be asked to leave. I complied but not until after I took this last shot. This was a big disappointment to Irene who found the "Bribe Gifts" being carried around the Round-Up to be absolutely fascinating! Toys! Candy! Promises of motorized vehicles! It must have been a spectacular sales day at Timeless Toys, that is for sure!

Marina was feeling medium anxious as she took the chair for her shot. With her temperament, this scenario is actually better for her. She was so engrossed with the crowd, the hysterical children, Falcom trying to find a song for her to sing, the overloaded sticky bun I held for us to share after she was finished, that she was actually unaware when the shot actually occurred and she looked at me and said, "It's done."

We got up, filed out the door, walked to the lawn where we shared the sticky bun, and took a seat in the lawn under the sun.

It was 5.20pm and the parking lot was empty. The rush was over. In fact, the entire clinic may as well have been over. There was the reluctant straggler trickling in, but for the most part, the entire willing slacker participant from the immediate Homer area had been inoculated by 5.30pm. (One of those reluctuant stragglers was an artist we know and when we joked that she was not here for the shot clinic, but rather to have a drink at the Elks Bar, she was unamused and did not even honor us with a glancing smile. This made me laugh even more.)

I interviewed a few of the nurses (who requested to remain nameless) and the overarching feeling they were experiencing was, "This wasn't quite the cluster*** I thought it would be."

When reflecting with fellow participants we all were amazed. It went well. It was easier than bringing our kids into an appointment at the clinic. In this instance, trying to redeem our slacker ways by arriving early did not pay off. Good Job Public Health!

And so, it looks like Marina will be returning to school on Monday after all...