Saturday, 5/26 AM

 Yesterday.  Fed, watered, poop scooped, played with dogs. Stretched it out as long as I could because of my avoidance of the whole shower thing.  Couldn’t put it off any longer, so I tackled it head on. What do you know. A piece of cake. Yep. The change machine took my ten. Doing laundry was easy. Then I turned in the card Kristin gave me for a free shower, they rang it up, and pointed – “room 1 or 2 is open.”  I went to room 1. It was just a small room, with a sink, and really, really nice shower. Like a shower you’d find at home. It was light years better than the public showers I grew up using at campgrounds, places where you weren’t really sure you were any cleaner when you left the building than when you went in, and you SURE didn’t touch the walls or let your towel drop on the floor even for a second!  This was just like someone’s bathroom in a home. Showered, dressed, went back out to wait for laundry, and read for awhile while I waited.  Went home and changed into clean clothes, read a bit longer, then went in search of a specific brownie mix I had seen in Kristin’s cupboard (and then went on line to read about – www.kodiakcakes.com) 

Found both the brownie mix and a flapjack mix(did you know that pancakes are NOT the same as flapjacks? yeah, I didn't either) at Fred Meyers,

 swung through the drive-through at Dairy Queen for my all-time favorite Peanut Busters Parfait, and then home again. THANKFUL to be home – I forgot, it is Memorial Day weekend, and apparently EVERYONE must leave Anchorage and head up this way. WOW. The traffic was crazy, and unappealing. Of course, as happy as I was to find the brownie mix, I forgot to check the ingredients, and I need butter, so I will, today, just run down to the little local store a couple miles away for butter, and will make them tonight. I’m thinking I”ll try the flapjack mix, with blueberries, for dinner maybe.

Last night I was feeling brave enough to let one of the dogs loose to run around a bit with Tricky.  Kristin had said pretty much any of them were ok, especially all the “puppies” (who turn a year old this coming week! Yay – Happy Birthday, puppies!), but I have been SOOO nervous that they would run off, or get hurt, that I haven’t, up til now. Well, must be confronting that ( unknown and terrifying! Not!!)  shower in public thing gave me the boost of confidence I needed… I let Kaki loose to run with Tricky.

He is the first one that Kristin had let loose while I was here, and I knew he would just run and run and run, but stay around, so I started with him. And he did exactly that.  He was SO happy. He’s such a big galoot – just running, running, running. 

     Honestly, NOTHING makes my heart happier than running, happy dogs. And when he tired, he came and plopped down at my feet, making him really easy to take back to the kennel. Today, and from now on, my evening routine will be to let one or two of them loose to run off some of their pent up energy. I can’t let the girls loose, because they are all in heat, and Guiness and Berkley and Charlie – I THINK she said not to let them loose because they haven’t been here that long, maybe, and have come from other kennels. So, I will let the boys – Eewa, YashiNomi, Kaze, Taki and Yama, loose, one at a time, in the evenings to run, thus compounding my dog-joy. Not only do I get to go out to pet them, talk to them, hug them, feed them, take care of them, but now I will get to sit and just enjoy watching them run in the evening for a bit. 

      I’ve been here a week, and I still go to sleep every night with, literally,  a smile on my face. I am just SO happy, so thankful, to be here.  I guess it’s hard to describe, because I know for sure that not everyone would find this appealing.   And, it’s not only “appealing” to me, but EVERYTHING. Peace, quiet, solitude, relaxing, no pressure, no worries, beautiful surroundings. And dogs. Because, you could have all of the above, but without dogs, it would mean little to me. I am coming to know the dogs, each dog, as an individual, and I can’t for the life of me think of anything I would rather do, or that is more important for me right this very minute. Everyone’s  heart sings its own song. I think some people never hear theirs. How grateful I am that I am learning the tune of my own melody.  How lucky I am to begin to know WHO I am. Everything I’ve done, every place I’ve been, every lesson learned, has led me here. I believe that. And it is enough.   <3  <3  <3

Friday, 5/25, AM

     No posts yesterday, unless you count the one from the night before that I couldn’t post til morning.   Although obviously there is internet service here, it is dependent upon enough power in the inverters from the generator to run my computer. And I DESPISE running the generator for very long, or very often.  Somehow it makes me feel less ALASKAN, less TOUGH, if I have to run out and turn the generator on every day to power my computer.   I’m pretty sure the early frontiersmen didn’t HAVE laptops or cell phones to charge every day!  J  So, my posting is a little more random. Sometimes I use the power just to download pictures from my phone or camera, sort through them, and then add them here. By the time I’m done with that, the internet is beeping at me to tell me I’ve been on quite long enough, thank you!  I’m trying to get a little smarter and do the things that REQUIRE internet, like the pictures, or sending email, and then do the rest, like the writing of emails or the writing of a post, OFF line. Give me another few weeks here (I wish) and I’d totally get a system down. An efficient one.  Well, more efficient than I have now.

     Yesterday, the sum total of my day consisted of filling water jugs at the Laundromat,

getting the mail, visiting with Tracey who stopped by after work for a bit, and feeding the dogs. Oh, and reading. I started a really good book. And so the pile of papers I brought along to correct sat there, untouched, yet another day. I really wish now I hadn’t brought them at all. Sigh. So, it rained yesterday.  ALL day. It started sprinkling when I was doing the morning feeding/scratching/petting/playing/poop scooping, and then got harder when I came in, and then just continued to alternate between a drizzle and a downpour, all day, and most of the night,  long. It was damp and chilly enough that I started a fire in the woodstove, and the beef stew I made for dinner last night was the perfect meal.  It was perfect - warm and cozy in here. Even Tricky spent most of his day dozing on the downstairs dog bed.  And the dogs spent most of the day in their houses. Except Jack, who stood with his head IN his house and his back end out – and Zumi, who laid on top of her house, oblivious to the wet.  It wasn’t raining when I went out to feed them supper last night, so I took some very wet, very muddy, dog yard pictures.  I wish I had taken pictures of Jack and Zumi. They were too funny!

I will do a separate post today with JUST the dog pictures, and commentary on them. They totally deserve their own page, apart from my ramblings…

 So, my big adventure for today, which I have been totally putting off out of nervousness is…. Wait for it…..going to take a shower. A PUBLIC shower. OK, well, no. Not a public shower. A shower in a public place. The Laundromat here has showers and (obviously) washers/driers for people who live off the grid. I’ve seen several just in Big Lake, so it’s not uncommon. It is, in fact, a VERY common way of life here. But, I’m not used to it, so I’m terrified. Not of taking a shower at the Laundromat. But of all the unknowns that could make me look really stupid. Do I need change? I know there’s a change machine, but do I need single dollar bills? I don’t have any singles. I only have a ten. Should I go get singles before I go there? Where will I get singles from?  Do I have to put change in for the shower? Or do I pay for the shower at the desk before I go in? Should I start my laundry first?  Oh my goodness. These unknowns totally plague me. To the point where I would almost rather stay home and not have to confront it, not have to figure it out. Except that, I know first of all, once I do, it will be a piece of cake and I will be able to go back and do it again with NO worries. And secondly, if I DON”T go, my clothing will get up and walk to the Laundromat themselves. They are THAT dirty. I did a pretty good job, no a REALLY AWESOME job, of not over-packing this time, which means that I am down to NO clean jeans and only one clean t-shirt left. Totally not going to get me through another week. So, it is a MUST-DO today.  Yesterday, I was kind of nervous about filling the water jugs, too. “What if I can’t find the sink Kristin was talking about? What if they look at me funny for bringing in all these jugs? What if you’re supposed to pay for the water, and I don’t know that. Kristin didn’t mention that, but what if???  It seems weird that they would just GIVE water away. Someone has to pay the water bill.  What if I just LOOK STUPID?”  But, I went because I had to, and… the sink was there. Right where she said it would be. And, the sign above it said not to use HOT water to fill your jugs, so must be EVERYONE fills their jugs there. And NO ONE LOOKED AT ME FUNNY. In fact, the lady at the counter SMILED at me.  So, I filled my jugs proficiently, and came home, proud of that fact that I had conquered that. And I know, later today, I will again be proud that I figured out the whole shower thing and didn’t fall into a nervous heap at the desk. But right now, the task still looms. Funny, isn’t it, that I can fly thousands of miles to meet someone I don’t know, and take on the huge responsibility of taking care of 14 sled dogs, but yet, I’m terrified of having to figure out the unknown of taking a shower, filling water jugs and doing my laundry – in public. Wow. I am SO weird.

Wednesday, 5/23 PM

 10:30 pm. I guess it's about time to call it a day, and head up to bed, but it is so hard to do that when the sun is still shining and it is still so beautiful out.  The dogs are a bit restless tonight, and I am, too.  The highest the thermometer read here today was 64, but I don't believe it. It was HOT. I would have been much more comfortable in a pair of shorts on my walk today, and I have sunburned cheeks to show for it. Maybe it was the air temp, but the sun felt much warmer.
     Tricky and I started down the boggy path through the woods to check out the sandhill cranes, but it was TOO boggy.  I wore a pair of boots with splits in the side, and just a little ways in, I was sporting wet feet. I decided to save that hike for another day and wear the boots with no splits next time. So we turned around and headed up the road for a drier, on the road, hike to the Aurora Dog Mushers Association clubhouse. Kristin had said it was about two miles. It was a GREAT hike.

Three Roads Diverged, into a tundra woods...

When in doubt, follow the dog. Or at least a dog sign!

Except, just slightly unnerving, listening for moose and hoping not to see any. Or bears. I realized, mid hike, that I had set out with just a leash around my neck in case of anything untoward, for Tricky, and my camera and phone. I PROBABLY should have just carried a small backpack and thrown that in, plus a bottle of water and BEAR SPRAY.  I realized, mid hike, I was hiking thinking like a Western New Yorker, NOT an Alaskan. Although I'm pretty sure Kristin hikes it, and so I think it really was pretty safe. I was pretty careful to pay attention and not day dream like I normally do!  Scared a couple of ducks I didn't recognize off a swampy pond, and was lucky enough to see a couple of others hidden in a boggy patch in the woods on the side of the road.

Mallards, I think?

 No sign of the moose around here at all today. Must be the willow shoots are greener someplace else.
     Fed, watered, poop scooped the dog yard, and played with the pups tonight for about an hour. Then in to make a grilled caribou burger, some cashew rice, and broccoli for dinner. It was yummy. Everything tastes better here. My imagination, I'm sure, but it seems to. Might have something to do with the fresh air and exercise.   Did some chores around the house for awhile tonight, and made my to-do list for tomorrow. Really important stuff, like: clean Kristin's truck, get water, hike around the pond! I could really get used to THAT kind of a to-do list. I cannot believe how FAST the days fly. No TV, no radio, no one else to talk to - and the days just pass so quickly. I love how happy I am. I love how much I love it here.
     Something has the dog yard up the road stirred up - I can hear all 40 of them barking in the distance. It's music to sleep by.

   Good night from Bacon's Acres, Big Lake, Alaska.

Wednesday, 5/23 AM

Light through the trees at 10 pm

Jack and Raven settled in for the night



10 pm

Just before bed, nearly 11

About 11 this morning, on our way to the pond

Only a NON-local person would take pictures of moose poop. It does, however, admittedly, fascinate me. It is dry, oblong, and kinda neat looking. I'm taking each of my students back his own piece of moose poop. Think they'll appreciate it?

The pond

Hey, what was that splash? What's that, in the middle of the picture, eyeing me?

VERY cool! And not really very afraid of me.

A blue-sky morning, for sure!

Tricky is ready to go for a walk! I don't blame him. It is a GORGEOUS morning here.

End of the driveway. Bulbs and rhubarb plant watered.

Should we go left?

Nope, Tricky decided to go right. And not to wait for me!

And, now, I'm actually off to go a different direction, Tricky and I, to see if we can find the Sandhill Cranes. I haven't head them this morning, so who knows. But there's no sign of Mama Moose, so it seems a good time to go out exploring. Love this place. My heart is both open, and full.

Tuesday, 5/22 pm

     The evening rolls in. Dinner - caribou stroganoff on noodles I made with a package of ground caribou a friend gave me Sunday and fresh raspberriesfrom the store -  is done. Dishes are done. Dogs are fed, played with, and yard poop scooped again for the night. All is quiet out there. Tricky has chased the squirrel off and is laying on his bed in the corner of the living room, dozing. I went into Wasilla today for groceries - Three Bears of Alaska grocery store. Pretty neat place. I got food, plastic folders for school I've been looking all over at home for, and a pair of warm socks.  Everyone I came across today was super friendly. Tricky rode with me, and it is SO neat to be able to go places and take a dog with me. I have always wanted one of my own dogs to be a good traveling companion. Unfortunately, 5 dogs later and not one of them is. But Tricky is. He sits in the passenger seat and watches out the window. When I went into the grocery store, he curled up on the seat and slept and waited for me. He's SO calm, and such GREAT company. I love him.



Tricky

Tomorrow I am going to stay home and do a little hiking. No place I need to go, or even want to go. I love that feeling. That I can just be here, and just BE here. There are several places around here I want to walk to.I want to see if I can find the Sandhill Cranes, for one. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/id  They make a pretty cool noise. I can hear them, and Kristin showed me the path to where she has seen them, so I think Tricky and I will take the camera and go for a walk there tomorrow. The other really different bird I've heard a frequently is a snipe, a Wilson's Snipe, to be specific. They make kind of a rolling continuous hoohoohoo jabbering noise. I like them. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/sounds. I did hear my Ravens on Sunday when we went to Tracey's in Willow, and I've heard one once out here in Big Lake, but not nearly as much as I'd like to. They are my all time favorite bird, hands down, and I miss their croaky calls. There are always a ton around Anchorage, so I know I'll see/hear some probably as I head down toward the Kenai peninsula at the end of next week. Maybe I'll hear some tomorrow when I'm out walking http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/sounds
Lots of songbirds around as well - woodpeckers, Juncos, etc.
     Birds are not the only wildlife. There is a resident moose, and I've seen her several times now. The dogs HATE her, and I can usually tell when she's around by the noise in the dog yard, and the way that all the dogs are all facing in and barking at the exact same direction. Last night she was up at the end of the driveway:



That dark spot, behind the flags? Yep, that's her!



Hello, there. Good thing I have a looooooong zoom on my lens!

And this morning, she was behind the dog yard:



Look way at the back, right at the corner of the fence, in the middle of the picture. A dark spot in the trail.



I finished a book today, took a lot of time this morning to download and sort and organize photos, and sent some email. One thing I did NOT do today that I'm also putting on my list for tomorrow is to take a nap. Just because I can. Tomorrow I intend to take a lot of pictures of individual dogs, too. Every time I'm out there, I learn a little bit more about each one's personality, and I think "Oh I love this one best..."  Truth is, I don't have, can't have, a favorite, because they each have something different, something unique, and something very uniquely loveable, about each of them. I love them all, but each for a different reason. I'm sad when I leave the yard, and always happy to go back out to them. Is it possible that I have, after nearly 50 years on this planet, found both my home and my calling?  <3