I'M MELTING.....

I'm going to say something that you don't hear every January day in Alaska...it's 32 degrees and raining. That's right...raining. I can't believe that just last week we were in the negative 20's and now we are melting. In the lower 48, they cancel school due to snow. Up here, they cancel it because of melt. Well, Happy Melt Day! Jess is definitely a happy camper. Brandon will be, too, when he wakes up and realizes he doesn't have to go to school. In the city's defense, everything is melting and refreezing on the roads, so it's rather icy out there. I wouldn't want to be driving around either. So now the kids and I will relax, watch movies and play the Wii for the rest of the day. In a little while, the hubby will call and tell me how sunny and warm it is in Hawaii. I've already warned him...tell me how you were sweating and had to turn up the air conditioner one more time and the Harley goes up for sale. Cheap. And none of that "But Honey, I'm working" crap either. I'm not buying it.

Snow and Chicken Soup

The snow is finally back. The flakes are tiny, and it's coming down like a heavy sprinkle, but it's still snow. That's all that matters. The cats are not impressed. They've seen all of this before. You will be happy to know that the temps are in the positive numbers again. It's actually 23 degrees right now. That's practically balmy. We should get out the patio furniture and have a barbecue. The high for tomorrow is supposed to get up to 36 (that's swimsuit season). I will believe that when I see/feel it. It does mean that I probably won't bother to shovel off the driveway tonight. I'll see if it gets warm enough to melt on it's own tomorrow. Stranger things have happened.

I thought I'd share a recipe for Chicken Soup, because nothing warms you better in the winter. My family is not a big fan of soups in general. They normally go for the heartier meals. I tend to love soups, so I keep trying recipes in the hope of finding one they they will like. I hit the jackpot with this one. I got it out of a Taste of Home: Simple and Delicious magazine (thanks for the subscription, Mom!) and thought I'd share it with all of you. Give it a try. It's hearty, extremely easy to make, very healthy, and really fills you up.

Chunky Chicken Soup

3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, but into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup chopped onion

1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) vegetable broth

2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1-1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

In a Dutch oven, saute the chicken, onion and garlic in oil until chicken juices run clear. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Reduce heat; stir in the beans, vegetables and seasonings. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Garnish with cheese. Yield: 7 cups.

That's the official recipe. Now here is how I make it. It's even easier. I get frozen grilled chicken strips at COSTCO. I thaw about 1 to 1-1/2 cups of frozen chicken strips for a few minutes in the microwave. I leave the olive oil out completely. Toss the chicken into a big pot, and add the other ingredients. My family doesn't like the broccoli, so I leave that out as well and add another cup of the veggie mix instead. I also leave off the cheese garnish. It's a great healthy meal in a matter of minutes. Give it a try and have a wonderful winter's day!

Yep, Definitely The Pajamas!

That has to be it. Moose are naturally drawn to the moose pajamas. I bet if everyone went and bought some of these magical pajamas, you would be seeing moose in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, New Hampshire, etc. It's a proven fact. I've been wearing the bear pajamas a lot lately(silly me, because obviously the bear are all hibernating!), so I decided last night that I would wear the moose. No sooner than I'd changed, I just happened to look out at the back patio and there they were. Mom and baby moose. Baby is a relative term up here. This spring calf is roughly the size of a regular horse right now. Here is Momma moose. She wasn't a very happy camper last night. In fact, she was very grumpy. (Maybe Daddy moose went off to a warmer location for "work" and left Momma Moose in the freezing snow with baby moose. I'm just saying...)They were a lovely family. Momma didn't stay very long. Like I said, she was very grumpy, and she soon went on to another tree. The baby stayed a bit longer. Apparently my raised flower bed makes a nice buffet for a young moose. The birds had knocked some leaves and berries off of the tree and onto the snow covered bed. This youngster delicately nibbled them up.

Soon, the baby went off to find it's Mom. I was glad I finally got to see the moose again. It's been weeks since I'd seen any at all. If you like to see a moose in your back yard, then get yourself a pair of Hatley pj's, too!

Whose Grumpy?

I used to feel sorry for Russ when he had to go TDY. You know how it is... long hours, sparse living conditions, away from the family, loneliness, lots of work, rough. This TDY? Not so much. I know I sound like a mean and heartless wife for not supporting my man in uniform. My response to that is THBTTTTTTTTT! I tell you what, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Me...

Russ...
Me...
Russ...
Me...
Russ...
Me...
Russ...Did I mention me?
How did I get these pictures of Hawaii? Why from his last TDY there, of course. I'm off to COSTCO. I've already made out the shopping list: beach wall mural, gallon jug of Margarita mix, Beach Boys CD, etc.

The Bohemian Waxwings Are Back!

Still no moose. There are more tracks in the snow, so I know that they are still toying with me. I have hopes to catch them soon, but until then, the Bohemian Waxwings came back to visit yesterday. If you've never seen these birds in person, they are beautiful, but very hyper. (I am beginning to wonder if these berries contain caffeine. They have their system worked out to perfection, though. The birds appear in a massive swarm, and perch in neighboring trees. Then they take off in groups of about 20 or so and land in my little crab apple tree. They each grab a berry, swallow it whole, and then take off to another tree to perch and wait for their next turn. As soon as they leave, another bird flies in to take it's place. The sound is very interesting, too. They don't chirp much, but the fluttering of their wings as they fly in and out, added to the sound they make when they pluck the frozen berries off the tree, resembles the crackling sound of a campfire. It's a crackling sound with an occasional bigger pop.

The first time I saw them eating berries, I was amazed that they didn't choke on them. They swallow the whole thing so quickly that I was sure I was going to have to do the heimlick maneuver on a few of them. In case you are curious, Tink was inside on the couch and watching them very intently the whole time. It was very tempting for her, but she couldn't figure out how to open the window. Ashley was enjoying a nice nap.

There were so many birds on the tree that the ones on the upper branches were knocking snow off of the limbs onto the lower birds.

They worked very quickly, so soon the branches were free of berries and the swarm of locust-like birds were off to another tree.

I also had to include another moon picture that I took yesterday afternoon. It was very impressive. One good thing about our short Alaskan winter days is that you don't have to stay up late to enjoy the moon. I took this picture at around 4 pm.

It's All About Survival

We narrowly escaped being frozen to death last night. Our entire neighborhood lost electricity around 8 pm. The temps outside were in the negative teens, and the temperature inside was dropping rapidly. We huddled together under blankets and sang Kumbayah. Our extremities were going numb. We were fading fast... OK, maybe it wasn't quite that dramatic, but I had you going there for a minute, didn't I? In reality, we did lose electricity. Most of the electrical lines in Alaska are under ground. Therefore, we seldom have snow and ice buildup on the lines that lead to power loss (like you tend to experience often in the lower 48). Unfortunately, the power lines that connect our little neighborhood to the rest of the base are above ground. Needless to say, freezing temps plus windy evening equals power loss.

It was only out for an hour or so, and it did get colder inside, but nothing major. We enjoyed a nice card game by candlelight and music from the IPOD. We did discuss who would get to eat which cat if things got desperate, but that was about as far as it went. Luckily for Tink and Ashley, we got power back before we got too hungry. (Plus people tend to know how I am without my morning coffee, and trust me, NO ONE wants to see that. )

We never did reach a positive number in our temps this week. We are going on about 3 weeks with nothing but negative temperatures, and it's getting a little old. The weather channel is predicting snow and highs in the 20's for next week. I will believe it when I see it. Dare to dream...

Outsmarted By Moose

I know moose get a lot of bad press for being rather unintelligent animals. Even though they are the largest member of the deer family, they are thought of as closer to a cow. Lets face it, they just walk around and chew on leaves and grass, and look at you as if they are trying to tolerate you. Pretty cow-like, you have to admit. Well, now I am starting to think that they are much more devious than they appear. The local moose love my trees. I have two crab apple trees, one in the front yard and one in the back. The last few winters, the moose have come and visited me throughout the chilly days, delicately eating the leaves. Well, Hannah and her son Morris are delicate. Bob pretty much clamps down on the the branch near the trunk, slides his mouth down the branch to remove all the leaves at once, and then chomps away on them. I normally sit on my porch and take pictures of them. They have tolerated this pretty well throughout the years. Apparently they have reached their photographic limits. Now they are sneaking into the yard between 10 pm and 5 am to eat. I know this because there are tracks in the yard, but I never seem to see the moose. Sneaky little devils. I have hopes of catching them in the act soon. Until then, here are some pictures from last winter. Handsome Bob, Gorgeous Hannah, and hunky little Morris. They are a good looking group, even if they are camera shy.
Oh, wait! I forgot to mention that the high today is 1! Whoohoo! Spring is on the way! Warm weather! (Kind of pathetic, I know, but it's the little things in life that make you really happy!)