Springtime? O.o pics...

 I ...hope.....it's finally spring!  It feels like spring.  But the last time it felt like spring we suddenly got a week of snowy blizzards.  Every moment is spent fixing up the garden and setting up the chickens.  My superman of a husband built a fully insulated chicken coop.  Complete with a small storage space and window.  We haven't completed it yet but enough of it is done to house the growing chickens and keep them safe from the resident weasel and the flock of migratory ravens.  I'll get better pictures once it up!

The garden is slowly coming together.  I lost quite a bit of my seedling in the 'great flash freeze of 2013' but I was able to revive a few and so far just lost a handful of the more delicate squash.  There is absolutely nothing more tedious than hardening seedlings! 

The chicken coop in the process of being built.  A carpenter husband is incredibly valuable!

The plants seem to say that it's finally spring, as they hesitantly green themselves up

everywhere we look is hints of green.

We found a robins nest hidden amongst a gravel slope.  We vowed to keep it's location a secret.

Springtime here means occasional showers and thunderstorms. 

Galena Flood reflief fund raising...

Please take a few moments to say a prayer for those that are impacted by the flooding of the small Alaskan town of Galena. We in Alaska are very tightly bound to each other and when nature causes tragedy we find a way to help each other out.  This spring is bringing many natural disasters across America, but some are small and don't make the national news; though they are just as devastating.

If you would like to donate funds directly please go here: GALENA FLOOD RELIEF

Join the Facebook group here for updated news on fundraising efforts here: GALENA FLOOD RELIEF FACEBOOK GROUP

 Any and all help is greatly appreciated, even if it is just to pass the information along via facebook, twitter, or email.

Stay safe everyone!

Video....Springtime Shmingtime....

Here is a photo I just took today.  The last few days have been the same.  Cold temps, blowing and heavy snow.  Just a couple weeks ago it looked like spring would finally show, the snow was visibly melting, the sun shone bright and warm.  But Mother nature had other ideas apparently.

I have heard that the river folks have been having flooding in the interior of Alaska, with this late and haphazard break up.  Up north the sea ice is misbehaving and preventing most of the communities from harvesting whales and other important sea life, causing heavy risk for the hunters that venture out on the ice.  Here in the mountains we usually get two weeks of good geese and duck hunting.  My husband just went out in this mess, with heavy gear on and with a few buddies. They have ventured out to try and hopefully get a few geese and ducks for the freezer.  The birds have been flying aimlessly at the edge of the Brooks range, flying incredibly low, searching for open water...of which there is none.  We even see small flocks of seagulls huddle in the center of frozen lakes....

I have a house full of plant seedlings and young chickens that are supposed to be out of the house in the respective raised beds and chicken coop.  But who knows when this weather will finally let up!  My husband started building the coop, but had to stop because the weather has made it almost impossible to work on it. 

Most people suffer from major cabin fever and get upset, but here in the village we find other things to do: visit friends, start a long night of card games with wily old ladies, work on gear that needs mending or replacing, and a million other mind engaging tasks saved for this purpose.  Me...I am enjoying watching sci-fi movies, catching up on reading chicken how-to books and digging through my old digital library reminiscing on warmer weather.

I found this little video on my ipod, and thought you would like to see it. It was taken in the spring of last year...around this time...it is the approach to the village through these ancient amazing mountains.

Video...first fishing trip to Shanin Lake...

I have come to the conclusion that if I am given more time during an outing, I will come back with more media to share.  This last trip we went on was to Shainin lake which is a good distance from Anaktuvuk Pass to the North West. You can catch monster lake trout there if you are lucky!  Since I had never been there before, I jumped on the chance to experience it.  I ended up making a little video of our return trip which was easy since I wasn't driving our snow machine...though I couldn't help it being so wobbly!  The drive there was a crazy adventure through 3-4 feet deep snow that involved a lot of digging snow machines out and holding our breath as we plowed through it all.  Driving through deep powder is kind of like driving in water....you have to have speed and use weight to maneuver...and if you stop....you will probably sink!  I was the only person to catch a fish when we got there.  We realized a bit late that we should have consulted with an Elder to find the best places to fish before we left.  The surface of the lake was already wet in some spots from water seeping through deep cracks in the springtime heat.

My husband, making a trail to follow with our Ace through some deep snow.  It was up to my hips when I took the photo.

Taking a break on top of a foothill slope.  It was so intensely bright I was sure all of my photos would end up blown out.  

Shainin lake with a snow machine for perspective.  All that undisturbed snow makes you want to run through it and make tracks!

fishing under some on the nearby craggy mountains.  We noted the small avalanches with nervousness.

Spring photos....with Chickens...and fish

Spring! 

I have been busy busy busy....but I thought I would post some photos just to show you what has been going on.  Stay warm and snug everyone and enjoy!

We travel for 30 miles and immediately start drilling holes.  Here is my husband and his brother.

Pretty view taken while the guys were drilling holes.  An Elder who went with us showed us a grave marker where her grandfather was buried.  The bears keep tearing the markers down in the summer months.

On the way back one day we spotted a wolf who was acting weird and running parallel to us.  My husband shot it.  It was a very very old wolf, that was very very underweight.  His teeth were worn down to nubs.  We opened his mouth and saw why, his mouth was covered in hundreds of porcupine quills.  He was probably looking for humans.

A Arctic char my husband caught.  Yummy!

you can see us in the distance.  Such a wide and beautiful place....Lake Chandler

My husband caught these lake trout one after the other!  It was very exciting! We give away about half our fish and freeze or dry the rest to eat over the summer into fall.

The ice is at least 7 feet thick.  It still creaks and cracks and moves beneath our feet in a a very unnerving way.

Sometimes you could see the bottom of the lake near the edges through the ice.  It actually made me a bit dizzy gazing into the depths.  It felt like I was miles above....floating on glass.

Fishing in long rows of people. 

Yes we now have chickens!  I forgot to take photos of them when they were cute. lol.  They are feathering out now...and they look like punk stars with their half formed feathers.  i have ten Black Langshans, with pretty feathered feet.  I'm sure I will posting about them tons in the future!