Finally!

Whew! The red tape has been untangled and I have been officially hired by the Fire Dept.! Some of the paperwork has been piling up just waiting for me to get my hands on it. We are going to do "Fill the Boot" for MDA this week-end first though. I'l be taking pics of the firefighters for our scrapbook.

Tanya and I have been scrapbooking in our bits of spare time. Time when I should be stitching on "Angels in Training". I desperately want to have it done for our trip to San Francisco in October. I need to do more outlining on the portrait of my mother before I get on a plane too. Actually, today would be a great time to catch up a bit. The weather is fabulous. I've got maybe 1 1/2 hours before I need to be in Big Lake, so I'm going to leave the computer and get out on the deck right now!

Stitchers meet

I got to have breakfast with Linda from South Carolina today! I have finished the Tin Pin and wore it so she would recognize me. It's from Twisted Threads, on 32 count linen with one thread over one thread and came with the backing piece. (Pictured with my stork scissor to show size) But we pulled up to the Valley Hotel at the same time and walked in together. Linda and I chatted for about 3 hours about many things. It is great fun to meet other stitchers!

The weather has taken a dramatic turn. It has rained a bit lately with more expected and today is very windy. When it is this windy at our house, it is much more so in Wasilla and even worse in Palmer. The sun was out when we finished breakfast, but went into hiding before I got home. I did make one stop at a thrift store and found some small cross stitch kits to stuff into my on-the-go bag.

Happenings

I can't believe how much stuff has been happening around here! I try to keep things simple and just stay home and stitch, but life just flows on and brings me with it.

One of my sisters has been diagnosed with diabetes as we all knew she would be when she finally got in to see a doctor. I'm offering support from 3500 miles away. At least I let her know that I understand how she feels. Getting a diagnosis like that is devastating for a while until you decide to learn to live with it and take care of yourself. It reminded me that I am not doing enough to take care of myself, so I walked Wednesday when the Team did and plan to continue that. I've made up my mind to work on my attitude about food too. I've done it before and I can do it again!

The Fire Dept. and I have been slowly untangling the big ball of red tape blocking me from a job in the office. The Chiefs have been taking turns being frustrated with all the little knots that come up. Hopefully, we are close to getting it worked out.

Larry and I had our 28th anniversary and celebrated by taking a fun overnight trip to Denali on the train. We saw the siding where our neighbor unloads his equipment from the train to go to his gold mine, attended a dinner theater that was lots of fun, and stayed in a nice room. A great little get-a-way.

I have a chance to connect with another stitcher soon! Linda from SC will be in Alaska for most of July and wants to meet up. I promised to wear a stitched pin every day so she would know me if she saw me. Of course, that made me want to finish the tin pin before the 4th. I got a bit excited about it, tried to hurry, and ended up frogging some stitches. That's not easy when stitching over one on 32 count. I talked some sense into myself and made a little perforated paper heart pin instead. I made a little mouse & cheese as an experiment some time ago because I am so stingy about tossing even the tiniest scrap of fabric. I was glad to find a way to use those little bits. Both pins are about the size of a quarter.

The Fire Dept. Auxiliary geared up for the July 4th parade by gathering up candy and flags for the trucks. I volunteered to take pics so I could sit on the sidelines with the grand-daughters and Trista. It was a busy , fun day. Trista and Larry took Chevelle with them to the drag strip to see jet cars after the parade. I kept Lexi with me to enjoy the picnic at the Central fire station. We watched the firefighters play water games, ate burgers, won a prize, and then came home to eat some parade candy, blow bubbles, and have a nap (Lexi napped, I stitched).

In the evening, we could hear some of the people shooting off fireworks. It doesn't really make much sense to shoot any in the air, because it doesn't get dark enough to really see them this time of year, so we mostly hear them. Sure enough, about 2 AM, a fire call. Before Larry left the house to respond, Vicki called to see if I wanted to go too. We brought coffee and snacks out to the fire scene and fought off mosquitos. Vicki and I didn't stay long because she goes to work at 5 AM. We left the coffee with the medics and headed back to the station where I microwaved some breakfast sandwiches and made more coffee for after the fire. I got back to bed about 5:30.

Today we are attending a BBQ at Lalen Lake with the Team. I made a Berry Crunch dessert to bring. I wanted to make it early before the day got too warm. Of course, we Alaskans think anything over 70 degrees Farenheit is too hot!

go Team!

I'm so proud of my daughters and my Team. Trista and Tanya did the 5-miler at the Mayor's Marathon on June 20, Margaret and Jill did the 1/2 marathon, Clint did the full, and we had a relay team of Terri, Becky, Karen, and Cathy! The next morning, we had breakfast with the Virtual Team in Training coordinator Julie and Coach Joe. The Valley Team is going virtual for the winter season.
The next event is the July 4th parade in Wasilla. Terri is checking into having the DeLorean in the parade for the Team. The Fire Dept. is putting in some trucks too. I plan to take the grand-daughters and be the official photographer for both.

Trees and Stitches

I was out in the woods behind the house this morning marking trees to be cut down. The black spruce trees are a fire hazard. When the weather is this warm, sunny, and breezy, the fire danger is high. A few of the trees are dead and some of them are blocking the growth of the birches. The floor of the forest is that spongy muskeg that makes for difficult walking. I think I got plenty of trees marked for the guy that wants to make fences of them. If not, we'll just find more from the area in back of the mobile home that Tanya & Mike live in.

Samantha, Tanya's German Shepherd, kept me company in the woods. She thought it was wonderful that I was walking on the moose paths with her and seemed puzzled when I stopped and didn't go further into the forest.

I'm going to spend my afternoon stitching on the deck like I have for the past two or three days. Stitching one over one on 32 count is much easier in the sunlight so I should be finished with the little tin pin soon.

The only other thing I need to do before meeting the Team this evening is to look up Chili's menu online to find something that will agree with me for dinner. I'm not impressed with their food so far. I sure wish I could eat salads again.

Back home

That was such a quick trip to Minnesota! Time just flew by except when we were on the planes. My wonderful sister, Carol, drove me to Stitchville USA where I purchased the fabric to start my Mother's Tree. Last time we were in there together she was just overwhelmed, but found a pattern she liked. I stitched it for her and she has it hanging in her office at home. The word 'Alaska' is stitched with a piece of qiviut (musk ox wool) that is dyed purple. This time she has chosen a Hinzeit pattern of Alaska with charms.

I visited the chiropractor before we left on this trip and did just fine the whole time we were there. Upon returning and after two nights in my own bed, I needed another adjustment. I'm sure he's right when he says I need to wear better shoes and keep the orthotic in my left one. And this morning, I had another foot cramp, which is a side effect from the Gleevec, but they don't seem as bad when I am wearing supportive footwear.

I did get to spend some time stitching on Angels in Training out on the deck, but the temps aren't quite comfortable enough to spend long hours out there and the wind wants to turn my umbrella inside out. It is still my favorite spot with the occasional doggy wrestling show, the neighbor's rooster crowing all the time (poor confused bird), and the small planes or an eagle flying over.

I've been busy packing because Larry and I decided to go spend a week in Minnesota. The families are all excited to see us. A week isn't much time, but it's hard to leave Alaska this time of year. Everything is turning green.

I had an appointment with my Oncologist on Wednesday. She said all my blood tests looked good, except that I am a little anemic. I think that's kind of normal for me because my temp is always a bit low too. She feels my neck and pushes on me to feel my spleen. I asked for some sleeping pills for the planes. Larry wanted me to get some nausea pills too, so she gave me a scrip for that. It has helped in the last couple of days. I'm not as miserable after I take my Gleevec pill. We discussed my weight again.....sigh. I'm hoping to get more motivation after this trip so I can be a bit more energetic when we go to San Francisco in October.

I have also been packing up some stitching to take along. I want to finish "Angels in Training" (freebie) and make a wall hanging to surprise the Team. My idea for the portrait of Mom is coming along. I have done some of the stitches around the perimeter of the design so I can just fill it in with stitches while on the plane or on the layover in Denver on the way home. Obviously I need to learn how to post some pics here.

I found out that owl was either a Hawk Owl or a Great Grey Owl. In the meantime, the eagles are cruising around. Sometimes I can hear one before I know where it is. Today on the way home from the fire dept., an eagle was circling over the road near Rainbow Lake. After I passed under it, I could see its shadow move across the road. That's got to be scary for a creature that might become prey!

Some family news: Trista got laid-off from the Municipality of Anchorage, but already has two (2!) full time jobs with other greenhouses! She gave her notice at the dog groomers too. Now she will be working 7 days a week, but getting home much earlier in the day.