What Are The Tremain’s Up To Now?

I love where we live. It’s absolutely beautiful, the people around us are great, and there are so many fun things to do. Whether it’s working in the garden or walking through town, it truly is great!

On a bike ride the other night Ron and I came across a Bull Snake laying in the middle of the road. Bull Snake aren’t poisonous, in fact they eat moles and gophers (yay!). All the same, snakes have never bothered me… but now… I don’t like them.

On that same bike ride Max (the dog) tagged along for some good ole’ doggie exercise. An hour later we got home to find that he had 4 ticks! Those have to be the nastiest, grossest things I have ever seen. Removing them is worse. We made a trip to the vet to get some repellent, but ewww.

They don’t have things like snakes and ticks in the arctic.

Hank has decided to become a self-employed business man. We took him to the local feed store and bought six chicks. We picked out 4 top egg producers and two that are marginal. Five of the chicks should produce brown eggs and one should produce green eggs. Hank decided to call his organic egg business “Green Eggs and HAM” - He decided that HAM stands for “Hank and Molly.” Mid-September our chicks should begin laying eggs. Hank already has plans to sell the eggs and use the profit for food and more chicks. He takes care of them every day, making sure they always have fresh food and water. Molly thinks that the “kiki’s” are the greatest. She helps Hank check on them too.

I can’t wait until they start laying eggs. He has a friend that has chickens and seems pretty excited about going and getting eggs to sell. Needless to say, I am quite proud of him!

Yesterday Molly and I hooked the bike and trailer up and went for a 5 mile bike ride. It was so nice and she yelled, “WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” the whole time. It was pretty cute. After we got home she drew lots of “bike” pictures. She has really started chatting up a storm lately. Almost everyday she surprises me with new words. We all love her 2 word sentences.

I have been in the garden a lot the past couple of days. My radishes and cucumbers are just starting to sprout. Yesterday at the market I got some celery and a few other yummies!

I have been battling a family of moles that keep popping up IN my garden. Last night Ron ran (ok, drove) to Fred Meyer for me and got a sonic mole sounder. NO NEW MOLE HOLES this morning!!! I am hopeful that this is the solution. My mother-in-law (a hairdresser) also brought me some hair. I’ve heard that moles don’t like humans and will stay away from the smell… so I’m going to shove some hair in the next one that pops up. - Although I am hoping my sonic gadget will keep them away. ~Perhaps send them to the neighbors house….just kidding, we have really nice neighbors and I wouldn’t wish our little furry colony among them.

The garden is done, I have done my part. I’ve watered, fertilized, planted, loved, prayed for, and nurtured it as much as I can…. and I still continue!

Hopefully good things are happening under the soil. Hopefully the roots are healthy and growing. Seeds are spouting and ready to become big beefy plants.

I know some things are happening under the soil. It seems that I have a MOLE PROBLEM! As you know, I am not  a violent person, although that little nuisance is driving me crazy. I have gassed, and gassed, and gassed… and still they continue. This morning I awoke to one right in the middle of my garden. Pest removal suggestions anyone?

I am sure that I can offend someone by this post, although that is not my intention.

Since moving back to “America” I have decided to be as “green” as possible, and also make sure my family is getting the best nutrience possible. The last week has been spent unpacking and out in the yard preparing for a garden. We have been working hard to get all of our crops in.

Being an Alaskan since the age of 6, I have never had a garden. Actually, I have only mowed the lawn once in my life - so this garden is a “whole-hearted EFFORT” on my attempt to do something good for my family. I bought all organic veggies and fruits and have used organic compost as well.

Here is a look at my garden. We have carrots, cuc’s, pumpkins, corn, tomatoes, green onions, sunflowers, lettuce, and some other things I can’t think of right now.

Hello readers!

Well, I have been absent from posting for the last month because we relocated from Alaska to small Pacific Northwest town I’d like to refer to as “perfect”. Maybe I’ll come up with another name for it in time, but for now, that’s it.

Our new home is great. It’s warm in the summer, cold in the winter and absolutely beautiful.

We were fortunate that Ron was able to get a great job in a town I have always wanted to live in. For the time being I’ll be home with the kids and tending to the garden we just put in.

It’s all everything I could ask for.

–Loyal readers, feel free to shoot me an email or comment and I’ll privately share with you where we live. It’s just not something I want to post for all of the world.

Our new little town is small, but has a few really nice amenities that we are looking forward to exploring. There are many trails, a small grocery store, one coffee shop, one restaurant, and one pub. Our neighbors are very friendly both to kids and animals - as they have both.

I’ll get pictures on here soon, but wanted to at least stop in and say, “Hi.”

May is almost here. In the arctic that means one thing: break-up.

Soon the snow will be completely gone. Friday the roads were snow and ice. Tonight after a weekend of weather in the 30’s Kotzebue is a danger zone. I am afraid to think of the flooding that may be occurring in some homes and buildings. This has been a record year for snowfall. That also means a record year for melting.

The water in front of our house is a little over a foot deep.

The city is out of snow removal money, but hopefully something we’ll come through. Kotzebue actually has “sucker trucks” (at least that’s what I call them). They come along, suck up the “puddles” and then empty the water somewhere else - probably the bay, but I don’t want to assume that and have people jump down my throat. Anyway… it’s kind of neat to see them in action.

Just incase you were worried about our global warming… it’s 11pm and 34 degrees warm out. If you include windchill in the factor (which you do!) - It feels like 19 degrees out.

Life in rural Alaska is different from life almost anywhere else. Even people that live in Anchorage live a different way of life than we do.

Here, hunting is everything. It’s a way to provide meat for your family, and warm fur to make clothing, hats, and gloves from. This winter I took up a new hobby - skin sewing. I made Ron an awesome pair of mittens. They are mutton on the inside (the stuff Uggs are lined with) and beaver on the outside. You’d never see a pair of mittens like this in an urban setting. They are overkill for any weather above 20 degrees. Living here, especially during one of the worst winters anyone can imagine, they were perfect.

Recently Hank took a trip out with some friends and put his love of hunting to the test. The boys came back with some rabbit and ptarmigan. Way to go Hank!

I am all for animal protection, but here, hunting is a way of life. Hamburger is something like $3.99 a pound. Anytime Ron and Hank bring home a caribou it’s like money in the bank and 100% ORGANIC!

I have decided that kids that do Easter Egg hunts in grass fields really have it easy. Try bundling up in all your cold weather gear and gloves,  then trying to pick up those little eggs.

Hank held the bucket while Molly went around and picked up the eggs that the Easter Bunny left. Of course Molly calls him the Easter Doggie! Her fascination with dogs is evident more and more everyday.

Easter was a balmy 10 degrees - with a slight windchill. We started the morning off at 6:30am with Easter baskets, then a yummy breakfast. We went to church, it was a packed house.

Molly was so proud of all the eggs that she collected. She even happens to LOVE hard-boiled eggs. I think this is the first year that we have not had any go to waste. Our “little” girl will eat three of them in one sitting. I guess protein is good for all that growing!