This is just going to be a rambling post, much ado about nothing that has been going on here. If you get bored, feel free to click to me away. First of all, last week we finally got a new sliding door installed. Before, we had a French door that opened into our dining area. It wasn't that bad, but I don't know why we didn't have a sliding door put in when the house was built. I guess the French door was considered an "upgrade", but what good is an upgrade if the standard sliding door is more practical?
Last weekend we had another opportunity to go to the cabin, so this time we spent the night there. I woefully regret that I didn't get a picture of that beautiful rainbow that we passed when we were on the 4-wheeler. It was really bright and we had a full view of the whole arch. It was so pretty, and I wish that I had taken the time to stop and take a picture of it. But at the time, my camera was inaccessible, - I would've had to dig through several layers of bags in the bed of the 4-wheeler to get it out, and Chuck is never happy when I ask him to stop for such things. Now I regret that I can't share it with you.
Anyhoo, last time we were at the cabin, Chuck took down these old birdhouses that have been there for years, put there by previous occupants. The birdhouses were looking pretty beat up, so Chuck took them home, cleaned them up, primed them, and then we took them back to the cabin, and he set me to work to re-paint them.
They look so much better now, but they still weren't dry yet when we went home because the weather was damp. So for now, they are sitting on the cabin porch. Next time we go there, we should be able to hang them back in the trees. I kinda wish that I was creative enough to decorate them more. They look a lot nicer than before, but they still look kinda plain-jane.
While we were there, I took another peek at my blueberries, even though I knew not to expect any change from the previous week. I did manage to pick a handful, but that's about it.
While walking around through the woods, I noticed lots of big patches of these plants:
all with these black spots on them. For awhile I thought these were my blueberry plants, with a fungal disease, but upon closer inspection to my real blueberry plants, I realized these were not blueberry plants (thank goodness!) I can't find these plants in my "Alaska Flower" book, I suppose because they don't produce flowers. So I have no idea what those plants are. I need to get me another Alaska plant book.
However, these are my blueberry plants:
all covered with these red spots, which I think is still some kind of fungus disease. And there's nothing I can do about it. So I don't know if I'll ever get a freezer full of blueberries again. What a bummer.
After Chuck was done playing with his chainsaw, we took a joyride on the 4-wheeler, just driving down some trails that we've never been down before. I was really interested in finding and identifying some new plants. Here is a devil's club. We passed through a whole patch of them.
In this area, there were some logs in the way, so Chuck got out of the 4-wheeler to move them. Later he discovered that his phone was missing. He figured it must've fell out of his pocket when he was moving those logs. So we backtracked to the patch of these devil's clubs where he moved the logs, and thankfully he found his phone there. That is the second time he lost his phone in those woods and found it again.
On Sunday (yesterday), we got to watch Dominic again for a couple hours so his parents could clean the church building.
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| "This window is too clean. Let me put my finger prints all over it!" |
I just love him at this stage! He is at the fun age where he is learning new things, and he's so fun to play with!
Then I had to make this week's oatmeal for Chuck. A few years ago Chuck discovered "steel cut" oatmeal and fell in love with it. He likes to make a 4-serving batch and then eat it all week. He used to make it himself, until one time he didn't have time to make it, so I volunteered to make it for him. Ever since then, it's been one of my Sunday chores. I like to add extras to it, like flax seed, chopped almonds, raisins, zante currants, or blueberries (if I have any). So I stick it in the fridge, and in the morning he cuts out a portion, wraps it up in plastic wrap, takes it to work, and eats it like a snack bar. Cold. With no added sugar or anything. Yuck.
I prefer mine heated up with brown sugar, cinnamon, and almond milk.
Here is a question for you all: does anyone out there ever get visited by fruit flies? We get them every year about this time, and I HATE them! I don't know if we bring them home from the commissary, or if they are just part of the normal cycle of seasonal pests (like mosquitoes and carpenter ants). They are SO ANNOYING!!! Here is what I do:
I put a little vinegar in a small bowl (this is apple cider vinegar, but I think any vinegar will do). Gently whisk in a drop or two of dish soap, and just let it sit on the counter. And viola! you will have your own little growing collection of dead fruit flies. The vinegar attracts them, and the soap traps them. BWAAaahhhhahhahaaa-hahah!
It's not an instant fix and I don't think it gets ALL of the fruit flies, but it does help to control them somewhat. I suppose the more bowls you set out, the more you will trap. I like to set the bowls where I see the flies concentrated more, like in the corner where I store my bananas, and around the garbage pail.
Well, I just got a phone call requesting me to watch Dominic again for a couple hours this afternoon, so I must say good-bye for now.
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