Volcano

Hi everyone just wanted to let you know that the volcano blew again this morning, and the ash is headed our way. We could get anywhere from a trace amount to and 1/8th of an inch or better. Justin and I just got done moving everything under cover, and putting all the animals inside, even grouchy heathcliff (the chickens weren't a huge fan of him being locked in with them I can tell you!). Now we just wait. We will probably have to turn off computers and cover them, so we'll be off until this stuff settles out (probably anyway). Anyway, we'll be fine, just wanted to let you know. We should keep power and phones, unless something weird happens. In which case we'll still be fine, we'll just be incommunicado (is that how you spell that? is it even a word, or one of those movie words?). Anyway, love you all. Go here if you want to read about what the volcano is doing. They update hourly or so. http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php

Funny comment

The Anchorage Daily News has this feature where at the end of the story people can log in and post comments about the news. And usually the comments are pretty dim witted. Like yesterday everyone was talking about the volcano erupting, and how if the volcano observatory wouldn't turn off the webcameras at night we would be having a great video of the volcano erupting. And a bunch of other people wrote in and said, um hello they didn't turn it off, its NIGHT, its DARK. So tonight I went onto ADN.com and read the most recent story about the volcano, and there was a hilarious comment, and I just had to share it.

The first guy said: I am worried about the ash falling and melting the snow too soon and creating ash holes. The sun will warm these ash deposits more rapidly and soon we will have alot of ash holes throughout the Anchorage area.

The second guy said: I hear ya, i have an Ash Hole right next door, he keeps blowing snow in my driveway :)

Just made me laugh, and thought I'd share.

Ah, to be sleepy

I don't really have a lot to say, but its 2:30 am and I don't have anything to do, and obviously can't sleep, so here I am. Things have been pretty up and down lately, with mom's surgery being cancelled, other family being sick, working the tubing hill (and accompanying difficulties - NO fun), having a church party tonight (or would that be last night since its technically friday now?), the weather is hot then cold then hot then cold, waiting for the contract to go through, waiting to fall asleep, dogs being funny, and just all that usual life stuff. There was an article about us in the Homer News, that was pretty cool, although the article was really weird. The link is: http://www.homernews.com and the story is in the business section about the new boat launch operator.

Justin and I got to see the end of a small ash/steam explosion from Redoubt coming home from work Sunday, that was pretty cool. We couldn't really tell for sure if it was ash or clouds, so when we got home we looked online, and it was at the tail end of a small eruption, so that was pretty neat. Not really sure what's going on with the volcano at this point. Sometimes it's busy and chugging away, and other times it just sits there.

Not much else to report. Mom's been trying to coordinate transferring her records and all the test results from Anchorage to back here at the local doctors. The Anchorage doctors wimped out on helping her, so after waiting a YEAR for them to take care of this, she decided (and everyone fully supports this) to mover her records back here and let the local surgeons/specialists do the work. So that will be good. I think she will recover much better if she can be close to home. Turns out that what they thought was cancer was a very large hernia. So hopefully that can be removed, along with the other stuff, and she'll be doing a lot better!

Well, now its really 2:30 so guess I'll stop for the night and try again to go to sleep. Anyone have any tips for sleeping? I'm tired, but as soon as I lay down I am WIDE awake, and that lasts (no matter what I do or don't do) until at least 1:30 usually 2 or 3 or later. Or I fall asleep by 1, and wake up at 3 and I'm awake for about an hour, then wake up every 1/2 hour from there. Then the phone starts ringing or Justin's alarms starts ringing by about 7:30. So tired......

Fun layout

I had some time last night, sitting here downloading itunes for mom for her computer/ipod. So I figured Imight as well do a little digital scrapping while I was sitting here. This was just a simple layout I did of making cheese this summer. I like the way it turned out.

We GOT IT

We just wanted to let everybody know that we got the preliminary contract for the Anchor River Boat Launch. We'll get the final contract in about 2 weeks. And we will be in business. It is a 2 year contract with an option of 5 years additional that is automatic if we follow the terms of the initial contract.

I will see if I can find some pictures of what we will be doing so you guys can picture what we'll be doing for the next 6 months. Basically, we have tractors that hook to the boat trailers and we launch them out into the ocean and then when they get done fishing, we back their trailer into the ocean and they pull up into it and we haul them out. YAY - we are so excited.

Now the work begins. Love you all. Thanks for your prayers.

Queen of the clean closet

Yeehaw! I am master of my closet and all powerful. or maybe not, but I'm still master of my closet. I've so been dreading working on cleaning the closet, like 2years dreading, but for some reason I went downstairs and decided that today was the day. Our closet used to be the place we stored all our food storage, then we moved that into another room, and turned that into Justin and I's closet, and other than taking the food out, I've not done anything to it, or taken anything else out of it. I just keep piling, and pushing, and stacking, then restacking after it collapses - you get the idea. So anyway, mom's reading a book that she's really into, so I thought, well I'll go downstairs and clean up something. I walked past the closet and thought, oh my gosh I can't take it anymore, reached in and started yanking stuff out and throwing it into the living room. And I just kept pulling and pulling until I was all the way back into the corner under the stairs. Somewhere along the way I got 2 pieces of glass in my feet (one in each foot). The one I just pulled out, the other Justin had to "surgically" remove (YOW!). So anyway, once I got it all out, then I started putting back in what was going to be allowed to stay. Everything else either found a new home, or went to the dump!! I'm really getting into throwing stuff away, it feels so good, so much better than keeping it thinking - well someday I might need it. . . . .

Now I have 2 loads of laundry to do, and then the closet project is done. Sweet! I could take pictures, but its still not an attractive closet, its just a functional one. I should have done a before picture, but honestly it would have just been embarrassing. Next fall, if all goes as planned, I will go to Home Depot and get the white plastic covered shelving, and the stuff to make drawers, sheetrock, lights, so on and so forth, and make it a pretty closet. But for now I can go in there, get what I want, and not feel the need to pull my hair out or choke someone. YAY for small victories. hehe

Justin and I are on pins and needles this week, we're supposed to find out tomorrow if we got the permit for the boat launch here in Anchor Point. The bidding closed last friday, and when Justin delivered our bid, the manager said that we should know by the end of this week. Every day we get a little more nervous. I'll post when we find out, but for now, we're frantically praying and hoping we get it. Our friend Bill and his wife MaryLou agreed to finance our machines, so we will be able to buy the skidders that we need, and then we'll basically use up all our credit to get the other things we need (hoping that its enough). Scary, but a really good opportunity for us.

I guess that's about all I've got. Hope you're all doing good! :)

Cool frost pictures

Just some cool pictures I took this week of the deep frost up at Bill's house. The frost pieces were so big, and in long strings. It was really beautiful.