Days 3 & 4

You might recognize this view from a shot I took in the fall. Looking a little different now.

Made the parents very nervous by taking them 20 miles down an icy, unplowed back road. No cell service of course. What the hell else is 4WD for? They got to see a bunch of frozen lakes and a couple of good look out spots. On the way back we saw two moose and a little winter bunny. Mission accomplished.
I made halibut for lunch and then we hit the local kitsch shops. Carved antlers, wolf paintings and moose poo everywhere. Got my Christmas shopping done.
Then I took them to one of the local breweries so I could get the seasonal porter. Dad says I've turned him back on to beer this vacation. Another mission accomplished. Mom started a conversation with a couple of dudes sitting next to us, turns out they were headed to the same hockey game as us. Met up with dudes at the hockey game and the parents had a great time chatting and watching our team get spanked. Dudes said they would take me fishing today but they stood me up. Dudes, quit playing games with my heart.
Got the parents to the airport early this morning and was surprised to find it has four gates. I was picturing the one gate airport of Show Low, AZ but hey, we're big time here.
Now the house is quiet and I have more leftovers than I know what to do with. Overall, a great visit and a very nice Thanksgiving.

Days 2 & 3

Were you wondering if I carved more than a turkey yesterday? Well I did, but the list did not include the mother. Just my finger. Actually, I peeled it - a good chunk right out of my knuckle. But, no blood got in the potatoes so it was all good. Turkey turned out well, neighbor came over, it was a very nice day and I even made cranberry sauce out of the last of my cranberry stash.
Today we woke to many inches of snow and decided to go to Homer. I was worried that the visibility would be poor and the parents wouldn't get to see the amazing views but check it out

GORGEOUS! And look how cute they are, freezing their asses off

After Homer we made it home in time for quick turkey sandwiches and a wardrobe change before going to the holiday light parade. "Parade" may be a little of an overstatement. I think there were about 7 entries.


Half of the parade minus the freezing temperatures.

Dad got a kick out of all the people sitting in their cars to watch the parade. They back into the spots to see the parade go down the frontage road and then pull out and turn around to see the fireworks in the other direction. We decided to go rogue and tough it out. Here they are freezing again. I didn't ask for permission to post these so here's the disclaimer: If you come visit me, chances are your mug will end up on the internet.

In between the "parade" and the fireworks you can warm up at the bonfire.The festivities were capped off with an impressive fireworks show. I love fireworks. You can't really beat the 4th of July show over Alcatraz, but Alaskan fireworks explode right over the Big Dipper and that's pretty damn sweet.

Day 1

Parentals are here. I explained to the mother that after 4 months of no physical contact, one needs to ease in. She took it well. So far so good. I think we'll get some snow tonight and I got the menu under control. Cranberry bread, smoked salmon and jalapeno cheese dip for snacks, turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, salad, homemade sourdough bread for dinner and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.
And now the snoring/chainsaw begins in the other room. Good. Lord. This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for earplugs.

Christmas Outfit

There's been a lot of talk about Holiday outfits among the sisters. Here's my Christmas dress.


My favorite part is the description. "Be a leader of the fashion industry.".... "Howl will you style it?"

Lucky Dog, Lucky Dog

The other day I came home and, after plugging ol' Bertha in, I found this bucket by my front door. I'm embarassed to tell you that I read the outside and looked around for ice melting. I then opened it and fully expected to see a bucket of water. 'Cause what else do you get when ice melts? But no, inside were a bunch of crystals. Obviously meant to melt ice but I was still confused. Was I supposed to do something with it? No one else had a bucket in front of their place. So I tracked down the owner and asked him and he tried not to laugh too hard at me. Apparently it's there for communal use and my apartment is just the central location. I wish they'd dump some in the damn parking lots around town. They're all covered in ice and one of these days, I'm goin' down. Hard. Pushing my grocery cart across it this afternoon was a whole new experience. But, I'm happy to report that you do get used to the cold. Today was about 13 and I was in sweatshirt. Just running errands of course. If I were spending any amount of time outside I'd probably be in that butt ugly coat.

Something very exciting happened to me today. I found a micro-brewery AROUND THE CORNER!! How have I not found it 'til now? I don't really know but I must've been a very good girl this year and Santa has granted me a Christmas miracle.
Don't worry, I'm not getting SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and trying to drink it away. One of these is for the Kasches. Honeymoon Heffe is described as "A true marriage between German and American styles" Pefect for a married German and Pennsylvanian. The otther is for next week when the parents will be here for Thanksgiving. On second thought, maybe I'll just crack that jug right now.

And remember the cranberries I picked a few weeks ago? Well, they are now Orange Cranberry Walnut Muffins. Quite good if I do say so. As you can see, I couldn't wait.
Ok, it's 6:45. Now what?

There is a sentence that echos to me through my past to which I give a lot of thought and loose a little sleep: "You should've been there."
I wasn't there when a good friend and father figure died many years ago. We knew he was dying and he and I had said our goodbyes. It was a painful but beautiful and healing thing and I felt he and I had an understanding. But, in the last few days the family tried to get ahold of me. I lived out of state and was young and dumb, all over the place, unreachable. I didn't know they were trying until it was too late. "You should've been there." Is what his son said to me when we spoke. And ever after I wondered if I had been selfish, if my friend had felt a need or a loose end because of my actions.
Today a friend of 17 years is getting married and I'm not there. We'll have many opportunities to be together over the coming years but this day can never be repeated so I give a lot of thought and loose a little sleep over whether or not I made the right decision. Will that sentence keep hanging in my head? The only thing I regret about this decision to move is the fact that I am absent from the celebrations that are important to my loved ones.

*I wrote this post awhile ago and then abandoned it. Lately some more serious things have been happening at home to make me feel this way and another post reminded me of this one. All I can do is send my love and support and remember that my friends appreciate it, no matter what form it comes in. Here's a quotation my aunt just emailed me which I enjoyed.

'May today there be peace within. May you trust
that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities
that are born of faith in yourself and others.
May you use the gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you'

I can't wait to get a ride to California

Making a CD for the little one back home. She's upset that I'm gone so I wanted to make her some thing personalized. Hopefully the other three don't get jealous. So far I've got some Coldplay, Spearhead, and Sugarland. I don't know that Paper Tongues is appropriate but that's what Aunties are for.
Last summer Spearhead played a free concert at Golden Gate Park called Power to the Peaceful. I really wanted to go but I didn't think I could get out of my summer clinic on time. I ended up getting there in time to climb down a steep, makeshift dirt trail into the little valley where the concert was and hear this band. Everyone around me was dressed in SF hippie couture and there I was, in my professional clinic clothes with dirt in my damn loafers. It was an awesome set and everyone was high on the hope for political change. I don't often side with the hippie crowd but that concert just seemed to bring out the love. Just one of those SF moments, I guess.
Other than that, I got nothin'. Except this post from one of my faves, Broke Ass Stuart, about one of my other faves,
Bob's donuts. I can't wait to walk the old 'hood in December!