09/12/2026
Well, I re-read my previous post to know where I left off! I just got home from the dr.s office and emptied all the plastic Tupperware from the windowsills. They're full of wood stained water and dead flies from our endless monsoon of rain... I feel like its been raining for weeks I just told my sister in law on a phone call on the drive home. I started the generator earlier before I left, but should probably run it again before bedtime. I had a hurt back as I mentioned in my last post, which has now been overshadowed by my cold/flu that is currently kicking my a$$! Back to the story...
I did forget to mention how all of the empty water jugs pop and crinkle on the way down Spinach Creek from our perch atop the dome. We go from about 1700 ft elevation down to about 600 ft in the Goldstream valley, always enough to make your ears pop on the way up and down!
When I'd gotten home with the water I decided to leave it until I completed my project. I had an idea, one that I had thought up in my mind earlier and purchased 3 8ft long 2x4s for. I went and found the saw horses, a scrap piece of plywood for a makeshift table and my screws, marker, speed square and battery skill saw. With some quick measurements I got to work on my "vision." I like to build things... always from in the fly, no set plans in mind (like my headboard i built some years back.) I guess that was long before this page. 🤔
I had a plan to build a box of sorts to put our little refrigerator/freezer on so that it was higher and we could see into it better, plus allow for storage underneath. I built the top and bottom frame and tried my best to square them up using the uneven cabin floor as my guide. I can not cut a straight line with a skill saw to save my life, I prefer a chop saw! Then I cut the supporting braces for between the top and bottom. I was trying my best to attach them, and finding myself shorthanded for the job...literally. Luckily James came home about that time and helped me. I told him my plan and of course he didn't believe my box would fit like I said so he had to measure it. 🤦♀️He found i was right, as always. Once we got the box built James found some old ugly OSB board laying around. I conned him into cutting sides and a top for it while i cleaned things up and started baked potatoes in the oven for supper. After we got all the sides and top on we carried it into the house. James said I needed to empty the fridge & freezer so we could lift it onto the 18" tall box.
After we got the fridge on the box and shoved back into place it was time to put everything back in. Well I can't do that when it's dirty I thought, so i scrubbed the inside and all the shelves first. Might as well clean out old stuff while I'm at it too! A glass jar of strawberry store bought jam fell and broke the bottom out of the jar of mixed berry jelly my friend Stephanie had made. I quickly grabbed the homemade jelly and emptied it into a bowl and ran hot water in the store jam bottle to clean its contents out. I transferred Stephs jelly into the jar to save it. She made it out of all the fresh berries we had picked earlier.... crow berries, blueberries, raspberries and honey berries.... and it is delicious, like everything she makes! The fridge all clean and organized i felt accomplished, and with place to store our pop, etc below it!
James has been busy cutting and splitting firewood, and got our woodshed packed full!
Some of you caught that I no longer drive school bus either. I was fortunate enough to get my air brake cert in July and started for a new company, whom I absolutely love! Cheryl is the BEST boss hands down, and i couldn't thank my friend Stephanie enough for hooking me up. 😉 I drive 2 to 3 days a week, and still make more by far than I made in 40 hrs driving school bus. Plus, I get to drive the most beautiful mine road there is, drop dead gorgeous and full of wildlife! We drive to an underground mine a few hours away, and an above ground mine that is local...both are gold mines. Recently, one of the double trailer, 16 axle gold ore haulers hit a woodland Bison in the road and rolled. The company was there to clean up the gold ore very quickly, needless to say. Only something that happens in Alaska I imagine.
James and I have been keeping busy exploring this summer as well, and getting ready for his friend to visit in a few weeks. James is gone right now duck hunting in preparation for his friend and him to hunt when he gets here.
I talked to my sister in law Sharon on the way home, and laughed at how I told her people keep mentioning me writing a book. 🤣 I told her the only class I've EVER failed in my life was English Comp! 🤣 I re-took it the next year and got an A of course, but still... If i could ever find a way to do speech to text I could write endlessly. Unfortunately with my numb hands from carpal tunnel I hate typing! P.s... on the same note, I would like to give a shout out to Palyn (my nieces) ASL teacher at John Paul II Catholic School! I guess my niece mentioned something about her awesome aunt 😉 that lived in Alaska and she mentioned she followed us, not knowing we were two in the same. Small world!!! Anyhow... calling it good for tonight.
What are some questions yall have?
