Holiday Weekend

It's probably just me, but holidays in Cordova don't feel the same as they do in the other places I have lived. In some ways it makes me kind of sad, but I try to shrug off the negative feelings as best I can and find ways to get involved in a few of the local traditions.

Cordova's Independence Day celebrations took place yesterday. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy and wet, so we didn't get out to see as many events as we did last year. I made pies again for the pie social which wasn't much of a social this year. At least I opted to save one pie for us (banana cream) which we all enjoyed after the beer battered halibut Darius made us for dinner.

Today was a quiet day. Joy and I took the boys for a walk around town and then out Orca Road. I enjoyed taking random pictures along the way, and adult talk with Joy after the boys fell asleep. We ended up cutting our walk short due to looming rain, which we still got caught in anyway.

This afternoon I tried to create a picnic-like barbeque. We tried a yummy Rachael Ray burger recipe with sides of macaroni salad, baked beans, chips, and strawberry lemonade. We cheated just a bit and "roasted" marshmallows for smores in the oven under the broiler. They were sticky and delicious, but missing that slightly smokey element that you can only get from a campfire.

Big or small celebration, I'm still very grateful there's a reason behind it all. I'm blessed to live in a beautiful part of a beautiful country. I'm also very grateful that there are men and women in this country who willingly serve it and us.

Water

Our temps have been comfortable lately but still on the cool side, upper 50s maybe. My boys definitely have thicker skin than I do and were thrilled to get sopping wet outside this evening. Dad got the hose out and started squirting off the windows on the back of the house, and Ben and Zach stood right below the (very cold) spray.

Ben eventually got the hose all to himself and kept squirting off the back of the house like Grandpa did. It reminded me a little bit of an old photo of me from when I was about their age, outside in my birthday suit, watering the sidewalk. You've got to love life a little more when you see the pure joy a toddler can get from water.

Gross!

When I first started this blog I kept telling myself I had to post an entry about the disgusting black slugs that infest Cordova. I think it's finally time!

These slimy things are everywhere around the yard and in town on a wet day. This morning I opened a book Darius checked out from the library, and on the inside flap there was a brochure put together by the Cordova Junior High's Community Problem Solving Team about the slugs.

Here are some of the goodies I picked out of the brochure about the uber-disgusting Black European Slug: They can eat 30-40 times their own weight and their diet includes vegetation, poop and other dead slugs. They have more than 27,000 teeth on their tongues, their blood is green, and they leave a nasty trail of slime behind them. Their mucous on their bodies is said to be "highly distasteful" to other animals, so their predators are few.

The main topic of the brochure was to inform the community of proper collection and disposal methods. Since these slugs are hermaphrodites, any slug can fertilize eggs, even those of dead slugs. Killing a slug and leaving it will only attract other slugs who will breed and then feast on their dead buddies. Taking that into consideration, it doesn't do any good to just kill them. You actually have to collect them and then burn them. Lovely!

A couple of weeks ago Zach picked one up and gave it a good squeeze. Not a good idea. The slime it left on his hands was like some sort of industrial strength rubber cement. I was literally scrubbing at his hands with soap, water, and a washcloth and the goo would not come off. I'm not a very squeamish individual, but I was thoroughly disgusted!

Hey, there's got to be a few drawbacks to living in a beautiful place, eh?

Halfway

For the past 6 months I've been slightly neurotic. How my family puts up with me is beyond my comprehension. I'm quite certain I have some kind of crazy I'm-about-to-blow-my-lid look on my face most days which scares everyone off. The good news is that I'm halfway through my neurotic stage, or at least I'm hoping so anyway. I've just finished my 8th session out of 16 in my MT program. It feels good to get this far in the program, especially since I'm on target to finish on time.

I'm so grateful to my parents for giving me the opportunity to enroll in this program. Their investment is a huge motivating factor for me to finish and do well. Since my mom has retired, she has graciously offered to help me out with the boys for a few hours each day, so that I can get more study time in. She may not think she's helping all that much, but she really is!

Darius unfortunately takes the brunt of my moodiness, and yet he's so good about encouraging me. He thanks me for what I'm doing and tells me that he's proud of me. I love him for that.

I thank you, family, for putting up with me! I absolutely could not have come this far without all of your help. Hang in there with me a little longer, and I'll try better to keep Mrs. Hyde in check.

Wildflowers

Dad picked up a load of sand and gravel early this morning and unloaded it onto a tarp in the back of the house. Ben and Zach had fun playing in their makeshift sandbox while I kicked back and soaked up some warm evening sunshine.

This time of the year is great for wildflowers. There are so many that just sprout up everywhere. As I was relaxing I felt the need to get the camera and take a few snapshots of them. I sometimes take for granted what a beautiful place I live in, but a gorgeous day helps to remind me.

Alaska's state flower - Forget-me-not

Columbines

Buttercups

These tiny Lily of the Valley flowers smell SO good!