Boreal Witch

It's that time of year again!

...Didn't I say that about blueberry picking? Potatoes and blueberries go hand in hand, really. One does both of those activities in the fall...

In any case, it's potato time!

I felt like it took forever for the potatoes to be ready. I thought for sure they would be ready Labor Day weekend. A quick drive to the fields determined that they needed a bit more time. Finally, we got the call and raced to the potato fields.

The boys stood transfixed by the potato digger. When the tractor and plow dug up a row of potatoes Arthur, Robinson, and I got to work. Balin contented himself with playing in the dirt.

Last year, we picked 150 lbs. of potatoes. Sadly, I'd guess that about 50 lbs. went bad before we could process them (we stored them in the arctic entry and they froze). This year we were much more judicious in our potato selection. We chose small and medium potatoes and avoided potatoes with cracks or scars. We also bought 100 lbs., which turned out to be perfect. It also helped that we bought four additional dehydrator trays so we were able to dehydrate twice as many hash browns at one time.

In the end, we canned 21 cans of potatoes, dehydrated 3 gallon-sized bags of hash browns, and froze 6 quart-sized containers of mashed potatoes. We had about 30 lbs. of potatoes left, so I created this soup to eat up some of the extra potatoes. Sadly, it's not a meal I can freeze, but it's so good, I promise there won't be any leftovers.

Enjoy!

On the Menu: Creamy Potato Soup
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1/2 onion
3 large potatoes
3 tbs. butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups water + 1 bullion cube or 1 cup broth + 1 1/2 cups water
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste


Garnishes (opt): green onions, bacon, sour cream, cheddar cheese

1. Melt butter in a large pot. Saute chopped celery, carrot, onion, and potatoes until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes.

 2. Add flour to pot and coat vegetables thoroughly. Add water and bullion cube or water and broth and stir well. Bring to a boil and simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. The liquid in the pot will thicken.

3. Pour vegetables and liquid into a blender and blend well. You may need to blend in batches. Return the puree to the large pot and add milk. Heat through, then serve with garnishes.

Blessed be.

Dear Arthur,

Today you begin an incredible journey.

You start school.

Today you start learning about respect toward your peers, words, new games and songs. You will develop a strong foundation and scholastic excellence. You will begin to become a boy and am no longer my baby.

I am tearing up as I write this, not because I miss the baby that you were, but because I am anxious to see the boy (and then the man) that you will become. I am tearing up because you have taught me so much and I hope that I have taught you a few things, too. I am tearing up because I am so full of love for you that I can't articulate it. I need to show it.

Learn a lot. Be brave. Have a great year. I will always be waiting for you when you get out of school to give you a hug and ask you how class was.

Love, Mommy

Blessed be.  

It's that time again...berry picking time!

Blueberries, specifically.

And we LOVE our blueberries. The boys could eat them on their own; I prefer them in something, such as muffins or pancakes.

Arthur was interested in supervising. He'd walk from Robinson to me back to Robinson all the while saying, "Look how many blueberries I have in my bucket...I need a new patch...No, Balin, don't eat all the blueberries! We need to save them for the winter." Given enough incentive, Arthur picked quite a few berries. Those were usually eaten or "saved" (and then forgotten) for later.

Balin would constantly try to steal blueberries from my bucket. He also had a difficult time navigating through bushes and walking on the uneven ground so he fell often. He nearly upturned my blueberry bucket a couple of times. Since we picked so late, he was always a touch crabby. I tried to keep him happy by plying him with blueberries. For the most part, it worked.  

It took us four evening trips to get almost 2 gallons of blueberries. With the distance to the blueberry patches and cost of gas what it is, it doesn't seem like it would have been worth it. Still, the lovely weather and the fun memories more than made up for it.

Someday these boys will be expert pickers.

Blessed be.

We try very hard to make at least one trip to Anchorage every summer. This year, however, we got to make two! Arthur was in heaven. He loves getting spoiled by his Nana and playing with his cousins. Well, mostly Molly, since Josh barely tolerates him and Ella is too young to be bossed around.

I know I've mentioned this in past posts, but Molly and Arthur get along very well, which is kind of surprising since he doesn't always get along with his other friends. I remember playing with my two cousins in the summers when we visited family. Both were very close in age to me and my sisters and we tended to get along nicely as well.

This was Balin's fourth trip to Anchorage. He was a dream. He loved following Nana's cat around and would look for her every time he came upstairs. He played well with Ella and Molly. He even let Mom and Blythe babysit him while Arthur, Becky, Molly, Ella, and I attended a birthday party for one of Molly's friends. Blythe admitted to stealing him when my back was turned.

The best part of the trip for Arthur was not getting spoiled or eating at restaurants, or even playing with Molly. No, the best part of the trip by far was that we flew home on an airplane. (You see, Robinson was on-call the weekend we planned to come back. He managed to get us some very reasonable tickets with miles.) It's amazing how something as mundane as going on an airplane is so exciting to a four-year-old. Balin, who had never been on a plane before, was very good. I was relieved and pleased.

Blessed be.

The Duffy's love fish.

But they can't fish. It's the Duffy Curse.

Robinson tells me stories of camping with his family in which they would bring tarter sauce, cheese, and rice. They always intended to catch fish for supper...but they never did. They could spend hours upon hours, cast upon cast, but never get a single bite. Fate constantly toyed with them and even Aaron, who was the family's "woodsman," was no match for her antics.

The year or so after Robinson arrived in Alaska, he caught a pink in Valdez. Finally, it seemed, his luck had turned. He was a real fisherman now.

Oh, Fate, you naughty girl.

Dustun's family owns a bit of property in Sterling and they invited us to fish with them this weekend. We arrived Saturday morning, pumped and ready to fish.

I really won't go into many details, except to say that Robinson and I worked that river for a good portion of the day and didn't get a single bite.

To make matters worse, Dustun's half brother Adam was catching things left and right.

To rub salt in the gaping wound, right after we left, EVERY SINGLE PERSON THERE caught a fish. 

Luckily, we are members of a lovely family who share what they have and Robinson managed to drive back to Anchorage to fill our freezer full of fish. So, thank you, everyone!

All humor aside, it was a great trip. Arthur and Robinson rode on Dustun's 4-wheeler (or a "Scrambler" according to Arthur). Note the HUGE smile on Arthur's face. I even got to drive it.

The kids had fun playing together. Arthur practiced casting with his new fishing pole. He even tried casting in the water. He was so excited about it that I think we're going to have to take him fishing again soon.

Arthur wasn't the only one who was excited about fishing. Josh borrowed Robinson's pole and was soon begging for one for Christmas.

Maybe his luck will be better than Robinson's!

Blessed be.

These boys love oatmeal, but they don't love leftover oatmeal.

Who does?

What was a grand, healthy, and filling breakfast the day before is an unappetizing mass of grey, lumpy stuff that looks (maybe I shouldn't go there) a little like vomit. I never eat leftover oatmeal. I just can't.

Robinson made a ginormous pot of oatmeal one morning and unfortunately...there were leftovers. What was I going to do with 2 cups of cooked oatmeal?

Certainly not eat it...

MUFFINS TO THE RESCUE!!!

Fortunately, these boys also love muffins. Granted, they aren't the most healthy food item in the world (being a sugary baked good and all), but they are generally super yummy. I made these muffins to use up some expired yogurt as well as take care of the oatmeal. I tried to maintain a certain level of healthy, but eat at your own risk. (And I bet you can't eat just one!)



On the Menu: Kitchen Sink Leftover Oatmeal Muffins
Makes 12

1 cup leftover oatmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. cinnamon or ginger
1 egg
1/3 - 1/2 cup brown sugar (sweeten to your preference)
1 8oz container greek yogurt (any flavor*)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients in a mixer or large bowl. Mix until just combined. Grease muffin tin or line with paper cups. Divide mixture evenly between muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

* I have made these muffins with pineapple yogurt, 1 tsp. ginger, and 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut as well as blueberry yogurt and 1/2 a banana. I thought the blueberry muffins were much better than the pineapple ones. Feel free to mix it up, think outside the box, and be creative!

Blessed be.

It's been about a week since I've been back from the Chilkoot. I was gone for 9 heavenly days. It's taken me that long to get adjusted to "normal life" again.

As soon as I am able (meaning whenever I have tons and tons of time on my hands), I will be posting details and pictures about our trip here. There's so much to say about it that I could never really do it justice in a single blog entry.

What I will say here is that I met so many wonderful and fascinating people on the trip. I learned so much about the history of the Chilkoot (it's an archaeologist's dream - there's so much stuff laying on the trail). I now know a few tips about hiking and backpacking. But most of all, (as cliche as it sounds) I now know a little bit about myself.

I know for a fact that time spent alone is an absolute luxury. It's marvelous to be able to sit by yourself, studying the world around you, and not having to take care of anyone but yourself. It's amazing. I've been home a week and I already miss it. Don't get me wrong; I love my family. There's just something so wonderfully simple about not having to put anyone's needs before your own. My first Chilkoot Resolution, therefore, is to make more time for myself.

My second Chilkoot Resolution is to get plenty of exercise and drink more water. My body and mind really responded to being outdoors and hiking for 4-hour stretches. I felt confident and capable. It was an awesome feeling.

My last Chilkoot Resolution is to take it one step at a time. I won't lie. While the Chilkoot was fun, there were times that were absolutely miserable. The last mile into Sheep Camp and making it over the Summit are two that spring to mind. There wasn't a chance to give up. We had to push through because the parks service staff were not going to let us camp next to the trail. These two events will be a constant reminder of being consistent: get comfortable, set your pace, then keep going. 

All of these resolutions seem rather silly - and they are. These are things that I should have been doing all along, but because I was caught up in living life, they weren't. I am now on a quest to make them happen. It's not going to be easy (but when is life ever easy?), but if I continue to stick with it, I'm confident that I'll be a little happier in the end.

Blessed be.