Pop! Goes the Weasel

We’ve entered the Jack in the Box phase of parenting a toddler. I was shocked and amused last night when Jacob entered the kitchen AFTER I put him to bed, carrying his entourage of bear, blanket, kitty cat, Eeyore, baby bear, & cow. I wanted to pick him up to cheer and celebrate that he was able to climb out of his crib by himself, but quickly gathered my senses, put on my stern face, and told him that he was not to get out of bed once Mommy put him there.

He cried like mad when I put him back, but then 5 minutes later, there he was again, with the crew walking in the kitchen. I heard him coming, so I was able to get my laugh in before he actually walked into the room. Then once again, I placed in back in bed crying his heart out. This time, I stayed until he was drowsy enough to lay down (about 5 minutes).

I can’t imagine the number of times, I’ll be in the position again of being completely amused, but needing to put on the face of a serious parent. Anyone else been there? Tell me your stories!

By the way, as I type this, you’ll notice below that we’re watching Cars – again. We’re also in the phase of parenting that I get to memorize an entire movie from watching it a ridiculous number of times. Man, I’m loving every minute!

Published in:  on January 29, 2007 at 10:13 pm Leave a Comment

At least I’m not pregnant this time!

Last summer, we spent about two weeks getting about 40 lbs. of Yukon River King Salmon for the year. Brian was the one who went out to check the net, then bring back and filet the fish. All that was done outside in the mornings. I, then, spent afternoons and evenings cleaning, de-boning, portioning, and FoodSavering the fish. Those were some long hours on my feet at 8 months pregnant. SO very worth it though, as we are now enjoying salmon for dinner weekly.

I was reminded of this tonight as I spent my evening cleaning, portioning, and FoodSavering one quarter of a moose.

Moose are plentiful in Alaska; the state estimates their population is 175,000 – that’s nearly 1/3 of the human population up here. Because of this, it is inevitable that there are also many moose-vehicle encounters (around 700 in 2002). When a moose is hit, there is a “call list” that non-profits can put their name on to receive the downed moose. That organization must then go immediately out to retrieve the moose and harvest the meat. Our local missionary pastor is on that list, and on Saturday, he called to see if we could use a quarter.

He arrived at our place today with the quarter just beginning to freeze after the long drive here, so it was perfect for cutting. He showed Brian the basics of cutting up a piece of meat, visited for a while, and then left us to it. It didn’t look like a winter’s worth of meat on the bone, but as Brian started pulling off large sections, it was suddenly a lot of meat! In fact, we were told that there is more meat on a moose quarter than on a whole deer.

After a few hours, Brian finished cutting off the meat, and I took over. I set to the task of cutting off all the tendons and fascia, then portioning the meat into roasts, stew meat, steaks, and a pile of meat to grind, which I’ll do another time. It took way, way longer than I expected, but now we have about 35 lbs of meat ready to go!

I’m sure it was worth the time, but I sure am pooped after standing by the sink for several hours. I’m just glad I wasn’t pregnant this time! So, when you come up for a visit, I’ll whip up some road kill for you!

Published in:  on January 28, 2007 at 10:19 pm Leave a Comment

I used to be one of them

Texas is known for it’s friendliness, but Texas drivers are anything BUT friendly. One of the things that bothers me the most is the lack of blinker use. From my years on the Dallas highways, I learned quickly that using one’s blinker is almost a sure fire way NOT be let into the adjacent lane. It’s like if you turn it on, the car next to you suddenly speeds up. People end up not using their blinkers, so as to keep the advantage and element of surprise…

There’s also very little kindness in passing… Being out of the city for so long, I tend to drive a bit slower and hang in the right lanes – the “slow” lanes. That’s not good enough for some folks though. They still ride my tail and then finally pass and quickly cut in front of me to let me KNOW that I was going too slow. Thanks.

It’s no wonder that an intersection in Texas made the most dangerous list a few years ago. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/06/27/dangerous.intersections/

I’m glad I don’t have to do that everyday anymore!

Published in:  on January 19, 2007 at 10:20 pm Leave a Comment