Tundra Jam

One of the things I like about Bethel is the friends I have that know how to do random things I've never done before.....like making jam. Simple as it may be, it is very satisfying to make food from start to finish. We picked the blueberries off the ground of the tundra. The don't grow on bushes here.



Apparently there are many different methods to making the jam. Since I was the only one to have never done this before, I sat back and enjoyed the vigorous debate between my friends as to the "right" way to do it.



The ingredient list was pretty simple. Once we finally decided on a methodology, the work went pretty quickly.



The end result? Delicious Tundra Blueberry Jam. Yum

No moose

No moose hunt this year. I planned on flying to Holy Cross, one of my villages, to do dentistry for a week or two. Then I had two contacts that were supposed to help me get set up to go and try to catch a moose. (Catch with a high powered rifle, that is). I was pretty excited, albeit a bit nervous since I have not killed any big game yet. Cleaning an animal that has 300-500 pounds of meat is a bit daunting for a first attempt. But I felt confident that with a good guide I could have a successful hunt and properly care for and clean the animal.

Then work stepped in..........one thing after another began piling up and before I knew it, my entire Holy Cross trip was no longer possible timing wise. I could go back to Holy Cross later, but moose season is primarily just September. Needless to say it's a bit frustrating and a bit disappointing. My new plan is to concentrate on caribou this winter. A much smaller animal with a much longer season. I have some really good friends here that I trust to teach me how to hunt with respect for the animal and the meat it provides. I really want to learn how to properly harvest and clean the kill, so perhaps it will be better to learn with them and then try for the big moose next year.

(Note: photo is cleaning ptarmigan w/ Ryan and Travis Fall '06)

Opera

Raise your hand if you love opera....... No? Watch this clip. A large part of it is the man's voice, but part is the judges' and audience's reaction. If you know Simon Cowell of American Idol fame, it's even more moving. If you can watch it without a tear, you're a tougher soul than I.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oxTy7KIAaA&mode=related&search=

Mine

Closing

When a surreality becomes reality........ I've been working on buying my first house. Today I got notice that it will be closing on Friday. Pretty amazing. On Saturday I'll have a place that is mine (well, mine and the banks......quiet roommate, though). The Title paperwork's first page had a moderately large figure circled on it that indicated what I owe up front. Thankfully I don't have to even write a check for that. The money will just be debited from my account. I think I might have trouble writing a check that big. While it's a lot of cash money up front, I am still really excited about my new place. I'm already planning the layout, the toys and the parties (sophisticated social gatherings, I mean)

Spillage

As I dine on this most delicious Marie Callender's pot pie I can't help but notice that as I lean forward my pants feel a little tighter. Granted I wear the same size waistband now that I did in high school......it just seems like the style back then was, perhaps, baggier. I'm not sure where that "baggy" went. Now I fill them out quite nicely. Okay, maybe there is a little bit extra coming over the top. Not when I'm standing, mind you. But sitting...........not so good. Soon I'm going to have to make a decision......go up in size or start working some of this Alaskan insulation off. I suppose it is summer time. Now where are those running shoes?

What a mess.......

I have a problem....... For the life of me, I can't seem to organize. I have one day a week when I do administrative things. Last week I spent the whole day cleaning my office. When I finally made it, the surface of my desk was very foreign. Unfortunately a few days of patients and various work things and I'm starting to lose sight of the desk again. I think the problem is that while I can put things away, I'm not quite sure how to control new things coming in. My boss gave me a book Getting Things Done. It's about that exact thing: organizing projects and prioritizing incoming things. I've had it for a month or two, and you know? I just can't seem to get it done. Seems interesting with a lot of good ideas, but sometimes I'd rather be checking out the internet news sites or reading something more interesting. My house is not much better. Right now I blame it on the space... my place is tiny, tiny. But I'm buying a new bigger house, so that will shortly cease to be an excuse. Sigh........guess I'll go start on the dishes

Dark Chocolate

This morning, for some reason, I had a pretty severe craving for bacon. So 3 eggs, a bit of cheese, and six slices of bacon later I was well satiated. I started worrying that all that fat and cholesterol might be bad for me, so I decided to counter it with the protective properties of dark chocolate. Just to be safe, I ate a lot.........I feel much healthier already.

Today I drove out on the river to cut firewood with my friend Bob and re-sight in my rifle. With all the wind and the lack of snow, the river makes for some pretty nice driving. Bob's a great guy. He's a hygienist at the clinic, and when we aren't working we are always shooting the breeze or arguing about something. He's a George Bush loving, hard core right wing die hard, which nicely complements my left leaning hippie ideology. He just got the big Superman 'S' tattooed on his arm follow by -ixty. That's for his 60th birthday next month.

The rifle shoots low. Hopefully with the new adjustments I can still catch a caribou this year.