Or maybe you are deleters, we’ve no way to know!
What are you hoping to see more of? Alaskan tales? Random wanderings as we tend to do now?
Do you read or check the other pages? Funnies, recipes, etc?
Anyone want to comment? Just sayin’…… 😉
Nope, not a cow moose, or cow elk, or even a worthy beef or milk cow. Just a comment because the counter says we have 154 subscribers! Seriously? Alrighty then, you all know who you are and this is another shout out to each and every one.
Last year in May we were in Alaska on Mother’s Day, visiting old familiar places and connecting with friends and memories…all thanks to our Mom who had passed in December. This was a metaphorical spreading of her spirit as we submerged ourselves in so many special moments. There were tears, but there was a LOT of laughter. Yes, many of the familiar places had changed so much they were hard to recognize.
Doesn’t matter, it was all good and if you are new and want to check it out you can. Go back to May, July, August of 2013 and catch up!
This year, Mother’s Day weekend was spent with the four of us together again sorting Mom’s boxes of treasures. Some really were treasures and sparked a lot of memories. A goodly selection ended up being set aside for the history and content of upcoming Book #3. Some things just got thrown out! You didn’t want that old spatula, did you? I thought not! Despite the long hours, this was a very productive weekend and we thoroughly enjoyed the sisterhood.
Now, if you are reading this and wondering “What? I am so lost!” you need to read those earlier blog posts or visit http://www.homesteadline.com/About/Honk.htm or http://www.homesteadline.com/Greetings.htm or read the excerpt from Children of Glacier Point at http://www.homesteadline.com/Publish/GlacierPoint.htm
Don’t know most of you, or where you are ‘checking in’ from, but you are all welcome. We don’t hold to a specific schedule, and postings might range anywhere from when we were little between 50 to 60 years ago to current happenings with our lives or grands!
Since you ARE here, we’d like to share our web sites: http://www.homesteadline.com, http://www.brainstormspublishing.com and our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Homesteadline
Homesteadline.com is our Homestead Store with a variety of custom made articles for fun and utility. Brainstorms Publishing is where we showcase our very own books. Stories of Alaskan homesteading and more.
Children of Glacier Point
Book One
Compiled from the diaries and memories of a family that homesteaded in Southeast Alaska in the 1940’s and ’50’s, this is a true story of adventure and hardship. Told ‘the way it was’ with pictures and maps to illustrate, this is an experience you won’t want to miss.
Teresa and Denise, winter of ’49-50
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[sample #1]
“We can’t live in that!” said Herb.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe if we clean it up a bit, it will do to camp in until we can build a cabin” said I, with some misgivings however.
“It was 1948 and we were viewing our prospective homestead for the first time. Herb and I together with our 14-month-old daughter Denise had recently come to Alaska. We had arrived at Port Chilkoot only a few weeks before and were living there until we could find a likely place to homestead.”
~~~~~~~~~
[sample #2]
Friday, January 13th, 1950. “Temp still 4 below, slight breeze, clear.”
Remembering, Teresa writes “It was calm when we set out from home but by the time we got to the Slot, we ran into a strong north wind and the temperature dropped even lower.
“I was sitting amidships facing aft with Denise next to me. Herb was sitting next to the motor. We started taking on water over the bow when we ran through the biggest waves so I started baling. Herb had to fight to keep the motor running. Then when the one plank split we really took on water but I had to quit baling since it rocked the boat too much. The spray from the waves was freezing on the boat and us. Herb was sheathed in ice, the motor was barely running, and we were taking on water. I put Denise on my lap and did a lot of praying.”
~~~~~~~~~
Did we catch your interest? Email us at BEStore@charter.net 😉
We’ve added several new followers lately. Don’t know where you all are from, or your interest level, but hope you find something here that makes you smile.
If you are interested in true homestead tales [from way before cell phones and computers] check out our website BrainstormsPublishing.com
Technology, gotta love it ~ except when we don’t! When we were growing up, we saw the world through the eyes of National Geographic, the retelling of our parents life experiences and listening to the radio. Now we have both better and worse connections with life. It may be almost instant [okay, except when that tech stuff fails] but it can also detract from the personal touch. It allows us to actually stay in touch with far flung cousins around the world, and yet may keep us out of the local store when we can shop online.
I could go on with the pros & cons [some downright funny] for ages, paragraphs and pages. Bottom line, tech stuff is here, it is not going away, let’s just be smart & use it to our benefit. Which is why we are here with a blog ~ a word I do not even like!
Been to our website? www.homesteadline.com
Check it out on Some of our Favorites ~ Random Recipes
It is a beautiful day in Southwestern Idaho. Just above 50 degrees, sunny, only a light breeze (that is a miracle in itself)blowing.
Bulbs are popping up all over and some brave little flowers are already blooming. Love this time of year. My sis-in-love(law) and I bought some primroses a couple weekends back whilst on a shopping trip in Boise and they are looking lovely on our front porch. So bright and cheerful that they make me smile!
Treated all my indoor plants to some TLC today added soil where needed, repotted some, repositioned, etc etc etc. Had been needing to do for some time and today was the day, also cleaned off and reorganized the bakers rack in our breakfast nook area that could barely be seen for all the crud that had parked itself there – well yes I know the stuff did not get there by itself but you know how it goes.
Planning on upgrades to the garden area , thinking to put down landscape cloth everywhere there is not a raised bed and putting some type of mulch on top of so won’t have to mow in there anymore. Considering the mulch made from old tires as it would last forever I think. Must research on price and availability and try to figure out just how much we might need.
We are going to put in at least two more raised beds this spring so must also get the materials for that project. Yup its all work but is SO worth it when we are eating fresh veggies from our garden!!!
Might try the growing spuds in a box type planter with straw and dirt…..eldest sis is trying this and it sounds like a great way to have some taters without needing a whole garden just for them.
So off to outside for whatever strikes my fancy I think.
Hope everyone is having a super day, whatever you may be doing.
Sometimes you get some good deals you just weren’t even expecting!
I ordered some soap making supplies the other day. Some new scents to try and some new molds. You see my two elder sisters want some “manly” type soaps and some “lady” ones for some spring occasions they are planning.
So went on e-bay found some cool stuff and ordered. Few days later I received an email from one of the vendors saying they thought they shipped me the wrong order and would be sending the right one and for me to keep the wrong stuff. Confused yet? LOL So just yesterday I received two boxes from the same place and yup got what I ordered plus a box of other molds that I did not order. Yeah so cool, great molds and no repeats of what I ordered.
I will definately be ordering from this company again, just because of great customer service not because I received free stuff. I thought it was awesome that they emailed and let me know.
So now I will have some fun with them – well when get a bit of free time………………….. you all know how that goes. And just what is free time anyhow? Well for me it is just time that is not already spoken for by work or housework, or my embroidery business. So truly it is NOT free time but available time and goodness knows there is not enough of it.
Moving livestock ~ from sister Linda
On my porch there lived a pig. He had outgrown the bathtub. [You missed the pre-story about why Stanley lives at their house, suffice to say…he does.] When I went to feed him one morning he almost flew out of upper door of his porch pen. I told my husband “Dear, we need to move the pig to the barn”.
“Yes Dear, I will get that water fixed to down there tomorrow”. 3 weeks later, the pig,
growing by leaps and bounds, was still on the porch. The water was still not arriving at the barn when the faucet was turned on.
I said to my husband, “WE NEED TO MOVE THAT PIG THIS WEEKEND. One of you
will be sleeping at the barn by Sunday night!!!” OK, so I make idle threats. And he makes idle promises.
By Monday evening, the pig was in the barn along with another young pig to keep him company. By later Monday evening, the pig was back on the porch, but the companion pig was still in the barn.
TUESDAY, our hired hand and I spent all morning pig proofing the pen. We thought. Moved the pig back down there and went up to the house when my husband came home for lunch. “Oh yeah, pig is in the barn with other pig, they can’t get out now.”
Looked out the window, oh no, there comes both pigs to the house, followed by a triumphant dog. I go out and lock both pigs easily in the box on the porch. Throw
dogs in my house. Hired hand and I spend more hours in rain working on pen REALLY making it pig proof this time. Then we take the tractor and move entire box pen from porch to inside barn pen. Open door and let pigs play. All is well. Now we just need water (other than the rain). Spend another couple hours (complete with quick run to hardware store) setting up tank of water with automatic waterer sticking through wall of pen so pigs can drink. Finally around 4:00PM, thoroughly drenched, project is complete.
Looks a bit like Treefort Technology, but it works. During the last hour of our struggles, husband comes home, sits down to watch Olympics.
Asks my son, “What are they doing down there?”
Son replies, “fixing the water, thought you were going to do that.”
“Heck no, I am not getting in their way, now”. (CHICKEN!!!)
2 days later, pigs still in pen. All well.
Each time I boil eggs I think of my Dad! Why on earth you might ask? Well I always remember that he was the one to taught me that when the boiling time is over you then rinse the eggs (still in the pan) under cold water , dump the water, repeat and then shake the pan to crack the shells and then cover with cold water for a bit…………they are ever so much easier to peel! And he was so right and I always do it that way.
Cutting wood is another Dad thought provoker as it seems as kids we were always helping with the wood cutting chores. Dad did all the actual cutting -when the chainsaw was required – but we did lots of hauling and stacking. I loved the sound of that chainsaw – heaven knows why but I did, perhaps because it meant nice warm fires in the heating and cooking stoves (note that sometimes those two were the same stove depending upon where we lived at the time) and yummy items for meals.
My sister Ruth carries on Dad’s woodworking tradition and whenever I am in her shop the Dad thoughts come rushing along as well. Wood shavings, boards, nails, and all the paraphanelia and smells that go along with wooodworking bring back lots of pleasant memories.
Then of course there is the music! Dad and I shared many hours of making music. Dad loved to write poems many of which were put to music. I actually recorded two of his songs many years ago in Nashville on a 45 record! What fun that was. Our whole family would sit around and sing along with Dad as he played his guitar and Mom played her comb. Ah the memories are priceless!!!!
This is probably not a great ‘aha’ moment, or even thought for all of you. Sometimes it is sisters one is especially close with, but it might also be friends of long standing. You could have just met them and yet there is an instant recognition, as if you had known them forever. You have many crazy quirks in common.
**NOTE: Not all of your friends would be friends with your other friends, although they might be; ie, your ‘common ground’, quirky moment, crazy collection may well be different with friend A than it is with friend B. That is perfectly okay, and at least in our family, perfectly normal. The rest of you, live with it.
Back to what started this harebrained ramble this morning….I sent this to my sisters three, it could also have been directed at cross country friends, cousins, etc. That person you
showing off water feature, made from re-purposed items.
went to school with, you still keep in touch, enjoy each others company if you are lucky enough to actually SEE each other.
“I know we can’t do this, but was just having one of those moments of wishing we were all within a couple hundred miles of each other. Close enough we could all meet at each other’s places every so often…and go through each other’s piles of stuff [stash, junk, etc] and trade off what we can’t use but the other one can. As well as having extra eyes to help see the possibilities of repurposing etc.
“Sometimes it might take bits and pieces from all 4 of us to complete the project, new idea,
whatever…and we don’t even know we HAVE the parts. Plus of course a group sweep of local junk stores, hardware departments, fabric/craft stores.
“Okay, my bit for the day….and this one was inspired by an advert from Home Depot; their
deal of the day, only it was yesterdays and I just read it, and didn’t want it, it was a home
security system….but reminded me of a bit of hardware I had seen, which reminded me
of…you know the routine!!!”