It's going to be a three dog night or where is my knitting?

As the sun slowly sets and the horizon turns to a lovely pink, it happens for the second day in a row, the power goes off! Me? I was in the zone painting with hot beeswax which requires electricity. Drat! Now what!

This means; we can't flush the toilets or run the water (because the well pump is electrical), can't surf the internet, can't watch T.V., can't cook dinner, the heater won't work because it's electrical controlled so the house is quickly cooling off. Not to worry we also have a wood burning stove and two dogs to keep us warm. Peter suggested we just go out to dinner and wait until the crews can restore power. The power outage was just on our road no where else.

It has been a particularly hard winter this year; in November it was minus -15 degrees farenheight for weeks, then the 100 mph Chinook winds came melting the snow and breaking trees and property leaving treacherous ice, and to put the frosting on the cake, it snows almost every night. The snow is so heavy on trees it is causing them to fall onto the power lines which interrupts our precious electricity.

Going without power if only for half a day and a night brings home the point of just how unprepared most of us are for disaster. If Alaska experienced another 9.2 earthquake like the one in Anchorage in 1964 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake  (the largest quake in recorded history), we would all be depending each other and whatever supplies we have on hand. The stores would be empty in three days! and we would all be totally cut off from supplies coming into Alaska. We up here in the frozen North are dependant upon the goods and supplies shipped and trucked up here from everywhere else. Our biggest industry is oil and that is a tenuous relationship at best.

To drive home that point, early this morning a desperate looking man came knocking on my door carrying a gas can and asking me to give him some gas. He said he was a neighbor but I did not recognize him. I was a little nervous because I live on a remote dirt road and don't often get unannounced visitors. He lives in a cold trailer and my guess is he stayed in his car with the engine running to keep warm last night when the power was off.
 NO FOOD, NO MONEY, NO GAS, NO POWER, THEN WHAT!
Please forgive my pessimism,

I am a little freaked out because of the Myan 2012 prediction of the end of the world and all the bad I see on the History Channel.

Still we need to face the facts: Disasters are on the rise worldwide and the planet has reached a tipping point where we can no longer do what we have always done and expecting different results. 
We need to wake up!

Here is a nifty link to help us get prepared for the minimum of 72 hours.

http://72hours.org/

 

This week has gone to the birds and that's a good thing.

The swans had their babies yesterday they came to see us and to show off their little brood.
Isn't this precious.

This is Dennis Lind the bird whisperer,
the little chickadee flew into the garage at Shearys BBQ and the just gently got the little thing to trust him and after some Kodak moments it flew off.

Here is a one eyed owl at the Art on Fire the bird rescue people brought him.

A beautiful hawk.

A motley Raven.

The Midnight Sun

All this light makes me manic and an insomniac, when it's dark and cold I want to hibernate like a bear but when the days reach 65 degrees and the sun does not set until 11:15 pm, I cannot just go to bed and go to sleep, I am wide awake like an owl reading, watching a movie, looking at the lake and listening to the night sounds of the swans, loons and other denizens of Beverly Lake.

I am becoming obsessed with the light at midnight. So I grabbed my artist friend Sharen AK Harris http://sharenakharris.com/about.html we took a late night drive to the Matanuska River to sketch the scene and study the light. Isn't it beautiful? The scene is defused with blues and the light reflects from within just like a precious gem. It is quite otherworldly like some in between world. I want to paint this scene but need to capture the drama and special light of Alaska's Midnight Sun.

by: Robert Service

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas....

It has snowed every day for almost a week we got almost 9 inches today alone. My road looks like a sleligh trail and makes you want to sing Jingle Bells or To Grandmothers House We Go.

The world is completly white the temperature has dropped to a frosty-10 degrees. Outside is a still white frozen wasteland, just walking in the cold moonlight you might get frostbitten still it's worth the walk but I think tonight it's best to stay close to home and stoke the fire, close up my house, make the coffee and nessle down all snug in my bed. The quiet falling snow blankets me in its fluffy down and gives me the deepest, dreamiest, loooongest sleep ummmmmmmmm.

Good Night Dear Ones only 7 days until Christmas.

It's Just Another Sunday in Paradise, not really!

Sunrise 10:10am and sunset 5:34 but the nice thing is the sunrises and the sunsets last for hours and on the coldest winter days they seem to be the prettiest.
Today I awoke at 10:45 a.m. it's strange because I went to bed relatively early 10:00 p.m. and slept like a hibernating bear wrapped in my warm down comforter and my pleasant dreams. It was a shock to realize that I slept soooo0 long. Then I get a rude awakening; I get up brush my teeth and find no water pressure, it's the well again is my guess.
Its 4 degrees out there no wind just cold everywhere. The well business Gelarowski’s is not answering their phones it's Sunday after all we may just have to haul some drinking water and do our bathroom business at the local gas station. That’s better than triple rates anyway. Ah living on a dirt road in Alaska comes with its problems. I guess this is going to cost me my Christmas present this year, damn. I should just go back to bed today.

5 minutes of fun and chaos

In spite of the serene waters the next 5 minutes was anything but serene!

Max and Jackson my grandsons and Nicole my daughter came by today to go fishin, they were doing fine when I told Jackson to cast toward the fallen tree in the lake. I thought the fish might be hiding there, he cast and caught the hook on the branches.

We needed to paddle the boat to get it unhooked. Jackson is a "I'll do it myself " kind of kid and wanted to do the paddling and unhooking. while I was holding his belt loop to keep him from falling overboard we heard this loud plunk and splash behind us.

Max had blithely stepped off the dock into the lake (that is so like him) just as Nicole was catching a fish. She pulled him out as she was reeling in the fish. We paddled back hooked up the boat I ran into the house to get a pair of needle nose plyers as the fish had swallowed the hook. Benson the evil chocolate lab busted out and ran away. It was crazy we were all laughing so hard! Taking pictures almost the whole time.

Another Acquisition For the Museum at Purgatory

This tiny and curious skull was found in the Meadowlakes area of Alaska.
It is not uncommon in this area to find mastodon tusks and bones from the dinosaurs that lived here before the human. Inspite of that this is a truly unique find.
A couple while foraging mushrooms for their soup discovered this most curious little skull, it resembles a tiny ram but says the couple "we are pretty sure rams are not that small."

This small artifact seems as obscure as the jack-alope or the shrunken mummies of Belsharha.
The couple intends to sell this to the Smithsonian or perhaps Ripleys Believe it or Not Museum for a king’s ransom.

But seriously, if anyone knows what this is or has ever seen anything like it, please contact the owner of this blog. All inquiries will be taken seriously.

Magic Mushrooms

Magic Mushrooms

These three sweet magic mushrooms were growing in my yard this morning, they were the perfect subject for my encaustic painting today.

Yep it's Monday and I'm back painting on schedule, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, I paint, paint, paint.

Thursday I network, Friday I could do office work, Saturday clean and run around and Sunday I play, hang out with family and friends and relax.....Sounds like a plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A Day in Pictures

For the last day of 2008 here is a short video I shot yesterday on the way to Girdwood, Alaska with Nicole, its the Cook Inlet, with frozen Ice and snow moving. Sooooo cold the temp yesterday got as cold as -24. I got some other amazing photos of weather, dall sheep, sunsets that I will share in a slide show tomorrow or so. Well bye for now I'm getting ready for a New Years party on Upper O'Malley. Here is to a new and improved New Year because getting older means getting better like fine wine. Each year is an other chance, you get a do over and another chance to get it right. Wishing all of you all the best in 2009. Peace to all of my friends and family and all who happen by, Judy

Wordless Wednesday

Burrrrrrr It's Cold and Santa is Coming to Town all too soon

sunrise 9:48 a.m. and sunset 3:46 p.m. day length 5:58

Today's low temperature -10 and high temperature 13

When the temperature goes below zero and the days are short my body clock gets confused;
Seems like I just get started on my work and rushing around to do the errands before it's gets dark. Then I feel like I've done a full days work, and now it's time to cook dinner, but it's only four clock. At six o clock I want to take a warm bath, put my PJ's on, go to bed with a nice cup of warm sleepy time tea and hot milk.
I've waited long enough is it bedtime yet?

25 days until Christmas sleep well.

I did get out the other night!

Eric Deeter & Sharen Harris
At the Palmer Museum of History and Art, the board, artists, director, and others gathered to vote on the newest art acquisition. The artists that submitted art got a special invitation. It was an opportunity to schmoose with the Museum Board, Palmerites and other artists. And as my new BFF Sharen Harris reminded me it's a rule in Massachusetts we dress up after 7:00 p.m. Well up here in the frozen north we are in the habit of dressing for comfort and warmth, to us our newest fleece vest adorned with a pin, clean jeans and boots is dressing up and totally acceptable in Alaska. I took her advise however and put on some suitable evening attire. It turned out to be an excellent party, there was fancy h’ordeurves champagne, hot cider for me, a fruit centerpiece with pomegranates artfully arranged, it was very a nice gathering and I'm happy I dressed up a little for the ocassion.

My encaustic painting of Musk Oxen was not chosen but was well liked; Sharen’s Norman Rockwellesque depiction of downtown Palmer was chosen to be in the final five as was Eric Deeters work. Here is the link to the Anchorage Daily News story my name is mentioned and a picture of me sticking out my tongue, oh brother. Here is the article: http://www.adn.com/life/story/594019.html

Grab some herb tea relax and enjoy some low bush cranberrie pickin

Pic-O-the-Day - Pioneer Peak and Clouds

Today I went plenn air painting with Sharen Harris http://www.sharenharris.com/ we had a good time and I picked up on a few tips for painting outdoors. This is the scene I was painting at the Mat-Su Visitors Center it's called Pioneer Peak. I learned painting outdoors can be a very humbling experience, the clouds and mountain changed so quickly and the colors are trickey. But I love It! Tomorrow Gridwood and Friday Salt Lake City, I'll be comin soon.......

Pics-O-The-Day - Fireweed, Outsider Art, Lilly Pads, Loon and Firefly

Pic-O-the-Day - The Eagle of the Lake

This morning when finally the sun came out I scurried down to my dock to paint water lillies. The painting was going badly so I decided to take out my boat, camera and get some good pictures. The loons were feeding their young one and making alot on noise they seemed quite nervous.

Ah Hah, there is the source of their aggrivation the eagle watching from on high.

A Spring Snow In Alaska plus Moss and Moose Turds

When the phone woke me up this morning at 9:00 am I was still warm and cozy under my down comforter snoring and dreaming. The party on the other end was embarrassed to have woken me up. How could I have been sleeping so soundly at that time of the morning? Then I looked outside and noticed it had snowed 5 to 6 inches and was still falling. The snow always makes me sleep so peacefully it's like a cozy cool comforter. Lately I love cold sheets and frosty pillows. Alaska is a good place for me espically when I'm going through memopause you know hot flashes and all............................................

This was taken 10 minutes ago at 10:pm


On my walk the other day I was looking for evidence of spring
and found this lovely moss ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and moose turds ah Spring I can smell it in the air.

Shades of White

I'm in service again taking care of Thomas. He is a very dignified black man from Scotland and NYC. In his younger days he was a merchant marine and traveled all over this pretty planet. Right now I'm gently encouraging him to get ready for a doctors appointment, but it's cold outside and he is not in the mood. I will wait a few minutes and say lets go again because he won't remember his objections you see he has alzheimers. He is teaching me to live in the moment. Every so often he bids me to look outside and says "everything is so white" to keep my self busy (and sane) I photographed the view outside the window of Pioneer Peak every half hour the weather on the mountain is constantly changing. It's lovely to watch the weather outside the big picture window and be inside where it's warm and cozy by the fireplace.

How many shades of pink did God create?

This is the view from my deck at 3:30 pm today. The Alaskan sky in the winter-time is more beautiful than you could imagine the relatively pollution free air and far North make it rarefied light. Today the baby boy blue sky was so velvety and soft and cold so very cold. The daylight today is only 5 hours. The sunrise takes it's time as it makes a fast, low arc over the horizon and then sets. The sunrises and sunsets are glorious, God painted the sunset tonight in the softest pastels of luxurious pinks, lavenders and golds. I saw all the colors of pink tonight and as the grand finale the sky was highlighted with fuchsia. Now it's time to sleep the long winter night is upon me.

I have an inspiration for a painting a winter sunset over Sleeping Lady the sunset and the quarter moon in winter, Sleeping Lady all lit from behind with alpen glow. Perhaps a dog team in the distance I can take artistic license can't I? I borrowed this image of Sleeping Lady from
http://www.smugmug.com/