Category Archive:Moose Nuggets

Shelly wrote and asked me what fireweed might be. I have a love/hate relationship with the plant . . . it is a gorgeous color and I lurve beautiful things . . . so I love it. I dislike seeing summer leaving and winter a-coming, thus the hate part of the quotient.

How pretty is it, you ask?

seeeeeeeeee?

It really IS getting closer to winter, though. On my trip to Anchorage last week I noticed that the fireweed had topped out in Cooper Landing – that is, the plants had fully budded out all the way to the top of the stalks. Some of it was even ready to pop! That is, the buds and flowers had all dropped off and the stalks were getting ready to open up and shoot off their white fluffy seeds.

AH . . AH . . . AHCHOO!

It’s such a pretty flower . . . too bad it’ll soon be covered in the white stuff.

😉

So, my friend, Mz Kitty asked in my last post where I was – and if I was hoofing it off to Milwaukee. Wouldn’t that be loverly? Alas it is not to be – but . . . .

. . . . a little bit of self care IS in order. I’m “the boss” at work again for a couple of weeks – and it can be draining. Rewarding . . . but draining. Sooooooo I just called my sister-friend in the big city and asked if she could put up with me an extra night. I am planning a visit to her in September, but think I need to get out of town for a night now, too.

Thus the title Self Care. It’s all about taking care of yourself sometimes. It’s all about YOURSELF sometimes. Not very often, but sometimes. This is one of those times.

I probably won’t make it to Friday night knitting at Knitting Grounds, this time anyway. But, I will likely pop in on Saturday before I head back to the little city. Zaynab has just returned from several weeks away – AND – I haven’t been to the new location yet, so a visit is definitely in order.

As to why I’ve been a bit absent minded hereabouts lately – I’ve been giving my wrists a rest (say that several times really fast) – overuse in typing and knitting – and I’ve been vegging in front of the Olympics. But I have been here.

Thanks, my friend, for checking in on me. Thanks to all who comment and check in from time to time here. You haven’t seen the last of my rack – yet.
😉

of course, this IS hunting season (bow hunting for moose) so the bull critters are hiding in the woods – one was found, though. This is what I saw in the neighbor’s driveway when I came home from work yesterday:

Can you see it?

how about now? Yup, looks like the neighbor (or one of his buds) got a nice sized bull moose. Yummy!
(no, that’s not canniblistic . . . the PurpleMoose is STUFFED, sillies!)

and, by the by . . . . be sure to go and visit Mz Kitty . . . she has cut the scrub ties and is a full time designer now. Whoot! Congrats, Kitty. Talking about self care . . . there it is.

My first “persona” online was as Eclectic Gramma. I had a website at geocities and spent hours writing and “designing” my site. That was slightly before – or just as – “blogging” came into vogue.

I’ve had a couple of other sites since then, and have grown into different personalities – morphed maybe. They are all just parts of me, that eclectic persona hidden deep inside and scratching to get out.

Eclectic is such a great word – typifies ME to the uttermost. I am one person made up of many different parts and psyches. (no, not in the 3 Faces of Eve type). I enjoy lots of different kinds of books – movies – music – people.

So, imagine my enjoyment to find a radio station that just somehow FITS me. I generally listen to Christian radio – but I like it for the music. And, the one station I can get in my office has gone to more and more chatter. While a little of that is fine, I crave MUSIC.

So, I started turning the dial on the radio last week and came across a little station in Kasilof, just down the road from us. KABN radio by call letters, 89.7 on the FM dial.

ECLECTIC is the only word that can describe this station. In the course of a day I will hear country fiddling (love it!), cajun, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, big band, opera (not so keen, but okay), Russian, French, Spanish, flamenco, the BIG composers (Bach, etc.) on pipe organ, Frank Sinatra, old (scratchy old) spirituals, and so on.

I LOVE it! It makes me smile – and sometimes it makes me laugh out loud – enough so that people come into my office to see what is tickling me.

Hope you find YOUR electic personality, too.

Two of my friends drove to Anchorage with me Saturday – we were hoping to ride the tram to the top of Mt. Alyeska and share a birthday lunch with Ms. B . . . however, the weather was not cooperating. Visibility was low due to clouds and rain. That did not stop us from getting a really cool picture of the three of us (thanks, unknown tourist!) next to Summit Lake. It had a gorgeous mirror effect – I took several shots of the lake as it is something I’ve been trying to catch for months now. (I live in a gloriously beautiful place!)

So, after a quick break there in Girdwood, we drove on to Anchorage and had lunch at Bear Tooth, which very conveniently sits right across the street from a local yarn store that we all wanted to visit!

A lot of the Alaska knitters over on the Ravelry boards have talked about the Far North Yarn Company, but I’ve never visited it – wasn’t really sure where it was. I’d been told it was across from Bear Tooth, so once we found our lunch spot, we were all set! (method to our madness)

The three of us fondled and oohed and ahhhed over the different yarns and kits and BUTTONS! lol. I met the store owner, Kay – that is her in the picture there – and her daughter and peeked in on the knitting class. Maybe some time I will bring along a project and join you all! (have to leave something for another trip, you know)

If you’re ever in Anchorage, be sure to stop by to visit with Kay and everyone at Far North Yarn Company. You’ll be glad you did.

So, you saw the post from yesterday, right? I have to show you what greeted me this morning . . .

Title of post? That’s a fisherWOman driving the rig through.
😉

Great Alaskan weather – you may have noticed in the pics from both days that the pavement was good and wet (as opposed to being bad and dry, I guess). Well, it won’t bother the fish none – they don’t mind a bit of water. lol

You might also take note of the lovely ding and gorgeous lines in my windshield, compliments of drivers who don’t have mud flaps – but should – and just typical road hazard-type materials.

This, my friends, is a TYPICAL Alaskan windshield. One of these days I’ll get it fixed – for now, none of the lines are through my line of vision so it’s all good.

Enjoy the rest of your day. 😉