Stories about teaching and living in Alaska
As a resident of Craig, a small town in the southernmost tip of southern Southeast Alaska, I miss a lot of things that happen in the sky. You know, because it rains all the time. Well, not all the time, but you know what I mean. One hundred inches, give or take, per year, coupled […]
While substitute teaching in Crooked Creek, Alaska this past January, I couldn’t help but notice the weather. Mind you, Crooked Creek (known to locals simply as “Crooked”) is deep in the interior of Alaska, winding along the banks of the Kuskokwim River. So why was it 40 degrees. . .? The duplex I was staying […]
While substitute teaching in Crooked Creek, Alaska, I sought and obtained permission to use the school’s four-wheeler. Riding a four-wheeler is to me a little bit like riding a pony: bumpy, sure-footed, and a tiny bit unpredictable. Not to mention the fresh air and the moderate exercise that staying on requires. One day after it […]
While there is in fact a grocery store in Crooked Creek, Alaska, it is worth noting that a small bottle of cooking oil costs twelve dollars. This fact and others like it make it advisable for one who is going there to have some groceries flown in. Seems like it ought to be a pretty […]
Have you ever water glassed an egg? My husband pioneered this process in our family, and it allows you to store eggs unrefrigerated for as long as two years. Here’s what you do. First, get some eggs fresh from the hens that have not been washed (the eggs, that is; it doesn’t matter if the […]
Yum, yum, rhubarb! I recently arrived home to Craig Alaska, and I found my rhubarb going gangbusters, with leaves the size of pizza pans and stalks that look like they really mean business. I also found a pair of “just rhubarb” recipe books on my dining room table. Wonder who put them there? Regardless of […]
I am entering uncharted waters in two areas of my life. Mad venture #1: I am publishing a book! The odds are good that you already know that. I have ordered two proofs of said book from amazon, one with “premium color” and the other with “standard color.” The two copies have been printed and […]
Perimeter check. Armed with only my gloves, a pair of pruners, and my tiny chainsaw, I set out to search my yard for plants that don’t play fair. Of which there are several. If I were to conduct a contest for the Plant-that-is-the-Biggest-Pain-in-the-Neck, the following, I believe, would be the winners. I will include photographic […]
“I like seeing the Sleeping Lady,” says Elder Son, leading me to momentary confusion. He and I are sharing my car for a few days, and I am driving him to work. We are just passing the black cliffs between Craig and Klawock, a pair of sister cities on Prince of Wales Island. My son […]
My last day in Latest Tiny Village, Alaska, was the coldest one in my three weeks there, and the last day of school before the break. I had planned to make snow ice cream, come hell or high water, and with staunch encouragement from my obligatory cheering section, I made the preparations. I was accompanied […]