CJ & Autumn Miller

So, with the high cost of flying groceries out to Port Alsworth, we haven't had potatoes since we moved here. Let's say a 10lb. bag of potatoes is $5.50, well the freight cost would be an additional $5.00. This checked potatoes right off the cheap staples list. On Friday night my friend, Ambar, told me some good news. She said the Alsworths at the Farm Lodge have an abundance of potatoes every fall, so much that they give potatoes away to the community & the neighboring villages. The potato dig every fall sounds like a community effort & I can't wait to help out. Once harvested, the potatoes are stored in the cellar all year to keep them cool but not frozen. Ambar gave me a tour of the cellar & we picked through the potatoes together, choosing enough to satisfy my starch craving for the weekend. Last night I made hash-browns for dinner & this morning I had hash-browns again!

The daylight is wonderful. I love that it is light outside all the time. I never need a flashlight & I never wander around in the woods in darkness. The noises of this new house are not scary & we can go on boat rides until after midnight. Besides all that, our electric bill is the lowest it will ever be.

To tell you the truth though, the long days can be exhausting. CJ works long hours because the planes fly late into the evening. We stay up late because it is impossible to guess what time it is by looking outside & there is always work to be done around the house. So, I am OK with this changing of seasons. From now on the daylight will be getting noticeably less & once again we will see darkness. I do look forward to the days when we can drink evening tea in candlelight, watch the sunset & see the stars. 

So...Happy longest day of the year! Cheers to sunshine! And cheers to change!

Our great friend, Mark, came to visit us this weekend from Anchorage. We went to LeTourneau with Mark & have had many Alaskan adventures with him since graduation. Mark is a fellow member of Kingdom Air Corp & we share a passion for Bible camp & the great outdoors. Saturday, when Mark flew in he came bearing fruit & eggs! It was such a blessing to visit with someone who knows us well amid all the moving & newness of the last several months.

Saturday night Jeremiah & Allison took us on a boat ride/fishing trip across the lake. We didn't have much luck catching fish, but the weather was beautiful & we roasted hot dogs & marshmallows over the fire.

At this very moment I have immature vegetable plants growing all over my house. I started them by seed in little soil pods our first week in Port Alsworth & now they are demanding more root room. I did a bit of recycling & punched holes in the bottom of my tin cans for drainage which transformed them into modern pots. My neighbors have been teasing me & are a little suspicious about what I am growing, but hey, I am doing the best I can without a greenhouse.

I attribute my green thumb shenanigans to my Grandma. Every summer my parents would drop me off in Cincinnati for two weeks to spend time with Grandma & Grandpa. They have always had a lush backyard garden & graciously let me trample through their vegetable rows & help harvest. I always tried to time my Ohio trip just right so I could be there for fresh raspberries. Right up there with fresh raspberries is grandma's steaming hot raspberry cobbler. I would pay big bucks to get my hands on a piece of that right now!
Thanks Grandma for sharing with me the joy of gardening.

I just took two loaves of sourdough bread out of the oven. It is a little bit of an experiment each time on how to get it to rise correctly & be big beautiful loaves. I have high expectations from working at the bakery & not a lot of bread making experience, which can be a disappointing combination. My old gas oven has a mind of its own regarding temperature & is by all means the antagonist in this story.

My dear mother has had patience with me through it all though. A couple weeks ago she called from Alabama just as I was taking some chocolate chip cookies out of the oven that were charred on the outside. I know, how do you burn chocolate chip cookies? Well, I set the oven at 275 for safe measure & when I reached in to take the cookies out I noticed it was a blistering 425 degrees. Mom calmed me down & reassured me that I just needed to get to know the oven. Well, let's just say we are getting to know each other quite well with no restaurant options in town. Thanks to many cooking lessons growing up & her persistence with me refusing to stick my hand up the turkey, CJ is not starving up here in the sticks.
Thanks Mom for sharing with me the joy of cooking.

Knitting is the thing to do in Alaska. Every lady I have talked to in Port Alsworth knits, & it is not just the elderly. Somehow the cold of winter, a hot cup of tea, & a knitting project sounds so enticing up here. So, I am glad I brought my knitting needles & have at least knitting in common with my new neighbors.

My mother in law, Pam taught me to knit a couple years ago. She showed me her completed projects while CJ & I were dating. I was super curious & I guess my nagging finally got to her. Pam sent me my fist pair of knitting needles, some purple yarn, & an instruction book for my 25th birthday. Luckily Mike & Pam came to Texas to visit us shortly after my self instruction began & Pam straightened me out. She said "Are you stressed out? You are doing this so tight." Well, I still knit pretty tight, mostly because I pull out my knitting when I need to relax, but I believe it is good therapy.
Thanks Pam for sharing with me the joy of knitting.