The view at the end of the driveway at the Dulcimer house

I'll get my tent picture posted soon but today I want you to see the view when I drive away from the unfinished house on Dulcimer. I'm moving out there this weekend to live for a time. Kayla will stay in town and I will still have a nice place to shower and cook when I come in for class and to drive her to where she needs to be. I'll be driving her until the weather warms a bit. Today's temp says it hasn't warmed up during the day. Can that be? Minus 39 is a bit cold for a Missouri girl to waiting at the bus stop.

Home Sweet Home on the Trail

Hiking is a love of mine. Mostly I just like to walk but once in a while a hike sounds like a good idea. That means I have a tent. I would guess that sleeping in a tent does not appeal to the majority of senior citizens so that probably means I am an exception. My last "big" hike was in August of 2005 and the locale was the gold rush trail of '98. That's 1898. When I taught in Haines, Alaska, back in the late 50's I thought how interesting it would be to travel the path that the miners who were headed to Dawson City in the Yukon Territory traversed. At that time there was no formal trail and I never heard of people hiking over the Chilkoot Pass. There were three of us who hiked together and we mingled with people of all ages--grandparents and grandchildren, families of parents and children, middle-aged fathers and sons, groups of ladies, young and not so young from all walks of life. So the first "home" I'm including in my list of "where I ams" is my tent. Quite cozy, don't you think?

Doesn't this look like a romantic getaway?

This is a picture of Jay's cabin on the same property as the Dulcimer house which is under construction. A tree had fallen just before I took this picture. Sometimes that happens when there is a strong breeze or what I call a microburst of wind. The roots are shallow and when surrounding trees are taken out they miss the protection that being planted together provides. Isn't that just like our lives. When we stand together with others, we are more secure.

The cabin looks rather shabby from the outside but is quite nice on the inside. I'll find a picture and add it sometime.

WHERE I AM IS HOME

This is my first attempt at creating a blog. My title comes from the fact that I am a house sitter and often have friends ask me, "Where is home now?" I divide my time between Nebraska and Alaska. Since my home in Nebraska is rented I live in what I call a "shop" building when I am there. It is two comfortable rooms that were at one time a gift shop and a commercial kitchen. They were used in connection with the berry farm (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and choke cherries) where we grew berries and made jams, jellies, and syrups from the produce. When I came to Alaska four years ago I began taking care of houses while the owner(s) vacationed during the winter months. It is not wise to leave a house unattended in Fairbanks. If the heat goes out for any reason, pipes freeze very quickly--especially with temperatures below zero.

As I have time I will post pictures of some of the homes where I have stayed. I seem to get the cream of the crop and live a rather opulent life style while house sitting. That is great because the house my son is building for me does not yet have running water and when I live there my life style is not what most of you would call glamorous. It is in the hills surrounded by trees--our lot is mostly aspen and spruce. The lot next to us is mostly birch and spruce. How does that happen? I don't know. I do know that birch is better for firewood than aspen but aspen keeps the house just as warm. It burns more quickly and means more chopping and toting. I love the quietness of the area and the scenery surrounding the house. There are intertwining roads where one can walk and see moose and foxes and a variety of birds.

A friend of mine has an interesting blog and she displays one of my pictures. If you enjoy poetry and hearing about life in Alaska, check her out here.