Back in Alaska and saying goodbye to my father.

I left a beautiful spring to head to Alaska to experience breakup.  Anyone who’s been in Alaska in the spring time knows and loathes”breakup.”  It’s the time of year when weather vacillates between warm and freezing temperatures.  Snow melts, then freezes, then melts again, turning the yard into a giant mud puddle.  It’s usually this time of year when Alaskans bet on exactly when the Nenana River ice will break.  The contest started in 1906 and is still a big deal around these parts. 

 

However, I’m not here to enjoy the crisp, unpredictable weather.  My father passed away the week before last, so I came to help out and say goodbye.  When I think about the life of my father, I remember him as a lucky man.  He really did live a full life.  He spent a lot of time exploring the Alaskan wilderness, leading a team of pack-horses into the back country, either hunting or taking in a group of Sierra Club members to experience Alaska at its best.  He spent time teaching art at remote native Alaskan villages, as well as in Old-Believer Russian villages.  He would tell us the stories of how he’d have to get permission to enter the Russian villages from the elders who were trying to preserve their culture in an evolving world.  After growing up hearing his stories and seeing the fruits of his life through his painting and carving, I would be hard-pressed to find another individual who’d lived a more exciting life than my father.  It’s my hope that I can enjoy my life as much as he did in his. 

 

Take care, All

P.S.  Our new book on how to build a solar home is on Amazon.  If you haven’t had the chance to check it out, you may want to.  We also included a step-by-step guide on how to build a compost toilet and rainwater collection system. 

Yes, I’m THAT Person

Toby, my low-life cheatin’ kittie

Someone in a discussion with my sister, wondered who those people were that were upset when their pets ran away from home, because if they had run away it must’ve been because they were bad owners. . . . she thought for a moment, and then answered, “my sister.”

It’s true. I’m THAT person. Here’s the story. I had my cat for over 12 years. She was the first cat we had while here in Tennessee–the alpha and omega of kitties. We found her in the woods and raised her from a kitten. The thing about Toby is she is the ultimate loner and admirably ferocious. I once saw her bring a rabbit out of the woods that was as big as she was, which was quite extraordinary. I, as a cat owner, am very “needy.” I need lots of attention from my animals. So when my cat disappears for months at a time, I assume she just wants her space, and I’m okay with that, as long as she shows up and lets me know she’s okay and happy. But when she moves in with my neighbor, (let’s call him Jeff), that’s when I get upset. What does he have that I don’t???? Better food? I give out kitty treats several times a day and sometimes even break out the canned salmon. Better home? I have a courtyard dedicated to kitties only. Love? Come on, do I really need to go on about my attributes here????

With this loss, I found myself going through the seven stages of grief. First Shock and Denial–how could Toby move in with Jeff? Then Pain and Guilt–did I do something wrong? Does Toby hate me now? Then Anger and Bargaining–I find myself driving by Jeff’s house thinking, “what a @@@itch, when I see Toby lazing in his yard and then quickly finding myself wanting to stop to say hello.” Next, I experienced depression–weeks of just trying to get on with my life, perking up at any stray meow I heard. Followed by some normalcy returning to my life–my other dogs and cats still need attention, walks, hugs, treats as I’m working through my loss. Then finally acceptance–“Okay, so Toby isn’t coming back. I still have two other cats that love my attention and two dogs that watch my every movement, basking in each dog biscuit…..

I guess I’m writing this post to admit that when it comes to my pets, I “MIGHT” be needier than the most obnoxious dog. I have high expectations–as long as they stick around they pretty much own me. I wonder if there’s a 12-step program for pet owners to work through the co-dependency issues.

Take care, All

I finally have Unplugged up on Barnes and Noble for Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unplugged-hillary-bergeron/1112136489?ean=2940014942355

A day in the Life of a Homesteader

Hello friends,

I thought I’d just write a little about the happenings around here.  Nothing earth shattering.  The wound on the leg is pretty much healed although it itches like crazy.  It will probably leave a scar, but then again I’m old enough that my body looks like a road map anyway.  All these scars are like my own personal time line.

Robert is dragging trees out of the forest today and cutting for next year’s wood supply.  He had to fix the log splitter’s engine because it was dragging.  He’s constantly maintaining the tractor, from the engine to the flat tires to keep it working.  He finished rebuilding the damaged storage building from when the tree fell on it last month.  Today, besides dragging trees, he’s pumping water to the orchard for our water tanks.  We have three 1100 gallon tanks and since it’s been just the two of us here, we’ve only used about 20-30 gallons of water a day and that’s with washing clothes.  Today he even offered to make chili for lunch.  Of course, I’m not going to say no to that.  The only downside is that he likes it spicy and I would not like to burn my mouth with each bite, but sacrifices have to be made if I want to get out of cooking.  I’ll just keep a gallon of milk handy.  I would say he’s pretty durn handy around here.

I spent some time in the orchard yesterday clearing more branches that we’d cut a week or two ago and picking rocks.  It’s looking good up there.  The apricot and peach trees are blooming and everything else is budding.  I’m planning to plant my cherry bushes in the garden today and later this week transfer my tomato starts to soda bottles, which are deeper for the roots.  It’s too soon to put them out.

My yellow cat Scrappy came back.  His original name was Leo, but because of all the scrapes he gets in, I renamed him Scrappy.  Of course, he has a limp and a tear behind his ear and another abrasion on his tail.  I have no idea where he goes or what he gets into, but I believe he lost that last round. He is such a lovable cat and yet such a fighter. I think I’ll post a picture of him so you can see what I’m talking about.  He’s not a looker, but he’s a real charmer.

Today, we had to go down to the storage units in town and collect our two dogs.  The owner told us he’s going to put us on speed dial.  I just can’t bring myself to tie them up 24-7.  It makes mean dogs and what kind of quality of life is that?  Anyway, we have our pups back now.  I thought if we got them fixed it would solve the problem of their wandering, but maybe it will take some time.  Our last Pyrenees it took about a year.  So time will tell with these two.

So besides taking some time today to work on my paying job, I’ve been painting and working on my new book. Hopefully with this new post I haven’t put you to sleep.

Take care, All

By the way, if you haven’t seen my book trailer yet, take a peek.

This is my Scrap-man in all his glory.

This is Scrappy getting his belly scratched.

Solar energy living

I’ve been living with solar, rainwater collection and with a compost toilet for the last 10 years. It has definitely been an adventure. When we moved from the city, we had very different views of what we could use, but 10 years has given us an insight as to what will work and what won’t on solar. Feel free to ask any questions.