Brrrr, it's been chilly lately. Winter has definitely set in! It has been raining and/or snowing a lot here lately. I don't mind it too much, but the wind has been crazy. I'm not sure how hard it blows out here, but I heard talk that the one day we were getting 70mph gusts. With how hard it's been to walk sometimes, I believe it! Today isn't as bad with only around 30mph gusts, but it still sounds super windy.
Here's a short video clip of the snow blowing
https://goo.gl/photos/dsfE9YTvhd2cYKHt9
And a picture of the snow-covered mountains. I never get tired of looking at them. This is out of my classroom window :)
Here's a short video clip of the snow blowing
https://goo.gl/photos/dsfE9YTvhd2cYKHt9
And a picture of the snow-covered mountains. I never get tired of looking at them. This is out of my classroom window :)
The weeks have also been busy with evening ladies craft nights (just saying, I am a terrible crafter!), potlucks, and students visiting the dentist while he is in town.
At craft night, I've been working on a kuspuk (a traditional hooded shirt with a pocket. Kind of like a hoodie sweatshirt but made of cotton), but the process has been agonizing! The fabric I had to use was slightly too small, so I cut out my pieces a bit different (Thanks Billie for helping!)
But when I traced and cut, I had my front shirt piece laying the wrong way, so I ended up with a shirt with a huge, deep V down the middle. Ooops, a little too low cut for me. I'm still trying to think of a way to fix it.
In the meantime, I'm working on some other projects that started off rough, but are going much better now that I have the hang of them. Eventually, I'll go back and revisit the kuspuk of doom.
At craft night, I've been working on a kuspuk (a traditional hooded shirt with a pocket. Kind of like a hoodie sweatshirt but made of cotton), but the process has been agonizing! The fabric I had to use was slightly too small, so I cut out my pieces a bit different (Thanks Billie for helping!)
But when I traced and cut, I had my front shirt piece laying the wrong way, so I ended up with a shirt with a huge, deep V down the middle. Ooops, a little too low cut for me. I'm still trying to think of a way to fix it.
In the meantime, I'm working on some other projects that started off rough, but are going much better now that I have the hang of them. Eventually, I'll go back and revisit the kuspuk of doom.
We also had a community potluck, and I got to try akutaq (a-goo-duk), which I had read about before coming to Alaska, but was skeptical of trying. Basically, it's berries mixed with sugar and Crisco. Here in Port Heiden, crowberries/mossberries are popular but other recipes I saw contained salmonberries, blueberries, or strawberries. Another recipe I came across contained fish.
Anyway, I couldn't get my head wrapped around eating Crisco, but at the last potluck I decided to try some. It's actually really good. I thought that it would feel greasy, but the berries were juicy enough that it just tasted creamy.
Even though it was good, I didn't eat too much. I don't want to know how many calories are in a serving, HAHA!
I also got to eat candied dried salmon, fish pie, salmon patties (YUM!), spaghetti, meatloaf, buffalo chicken dip, and German chocolate cake for dessert. It was a good time with good food.
On a similar note, eating fresh produce is very hard in Alaska. Our village store rarely gets in produce. I've seen only onions, potatoes, and clementines on one occasion. Our school gets in produce for lunches, but not in the variety I'm used to. We eat a lot of canned or frozen vegetables.
As a result, I decided to invest in an Aerogarden so that I could grow my own herbs and lettuce. I have to say, I am super impressed. It took a while to get here, but what doesn't? It was super simple to set up and the plants sprouted in just a few days. I have it set up in my classroom and my students love checking the plants every day and seeing how much they've grown.
Anyway, I couldn't get my head wrapped around eating Crisco, but at the last potluck I decided to try some. It's actually really good. I thought that it would feel greasy, but the berries were juicy enough that it just tasted creamy.
Even though it was good, I didn't eat too much. I don't want to know how many calories are in a serving, HAHA!
I also got to eat candied dried salmon, fish pie, salmon patties (YUM!), spaghetti, meatloaf, buffalo chicken dip, and German chocolate cake for dessert. It was a good time with good food.
On a similar note, eating fresh produce is very hard in Alaska. Our village store rarely gets in produce. I've seen only onions, potatoes, and clementines on one occasion. Our school gets in produce for lunches, but not in the variety I'm used to. We eat a lot of canned or frozen vegetables.
As a result, I decided to invest in an Aerogarden so that I could grow my own herbs and lettuce. I have to say, I am super impressed. It took a while to get here, but what doesn't? It was super simple to set up and the plants sprouted in just a few days. I have it set up in my classroom and my students love checking the plants every day and seeing how much they've grown.
yThis was taken 6 days ago and already the Chinese cabbage in the back has almost doubled. I've had to raise the light again! My students keep asking to taste it, so we've already sampled the cabbage, arugula, and tatsoi. Nobody liked the arugula, but the Chinese cabbage was a hit!
Also, my older students have been working hard on their writing. We've been practicing "how-tos" and two of them chose to write about how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Well to test out their skills, I followed their directions and made a sandwich as they read their paper.
Also, my older students have been working hard on their writing. We've been practicing "how-tos" and two of them chose to write about how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Well to test out their skills, I followed their directions and made a sandwich as they read their paper.
As you can see, it didn't quite turn out as planned. ("put the jelly on the bread")
One of my students also needed to take a writing test so that he could advance into the next writing level. One of his answers gave me a laugh. It's the small things in life that make me happy.
One of my students also needed to take a writing test so that he could advance into the next writing level. One of his answers gave me a laugh. It's the small things in life that make me happy.
Boys.....
and yes, the previous sentence says "After I ate, I threw up."
The best part of the week though was Monday. We usually have a staff meeting after school, but Kirsten said we were going to have it on the bus, because she needed to go drop off some paperwork. As we were driving she said "Hang on we need to take a detour, we need to see something"
I was wondering what she was talking about at first, but then I understood. It was such an amazing sight, and I'm thankful that I was able to capture this photo.
and yes, the previous sentence says "After I ate, I threw up."
The best part of the week though was Monday. We usually have a staff meeting after school, but Kirsten said we were going to have it on the bus, because she needed to go drop off some paperwork. As we were driving she said "Hang on we need to take a detour, we need to see something"
I was wondering what she was talking about at first, but then I understood. It was such an amazing sight, and I'm thankful that I was able to capture this photo.
Alaska truly is a beautiful place.
Up next in blog-land...."booking plane tickets home" and "why do bush flights cost so much??!"
Up next in blog-land...."booking plane tickets home" and "why do bush flights cost so much??!"