Long time, no post!

Christmas pretty.

So much has happened since my last posting. It's been 5 months and that's like 50 years in Alaska time.

Let's see. Where to begin?

Two different lawsuits regarding two very different matters. Both are resolved, thankfully.

My old housemate fell off the proverbial wagon. He not only fell off, he jumped off with a resounding CRASH and BURN and the drama of that whole situation at the end of July/beginning of August just about did me in emotionally.

He moved out (THANK GOD ALMIGHTY) and left me to pay the rent on my own for August and September.

Then I had to move out. Another move. Three moves in a little more than two years.

UGH.

Talk about emotional and physical drain. I'm STILL recuperating from all the changes I've endured.

Between the high cost of living here, paying movers, trying to work as much as possible and find a meaningful full-time gig, two lawsuits and just trying to be a person, I'm DRAINED.

Financially and in every other way.

Now, it's the holidays, of course. We're all supposed to be cozy and comfy and surrounded by family and the perfect tree and 2.5 children and ho, ho, ho.

I'm trying. I really am. I am making special Christmas cards that make me giggle, but I find that certainly the lack of sun and the location of my new housing situation (I live with a most wonderful family that has been utterly beyond generous and kind to me during this very odd time in my life) - I'm getting the winter doldrums more than I have in years.

I turn on that S.A.D. light and listen to happy music and focus on all of the things I'm grateful for, but - you know? Sometimes? It just gets to me.

When I think of "home," I think of my house on Derby Street. And my puppy dogs that I miss all the time. I miss boaty and that feeling of security that I felt there for so long.

This was the view from my driveway.

My beloved stove.

Lady and Koty and the ex on our beloved boaty.

Fun at Halloween.

My Sadie girl.

I miss my little Phoebe.

When I think back on the holidays I also remember my Aunt Bob and Uncle Sis and how we'd all look forward to seeing Bobby when he could make it back from Colorado. We'd all be together at their house and have that jello with the cream cheese in it (blech) and we'd eat and the adults would drink Asti Spumante and my Mom ALWAYS gave Grandpa Vern a bottle of Akadama plum wine. We'd play "Dit-dot-doe" - which is what my Mom called the game "Sorry" - or "One Card."

I'm not sure if life was simpler 35 years ago or if I've just gotten wiser to how hard life can be. It's really tough being alone at 50+. In a million years I'd never have envisioned being single and having to make a go of it all by myself.

~~~~~~

The last two years have been such times of uncertainty for me. And I know I'm not alone in that. The economy and job scene are not easy for a lot of us.

And I CERTAINLY know I've got it so much better than hundreds of thousands of people in the United States, and WAAAAY better than millions that live elsewhere.

There's that guilt that comes sometimes when I'm worried about my damn bills and how I'm gonna make ends meet THIS month - and then I look around me at this warm house, a fridge overflowing with food, my car that is now operable thanks to the kindness of family and friends who've helped me, a closet full of clothes, and on and on the list goes.

So many of us get caught up in the worrying that we forget to live today. We don't have the 1st of January yet. My bills will be due, but I'll find a way to pay them. I'm trying to remain positive and keep hope that something really good is around the corner.

I hope this post doesn't sound too Debbie Downer for all of you who are enjoying the holiday season. I generally ADORE the holidays and the sparkle lights and the songs and the camaraderie that abound this time of the year. I'm just having a time of it over here ... missing all that is familiar. My family, my friends and my old life. I was so very settled in Salem up until my dogs decided to die and then my divorce and having to sell my beloved home.

I'm not asking for anyone to feel sorry for me. I guess my point today is that sometimes the holidays are exceptionally hard for some people for a million different reasons.

Change is in the air. I'm just hoping that 2017 will bring positive change for all.

Bass-ackwardness

As part of my awesome part-time job at the Anchorage Press (www.anchoragepress.com) and also because I deeply believe in supporting the arts, I was invited to the soft-open, pay-as-you-go (pay what you can–wow) of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This was a special adaptation by two VERY talented writers, Arlitia Jones and Michael Evan Haney. Haney also directed the production.

Before the show we were escorted into a private reception with the actors and staff and an amazing array of foods, wine and beer. We were treated to a few words from the writers, production staff and main actor, Kevin T. Bennett. One could tell that these people really love each other and their respective crafts. It was a great introduction to the devotion they have to their company, the Perseverence Theatre (www.ptalaska.org).

The show was nothing short of fabulous! It was sweet, funny, poignant and beautiful visually. The costumes, sound, lighting, acting, the set–all just superb. And it was thoughtfully put together to be an 80 minute production so you can bring your kids and they won’t get too fidgety! There is even a short intermission so your little ones can visit the restroom if needed.

Most obviously the message of this play is the meat of it. That we are all on this planet together and that kindness and generosity toward others is always the way to go.

And though a shorter production than usual, the message was deeply felt by the audience. A lot of us lingered after the show because we just wanted to go right back in the theater and watch it all over again.

That’s the sign of a job well done.

We all parted ways after the show and after we had all raved and oohed and ahhhed about everything we’d just seen.

On my way back to my car I noticed a small dark shape slumped over in a poorly lit area under some trees in our beautiful downtown park. It was REALLY cold–in the 20s–and I was reeeaaally hoping that it wasn’t a person.

But it was.

I went into my car, looked for blankets (I had already given them all away) and then spotted my black “Iditarod” pants. I wore these snow pants the entire time I volunteered for the Iditarod last year. Two weeks worth of dirt and dog doo doo and dog spit and dog snot (yeah, it’s glamorous) were all over these pants from last March.

Of course I washed them and they hung in my garage all summer as a reminder of the excitement of the upcoming Iditarod glamour!! Now that winter is back, my black Iditarod snow pants have been living in my car with my ice skates so that I can leave work or wherever and just plop them on and go ice skating at a moment’s notice at Westchester Lagoon.

Mind you, I also have my fancy white Obermeyer snow pants that are SO warm and so great but they’re white! Jeez. Have you met me? If there’s a dog around, PLOP down to the ground I go. I don’t mind getting dirty.

So, anywho. Here I was in the icy cold with a dilemma on my hands. My momma probably isn’t going to like the fact that I approached a slumped over homeless person in a dark park. However, there were loads of people around and 99% of the homeless people here are utterly and completely kind and sweet and SO appreciative of any help you might offer.

Every single person I've given food or water or a blanket or mittens or whatever - every last one has cheerfully and sincerely given me God's Blessing. They don't have anything else to give, and I personally think any blessing is a blessing!

With the spirit of A Christmas Carol, a full belly and a heart overflowing with gratitude for my wonderful family and friends, I took my beloved black Iditarod pants over to this man. He was slumped over and barely awake.

I stood in front of him and touched his shoulder and asked him if he was okay. His face was bruised and swollen. He was only wearing a flimsy shirt, a worn out coat, jeans and sneakers.

You can die from that. Hypothermia kills A TON of homeless each year.

He awoke a bit when I loudly asked him again if he was okay.

He looked up at me with a crooked smile and assured me that he was okay.

I handed him my warm snow pants and told him that they were extra special and blessed because they had been touched by 49 different Iditarod dog teams. His smile got bigger.

I then asked him to promise to put them on. I told him he needed to stay warm on such a cold night.  I asked him again to promise to put them on. And he promised.

And then I went to my nice warm car in my stupid expensive leather shoes and my fancy coat and hats and gloves and my amazing, warm apartment FILLED with food and gifts.

And I cried.

We all have SO much. By virtue of the fact that you are reading this means you know how to operate a computer or smart device. That means you have the money to have that shit.

We are SO damn fortunate.

So, please don’t waste your money on dumb shit. Go out there and do something nice just because you can.

THAT’S what this season is SUPPOSED to be about. Dickens was a wise man.

Ciao for now. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays to all of you.

I have a flu bug, so please enjoy these sillies...

And no day of funnies would be complete without a word from our best pun-pal and jokester,
Hank:

A mounted police officer was on his horse waiting to cross the
street.

A little girl On her new shiny bike stopped beside him.

'Nice bike,' the cop said. 'Did Santa bring it to you?'

'Yes Sir,' the little girl said, 'he sure did!'

The cop looked the bike over and
handed the girl a $5 ticket for a safety violation.

The cop said, 'Give this to your Dad, and next year, tell Santa
to put a reflector light on the back of it!'

The young girl looked up at the cop and said,
'Nice horse you've got
there Sir. Did Santa bring it to you?'

Playing along with the girl, he chuckled and answered,
'Yes, he sure did!'

The little girl looked up at the cop and said:

'Next year tell Santa; 

The dick goes underneath the horse, not on top'!

Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa & A New Year

So, Hanukkah started a couple days ago - it officially started at sundown on December 17th.

As a person lucky enough to be bestowed honorary Jew status (I'm not kidding - this is a thing), it was amazing to note that of the many many human beings with whom I interacted yesterday, there was only ONE person (out of easily 50) who knew it was the beginning of Hanukkah! He even knew enough to "Mazel tov" me!

I find that kind of pathetic and a little gross given the fact that you can turn on the radio right now and hear Christmas music 24 hours a day if you so choose. And the fact that all you have to do is look at a calendar and it tells you that Dec. 17 was the beginning of Hanukkah...

It's not that I mind Christmas music, I actually adore it! Takes me back to my youth when we'd attend Christmas Eve services at our local Methodist church. It was so pretty, and we'd get all dressed up and everything was sparkly and the CHOIR and the ORGAN!! OOooooo, I loved it!

The Jews, however, get kinda screwed. No tree, no observance of their particular religion by the masses (unless you live in Swampscott or Marblehead!) and they have to listen to Christian people gush on and on about all of their parties and gifts and the big tree and the stores piping in Christmas music and the red and the green everywhere!

It's not that one is better than the other, that's not what I'm saying. I'd just like a little more awareness of what other people do! And I think KUDOS to the Jewish who put up with our bombardment of Christmas everything and they don't complain one iota! Nope!

I've been in cahoots with a number of Progressive Jewish people that celebrate both! 

We did in my household. I had a pretty tree and the menorah sitting right there next to it. We had Seder dinners and Easter dinners. We had matzoh ball soup and then a turkey! We had a glass full for Elijah and Christmas cookies for Santa. Temple and Church.

Why not? Who does that possibly hurt? Nobody.

I'll bet you that a good number of Christians don't know the fundamental difference between Judaism and Christianity. There really are very very few differences. And the differences are really semantics and interpretation. If you've read the Torah and the Bible (which I have) you easily recognize one in the other.

I've also studied Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Shamanism, Taoism, Atheism (that one scared me the most) and Agnosticism.

Theoretical Physics, Biology and Philosophy are really my favorite "religions" as science and the desire to be ethical and tread lightly has guided me pretty unfailingly throughout my life.

So yesterday I went around wishing everyone 

"Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever it is you celebrate!"

And it brought a smile to every single person's face! No one can get mad about wishing you a happy whatever-it-is-you-do to make your home fires burn brightly!

So, enough with the bashing of other people's beliefs. That is one of the most amazing things about the United States of America. We have freedom of religion. There are not many other places like that except some of the more developed countries in Scandanavia, Europe and some of the Island nations.

In most of the rest of the world, you are told what to believe, when you can do it, and how much OR you get shot, bombed, raped or pillaged in some other horrible way.
(which, it turns out some of my heritage is German Jew)
Even in India (which, as I've said, I think Indians are some of the loveliest, gentlest humans I've known as I've journeyed around our planet) they have a caste system. If you're born in a low caste, that's where you remain. No hope of advancing your cause. None. There are people that sleep on the side of the road in some parts of India because they literally have NOTHING to their name. Just the clothes on their backs and sometimes even those get stolen or ripped off them.

I'd just really like everyone to be nice to each other and just pay attention to the comfort of others. Even in the grocery store! Don't block the damn aisle! In the street - slow the F*CK down! It's icy and slippery and not everyone wants to go 80 miles per hour in a 40 mile-per-hour zone!! Jeeeez!

You know, I've been flipped off on Northern Lights Boulevard because I was GOING THE SPEED LIMIT??? Baffling.

And people here will speed UP just to slam on their brakes at a red light.

?

Anywho, I'm being very much a Pollyanna and do-gooder and I understand that some of you probably roll your eyes at my naive attitude.

Thing is, I'm not naive at all. I like to always try to see the good in humans whether they're homeless, drug addicts, a stranger that dresses oddly or eats weird food, a foreigner (I've been a foreigner and it's not fun when the natives treat you unkindly like the men in Morocco)...

You really just never know the motivations of others, so stop being a jerk! Just let them have their bad day and move on. Maybe they just lost their puppy dog and he found out his wife is cheating on him and she just found out she has cancer.

Especially in this season of giving, one of the best things you can do? Give someone a break or the benefit of a doubt. It works miracles.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, the video below. This makes me giggle and carry on like a cackling fool! Hope you like it!

Thanks for reading & Merry Ho Ho and Mazel and all that rot.

Another Monday to Amuse or A Muse?

It's officially winter in Alaska! It's dark for 18 hours a day (not really, it's actually quite bright starting at about 8am until about 6pm), it's snowy and icy (I'm liking this part) and the moose are wandering the streets of Anchorage regularly now.

I'm in hibernation mode in a big way. I slept until 10:30am!! Slightly different than a few months ago when I was wide awake at 4 or 5am on a daily basis. Even the DOGS slept until 10:30am. They didn't ask to go out or for food or anything. We all turn into a bunch of bears up here in the Great White North.

Even during this sort of snowy, icy time there is still much to marvel at in Alaska. There are loads of birds frequenting our yard and our neighbor's feeders. We have Mountain Ash, Crabapple, Wild Cherry and giant spruce trees filled with cones - all of which attract a wide array of feathered friends - magpies, Bohemian waxwing, juncos, chickadees, titmouse, pine siskin, huge flocks of redpolls...

I decorated for the season a couple nights ago - put out lights, some select ornaments and pretty, sparkly silver, woven ribbon. I'm doing old school except for the candles - I really don't want to burn the place down! I'm gonna go take a picture. Hold on.

BRIEF INTERMISSION. 

Enjoy these recent pictures while I go outside:

Isn't this the coolest cloud? It looked like an angel.
Sort of an inversion/lenticular cloud with some high moisture.
Interesting clouds abound here in Alaska. 

Along the coast about a mile from our house.

Cute lichens.

Bract fungus on a birch.

A littany of lichens!

Beautiful day in the Chugach State Forest.

Alrighty then. I'm back. I was outside and got the mail and braved the cold snow! It's actually gorgeous outside. The snow here is light and powdery because it's so darn arid. The mountains that surround Anchorage sort of "steal" all the heavy moisture, so it's crispy and the snow is light and lovely. It's a bit icy today - there's an ice storm supposedly coming toward Anchorage, so tomorrow will probably be a day to stay in and avoid driving altogether.

So, here are the pictures of the front of the house and some of the cute ornaments in the lilacs and roses out front:

Someone recently asked if this is where Santa lives! It kind of looks like it, doesn't it?
 Note the half-eaten pumpkins on the corner there. The mooses still have some snacks waiting for them here!

Mailbox with the remaining ribbon. 

Chickadee ornament.

Icicles, ornaments and the bell that my Aunt Sis gave to me when I got married.

Neato wire snowflake ornament.

Happy panda in the snow!

Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading today and ciao for now!

Homeless Students in the United States

Well, between the news this morning about what happened in Jerusalem and then the ISIS attacks, I'm feeling pretty grim about now.

It sort of makes my fluff about flowers and cooking seem ridiculous.

I was listening to NPR this morning as I was making breakfast and feeding the puppies. A journalist was asking a question about how the people in this certain country view America, as the United States has not responded to help many people who have been under attack recently.

The man being interviewed said that most of his country, at this point, see Americans as stupid and selfish. Stupid and selfish because they seem ignorant to the plight of other people and the government doesn't seem to care about certain countries unless there's oil or some other natural resource at stake.

The interviewer then went on to ask if there was any sense of a normal life for the other people in his country - and the man said "What is that?" and then sort of laughed a sad laugh...

Then the interviewer asked further, "Do people go to work, do the kids go to school?"

And the man being interviewed explained that, of course, there's still "life" there, and makeshift schools when people are able to leave their homes. But then he also explained that when there's no food to eat and you're going hungry, school is about the last thing on your mind.

So, there I was in my nice, warm kitchen, overflowing with food, feeding the dogs their kibble and reindeer sausage.

My dogs, I realized, eat better than probably millions of people in the world.

There is so much suffering elsewhere. We have the luxury of bitching about phone service or the internet being slow.

Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of suffering right here, too. There was an article I read yesterday about the issues facing the homeless here in the United States. The recent recession and policies by our lawmakers have forced thousands of families out of their homes.

I was really saddened when I went to our local homeless shelter to find out they feed thousands in Anchorage per day.

It's called Bean's Cafe and they do an amazing job. There were lots of families there. Little kids. There were older people, middle-aged, too, but I was shocked and disheartened to see the sheer number of families who are clearly living out of their cars or vans.

The stats are all just shocking and expected to get worse:

Here's a link to a piece by PBS about it.

Here's a recent Huffington Post article about the alarming rise in homeless students throughout our country.

National Coalition for the Homeless is a great organization that offers solid solutions and financial aid to help people find affordable or free shelter so that they can get on the road to feeding and clothing themselves and live in dignity instead of going to jail.

Now, on the ranty side:

How can corporations look the other way while children are suffering on a daily basis? 

How can these people fill their pockets with millions of dollars and their corporations don't pay their fair share of taxes? 

How about bailing out the banks that created these sham loans in the first place? Why do the banks get bailed out while families lose their homes? 

How can our government and law enforcement justify confiscating the meager belongings that many of our homeless people have and then send them to jail or just send them along into the cold?

More than 600,000 people are homeless in the United States on any given night. 

On average, in the winter, about 700 people will die of exposure each year.

Now, that's a lot of deaths. We would be outraged if that many people died in one winter at war or after a hurricane or earthquake...

But, because they're homeless, they don't matter. Societal discards.

Most people, I think, have a vision of homeless people as older, 

disheveled people who are dirty and many of whom are drunk. 

The truth is that it's entire families and mostly people suffering from untreated mental illness.

Well, this Thanksgiving and Christmas and Hanukkah, you might think about one less gift for each of your family members and instead contact your local homeless shelter, women's shelter, fire station or Department of Social Services office to see what you can do to help. A $20 gift to a homeless child or a $20 food donation can make a huge difference.

Peace out. Thanks for reading.

The FlowerSmith Website

My hydrangeas on the side of the Derby Street house. Yummy.

Angelonia in a pot by the back door.

Eggplant blossom!
I grew these in raised beds in our parking area...
They did very well. Small, sweet eggplants.

Gorgeous butterfly enjoying the nectar on one of the
oversized butterfly bushes in the backyard.

I don't know why this has taken me so long!


Ridiculous!

Anyway, my website is almost done. More photos to load and some tweaking to do here and there, but it's basically allllmost done!

Let me know what you think!

Click here: The FlowerSmith

Fall pretties with bunny tail grass, sweet potato vine, chili peppers and kale.

Purple asters provide a bit of bright color to this arrangement.

Grasses, pumpkins, kale...

Winter doesn't have to be bleak!

A festive wreath, garland and planter for the holidays!

Christmas 2009

Here is our house right now. I'll be taking down the Christmas lights next week, so I wanted to get some photos of the prettiness during the holidays!





I like the wreath this year. I wanted to do something very simple. This is a neato juniper base and i added just pepperberries, birch branches and the maroon bow.



You can see the snow leftover from the storm that came through here on the 20th of December. It's all gone as of today, as we had very warm temperatures yesterday and then it rained today. That's one of the wonderful things about living on the coast - we might get a blizzard, but then the temps tend to moderate and it all goes away. This is very appreciated after growing up in Michigan where the snow comes and comes and never melts until practically May!

Critmat Eve

Have you ever noticed that there is a LOT to do at this particular time of year? I mean, JEEZ! I still have to get the turkey breast to cook tomorrow! One cannot have Christmas dinner without the obligatory turkey. I know many of you out there have ham or some other sort of meat, but I have not eaten a mammal since I was 18. That was 26 years ago! Wow. I'm old!

I have been lax about taking any snow pictures or even pictures of our front door. It's looking very pretty. There's a big old garland out there made of balsam and white pine and I've tied on some pretty maroon ribbon. We've also strung the flower boxes and garland with white sparkle lights. It's very cozy looking.

So far no ornaments on the tree. I know. It's Christmas Eve for heavens sake! Today we MUST go to the grocery store and then later we are having a fun dinner at my husband's Father's house. They live in the next town over, so it's a quick and easy trip.

Exciting news is that we're talking about a vacation now! Last year we went to Puerto Rico and stayed at the Ritz in San Juan. It's seriously the easiest trip - you can take a non-stop flight from Boston and POOF, you're there in a few short hours. The weather was SUBLIME, I tell ya. If you don't live somewhere with four seasons, the whole vacation thing isn't so special, I'd think.

Anywho, we are upcited (as my friend June would say) about going back there to the warmth and tropicalness probably sometime in February.

Here are some dreamy photos from our room from last year. Yummm.





The weather seriously was perfection. Mid-80s, no humidity and a pleasant breeze to cool you off.

So, on THAT note, I must go prepare for Critmat. That is what my husband and I call it. I have not idea why!

Merry Ho Ho, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa and good tidings to all!