Post Thanksgiving Blessings and Merry Christmas Wishes to You All!
Just when we were "hunkered down" and prepared for winter, a blast of unseasonably warm temperatures made its way here last week, bringing with it freezing rain and sheet slicks of icy roads. Several schools in the area were closed last week as a result - a somewhat unusual occurrence here. Our waning daylight is taking its toll on all of us, as we are all routinely nodding off by about 7:00 p.m. Daylight dawns near 10 a.m. now, and it is very dark by 4:00 p.m. We will continue to lose daylight hours until December 21 at a rate of 4-6 minutes per day. Ahtna has become as sluggish as we, sprawling herself wherever someone will rub her belly until she is happily snoring and chasing those things that dogs chase in their dreams. She snores more loudly than any human, and her leg twitches, deep sighs, and sleep whines make for great Alaskan evening entertainment! Can you tell we don't get out much?! She does seem to wear herself out on our walks to the mailbox, literally "swimming" in the snow and ice banks there and back. |
| The Blessing of Another Alaskan Sunrise |
The past few weeks have been full of surprises, and we seem to be in a "season" of supporting our local dentists. Whoever coined the phrase "shop local" probably never paid Alaska prices for goods and services -- particularly "difficult to obtain" goods and services. For the first time since our move we have seriously contemplated bartering something as a trade...thinking that may be the way of our future.
Unbeknownst to yours truly, Michael had been nursing a sore tooth for nearly a month. In retrospect, he was trying to wait until "after the kids' wedding" to take care of it, although knowing his angst against anything "dental," that excuse is still somewhat suspect. At any rate, the pain got to a point that there was "no waiting." Anyone who has ever experienced significant mouth pain understands. He saw our regular dentist in hopes of having it taken care of immediately. Nothing doing...he was referred to a specialist in Anchorage...to be seen five days later following a round of antibiotics. The specialist took one look at him and sent him packing back to our dentist for an extraction; however, the extraction was too extensive, so he was referred to another specialist..."round and round and round he goes; where he stops nobody knows!"
Remember that scene in Castaway with Tom Hanks? You know the one...not where he loses his mind talking to Wilson the volleyball...the other one...where he knocks his own tooth out with a rock and an ice skate blade? Let's just say we live in a state with an abundance of both skate blades and rocks...and Michael was in the front yard scoping some of our larger rocks! Thank goodness we were able to get in fairly quickly with the surgeon. After a round of conscious sedation and a good bit of digging, the tooth was out, and his relief was immediate. I do have footage of the drunken stupor that ensued, but I've been sworn not to post it! However, Ethan laughed hysterically when his Daddy looked at him with a glazed look and told him that his mom was "out of his league when we started dating." After a long pause, he then looked at Ethan and said, "And I thought she was snobby, too!" Hhhmmm, nothing like truth drugs to make you re-evaluate your own behavior and how others may be perceiving you. Ethan giggled the whole way home, asking terrible questions, and poking fun at his daddy's answers and the fact that he was "seeing double and triple." I kept telling him he shouldn't make fun of his daddy. He believed me when the sedation medication made Michael nauseous, erupting into a catastrophic spectacle on the passenger side of the car! Because of the falling ice and snows, we weren't in a position where we could safely pull over; but thankfully, nearly everything made it out the window! Sadly, though, it froze to the back passenger window on contact -- right at eye level for Ethan, who just happens to be a sympathy puker! Even as I type this, I laugh so I don't cry - or maybe I'm laughing until I cry -- imagining what other drivers must have been thinking watching this grand parade make its way down the highway! Finally...safety...and a grown, drugged man with his 11-year-old son...holding each other up and making pretty pictures in the roadside snow, with their breakfast (or lack thereof) as their "art" medium of choice! And, no, there will be no accompanying blog pics!
As if that weren't enough, poor Michael developed a terrible cold. Apparently the infection from the tooth extended into his nasal cavity; and, per the dentist, he cannot blow his nose for a week for fear of re-opening his surgical site! Thankfully, he's had a few days off, and he's been recuperating with the 3 Musketeers of Cold and Flu Season -- Halls, Vicks, and Nyquil.
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| Squirrel Hunting Before the "Temp Thaw" |
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| "Andy Squirrel...wanna come to dinner?" |
Since we're doing movie throwbacks in this blog, perhaps many of you will remember the hands stretched to the sky, and the screams of "Stella! Stella!" Now, all together, using our imaginations, picture me, in our bathroom, in the same position...face toward the ceiling, arms raised high, and the words, "Really?! Really?!" But instead of it being followed by a crumbling of knees and further sobs, ours was followed by that nervous laughter, shaking of heads, and another emergency trip to the dentist. And, guess what? Another extraction! Two in less than a week - by two different members of the family -- and two for Ethan in less than three weeks! This one even needed a suture! Gross! It makes us feel just grand knowing he currently has five loose teeth still hanging in there (spoken with tongue in cheek, of course...or in his case, tongue in tooth-hole).
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| Recovering, Post-Oral Surgery, Death Star Style |
During these weeks of thanks and blessing, we were reminded that even in tough times, the Lord is there. There is a purpose and a plan; we just may not always know what it is. As much as we like to think we "know stuff," God doesn't need our help or our advice when interruptions occur. He needs our dependence and trust in Him. And someday, when we see Him, face to face, all our our "whys" will be answered. Until then, keep trusting...
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| Lake Lucille, December 2015 It's Almost Ice Fishing Time! |
"Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
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