Caribou Roast

Well, we did it! We survived our first Caribou Roast Dinner!!

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Before Chris left for Astoria, Oregon he butchered the caribou he hunted in St. Paul and made: roasts, steaks, and summer sausage.

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In honor of his return back to Kodiak, I defrosted our first attempt at a caribou roast. I found a recipe online for a Caribou Roast and it was soaked in vinegar and other spices for 24 hours before we cooked it. I think this may have helped with the "gamey-ness" of the roast.

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The meat was tender and tasted wonderful! I think our next roast will be made into a stew with veggies.

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We also made summer sausage. Chris ground the caribou meat and mixed it with ground pork and spices to help with the flavoring. We were able to purchase a Summer Sausage Kit at our local Wal-Mart and it gave us everything we needed to make our very own summer sausage! This was also delicious!! Be forewarned that there may be a summer sausage sample showing up in the mail for you! Don't be scared - you can taste something that many Californians don't normally get a chance to try!

Sleepless Nights

Question for everyone out there:
The last week or so Emily has been continually waking up at night and is no longer sleeping through the night. She'll sleep for about 2 hours and then wake up fussing...and eventually screaming. ALL NIGHT LONG!! Both Chris and I have spent the night trying to calm her down, and as a result, we're sleep-deprived. What do we do?

We've given her bottles (which she stopped taking a while ago)...we've fed her...we've slept with her...we've calmed her down and put her back to bed...we've even let her cry it out...nothing is working!!

(OK...so, she has a slight cold right now...BUT, nothing that would cause this!!) I'm looking for any advice that we might try to get her back sleeping through the night.

Advanced Helicopter Rescue School

This past week Chris has been down in the Lower 48. He attended Advance Helicopter Rescue School in Astoria, Oregon. He had a good time while away and got to experience some pretty awesome rescue scenarios!

Here's a recap of what the school was all about...

And, here are some pics of his time there...

Christmas Has Come Once Again!

The box of Christmas Toys took the "slow boat" to the island. We shipped all of Emily's Christmas toys (well, the ones that wouldn't fit in a suitcase)...but, we shipped them off on January 30th.

And they arrived today!!

The large box came this afternoon and Emily was excited to get all of her California Toys. Now I'm just trying to find a place to put everything!! We've turned the closet under the stairs into a "Toy Storage Area" and all of her toys are kept in the closet. The closet is shown to the right and turns the corner under the stairs to include another 5' of floor space full of toys!

It's just amazing

how much stuff this kid has!

Don't Eat the Yellow Snow

So, there is a problem which most native-Californians wouldn't even think about...dogs and snow. Yes, my dogs love the snow and have a great time running and playing out in the cold...Chloe even loves to lay in the snow that has collected on the porch...they love it!

But, that's not what we're talking about here...

We're talking about "Yellow Snow" -- well, I guess we're really talking about "Brown Snow." You see, back in California we heard about Yellow Snow...but now, in my mind, Yellow Snow isn't really a problem. Your pee is hot, the snow is cold...it basically burns a hole thru the snow straight to the ground. So, your "Yellow Snow Problem" is only about an inch in diameter. No Biggie!!



The REAL BIGGIE here is the Brown Snow! And dogs...what do you do with your dogs in the winter?!?! Our dogs go out about 3-4 times per day to go potty. They're usually pretty quick about it...they go and come back inside. We open the door to the porch, let them out to the backyard...and they come back when they're done.

Well, often times it's too cold, windy, rainy or snowy to go outside with them. We trust them and know they won't get lost or run away. (Oh, did I mention that we don't have a fenced backyard?) It's a big, open yard that has about 6 houses which open up to it. So, the dogs are free to roam where ever they wish to go potty. Usually it's right near our house. HOWEVER, our next door neighbors have been complaining about the poop in the yard and have said that their son has slipped in poop on 2 separate occasions.


First of all...I never even knew that had a son until he slipped in the poop! The kid is never outside! How in the hell did he step in poop?!?! And the only time I see the neighbors outside is when they are out having a cigarette on the patio. But, that's besides the point...


My question is: What do I do about the poop??
I 've changed their food to a more expensive brand, but that only seems to make them poop more...so I'm switching back. We used to buy Nutro Dog Food, which is supposed to cut down the amount of poop they produce, but they don't sell that brand of dog food here on the island. Right now they're on Science Diet and it's costing me about $50 every 3 weeks...but I think we're going back to Ol Roy.


We thought about getting a small fence to create a little dog run so that they were limited with where they can poop...but, guess what...??? The hardware store doesn't sell a waist-high fence! I can't make one myself because I'm not that crafty and I've looked into getting a fence shipped in, but that's going to cost too much. Look, we don't own the place we live...it's "government property" so I don't want to spend a whole lot of money on a permanent fence.


Our neighbors across the street have fenced yards. In fact, our houses that face the lake are the ONLY houses in ALL of Kodiak Government Property that DO NOT have fenced yards! They say that they are "planning" to put in a fence...but they've been "planning" for the last 3-4 years! I'm sure the hold-up is our rather steep hill that drops off toward the lake - and - fenced yards would really spoil the view from the porch...but, why not at least a dog run along the side of the house?!?!?!


Anyway...back to my original question: What do I do about the poop? I picked up the poop 2 days ago and there were about 15 new dog-piles when I went out there today! AMAZING!! I can't follow them around with a pooper-scooper, and I am not able to pick it up on a daily basis. So, the poop sits out there and the neighbor's kid is stepping in it!

How do I handle this situation??

Honestly, I have no idea what to do and I'd really welcome your comments or suggestions on this!

Two Babies are Better than One

Yesterday Emily discovered that she has 2 babies and not just one. One baby was a present from The Colucci's and one was a present from Great-Grandma Mendolia. She started carrying her baby around while we were still in California (we had left the other baby at home in Alaska)

Since we've been back home one baby has stayed upstairs and one has stayed downstairs. This way she has a baby where ever she may be playing. Well...yesterday she found both babies.

She is totally into her baby right now and sleeps with her, under her arm, every night...now there is one baby under each arm at bedtime.

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By the way...she's been sick all week...probably caught something at school. She's had a ton of boogers and a congested cough. :0(

Other then that school seems to be going great! Yes, she has a tough time leaving us in the morning, but I think she'll get over that shortly. She's already picked up some potty-training-basics and yesterday she told me "more" in sign language! I can't believe how fast she's picking up on everything!!!

Vegg Head

So...one of my most Favorite Events here is the day the veggies arrive. There is nothing more awesome and refreshing then fresh vegetables! Here in Kodiak we only have a couple choices for market shopping. The Commissary on Base has vegetables, but they've usually been sitting there for a while and/or they're moldy. There is a Safeway in town, about 10 miles away, and you will go broke trying to afford vegetables there.

So, we heard through the grapevine about this CSA Farm (Consumer Supported Agriculture) who delivers fresh and organic veggies to Alaska. Every two weeks a box with our name on it gets sent to the island and we have fresh veggies. We pay $40 every two weeks to have fresh veggies...which, in the grand scheme of things, is a really good deal!

It's always a surprise of the veggies in the box and we look forward to the shipment every 2 weeks! This week we got carrots, strawberries, apples, oranges, lettuce, bok choy, swiss chard, grapefruits, bell betters, potatoes, and a few other things. Its a great variety and it's always fun trying to find new recipes for the surprises in the box.

Emily went poo-poo today.

So...it was shortly after dinner and Emily was in the bath. We were almost done with her evening bath. She had soap in her hair and I was just about to rinse it out. Then, out of no where, she looks up at me and says: "poo-poo?"

I was very casual about this statement from her and said: 'Oh, do you have to go poo-poo?' I was planning to quickly rinse her hair and rush to put a diaper on. I begin to start to rinse her hair and she looks up at me again and says: "poo-poo?"

By this time I start to see bubbles coming from behind her. And I think to myself: 'CRAP...SHE HAS TO GO POO-POO!!!!'

I didn't know what to do!!! I frantically looked around and finally lifted her out of the tub and sat her on the toilet. But...I was too late. There were two "swimmers" in the tub. :0(

I finished rinsing her hair in the sink, and our Resident Rescue Swimmer rescued the 2 "swimmers" in the tub.

The CRAZY thing about all of this is that she told me she had to go poo-poo before she actually went!!! The first sign of potty training!! We're so proud of her!!

Our Baby Started School

Well, today was the BIG DAY - Emily started school! (ok, it's really "day care" but it is centered around a learning environment...so, for the sake of argument, we're calling it "school")

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The morning started out rough. We tried to take a picture of her by the door and she thought we were leaving without her because she didn't have her jacket on (she knows that we don't go anywhere without a jacket on) -- so, she started crying at home.

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When we got to The Center t wasn't much better. I think she could sense what was happening. She wouldn't leave my side and cried until a teacher came over to take her away to play with some toys. We could hear her quite down just a few minutes later.

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We had to return to the CDC (Child Development Center) just before lunch to complete some paperwork and we caught a glimpse of her class as they were walking to the gym. She looked so cute walking along with the rest of her class!!! Just Adorable!!

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We dropped her off just before 8am and I picked her up just after 4pm. She was a little fussy when I arrived, but I think she was really tired! They do one nap in the afternoon, and she slept for only a short while. She actually took another nap when we got home and then went to bed at 7:30pm. I'm sure she was exhausted!!

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She was really happy and talkative when we got home...which is kind of out-of-the-norm. They said she did really good for her First Day at School. I think they must have painted or something because her shirt was covered in a blue water-based stain...gosh, I hope it comes out!

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Her name has been Sharpied to everything she owns. I now keep a Sharpie in the changing table so that we can write her name on anything going to school.

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I am hoping that tomorrow will be easier for her, but I think it may take a few days for her to get adjusted to her new schedule.

Overall, we're so excited for her!! They do a good job teaching the children and it's not just your normal "baby sitter" - they're teachers and we're so excited for her to learn!

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Sustenance Living

Well, that beautiful creature you see in the above picture has been in an ice crest in my garage since Chris got home from St. Paul. Yes, that 150 lb animal fit into a small ice chest...well...until today. Today was the Carving Day. (As you may have read in an earlier post, this was Chris' first kill and first time hunting. The caribou was gutted in the field and butchered in St. Paul so that it would be easier to travel with upon Chris' return to Kodiak.)

So...the carving was the only thing that remained. A fellow swimmer, John Neil, came over to help Chris with the carving of the animal. For the most part, it took place in the garage...I don't think I could bare to see the whole carving process. There was fur still left on some of the pieces, and we had the entire hind legs...well, from the knee up. The carving took about 2 hours.

They call it "Sustenance Living" because you eat what you kill...it's another way of living. Yet, if we were anywhere else, I couldn't imagine living this way! Here in Alaska things are different, and I am looking forward to red meat (even if it is caribou) - red meat is normally too expensive to buy in the store, so we rarely get any. There is still more to do, but in the end we should end up with:

• 8-10 roasts
• 6lbs summer sausage
• 4lbs sausage
• 4lbs ground beef
• 4lbs jerky

We're collecting recipes from a few folks here,

and I'll let you all know how it all tastes when we finally eat it!

Snow Day

Well...it's been an "adjusting" few days back home. I'm still not entirely unpacked and I have no idea what to do with all the stuff I bought while we were in California. I've got a lot of cleaning up and cleaning out to do!

We've spent the week getting Emily ready for Pre-School. In order to complete her packet we had to: go see doctors, get shots, schedule a facility walk-thru, see the doctor again to check shots, get the packet notarized, go see the USCG doctor, and tomorrow we're going to turn everything in to the office. She's planning to start on Monday.

The "CDC" which stands for "Child Development Center" is the Coast Guard run facility...and it look amazing! She is in a class of 12 kids her age. They have scheduled meal times where they all eat together and teach the kids manners. They brush their teeth after every meal. Scheduled nap times. Scheduled diaper changing times. Story time...play time...gym time...she is going to have so much fun there!!!

So, she'll be starting "school" on Monday. (We're so excited for her!) We decided not to start her this week because we didn't want to throw too much "change" at her all at once. It's taken her a few days to get adjusted to life back in Kodiak. The first half of the week she only wanted mommy and wouldn't leave my side. She's feeling a little more comfortable here and is venturing away a little bit more. Yes, she's still been sick this week, but I feel that the worst is over and she'll be better in the next day or two.

We spent about an hour today playing in the snow. It was a beautiful day in Kodiak and a perfect "Snow Day." It had been snowing straight the last few days and there was a fresh layer of snow that was in NEED of tracks. So, we did a little sledding in our side yard and made a snowman. It was fun and what a beautiful day!!!

The Plane Ride Home

Well, I'm sure most of you already heard, but we had The Flight From Hell on our way back home. It was a long flight...all 3 of them! We got on the plane in L.A. and...everyone seated, door shut...Emily starts heaving and vomits all over her and me. Hot dog pieces from lunch everywhere! Luckily we were near the window and the lady sitting next to us was super helpful with helping me to clean everything up. She was really sweet and understanding. The flight attendant got me some towels, plastic bag and some vomit bags just in case it happens again. So, we took off, I put Emily in the "pack-up outfit" and then she slept the entire three hour flight. Then we landed and as we were taxiing to the gate she throws up again, this time projectile vomit all over the window and back of the seat in front of us. At this point people we getting up from their seats and getting ready to exit the plane, and the smell was just wretched!

The second we stepped off the plane in Seattle we rushed over the nearest souvenir shop and bought new shirts from Seattle for both her and myself because we were both covered with vomit. We quickly cleaned up and rushed off to the next gate because we only had an hour and a half layover....only to discover that our flight had been delayed...and then finally canceled. SHIT!?!?! Now what do we do?!?! I went looking all over the terminal for someone who worked there, but it was late and I couldn't find anyone. Finally, over the loudspeaker, I hear "Passengers of Flight 667 please report to gate C3" -- So, we go all the way over the gate to find out that they are moving all of us over to another flight...in another terminal and we have 20 minutes to get there! To make a long story short, we made it and found our seats. But, the "fun" didn't stop there...we had a 4 hour flight to Anchorage and I was prepared for the potential vomit, but I wasn't prepared for the...diarrhea!

She was sound asleep and I could smell it. I thought she had farted, but then I adjusted her position on my lap and I could feel the wetness on my leg. The, rather large, gentleman sitting next to us was sound asleep...as was Emily...but I woke both of them up in order to change her diaper. I had no back-up pants, nor travel Destine. I opened up the diaper and it was EVERYWHERE and LIQUID...GROSS!! So, I cleaned her up the best I could and we sat back down. I had to get up just one more time to change that "same kind" of diaper before the plane finally landed. It was a LONG flight.

We rushed off the plane to get more clothes and the went on to get our luggage and get our tickets to Kodiak. To make another long story short, in L.A. they were only able to check us through to Anchorage and couldn't do it all the way to our destination to Kodiak. So, during our 6 hour layover in Anchorage we had to exit Security to get our luggage and then go to ticketing to get tickets and then go find our gate...we wasted about 2 hours with this shenanigan. Then we found our gate and fell asleep on the benches waiting for our flight.

The next morning we found out that our flight changed gates over night and we had to go find our new gate. Emily had another dirty diaper, but we really hadn't eaten any dinner or snacks after she got sick on the first flight, so there wasn't much to digest. We made it on the flight to Kodiak and Chris was waiting for us at the Kodiak airport...it was great to see him!