Happy Post Thanksgiving

"The very fact that a man is thankful implies someone to be thankful to." John Baillie

Sorry, No Flights out on Thanksgiving or the Next Day
Well, I was all packed up and ready to leap into my chariot for that 40 minute flight into Bethel to give thanks with my compadres there. Alas, fyi to all, no flights on Turkey day. So the feast would be had in Quin:) Talked to my own family back in the Dairy State just as they were about to eat. They put me on speaker phone and gave me the honor of saying grace transcontinentally! What a hoot! From there everyone dug is and the phone was passed around, envisioning what was taking place around the yellow Formica table 3500 miles away in my kitchen I started to really miss my fam. With that Ani and I decided to be thankful for having a warm loving family that we could miss, not only that but we decided to be thankful for having a warm loving family we have right here in Quin. Enjoyed a wonderful thanksgiving at Principal Eric's and Sherry's. It was a spread fit to give any thanksgiving dinner a run for its turkey. It started at 2 pm and people didn't stop cycling through until after 6. It was a joy to visit with everyone. I'm thankful there were no flights out:) Today still no flights out. Too foggy and on 'weather hold' with any luck the air traffic will be up and running tomorrow. Oh, well that's how it goes in rural AK;)

Ginger Bread Cookies



So Wednesday night the girls stopped over and we made ginger bread cookies! Thanks to Mike sending up all necessary tools and the gingerbread mix. Nope it wasn't happening from scratch we had our hands full with just the minimum as you can see. But they turned out and everyone got to take home a tasty treat for their families.



Ski Joring to the School to get Cool Whip
Had to go get Cool Whip from the school refrigerator on T Day.
So I said to my self," Self, you need to bundle up and get walking your parkaed self down to the school for cool whip." I replied to myself, "Self you will get there and back faster if you take the dog." I agreed with myself. It was as I stepped into the skis that it hit me,"Self, you just referred to your dog in the same manner of which one would refer to their car." Interesting shift of what is considered legitimate transportation in my world.


Passing of the Bowls-A Yup'ik Tradition
After the Thanksgiving feast was over 'exchanging of the bowls' began. In the local tradition women fill a normal sized kitchen bowl full of different treats and often times homemade agutaq (eskimo ice cream) then they knock on the doors of neighbors and offer the bowl which is received by exchanging a bowl full of goodies in return. What a fun tradition! Let's start it back home.


The Squatter
We've named him/her "Sandy" from the Little Orphan Annie movie, because that's what he looks like. For the past week each morning when I head to work and Ani gets tied outside in his dog house, out pops the head of 'Sandy', who appears to have rested well, spending a cozy night in Ani's temporarily vacant house. Then one morning much to our surprise not only Sandy, but the 'big black dog' that has been running around lately evading the shooters of loose dogs, climbed out. Ani briefly tried to act territorial growling and barking. Evidently that didn't last long because the next morning Sandy didn't even bother so get out, Ani just happily wiggled his way in relieved to not have to use his own body heat to warm the place up. Apparently Ani now has a part time roommate.

P.S. This is Ani when I vacuum.

Hope Everyone Had a Happy Thanksgiving.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1