What.....It's June Already?

Wow time flies when you are busy, busy, busy! Just looked at the date of the last blog and went WOW! March of course is always crazy busy with freighting for Roger, Iditarod and getting plants started for the garden.
Iditarod this year presented a few challenges. About ten days before volunteers were due to start arriving at Delia's which is where we lived for about 20 months and which is also the second checkpoint on the Iditarod dog sled race, the generator shed which supplied power to the entire site burned to the ground. We received a call about 10 pm from someone who had been going up river and spotted it. Anyway we had to round up a separate generator to use for each building. The people of Skwentna community were awesome in their offers of help. So that put some extra work on Roger to get that all set up but he pulled it off! Iditarod weekend itself was of course awesome! The "Darlings" and the "Sweeties" run the checkpoint like a well oiled machine. For the most part Roger and I get to hang out and visit and eat all the yummie food the "Sweetie's" spend all weekend cooking.

Ready for Dogs and Mushers!

Checking a Dog

At the end of March, Craig who is our friend and also now both our "boss" put together a group of volunteers for a weekend at his cabin and to come spend a day putting the sheeting and roofing on Roger's workshop. There were a total of nine of them that came out and they did in a day what would have taken Roger and I a couple of weeks probably. I cannot tell you how much gratitude I have for all of them.

This is the workshop at the beginning of the day.

A Wonderful Bunch of Folks!

Thank You All!

The rest of March, into April was busy for Roger with freighting and tours. I was busy answering phones and learning the "ins and outs" of a new job.  I also went along to help on a couple of freigh runs and a tour. Oh as well as the daily chores of life in the bush. Want to stay warm, better bring in more wood, want bread, make it. And the list goes on and on. Some days I do have to say I miss some of the conveniences of living "on the grid" but life out here at the Phillips place isn't too bad overall. And things have gotten even better this year during breakup.

Hauling to Hewitt Lake

Sunset at Hewitt Lake

WE NOW HAVE A WELL!!!!! I don't have a finished kitchen but we have a well. Our wonderful neighbor Tom who has a well rig out here brought it over for us to use. Roger and Tom also drilled a well for neighbor Willie and between the two it was about 3 weeks of work. We do not have it all plumbed to the house yet but it sure is nice to just stretch a hose from the well to our holding tank in the root cellar and fill it up. It will probably be July before that is plumbed as fishing season is about to start. And then Roger did a ton of work on the yard, tilled up the garden area, and built a greenhouse. It will probably be freeze up before my kitchen gets done. Roger still has about 2 weeks before he has to leave for 25 days of guiding up at Tal Vista Lodge, then a week or two break and then about 20 more days of guiding, so hopefully he will get a little bit more done on the kitchen before then but with the other stuff that needs to be finished, like the greenhouse which is close to done but will take another day I am guessing. And lots of other little odds and ends things. I do not have pics of the greenhouse, yard etc at the moment but will try and get some soon and do another post.

On a sad note our friend Joe Delia passed away on May 1st. We flew into town and attended his Celebration Of Life on May 18 and Roger is currently in town doing some shopping and seeing Norma. I am home holding down the fort and tomorrow I am going to do a few things just for me that I keep wanting to do but never take the time.
Well time to end this, find some supper and relax. Thanks for visiting our blog and may you have a blessed day! Myra

Sunset in Skwentna