Tag: Just Unalaska

…and the whirlwind of life continues.

Well, how about this life in small town America?  Are you all getting enough activities to be content?  I am continually amazed at how life never seems to slow down in Unalaska.  I think I just need to zone out for a bit to recouperate, but the really busy times are right around the corner.  The spouse and I are currently enthralled with all the arguments that are even remotely possible concerning such things as the greenhouse, getting the boat ready for fishing, the messy house, when Alena is leaving again for her classes, how come the tomato plant isn’t blossoming, where in the heck do you get seed potatos in the State of Alaska, and if I have meetings, what’s for dinner?

We had a great time last weekend cheering on all the wonderful folks who shaved their heads to support children who have cancer and typically lose their hair during treatment.  During the St. Baldrick’s Day event, the community raised around $20,000 to support research.  My nephew, Jacob, was one of the shavees.  I am very proud that he is compassionate about life. 

Jacob 'before'.

And off to the left, is CB, from Dutch Harbor Dirt http://dutchharbordirt.blogspot.com/ .  He was also a shavee. 

OMG! Feeling the head for the first time!

And look at that pile of hair!  Thanks also to Jacob’s mom, Wendy, for signing that permission slip, allowing Jacob not only to get his head shaved, but to raise money for the cause. 

And, yes, Mamma approves.

And two of my favorite guys, CB, of the above mentioned blog, and Steve, whose blog, A Sense of Place, keeps many of us centered with his thoughtful posts.  You can read him at http://senseofplace63.blogspot.com/ 

CB on the left, and Steve, front and center!
Aren't they just the handsomest?

We have had a couple of beautiful days in Unalaska, teasing us with spring-like weather. 

Dad - checking out the salmon stream at Summer Bay.
Mom and Caleb walking the beach at Summer Bay.

And just look at all the beauty and then look at the crap that washes up on shore. 

How in the heck are we going to get rid of this?

Next week is Clean Up Week in Unalaska.  The snow is melting quickly and it is time to pick up everything that has been blowing hither and yon over the winter.  Bags are available at PCR.  Pick up a handful and have at it!

Starting young.

I sit here contemplating the short distance to the studio and think that I should use the wovel to clear the path from mom’s front step and then mine to the studio.  I pick up two pieces of soapstone.  Turning the first over in my hands,  I cup the rounded edges of a flower, studiously crafted by the hands of an 8 year old Laresa.  Smooth, with the beginnings of a shine on the surface, a process that takes hours and days to complete. 

The other, still a rough rectangle with slightly smoothed and rounded corners, made by SP when he was 6, shows the beginnings of carving techniques, and also the impatience of youth, as the object is turned into a ladybug with the addition of paint to create color, legs, head, and antennae. 

And, yes, I am on my soapbox again.  Starting young just opens the mind to creativity which is so necessary for productivity.  Plus, as my mom says, working with someone else also bears the fruits of creativity as you bounce ideas off one another. 

Gert's alabaster and Laresa's acryllic.

 Enough said.

The most simple blueberry recipe.

Ever feel like having something homemade, but are too tired to bake?  Well, this recipe is one of the easiest, fastest recipes I  have ever used.  It actually comes from my husband, who gets a wild hair occasionally, and decides he needs to bake something.  He always seems to be on the lookout for something unusual, but in this case, he found down-to-earth basic.  He got the recipe from a blogger named Jennifer Cisney, who got it from her mom, who got it from her mom.  It is actually called a pudding – I think because it is suggested that it is good warm, with milk poured over it, but it is definitely a coffee-type cake.   

Blueberry Pudding??

The original recipe gives no directions, so I have changed it a bit – not the amounts, or ingredients, but the order of ingredients, with some added directions.

Butter the size of an egg

1 Cup sugar

1 Egg

1/2 Cup milk

1 and 3/4 Cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 Pint Unalaska blueberries (of course, you can use any kind of blueberries)

Cream butter and sugar.  (I do this by hand – it only takes a couple of seconds.)  Add egg and incorporate well.  Add milk in about 4 increments.  In a separate bowl, mix flour and baking powder.  Add to wet ingredients and mix until all dry ingredients are incorporated.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour into 8×8 pan (spray with non-stick spray, or butter and flour your pan) and bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees F.  If you are using frozen blueberries, an additional 10 minutes should be added to the cook time.  (That is, if the blueberries are still frozen when you throw them in the batter!)  Test the center of the cake to see if it is done.

You can eat this right when it comes out of the oven, steaming.  Just be careful not to burn your tongue on the smoking blueberries.  It is great with coffee in the morning.  If you like a sweeter cake, you can add a struesel topping or simply sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar.  I like it just as it is – the perfect amount of sweet for our tart Unalaska blueberries.  Yummy!