Alaskan's Journal

[Alaskan]

That's a great pic!!....looks like a painting from "The Joy of Painting" show....Bob always amazes me how simple he makes it look. Ya do get to see some amazing scenery there and am thankful that ya share it with me.....

If ya gotta wait around there are a LOT worse things to have as your vista!

yep...it sure is purty up here.

 

[Alaskan]

Up here everything is crazy expensive. Crazy expensive. Food, building materials, everything.

We really only have 2 to 3 months of growing season, and for the rest of the year you need to feed.


Housing for goats depends on where you live. Some parts of the state rarely go below zero (southeast ) and some places go to -60F. Also, some places don't have many bears, or only blacks, and some have lots of bears including browns. Way different needs for keeping livestock safe.

There are feed stores around the state with minerals etc.

The area in the middle of the state makes decent hay that is shipped around the state.

Alfalfa hay needs to be shipped up from Washington state or bought as pellets.

Lower quality hay, picked up in the field on the day it is being bailed can cost as low as $7 for one small hay bale... 40# to 50#. But often it costs more like $12 or even way more, especially if it has to be trucked.

One 50# bag of goat pellets or chicken pellets is over $20.

 

[Alaskan]

Today was Theophany (baptism of Christ), and after the church service we went down to the beach and blessed the bay.

I know everyone in the lower 48 is freezing. .. but it was a nice warm day for us... maybe 30.

Kid #3 got the cross from the bay, but it wasn't tossed very far.. so this year wasdouble easy..warm as well as no swimming.

 

[Alaskan]

went a little picture happy in the post above, but it sure was a pretty day!

 

[Alaskan]

a picture from last summer. Wow has Mozzie grown!


The one below is from the fall.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Today was Theophany (baptism of Christ), and after the church service we went down to the beach and blessed the bay.

Does it usually coincide with Epiphany?

 

[Alaskan]

Does it usually coincide with Epiphany?

same thing... one is Latin and one is greek.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Cool. I haven't seen the tradition of blessing a harbor or anything in conjunction with Epithany, but I know Eastern Orthodox and other Faiths do different traditions and ceremonies than we do. We had our Sunday, Jan 07th Service rather than on the 6th, but we commemorate the Magi finding Jesus as we should also be finding Him, etc.

 

[Alaskan]

In larger parishes jumping in to retrieve the cross can end up being a big deal where lots of people jump in to get the cross.

The idea is that Christ sanctified all of creation when he entered the Jordan, and at the feast we once again ask Christ to sanctify all of creation when we toss the cross into the water.

Not all parishes are near a bay or ocean... so they then go to a lake or river. I actually have no idea what parishes do if they live where there is zero open water.

I now forget why... but we don't do a feast for the magi. They are wrapped up into all of the Christmas readings... so they are there... but no feast for them.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Very interesting