Freezer Jam

I posted pictures of the raspberries from our backyard a couple posts ago. I couldn't decided for a while what to make with the raspberries. After searching through recipes online and through my cookbooks. I decided to make Berry Freezer Jam. We haven't tasted it yet so I can't say for sure if it turned out okay, but from the "spoon taste test" it tasted pretty yummie!

Wild fires

Everyone that had been to or lived in Alaska just raved about how wonderful summer was in Alaska. They say, "summer is what keeps people here."  They some how forgot to mention the huge state bird that comes out about 5:00 everyday (aka the mosquito). They forgot to mention that it rains the entire month of July. They forgot to mention that it doesn't break 70 degrees but for 4 days out of the summer so you will not even want to wear shorts and you have to take a light jacket everywhere. They forgot to mention once it stops raining that there are wild fires all over the state, so when you have to keep your windows open because houses don't have air conditioning, that the smell of smoke comes in your house. This is what the sky looked like yesterday afternoon...

What makes Alaska worth staying is the people you meet here and being with the ones you love. That is something they don't tell you about Alaska in the summer time.

Moose!

I have been so amazed by all the moose here in Fairbanks. I don't think seeing them will ever get old. It would be like seeing a giraffe on the side of the road back in Georgia. Leaving my school on base I have been seeing this cute little family of moose every day. Mama, baby one, and baby two... I have thought about naming them, but moose seem to "disappear" so that would be a very sad day.

Am I turning Alaskan?

Part of the Alaskan adventure is the winter prep. Last year since we didn't arrive until winter we had no chance to prepare. Barry was having to go to find cut down trees, load them up, bring them home, and chop wood, all in the freezing cold! It was miserable for him. This year to avoid all of that we decided to order wood. So this man comes to your house, brings wood, then dumps it in your yard, leaving you and to stack and chop it into smaller logs if you need them to be smaller. When you order the wood, you can choose how many "cords" you want and how you want it cut (halves or fourths). We  choose halves because it is significantly cheaper this way. The day finally arrived and the man with wood called and said he was on his way.  He pulled up to our back yard and...

DUMP! All over the yard! I decided to help with wood this time, since he did all the hard work in the winter and in the cold. I figured I could offer a helping hand in the summer when it was warm and secretly hoping I would be able to get some sun if I was outside! I would hand him pieces and he would chop them with an axe into smaller pieces so they would fit into our wood burning stove. (We use it for heat along with a regular electric heating system, not cooking ;)) Barry chopped all that wood by hand... Such hard work! 

JUST KIDDING! He got through with about 20 logs and realized it was NO fun! We went and rented a wood splitter from the army base and split the rest of the wood that way. Who ever invented this machine was the bomb! It was fantastic! While he split the wood, I stacked the wood. We had a nice little system going. The whole time I was thinking "I think I am turning Alaskan... my daddy would be so proud... ME, stacking wood.... who would've thought!.. I sure I am glad I have gloves on!" We finished all the wood, took the machine back, and now were all set for winter this year.