Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sticker Shock Update
We have been here nearly a year. The shocking price has mostly worn off, but a few things still stick in my mind:
Natural gas, which is an Alaskan product, has increased in price over 33% in the last ten years. I am still going to have the gas stove installed as I burn most everything I cook on the electric.
Kerosene is $10.00 per gallon, more than three times the price than VT. We have a lovely kerosene heater that we have not used up here yet. The Irish lad has decided he will install it anyway this year, so maybe his sticker shock has worn off. (I know he is sorry he doesn't have any snow blowers anymore, but people up here just let the snow lie where it falls, mostly.) I hate the forced air heating. When it goes off, the heat stops immediately. I have been campaigning for a woodstove but the Irish is adamant that we will not have one as "the wood is no good up here". It is mostly birch.
Gasoline, by the way, is $3.85 here.
Red peppers are usually sold by the each in markets. I have seen them as high as $6.00 each in winter and sale prices are 2/$4. At Costco, they are usually a little more than a $1 a piece.
I have the Fred Meyer flier here. This week here are some sample sale prices:
Boneless Beef Cross Rib Roast 2.99/lb Red, Green, or Black Grapes 1.48/lb
18 large, white Eggs 2/4.00 Kellogg's cereal, regular size 2/6.00
Hunt's tomatoes 14 oz 4/5.00 Silver salmon, whole 6.00/lb
Organic milk, 1/2 gl. 3.29 Organic avocado 2/5.00
Roma tomatoes 1.48/lb Ocean Spray Juice 4.00
Ribeye steak 9.00/lb Ben and Jerry's 2/6.00
The lad has been buying lots of fruit which I have been craving all summer. This week was Honeycrisps, mandarin oranges, white peaches, bananas, and raspberries. We are receiving Western sources now, which seems a bit funny to him. VT Honeycrisps are better than WA's. The maple syrup is mostly Canadian and we have not seen an Cabot (VT) cheese anywhere which is shameful! Every place else though.
I went in to an Italian market yesterday to check it out. The pasta was $30.00 a pound and it was a regular dry box, sold by the pound. Imported from Italy of course, but still...They had black truffles and probably wonderful olive oil and grana padana cheese.
I still like Costco. The part of me that prepares in advance for harsh weather likes to buy large quantities to stock up. We are just now finishing staple goods brought up from VT, all carefully packed in the trailer.
So, back to the red peppers. I love them and we used to purchase them at White's market in Lyndonville for $1.88/lb regularly, to eat raw or to roast. We have only seen small jars of roasted peppers here and not at all at Costco, which is weird as they carry pepperoncini, capers, marinated olives, and other similar items. Finally, recently at New Sagaya, we found a big jar for $12.00 and promptly purchased them. I have been enjoying red peppers mixed with Roma tomatoes and fresh mozzarella with balsamic vinegar and olive oil; red pepper sandwiches with garden arugula and salami; and red peppers on an hors d'oeuvres tray with kalamata olives, pepperoncini, and capers. And that jar is half gone! Life is good.
Natural gas, which is an Alaskan product, has increased in price over 33% in the last ten years. I am still going to have the gas stove installed as I burn most everything I cook on the electric.
Kerosene is $10.00 per gallon, more than three times the price than VT. We have a lovely kerosene heater that we have not used up here yet. The Irish lad has decided he will install it anyway this year, so maybe his sticker shock has worn off. (I know he is sorry he doesn't have any snow blowers anymore, but people up here just let the snow lie where it falls, mostly.) I hate the forced air heating. When it goes off, the heat stops immediately. I have been campaigning for a woodstove but the Irish is adamant that we will not have one as "the wood is no good up here". It is mostly birch.
Gasoline, by the way, is $3.85 here.
Red peppers are usually sold by the each in markets. I have seen them as high as $6.00 each in winter and sale prices are 2/$4. At Costco, they are usually a little more than a $1 a piece.
I have the Fred Meyer flier here. This week here are some sample sale prices:
Boneless Beef Cross Rib Roast 2.99/lb Red, Green, or Black Grapes 1.48/lb
18 large, white Eggs 2/4.00 Kellogg's cereal, regular size 2/6.00
Hunt's tomatoes 14 oz 4/5.00 Silver salmon, whole 6.00/lb
Organic milk, 1/2 gl. 3.29 Organic avocado 2/5.00
Roma tomatoes 1.48/lb Ocean Spray Juice 4.00
Ribeye steak 9.00/lb Ben and Jerry's 2/6.00
The lad has been buying lots of fruit which I have been craving all summer. This week was Honeycrisps, mandarin oranges, white peaches, bananas, and raspberries. We are receiving Western sources now, which seems a bit funny to him. VT Honeycrisps are better than WA's. The maple syrup is mostly Canadian and we have not seen an Cabot (VT) cheese anywhere which is shameful! Every place else though.
I went in to an Italian market yesterday to check it out. The pasta was $30.00 a pound and it was a regular dry box, sold by the pound. Imported from Italy of course, but still...They had black truffles and probably wonderful olive oil and grana padana cheese.
I still like Costco. The part of me that prepares in advance for harsh weather likes to buy large quantities to stock up. We are just now finishing staple goods brought up from VT, all carefully packed in the trailer.
Anchorage water is unpleasant tasting with lots of chlorine smell in it. We have been using a Brita water filtration pitcher for years and have long been wanting a Big Berkey. We think it is a very good investment. Another family member has one and he is very happy with it. It would be nice to find it locally so we don't have to pay shipping.
http://www.berkeywaterfilters.com/bigbegrwafiw.html
BIG BERKEY gravity water filter with 2-9 inch British Berkefeld Super Sterasyl Candles
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Mid-Fall 2011
Well, it is fully mid to late fall here in Anchorage. Friends who live on Huffman in the shadow of the Chugach range have had a frost which decimated the garden, so I have been out taking pictures of the back yard. It is a sunny day which is a bonus!
There is a definite chill in the air even with sweatpants and a sweater on. Chicken with 50 Cloves of Garlic (Provencal Light, Martha Rose Shulman) is on the menu tonight with zucchini and fresh peaches for dessert. I don't see the Irish lad much; we are ships passing in the night so I try to make Sunday dinner a little special. Either he is going to bed and I am getting up for work or I am going to bed and he is getting ready for work. We will see what the new month brings as the contract at the place he is is at is up and he will need to be placed elsewhere. I am hoping he will have Sunday off so we can spend some time together.
The rapidity of darkness was astonishing to me. This whole year has had a feeling of unreality time-wise. When we had the light in early June, I was thinking it was much later than it actually was even with the slow growth in the gardens. It is fully dark now by 8 and dark still at 6 am. I read somewhere that we will lose another six hours between now and October. I started taking hypericum a few weeks ago for SAD.
The fall semester at AMDC coincided with the public school schedule. I have added Fridays and Saturdays to my schedule and it is filling up fast. I believe I will have near 30 students, but am trying not to think of that as it is almost overwhelming. I am going to conduct a choir for six-to-ten year olds on Saturday afternoons and possibly perform at the Make-A-Wish Foundation in December and also at the AMDC recital. I am sure there are other places we could perform; possibly ANMC for the elders at holiday-time. I also have several young adults who would enjoy performing karaoke but need a suitable venue for that. I have performance ideas percolating.
The other work is extremely busy just now also and will continue through next April. We are learning a new system which takes ten people off the phones, so callers are on hold for ten minutes or more during large parts of the day. For the most part, consumers are still friendly so it's always a shock to get the odd, incredibly rude one. It has been a long time since I have been involved in customer service on the front lines and people have gotten ruder. The prevalence of automated lines, instant gratification of the Internet, the anonymity of the rep, and the hectic pace of everyone's lives have all contributed to this. Those of us who choose are now working through lunch. I don't believe I am going to continue doing this. While the weather is still good (not snowing), I think I am going to get out and enjoy the outdoors.
October is National Energy Month. I have been encouraging almost every consumer who asks for Website assistance to go online and fill out the Energy Audit Analysis. Our new Energy Efficiency Expert developed this for consumers who have a half hour and the willingness to take the responsibility of their energy consumption into their own hands to input electrical devices. It is quite thorough separating incandescent, LED, and CFL bulbs and takes into consideration the age of appliances but doesn't include such things as the AeroGarden (Approx. $6 per month for the Space Saver.), fish tanks, or hot tubs. I would include the website here but you have to be a Chugach customer to input. I am sure there are other websites out there with surveys.
I am part of a small group now testing Surge Protectors with on/off buttons. I remember Grandma going around unplugging all the electrical devices and it used to irk me. Lo and behold, they were right to do this as Phantom power consumption occur. I also have borrowed a Kill-A-Watt meter to measure consumption. The results have not really been surprising as this is an aging house that has not been cared for and was never well-built to begin with. The result is we are going to get On/Off surge protectors for all the major outlets in the house.
We are also slowly switching bulbs to the CFLs as we are able to. They are shockingly expensive but not when compared to the savings in the long run as they last far, far longer and use less energy. There is also an energy-efficient furnace fan we need to investigate as I believe the fan is going soon. Of course, we have always wanted an On-demand hot water heater, but that is going to wait. The Irish lad does a large number of laundry loads, but the clothesline will not be in use this winter, most likely.
I have applied for a new job within the company, more suited to my talents and experience. Although it came at an inconvenient time, I took a lot of time to survey my past work history (non-performing) and went through the bid qualifications one by one to prove my experience. I spent a lot of time on the cover letter and put together a nice little package. Even if I don't get it, I know I am fully capable and qualified for the position. 70 people applied for it. Over 90 applied for the two temporary customer service positions, so the economy has finally started to tank here. Of course all those who applied still have to pass the typing tests. The qualifications are 35 wpm for cus.svc. and 60 for the Admin job. I should know by the end of the month.
Pak, who is now ancient at 13!
Papa-san chair
Arch, with struggling morning glories. In the background is the firepit wood pile and raspberry plants and 2nd shed.
Overtaking the walkway under the arch!
You can tell how big the plant is because the papa-san chair is dwarfed! You can see the fish-drying rack over near the shed.
Heavenly!
Here are some more garden pictures. The one nasturtium plant has completely taken over a tomato plant, the morning glories on that side, the French tarragon, and the zucchini plant which has produced three zucchini. It is astonishingly beautiful with flowers as big as my hand and leaves that are many inches wide. The morning glories have reached the curve of the arch but I fear their days are numbered!
Post-script: The chicken with 50 garlic cloves was incredibly delicious but it did warm up substantially outside so it would have tasted better on a cooler day. It's a keeper!
There is a definite chill in the air even with sweatpants and a sweater on. Chicken with 50 Cloves of Garlic (Provencal Light, Martha Rose Shulman) is on the menu tonight with zucchini and fresh peaches for dessert. I don't see the Irish lad much; we are ships passing in the night so I try to make Sunday dinner a little special. Either he is going to bed and I am getting up for work or I am going to bed and he is getting ready for work. We will see what the new month brings as the contract at the place he is is at is up and he will need to be placed elsewhere. I am hoping he will have Sunday off so we can spend some time together.
The rapidity of darkness was astonishing to me. This whole year has had a feeling of unreality time-wise. When we had the light in early June, I was thinking it was much later than it actually was even with the slow growth in the gardens. It is fully dark now by 8 and dark still at 6 am. I read somewhere that we will lose another six hours between now and October. I started taking hypericum a few weeks ago for SAD.
The fall semester at AMDC coincided with the public school schedule. I have added Fridays and Saturdays to my schedule and it is filling up fast. I believe I will have near 30 students, but am trying not to think of that as it is almost overwhelming. I am going to conduct a choir for six-to-ten year olds on Saturday afternoons and possibly perform at the Make-A-Wish Foundation in December and also at the AMDC recital. I am sure there are other places we could perform; possibly ANMC for the elders at holiday-time. I also have several young adults who would enjoy performing karaoke but need a suitable venue for that. I have performance ideas percolating.
The other work is extremely busy just now also and will continue through next April. We are learning a new system which takes ten people off the phones, so callers are on hold for ten minutes or more during large parts of the day. For the most part, consumers are still friendly so it's always a shock to get the odd, incredibly rude one. It has been a long time since I have been involved in customer service on the front lines and people have gotten ruder. The prevalence of automated lines, instant gratification of the Internet, the anonymity of the rep, and the hectic pace of everyone's lives have all contributed to this. Those of us who choose are now working through lunch. I don't believe I am going to continue doing this. While the weather is still good (not snowing), I think I am going to get out and enjoy the outdoors.
October is National Energy Month. I have been encouraging almost every consumer who asks for Website assistance to go online and fill out the Energy Audit Analysis. Our new Energy Efficiency Expert developed this for consumers who have a half hour and the willingness to take the responsibility of their energy consumption into their own hands to input electrical devices. It is quite thorough separating incandescent, LED, and CFL bulbs and takes into consideration the age of appliances but doesn't include such things as the AeroGarden (Approx. $6 per month for the Space Saver.), fish tanks, or hot tubs. I would include the website here but you have to be a Chugach customer to input. I am sure there are other websites out there with surveys.
I am part of a small group now testing Surge Protectors with on/off buttons. I remember Grandma going around unplugging all the electrical devices and it used to irk me. Lo and behold, they were right to do this as Phantom power consumption occur. I also have borrowed a Kill-A-Watt meter to measure consumption. The results have not really been surprising as this is an aging house that has not been cared for and was never well-built to begin with. The result is we are going to get On/Off surge protectors for all the major outlets in the house.
We are also slowly switching bulbs to the CFLs as we are able to. They are shockingly expensive but not when compared to the savings in the long run as they last far, far longer and use less energy. There is also an energy-efficient furnace fan we need to investigate as I believe the fan is going soon. Of course, we have always wanted an On-demand hot water heater, but that is going to wait. The Irish lad does a large number of laundry loads, but the clothesline will not be in use this winter, most likely.
I have applied for a new job within the company, more suited to my talents and experience. Although it came at an inconvenient time, I took a lot of time to survey my past work history (non-performing) and went through the bid qualifications one by one to prove my experience. I spent a lot of time on the cover letter and put together a nice little package. Even if I don't get it, I know I am fully capable and qualified for the position. 70 people applied for it. Over 90 applied for the two temporary customer service positions, so the economy has finally started to tank here. Of course all those who applied still have to pass the typing tests. The qualifications are 35 wpm for cus.svc. and 60 for the Admin job. I should know by the end of the month.
Pak, who is now ancient at 13!
Papa-san chair
Arch, with struggling morning glories. In the background is the firepit wood pile and raspberry plants and 2nd shed.
Overtaking the walkway under the arch!
You can tell how big the plant is because the papa-san chair is dwarfed! You can see the fish-drying rack over near the shed.
Heavenly!
Best kale I have ever had, next to French sorrel.
Post-script: The chicken with 50 garlic cloves was incredibly delicious but it did warm up substantially outside so it would have tasted better on a cooler day. It's a keeper!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Early Garden
I am including the last picture which is not very flattering as the Irish Lad was in the midst of designing the raised beds. It was nice to have the clothesline where we were able to hang out clothes approximately two times!
The white stuff on the ground is cotton from the cottonwood tree which will hopefully be coming down before the next bloom. First we had the sticky, obnoxious leaf casings which were tracked into the house by dog, cat (although he was pretty good at keeping out of the back yard), man, and woman. That lasted about a month. Then a month later, many many cotton blossoms and cotton fell into the yard. Although I picked up as much as I could, which was slightly meditative, and then burned them in the fire pit, it was impossible to keep up with. At one point, it looked like snow!
Pt Woronzof; Anchorage
Point Woronzof
Wildlife Viewing
Point Woronzof, near Anchorage's international airport, provides scenic views of Cook Inlet and is a great place to watch the sunset and look for bald eagles, ravens, bank swallows, and moose.Look for bald eagle nests south of the road near the airport runway and west of the road about a half-mile south of Point Woronzof. In summer, spot the white heads of mature eagles against the dark branches and foliage. These large raptors develop this "bald" head when they are about 5 years old. Until then, they look more like golden eagles. Juvenile bald eagles can be distinguished from golden eagles by the lack of feathers on their legs (or tarsi) and their whitish wing linings.
If you are lucky; the soaring of eagles might be accompanied by raven acrobatics. Ravens are common throughout Alaska and their aerial performances make for great bird watching. Ravens are most active at Point Woronzof from December through March. When the northerly wind blows, they use the updraft along the bluff for play and mating displays. Sometimes groups of 30 or more ravens can be seen showing off to members of the opposite sex.
Point Woronzof also hosts a large bank swallow colony. These birds dig nesting burrows in the silty face of the bluff. Their nest holes are visible throughout the year, but the most exciting time to watch is early summer when hundreds of swallows fly in and out of the colony to feed their young. Approach the bluff edge carefully; it's a long fall to the bottom.
You may also see beluga whales from this high vantage point. They are most common during salmon runs in mid to late summer.
Viewers may encounter one of Anchorage's resident moose along the trail to Point Woronzof, munching on foliage or bedding down. The fence around the airport and the chilly water of Knik Arm funnel moose into a narrow corridor as they walk around the north end of the airport. This is one of the most reliable spots in the city to find a moose. Drive all the way to the end of the road (Clitheroe Center) to increase your odds. Sometimes you see a moose on the way back that you missed driving in.
___________
Pak and I did take a walk here recently; planes literally fly low overhead and the noise is deafening. The rocks are all smooth and round from the winter ice and definitely different than East Coast colors.
Driving out we saw a cow and her calf moose chowing down on some greens.
The tides are 35 feet twice a day and water comes in in a steady stream, unlike the East where the tide laps gently in and out.
The Sleeping Lady is in the background of most of the pictures.
Hatcher Pass; July 2011
It was a cloudy day and turned to rain for much of our journey through the pass. We exited through Willow as opposed to Wasilla, making our journey back to Anchorage with bumper to bumper traffic that much longer.
Still, it was good for the Irish lad to see Palmer, which he quite liked. More space, less crowd, but bad commute into town, which I could not stomach I am sure. There is a huge hill on the highway that is notorious for accidents when it freezing-on-rains or snows.
It was a nostalgic day for me as I remembered the old lodge with a rackety piano, where I entertained friends and the climbs up into the mines, which are no longer allowed. There is a new gold mining operation in the area. It is in stark contrast to the old wooden buildings that used to sit atop the hills.
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