END SEPTEMBER CONTINIUM

Even though the winds in the last couple of days were not particularly warm, it has kept the temperature more moderate, and it has melted most of the snow that we had.  This morning at 7 am, it is 28° and calm. 

This past week, we cut the last of our moose meat and put it away, and we harvested our potatoes that we plant on this side of the farm.  I think we collected four or five bins of nice sized potatoes.  Later on, either Saturday or Sunday, but probably Sunday, we will harvest our potatoes from ATR.   The men have a few buttoning up projects to finish with construction and with farming (straw, grain, etc) before we are set for the winter.

Also, this week, we received news that Seth and Amaris’ relationship is witnessed to by the family, the elders, and the Lord.  I know no details of when, where, and where (yes, I said where twice), but we will know those things when it is time. 

Bro Andy had his surgery yesterday and since his tumor was bigger than expected and a little more involved than expected, the hospital stay will be a little longer than expected.  Their email isasjtrotter@gmail.com if anyone would like to send a note to them.  The Trotters were given an ipad from their sweet son in law, Craig, so they can easily collect email and even do imessage (via their email address). 

Hannah Davis was 30 weeks yesterday; they are praying that she makes it till 37 weeks.  Hannah’s email is hannahdav@hotmail.com if you’d like to write to her.  I’ve heard a couple of times from Judy and Steve; they are doing well, although pretty busy chasing Owen around, Hannah’s two year old boy. 

The Loggers show did air on Monday night.  I heard it was called Steel vs Snow.  I’m hoping to get the recording from one of my brothers so more here can see it.

The Loggers left last Thursday to build a cabin in Homer. Due to rain and other things, they did not get done as quickly as they planned.  I trust they arrived home late last night.  (They did have a few hours one evening to get in some fishing so they didn’t totally suffer!)

Russell Stendall was indeed here last night to preach.  I’m not sure what he meant his theme to be for sure, but I heard him saying that we shouldn’t be looking for a specific time for God to move because God is moving right now in our lives; and for us to be sure we are found in the right garments for the wedding feast.

Olivia has returned home for awhile. Doing online schoolwork - as Jessy and Olivia are doing - is tough with our remote and not so fast internet set up, but they are doing their best to make it work for them. 

Yesterday was supposed to be Ann and Wayne’s last day in Sapa, but they were having a difficult time getting everything finished before they left so I’m not sure if it really was their last day or not.  If you’d like to send them a note, their email is:  ewgentry@cvalaska.net

Monday next is school and teachers are madly trying to get ready while students are probably wishing the day would never come...well...some do want to come back I guess. Parents are probably happy that they get their kids within 4 walls for part of the day at least, and that they are not all running around like wild things...oh the beauty of carefree summer and fall days on an Alaska farm! How I love thee...

Rob got a new Speech Pathologist, which he had when he was 3. She came back and now is meeting him all over again as a 16 year old. HOW COOL IS THAT! Thanks Debra Fortune, good year ahead for Rob's team!

Here's a little dirt bunny we found in the tater field.

                                                  BE MY POTATOE HEAD VALENTINE

Have a good day and rest of the week.

END OF SEPTEMBER EVENTS...AND FIRST SNOW! :(

The high temperature for the last couple of days has been 36° with the temperature dropping to 16° and 26° on different nights.  We’ve had snow flurries for the past several days.  Some of the snow has been sticking which is rather discouraging.  

I’m sorry that the show about the loggers didn’t air as planned.  I heard it might be tonight.  I can’t sufficiently check this out as our internet has been loading slowly.  Maybe someone else can find out for me.  Or you can just find it yourselves.  :)  I heard the show cancelled last week due to the crazy storms in Colorado.   That is understandable as that part of the US has been hit with some very severe weather of late.  

We have a crew of guys in Homer for five or six days building a house.  They drove through snow in the pass and have had lots of rain while working. 

This past weekend, a crew from here while some from Eagles’ Ridge and Whitestone went to Sapa to help close up the community.  It was a precious time, from what I understand, of work, fellowship, memories, and a honoring of those that have given their lives to the place. Rose Dunning came home with our group and will live here now.  During one of the nights there, they woke up to the sound of crackling and Bro Guillermo shouting that there was a fire somewhere.  
The preschool building which housed the Hessers too, was on fire.  This particular building had been picked out for the caretakers to live in, and they had just moved some of their things that evening; no one was in the building at the time of the fire and no one was injured due to firefighting.  It took quite some time for firefighters to show up to help the folks at Sapa. 

Some of the propane tanks by the side of the cabin that burned, exploded...well at least they went out with a BANG and not with a whine, not making light of the situation however the saying seems to fit. It was definitely a busy weekend for all those folks. Garth brought a small semi load of stuff back which will be put to good use by the community at The land. May got a very nice leather sewing machine, from somebody who had it there and it was kinda left abandoned, those things are not cheap, so she is quite happy!

School has been postponed for another week since we are still finishing up some harvest and meat butchering.  Many of the kids are dismayed (mostly girls!), but our teachers are happy for a few more hours of preparation. 

I heard that Russell Stendal will be here to preach this upcoming Wednesday night.  Bonnie went to the states last week to bring Chloe and Clayton home for school.  Hannah will stay with her folks for a few more weeks yet.  Bro Andy is due for surgery on September 25^th. I posted some fall mowing ATR pictures on fb; here is a link:  

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151654306701569.1073741845.674561568&type=1&l=722b3d2552

It has been decided that due to the changing weather and the threat of snow and cold temps, we are to do potatoes even though our numbers are diminished due to the loggers being gone. So 3 pallets of taters have been grovelled up from the snow and rather wet dirt this evening. Not the best circumstances and not even half of what we have yet to dig up. Our big potato fields are ATR (Across The Road) and this will hopefully be done this coming Sunday. Hope the weather holds out on us for that.

Here are some photos of this evening tater harvest...it was cold, there was snow on the ground, the dirt was wet, the machine kept getting stuck and did I mention it was COLD...much rather do it on a nice sunny day, but one can't always be choosy right? Not when it comes to Alaska weather

Chatted with Ani and she is getting her bearings w/o her aunt Karenza there to guide her. She seems like she is enjoying the new challenges of living on her own and being independent and driving herself to her various jobs, etc. Well, what more can a parent want? We miss her but also know that she is on the right path for this time in her life and pray God's continued guidance as she matures and gets established in whatever He has for her. Mary and Dr. Tim Tesi are watching over her so I know she is in good hands. Praying  xtra guardian angesl to watch as well...just in case... :). 

Harvesting taters again this week end.

Have a great week

SEPTEMBER EVENTS

Again, I’m sorry that I haven’t written in awhile.  This time of year can be hectic.  We had a slow start to the moose season.  Mark Coy kicked off the hunting season on the first day by shooting his moose in the FishLake area.  Soon afterward, Chris Toby and Tony each shot their moose near East Fork.  Then Kevin andKelly each shot moose on the same day but from different areas (FL and EF).  Seth J shot the last of the four moose taken out of East Fork while Seth F, Jarred, and Brad shot their moose in the Fish Lake area.  Since most of the moose was shot near the of the season, we are just now happily butchering and processing the moose meat.  BTW, after Seth F shot his moose, Jackson proudly told all of us that he and his family had been praying that their dad would catch a moose, and he did!  J 

May and Pat went out on a crew but sadly did not get a moose. I think they both enjoyed it, the weather was lovely for fall and at least it was not rainy or super cold like it sometimes can get. Pat's take on the situation is that because of the slow start of summer, the moose were less prone to be in rut at the appropriate time, also there was an abundance of grizzlies up there and that doesn't help. All in all we are happy with the hunting since we got 9 out of our usual 12-13 moose which will keep the community through the winter and into next hunting season hopefully.

Today, the cranes were very noisily flying over.  They’ve been going over for days, but today they were especially in a hurry.  Maybe it’s because it was trying to snow in the Interior today?  The other night, our low temperature was 16°.  Now, at 10:30 pm, it is 36° and raining.  The high temperature today was 47°. 

We harvested the carrots last night.  Gri has an album posted somewhere on fb.  I’ll try to find the link.  If you are a friend of a friend, you should be able to see Griselda’s album of much of our harvest time. 

https://www.facebook.com/griselda.h.buongiorne/media_set?set=a.10201082068725621.1073741870.1585591801&type=1

Because Sapa is trying to close down this month, a big group from our farm and some from Eagle’s Ridge are going down to Sapa for a long weekend to help them winterize the place. I belive Siser. Rose Dunnin will be joining our community as soon as a cabin is made available for her.

Hannah, Chloe, and Clayton left earlier this month to visit Andy and Sarah Jane.  Bonnie left on Sunday to bring the children home in time for school.  Then, we put off school for another week because of all our getting ready for winter projects.  Lynn and Steve recently went over to visit Andy and Sarah Jane.  They were impressed with how well the Trotters are doing. 

Hannah Davis has been having difficulty with her pregnancy and contractions again.  She’s nearly 29 weeks.  We’re praying for a few more weeks of pregnancy. 

Lizzie Jepsen who is studying Journalism wrote a paper for the SunStar UAF campus paper.  Here is a link to her article: 

http://www.uafsunstar.com/archives/24154

Ohhhhhhhh….. BIG NEWS:  On Thursday, the show with an episode or two of our logger guys is airing on Thursday.  I have a link for that as well:  Well, actually, I don’t.  Upon rereading the email I was sent, it says that the guys’ episode will air on the Weather Channel at 9 PM.  It is titled “Heavy Metal Monsters”.  Here’s the quote from the guy who sent the guys the info in case I have misrepresented the information.

            Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know the show is going out on Thursday at 9.00pm on the Weather Channel,

            its followed by another episode.  The broadcaster has gone with the title ‘Heavy Metal Monsters’ so you know what to look

            for in the listings.

Mike Zoebel, the husband of Cami Zoebel the Paramedic from the Tok EMS service who has trained most of our local paramedics, died in an airplane and hunting related crash near the beginning of September.  Cami is one of the EMT teachers who has helped us out with so many of the refresher courses and with getting us an ambulance stationed out here.  http://www.adn.com/2013/09/06/3061334/pilot-dies-in-crash-west-of-glennallen.html and http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130906/bad-weather-keeps-ambulance-retrieving-anchorage-pilots-remains

Al Lorenzen has been faithfully putting a gravel mix in the many potholes on our roads around the farm.  You have to watch your step because he is piling them higher than the road itself probably thinking that they’ll even out and get pounded into the ground soon enough. 

Joe Brandes, brother to Olivia Brandes who spent her senior year here, is here for school.  He is a junior in high school and will be staying with the Williams family.  He is totally enjoying our life style so far....

Kathy Casey has gone on a quick trip to visit her parents. 

Carolyn has been gone for a few weeks to spend time with her Fairbanks family.  

As far as my family is concerned. I spent a few days with Bethany and the girls. Too short a time, but sweet. The girls are getting so big and talkative, so cute! They hung around me and grabbed my hands and pulled me to play with their new kitchen toy set, "GammaGi, come play"...oooo...how can one resist them? Pat is still on fire duty in Montana and has been away from his family for far too long, he is due to return in a few more days and then in Nov. will join us in our Thanksgiving celebrations here in Dry Creek. Hopefully they can stay for a bit. We shall see.

Robin enjoyed his time with the nieces and was a good traveler.

My sis Karenza Hanson is flying to Buenos Aires together with her friend Gracia from Spain.They are on a scouting trip to look out for job openings and living possibilities in the near future. Ani in the meantime, will be staying and minding the antique/gift store in Jefferson all by herself, a great adventure I'm sure. Ani has got her driving license and so is able to drive to an from from work. She is settling in very well with the Tesis and I am sure she is in good hands. She misses us and we do her. May and I are planning a short visit for Christmas since my other sister Alejandra and her family will all be together either in Springfield or in Texas. Lord willing. May hasn't seen her cousins since her trip to Spain in 2009 so it will be good for her.

May has been working super hard in the garden all summer long and now has closed it down for the winter. Only our potatoe harvest is still pending. We hope to get it up before the snow flies. Although we have had a light snowfall today already...

School will be starting at the end of the month for all of us. I will be teaching Rob in the morning and have 1 Spanish highschool class plus my budding translation commitments, to keep me busy during the winter months.

Hope you all are well and enjoying life with a song in your heart. Bless you all in the days ahead.

SEPTEMBER START

Today was the day to take Liz Jepsen to UAF and get her set up on campus.  Lizzie spent the summer with Chris and Bekah and Ella  (her bro, SIL and niece) while working on cleaning jobs for various people and for Delta Lodging.  Sarah & Rih picked Liz up from Delta, met up with Aunt Phanta, and we took Liz to school.  Aunt Phanta helped flush out Lizzie’s dorm room with a small frig and some other items.  Lizzie’s roommate is a girl from Kalispell who knows of our Jepsen cousins through the 4-H program there.  I gave Lizzie a list of numbers of my Fairbanks friends with instructions to start calling numbers if she ever needs help or gets too lonely. 

A bittersweet moment, remember when Pat and I did the same for PatLou...

Today, the first day of hunting season, we woke up to snow on the Mtn tops after having cool and rainy weather for a few days.  Sure, the snow is beautiful, but it is also a foreshadowing of winter that is right around the corner.  In the last few days, we’ve had lows of 25° and highs of 50°.  Hopefully, we have some warmer days for the hunters and for our end of the season crop gathering. 

We had two hunting crews head out yesterday in order to be ready to hunt first thing this morning.  The Williams men and Benj V went to East Fork; Tommy, Kerri, Kevin, and Mark went to Fish Lake.  Chris and Bekah are out somewhere either in Lupo’s fields or in the 30-30 area.  Ella had to stay with her other aunt and grandparents since we were busy with Liz. 

Also starting college this week is Olivia and Jessy.  Olivia spent some of the summer with us but has now returned to Fairbanks to begin school.  Jessy will remain at home and do online classes.  And, of course, Ally is dividing her time between Fairbanks and home with her classes and internship at the hospital in Fairbanks. 

Seth, Ammy, May, and Sis Janet traveled to Patridge Creek, Canada, on Thursday.  All but Sis Janet will return on Tuesday.  Ammy wanted to see her brother who was visiting Patridge for the summer. May went because she was invited by the Buerges, the family that lives there.

Thomas and Jeni and the girls went to Anchorage on the weekend to pick up John and Kathryn who will be returning to the farm after their summer in Hoonah.  Kath posted some pics on fb; I’ll see if the link is seeable to you all.  I’m not sure all of you all can see this, but if you can, here it is:  https://www.facebook.com/kathryn.nerbonne/media_set?set=a.10201926392064781.1073741830.1333723526&type=1

Joey should be home on Monday, probably to hunt!

John Basalyga traveled to Haines and Hoonah to minister leaving Julie behind with Rus and Millie.  Because of that, we’ve seen a little more of Jenee and the boys. 

Jon is building an addition onto Marilyn’s house since at 85 yrs of age going upstairs each night is becoming less feasible.  Marilyn’s home is the one built by the Ortegas which we used for high school until the new school was built.

Robin Buongiorne turns 16 yrs this month sometime. An early b'day party is planned since he will actually be in the car travelling back form his visit to Palmer on the 9th. which is his b'day date.

Drew Gorman enjoyed his visit so much this summer that he came out again for a few days to visit this week. 

Judy and Steve have written to say that they are extremely busy keeping track of two year old Owen while taking care of Hannah who is still on bed rest.  Hannah is at 27 weeks, and they’d like her to be able to stay pregnant for another 10 weeks.  The placenta is trying to attach itself to a wrong place so we need to pray that it attaches properly. 

Craig has received his first installment of dry logs from the sawmill; enough to put up the first story of his home.  I passed him the other day as he was ferrying logs to his house with the forklift.  His big smile said a lot! 

Tom Schirack passed away this 

week.  Marj’s mailing address is:  739 U S Hwy 129 S., Abbeville, Ga31001.  Her email addresses are: tom.schirack@ima.cc ortomschirack@Windstream.net  Becky’s is:  becky.fant@ima.cc  You’ll have to contact them for any other information.

Due to the polarity switch in the sun (don't ask...look it u!) aurora has been amazingly active all this week...taken by a local ...