...How Does Your Garden Grow, Now?

With all good intentions we planned our garden growing to start indoors and then proceed outdoors.

Sometimes, as parents, our intentions and perfect dreams don't come about.

So we learn to improvise or make due.

Due to the condition of our new home,

digging and planting our indoor garden, outdoors didn't happen.

Instead our pea plants grew and grew and blossomed indoors and then started to die.

We got a couple of pods with some peas. But no more.

So we enjoyed the "practice" bounty albeit meager.

Lil' Monster is reaping what he sowed.

It was small - like him = Perfect!

He was NOT pleased.

He put it in his mouth,

bit it,

and promptly said,

 "I don't Like it."

Maybe next year we will try again with better results.

Pabbi and Mamma 

enjoyed the three other peas.

How DO You Mow YOUR Lawn?

How do you mow your lawn...

With a HUGE obstacle

that refuses to move,

and gives you the evil eye the whole time?

Use the Moose to mow your lawn.

Mission Accomplished!!!

Less sweat spilled

-as long as you keep your distance!!!

This moose about scared Mr. Elskan to death!

 He was comin' round the corner and saw

the moose standing bold as you please,

in the late afternoon, in the middle of our back yard.

Then it settled down and began eating.

...How Does Your Garden Grow, Too?

We are back at it:

Garden Growing.

We decided to make some more pots 

and planted some more  tomatoes 

UPDATE on :

...How Does Your Garden Grow?

Only 10 days later and we already see the blossoming of our Pea plants.

In it's little greenhouse-of-a-jug it stays pretty moist and warm.

But add water once in awhile to keep it that way.

Don't forget the occasional hug!!

...How Does Your Garden Grow?

How do you grow a garden in the bitter cold of the far north?

By this time of year, most of the country has already planted the beginnings of one.

Yet, here in Alaska we are still wearing coats and boots.

So how do you plant a garden?

You begin your garden indoors.

Actually we are late in planting;

most Alaskans have already begun theirs.

This year, we are going to practice.

Next year we hope to begin a real garden.

So we thought to begin the lessons by letting the wee little ones plant this year.

Steps to an indoor garden.

1. Take a jug (milk, water, etc.) and cut the top off.

2. Decide what crop you want (we chose peas and tomatoes).

3. Have a bag of dirt. 

3. Pour dirt into your cut jug.

4. Plant the seed in the dirt.

5. Water it. 

6. Seal the top on.

7. Label it with the initials of what you planted.

8. Give it a big hug

(we know love makes little things grow strong)

9. Hang it in a sunny place.

10. Wait to see what happens....

(* No child was hurt in the making of this post; knives were given only under extreme supervision and merely for the aesthetics of a photo. No child had actual use of knife. DO NOT allow your child use of knife without supervision - and preferably when they are of a mature age. *)

Peace amidst the storms

Have you ever been walking along and fallen down so hard?

Most of us haven't since toddler-hood.

 Mr Elskan's first steps.

(circa mid 1970's)

Today we recieved a blow and we have certainly fallen down.

Pabbi has lost his job.

Economic cutbacks by his workplace have created a loss of job for several employees. We happened to be in that cut.

Despite this blow, we are at peace.

We thank God for this.

And we will soon be up and walking as if we had never fallen.

In this we are confident.

Family Comes First

Our Family Standard

When Mr. Elskan and I married we decided that Family Comes First.

We hope to build and train up our family using the following principles:

Faith
Prayer
Repentance
Forgiveness
Respect
Love
Compassion
Work
and
Wholesome Recreational Activities

Don't expect perfection in these from us - we won't make it.
But we hope to strive for perfection through practicing them!