The last few weeks have kept me busy studying for a test to qualify me as a "Highly Qualified" teacher here in Alaska. I had thought my status carried over from California, but alas and alack...nope!
So I completely stressed myself out and buried myself in the books.....mostly.
I did manage to finish sewing my qasbeq! I would like to make a Hello Kitty one for my niece. The material should arrive this week. Here's a picture of the one I made for me:
I have also come under the spell of a new actor (well, new to me!!) who I highly recommend watching. Michael Fassbender plays Mr. Rochester in the latest adaption of Jane Eyre, and he's wonderful. Okay, he first caught my eye as the young Magneto in Xmen First Class....but he's really good in both movies. Okay, I've since watched four of them. Seriously, keep your eye on this guy....he's good! Roger Ebert agrees with me.
I took the test this past weekend. After the test, I had a great weekend. I did nothing but watch movies for the rest of Saturday. Sunday brought a bbq with my coworkers and then several of us (four other people and 2 other dogs) went for a massive trek around Akiak. We traversed over mud, ice, snow, water, and sand....Dakota has been scared of the water, but by the end of the hike he was running through puddles and down by the river like a pro. Okay, yes....we walked down to the river and played on the ice. Exactly what we told the kids NOT to do. But it was fun and we were careful....a couple of my friends ended up riding a sheet of ice (our own ice berg) a couple of feet. Dakota even stood on it for a bit. By the end of the adventure, my puppy was worn out and I had discovered my boots leaked.
Which was terrible timing. The snow is melting and my housing complex is surrounded by water. So no matter which path I walk, I do need my shoes not to leak. I've ordered new boots. Hopefully, they will get here very soon. Today I went walking with Dakota and my friend (shot out to Brooke & Spencer!!) and the mud went past my ankle. I was worried about getting stuck to be honest. Last year, one of the state people got stuck in the mud in Akiachak and had to have someone pick her up. I was nervous going through this big mud puddle and Dakota came over to me (I walk him off leash when trying to go through puddles, I don't need to battle him AND the mud) and made sure I was okay. Oddly enough, his steps brought up the mud so it didn't stick to me as much.
The weather has been beautiful. This weekend I sat outside reading to soak up the sun. It felt glorious.
I am worried about Akiak flooding. I hope it doesn't. My flood plan was to grab my animals and bring them up to the school on higher ground. But then I found out that I can't bring my animals there. So my new plan is to take them to my old house (the one that got lifted so high) and stay there. If I have to. I might just be out of power & water for a bit. I'm stocking up on water but I still have to put my emergency bag together. No matter what happens, I will be alright. I just need to make sure my animals are okay.
Something did happen that wasn't pleasant. The situation has since been handled but I did want to mention to people who are reading my blog thinking about coming out to the bush need to know this. Do not leave your safety up to other people. I had a scary encounter and while nothing actually happened to me, I was scared and shaken up to my core. I had to beef up my security, I bought several things to deter anyone from coming in my house....or trying to anyways....I don't want to alarm anyone, but there are things you can purchase that aren't weapons that I wanted to share. If you are interested they have: security bars you put under the doorknob, alarmed door steps, and door/window alarms. But if you are a little old fashioned, Alaska has some great gun laws. I'm just saying, my personal safety is important and sometimes it's better to err on the side of caution.
On a happier note: Dakota is now 9 months old. I still don't know how much he weighs now, the most common estimate is 110 pounds. That looks about right. He's still so fluffy!! I took a picture to remember the day.....
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| Dakota at 9 months |
And I had some little ones come over to visit me not too long ago. I don't know why kids love climbing in Dakota's crate....but they do. When Dakota got in with them, I just had to snap a picture! (And yes, those are my high heels the girls are wearing!)
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| This is how I entertain kids at my house! |
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