A day in my life ~ Feburary

I'm up just before 8 a.m., the others are sleeping in, I make coffee. While that's brewing on the stove, I read the Bible as it begins to grow light outside. Our Alaska days are slowly getting longer with about 9 hours of daylight, by June the daylight will last almost 21 hours.

Stepping out on the porch, I fill up the bird feeder with fruit, breadcrumbs, and sunflower seeds. Soon I am rewarded with a dozen or so wild birds: black capped chickadees, common red polls, red-breasted nuthatches, one camp robber, and a Stellar blue jay. As I drink my coffee, the cat and I watch the birds; the cat is also fun to watch, as she goes crazy with twitches and her tail swinging wildly.

Hubby and Laura are awake now and so is the sun. Laura and I make breakfast; bacon, toast -baked a few days earlier- and yogurt -made by Laura yesterday- and wild blueberries -picked in the mountains last summer- and lots of hot coffee. We consume a huge pot of coffeee daily. Outside the birds continue eating and troubling the cat. The dogs are put out and fed; they quick scratch on the door, wanting back in where it's warm.

I tidy up the living room, make our bed, and wipe up the kitchen so Laura can bake chocolate chip cookies, read more about that and the rest of her day here. Check it out; she has some great pictures of our local beach at this time of year. I'm sure some of you have never seen ice-packs on the shore before. We go several times in the winter; it's just a different kind of fun, climbing the ice chunks.

Close to noon, the sun makes its only appearance in this overcast day for 2o minutes. Hubby and I quickly jump in the hot tub. The sun shining on the snow is beautiful and the temperature reaches almost 40F. We stay nice and toasty in the 101F hot tub. Only get to soak for one hour, company is coming.

A friend who lives an hour away, close by our standards, visits with us, we talk, drink coffee and eat Laura's cookies (thanks, Laura for leaving us some). Discussion covers kids, colleges, crazy things going on in our government, and how to live simple, how to cut back. Alaska electric and natural gas costs have skyrocketed recently and our area locally produces it. All talk lately with everyone is how to pay the high bills and how to conserve with recent minus 30 temperatures. Trying not to just gripe, we brain storm some ideas; lower in-house temp, I thought I was doing good at 65, my friend has her house set at 60 by day and 55 by night. What a challenge, time to bring out more sweaters and blankets. We've both stopped using our dryers and hang clothes on racks and shower rods, we can't put them out in the winter, clothes freeze and don't dry. Trying to use less electric lights is hard now, but so easy in the summer, none needed then. If anyone out there in blog world has ideas, me and my friends would welcome them.

I'm slowly starting to feel bad, but hubby and I said good-bye to our friend and head out to pick up our natural food co-op order at another friend's house. We stay for a couple of hours visiting and my handy hubby fixes my friend's telephone. Now I knew I was getting sick, came home. I wash the dishes, and when that is done, have some beef broth and fall into bed. I can't tell you what Laura and hubby are eating: I'm out for the night.