Skagway Garden Initiative in Still Listening to Spirit

Way back when, Our Town was called "The Garden City of Alaska" because of the beautiful flower and vegetable gardens that proliferated here. We have a very active garden club/community who are working to encourage everyone to garden.

A few years ago they petitioned the city to make available for a community garden an unused area of the grounds of the school. Almost a city block away from the school, we now have a community garden. Over the 5 or so years this has been available, it has grown from a couple of plots surrounded by tall weeds to a thriving place with soil improvements and lovely vegetables growing.

Two years ago they asked the city to contribute to the cost of fruit trees. We have lots of raspberry bushes growing almost wild along some alleyways, but no fruit trees. So, the city said "yes" . The city pays $20 per fruit tree and with a group order, the cost per tree to the purchaser is no more than $10. Lovely huh?

This year we have the garden initiative which pays $.50 per square foot for NEW garden spaces for growing food. New spaces added to already existing gardens are eligible for this subsidy too. An application must be filled out with the garden plot drawn out along with the buildings, etc. on the property. The application when signed gives the city permission to inspect to make certain there is a planted and maintained garden throughout the season.

Then, at the proper time (I forget when that is) the city will issue payment to those gardeners who qualify. The city will pay for up to 500 square feet of garden. Those who do not have their own growing space may use someone else's yard and still qualify. Several homeowners last year traded produce for garden space in their yards for others.

I approve, yes I do. What a wonderful way to encourage new garden space. The expectation is, of course, that once the first garden is successfully harvested, the gardener will continue.

In Iditarod news, the mushers continue to make their way to Nome. An improvement in the weather came in yesterday, dropping temperatures down to a more pleasant minus 20 to minus 40F and the further up the trail they get, the more snow/ice and such makes the going easier.

The sun continues to shine in a cloudless blue sky. It continues its ever faster journey back north and daylight increases every day. The smiley moon in the star dappled sky was especially beautiful hanging over Face Mountain before it set in the west. Too soon the night sky will be bare of stars as the sun/twilight/sun of summer takes over.

Hub has agreed now that he will try a hang-up device for his back. He was almost violently opposed to one when I first mentioned it about 3 weeks ago. I dropped the subject and bided my time. The continued pain in his back has done its work to convince him that his 'mind-over-pain macho attitude" will not work this time. I am not ever going to say "I told you so" because I regret he has this pain. I believe he thought the pain would just go away and that hasn't happened.

In better news, his ribs are slowly healing and he can breathe and cough without sharp pain. Once we get our financials in better shape, I will order one from Amazon (free shipping you know) and plan to use it as well.

Madame is home along with her family and Greg's niece and her daughter who is 3 or 4 years old. On their way to the wedding last week, Madame and family spent one night in a hotel with Katie (the niece) and daughter with Madame heading to California and Katie heading here. I have NO idea where they are putting 2 more people in their small 2 bedroom home but I know they will somehow manage.

Katie and Greg's sister (Katie's mother) lived here for 3 or 4 years with sister working for Greg and when Katie was old enough, she found employment here too. Mucho problemos with Katie and drugs, treatment, etc. and Katie's mother left Skagway for a job with the national park service in Yellowstone.

Long story short, Katie has one boy who is living with her mother and this daughter who is with Katie. Still problems "trouble' Greg calls it so she is back here with them. I am praying this will turn out to be good for all of them.

I am well, getting the buttons sewn on the towels slowly but surely. I am using dental floss to sew the buttons on. It is a trick I learned when I was a belly dancer to sew coins onto my costume. The metal coins were sharp and would quickly cut their way through ordinary thread with the movement of the costume. Waxed dental floss--nope, those coins stayed secure through hours and hours of gyrating, shaking and shimmying. I use dental floss for sewing on buttons I really want to stay, like on coats...

Okay, I need to pick up my needle and sew, sew sew.

The wind was blowing 30 to 50mph yesterday, but I spent an hour out on the deck in the sunshine. Wind from the north blocked by the house, I was toasty warm with a sweatshirt on. Kindle in hand, I was in heaven.

Madame and Katie went through Madame's closet together and Madame had 3 30 gallon trash bags full of clothing to donate to the community garage sale in May. I asked to go through them first and Hub went to pick them up.

It was like a shopping trip! I found 6 blouses, all very colorful, to wear this summer. Now my shopping list comes more into focus and goes down in cost. Underwear and some jeans/pants plus shoes and I am set. I am so blessed! Oh, and Greg did some purging as well as there were 3 shirts for Hub as well.

Once again, I need to go pick up my needle and sew buttons. Then I will take my Kindle to see if I can spend another hour (or two) on the deck in the sunshine.

Blessed be!