10.25.22 Monday

 Mouse Trapline Tally:  8

(Total to-date for this year!)

What a fun weekend!  The Ellis family came up Saturday afternoon....

We hadn't seen them since they helped us move in early August!  Kevin rode the trail into town and led them out to the cabin.  I guess one of our neighbors saw the three four-wheelers pass by but weren't sure Kevin was with them so they jumped on their machines, stopped Tad (who was bringing up the rear), and demanded to know who they were and what they were doing out here??

Then they recognized Kevin and all was okay.  I'm actually glad to know they are policing the trail that closely.  It's a tight-knit community up here and we all want to keep it that way!

Had a fun evening cooking steaks on the grill (thank you, Tad, for that contribution!), mashed potatoes, and home-canned green beans.  Then we all sat around the bonfire and made smores.  The kids got worn out and the dogs, too.  I was anxious for them to sleep in the newly reworked cabin to make sure everything was comfortable because I knew they would be honest with us....the only problem was that I forgot to get the mothballs out of the corner.  (Which had been there to deter mice and bears while we were getting all of our original moving totes out of there.)  Easy fix!

The next morning we ate breakfast and decided to go around the property to hunt "Chaga".  I would recommend doing some research as to the benefits of chaga, which grows on birch trees in very cold environments.  Here's a link to some great info:  https://healthyfocus.org/9-proven-benefits-of-chaga/  

Anyhow, we all got bundled up and the hunt was on...

Tad is like a monkey, he'll climb about anywhere for the magical score!

Actually, we had no idea that we had the medicinal fungus all around us. It was like going on a hunt for gold!

Kevin and I played the grandma and grandpa and let the young parents do most of the work...

I think BobbiJo is becoming a master chaga hunter! 😊

By early afternoon, it was time for them to go back to civilization.  So we all loaded up and headed out the trail.  Their husky puppy, Abu, was strapped into a baby carrier to make sure he didn't get distracted and run off the trail...

He wasn't crazy about the idea and kept chewing on Bobbi the whole time she was strapping him into it...

Success!  We led them out part of the way and they were able to find their way back to Talkeetna and safely home.  We look forward to the next visit you guys.  Thank you for the company!

Since then, Kevin and I have been deep-cleaning the cabin, which included the wood cookstove.  Stay tuned...