Friday December 24, 2021

The view from the outhouse

Friday December 24

Merry Christmas friends from the inmates of the asylum at Silty Slough, Alaska

We have had a busy week. The shortest day of the year has passed and we are on the increase. Picked up a couple minutes already. Cory came over a couple days and we scouted out a few beetle killed spruce trees. He dropped them and I drug the logs to the mill to saw into lumber next spring. We found several on the river bank. Cory and I packed the snow so that it would freeze up overnight and be a good place to drop them. Decided we needed Rogers help the next day. Dropped them in the slough and drug the logs to the mill. Roger had a set of skis to strap onto the front of the log so it wouldn’t dig in and plow snow. The back just slides along. The logs were good size and most took two machines hooked together to get them out of the slough up the ramp to the mill. I should have taken a few pictures but didn’t take the time.

Kari, Cory and I have been grooming and packing the airstrip the past few days to have it ready for our friend Jess and grandson Thor’s arrival on Thursday. Our neighbor at Wolf Lake did a flyby in the mail plane while we were cutting trees in the slough. He sent a text, nice airstrip, but couldn’t land since he was on wheels. Must have not had his snow tires on.
This is the first mail plane to arrive in over a week due to bad weather. They are making two trips today to get all the packages here for Christmas.
Cory and I have been working on a 1978 Arctic Cat Lynx snow machine for Thor. It runs some of the time, about 5 minutes of running for ever hour we spend working on it. Hopefully we will get all of its issues worked out.
Kari has been making presents and food for the Christmas Eve dinner at Bentalit Lodge.
Teddy has been trying to jumpstart his latest venture “Build back better” hats. He is offering buy one get 10 free, but so far no takers. Meanwhile Mayor Cooper is covered up in orders for “Put it back like you found it” tee shirts. He is trying to find more help but the cats are the only ones available. They must be Democrats because they won’t work as long as the free handouts continue.
Jess and Thor arrived yesterday in a Maul on skis. We were down by the strip to meet them. The plane was packed with presents and food for Christmas dinner and beyond. Couldn’t even see Thor in the back seat. You couldn’t have gotten another stick of butter in that airplane. While we were at the strip, 3 of our neighbors came each with a sled load of packages from the post office. Looked like Santa and his elves delivering.
Later Cory, Thor, and I made a trip to the post office. We didn’t have much in the way of packages. Mayor Pete still hasn’t figured out what a supply chain is. My coat and bibs came so now I’m good to -40.

I moved downstairs to sleep while we have guests. The dogs stayed upstairs so Oden the cat is keeping me company. He doesn’t like me on my cellphone typing the View. I guess he doesn’t agree with my opinions. He still has claws but is gentle as long as I take a break every paragraph and pet him. It’s cool to pet him down here where it is pitch black and the air is dry. It really lights him up. You can get the same effect peeling masking tape off the roll in the dark.
Today’s activity is the Lynx again and maybe I’ll try to groom the trail 5 miles to Skwentna before the neighborhood gathering this evening.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Silty Slough. Stay safe and healthy my friends.

Happy Birthday, Jesus.

Thank you Lord for your many blessings.

I’ll be in touch.

Blue skies!!!

Remember to tell your friends about http://www.siltyslough.com Thank you.