Frühjahrsmüdigkeit.

The German language has the best words. Kummerspeck (“grief bacon,” or the weight you put on from eating your feelings). Sehnsucht, or the deep and emotional craving for something far away or unattainable. And frühjahrsmüdigkeit, which I’ve been experiencing lately.

Frühjahrsmüdigkeit is translated as “spring lethargy,” the fatigue that some people feel in the springtime, particularly after a hard winter.

We’ve had two particularly crummy winters in a row, and a lousy spring/summer in 2023. For the most part, spring 2024 has been cold and cloudy.

Sure, we’ve had a few spectacularly sunny days – the kind that make me think, “I can live here despite the winters.” Mostly it’s been…frühjahrsmüdigkeit.

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Junk food: Sometimes it just tastes good.

(Happy Throwback Thursday! This post, originally published in 2014, celebrates something called National Junk Food Day. This year NJFD is on Friday, July 21, but my blog, my rules. DF and I are still eating quite well, thanks to frugal food hacks, our garden and our never-ending search for good deals. That doesn’t keep us from eating some junk now and then, though. Here’s why.)

It’s National Junk Food Day, apparently. And me without a single Moon Pie in the house.

In fact, I’ve eaten quite well today. Breakfast was oatmeal made with half yogurt whey and half water and flaxseed, plus half of the last banana in the bunch (shared with DF, because I’m kind like that).

For lunch I had rice topped with roasted vegetables – carrots, broccoli, Walla Walla onions and home-grown turnip, plus a dish of homemade yogurt mixed with a spoon of homemade orange marmalade and more of that flaxseed.

If only I’d known about the holiday. I might have gone to McDonald’s for breakfast and Burger King for lunch. Nothing says “bad for you” like a single meal that holds all calories needed for the entire day (with way too many in the form of grease).

On the other hand, I did eat white rice instead of brown. So am I junking out sufficient to the day?

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Disaster prep on a dime.

(Happy Throwback Tuesday! Yes, I know it’s supposed to be Throwback Thursday, but given the various weather storms and power outages around the country right now, this article  needed republication before Thursday. The post originally ran on Feb. 18, 2021, when the Texas deep-freeze catastrophe was threatening lives and property.)

Disaster prep isn’t much fun. Who wants to think about all the ways that nature is trying to kill us? But it’s essential.

Texans couldn’t really be prepared for the double whammy of extreme cold and multiple utility failures. Burst pipes, multi-car accidents, disruptions to the food supply, boil-water notices, “seeking heating” shelters that don’t provide meals or a place to sleep – it’s pretty dire.

In some case it’s become a triple whammy: No way to stay warm + no power to cook/preserve existing food = needing to go out on slippery roads to seek a place to sleep. Assuming, that is, that local shelters aren’t full or that hotel rooms (if you can afford them) are still available.

I’m not looking to turn this into a diatribe as to whether Texas was foolish for wanting its own power grid and why officials didn’t winterize said grid. There’s already plenty of finger-pointing to go around. Instead, I’d like to ask readers whether they are even a little bit prepared if extreme weather or some other natural disaster should befall them.

If things got dire in your neck of the woods, how would you eat, drink and keep from freezing/developing heatstroke? Also: Got any idea where you’d poop?

 

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Had a hibernating Christmas.

The song “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” has been running through my mind since Dec. 25, probably because a Sam the Snowman chew toy was waiting under the tree for my niece’s dog that day. The Burl Ives version of the song was featured in the Rankin-Bass animated special, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” so it’s been his voice singing the song.

Except I changed the title a bit. “Had a hibernating Christmas” is the way it plays in my head.

DF and I did go out the afternoon of Christmas Eve to meet up with his son, daughter-in-law and their kids for a couple hours of carol-singing, Chinese food and opening a few presents. (Let me say that we never opened gifts early when I was a kid, but life is about adapting, right?)

On Christmas Day, DF had to show up at church as cantor for a mid-morning Mass, so he dropped me at my niece’s home to watch her kids open their gifts. And, of course, to see the dog toy that inspired the earworm.

This morning, I dropped him at church for his usual 8 a.m. cantor gig, and headed off to see if any post-holiday specials were good enough to tempt me into using some Shopkick points. Short form: Nope. In fact, the two stores I visited had relatively little left to be marked down. Supply-chain issues strike again, I guess.

So we were back here by 9:30 a.m. and did more of what we’ve done since Friday evening: hibernate. No visiting with family or friends, no movies, no nothin’. A whole lot of reading napping has taken place in the past few days, though.

It felt pretty good, I have to say.

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Dr. Demento and the desecrated turkey

(Happy Throwback Thursday! This article is from WAY back in the day: May 10, 2010. It was the eighth piece I published. Since the article has a Thanksgiving theme, sort of, I thought I’d re-run it in honor of turkey day.)

About five months ago I walked over to the Asian market to buy carrots and came home with a turkey. Yes, I know the difference between root vegetables and edible fowls. But the bird was on sale for 25 cents a pound. The whole thing cost only $2.65. I’ve paid more than that for a soft drink at a ballpark.

(What does this have to do with Dr. Demento? I’ll get to that.)

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How not to starve in an emergency.

Recent flooding in British Columbia led to a double-barreled consumer emergency: Stores emptied rapidly of food and household items, and because both road and rail links were so badly damaged, there’s no clear idea when regular deliveries can resume.

Shades of the early days of the pandemic: Once again, we’re seeing the fragility of the modern retail supply system.

It’s essential that we learn from this. Specifically: Don’t wait until an emergency threatens. Instead, build a good-sized stockpile of food and other vital items in advance.

Understand: I am not advocating hoarding. The Canadian government was pleading with folks in B.C. not to panic-buy, which would leave nothing for others. (That worked well.) Instead, I am talking about a simple, targeted approach toward not just getting these items, but using and replacing them regularly.

This isn’t only about food, either. Do you tend to wait until the last minute to buy cat litter? Ever found yourself purchasing tampons at a convenience store at 11 p.m.?

What about the allergy meds that keep your eyes from swelling shut every spring, or the lotion that makes your psoriasis flare-ups a little less painful? Suppose you were running low but kept procrastinating – and then an emergency made it impossible to get more?

Fortunately, there’s a bonehead-simple solution. Just three basic tactics can help keep you from running out of food, pet supplies, OTC meds or, yeah, toilet paper.

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9 cheap indulgences that bring joy.

A recent Twitter thread caught my eye: “What’s a cheap indulgence that brings you joy?” The usual suspects showed up: ice cream, coffee, bubble baths, good pens, pretty notebooks, dark chocolate.

And a few less-obvious choices showed up, too:

People-watching at the pub

Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards

S’mores Pop Tarts

Soft cotton sheets

Pretty hardback copies of favorite classic novels

Boston Baked Beans from the dollar store (“It has had me in a chokehold”)

Here was my contribution to the thread: “Pay-one-price day at Cinemark with my BFF or one/both of my great-nephews – and kettle corn, of course. Bonus joy points if I am using a discounted gift card and a coupon cashed in from movie rewards points.”

I’ve long been a fan of cheap joy. Given the past couple of years, and the no-real-end-in-sight nature of the pandemic (and its impact on finances), I think it’s more important than ever to find affordable delight.

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Giveaway: Alaska handmade soap.

This is another in my “support the local economy” giveaways. In past weeks I’ve given away things like a “Tundra“ calendar, a couple of batches of Alaska-made jewelry and an Aliy Zirkle “dog fan“ membership. This time around, I’ve chosen Denali Dreams, a company known for its handmade soap, salve and balm, is the source this time around. 

Denali Dreams’ soaps (which smell  divine) has been included in at least one previous batch-of-things giveaway. But this time around, I’m focusing only on Denali Dreams products.

And despite what the headline says, it’s not just handmade soap. The winner gets to choose up to $35 worth of Denali Dreams goodies. (Edited to add: Denali Dreams has decided to add a lip balm to the order, free of charge, which further extends the fun.)

For example, there’s the “Alaska Manly Man” section, which features some goofy, spoofy products such as Elbow Grease (“softens rough edges”), Lip Lube (to keep lips “soft, supple and in great working order”) and Beard Balm that will “keep your look sharp, just like your chainsaw blades.”

There’s Skeeter Away Natural Bug Repellent, which promises an environmentally friendly answer to pesky bugs. Anyone who’s visited the Kobuk Coffee Co. in downtown Anchorage will love the Samovar Soap & Tea pack, which combines a box of that gift company’s popular Samovar Tea with a soap that apparently smells the way the tea tastes (essential oils of cinnamon, clove, orange, and lemon).

Having a rough time? Try the Baby Bear Butt Balm (with calendula-infused olive oil “to help chase away even the most stubborn of chapped rumps”), the Fireweed Honey Lip Balm (“keep your lips protected from the harsh, dry Alaskan climate”) or the Dog Paw Salve (with beeswax and unscented oils) can help.

But about that handmade soap. 

 

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In hot water.

About a week ago, DF decided that a sauna would be a lovely way to soothe the aches associated with some yard work. When he opened the door to the basement, though, he immediately sensed a disturbance in the force: Instead of dry, chilly air he got a blast of humid, warm air.

Yep: The water heater was in its death throes.

His first move was to turn off the water source to the heater. Although he didn’t say so, I expect his second move was to curse heartily and creatively. It was a Sunday evening and this was an inconvenience rather than an emergency, so he didn’t start looking for a plumber until the next day.

The actual replacement didn’t happen until midday Wednesday, after an attempt at a long-shot DIY fix suggested by his son, who’s in the plumbers and pipefitters union (and currently working out of state).

And of course we did it the frugal way: I cashed in for a $50 gift card from the MyPoints rewards program to add to about $40 worth of gift cards we already had, then DF shopped for a replacement and muscled it down the narrow cellar stairs with help from his other son. Since the plumber didn’t have to shop for and bring along the new heater, or carry away the old one (DF and his son got it into the Subaru and to the landfill the next day), it made for a much faster and cheaper fix.

In all we spent about $575 out of pocket. That sure beat the $1,600 quote DF got from the first plumber. We were pleased that it cost us so much less.

But boy, did I not like getting my hot water from the slow cooker.

 

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Tree music.

This morning I awoke to the smell of smoke and the sound of a window closing. Earlier this month a lightning strike started a Kenai Peninsula fire whose smoke has played peekaboo with us ever since.

Today the smolder was so pronounced that for a split second I thought something in the house was burning.

For a few hours I was captive in the house, due to my asthma. During that time I positioned myself close to the ceiling fan because it was Alaska-style hot, i.e., in the 70s.

Ultimately the wind started blowing from the north, which quickly de-smokefied our yard. DF took this as a sign that he should wash the new-to-us fitted sheet* he’d just gotten for $1.50 at his church’s thrift store: Relentless sun + strong breeze = a good wash day.

In midafternoon I spotted DF sitting on our back deck with some iced tea. Briefly debated starting on the next article, then said to heck with it and poured some tea of my own. There we sat in a couple of old chairs, sipping our drinks, looking out over our raised garden beds and listening to the tree music.

 

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