Our 3rd Alaskanniversary

Rez blending in with the wood scraps as he relaxes in the morning sun.

Things are heating up on the homestead! Literally… it’s been getting really hot.  

With full sun almost every day this month and the relative humidity occasionally dropping below 20%, we have gone from a winter wonderland to nearly a desert in a matter of a couple months. As this is our third summer here, we’re getting more accustomed to this unique climate. Having grown up with high humidity in the summers, it takes some preparation and willingness to take breaks in order to work outside all day here without succumbing to dehydration. We’ve learned the proper clothing to wear and the appropriate amount of time between breaks to work through the day (rather than the day work through you!). Both of the dogs roam freely and find shady spots to relax in while we work outside. Day temperatures reach on average 70-75 degrees while at night we drop in the 40s. We had our last frost just after the middle of May. The 10 day forecast in June shows highs in the 70s and even an 80 degree day in the mix with no precipitation. I imagine we are fixin’ to have yet another hot and dry summer.

New buds have bloomed on the spruce trees.

Apple tree blooms at the end of May.

The very first wild rose to bloom on the homestead this season.

Despite these conditions, things are springing to life and the vegetation is jumping up all around us. This is most certainly thanks to the near endless sunlight we have been receiving for most of this month. Beautiful blossoms adorn the young apple trees, rose bushes are beginning to show their flowers too, and wild berries of all sorts are beginning to form in clusters. Not only that, but our first farm crops are doing great as well! Thanks to the two new greenhouses, we have beets which are nearly ready for harvest. Looking back, we had hardly put any seeds into the ground at this time last year. Being able to see our progress leaping forward like this is what keeps the wind in our sails. Because, if we’ve made this much progress in the past year, what amazing things will we be able to accomplish in another one? Homesteading, farmsteading, whatever you want to call it, is a slow process that produces success when you foster patience with an open mind.

Pete tending to his littles in greenhouse #1. The 48 peppers are about ready for transplant to greenhouse #2!

Recently transplanted beets and onions growing into their new home in greenhouse #2.

Besides building greenhouse #2 for the young transplants, Pete also crafted a beautiful staircase/ladder for the cabin. After having to use an extension ladder to access the loft for a few months, then construction scaffolding, Pete built two small wood ladder/stairs with a landing in the middle (see project here). While the split stairs with the landing was definitely a “step up” from the previous ways to access the loft, it was somewhat cumbersome and rather difficult to descend in the dark. This full set of stairs was designed with the same model in mind as the previous split stairs. Stringers were made from slabs of Alaskan spruce that Pete milled on the sawmill, dried, then filled the splitting cracks with epoxy. He used the CNC machine to cut the stair treads and mill the tread pockets on the stringers which saved on time and had higher precision. For the treads, Pete used 2x10 lumber we had on hand. Finally, with all this nice weather, he was able to stain and poly the entire staircase in a timely manner. Tear down of the old stairs and installing the new ones took him a few hours all by himself while I was away working at a Market. We plan to install shelving under the stairs for extra storage. You can never have enough warm storage space here in the cabin! --gives us motivation to get this warm shop built by winter.  

New full staircase Pete built. Peep the new decor a friend gave us above the window. It's a baleen from a whale harvested in Alaska.

Greenhouse #2 on the left which Pete finished out by himself. Next we are repurposing the steel fence posts for greenhouse #3. Greenhouse #1 is the wood sided small building where we are germinating our seeds.

We have also been busy, busy, busy cleaning up and preparing for a large group of family coming to visit soon. It will be quite the change of pace having a dozen extra people around. Of course, we have so many projects on our list we don’t plan on letting any of them just sit around and twiddle thumbs while they’re here :D On the top of the list is putting siding on the cabin! I have a feeling it will really change the vibe of the homestead with the cabin finally looking “finished”. No more “Alaskan siding”, more commonly known as Tyvec house wrap.  

Relocating the "Egg-cono Lodge" for the 50 chicks arriving mid June. We will clean it out, give it a face lift, and make a few repairs as one of the early June projects.

Two 20' garden beds from the previous year are being prepped again for this season's carrots.

In addition to all the usual homestead hustle and bustle, Wild North Design has really been taking off! We’ve been hard at work replenishing inventories after nearly selling out at the Alaska Chicks Vintage Market a couple of weeks ago. On top of that, I also have endless ideas which we’ve been developing into new designs and, of course, fulfilling custom orders. When my 7 watt laser broke it’s lens 2 weeks before the big Market, I didn’t know it then, but fixing the lens and scrambling to find a replacement was a blessing in disguise. The replacement 40 watt laser arrived almost faster than the lens did which Pete fixed in a jiffy. With both lasers running and combining each one’s features, I’m able to push my creativity farther than I imagined. Being able to develop my ideas is one of my favorite roles on the homestead.

Custom whale shark on a table top completed. The customer is using the table for her camper van build.

This octopus glows blue in the dark! Now available on the website along with other glow in the dark items.

My Star Wars inspired collection is extremely popular and so neat to bring to life. So far, I've done BB8 & the Mandalorian helmet which are available for purchase on the website. Darth Vader's helmet and a glow in the dark storm trooper helmet sold before I could take photos of them for the website! Stay tuned for more!

Laser cut acrylic is so vibrant and fun to work with on the laser. I can't wait to experiment more with acrylic!

Another custom nursery sign which is available for purchase on the website.

Not too shabby: Pete helped me design and construct my booth at the AK Chicks Vintage Market. What a fun spring market at the state fairgrounds!

Though we have been putting in long days pretty much every day this month, we know summer is just beginning! We still have fishing season(s) in front of us and wild berry harvests and at least one or two road trips. Stay tuned for more progress next month!

Winter is always coming: Pete and I split and stacked about 2 months worth of wood to clear out some space.

Rez enjoying an evening walk on the property in mid-May.

Pete picked up the siding for the cabin in his truck. We probably won't haul a heavy load like this again. *Keyword: probably

The front and back "doors" on greenhouse #2 open during the day to let a breeze through the hot greenhouse since we don't have fans installed yet. We draped a white sheet over greenhouse #1 and it immediately lowered the inside daytime temps by 10 degrees. We are always experimenting!