Almost two weeks in...

Things that are different up here in Alaskan Interior...

1. Slower pace of life.
2. Dry cabins- housing that has no city water supply.  Therefore one needs to get their water at....
3. fresh water springs.
4. Brightest time of the day is  between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m..  My favorite!
5. Ice sculptures in yards and businesses.
6. "Break Up" which is the time of year when the ice on the Chena River melts, along with the snow and causes icky puddles, everywhere!!!! But!  I saw green grass today! 

Things that are the same..
1. Kids.
2.Espresso stands...although I did see a drive thru Thai food stand yesterday
3. Fred Meyer, Safeway, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, Game Stop
4. Potholes and policemen
5. Flip flops displayed before the snow melts.

And to use the terminology of my dear friends, Scott and Mary Segalla, I have learned to "Adapt and Overcome"...these are things I have discovered..
1. A flashlight works just as well as a reading lamp.
2. One small electric blanket works fine as a top cover while sleeping.
3. 2 dishtowels, 1 dish rag, 5 forks, 1 spoon, 4 plastic glasses, 1 sheet, 1 pot...less than $15 at Value Village.
4. Babysitting can result in furniture.
5. One can decorate a room with sticky notes and love notes from home.
6. Paper towels from care package packing can be used to check oil on a motor coach.
7. It works fine to filter coffee grounds through a paper towel.
8. One can cut an onion and smash garlic with a large spoon and cut bacon with a fork.
9. A grocery bag doubles great as a plug for the bathtub.
10. If you turn up the volume on your mp3 player, your ears adjust, and you can hear it fine through the headphones laying on the floor next to you.
11. One can go more than one day without Internet access and still survive.
12. You can dry wet shoes in an oven that's been slightly heated, then turned off.  Only takes a couple of hours.  It works for socks too.
13. A grocery bag works well as a garbage can, hung from the toilet paper roll bar.
14. Internet access can be found in various places, like friends homes, Barnes and Noble, and the library.

I have learned to simplify, and use the resource I have. And it's been great! I wonder if it will stick when I come home in 5 months.  We shall see.