Friday Funny 12-/23-2022 (Shipping, and Not the Vessel Kind)

 

It's that time of year, and though I've done some shopping local, the bulk of it was online. I also took the opportunity to buy some things for myself, what with all the sales, and free shipping offers. Merry Christmas to me!  🎄🤶 However shipping comes with it's own issues, especially at holiday time, and to Alaska.

This cut piece of cardboard, and the mailing label were all that I received in my PO box. The cardboard looks like it was intentionally cut into this shape, and whatever was in the box is gone. Fortunately, it was an Amazon purchase, and I applied for a replacement. 

How about this one? Don't you feel better to knowing they made this box with less material? That way it can fall apart faster, than it's predecessor, thus scattering your purchases farther afield. 

I believe there's a special hell for those people who ship items with this obnoxious filler. I tried to empty these styrofoam pellets into a bag, and of course they are statically charged, went everywhere, and were impossible to get them off my fingers, and clothes. So, of course, I recycled them, and shipped them off to a family member as filler in their box. I might be a candidate for that special place in hell, but I figure the recycling part might save me. 

I bought new shoes for myself during an REI sale. My Keens were at least 8 years old, I believe I bought them right before we moved onboard Denali Rose in 2014. The bottoms were well worn, and now were quite slippery on deck, and, (as most of you know), for me a bad falling hazard, also the insides were starting to break down. I figure I got my moneys worth.

Check out the difference between the new, and the old, I'm sure I don't have to tell you which is which. I tried out the new ones on deck, very sticky, and I'm grateful.

The old ones are kind of beat up, I did some painting in them, and have a few spatters, but overall, they could still be worn, except of course for the non-tread. Now they have been relegated to the "shit kicker" category, as Bill calls it, just for messy chores. Keen gets my endorsement for a long-wearing, sticky sole, comfortable shoe. 

I also have a pair of Keen sandals, again the bottom is completely worn, but the straps, and topside still look great. I have another new pair in storage somewhere, I need to look for them. I bought 2 pair back when, because they were discontinuing my favorite color. 

Then there's the Eddie Bauer debacle. I had ordered a flannel tunic, what I got was a men's black hoodie with fake shearling on the inside. Now, I really like this brand, they fit well, (at least for me), free shipping, and wear for a long time. 

What I ordered.

What I received.

They're the same aren't they? Geez. I used the chat feature on the Eddie Bauer website, and after a somewhat difficult exchange, where they said the tunic was no longer available, except that it was still on their website, we got it resolved. I had them refund the original purchase, and I reordered the tunic, at $7.00 less expensive, yay, and they said to keep the hoodie. I'm not sure what I'll do with a men's medium cotton hoodie, but it's mine now. 

Update on Gus, he's still on house arrest, instead of wearing an ankle bracelet, he gets to wear his harness, and leash, or tether. At least he has quieted down, hardly any yowling anymore, and we're beginning to see the sweet Gus again. Hallelujah! We don't trust him to not run off though, so no more freedom at the dock. He found a way to wriggle out of the vest harness, so now he wears one that straps around his neck, and straps around his middle. We call it the torture device, and it doesn't stay in place very well. He has several different replacements coming for Christmas, a bit like getting underwear for presents. :-) I made up for it by getting some catnip loaded cloth fish for him to bat around. Shhh, don't tell him, I want it to be a surprise. 

Gus is enjoying the intermittent sunshine that comes in the pilothouse windows, and shines on the steps of the companionway. That's his leash on the top step, ready for him to be clipped in before we open the cafe doors.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

As always, we enjoy hearing from you, either here in comments or on our Facebook Denali Rose Sailboat page.

Friday Funny 10-28/2022 ("MEOW MEOW MEOW"!)

 

Gus won't eat tuna, he won't eat anything fresh, no seafood, no meat, only canned cat food. Weird boat cat.

Gus is under house arrest, and he's definitely letting us know how unhappy he is about it. "MEOW, MEOW, MEOW, MEOW!"

It started over a week ago. We left Gus in Denali Rose by himself while we went out to enjoy an evening with friends who have a boat in our harbor. In the eight years we've lived onboard, we've left him many times this way, so as usual, we departed saying, "the helm is yours". Gus usually curls up somewhere to await our return. 

Gus, literally at the helm.

This time however, when we returned, Gus was nowhere onboard. I found a port ajar, and we assumed he had popped it open, and decided to do a walkabout. He finally came home about 2:30 in the morning, soaking wet, and hungry. We'd left the companionway hatch ajar, and he came in to grab a mouthful of kibble. I heard him, got up, shut the hatch, and determined that he was wet with fresh water, not salt water. so it was probably from the rain we were having that night. Even soaking wet, and cold, he wanted to go back out, the feral switch in his brain had been turned on. 

closed port

open port

The locking mechanism must be tightened behind the metal piece. We must have tightened it incorrectly, and we found the port open enough for Gus to slip out. 

For those of you who don't know Gus, when we lived in Fairbanks, he showed up at our home one summer as a feral, and we eventually coaxed him inside by the end of October when the temperatures had dropped to -20F outside. He's a short haired kitty, and no way was he going to survive a winter outside.

Thanks for the vittles!

Bill would feed him every evening, kibble, and two containers of warm water, he would usually inhale all of it in a matter of minutes. 

Hmmm, warm...

Once Bill brought him inside, Gus discovered the warmth from the wood stove, and this is where he sat for quite awhile. He was very unsure about being inside the house, especially when the other two cats we already owned, were indignant at an intruder. They had all spent the summer together out on our deck, so the residents were sort of used to his presence already.

Beyza, Elsie, and Gus.

They all eventually came to terms with everyone living in peace. The white cat, is now in Seattle with my daughter, and the black cat Elsie, who also lived on Denali Rose has passed over the rainbow bridge.

In the ten years that Gus has lived with us, we found that if we let him be out after dark, his feral nature would turn on, and we would have a hard time getting him back to being a house cat. We never let the pets out at night anyway, as there were too many predators, and of course here in the marina, no way to know, see or rescue if he gets into trouble.

Back to being on house arrest.

After his foray till 2 in the morning, Gus spent the next few days yowling at us continually when we wouldn't let him out, and then when we did, he would disappear for 12 hours or more at a time. He would race out the door, leap off of the boat, and skedaddle down the docks to parts unknown. One night he came back at 10:00pm smelling of wood smoke. This led us to believe he was leaving the dock, going into the parking lot, and perhaps crossing the highway to someone's house. Enough of this! 

A. The constant yowling noise has got to stop! B. No more unknown adventures to who know where!

Reading up on cat psychology, you're supposed to ignore them when they make too much noise. Don't reward the behavior by giving them what they want. Yeah, right, easier said than done! What a tremendous racket he makes!

So here's our solution. 

Bill thought that maybe he would take Gus for a walk on the dock with his harness and leash, maybe Gus would lead him to where he was disappearing. We outfitted him up, and Bill took him out to the dock, it was almost funny. Gus was like, "YAY, I'm out, time to dash", but when he got to the end of the bungey leash, he boomeranged back, and it was like, "What the HELL, and NO DICE, I'm not doing this! Gus ran back inside the boat, and found a corner to pout. So far all attempts to walk on a leash have been unsuccessful, even though we used to do it all of the time. 

A man and his cat.

Now whenever he starts yowling to go out, he gets his harness, and leash on, and we attempt to go for a walk. He's kind of getting the idea that yowling to go, means, yes, you can go, but only with the harness, and leash. No more mad dashes to wherever, for whatever amount of time. He's doing quite a bit of pouting. We're making sure all ports are latched, and tightened, and that he can't pry the hatch doors open, believe me, he has tried. 

We're also tethering him to the boat, he can be out in the cockpit sitting on the cushions, but the tether will only take him to the door of the enclosure, so that he can sit on the cooler, and observe the world. 

"I'll be good!" Yeah, right. 

Stink eye!

That's the end of the tether.

He's also become resistant to this indignity, once his harness goes on, and the clip to the tether, he sits at the companionway door, and refuses to go any further.

"This is degrading.."

We're trying our best to turn off the feral switch in his brain, but it's proving to be very resistant. We want our sweet Gusters back, the one who can be trusted to sit and guard his boat, and come in for dinner when it's time. 

As always, we enjoy hearing from you, either here in comments or on our Facebook Denali Rose Sailboat page.

Friday Funny 10-07-2022 (Red Sky at Night?)

 

As much as we call our permanent slip in Wrangell home anyway. 

This is more our style, we usually avoid community docks, unless we have a need, ie, fuel, groceries, hardware store, beer, wine, you know, the necessary items.

I've looked back through last summers photos, and we saw quite a few beautiful sunsets.

Magoun Islands State Marine Park

Redoubt Bay

Anchored inside the Sitka breakwater

Chichagof Island

Swanson Harbor

Swanson Harbor

Keku Islets

St John Harbor, Zarembo Island

I took most of these photos with my IPhone, and I didn't even enhance the color on any of them. 

This was our wanderings from April to September, map taken from No Foreign Land .  Starting in Wrangell, then Sitka, outside Chichagof Island, up inside Glacier Bay Natl Park, back down to Hoonah, over to Juneau, down to Tracy Arm, over and up inside Seymour Canal, down to the Keku Islands, through Rocky Pass, and back to Wrangell.

As always, we enjoy hearing from you, either here in comments or on our Facebook Denali Rose Sailboat page.

Our Hearts are Broken

 We recently lost our sister-in-law, Celia, in a tragic accident, we are heartbroken, but coping. 

She was one of the most capable women I've ever known. If you had something broken, give her gum, a paperclip, and a rubber band, she'd have it working again. She was a real current day McGyver. She helped build both of their homes, and when she picked up a power tool, it was as if she had been using it her whole life.

She became a licensed private pilot in 1985, and did her own work on her airplane, and would have completed it, except that FAA requires a licensed A&P to sign off. She frequently took her family for rides, and enjoyed the company of her husband, my brother David, on adventures.

She spoke Russian, she took lessons because of a sister city. 

Celia played the bassoon in the Community Band, played the flute and led the handbell choir, at her church.

They had a boat for a bit, Celia researched, and built the canvas cover. She also crocheted, and when times were quiet, it seemed like she always had a set of needles in her hands.

She was an accomplished motorcycle rider. She had traveled more than 100,000 miles on five different motorcycles, including trips across the country, while going to and from her hometown in Alaska. She did almost all of the maintenance on her bike also.

One of her greatest accomplishments, was raising three sons, attending their weddings, and seeing her family grow with grandchildren. They could always count on Grandma to be there, playing games, reading, teaching, and playing on the floor with them.

In 1999, I started work in the business office of the Geophysical Institute, UAF, Celia was the IT manager for the building. I barely knew anything about computers then, and had a steep on the job learning curve. Whenever I had a problem, or didn't know something, I just gave Cee a call. Everyone in the office wondered why I got such immediate, and consistent attention, I eventually had to divulge that she was my sister in law, and then I had to give up such preferential treatment. I didn't want to get either one of us in trouble. 

Later, when I changed jobs, and worked in the same building as my brother, Cee, and I got a good laugh. I was asked when David and I had gotten married, I replied that his wife would have something to say about that. We all shared the same last name, which led to the misunderstanding, and I again had to admit to family ties. 

When I was expecting the birth of my first child, I was on the "hospital tour" with my Lamaze class, we walked into a birthing room, and there was Cee in labor with her third child. I stayed just a moment to give her a hug, and then quickly departed. I was just weeks away from my delivery date, and wasn't ready to live it yet. Our sons ended up being 6 weeks apart in age, we still don't know which one of them is the major instigator. 😀

My brother had a bout with a serious cancer, after his treatment, Celia completely revamped their diet. They decided to try the vegan lifestyle, and she made sure that they both received the proper nutrition. She researched various recipes, and websites to come up with creative, and flavorful dishes, even sending out a once a month recipe for the rest of the family. 

She sent out a daily scripture to about 20 people in a group text. Somehow this text message continued for several days after her death. We felt like she was still speaking, and taking care of us. 

We'll always miss you.