There are so many wildfires in Alaska right now..Fairbanks is basically surrounded by them. Yesterday it rained ash! It seemed somewhat smoky this morning, but not too bad. More smoke came through when I was at work..Bill and I were taking pics of the sun haha. After work mom and I went to the Midnight Sun Festival..omg so many people!! Mom and I like to go earlier, but I couldn't this time since I had to work. A couple people there had their CATS with them!! I always see dogs, but cats is a first for me haha. I melted and had to pet them hehe..I was really surprised by how calm they were! More people bring your cats to the festival, please :P (there was also a dog wearing sunglasses, and another wearing a hat..awesome haha). I got my favorite festival foods (a Navajo taco, lemonade, Dippin' Dots) and stopped by that coin store with cool polar books..I try to limit myself to once a year since I always spend too much money in there haha. We didn't stay for a long time since we were hot and sweaty and tired of being crowded..as we left, we saw this crazy huge smoke plume to the south..we figured that fire near the Parks Highway (Bear Creek Fire) had gotten way worse. I checked online, and someone had posted pictures of the fire next to the road, and they said the fire jumped the road after they passed it. Yikes!! It definitely looked apocalyptic. O_o That part of the highway is closed now. A lot of people are having to evacuate. Scary! It'll be so awesome when that cold front comes through on Monday..it'll be in the 70s and rainy for a few days, nice! I prefer cuddling under a blanket to being too hot lol. Hopefully no one will lose their house/pets, etc!

( a few pics )

21. Foods you hate: Peanut butter, olives, mushrooms, pickles, ham, asparagus, etc

Last year, I discovered a flightseeing company out of Delta Junction (about 1/2-2 hours south of Fairbanks) that did flights around the Alaska Range, including Black Rapids Glacier..I'd been wanting to fly over that glacier for years, and I said that on my birthday this year that's one thing I would do. My birthday week was cloudy, so I made a reservation for today, because the heat wave brought clearer weather. Unfortunately, the wind chose today to bring over smoke from fires burning in Canada..that's not nice!! Haha. Me and mom and her friend Sarah (they sew/craft a lot together) drove down anyway and met the pilot at the "airport" (literally a path of gravel through a field haha). He said the smoke might get better in the mountains, so we hopped on and took off. This was Sarah's first time in a small plane! The pilot was glad I had a specific location in mind, apparently other people are like "just take us anywhere" haha. It look a little time getting to the mountains (the smoke was somewhat better there), but once we did..wooow. There is SO much beauty and awesomeness you can't see from the road!! I loved how smooth the snow/ice looked on the mountains, like ice cream! It was VERY hard trying to take pictures though, so bright! Mom actually got a better view of Black Rapids from her side, but she thought she left her phone in the car, so she couldn't take any pictures! Ouch! (She saw it was in her purse when we landed!) That was kind of disappointing, but I still enjoyed the view of the tributary glaciers (I think the pilot said they're just considered the Black Rapids complex or something like that), the pretty meltponds, moraines, etc. We also saw the beginning of the Susitna Glacier. I wished we could have spent more time there, but that would have been insanely expensive, and those little planes only hold not a huge amount of fuel (it's never long enough for me when I'm around glaciers haha). When we were flying back, the pilot pointed to where he worked at his "real" job, and said he was on his lunch break..well that's pretty much the best lunch break ever haha. Unfortunately, not all of my pictures came out (especially with the wing strut thing in the way), but I still got some cool ones

After that we had buffalo burgers at a restaurant that I think is only open in the summer, went to a fabric store, and went to this grocery store that sells food from different countries, like Russia (their donuts looked good, but I was way too full from lunch to eat one lol). We have our road trip "musts": glaciers, food, fabric..works for me!! Haha. The smoke was a little better on the drive back, yay! Sarah thanked us for inviting her and said she had a good time..fun was had by all :D

( pics from the flight!! )

I got home very early this morning and now I can do a recap since I'm not socializing/exhausted haha. I wasn't sure how much time mom and I would spend with Aunt Cindy and Uncle Dean since their friends (Pam and Ken) were visiting too, but we actually spent a lot of our time with them! They were super nice and didn't at all object to having to share Cindy and Dean with us haha. One of the days Pam and I added each other on Facebook and she fistbumped me and said "we're friends now!" Heck yes! Haha. We spent a lot of time shopping downtown (with me admiring all the shops' curtains LOL). There were LOTS of tourists around..for some reason most of the time it was super windy, but otherwise it was sunny and nice. Downtown is dangerous because there are too many things to buy haha. I kept wondering why I was so out of breath doing simple things, until someone said something about the altitude (7,199 feet)..ah yes, that explained it haha. It's also SUPER dry, even drier than Fairbanks! Drinking water didn't help much, but lip balm did, thankfully. We also went to a couple bookstores (one with thousands of books in Spanish..the most in the country, according to the owner), but unfortunately, the one I usually went to was not in business anymore..the last time I was there the owner talked about how much he wanted to retire, so he did (another bookstore owner said he moved to California). It was a cool bookstore though..I wonder what he did with all his books? The library had a little store, with amazingly had a copy of The Worst Journey in the World, which I made Cindy buy LOL..she was like "every time you visit, I end up with a stack of books!" haha. I hope she likes it!

On Thursday I was excited but nervous to see Drew Lynch! Another comedian opened for him, and she owned horses, and said her pronouns were neigh/nem, with I thought was HILARIOUS lol. Eventually it was Drew's turn! He always opens his shows by making fun of or making observations about where he's performing. He mentioned being blown away but the crazy wind, blaming the altitude for stuttering, making fun of the town Truth or Consequences, and also having to use lip balm. There was also someone who was deaf in the audience, so there were a couple ASL interpreters to help him. When Drew came onstage and saw her he was like "oh no, I have to try not to stutter, would that look like a seizure in ASL??" That added part made the show even funnier..I can't remember the deaf person's name, so I'll go with Gary..he and the interpreters had a lot of attention from Drew (both of the interpreters were having fun lol). My favorite part of the show was when Drew stuttered, looked at the interpreter, and said "did you just sign my stutter?!" That's a huge reason I like him so much, he uses humor for his situation (like I do with autism). He's not just another guy trying to be funny..I feel like he would feel vulnerable, but he doesn't seem fazed. I also like how good he is at ad-libbing, like when he saw the interpreters. He has a fun laugh, though the volume was too loud. Mom said she had trouble following him sometimes, because he would start to say something and stop and change what he was going to say, but I'm sure that's because his stutter wouldn't let him say it..that would be frustrating, but he says something like "oh you know!," and continues on. I didn't understand or like ALL of his jokes, but it was still really fun! (I was super exhausted after it was over, too much stimulation!) He likes to post funny parts of his shows on YouTube, and I can't wait to see what he posts from this show! (Hopefully his interactions with the interpreters!) I'll have to share it if he does post it. At the end of the show, he said "you guys were f-ing awesome!" Why thank you. :P Haha. I'm glad he had fun too!

I flew home yesterday, but mom went on to Florida to visit grandpa (he's having cancer treatments and sometimes doesn't feel well). I HAVE to go back to work tomorrow, so I told mom to tell him I said "hi." It was nice to get away for a few days after working so hard during the move! I'm sure there's lots to do still though. :P I'm pretty sure Curti grew while I was gone, he's getting so big!!

( pics from the trip! )

17. What makes you angry? Animal abuse, slow internet, being mean for no reason, etc

18. What five things do you want to do on your next birthday? I'd love to take a plane ride to Black Rapids Glacier (there is a company that does that now!), eat cake, open presents, shop at Barnes and Noble haha, relax online

19. Your most recent dream: I can't really remember..

A book set in or around a body of water: Sharpe's Trafalgar by Bernard Cornwell (Feb 1-4). I hadn't read a Sharpe book since high school! My friend would read one first and then give it to me to read, and I went over to her house and watched the TV show with Sean Bean. It was really fun! I remember loving the epic battles and this one didn't disappoint either lol. It would be cool to read all of them again someday!

A classic you've never read: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (Feb 5-10). Omg this book was AWFUL, absolutely one of the worst books I've ever read. The language and sentences that seemed like a page long were hard to read, and it was SO boring (I'd read a page and then would have no idea what I just read). Stranded on an island for like 30 years and building your "castle," farming..yay? Then one day he found a footprint on the beach, had a meltdown because he thought it could have been from a "savage," ran to his cave, where it LITERALLY took him two or three pages before he realized it was probably his own. Then he saves "Friday" and basically makes him his slave. Ugh. One day I'm going to stop reading a book if I'm hating it lol..I hate giving up though!

A book about chosen family: Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes (Feb 10-16). Psychic cats in space?? Heck yes! I wish they had been more involved in the story, but I definitely still bought the two sequels after I read this one lol. The main character was feisty and somehow got out of every crazy situation she was in :P

Two books with the same title (1): Stranded by Bracken MacLeod (Feb 17-20). Icebound in the arctic with a lot of weirdness going on..kind of like that Doctor Strange movie where there's a different you in an alternate universe. One character met his "twin" and flipped out and started killing everyone O_o

Two books with the same title (2): Stranded by Sarah Goodwin (Feb 21-24). A reality show where a bunch of people have to survive on an island for a year..what could go wrong? (A lot.) I hated that the main character was hated so much and ostracized, but she was one of the only people to survive..brutal stuff

A book with a title that starts with the letter Y: Yellowstone Standoff by Scott Graham (Feb 24-27). I LOVED the descriptions of nature and stuff in this book ("The road broke from the forest into the open. Prairie-like Hayden Valley stretched to the south and west, its grasslands interspersed with stands of lodgepole pines. The valley's lush, early summer grasses glowed emerald green in the morning sun"), and I definitely didn't expect the plot twist at the end! National park mysteries are some of my favorites lol

( the topics )

Abby..still isn't doing super great. She eats a little, but still not enough, and dad found diarrhea in the litter box this morning. Sometimes she still sits like she's uncomfortable. The vet gave me a dropper thing to fill with food and put in her mouth, but she's not super interested, even with the appetite stimulant. Her body is probably just shutting down..neither mom nor I want to force feed her, give her meds, etc if it's not helping her..it's cruel and I just can't stand seeing her suffer. We'll see how she is tomorrow, but the kindest thing is probably to put her to sleep. :( Abby's had a great life, I'm SO glad she chose me that day at the shelter <3

Mom said she ate grasshoppers in Mexico (she didn't particularly like them lol), and brought back cool souvenirs for everyone (mine were cat themed, of course :P). She even found a cool library with super old books, which I drooled over when she sent me the pictures. She even remembered to take a picture of at least one of the hotel's curtains hehe..nice. :P She said it was fun but super exhausting and it was amazing being in her own bed again lol

March 1: Two things that test your patience: Repetitive noises like loud gum chewing, whistling, pen clicking, etc, and slow Internet (huge first world problem, but it drives me crazy haha)

Happy New Year! Yesterday my parents and I watched the ball drop, and the London fireworks, which is one of the COOLEST things I've ever seen! It was so intricate and I'd never seen fireworks do some of those things before, like spiraling around the London Eye! That must have taken a LOT of planning. Then mom and I watched the new Endurance documentary (very good! Even on the bottom of the ocean, the ship still looks proud <3). When it turned midnight, I held Abby and said "you're 20 this year!! You're such a good kitty!" hehe

Today we finally had Christmas with Ryan and Jo, who both wore masks and gloves..surely we're not contagious by now?? I got a Celtic knot bookmark and a giftcard to Barnes and Noble from Ryan and Jo, and from mom some fleece jackets, pants, glacier soap, a little kit with scissors and stuff to go in my new desk, cat sticky notes and a back scratcher mom said I can also use to get things down from places I can't reach haha. Dad got everyone cool fancy hand painted dishware from Poland! I got Ryan a butter dish in the shape of a coffin with a skull on it, which he LOVED. He'd probably be happy if Halloween lasted all year :P

( i still need to find a meme, but here's a book survey! )

1. What was especially good for your mental health this year? Work, curtains haha, traveling, etc
2. What was especially good for your physical health this year? I walk a LOT at work, though my knee is "creaky" now because of that haha
3. What did you learn this year? Various facts I've learned in books and stuff
4. As this year ends, what’s trending to make you optimistic about next year? A fresh start is usually nice! A couple books are coming out that I'm excited about too
5. What’s better now than it was twelve months ago? My Internet..much faster now, yay!

Yesterday was work's annual Christmas party! We were able to bring a +1, so mom could go, yay! We ate food, opened our stockings (all of us brought stocking stuffers..my stocking was very full haha), and did a white elephant gift exchange..I was the second person to go, and the present I chose had two books, a fancy Robert Frost poetry book, a journal with a cool cover, and a scented candle (something to do with rain)..I immediately knew Vicki has brought those, it was definitely her style! Last year I also got her present (The Sleeper and the Spindle)..I must be drawn to them lol. The person next to me stole my gifts, and the next gift I opened was..transmission fluid?! Woooow, so special LOL. Mom knew I really wanted those books back, so she took them and she swapped those with the transmission fluid..so nice of her!! My books were safe then because they had been stolen twice, yay! After that we did the "Reindeer Olympics." Each program got together (GED, Bookstore, etc) and we each did one event. The first was picking up a marshmallow with a straw and putting it on a plate, the second was drawing a snowman blindfolded, the third was tossing rings on a reindeer hat one of us was wearing (I was the reindeer, and Vicki got seven rings on my antlers, so we won that event!) and the last was wearing cups on your hands (like reindeer hooves) and picking up marshmallows (small and large..the small ones were worth two points because they were harder to pick up) and putting them on a plate (I also did that one..it was harder than it sounded! I got 70 something points though, nice!). How fun! The bookstore got 4th place, I think. I also got a $300 Christmas bonus!! Considering we're a nonprofit, that's super generous! The bookstore is open Monday and then I'll be off for about two weeks..I hope I don't get bored!! I saved up on hidden cat games, so that'll help too lol

( a few pics from the night )

Mom said dad had the stomach flu a couple nights ago! Before that, the only time either of us had known him to throw up was when dad and I took the ferry up the Inside Passage in 2012. Very unusual! That is definitely one of the worst sicknesses to have. He's feeling better today, but tired..the stomach flu definitely takes a lot out of you! (Literally and figuratively lol)

14. What’s the Best Gift You’ve Ever Given or Received? The junk journal mom made, a glacier cake, a cat with a sign that says "I love you" that I gave to mom, etc

15. What Annoys You? Being mean for no reason, chewing/popping gum loudly, snoring, etc

16. If the World Was Ending, What Would You Want to Do? Spend time with loved ones

17. What Role Does Procrastination Play in Your Life? I procrastinate a lot haha, especially when it comes to housework :P

18. Have You Ever Changed Your Mind About a Hot-Button Issue? Probably

19. What Are the Best Things You’ve Watched, Read, Heard or Played This Year? The Cormoran Strike series, The Mystery Guest, Stray, "Defying Gravity," etc

20. Was There a Toy You Wanted as a Child but Never Got? I wanted "real" pixie dust..mom gave me a box with stuff inside it (cinnamon, maybe??), but the note said not to open it because all the magic would leak out. She told me when I was older that she didn't want me jumping off the balcony to "test" it..probably a good idea lol

I am home! I was definitely tired when I went to work today lol. Here are the rest of the Kansas pics!


The chapel where the funeral was held. So pretty!!

( the rest )

27. Where, and How, Do You Watch Movies? Usually at the theater, Amazon Prime or airplane apps on my computer when flying

28. What Is Your Favorite Street? I have a soft spot for Piccadilly in London lol

On Sunday, I flew to Kansas City..I watched Bohemian Rhapsody on the second flight, and got Queen songs stuck in my head all day haha. Cindy and mom picked me up, and I *think* we hung out at Julie's house before getting our hotel room (there would be WAY too many people at Julie's house if everyone stayed there). I also got informed on this MASSIVE drama going on between Gina, Julie and Joelle. It seems that Gina has built up resentment and hurt over the years and is choosing now to air it. There was a long Facetime discussion where Gina was just nasty and had Joelle in tears more than once, and Julie said she had been punched in the gut. Ugh, how awful. I went to bed later and slept HARD, I was so tired!!

The next day mom and the others went to the cemetery to pick out a spot in the mausoleum for grandma..I was far too tired to wake up early enough for that, but I did go to the meeting at the funeral home (what kind of casket we wanted, flowers, etc. The funeral is on Friday), which took forever, and then went to a restaurant because we were all hungry after that haha. When we told the hostess we had seven people in our party, she said "uh..ok..let me see if there's a waiter who'd be willing to serve you." Wha..what?? We were all stunned because we'd never had anyone say that to us before! I think covid killed good customer service. D: Mom and I had to change hotel rooms because there were too many things wrong with it, and went to bed

These last couple days we've been cleaning out grandma's room at the retirement home she lived in, going through pictures and stuff to see who wants to keep them, and trying to manage Gina's drama!! She sent REALLY nasty messages yesterday, saying she couldn't trust "the family" anymore and interpreted Joelle returning something to her as a "sign" she wasn't wanted in the family anymore (Joelle hadn't known it was a gift and she texted Gina saying so, but Gina wouldn't listen to her). She said she would not be going to grandma's funeral and was basically estranging herself from the family. Everyone was hurt and very confused. It's hard to focus to work on grandma's place when getting messages like that! Cindy actually called Gina later to ask if she wanted anything from grandma's place, and also started talking about the drama. She said she hadn't slept and felt better after a day (she works nights) of sleep, but still felt hurt. Me and mom and Cindy all told her we really wanted to see her, and maybe have a healing conversation with Julie and Joelle?? We told her she could stay at the hotel with us. We said she'd feel guilty the rest of her life if she didn't come! She thought about it and then said she'd at least try to make it to the funeral. We're not sure if she really will, but I guess we'll see on Friday (for a minute there I wasn't sure if being here with drama or being stuck in the crazy ice/snow storm in Fairbanks was preferable haha). Cousin Jordan arrived yesterday, who I hadn't seen since his wedding in 2020! It's so weird seeing him grown up haha

Today was thankfully drama-free, so I'm not too drained to write here tonight haha. I *definitely* left Fairbanks at the right time, the ice/snow storm sounded CRAZY..many inches of snow, icy roads, wind, downed power lines, etc. Work was closed for a couple days..wow. I hope things aren't too bad when I fly back on Sunday! Today cousin Jessalyn arrived, who I also hadn't seen in person since 2020. We went through a lot of pictures and mementos and stuff..grandma was so gorgeous when she was younger! We might be doing the same thing tomorrow, and making last-minutes preparations for the funeral. Hopefully it'll stay drama-free!

( a few pics )

20. Would You Like to Live in Another Country? It would be interesting, it was hard enough just moving to another state though. Maybe one like Iceland though..

21. What’s the Coolest Thing You’ve Ever Seen in a Museum? The penguin eggs Cherry brought back from Antarctica, a stagecoach, artifacts from the Erebus and Terror, etc

22. Are You a Good Listener? I definitely try to be!

23. Do We Still Need Libraries? Sure, not everyone can afford to buy books. A building full of books is cool anyway :P (the New York Public Library was pretty cool, super fancy!)

Earlier today, grandma passed away. Mom left last night because they couldn't get grandma's oxygen level stable, and mom said grandma waited for her to get there and then passed away. I'm really glad I was able to see grandma as much as I did this year. Her quality of life really wasn't good this year, so I'm glad she's not suffering anymore. She was one strong lady though, and always so sweet and kind to me. I loved her house in Wichita because she lived next to a sycamore tree haha. Hawaii by James Michener will forever remind me of her, because it was one of her favorite books and gave me a copy to read. I'm not sure about funeral arrangements yet, but of course Vicki said to leave whenever I need to. I will treasure 35 years of memories with grandma forever <3 (this picture is definitely one of my favorites of her and me)

( more pics of grandma )

There are probably other pictures of us together, I just need to find them. I hope she's at peace in whatever afterlife there is!

There's a crazy-sounding winter storm coming this weekend (my head can feel it, ugh. The first major snowstorm is always the worst). There's a possibility of heavy snow with mixed freezing rain, accumulations of 6 to 10 inches, a glaze of ice, and winds could gust as high as 35 mph. O_o I hope the power doesn't go out! I think I'll be staying inside under a blanket this weekend LOL

17. Are There Topics That Should Be Off Limits to Comedy? Yeah, like rape and things like that

18. What Animal Are You Most Like? A cat in certain ways, a sloth haha, etc

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith (Aug 26-Sept 6). I REALLY hope Strike and Robin end up as a couple in the next book..they've obviously liked each other from the beginning and it's driving me crazy haha

Falling by T.J. Newman (Sept 6-9). Definitely not one to read on an airplane D:

Sivulliq: Ancestor by Lily H. Tuzroyluke (Sept 9-30). Last month's book club book! The story was good, but the writing wasn't that great (she wrote "passed" instead of "past" in a few places). This was her first book though, hopefully she'll get better if she writes more! The part where they slaughtered walruses was brutal D:

Plague Land by S.D. Sykes (Sept 10-14). I've had the fourth book in this series on my Amazon wish list for awhile, so it was cool finding the first book at work! Not my favorite historical mystery I've read, but as long as bed curtains are mentioned...LOL

The Heart of the World: The Life and Death of a Glacier Pilot by Ned Rozell (Sept 15-17). One of the pilot's favorite places to land was Black Rapids Glacier, so jealous! He had to stop flying because he got cancer..so sad!

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame by Meg Long (Sept 18-24). The first one (Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves) was better, but then that one took place on an icy planet, which of course I prefer over the jungle like the second one was based. I love the characters' wolf companion lol

Ice Trek by Ewan Clarkson (Sept 25-27). Survival story in the Alaskan wilderness? Definitely had to read that one :P

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa (Sept 27-29). I like novels better than short stories, but how can I resist stories about cats?

No One Noticed the Cat by Anne McCaffrey (Sept 29-30). The cover has a four-poster bed with a cat on it, definitely had to read that one!! I loved passages like the cat slipping away from her vigil at the fold of the bed curtains :D

Yesterday mom texted me a picture of Biden in the Oval Office and she said "you're right, the curtains are ugly!" I'm happy she noticed them LOL. Even before I liked curtains I wrote that I hoped Biden would take them down because they were so ugly

*shudders* The next president better get rid of those, because they are awful to look at (one time I told a coworker the first thing I'd do as president would be to replace the curtains, and she rolled her eyes and said "priorities" LOL). Maybe something blue and white?

( sept 30-oct 1 )