by Peter Twitchell
It is that time again, to prepare for winter. We’ve put our winter feed of dried, canned, frozen salmon and moose, caribou, deer and bear stored. Time to fit our kids and grandkids for winter with wear gear and warm boots.
Back in the 1950s grandma Hannah and her sewing friends were making kameksaks and piluguqs. They didn’t need insoles, but stuffed their boots with dry grass.
Grass was a natural lifesaver item when you were stranded and wet in frigid weather conditions.
Now that we are a part of mainstream America we tend to focus our energy to changing our vehicle oil, and replacing our summer tires to studded tires. Always better to be safe than sorry.
Most people have modern means of heating their homes and some use wood burning stoves as well.
Energy assistance in rural Alaska has always been a godsend. I got used to living in Bethel, where I was comfortable, and felt at home.
Living in the City was a real culture shock for me the first year I was here from 2017 to 2018. I am retired, but not ready to ease up.
I want to do what I can before I go and meet my maker. I’ve been busy with my music which has given me longevity. It’s really kept me sane, when conditions living in a rat race world would dictate otherwise.
Being around Sugpiat, Inupiat, Tlingit, Athabascans, and Yupiat has been a big plus, because we basically speak the same language regarding life and the traditions and values of our tribes, and we share the same God.
Living in the Matanuska Valley gives me a sense of peace. The mountains are a beautiful picture in my mind, which I visit on a daily basis.
It sure beats looking at empty whiskey, vodka, and beer bottles strewn all over Bethel.
Quite often DOT workers are picking up the litter from alongside the roadway, and anyone caught littering is slapped with a ($1000) thousand dollar fine.
The sound of the Alaska Railroad horn all summer coming through has always been a welcome sound to my ears. The horn blows six times … ahhh.
