Moose: Tasty

We have eaten the moose! And it was good!



Chris made yummy mooseburgers last night (more pictures of the process, including exciting shots of raw ground moose patties, here), and now I can finally put a check mark next to the name of yet another of our earth's beautiful creatures, thus indicating that it was tasty.

Moose is a lean meat, so you have to add some fat to it to make a decent burger -- Chris added pancetta, so there were undertones of high-class bacon in the burger, but I could also taste the moosiness. It was pretty mild, actually (and not that different from beef, to tell the truth, but who cares).

I also saw another (live) moose across the street yesterday while I was out walking with Soren. It looked like Baby Shark. I couldn't see Mama Shark anywhere, which made me uneasy, so we didn't stick around too long.

Insights into the Toddler Mind

Soren's vocabulary is growing every day, and I think it's just the coolest thing. I love knowing what he's thinking about.

The funniest thing he does at the moment: he throws his arm into the air and announces "DONE!" when he feels it's time to move on to a different activity. It started as a way to tell me when he was finished eating, but now he's expanded its use to try to put an end to diaper changes, shopping trips, naps, and visits to friends' houses (sorry, AlaskanMama! Nothing personal, I'm sure!). He says "DONE!" as soon as his butt hits the changing table. Nice try.

He's in his crib right now, saying "Done. Mama. Done. Mama." However, I haven't heard any actual napping going on yet, so I'm going to ignore him. If I ignore him for five minutes or so and he still wants to get up, he'll get truly desperate and start asking for Daddy.

He's been a total wuss about going outside lately, which is bugging me because I would like to see the sun occasionally during my six-hour window of opportunity, and I can't really go for a walk without him. I bring him out anyway, trying to play up the fun and excitement of tromping around in the snow, but he's not buying it. He puts up with it for about 8.5 minutes before starting up with "House. House. Book. Lap. Book. Lap." Which, okay, is really freaking cute. My little boy is telling me that he'd rather be in the house, sitting on my lap and reading a book. I love that. It almost makes up for his bizarre distaste for sledding.

In other news, we went to a craft bazaar gift extravaganza thing last weekend and got two excellent Alaskan souvenirs: a cribbage board made out of a caribou antler, and a hammered iron fire poker with a little Dall sheep head on the top (not a real sheep head... it's also made of iron... just wanted to make that clear).

OH OH OH AND we have some real actual moose meat in the freezer! Chris managed to pick some up on his trip to Fairbanks! Plz send moose recipes kthx.

When You're a Moose You're a Moose All the Way

The moose excitement just hasn't let up! Yesterday evening, Soren and I were witness to a full-on moose turf war on our street. It was totally SWEET. The family of three (I will call them the Sharks) were chasing a lone male (I will call him Mr. Jet) through the neighborhood. Mr. Shark actually knocked Mr. Jet down at one point, and then Mr. and Mrs. Shark took off down the road after him. Baby Shark was trailing behind, looking a little confused. Maybe someday he will broker a peace between the two moose gangs. I believe that calves are our future.

The Sharks must have found some nicer grazing grounds this morning, because I got a video of Mr. Jet (I think) chilling on our neighbor's lawn. There was a moose sleeping on their lawn last night, too. I guess their place is the moose community center.

Note to Self

Do not go on walks without camera.

Soren and I took a little stroll on the coastal trail and found ourselves about 20 feet away from a family of three moose (maybe the same ones that were in our neighborhood the other night). They were downhill and on the other side of a high railing, so we weren't in any danger, and they were completely blasé about our presence anyway! Dang it, I really wish I'd been able to take a picture. Maybe we'll see them again tomorrow.

Country Moose, City Moose

I've seen a few country moose since we got here, but no city moose -- until Tuesday night! A friend came over and announced on her arrival that there was a family of three moose in the neighbor's yard. I said a quick goodbye to my darling husband (he's in Rhode Island right now, and we miss him and all, but come on! THREE MOOSE!), and ran out with my camera to try and get a picture. By most standards, I failed, but here's the evidence anyway:



The moose in question were munching peacefully on the neighbors' landscaping. Hopefully they'll come back during the daylight hours so I can get a better picture.

Speaking of daylight, I'm almost looking forward to the end of daylight savings, because sunrise is currently at NINE-THIRTY. Yeah. On the other hand, we only get a little bit of a break when the clocks are turned back, because sunrise will creep back up to 9:30 by November 24th.

Tales from the Bike Trail

Preamble
While I haven't written much about it, I have been biking to school most days. The rides are uneventful. I have not yet worked myself into a heart attack. On the contrary, I've continued to get stronger, and I'm doing most of my rides in a higher gear than when I started. The condition of my bike is not great, but I've managed to put off the getting a tune up. More workout for me, right? The ride in is still work, but I really enjoy the slightly more downhill ride home.

I. Moose!
I have had four moose spottings from the path; probably three different moose, including a mother and calf, the mother I've seen three times. For three sightings, the moose was 8-12 yards off the path munching away on grass or scrub. Once, I came upon two groups of people stopped on the trail about 30 yards apart, facing each other, as if there were going to be a rumble. In fact, the moose and her calf had just walked across the trail, and people were giving them space. We passed with the moose's rump just three feet off the trail. It was big. Sir Mix-a-Lot would be impressed.

While you might think that 8-12 yards would be a good opportunity to view a moose, and get a good picture, I have not done so. The reason is that moose are not that bright, but the moose near the trail have come to expect that there will be riders on the trail, and that they'll just keep going. And given that the moose aren't terribly bright, and that they defend themselves by charging and doing a 2000 pound hard-hooved dance on the head of the threatening entity, I've decided to do exactly what the moose expects: keep going.

II. Wipeout!
No, I didn't ride my bide down to surf the Turnagain Arm bore tide. I wrecked, hard. Left a lot of my left forearm on the pavement, and parts of my knee, hip side, and the plam of my right riding glove (it certainly paid for itself) as well. No hospital need, but it hurt a lot and required quite dramatic looking bandages.

I wish I had a great story, about dodging a moose (and then talking my way out of a trampling with my newly-honed moose whispering skills), or jumping over a dog, or helping to keep a kid safe, but I do not. I came into an intersection in the bike path, thought about going one way, saw some broken glass on the path, changed my mind, turned, got the handlebars cranked and went down.

The one lucky aspect was that this was the one trip I've made home without my laptop in my backpack.