Things I Like Now.....

There are some things I just never liked when I lived in Michigan that I really love now. As I started thinking about it I realized that many of the things are representative of life in Alaska, so I decided to share my list.

Three things that never crossed my mind as liking before I moved here were guns, 4-wheelers and studded tires. Now I could wax eloquent on those topics; you don't want to get me started! And I hate to think of life without my .44, driving without studs or not tooling around on a 4-wheeler.

My husband brags that now I'm a meat eater. All my life I have bordered on being vegetarian, but meat up here has been so cheap for us (a free moose, and fresh, organic, grass-fed cow for under $3/lb. from our neighbor), and tastes better than any meat I've ever had in my life, that I now rave about steaks and burger. Along with eating meat, I now have a cast iron frypan, another stranger in my previous life, but a good friend I'd hate to cook without, and a grill that sees regular use. And homemade food from scratch is the way to go. Why pay the premium grocery stores charge for convenience food when I can make spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, bread, waffles, pancakes and everything else in between from scratch for a fraction of the cost? It just makes sense to cook that way with groceries being as expensive as they are. I have also joined 2 natural foods buying clubs that order food bulk from Seattle, something I thought only radicals did (Hm. Maybe I am one now??). The food is cheaper, and healthier too. Shopping happens through an online catalog rather than in a building.

Other miscellaneous things I now like, that I either never noticed before or actively disliked: log homes, hardwood floors, walking in the mud (just get muck boots!), a 30 minute commute to town (gorgeous scenery helps), and playing cribbage. A few things I like more now that I am here: cross-country skiing, backpacking, playing cards & games and sunshine.

Am I a radically different person now that these things are part of my life? I don't think so. Many things on my list are simply adaptations to life here, while others are tools we use. Does every Alaskan have or like these things? Definitely not, but it seems like more of them do than I ran across in Michigan.