Okay, I'm Back

I had the privilege of reading an advance copy of Peter Grant's upcoming book (volume 5 of the Maxwell Saga, for those are also reading it), which I believe he intends to release soon.

As soon as he says it's all right, I'll be happy to provide detail. But it's a GOOD one!

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Our weather provided a bit of a treat this morning, as we received a dusting of snow. It was about 14° F. when it started, making what fell very much like the aftermath of a goose-down pillow fight. :)

Besides finishing the book, my wife and I did a bit o' shopping, including a couple of trips to one of the auto parts stores. Younger Daughter needed new wipers for her SUV, but has been working so many long days that she's permanently ensconced upon the couch this afternoon. It's her only day off in the last six, and she's been working 12- to 16-hour days (two jobs are involved). So I volunteered.

That SUV uses 28" blades, which are readily available. But I forgot that the fastening system has changed. The old J-hook standby isn't quite secure enough for blades that long, and Ford created a new system with a two-point fastener to help keep the blade sweeping smoothly, rather than skittering from end-to-end. So I had to take the first set back, and get another pair. Fortunately, the store isn't too far away.

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AccuHunch, having forecast a "strong storm" for tonight, has pushed said forecast back to Wednesday night or Thursday morning. We'll believe there's snow on the way when it actually starts falling. For the record, however, I'd be perfectly happy to be wrong; we need the snow. Are you listening, Mother Nature?

Icy and Snowless, Iditarod Officials Shorten Ceremonial Start

This Saturday's ceremonial start of the 2016 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will only cover three miles, rather than the traditional 11-mile course.

Between the lack of snow and continued unseasonably warm weather, there simply isn't enough snow to build the course. Even with several rail-cars of snow hauled from Fairbanks, it won't work.

I know there's nothing they can do, but ... just dang. It doesn't seem like the Iditarod if it isn't cold and snowy, you know?

When they officially begin the race on Sunday, there will be some snow cover. Other places in Alaska have had a bit of snow, and the trail's in fair condition as it heads north and west.

The New Home Search

I filled out an application for a VA loan today, and found out we're qualified for twice as much house as we thought. "Stunned" is a good description.

Talk about raising one's expectations!

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My lovely wife is out in the yard, grilling a bunch of burgers and chicken breasts, and the weather - grey and ugly as always, this winter - is trying to rain. Yes, I know it should be snowing. Take it up with El Niño.

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Speaking of the lack of winter: the rear window defroster on my Explorer seems to have given up the ghost. I replaced the fuse, without result, so that probably means the relay is toast. A "dealer only" item, of course ... grumblegrumblegrumble...

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And you probably didn't know that you owe your wi-fi to Alaska. Well, sort of:

Alex Hills is known as the inventor of Wi-Fi, but his work bringing public radio and telephones to rural Alaska in the 1970s prepared him for that work and remains among his proudest accomplishments.

He led the team that built the first Wi-Fi network at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in the early 1990s, launching a revolution in mobile computing that has changed our lives. Afterward, Hills moved back to Palmer and remains involved in the community.

Like all good Alaskan stories, it involves grit, determination, and duct tape. :)
Read the whole story at the link.

Just a Few Thoughts

Very light traffic this morning; kind of a nice change of pace. How light? There were a couple stretches on the highway when I could use high beams. That almost never happens.

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I was beginning to think my constant fatigue was indicative of a health problem, until finding out that everyone is having the same issue. I maintain it's the lack of winter (no snow, no cold weather).

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All of the arrangements for the upcoming April vacation have been made. Older Daughter and I will be putting plenty of miles on the rental car. :)

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There has been sudden, fairly sharp increase in the number of shootings and other violent crimes in southcentral Alaska. I was going to say "in Anchorage", but we're not alone. Again, the lack of inclement weather has allowed the bottom-feeder element to take advantage of the long nights. Although the nights aren't as long as they were a couple of months ago, they're still long enough to allow for plenty of mischief.

Unsurprisingly, people here are talking about how the quality of life in Anchorage has "suddenly" soured.  I submit, Gentle Reader, that the criminal element has always been here; it's just that they're feeling empowered.

It also doesn't help that the local news keeps hammering on how the local PD has shrunk a bit. Mostly, it's the worsening economy that's kept officers from working overtime. I've always maintained that if you have to consistently work overtime to get the job done, it's either a) poor planning by management, or b) need to hire more workers.

In this case, however, it seems the Muni of Anchorage has been relying on State grants and other monies to hire additional officers and fund overtime. That source has dried up.

All of this forces the Municipality to show its cards, and clearly display where its priorities are. If the money isn't going to public safety (an essential service), then one must follow the money and discover where it does go.

I have a feeling many won't like the answers.

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Like many, we mourn the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia. It's sad to say that he was the most staunch Constitutionalist on the Supreme Court. It's probably safe to guess that whomever is nominated to replace him won't be of the same quality.

I pray I'm wrong.

Just One Snowstorm

Really, that's all we're asking for.

In an average winter, we're told, Anchorage receives about six feet of snow. Four years ago, we got 12 1/2 feet (officially). The unofficial total at my house, which I measured as carefully as I could, was 13' 9".

Since then, we had an average amount, then only about two feet last year, and this year's shaping up about the same.

We'd love to have a couple of those storms that snow so heavily you can watch the snow depth increasing. The ones where the snow gets so deep, so quickly, that you can't figure out where the road is, and the usual landmarks are completely obscured.

Those are fun. :)

Hump Day

We swam slowly up from the depths of sleep when the alarm sounded, this morning. It took me a minute to figure out what that noise was, and can't say I was happy about it.

That sound was at least two hours too soon for my liking, and I'd still rather go back to bed than be here at work ... but here I sit.

I've already processed bills, been on a conference call, dealt with a recalcitrant tenant, answered a letter, and investigated a complaint about cold office spaces. Now it's coming up on 08:00, and I need more coffee.

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We got about an inch of snow overnight. It's awfully nice to have the fresh white on the ground. However, at this time of year, we should be talking about how many feet of snow we'd already received. Instead, I'm reporting a whole 1.25" of snow, the first we've had in nearly a month.

The weatherman guesses we might get another one to three inches today, and we'll take it.

But it ought to be more; in fact, we need more, to prevent another summer of forest fires. 2015 was the second-worst fire season on record, with over a million acres burned. Betcha won't hear that on TV.

They only mention Alaska to a) complain about how we get "free money" for living here, or b) toss another handful of insults toward Sarah Palin (or one of her offspring).

The rest of the time, we might as well not be a part of the U.S. at all, and that would be just fine with most of us, most of the time. Especially after watching the national news.

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A friend in Missouri mentioned yesterday that gas in her town was down to $1.48 per gallon. Ours is still $2.29, as of this morning. We could really, really use some competition up here. The sole surviving refinery operator holds all of Alaska hostage, because he can.

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That's about all I have this morning. Thanks for stopping by, friends.

It's Official: Anchorage's Least Snowy Winter Now on Record

This past winter was unofficially the least snowy on record in Anchorage, the National Weather Service Alaska Regional Office declared Wednesday.

... Only 25.1 inches of snow fell during the 2014-15 winter season, NWS reported. That beat the previous low-snowfall record set in 1957-58, which saw 30.4 inches of snowfall.

The year with the heaviest snowfall on record was 2011-12, when 134.5 inches of snow were recorded.

The seasonal average is 74.5 inches, according to NWS.

Of course, the sky-is-falling/thermageddon warming alarmists will seize this as proof of global warming.

And will likewise conveniently forget the 11 feet of snow we got three years ago.

Iron Dog Racers Begin in Slush & Muck

Slush Cup Dept:

More like iron ducks than Iron Dogs, the teams of snowmachines racing in what is supposed to be the world's longest, toughest snowmobile race were paddle-tracking their way through the Alaska Range late Sunday afternoon.

Water-covered ice on Big Lake, rather than snow cover. Bill Roth/ADN

Never in the 31-year history of the 2,000-mile epic race had anyone seen anything like this. On a balmy day, racers started at two-minute intervals down a water-covered chute at Big Lake north of Anchorage and then slush-cupped their way north.

[snip]  Snowmachines speeding through wet, heavy glop sprayed slush everywhere. The snow resembled wet cement, and it slowed the early going.

I know most of you have more snow than you know what to do with. We hardly have any at all.


It's Everywhere Dept:

Fairbanks North Star Borough schools are closed Monday because of icy conditions, the district's website said, and all school-related classes are canceled as well because of the freezing rain.

"Interior roads are covered in ice," the DOT wrote on Facebook. "All available trucks are out sanding, but please remember that sand stays on the roads for a limited time."


The DOT also advised that the Parks Highway in the vicinity of Talkeetna had "difficult" driving conditions and black ice Sunday morning, as temperatures hovered around 36 degrees. Rain showers were expected to continue, and temperatures in the area were expected to reach the 40s on Monday, according to the NWS forecast.

It was even raining in the far-flung Western Alaska community of Nome, which was experiencing temperatures above freezing and rain falling Sunday, according to the DOT.
 

 Accidental Shooting Dept: 

A 4-year-old boy from Wasilla was shot through the leg, after his mother's gun fell out of its holster and discharged, Alaska State Troopers wrote in a dispatch, Saturday afternoon. 

At around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, troopers responded to reports of a child with a gunshot wound to the leg, at 4900 E Palmer-Wasilla highway.

Investigations revealed that "as the family was getting out of their pickup truck in the parking lot the mother's .357 magnum revolver fell out of her holster and struck the pavement by the hammer which caused the revolver to discharge a round," troopers wrote.

Troopers wrote that the fired round struck the child "just above the knee then exited his leg and lodged in the trim of the building."

 

Short Attention Span

I remember when Ronald Reagan said, "I used to be a Democrat, but the Democratic Party left me", and now I wonder how long before conservatives are tempted to say, "I used to be an American, but ..."  It certainly seems as though the inmates are running the asylum, these last few years.

Remember when the will of the people was enough to cause Congress to reverse course on unpopular issues? I miss those days.

I recall instructions in boot camp about how sailors were not obligated to follow an unlawful command. What no one specified, however, was the procedure to follow if we decided that an order or command was indeed unlawful. To whom were we supposed to turn?

I suspect that the average sailor was too used to following orders, after awhile, to give it much thought. That in itself frightens me now, as we contemplate the possibility of a nation-wide repetition of the 'Great Louisiana Gun Grab.' As various members of Congress debate how many bodies they'd be comfortable with, before a lunatic runs out of ammo in his/her first magazine, the State Department proceeds with the U.N.'s treaty to disarm American citizens.

Molon labe, y'all.

Will our military remember that such a thing is unconstitutional, and must not be obeyed? Or will they do as the National Guardsman in Louisiana who said sheepishly, "It made me feel a little weird," but did it anyway?


What I expect would happen, though, is the incremental approach as they begin to disarm individuals and small groups, in isolated areas. Despite the popularity of T-shirts which read, "The Founders would be shooting by now", it's pretty obvious that there won't be any widespread uprising. That leaves individual resistance, unless the level of unconstitutional tyranny gets ratcheted up sharply. Given the progressives' approach, I suspect they'll continue to move just slowly enough to allow the heat to die down before the cross the next "line in the sand".

And while we hear stories about this group or that being raided, the majority will sit back, forgetting the urgency because of their shortened TV/internet attention-deficit. They won't take it seriously until a squad of black-clad soldiers/police (and what's the effective difference, these days?) show up at their front door & turn the house upside down, looking for now-prohibited arms and ammunition.

And then, of course, it will be too late to do anything except stand around, bleating ineffectually.

Don't look to the courts for any help. 

It will fall to the several States to effectively nullify any federal actions in this regard. Remember what Benjamin Franklin said about hanging together?
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In local news, we watch gaggles of politicians (State and municipal) debating the sudden need for fiscal conservatism due to budget shortfalls. It would be amusing, if it weren't so serious, how it seems to be an unfamiliar concept to them. They're more interested in pointing fingers at one another, debating whether it's the previous Governor or mayor, or the current ones at fault, all the while talking about which programs need more money. Then they debate, without apparent end, about how many bond issues to place on the next ballot.

It never seems to occur to more than one or two of them that perhaps the issue isn't how many, but whether to place any at all.

I don't want to get depressed, so I'll move on to other things today. The weather is warmish this morning (24 degrees) with scattered areas of dense fog, and we only received about a half-inch of wet snow yesterday. There are probably slick spots, but yesterday afternoon's sunshine melted most of what fell on the roads. There's no snow in the forecast at all, as AccuHunch calls for a warm, rainy period over the next week. 

We could use the snow: the Iditarod's re-start on March 8th has already been moved from Willow to Fairbanks, and the Tustamena 200 on the Kenai Peninsula has been canceled due to lack of snow for the second year in a row.

Oh, well.

Thanks for stopping by, friends. Happy Friday!

It Was a Year Ago, Yesterday

that I had my little mishap.

But if it weren't for that rollover, and the subsequent medical check-up, I'd never have known about the blocked coronary artery until an actual heart attack. Mysterious ways, and all that ...

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In other news:

Air quality advisories remain in effect Thursday for Anchorage, Eagle River and the Matanuska Valley as cold, dry weather persists and gusty winds kick up dust.

The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for the Matanuska Valley for 3 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Winds, with gusts up to 70 and 80 mph, will only dry out the area more, said Michael Kutz, meteorologist with the weather service.

The weather service also issued a "red flag" warning for "critical fire weather conditions" in the Matanuska Valley and on the western Kenai Peninsula from 6 p.m. Thursday to midnight Friday.

"The winds are going to be the problem, just whistling through everywhere," Kutz said.

Increasing winds may drive air quality to "unhealthy to hazardous" levels, said an air quality advisory from the Matanuska-Sustina Borough.

In Anchorage, the Municipal Department of Health and Human Services kept Wednesday's air quality advisory in place.

The Air Quality Program recorded an air quality index value of 120 Thursday. Air quality index values between 101 and 150 are considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, said the Municipal Department of Health and Human Services. People with heart and lung ailments should avoid dusty roadways.

Fire warnings, here, in February. This weird winter continues to amaze us.