That Thing Called Spring

One week ago, everyone was talking about the first day of Spring.

So I have a question: what is this thing called "Spring" of which you speak? Because our yard looks like this, today:

Remember That Episode of ST:TNG

where the Enterprise was caught in a temporal loop, and they experienced the same day over & over? Today felt like that; like every other Monday for the last several months. In fact, I think it was.

(Sunday afternoon, on the other hand, had at least a little bit going for it: I sat down with the appropriate CD software, a veritable stack - a stack, I say - of W-2s, and dove headlong into preparations for this go-round of the Great Leaching 2010. I was very nearly successful, but one W-2, or 1099, or whatever it was that Older Daughter received for her 3-week stint running a coffee shop last year has apparently evaporated. I went there today & asked the shop owner for another copy; in the meantime, our return is safely in the clutches of the U.S. Memorial Snail Mail Service bound for parts unknown or Fresno, whichever comes first.)

So today dawned cloudy and grey, and work commenced early as work is wont to do. It came, it went, I finished, and came home. I took older daughter to work, had dinner with wife & younger girl. We watched Top Gear, Glenn Beck, and Red Green.

Man.

This is the. worst. case. of. cabin. fever. EVER.

First Sign of Spring

We've had a light rain/snow mix this afternoon, with temps in the upper 20s. The snow had been melting somewhat for the last few days, with temps in the upper 30s since Friday. Today, not so much. But what I thought were water droplets turned out to be buds, once I zoomed in on a nearby tree.

An Evening in Springtime - UPDATED

Taken at 6:15 pm, today. We have a bit of melting in our future, before anything recognizable as "spring" will appear.

On the bright side (pun intended), we'll have more than 12 hours between sunrise and sunset tomorrow. The spring equinox comes a bit earlier, this far north. The rest of you must wait until Saturday ...

The temp today climbed slowly into the upper 30s, but the sun still feels warm to us. After all, last week we were still wearing parkas and snow boots.

The wind was a bit chill, but I was in shirtsleeves for much of the day, and enjoyed it.

Speaking of the temperature, my wife & I have been sleeping with the bedroom window open for over a month now. How far open depends on the temp - during the nights last week, as the temp was just above or just below zero, the opening was perhaps two inches wide. But we complain when the overnight temp stays above 25 ... dang near too warm to sleep.

The human body & its ability to acclimate is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

Springtime Fun in Alaska

How did you spend YOUR weekend? These are two of the participants in the annual Alyeska Motor Madness hill climb.

Location: Alyeska Ski Resort, Girdwood, Alaska (about 35 miles from Anchorage)

Saturday A.M.

Good morning, out there!

We got up at 6:15, and at 6:30 I was standing in line, outside the Sam's Club. I was eighth, waiting to get the tires changed on my truck. They finally opened the doors at 7:05, and let us in.

A few were starting to shiver, by then; there were 10 more folks behind me, when the doors opened. It was 33 degrees, and I regret that I didn't stop for a cup of coffee on the way.

So I checked in at 7:32, and now I'm awaiting the call to let me know the summer tires are installed.

* * * * *

The puddles were a bit crunchy, but there wasn't any frost on the windows. It's been light since 5 a.m., and sun finally made it over the mountains around 7:15.

Sunrise was "official" at 6:04 this morning, and we have 17 hours and 38 minutes between the rising and setting. We gain 5 minutes and 37 seconds of daylight every 24 hours, at this point in the spring.

* * * * *

We haven't made any plans for the day, but now that my wife & I have had our coffee and breakfast, in that order (got to have priorities, don'tcha know), we'll think of something.

The battery in my company cell phone has given up the ghost, and won't hold a charge longer than about 18 hours. I'll need to remedy that, today - there's a battery store near the airport.

UPDATE: the battery is one they normally carry, BUT it's out of stock. They ordered more, BUT they're on back order. The company that makes the batteries is good, BUT they can't say when the next batteries will arrive.

That's life in Alaska, folks.

Just for the record, Radio Shack also lists that battery as one that's available, BUT only in the Lower 48. They won't ship it here BECAUSE WE'RE OVERSEAS. (Really? We drove here, and didn't even get a flooded engine.)

My wife & I have long since stopped doing business with any company that can't figure out where Alaska is. Some companies will ship here, but only by 2nd Day Air, thereby tripling (or quadrupling) the shipping fees ... OR they don't ship to Alaska at all "because of the increased cost to get it there."

I have taken to asking friends in the Midwest to pick up certain things for me, and mail them here. Strangely enough, 1st class postage gets here just like anywhere else. <sigh...>

* * * * *

I finally installed a webcam on my PC, as friends back in the Midwest keep insisting they would rather talk than correspond by instant message. It seems I type too fast or something...

For whatever reason, they seem to think they need to see my ugly mug, and no amount of warning from me keeps them from wanting it.

* * * * *

Brigid mentions that it's Turkey season, down at her home on the range. Here, black, brown, and grizzly bears are in season. I haven't looked up the smaller critter dates & seasons, but haven't been tempted to go hunting lately. I get a tickle of that old feeling, every once in awhile, but then I get distracted by family or work and it goes away.

Besides, just hiking in the city parks here provides a possibility of an encounter with bear and/or moose ...

* * * * *

It's bright & sunny, with clear skies and 37 degrees. I'm going to pick up my truck & get a cell phone battery. After that, who knows?

Early Signs of Spring

It's kinda-sorta official: spring has made its first, timid appearance in the frozen North (if you don't count the temps in the 40s for the last three weeks which has melted most of the snow).

On Sunday, we saw seagulls in Girdwood - a fairly sure sign, as they tend to really, really dislike snow. On Wednesday, they made it to Anchorage.

Thursday, I saw some buds on the trees in my yard, and it rained. Well, it sprinkled and tried to drizzle, a bit. But it was honest-to-goodness rain that actually made the street wet.

That's the first non-snow precipitation we've had since ... uh ... since early November. I think that's right, but don't quote me.

Having said that, we're having some taku winds. (What? You don't know taku? It's the opposite of chinook. Come on, folks, keep up!)

So spring seems to be, well, springing about four weeks early. It's a big deal for us.

Be blessed!

Happy Friday Morning, World!

Howdy out there!



It's 35 degrees this morning. It got up to 49 yesterday, which was about 5 degrees warmer than expected. The wind was still cool, and it didn't really feel that warm, but it was nice enough to go without a jacket.



Today is to be a repeat of that, with a few more clouds. Barring any late-season blizzards (like last year when we got 24" of snow on April 25th), spring is here a mite early. It's okay - we'll take it, especially since we had no summer last year.



* * * * *



The accused murderer who claimed there were aliens at the scene, took the stand in his own defense, yesterday. His attorney wishes he hadn't.



The guy stated that he is an alien, and promptly admitted to all three shootings, one of which was fatal.



Strange. Just ... strange.



* * * * *



If anyone out there is contemplating a trip to Alaska, this might be a good year for it. Since tourism is expected to be off by a substantial margin, there are some real bargains available. I'm just sayin'.



* * * * *



It's time to get the studded snow tires off of our vehicles. We'll have to do the two-car shuffle, taking turns with them as we leave each one in a shop for a day. Fortunately, my wife & I only work a few blocks apart, so getting to the job won't be a major issue.



* * * * *

As predicted, the fallen ash is creating a dusty haze over the city, and blowing/swirling with the slightest breeze. I washed my truck on Wednesday morning, on the way to work, and there were dried dusty streaks all over it when I got to work, a distance of 6 miles.

I realize I'm starting to ramble, so I'll stop here. Y'all have a great day!

TGIF

Good morning & Happy Friday! For the believers among you, it's Good Friday on the church calendar. Whether you believe Jesus was crucified on Wednesday or Friday of Passover Week in Jerusalem, it wasn't particularly good for Him. Just for us!

It's uncomfortably warm this morning ... I just looked, and it's 33 degrees. Now before you kill yourselves laughing at that statement, I would point out that everything is relative to where you are, and what you're used to.

We've had unseasonably cool weather for the last couple of months, and have suddenly warmed up to slighty above normal. Believe me, it feels warm - to us.

The snow is melting fairly rapidly now, due to several days with highs in the low 40s. As much as we love winter, and the beauty that a thick blanket of snow brings to the otherwise-barren countryside, we're ready for it to be gone. (There has been snow on the ground since November.)

* * * * *

The Only-In-Anchorage Dept.: the morning traffic report includes warnings of two pairs of moose near the Glen Highway (coming into town from the north). Drivers, ye be warned!

* * * * *

I am quite happy for this week to be winding down. It's time to get out & do something, and finally the weather is cooperating. Our plans include getting the studded snow tires off of the truck. Next week, we'll do the same thing to my wife's car, but that will involve the purchase of a new set of summer tires.

Our gas prices have gone up this week to $2.40, from $2.31 last weekend. I may have mentioned that before, but it still rankles a bit. Oh, well. My wife & I both work closer to home now than we did six months ago, so that's a good bit of timing there! My weekly commute now totals only 130 65 miles, versus 210 105 miles before. There's quite a savings there, gasoline-wise. (And thanks to Joated, who questioned the original numbers. Important safety tip: don't operate a calculator without having had some sleep, first.)

That's about it for now, folks! Don't lose hope - don't despair - we know Who's in charge!

Paul

Wednesday What-not

Good morning. We have 30 degrees & southwest winds ... whole lotta meltin' goin' on out there! Black puddles abound (we use gravel & sand for traction - chemicals don't help much at 20 below), and cars are all the same color, this time of year: a sort of greyish-beige.

The annual spring dusty haze (yellow) is grey this year, thanks to a fresh layer of ash from Mt. Redoubt. You can see the haze from miles away, hanging over the Anchorage bowl. Yay.

It will be close to 40 degrees again today, which I suppose is a good thing. The snow is melting rapidly, but has a long way to go. There are places where it's piled 30 and 40 feet deep, and those "snow dumps" won't melt entirely until July.

It's nearly time to remove the studded tires from the vehicles, but everyone is remembering last year: the roads were clear, 80% of people had their summer tires back on the cars, and we received 24" of snow on April 25th. We'll just have to bite the bullet and take our chances. The State, bless their darling hearts and empty heads, granted an extension for removal of studded tires after the blizzard hit, and after most had already been removed.

Driving home on that Friday in near white-out conditions, with little traction ... fun stuff. Actually, we didn't have any real problems with the roads until we got to our driveway, which goes up at a 30-degree angle for the first 25 feet. That was a little tricky; thank goodness for momentum.

There have been no more discernible quakes since yesterday afternoon, and Mt. Redoubt is still quiet. The prevailing winds are blowing toward Anchorage, but should swing to the east later this morning.

We have to hold a run-off election for mayor, on May 5. A candidate must receive 45% of the vote, to win, and the top vote-getter received 43-and-a-fraction percent. So he (my favorite) and the number two person (19%) will have another month to run commercials. Yippee for us.

That's about it for now. Stay tuned, folks, 'cause ya never know, up here!

Friday Morning Report & Firearm Fears

Good morning. I have the radio on, as I type this, and it occurs to me that there are probably not many other cities where the morning traffic reports include moose warnings.

Well, it's officially the first day of spring, and we have 11 degrees this morning. Regarding the equinox, the time between sunrise & sunset here has been greater than 12 hours since Monday. I guess the equinox applies to folks a little farther south (i.e., Vancouver, Seattle, etc).

* * * * * * *

I read Brigid's post this morning, and as usual, it made me think about the times in which we live. Like her, I carry concealed anytime I step out my door. Those who would rather that people leave those "nasty guns" elsewhere are, IMHO, living in denial. With Mexican drug cartels using Anchorage (among other cities) as a distribution point; with bears, moose, and wolves in town, it's just prudence on my part. My safety, and that of my family, are my primary motivation for carrying a firearm.

There is no on-site security for the property I manage, and I assume responsibility for that, as well. I fervently pray that I never have to draw my weapon for any reason other than target practice ... but I will not assume that it won't happen. Sors ventus qui es paratus.

* * * * * * *

On the topic of firearms...

A lady I work with has known me for several months now, and we have a great relationship. A couple of weeks ago, she saw my holster sticking out from under the tail of my jacket, when I was retrieving papers from the floor.

She got a little pale, and said, "I hope you don't have a gun in that thing." She went on to say that guns make her nervous.

I tried to keep a straight face while answering that it wouldn't make much sense to wear an empty holster.

I asked her if I make her nervous, and she said no. I gently pointed out that the firearm is an inanimate tool, and that it obeys my commands. While she thought that over, I said, "If I'm trustworthy, then you needn't fear any tool I might use. A hammer or screwdriver, a cordless drill - all could be dangerous, in the wrong hands."

She allowed as how that's true, and then said, "And you were in the military, so I guess it's okay."

Baby steps {sigh}. But at least those steps are in the right direction: I'll take that conversation as one minor victory.

Cabin Fever

It's official: we're getting loopy from cabin fever, and want to get OUT. People are starting to get a mite grumpy.

I just heard on the radio that our spring will be "colder and snowier than normal."

But what does the Old Farmer's Almanac say?

It says "April will be much colder than normal and May will be slightly colder than normal, on average. Precipitation will be ... above normal in the south, with the heaviest snowfalls occurring in the first half of April..."

In other words, "colder and snowier than normal." Can you say re-run?






Meh.