It's been over a month of busy work and completely full weekends since I've sat down to update this. I feel I've done nothing really significant to even post here! Some of the days at work have been extremely stressful, with staff problems and more work than I can keep track of. I've been going in an hour early and working through lunch, so at least I'm managing to keep it up and not drop anything.
I'd go home, grab a salad or something to eat, and fall asleep early. Weekends mean grocery shopping and morphing into a vegetable.
However, as March moved into April, we started seeing longer daylight hours (YEAH!) and warmer temperatures. It hit 50 yesterday at my house. There's still lots of snow on the ground, but we're starting to see bare earth in the driveway and we can see the snow (slowly) melting into the ground. What once reached my knees is now at calf level.
The great news is the geese are back. This rite of spring always picks up my mood. Every April the field at Creamer's Field (a local waterfowl refuge) is plowed and strewn with seeds (barley and others) for the birds. This is a joint effort between the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Fairbanks International Airport and local military airfields, to keep the birds away from the runways and avoid bird strikes to the aircraft. It's very successful, with hundreds of geese, ducks and sandhill cranes, among others, spending a couple of weeks there on their spring northward migration. I love going out to watch them flying in and out or just meandering among the ponds and seeds. To us, it's a sure sign winter is done. Two Canada geese showed up Thursday. We stopped by Friday evening after a wonderful dinner at the Princess Hotel, and there were about a dozen geese and ducks. I'll be dropping by frequently until they have eaten their fill and flown on to the northern part of the state.
In two and a half weeks, I'll be leaving for PA and DC. I'll have a few days to spend with my parents in central PA, just north of Harrisburg, then go back to Washington for a conference. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of folks in the public affairs field, some of whom I haven't seen in 10 years or more. I hope to see some of my former bosses and co-workers, as well as those I work with now via e-mails but don't see often. I'm planning to attend some sessions in Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. I really need to learn more about how best to use those sites.
This morning it's bright and sunny - looks like a gorgeous day.
Soon we'll be sweeping sidewalks instead of shoveling. Maybe that's why I love spring - the longer days, warmer temperatures, everything greening up - it's a new beginning.
Happy spring everyone.
Thoughts and photos on life in Fairbanks, Alaska, and occasional trips outside the state. I prefer my life simple, relaxed, full of family, friends and lots of love.
