Throughout September we prepared for a possible furlough at work, which became reality Oct. 1. I was home for 4 days, during which time I alternated between anger at our government and comfort in not having to get up every day and go to work.
My friends Mae and Cindy and I took one of those furlough days and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before driving up to Murphy and Ester domes. You can see incredible views from both domes, and it was a beautiful day for it.
Mt. McKinley was out and my zoom brought it right up to us.
The view from Ester Dome.
It was windy and cool, but we had a great time. We made further plans for another trip, but got called back to work the next day.
Despite the frustration of the furlough, I found I enjoyed days when I was not committed to anything. When I returned to the office, the first thing I did was prepare my retirement package. While I was home feeling frustrated about the furlough, I spoke to a friend who retired several years ago. I got on the computer and figured out what my monthly pay would be, and decided to go for it. Initially I went with Mar. 31, 2014, but changed it the next day to Feb. 28.
Excitement set in fast. The more I think about, the more I wish I had made it Dec. 31. However, I wanted to replenish my savings after spending a significant amount of money on my roof last summer, and there is one big project I need to take care at work. So I'm now down to 90 days and counting.
October was unseasonably warm without any snow to speak of. That changed in November. It snowed a little. Then followed a major storm with warmer temperatures, rain and high winds. It blew the window in my arctic entry right off the hinges. The power went out all over the area - mine was out for 11-1/4 hours. When my power was restored, all was good except the water heater. I called a plumber to have it replaced. Due to frozen pipes all over town, the plumber's schedule was booked solid. Finally, a week after the storm, he made it to my house. There were no water heaters the size I wanted in town, so they had to have one shipped from Anchorage. It arrived the next day and he installed it. The next morning, I still had cold water. The plumber returned and repaired a minor electrical glitch. Finally - after 9 days of showering at public showers, heating water on the stove for washing dishes and my hair occasionally - I had hot running water, and a hefty bill.
Mae, Cindy and her husband and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Pike's Landing. It was a big brunch with turkey, ham, salads, all the sides and wonderful desserts. Mae and Cindy are what I call my "Fairbanks sisters." Since we're all away from our families, it's always special to spend time with these wonderful ladies. And Thanksgiving is definitely a family holiday.
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. When I was growing up, we would go to my grandparents' house downtown. My dad's brother and sister and their families were also there. We kids would watch the Macy's parade on the old black and white tv while the ladies cooked in the kitchen. The men would go duck hunting all morning. At noon we ate - duck and chicken or goose, filling, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, sweet potatoes, pumpkin custard pie and more. After dinner, we kids went for a hike, the men hunted some more and the women cleaned up. For supper, we picked clean the carcasses. And afer that, my grandfather would pull out his fiddle and play some songs for us. Those were incredibly special family times and are memories I will hold forever.
I have a firm belief that Thanksgiving and Christmas should be separate holidays. No Christmas decorations can go up until I have enjoyed my Thanksgiving. So, hours after I ate that wonderful dinner at Pike's, I put up my new tree.
I bought a smaller tree this year. It has LED lights on it, but I love lots of lights, so I added a string of twinkle lights.
I love this time of year, when people seem to smile more readily, when everyone appears to be happy. I love the Christmas movies and the Christmas music. But this tree will come down Dec. 26. We will be gaining daylight and I want every single minute we're gaining to come through my window.
Happy holidays everyone.
