Staying warm at 45 below

I planned to update this several weeks ago, but got sidetracked and let it go. So, finally, when 45 below is in the past, here I am.

I have been truly enjoying the warmer weather, with temperatures into the 20s and even 30s. It's wonderful after the bitter cold. My love of Alaska no longer extends to the extreme cold. I practiced some serious hibernation techniques.

I went out only when necessary and had a routine for that:

1.  Warm up the car at least 15 minutes (I don't have a garage).
2. Go from warm house to warm car.
3. Go from warm car to warm office or store.
4.  Reverse numbers 2 and 3.
5.  Dress very warmly in layers.
6.  If the mail carrier hasn't been by when I arrive home, pick up the mail in the morning when I leave for work.
7.  Make rib-sticking comfort food.
8.  Hot coffee in the morning - hot chocolate other times.
9. Revel in my new furnace! I'm so glad they said it had to be replaced last fall and couldn't wait until summer 2012.

There were a few positives to the weather.

1.  Northern lights on the way to work - on a couple of clear mornings.
2.  The fox who doesn't seem to mind the weather. She was out wandering around several mornings near the office.
3.  The moose who can handle the cold. I love watching them stroll slowly across the street, as long as they're well in front of my car.
4.  Genealogy - because I didn't want to go out, I was online honing my research skills and looking for long-dead relatives. I didn't find anyone new, but I was able to locate some information on military service, a will and church documents.

I'll be going back to PA this spring to see my parents, and purchased a new wand-like scanner so I can scan the photos in my mother's albums. I will be practicing with it before I leave here. It has a memory card slot (with a card inserted), so I should be able to bring back a lot of old pictures.

Although I know this is just February, and that more cold temperatures are almost guaranteed, I'm loving the warmer weather as long as it lasts. In just a little over two weeks Spring Training will start and then it's just another month until April and Breakup.

I'd love to be going to Spring Training again, but I figured I'd save the money for the PA trip. So while I wait for spring and seeing my family again, I'll just dream of baseball parks and warm weather.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Happy 2012 - 2011 was a mixed bag

2012 arrived with cold temperatures, although much more seasonal than those in the 20s and teens above zero.

I really didn't go out - just to the yard with the dog. I didn't even shoot the photo outdoors - right through the (dirty) window.

I cooked my annual pork & sauerkraut dinner, had a few folks over and cleaned up and relaxed the rest of the day.

The only snag was my printer. I wanted to print off a few photos for my sister, but the printer was not cooperating. I did diagnostics, tried checking the settings, but nothing worked. I finally uninstalled the printer software, reinstalled and was able to get it working at last. The printer is only a year old, and I wasn't ready for this!

As I do most at the start of most new years, I reflected back on the past year. It was one filled with travel and visiting with friends and family I don't see as frequently as I'd like. Some of the travel was good, some not so good.

My friend Mae and I traveled to the Southwest to see our friend Bonnie and her husband Junior in March. Mae, Bonnie and I all worked together many years ago, and Bonnie retired in late spring 2011. Our trip was a sort of retirement party.

We flew in to El Paso, Texas, about an hour from Las Cruces, NM, where Bonnie & Junior live. After a stop at an outlet mall, we continued to Las Cruces, where we had an early night. Early the next day we started the drive to Phoenix. In Phoenix, we saw six baseball games in three days. We visited Tempe Diablo Stadium, Surprise Stadium and the three newest ballparks - Goodyear Ballpark, Camelback Ranch Stadium and Salt Fields Ballpark. As always, it was wonderful to sit in the sun with my friends, watching major league baseball without the high prices and crowds of the major league parks. Spring training must be my very favorite vacation.

We had terrific company and tried a couple of new places to eat in Phoenix, and thoroughly eating at Chino Bandidos again. This restaurant, which has been featured on the Travel Channel on several programs, serves a delicious mix of Mexican and Chinese food. You pick the meat, the rice and whatever else you want on your plate. They opened a second location and we went to the new one this year.

On the way back to Las Cruces, Junior detoured so we could visit Tombstone. I grew up watching westerns on television, so this was a treat for me. My husband, daughter and I visited Dodge City in 1987, and I really looked forward to seeing Tombstone. The only disappointment was that the OK Corral was closed. It's located behind a big garage-like door, and we were several hours before it opened. However, we needed to get back so we enjoyed the rest of the town, strolling down wooden sidewalks, watching stagecoach and covered wagons roll down the dusty streets and stopping off in mercantiles and other shops. Much fun!

While we were in Las Cruces I got a call that I would have to go to San Antonio shortly after my return.

As luck would have it, by the time I reached San Antonio, I was barely recovered from a bout of bronchitis, so I was miserable. It was HOT (97 and up) and very humid. I had trouble breathing, was coughing and not comfortable at all. My room at the Grand Hyatt, however, was very nice and everything in the area was air conditioned. I did take one morning and take a trolley ride around the city, stopping at various old missions in the area. I didn't get off the trolley, but enjoyed the driver's narration of all the sites and took a few photos from the vehicle. My friend Felicia and I had dinner several times at the hotel's restaurant, which had outdoor dining on the Riverwalk. It was fun watching the people walking by and the little birds standing by watching for crumbs.

Despite the oppressive heat and humidity and the bronchitis, the conference was much better than the 2010 one, and I came back with some great information.

Shortly after I returned I received orders to report to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, the last week of May for two weeks. Schofield Barracks is just south of Oahu's North Shore, and my friend Tracey, who used to work with me, lives there now. I haven't seen her since she left here about 5 years ago. I was able to spend a little time with her, her mother and two children. Although it was more humid there, it wasn't as bad as Texas and there was an almost constant breeze. I had my first shave ice (loved it), saw the Banzai Pipeline (kind of tame in May, no super large waves) and visited the town of Hale Iwa, surf town extraordinaire. When I wasn't working, I enjoyed watching the birds, looking at the sea and the flowers. Good trip, but I was really glad to get back to Fairbanks.

By this time, I'm tired of traveling and looking forward to staying home for a while. At the end of June, my dad had a heart attack and bypass surgery. The day after the surgery, he had a stroke. I had planned to go to PA at the end of July to help my mother when Dad returned from rehab. However, following the stroke there were several scares and I changed my plans and flew down July 4. I spent a couple of weeks, visiting Dad and spending time with my sisters, brother and mother. It was good to see everyone, but a very tense, frightening couple of weeks. Dad is home now, and recovering slowly. It's so hard to see one's parents age - and I don't get to see it happening, so it seems like a drastic change when I do see them. I did manage to get in some reflective, meditative time on Dad's front porch watching the sunrise over the Susquehanna River and enjoy his flowers. It's very hard to think of them as aging, but it is happening fast.

The photo of Dad is at the rehab center. It's good to see him laugh. He was so very sick, I wasn't sure I'd make it across the country in time to talk with him. I'm so grateful we have him for a while longer.

The rest of the year fairly flew by. In September, Mae and I took our annual train trip to Denali National Park. Although it was cloudy and rainy, the colors were still very pretty and we had a relaxing time.

The Tuesday before our Friday trip, I had an inspector out to tune up my furnace. I asked him for an estimate on a new furnace, as this one was pretty old and I planned to replace it in the spring. He told me he had to disconnect the unit, as it wasn't safe, and state law requires it. I was shocked - this was September after all, and I couldn't go without heat. I found someone who could install a new one that week. So I had a friend sit at the house all day Friday (while I was enjoying the train ride and Denali) while the crew removed the old furnace and installed the new one. I wasn't too happy spending nearly $6,000 - wanted to save some more so my credit card didn't get hit too hard - but now as it's 20 below, I'm so glad I replaced it before winter hit. I remember sitting here worried every time I didn't hear the old one run, wondering if I had to call a repairman. And at the same time, I hated all the times it ran, imagining all that money just going up in flames. The new one is quiet, keeps the house nice and toasty and doesn't run nearly as much as the old one. And so far it's using 1/3 to 1/2 the fuel the old one used.

After seeing family in the summer, I decided to visit my granddaughters in Spokane, Wash. They live with their dad and stepmother there, with a little sister and 2 little brothers. The family welcomed me and made me feel a part of their family. I was so happy to see two beautiful young girls, 13 and 14, well-adjusted, polite, witty - well, all the things a grandma would say about her girls. I thoroughly enjoyed spending a long weekend with them and hope to see them again this year.

November and December flew by and we're now in a new year. I will likely go back to PA this spring and hopefully make another trip to Spokane. I'm hoping the business trips will be curtailed - I really like staying here, especially in the spring and summer.

I wish for all of you a 2012 filled with good health and great joy. Happy New Year.

More snow, cold - and a rock

I had a wonderful Christmas day with my daughter & family; phone calls to loved ones out of state; very tasty prime rib roast; relaxing and enjoying everything.

By 3 p.m. the kitchen was cleaned and the tree down and put away for another 11 months. I put it up the day after Thanksgiving and I'm always ready to put it away and watch winter go away. Although it's several months away, I like seeing the daylight come through the window earlier in the mornings and last later into the afternoons. Since the tree sits right in front of the window, putting it away now lets in more light.

I looked out late yesterday afternoon and could tell by the softness of the street lights it was snowing - and boy was it ever! It was coming down fast and steady. I go back to work tomorrow, so I thought I'd brush the four new inches off the car today and get a head start. It is somewhere between 15 and 20 below, so I got a bit chilled, but warm boots and coat really help. It was the gloves that took the worst of it.

I brushed the snow off the bird feeders a week ago when I filled them. Looks like one needs new seed already, but there's still plenty there.

Buddy just told me he wanted to go out, so off we went. As soon as we hit the porch, he pulled off all four booties, as he does all the time. Here he is after about 5 minutes, wanting to come back indoors because his feet are cold. Notice the two front feet are not touching any snow. I think if he could figure out a way to get all four up at once, he'd do it. He just cannot seem to figure out those booties keep his feet warm! It was hard to get a good sharp shot as he was shivering and moving. I figured I should put him out of his misery and bring him back in. Note how his breath frosts his beard.

Several years ago my friend Mae and I drove to the Salcha River Rec area just for a short ride. My granddaughter Maddy has a habit of picking up stones and rocks wherever she is, and I guess some of it rubbed off. I saw an interesting stone at the water's edge and put it into the car. It barely fits into my palm and I can't close my fist over it. It has a reddish-brown color over much of it, but there are spots where it looks as though it was once white. I thought it might be quartz that had spent a lot of time in some water rich in iron. The rock has cracks all over and Saturday I decided to wiggle the loose end to see what's inside. I was surprised to see a deep red color covering much of the inside. It has some white marbeling and some very tiny, sparkly gold-colored flecks - almost like glitter. Very pretty. My brother-in-law, a rock hound in Arizona, said it sounds like an agate. I emailed a few photos to a professor at UAF with whom I've worked a few times to see if he might be able to identify it.

Stay warm everyone.

Fairbanks winter is more than cold and dark

Every now and then friends from the Lower 48 tell me they don't know how I deal with the cold and dark in the winter up here. I usually just say the summers more than compensate. But that's not the whole truth.

Fairbanks winters are beautiful in a Christmas-card kind of way. The trees are covered with snow, and the spruces especially remind me of Currier and Ives cards or the old Budweiser commercials at Christmas - the ones with the wonderful Clydesdales pulling a sleigh. Fresh snow on the trees and sides of the roads make everything look pristine.

Yesterday morning on my way to an appointment I noticed the car in front of me sitting in the left-turn lane where there was no street to turn onto. A second later I saw a moose step into the street. A huge cow, she very slowly moved past his car and sauntered across the street. She was in no hurry and simply walked slowly to the vacant lot on the opposite side, next to an apartment complex. Drivers watched her, then waited, as did I, to see if a calf followed. She was alone, so we proceeded on our various ways. I don't know if the other drivers marveled at this animal as I did. They are so large - and this one was very big - and yet so graceful. Their legs remind me of piano legs, very slender. They don't seem capable of holding up such a big beast. In addition to the graceful movements as they walk from one spot to another, the moose can move incredibly fast for their size. I always consider myself very lucky to see one, especially because I live in town and they are not as plentiful here as in more rural, wooded areas.

A couple of blocks later I drove past Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. The spruce trees along the sidewalks and parking lots were festooned with strings of white lights, giving even this clearly urban spot a holiday feeling.

On a good clear day, we can see the snowy peaks of the Alaska Range, and on a great day we can see Mt. McKinley. This view against a bright blue sky is awesome. I never get tired of looking at these mountains.

On a good clear night, we are often treated to incredible light shows as the Northern Lights dance across the sky. Once again, living in town has some drawbacks as the city lights really interfere with light-watching. However, it's only a short drive until we are out of town and can see nature's lights more clearly. I never tire of watching them move and sway.

There's a lot to do here - skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, ice-fishing, sled-dog races (or mushing yourself), hockey, basketball, concerts, plays, art - all sorts of both indoor and outdoor activities. It's never a boring place.

Above all, Fairbanks winters seem to create in people a kind of kinship. We all have in common the cold temperatures, the high heating oil and gasoline prices and the darkness. We share horror stories and solutions to problems stemming from the cold and darkness. Strangers smile at each other in the stores and on the streets. The friendliness of Fairbanksans makes it a special place to live.

Today is winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and one of my favorite days. It means we will soon be gaining daylight, at first by seconds, then minutes. Happy solstice!
I will admit I'm not particularly fond of the extreme cold and the darkness seems to bother me more each year. But the amenities of living here - the wildlife, the mountains, the Northern Lights - make it all worthwhile.

Merry Christmas everyone. May 2012 be healthy, happy and prosperous for all of you.

Thanksgiving

Since I don't seem able to do a daily thankful post, I thought I'd lump it into one. Every year there are certain days I look over what I have and give thanks for it. One of those, of course, is Thanksgiving.

I am very thankful for my family - parents, sisters, brother, daughter, grandchildren (and steps and halfs), nieces and nephews, cousins - and the friends who may not be genetic relatives but are family nonetheless.

I am thankful I have a job that allows me to work with the most amazing group of people. And I'm thankful my job gives me the opportunity to travel occasionally and pays well enough that I can travel for nothing but pleasure other times. And I am thankful that my health, although not great, is still good enough to make that travel fun.



Clock tower at Spokane, WA's, Riverfront Park



State Capitol and other buildings, Harrisburg, PA





Oahu's North Shore, Hawaii





old mission in San Antonio, Texas



Tombstone, Arizona

I'm thankful my friends like baseball and we can enjoy Cactus League Spring Training in Phoenix together. It's the best vacation after a long Fairbanks winter. And it's not too hot yet.

I'm thankful every day for the beauty of this place I call home. Whether it's right here in Fairbanks or down at Denali National Park, whether it's summer or winter - it's beautiful. Northern lights and the Alaska Range make the cold temperatures tolerable. And the glorious colors of grass and sky and flowers make the summers pure pleasure. How lucky I am to live here.

Above all this year, I am thankful my wonderful dad survived a heart attack, surgery and stroke and is recovering well. I love talking with him on the phone every weekend and I thank God every day for allowing us to have Dad for a while longer.

I know there's a lot I didn't cover here, but my life is so full of wonderful family and friends and good times, there's no way I could possibly touch on all of my blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Spokane, winter

It looks as though winter is here. We've had our sticking snow, though it's not really deep yet. It was enough to make the roads bad for a day or two and to remind drivers to slow down and exercise caution. My challenge now is to keep the bird feeders filled.

My new furnace is working well, not constantly running to try to keep up and the house is very comfortable.

The congestion and cough are still with me, almost two months later. I am really tired of it, but I'm at least recovered enough to be able to get some sleep at night.

Fortunately, the worst of it was over when I started my trip to Spokane, Washington, to see my two granddaughters. They live with their dad, stepmother and three little siblings, and I haven't seen them in a number of years.

The trip was very nice to Seattle. My seatmate was an old friend from Toastmasters. We caught up on the news, then napped until we reached Seattle. From there, things went downhill.

We got an announcement the 7 and 8 a.m. flights would be delayed due to fog in Spokane. (I was booked on the 9 a.m. flight.) Both the earlier flights took off a little late and our flight boarded and took off just 10 minutes late. We reached Spokane and saw nothing below us but white clouds. We circled an hour then returned to Seattle. I was able to get a seat on a 12:30 p.m. flight, but we were told almost as soon as we were seated we would not take off until Spokane's weather cleared. We could leave the plane, taking all our carry on items with us, or we could stay onboard. I opted to remain on the plane. I had my tablet with me, we had WiFi access and I had plenty to do.  I phoned my Spokane family and told them to go home, I'd call when I got in or had more information on what was happening. Finally, we left Seattle about 2:40 p.m. We circled Spokane again, for an hour or more, and at last the pilot spotted a hole in the clouds. Everyone on the plane applauded when we touched down. I heard an airport employee say all remaining flights that day had been cancelled. So my 10 a.m. arrival became 4:30 p.m., but I was there.

The rest of the long weekend was fabulous. I reconnected with my granddaughters, now almost 13 and 14. I met their little sister, almost 6, and two brothers, 1 and nearly 4. It's a beautiful family. They welcomed me and made me very comfortable.

I had a wonderful time taking the kids shopping and watching them choose clothes, enjoying their delight in their choices. We went to Red Robin for lunch - none of them had ever been there. I like to eat out at places we don't have in Fairbanks, and I wanted a good hamburger. Red Robin has some of the best! My choice was a guacamole burger with bacon. Certainly not the healthiest thing, but when I'm on vacation I don't look for healthy :)

The next day we visited Riverfront Park, site if the 1974 Expo. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and a little cool. We walked a bit and rode a little train around the park. The engineer pointed out areas of interest and added a little history.



Our train


















Then we visited the historic carousel, which the kids rode. Their smiles were great - they were really enjoying it.

These are some of the other things I saw at Riverfront Park:



I loved the brilliant red of this tree. Most everything was still green.





Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Riverfront Park

On the way home to Loon Lake, we stopped at Dairy Queen, another first for the kids and another special treat for me.

The weekend was over all too soon, and I had to come back home. I had a great time and plan to repeat the trip sometime in the not-too-distant future. The flight back was uneventful and it hadn't snowed yet, so I was able to finish up the last of the end-of-summer/fall stuff.

Now that winter's here, I've started going back online into the genealogy archives, trying to track down some elusive ancestors. Looking forward to some pretty photo ops and an easy winter. Stay well.



Denali on the train

At the end of my week off in September, my friend Mae and I took our annual trip to Denali on the Alaska Railroad. I love the ride - four hours of beautiful scenery, eating in the dining car, relaxing in the comfortable seats and reading the Nook. I've decided that I prefer the park in September over May. In May, the leaves aren't fully out yet and it looks too much like winter. In September, the colors are all out - vivid reds, brilliant golds and the dark green of the spruce trees all make a gorgeous palette.

For the first 12 or more years, Mae and I were among the very lucky park visitors who get to see the mountain - Mt. McKinley. Bus drivers in the park say only 25% get to see it, so we felt very fortunate to see this enormous snow-covered peak so often. However, I think the law of averages has finally caught up to us. This year made the third year in a row it's been shrouded in clouds and not visible to us.

This year we only saw two squirrels - no moose, no caribou, no bears, no Dall sheep. But the colors and the scenery were awesome. We did see two moose cows, one with twins and one with one calf; two pairs of swans and a large flock of sandhill cranes flying out as the train made its way back to Fairbanks.

Here are a few of my favorites:



A low-lying fog bank moves in from Savage Canyon below Mt. Margaret's fall colors.





Even the weeds are pretty!



Savage River from the park road.



Healy Canyon & Nenana River from the train.

Two days after we got back I developed bronchitis that hung on for almost three weeks. Am finally feeling much better, able to get some sleep and only coughing a little.

I will be heading to Spokane, Washington, soon to visit my two granddaughters, who live with their dad. I haven't seen them in many years and am really looking forward to seeing them. Then, maybe, I'll stay home for a while and forget packing, trudging through airports and strange beds.

I went to the store early this morning. The sunrise was gorgeous; there was a cute little dog walking his human; Jimmy Buffet was on the CD player and there was no line at the store. Life is good. Happy October everyone.