Alaskan Seasons

My mom used to say that she got married on the first day of fall.

She got married August 1.

I would argue with her every time she made the above statement that fall doesn't start until September 21st (or there abouts) and that I had a whole store full of calendars that would back me up.

My mother, of course, never wavered in her opinion.

This year, I was on the trail (running - because I'm sick like that now) and noticed, on August 1, that there were leaves on the ground.

Mom was so right.

The biggest question in my mind has been, "If fall starts August 1, when does winter start?" So I've been waiting and paying attention and, in my humble opinion, winter starts (at the latest!) on the autumnal equinox.

Why do I say latest? Because, once again in my humble opinion, winter is already here.

There is fresh snow on our tallest mountain peaks (which are all under 5,000 feet). We have our first nasty storm of the season hitting us right. now.

And....

our power just went off for the first time this winter.

Yup. I should start the cocoa and light the fire because winter is most definitely here.

Channeling Pollyanna

The shop has no bathroom.  Let me just put that out there first.

I know - I'm obsessed.  I'm sorry.  I don't mean to be.  It just is what it is, I guess.


Anyway, not having a bathroom necessitates a daily, if not more frequent, walk from the shop to our house (which is why we are so determined to live close by).  Happily, most of the time, the house is only a block away.  There are days, though, when that block feels like miles.  And miles.

When I'm at work, our black lab, Carbon, believes firmly that anytime I stand and put on my coat, I am taking her for a walk.  Period.  There are no exceptions to this rule.  So she walks with me and I use one of those "chuck-it sticks" (because I totally throw like a girl - a toddler sized one at that) and she chases the ball all the way home.

Yesterday, I threw the ball and heard her feet thunder past.  The first throw is the best as she runs the fastest for that very first ball.

I love that sound.

And it got me thinking. 

I've been here for more than a year and while I've spent a great deal of time bemoaning the move and missing my home of 9 years in Oregon, I haven't really praised my current home.

Well, in Oregon, we only had a small yard and we lived in a fairly busy part of town so it was not possible for me to let my dog off leash and let her chase balls.  In Alaska, I do it daily and I LOVE the sound of her running.

I love having water just out my front door.  I love the reflections on the water, the boats, the calm seas, the rough seas. . . . I just love having water right. there.

I love the wind.  We get these gnarly winds that roll off the ice fields and glaciers and blow so hard that I can't breathe.

I love that.

I love watching things blow by in the wind . . . leaves . . . sticks . . . grocery bags . . . small children . . .

Once, when we were kids, my older brother taped cardboard to his arms and the wind picked him up and carried him a foot or two.

I love all the mountains and seeing them slowly morph from summer green to fall gold to winter brown topped with snow.  Right now it's perfect; no snow on the ground and just enough on the mountains to make them look interesting and majestic.

I think that's all.

I wouldn't want to overwhelm you with my positivity and gratitude.

But I did want to let you know - it doesn't completely suck up here in the north.

The End Is Near

There is a rural legend here in Southeast Alaska that when the fireweed blossoms reach the top of the stalk, fall is here.

This is how they look today.

 

Notice the lack of blossoms.  Notice the positions of those few blossoms that are left.

I think it's safe to say that this past week of sun and 70's was our Indian Summer.  *sigh*  I guess it's good thing that fall is one of my favorite season.