6 inches of snow means fun, fun, fun for me!!!

always exciting waking up to fresh snow, no matter how old i get. i still get giddy. the dogs get a little giddy as well. actually, maybe not rio so much, but blossom sure gets excited. the snow loves blossom and attaches itself to her at every opportunity. both dogs are utterly exhausted at this time so the snow outing was a totaly success.

i had a brilliant thought a little bit ago and i remember at the time thinking i should write it down. it's gone now, so you'll just have to trust that i occasionally have brilliant thoughts. most of my thoughts are unbrilliant so when a brilliant one comes up i'm rather proud of myself. there were 3 of us on the monday dog walk. tanya, lena and i. tanya and i snowshoed, lena walked in our tracks and above is sandra. she opted to cross country ski out the tank trail and then just meet up with us for tea/hot cocoa. i think she found the snow to be too wet to enjoy. i think she needs to get her ski's waxed. the snow clumped to the bottom of her ski's and it was miserable i guess. blossom was over the moon when she saw her buddy back at the parking lot.

this is what happens to blossom in the snow. she gets big clumps on her legs and on some days the clumps cover her entire body. there have been times i can hear this faint sound of the big clumps of snow banging together. it's quite hysterical really. the first time i kept hearing something and couldn't figure out what it was. as we drive down the road i pull clumps off of her and toss them out the window, trying to keep the water ratio down in the element.

sandra got a hearty welcome back at the car. tanya, lena and i were hot and sweaty after our romp in the woods. hard to imagine one could get hot and sweaty on a day where the temperature is in the 30's and snowing. snowshoeing is not easy work, neither is trapsing through the woods. it was our first real snow of the year and i've got to get my body used to it. of course, once you cool off you get chilled. the hot cocoa was a blessing. i'd made some brownies this morning so those were enjoyed as well.

our creek is fast disappearing to the snow. some years you can always access a little water, other years it's totally frozen over. my workout today also included shoveling both decks and the driveway. no swim today. i burned enough calories today.

i tried to start a fire in the fireplace. i had it going well, but when i got busy doing something else it burned out. will have to get my fire starting skills back up to par. would like to change out my fireplace for a wood stove liner thing. more efficient at heating the house. being that i live in super sized earthquake country i think it wise to always have a fireplace of some sort and wood. when the '64 quake hit, from what i've read, most people were without heat for a good week or two. in the middle of winter that could be major.

haven't gotten those cookies made as i've not gotten any chips yet. i have snacked on the cookie dough. was a fun day of catching up with folks. chatted with my sister, a brother and a few friends. trying to get my california trip lined up. always a struggle getting to see everyone i want to visit with. only so much time.

it was so beautiful out there. i love the woods right after a snow. just amazing and peaceful.

this one loaded in sideways. i only kept it cause it shows those bikers back there. many people bike year round up here. i am not one of those people, but they change thier tires over to really wide tires and often on the real cold days have these special hand warmers on thier handlebars. i thought it looked pretty tough, biking. gotta be like riding a bike on a sandy beach. no thanks. snowshoeing was tough enough.

someone had also been through before us cross country skiing. some days i get out there before anyone else and that is the best. making the first tracks in the snow.

boddhi was a puppy last year and now he's a dog. he was in heaven out there. this is what alaskan malamutes were built for.

old poem:

-

the day of rest,

is restful no more,

meetings all day,

lord where are you,

this sabbath day?

the angels gather,

in secret prayer,

scripture reading,

and a friendship affair,

all the hours spent in church,

as we gather up our spiritual dust,

our souls sit in church and rust. '84
-

pondered the truth for many years, not knowing what to do. leave the church of my youth and forge out on my own or just follow the herd into the known. leaving was frightening, but i had good friends who remained. sometimes the known is so easy, but the unknown brings the most happiness. i wouldn't be here and that would have been such a loss. i remember being in south dakota with my dog in a park. spoke to a stranger, as i often do. it came out that i was up and moving to alaska. i remember this person looked at me and said, what if you hate it there? i just responded, "what if it's the best thing that ever happened to me and i let it pass by". it would have been tragic to have missed the years in alaska. it would have been tragic to have handed my life over to the known, just to be safe. the unknown is scary, but with fear and a leap of faith you never know where life can take you.

it got dark so early today. was talking to my friend and noticed it was only almost 9pm. i really had thought it closer to midnight. these are the dark days.

happy lena has been joining us on the walks. she is just good folk. she and her sons are trying to convince her husband that they should get a dog. hope they do soon. she sure loves em.

the roads were better today than last night. once it gets packed with snow it's less slickery. no wild animal sightings today other than birds and squirrels. i guess the wolf pack in the eagle river area took a beagle this past week. the wolves get brazen like that from time to time. there was talk of killing some of the wolves. last year a woman out jogging in chignik got attacked and killed by a wolf pack out there. can't imagine that being anything but a horrible and brutal death. she was a youngish teacher. many teachers take assignments out in the villages. very sad. when i dog is lost to the wolves, the memories go back to this woman and concerns of children being taken and killed. it's not out of the realm of possibilities.

a man and two kids were found dead after thier snowmachine went through the ice over a pond. this time of year and all winter this sort of accidents happen. snowmachines are the workhorses in many villages. in the winter it's snowmachines and in the summer they use 4 wheelers. i think in the lower 48 they usually refer to snowmachines as snowmobiles? i know a few people have been confused when i've called them snowmachines. strange. maybe, because up here they are less a source of pleasure and more a source of transportation. not that there aren't plenty of nuts out there attempting highmarking and starting avalanches. we always lose a few folks to that in the winter as well.

my snowmachine is an element though and i had to clear off all the snow this morning before i could head anywhere. i do have a small garage, but i have a pool table in the garage so the car won't fit. silly me....

this is a little fish mobile i've had outside for some odd reason. it's covered with snow and looked kinda cool.

new poem

-

flakes decend,

one by one,

cling to limbs,

over time,

trees bend,

weight sags,

until at last,

limb snaps,

weight released,

it falls,

with a whoop to the forest floor,

or unsuspecting heads.

-

i know you are beyond impressed with my poetry talents. haha! it's all i got right now. i'm off to watch my netflix. it's called, "chocolat" but it isn't the one i have seen before. it's an '88 release about teh effecs of french colonialism through the eyes of a young girl...that is what the sleeve says anyway. i'll know more soon.

this is the eagle i saw on rovers run the other day. we saw him flying around when we were at kaladi brothers for some post walk warmth. have a wonderful day, don't forget to look up and down and all around. you may miss something wonderful if you do.