Just Another Day in Bear-a-dise!

Sometimes when I spend too much indoors, I forget that I live in lovely Healy, Alaska.   As I look out the window, it's almost like viewing a painting.   Then I get outside, and it hits me... I actually LIVE in Alaska!   And it's awesome...

And, for what seems like the first time this entire winter, my old friend Aurora came out!  And how!  The full moon was out, lighting up the outdoors as if in dim sunlight.  This allowed me to actually see out of my windows at night with my indoor lights on.  And what I saw was Aurora dancing vividly across the entire sky!   Oh, how all the colors were out... red... blue... green.  Though the bright moonlight helped Aurora catch my eye in the first place, it also dimmed her brilliant light display.   Aurora came on quick and seemed to leave just as quickly... but I managed to catch a part of her...

Snow...snow......SNOW!

This winter was beginning to disappoint me with it's lack of cold and snow.  As January comes to an end, winter is BACK!

Yesterday clouds covered the sky; descending over mountains and trees; bringing inches, and inches and feet of snow in a matter of hours...

Branches hung low to the ground with the weight of so much fluffy snow, and my poor little spruce was once again covered with a thick blanket of snow...

And oh, what fun freeing my truck from it's cold, soft, snowy bonds...

Even my shovels needed to be shoveled out!

Today, I've awoken to glorious sunlight reflecting off all of the beautiful freshly fallen snow in the trees, on the ground, and well, pretty much everywhere...

The little mountains of snow collected on my porch railings rolled over like waves crashing on a snowy shore in the sunlight...

After some work, I cleared my driveway and truck freeeeeee...

These people look like they've some work left to do...:)

And yes... the SUN!

And yes... the COLD!  Here's the temperature at the house I'm sitting for...

My outside thermometer at the cabin froze up at a disconcertingly "warm" temperature...

Here's what it actually is... a little warmer than the house I'm caring for!

The kitties enjoyed the snow from their nice warm beds.   Ernie "butterball" Dinglepuss has been enjoying the new bed I made just for him, as he looked pretty silly trying to squeeze into Hadley's bed...

Speaking of Hadley... looks as if she didn't just enjoy the snow from her bed!

Despondent in 20-Bakers-Doz

Only my second winter in Alaska, and I'm really FEELING the lack of sunlight.  This winter so far has less Aurora, less snow and I have less vitamin D.  I still have my knitting, puzzling, kitties and my boyfriend... so all is not lost!

Can you believe this is the FIRST puzzle of the winter!?!?   I guess that's what happens when I actually have someone to hang out with:)

Hadley has been enjoying her first winter in Healy.   She has been particularly enjoying the warm spell we've had for some weeks now.   The snow is slowly melting away, and the ground's not TOO cold for her little kitty feet...

 


















Though I think her favorite part is warming back up in front of the heater....:)

Back to knitting!   I finished my sweet over-size hat... now all I need is some dreadlocks to fill it...

Who Has Time for the End of the World?

 And a Happy 2013 to all!!  We made it!!  

So far life in Alaska has kept me pretty busy.

It's been non-stop crazy wind-style here in Healy.  I've been spending a lot of time house-sitting lately, so I wasn't spending the night at home.  One day I came home to find ALL of the snow and ice that had been on the roof was now surrounding the cabin!   The cats must have been pretty scared that night...

So I set to work, and with a little muscle, and my handy "plow" I got it all cleared away...

These warm days keep stretching on and on.   While it's kinda nice to not be freezing cold all the time, it's also kinda rough having "spring time" in the middle of winter.  All the snow and ice is melting just enough to be really slippery, and I've gotten my truck stuck a couple of times now in the slush, AND it's only January!  Yikes!

So as I said before, we've been doing some house-sitting lately.   Right now we're watching a real Healy-Style house... like COAL burning style!:)  So I've gotten to try my hand at a coal boiler.   It's some good, hard work just to have a hot shower...


                The cat named, Walk-the-Plank-Matey showed me the way...

 Um, it's right this way...

                                     Well, just head that way anyway... Good Luck!

First, gotta empty the ashes out...

Next, get a fire going...

While that's heating up, gotta get the coal!

                                 Hey, so you uh, need any help?  

Thanks Planky, I think I got it!   Time to load up!   I feel like I'm on a coal train...

Got her nice and full...

                                   WHEW, now I need one of those hot showers!

I feel more and more like a Healy-ite every day!:)