Steward of the Park... Not Voles

A case study of a dead Red Backed Vole... thanks Hadley!

ANYWAY...

I started WORK!

Welcome to my office...

AND... 

NPS... National Park Service... I am a public servant for all that is Denali... Green and Browns 4 Life!:)

 

So... my commute is pretty cool anyway...

P.S. This was a cloudy, overcast, COLD... summer? day

YES... WINTER... STILL... HERE...

This is... so far... the second longest winter since 1939!

Here's the Nenana River as of May 15th, 2013...

AND... here's the Nenana River as of April 24th, 2012...

Break up 2012: April 23rd

Break up 2013: TBA as of May 16th

LONG, LONG WINTER

Next blog brings SPRING... for real!   I swear!

It's Baaaaaaack...

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii,
Garlands of flowers everywhere,
All of the colors of the rainbow,
Maidens with flowers in their hair.

Now...

May Day is Snow Day in Alaska,
Snow and ice everywhere,
All shades of white and grey,
Trees with frost on branches still bare.

*sigh*

Due to the ever lingering winter here, the June Creek move has been postponed for a couple more weeks.  Not only is it kinda miserable living in an unheated cabin in this weather, but it's kinda depressing as well.   I'm having a hard time motivating myself to continue work on the new place.   Who wants to saw wood and hammer nails in driving snow and wind?
Not me.

The nasturtium sprouts look hopefully towards the thin sunlight while wondering what they possibly did wrong in a past life to be planted in Alaska.

Sorry guys!

Ernie concurs with the plants... winter... *bleh*

  

Games of Throne

Happy Earth Day!  Mother Nature is finally turning the tables on Winter.   The last of the icicles are melting off of the roof.  The gravel roads are turning to MUSH.  And my sprouts look so green and beautiful and happy...

With the weather being so lovely and with the fact that Walt and I are moving onto our new land in 5 days, we got out there to do some prep work.  First, we dug out a driveway!  The snow is getting pretty melty and mushy and cuts like BUTTER, so it didn't take too long to get it done.   Who needs a plow truck?:)

Next, and probably most important, we got to work on our awesome Compost Outhouse!   The main building was mostly already up, so we just needed the insides, one wall and a roof.   Let the games begin!

We don't have any electricity out there, so using tools was a little tricky.  We were able to borrow a cordless drill... which didn't have much of a charge.   So cutting the seat hole was a little more work than we anticipated...

Turns out, I really ENJOY using a handsaw!  So, in less than an hour of work, we had a HOLE!

We only had to buy the plywood, and then we just used scrap wood that was already on the property for the rest of the project.   Saw, saw, saw...

At the finish of the day, we ended up with a throne fit for a king!   The King of Poop anyway:)

Now we just need to add some finishing touches... like some toilet paper?

The cats have truly been enjoying the reemergence of the sun and relative warmth.   Hadley has been venturing out more and more.  Today she brought home her first vole of the season!   Alive!   Hurray?   Ugh.

I spent a good part of my morning chasing the silly thing around the cabin while Hadley attempted to re-catch it.   We both failed.  Now both Hadley and Ernie are patiently waiting for it to pop back out...

WAIT, what was that!?!?!??!?!!

So, I guess we have a new pet vole!  Soon to be a new pet ghost vole I think... *sigh*

When Will It Ever End?

Snow, snow, snow
Cold
Shovel, pile up, blow
Cold
Global warming?
Try ice storming


Apparently my first winter in Alaska, 2012, was one of the overall warmest on record.   SO, the fact that it's STILL snowing and cold in mid April should come as no surprise.  It's still a little disconcerting that at this time last year it was 40° during the day, and this year it's in the 20's.   

Sure, it's not particularly cold when compared to all the below 0 temperatures over the winter.  HOWEVER, I just can't imagine all this snow EVER melting.

I love snow!  I also love gardening!  I just want to get started with the growing season!  My poor sprouts may never live through the marauding cats and bitter cold to reach maturity...

Speaking of those furry beasts, even if it's still too cold and snowy to enjoy the outdoors, they're at least enjoying the springtime sunshine...

If you are reading this, please send HELP!  
We need reinforcements!   Mainly, more SUN!