'Alaska' Category
Stealth Bunnies
We know the snowshoe hare population is at the peak of its seven-year cycle, so naturally, we’re seeing lots of hare sign:
well-worn trails and scat…
nibbled twigs just above the snow line.
But here’s something I haven’t noticed before in all my years of nature-viewing in Alaska:
I’m going to call them “forms.”
Unlike rabbits, hares don’t live [...]And Speaking Of…
…the garden, we continue to enjoy the fruits and veggies of that labor. Our potatoes and onions are faring well. We followed instructions for long-term storage, and it seems to be working.
I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I like the blanched and frozen snap, snow, and green peas. Last year, after following blanching instructions, [...]Holiday Treats for Everyone
While emptying the compost bucket recently (note to self: wear snowshoes next time), I noticed that something had been in the garden. The snow is deep enough to make getting around difficult, and I was in a hurry, so I didn’t investigate. I saw moose, canine, and hare tracks, and it appeared that something [...]
AK Puzzle Bears Holiday Offer
We got a call today from our friend, Fred, in PA. (Yes, that’s DBL Fred for friends who know him.) He was holiday shopping and wanted to give the Alaska’s Puzzle Bears book to two of the kids on his list. Since these are only available in choice Alaska souvenir shops, and since we can’t [...]
First Winter Storm
Power’s out. Lots of heavy wet snow. This has the makings of an extended outage. We’re fairly well prepared, so no worries for a while.
It sure is pretty!
Not much to read here, I know. If you want, the December 1 Needlework Nutshell went out early this morning (subscription box in sidebar), and the December [...]Reading Roundup
What’s on my nightstand? I Am the Ice Worm, by MaryAnn Easley.
Recently, my Recommended Reading list included a bunch of adventure novels from a list compiled by an Alaskan librarian. I was able to get my hands on a number of them, and this is the first of the lot.
Fourteen-year-old California girl, Allison, is [...]Thursday Sighting
Stop the uploading! We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog post to report a special and rare sighting.
After I wrote my 2,000 words this morning, I got up to do a lap around the room. I made my usual stops, first at the east window, then at a south window, and finally at the west window. [...]Weekend Sightseeing
Aialik Bay: Drama Queen.
Sometimes she’s calm and inviting…
stunningly beautiful…
and delightfully entertaining.
Sometimes she’s violent and raging, hurling raindrops and hail, screaming gusts of wind, and throwing waves over the sand berm.There was a BAY that had a GLAcier
in the middle of her FJORD (just this once say it “FYOR-ed”).
When she was good she was very, [...]Where the White Things Are
Loved by audiences of all ages.
This is one of four Alaska animals to turn white in the winter. Can you see the change starting? (The neck and belly don’t count; they’re always white.)
This animal changes names along with its fur: In summer it’s a weasel; in winter it’s an ermine. Hmm. I think I’d like [...]Weekend Sightseeing
Note: Edited to remove a perfectly innocent descriptive phrase that lewd and crude minds have usurped, turning it into, Mike informs me, something I do not mean. Sigh. Regular readers know I generally have a g-rated mind, but the rest of you who got here via a search for this phrase–and, yes, that makes you [...]
