Alaska

Weather, COVID and a deep discount.

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A couple of weeks ago it was below zero. Today it’s supposed to hit 62 degrees. This has been a weird spring, full of weird weather.  

Re the photo at left: Either the greenhouse effect is real, or the remote thermometer in that greenhouse is defective. Maybe a little of each. (The temperature on the right is that of our living room.) This picture was taken on Monday afternoon, when the temperature was in the 50s outdoors –  not what you would call extremely warm, but the angle of the sun hits the greenhouse just right.

About that sun: Sunday, April 18, was the first night of 2021 without complete darkness. According to the National Weather Service, the sky will not darken past “astronautical twilight” until Aug. 25.

If you, like me, are unfamiliar with astronautical twilight, here’s how the NWS explains it: “the level of light observed when the sun is 12 to 18 degrees below the horizon.”

Okay then. Until I moved here I also had never heard the phrase “civil twilight,” either. Live and learn.

Incidentally: The sun rose at 6:23 a.m. today and will set at 9:34 p.m. But thanks to that astronautical twilight, it will seem earlier/later. And, as DF points out, we still have lots of snow left on the ground to amplify that light. Um, yay?

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9 reasons to get a library card.

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The other day on Twitter a guy asked, “Does anybody still have a library card?” Not sure whether the question was plaintive or condescending, but the reaction was both swift and vociferous. The general consensus was, “Of course I do, and I don’t know why someone wouldn’t.”

One person actually said “I feel sorry for (that guy).”

Again, not sure where he weighed in on the topic. Maybe he’s one of those people who thinks he doesn’t need a library card because he has the Internet. But to paraphrase a meme I saw earlier today, “Saying you don’t need a library card because you have the Internet is like saying you don’t need a math teacher because you have a calculator.”

Maybe he was hoping to find his people online, because he’s one of those who got his library card as soon as he could sign his name. One of those who signed up for a new card every time he changed cities. One of those who, even though he reads e-books, swoons when he walks into a physical library and runs his fingers along the spines of the tomes in the “New Reads” section.

That would be me as well. Our libraries are finally open, and today I went back for the first time in probably a year and a half. The building itself is diminished: certain areas are closed off, and the traffic is noticeably lower than usual for a Saturday afternoon. But it was open. And I was finally back among my friends.

By “friends,” I of course mean “books.” I had to stop myself after choosing six. That took some doing, because I happen to know the limit is 50 items. But as much as I wanted to keep browsing, I didn’t want to carry 50 books. Besides, I figured I should save some of the new books for everyone else.

The library is one of my favorite places, and if you consider yourself frugal it should be among your top spots as well. Here’s why.

 

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Giveaway: Alaska handmade soap.

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This is another in my “support the local economy” giveaways. In past weeks I’ve given away things like a “Tundra“ calendar, a couple of batches of Alaska-made jewelry and an Aliy Zirkle “dog fan“ membership. This time around, I’ve chosen Denali Dreams, a company known for its handmade soap, salve and balm, is the source this time around. 

Denali Dreams’ soaps (which smell  divine) has been included in at least one previous batch-of-things giveaway. But this time around, I’m focusing only on Denali Dreams products.

And despite what the headline says, it’s not just handmade soap. The winner gets to choose up to $35 worth of Denali Dreams goodies. (Edited to add: Denali Dreams has decided to add a lip balm to the order, free of charge, which further extends the fun.)

For example, there’s the “Alaska Manly Man” section, which features some goofy, spoofy products such as Elbow Grease (“softens rough edges”), Lip Lube (to keep lips “soft, supple and in great working order”) and Beard Balm that will “keep your look sharp, just like your chainsaw blades.”

There’s Skeeter Away Natural Bug Repellent, which promises an environmentally friendly answer to pesky bugs. Anyone who’s visited the Kobuk Coffee Co. in downtown Anchorage will love the Samovar Soap & Tea pack, which combines a box of that gift company’s popular Samovar Tea with a soap that apparently smells the way the tea tastes (essential oils of cinnamon, clove, orange, and lemon).

Having a rough time? Try the Baby Bear Butt Balm (with calendula-infused olive oil “to help chase away even the most stubborn of chapped rumps”), the Fireweed Honey Lip Balm (“keep your lips protected from the harsh, dry Alaskan climate”) or the Dog Paw Salve (with beeswax and unscented oils) can help.

But about that handmade soap. 

 

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National Agriculture Day begins at home.

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Today has been proclaimed National Agriculture Day, so what better way to celebrate than with a picture of dirt?

Whoops. That’s soil, not dirt. As a master gardener once told me, “Dirt is what comes out of your vacuum cleaner. Soil is a living organism.”

President Joe Biden proclaimed National Agriculture Day in order to recognize “our commitment to and appreciation for our country’s farmers, ranchers, foresters, farmworkers, and those who work in the agriculture sector across the Nation.”

Well said, sir. But may I suggest that we also appreciate the nation’s fruit and vegetable gardeners along with the big-time growers? After all, they are providing food for themselves and, often, for lucky relatives and friends.

And, dear readers: May I suggest that you join us? 

 

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Giveaway: Aliy Zirkle “dog fan.”

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For years – long before I had the chance to interview her – I’d hoped that Aliy Zirkle and her team would win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. She always struck me as a strong-willed, big-hearted woman who was passionate about dogs and the Alaska wilderness.

Zirkle lives in Two Rivers, Alaska, where sled dogs outnumber human beings four to one. She’s done either the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race (1,000 miles) or the Iditarod (1,049 miles) every year since 1998. She’s never had to scratch, and won the Yukon Quest in 2000. Since then Zirkle, now 50, has focused on the Iditarod, and has come in second place three years in a row.

And after I got the chance to chat for a freelance piece*, I liked her even more. That’s because Zirkle is…frugal!

She and her husband, Allen Moore, are both savers, not spenders. Their bed is 20 years old and the couch is 12 years old. They don’t have high-tech electronics. If they earn less than expected in a given year, they put off nonessential purchases or upgrades rather than take on debt.

It’s all about their mushing buddies, whose care runs the couple $700 to $1,000 per year per dog on average. (They’ve got 40 of them, and they never sell dogs, even after they’ve stopped. Instead, they become retirees – and pets.)

The musher recently shocked Alaska sled-dog racing fans by announcing her impending retirement. The 2021 Iditarod – her 21st running – will be not just her last, but her swan song to mushing altogether.

Shucks.

One of my holiday gifts to my friend Linda B. this year was making her a “dog fan” – making a donation to Zirkle’s SP Kennel in Linda’s name. It’s one of those “what to get for the person who has everything?” questions, and “make her a dog fan**” was an obvious answer. Linda has loved both sprint and distance mushing since she moved to Alaska way back in the pipeline era.

Lately I’ve tried to make most of my giveaways ones that would #SupportTheAlaskaEconomy. And since the 2021 Iditarod – Zirkle’s last! – starts on Sunday, March 7, I’ve decided to give away a dog-fan membership.

Yes: One lucky winner will have his or her name published on Zirkle’s dog page, with all the honors and awards accorded thereto.

What kinds of honors and awards? So glad you asked.

 

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Monday miscellany: Return of the dragonfly.

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Last week’s Alaska jewelry giveaway had a bunch of commenters kvelling about the dragonfly pendant. (See illustration at left.)

Can’t blame them; I love the piece myself. It looks as though Alaska’s official state insect is about to take wing. That suggestion of motion stimulates my senses, especially during such a sluggish time (thanks, pandemic!) and sluggish season (hint: I’m not a skier).

The good news: Those who expressed admiration for the piece still have a shot at getting it, because the winner chose a different pendant. (Jeanne: The necklace and earrings should go into the mail today or tomorrow.)

What else is available? So glad you asked. 

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Giveaway: More Alaska jewelry.

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This is another in my “support local artists/local economy” giveaway series. It’s the second giveaway of jewelry made by my bestest buddy Linda B.

The response was so great the first time that I thought, “These folks like jewelry. Maybe I should give more of it away. How about for Valentine’s Day?”

It’s a bit early to be thinking about gifts of love, but I think about things differently than most people. (Boy, do I ever…) Seriously, though: Since the U.S. mail system has been struggling lately, I want to allow plenty of time to get these delivered so they can be given as gifts.

Not that you have to give them away. If you love jewelry, then keep it all. As another Donna would say: Treat yo’self.

Or keep some of it, and give the rest to your mother, sister(s) or friend(s). There’s enough to share: The winner will get his or her choice from among the six pendants shown below plus four pairs of earrings.

Linda began with beads and has branched out into resin capture and metalwork. The “work” sometimes means texturing the stuff. When I moved back to Alaska I originally lived in Linda’s house. She’s a night owl and would stay up late working on jewelry. Sometimes I would fall asleep to the teenk-teenk-teenk of her using a texturing hammer on the metal, which made me think of a steampunk version of “The Shoemaker and the Elves.”

(Revisit the first giveaway write-up for Linda’s full backstory. She is a kick-ass Alaska woman and I am proud to be her friend. Humbled, even.)

Once again it was hard to choose from among her many works, but here’s what I settled on: 

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Giveaway: More stocking stuffers.

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I’m really enjoying these giveaways. That’s because I love giving things away almost as much as I love winning things myself. Okay, not 100 percent accurate right now: I’m hoping against hope to win a PlayStation 5 in time for Christmas. My great-nephew, like many other gamers, is obsessed over this new system. Some people … Read more

Looking back at the garden.

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My dearest friend brought in the first snowball of the season today. (Note: “Today” meaning Oct. 18, when I started writing this but got sidetracked.)

He had no intention of tossing it at me. Wise man.

“I just thought it was funny that I could make a snowball,” he said.

DF was also glad that he’d (mostly) finished putting the garden to bed. All that’s left is to thin out a few rows of raspberries, a task I want to observe. If I have to do it for him some year, or even if I simply want to help, I won’t accidentally kill any healthy specimens.

And healthy specimens they were: We froze about 30 quarts, I made about 16 jars of jam and his grandchildren romped through the rows, eating as many as they could hold. Which is, of course, one reason we do this: We want those kids to know where food comes from, other than Safeway.

I’d every intention of writing this article in late summer as “A walk through the garden.” I even took pictures. Due to various Reasons the article never materialized.

When I looked at the tiny white flakes falling to cover grass and the beds, I decided to go ahead with the piece. I wanted to see those summer pictures again, both as a reminder of what was and what will come again next year.

 

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