Spring has sprung

Like a punch in the face, but a very lovely one! All green stuff all around, and the scent of rain on alder shoots. A sweet, cloying scent joined it this morning, which has to mean flowering things. Chokecherry trees are not uncommon around Fairbanks. Our power company used to give out saplings, because as they cut the tall trees along the power line rights of way, they don't want to just leave us with stumps or bare earth, so they give out trees that don't grow very high. However, in recent years as the climate has warmed, chokecherries have come to be considered an invasive. Oops.

Both the girls were due for updated shots, so to the vet we went. Look how calm they are!

Cricket updated her rabies.

And Raven updated her kennel cough.

And just last weekend! What have we here?

Finally something for the bees! Violas!

And dandelions!

Bluebells will be soon! I saw their buds!

Spring is springing

Apologies for the long lapse in posting. It has been an exhausting winter, and it's been slow to end. But spring is springing at last! The willows are putting out their fluffy little catkins, which is usually the sign of true warm weather. Migratory birds arrive when it's still cold!

The Isberg Trail is now pretty much snow-free.

Do you think they are comfy? I sure hope they are comfy.

Yesterday we decided to walk part of the Equinox Trail, on the side of Ester Dome.

Selfie!

Did I succeed in making this twig in front of a trickle of rainwater look like a log in front of a waterfall?

Here we are at the bottom of the infamous Chute. The race course has you run down it. I have done the race 3 times and each time *walked* down it, very carefully!

My fuzzy things on the couch!

And what have we here?

Fairy slippers, just appeared this morning!

Moseying up to the ridge.

There is a steep bit here, too. The Isberg Chute!

Raven

Cricket

Classic Fairbanks birch shot:

Happy Spring to all 14 of my loyal readers!

It's Official! Aaaaand... More Signs of Spring

Look! We officially got the Coldest Winter on Record!

Having lived through Fairbanks' Coldest Winter in Recorded History (records starting in 1904) has gotta be some real bragging rights! OK enough of that. Now we are transitioning to spring. This upcoming weekend may be our last weekend skiing until the creek opens up and we lose trail access. The snow has gotten hard packed into ice and I am walking the girls in Icebugs. Snow is dripping off rooftops and making icicles. For us it's our drainspouts!

DL has to cut a channel to drain this one, otherwise it makes a patch of ice behind the house.

It was "only" this amount of total snow accumulation though. It would have made for nicer skiing, had it not been so cold.

Last weekend I felt confident enough in the spring that I put away my heavy coats and boots and got out some lighter clothes and unlined Bean boots. I'm ready for mud season!

Last weekend, DL and I joined the 1200 in Fairbanks and 8.1 million nationwide to stand for democracy.

I like the UU church. :)

The girls' winter coats will start dumping soon. I thought I'd photograph peak fuzzy paws. Here is Cricket's peak fuzz:

And here is Raven's:

Here they are snuggling with Daaaaaaaaddy:

And here is my midterm exam prep!

When I was in my 20s, the "common wisdom" for women in male-dominated fields was to dress like a man and act like a man and for Heaven's sake quit bringing cookies to events. It undermines you and makes you look like you are a server not an engineer in your own right. Well screw that! I want to bring cookies because I'm nice, and my students deserve cookies!! And I have tenure now so!

A few weeks ago I attended the thesis defense of a very bright young lady I had known since she was a freshman. She wore a flowy, floral dress and I was sort of fascinated and delighted at how much times had changed. I'd *never* have worn a floral print dress when I was her age. It would have been considered unprofessional. But now it's 30 years later, and women can look feminine if they damn well want to! I took photos of her standing in front of per presentation and sent them to her and told her I was so proud.😍

Happy Spring!

Sunrise: approximately 7:54 AM AKDT
Sunset: approximately 8:06 PM AKDT

Wow the light at the end of the tunnel!

Pretty soon we can switch to complaining about mud, heat, and mosquitoes!

Good Morning!

-30 on the morning of 18th March has got to be a record! I've gotten tired of tracking records for this winter, though, and there are so many ways you can quantify butt-cold. Let's see there is:

Number of days below freezing (although I think this one is least meaningful of all. I mean it can be a balmy, sweaty 20F for weeks and weeks but that doesn't mean it's cold.

Number of days below -40 (ok that is a real one)

Number of days below some other number (0, -20, or -30)

Lowest average temperature over some period of time.

Among those metrics, the two that most meaningfully impacted our lives was (1) The extended average temperature periods. We hit record territory here. December–February period is Fairbanks' coldest in over 50 years, and the airport (down there in that cold little slough) recorded its coldest winter since 1970–71. 1975 was the last time it was this cold in Fairbanks over this long of a period.

Then there is (2) The number of days below -40°F. That was genuinely butt-cold. That 33-day deep freeze included 17 days when temperatures dropped below -40°F, 11 of which were consecutive, from December 26, 2025 through January 5, 2026. This morning marked the 31st day of -40 this whole season. Overall, this winter has been the coldest that many people alive today had ever experienced. Garbage collection trucks quit working and garbage accumulated in the city dumpsters. Snow plows even quit working and the streets went unplowed. It was bone-wearying. Even Cricket, who gamely took walks in the cold all through December and January, threw in the towel in March and decided she would not go outside (except to pee) until the afternoon.

Walking around looking this this started to get old.

And think I am turning pink!

In Fairbanks-kind of deep cold, conventional lotions don't work. Anything humectant (like aloe or glycerin) is unpleasant and actually drying. I use pure plant oils--argan on the face, coconut on the body, and/or almond on both. Before butt-cold walks, I also layer on hand or paw salve on exposed skin, like my cheekbones and nose. Here are my two favorites:

The paw balm was made by a small shop in Eagle River near Anchorage. The human salve was made by a perfumery in France. It's funny how these two different comnpanies converged on making products that are great for human faces.

I mean, why not?

Apparently we need to break more records.

Cricket refuses to go for morning walks now. She's like, "I did your death marches at -40 for 4 weeks, now the light has returned and I will stay on this couch until it is warm."