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."

Not quite climbing out of the Winter to Remember!

Some statistics!

With the sub-40-below temperatures recorded at our airport on March 10 and 11, 2026, we have passed the winter of 1905-1906: 29 different days that featured minus 40 temps or colder.

"From February 25 through March 11, the average temperature at Fairbanks International Airport plummeted to -20°F, officially marking the coldest such period recorded this late in the season. This frigid stretch didn't just edge out the past; it shattered the previous record of -17°F (1971)."

Happy Lunar New Year!

It's the Year of the Horse, of Course, of Course! I already did the prepwork for New Year's Dinner last night, including chopping up this napa cabbage:

and obtaining this niangao:

This amaryllis seems to fit the Lunar New Year them nicely!

My friend sent the bulb from Montana, and I planted it only three weeks ago!

The girls quality checked the Napa cabbage.

MMMMMMM NAPACABBIDGE!!!

Wishing all 17 of my loyal readers a happy, healthy, and prosperous Year of the Horse!

Finally!

!

Apparently December was the coldest December since 1980. Temperatures have warmed up twice since then, enough time for a snowstorm, and then dropping again to -30s. While DL shoveled, the girls and I decided to go check out the trails for the first time in a month.

Nice temperatures! Perfect for us!

I didn't know if anyone had broken the trails, so I went via snowshoe, which is tiring! Today would have been a good day for off-leash recall training for Raven, but I actually wanted her help so stayed attached.

Cricket had a blast!

A very pretty day!

Selfie with Cricket!

Walked under a snow-laden branch.

The birch forest is my favorite.

Selfie!

I like dog butts and I cannot lie.

Rosie Creek is frozen and covered once again. Skiing will be fabulous!

Our narrow spur to the public trails.(cricketbutt for scale)

Quite a warmup from just a week ago! This was last Sat.

At those temperatures, we stay off the trails, which are low-lying and trap cold air. We just walk on the roads.

Look how frosty I got that one day! It comes from covering my face with my neck gaiter. Then my own warm breath rises directly and the water condenses onto my eyelashes and other "extremities" (those extremmities being only a few mm, apparently!)

Our neighborhood moose also have been staying in higher areas, like our yard. This is a mama and baby settling into the side of our yard to spend the night. I got curious so googled about the little one. Assuming she was born in May, that makes her 7-8 months old. At that age, she has a full set of milk teeth and is eating lots of browse, but she's still nursing, too.

And look at my smart sheppy! I have finally taught her there is no need to WOOF WOOF WOOF at moose outside. She ignores them now. Look how relaxed she is. I am so proud.

Of course, Cricket is an old pro at the skill "We Do Not Harass Meese".

Did you know that you can summon a Sheppy with an apple cronche?