First Snow - Well at Least First Dusting of Snow

30 September 2012
8:38 AM

Sunrise at	8:00 AM	in direction	96°	East
Sunset at	7:20 PM	in direction	264°	West

Duration of day: 11 hours, 20 minutes (6 minutes, 37 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Snow dusting the deck, tree, and yard

I searched back through my journal posts and have not found a date when I predicted, on paper, that the first dusting of snow should be the last of September.  I was using the fireweed fuzz indicator as the basis for my prediction.  I did find Changing Seasons where I posted photos of the fireweed completely bereft of bloom and full of fuzz.  That was August 28, 2012, nearly five weeks ago and not the first day I'd noticed the blooms were gone. 

I did tell my husband that if using fireweed as an indicator was accurate, we should see snow the last of September or the first week of October, which was early.  He laughed saying that wasn't too hard to predict as snow fell about that time each year.  Ah, but the subtle interplay of days is what's in question.

In my reckoning, using the wood stove for heat and having snow on the ground, even if just a dusting, at the end of September is early.  Mid to late October is more the time when snow falls for the first time.  Then we can assume that the first snow that does not melt will fall around the time of my daughter's birthday, October 19.  The forecast had been for the scattered snow showers over several days, but I see now that it will warm back up over next week - which is good.  I still have wood to stack and an invisible fence to install.

The first year we moved to Alaska, 2006, we drove up from Colorado in mid-October and there was snow along the Alaska Range around Destruction Lake.  That was the only stretch of road there was snow on the trip.  We were thankful that was the only place we encountered those conditions.  Sections of the road were still thick ridges of slush that had frozen over night.  Even for Colorado drivers who'd driven through horrendous storms, pulling a UHaul trailer with regular Michelin tires across those roads required vigilence for 100 miles.  We came out of snow just above the border crossing from Canada into Alaska.  Snow did not fall until it was late October or early November that year.  Everyone was saying it was late for snow.

Now, of course, the analytical part of my brain steps in and I need to go back to see if I can find records of the first snow fall - dusting or otherwise.  But, the wisdom of the saying is essentially if you need to travel south, get it done because weather conditions will not be good along critical mountain passes soon.  We certainly experienced that, and during a winter that settled in later than usual.

Interestingly, those that are leaving the state most often leave early summer, as soon as the passes are free of snow.  Looks like we are committed to another winter in Interior Alaska.

Fearful or Bully, the Issue Remains

29 July 2012
11:14 AM

	Sunrise at 7:57 AM in direction 95° East Sunset at 7:24 PM in direction 265° West Duration of day: 11 hours, 27 minutes (6 minutes, 37 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Cutter in his favored deck spot, where he can keep
an eye on the door

Although my daughter, Teresa, took our neighbor's word at face value yesterday - just as I did - she called this morning and voiced what I had been thinking yesterday evening when my initial shock passed.

"Mom, you are taking the word of a man who was bullying you that JayJay was aggressive."

Well, she is right.  I realized he was bullying me, telling me about the gun and chain saw.  I am not easily bullied which is why I simply countered with the fact that I had never seen any aggression in her at all.  I even invited him to come meet her a few times.  To tell me her ears went up when he started toward her is not an indication of aggression.  That is what their ears do when alert about absolutely anything - which is to say all those months of taping and re-taping have not gone to waste.

What I didn't tell him, if I wanted to engage in a verbal tussle, was that in his fearful state, he was considering shooting a dog that has gone into his neighbors yard with the children out playing with no problems.  I did not return threats or bluster.  I could have told him if he touched my dog without her actually attacking, I'd sue him for her cost (I read of someone doing that - seems extreme, but could be a useful threat in the heat of the moment).  I didn't tell him she was a Champion of champion lines worth more than some of his weight room equipment.  What I did was acknowledge his automatic response to seeing a doberman in his yard.  They have a bad reputation.

And the truth is, they do have strong protective instincts.  As an owner, you do nothing to encourage protectiveness.  You do not train them to consider it their duty to protect and defend.  You have to let it come naturally so it does not become excessive or dangerous.  And frankly, if they weren't my dogs, I would not walk into the house uninvited.  So, even though my daughter reminded me that JayJay was afraid enough of one of our house sitters (lots of long dreadlocks) that she wouldn't come out from under the bed and in general is a sissy, I felt the best thing to do was acknowledge his fears and worries.  Then do my best to ease them.

A man who is afraid of a silly girl dog, afraid enough to consider getting a gun before his buddy reminded him she was not likely to come over to mess with the chain saw, is not to be pushed.  Teresa reminded me that some people are irrational and expect everyone else to get out of their way.  She cited some examples of neighbors encountered near one of her friend's house.  But, she also agreed with me to give him the benefit of the doubt.  He has been bit, probably when young, and those fears do not subside.  Blustering and bullying is a way to save face after the fact, but the fear was real for him.

While I agree that I should not be overly concerned about JayJay's apparent change in character, the issue remains.  The invisible fence is still going to be installed.  The dogs will enjoy it and the family next door can be assured they will not be visited by those big, bad, scary dobermans.

At the moment, two of the big, bad, scary dobermans are curled in tight balls - one on the couch, one on the chair.  Cutter is stretched out on the floor.  The dogs are in their accustomed places in their accustomed poses.  All is well.

Sudden Danger for Dobermans in Rural Alaska

28 September 2012
8:22 PM

Sunrise at	7:54 AM	in direction	94°	East
Sunset at	7:27 PM	in direction	266°	West

Duration of day: 11 hours, 33 minutes (6 minutes, 37 seconds shorter than yesterday)

In Alaska certain rules apply to property and animals.  Any dog that shows signs of aggression on another person's property is liable to be killed.  My youngest and mildest doberman, I found out today, was in mortal danger earlier this week.  She is the dog that the agility evaluators put with the smallest dogs because, as a big dog, she showed the least interest in either them or their human companions.  She is the dog I can walk casually without worrying about her investigating on-comers, pulling on me suddenly.  She is the dog that comes each and every time I call.

How did she get into this situation?

We have new neighbors and the man of the family has not been at home for a few weeks.  He has been taking his children hunting.  There are no fences between our properties and when we are out, we watch the dogs, rarely letting them get anywhere out of our sight.  We have lived in our house since April of 2007 and the times anyone of our dogs have left our yard without us is probably less than 10.  When they have, we have brought them back to the yard within minutes.  There have been no incidents, no angry calls, no worries about their safety.

Nevertheless, they are dobermans and I take great pains to be sure they are good neighbors and don't do anything that reflects badly on the breed. Gary, my husband, is not quite as careful.  Cutter, the Sled Dog is more prone to visit and he has been especially drawn to the new neighbors' house.  Each time I have been out with him and let him have his lead for a bit, he has invariably headed toward that property.  Treat inducements and lots of praise has always brought him back.

So, Gary and I got home one time.  JayJay and Cutter were in their pens in the garage and Gary let them both out.  I hollered at him to watch the dogs.  "Yeah, yeah!"  He alway thinks I over react about their safety.  So then I checked myself because 1) I knew they were excited to be out and likely to be silly and 2) Cutter would most likely head to the neighbors' house.  Sure enough, they were no where in sight.  I saw activity toward the neighbors and starting calling like crazy.  They came.

I thought no more of it.

Today I went to meet the family that lives there and Albert came out.  The well was on my mind and why it comes on so often.  We concurred that it was coming on when we weren't using it and it was a mystery as to why that was increasing.  We tossed out a few ideas and agreed that the man who'd helped us with the well's diagnosis was honest because he hadn't tried to get us to replace the pump prematurely.  As I was leaving, he said casually -

"Is that doberman yours?"

I thought, "Which one?", but said, "Yes."

"She almost got herself killed a few days ago."

I waited for the other shoe to drop.

"She and the other dog came over and I've got four kids here.  I told her to get and she growled at me and came closer."

I said, "She's never shown any aggression to anyone."  Of course, I am not thinking that she has never growled or barked at anyone.  I am thinking she has not attacked or gone after anyone.  She is a doberman afterall; if she didn't react when people came to the door it would be just weird.  But I had not heard of her defining her territory for defense outside our own yard - but then, where is our own yard here anyway.  There is no fence between us.  "I always keep them in the back yard or watch them, but they were out with my husband. As soon as I saw they were gone I called them home."

"She did growl at me and those ears came up.  I was going to go get my gun because I nearly lost a finger to a dog.  But my buddy was here helping me cut up trees.  He had his chain saw and started walking toward her with that," he said.  "'Come on over, dog' was my buddy's comment.  I thought why get the gun when he has the chain saw."

I again told him that she was more show than aggression.  We talked briefly about dobermans.  He had read or heard that silly notion that doberman brains outgrew their cranial capacity and it hurt their head.  I did not tell him that was an urban myth, because the truth about doberman breeding in the U.S. would have more impact.  Instead I told him that breeders had been carefully breeding overly "sharp" behavior out of the breed to make them better companions and social animals.

When I got home, I nearly had a nervous breakdown.  My sweet, sweet girl had made a complete ass of herself in another person's yard in Alaska.  My complacent husband had not listened to me and would he ever hear about that!  Maybe now was the time to get that invisible fence in place.  Then I worried an invisible fence wouldn't be enough.  What if the children came to visit while we were out in our yards with the dogs.  We would not let them be out on their own, even with the invisible containment system, but what if  - what if?

Then too, I am still not sure why JayJay took the challenge.  Recently another doberman owner and breeder told me that dobermans rarely start a fight, but they are more than happy to finish it.  So, she definitely thought our neighbor was starting something; then I thought about the additional element of Cutter.  When the girls want to spar for entertainment, they run Cutter off.  He just isn't up to their standards and they don't want him in the way.  They will run back and forth with him, if that is the game, but when it is serious training, he is definitely moved out of the back yard and onto the deck.

It suddenly occurred to me that they may see him as one needing protection.  Sweet, happy, and definitely-not-a-fighter Cutter would not be able to defend himself to our girls' way of seeing duty and work. When my neighbor came toward her in a threatening manner would she assume it was directed at her alone or would she think it was a threat to her and to her pack mate, Cutter?   She would assume the latter.  I think she was in going into full protection mode and it almost got her killed.

My alertness and insistence that the whereabouts of the dogs be known at all times saved her, but that invisible fence is going in this week - or I will find a way to pay for a structural one.  I don't want any more incidents with these very close neighbors to my east.  In the meantime, the girls do not play frisbee; they do not train for agility; they do not have free run in the front when we get home.  They remain within our deck and home and I am trying wire around both gates to be sure they can not open.

The Return of the Moon

26 September 2012
5:25 PM

Sunrise at	7:48 AM	in direction	92°	East
Sunset at	7:35 PM	in direction	268°	West

Duration of day: 11 hours, 47 minutes (6 minutes, 37 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Looking to the south from our deck

The moon has returned.  The moon and stars have been absent from our skies since last May and although the slide into winter's night moves at an alarmingly fast rate, the visibility of celestial friends is welcome.  Last night's moon was especially beautiful.  The moon's orbit is low on the horizon.  It does not follow the same path from solar year to solar year so I haven't seen the exact same sky rotation during the winter.  It's progress across the sky is fast and at times through the winter season, it will not set, but circles around the perimeter of the horizon.  

When I first truly appreciated this phenomena was the first year I moved here.  I was facing north in a meeting with co-workers near the solstice.  Twilight brightened our surroundings, although the sun was not visible.  Since the sun was down, the hues were grey, several shades of white, and interspersed with the black of spruce trees.  Most unexpectedly, to me, the moon appeared through one of the windows along the northern horizon.  As the meeting progressed, I would occasionally glance at the window.  I watched it move across the northern sky, becoming visible in one window and disappearing from it in less than an hour.  The combination of seeing it in the north, during winter twilight, relationship to the horizon, and the speed at which it moved was an exciting and beautiful phenomenon.

It's brightness is always welcome, especially when reflected in snow's white.

The Last Hurrah

25 September 2012
9:10 PM

Sunrise at	7:45 AM	in direction	91°	East
Sunset at	7:38 PM	in direction	269°	West

Duration of day: 11 hours, 53 minutes (6 minutes, 37 seconds shorter than yesterday)

The photo does not do it justice.  The shrub was a
brilliant red

This is the time of year that I cling to each colorful image in the landscape, hoarding it to get me by until next spring.  The hills were golden, then one day a few trees were bare.  The next half the mountain was the brown of trees gone bare.  The following day little gold remained.  But there was still some color.  I noticed the hardy rose bush in front of our deck is sending up another flower and the Nasturtiums and Johnny Jump Ups have not yet given in to frost. 

One tree clinging to green while its
neighbors revel in fall finery

The end of last week and the weekend were exceptionally warm, in the 60s F.  And with the dryness in the air, Denali was visible on the Southwest horizon.  I did not have my camera with me, so an iPhone photo has to do, but there it is.  But late Sunday night, I could feel cool air creeping in around the windows where we are waiting to complete the drywall wrap after the retrofit.  The next day it did not reach 50F and was freezing over night in the river valley.  Snow is predicted for this coming weekend.

Highest peak in north America just visible right of center.

I finished cutting up the remainder of this year's kindling as well as what I am curing for next year.  Gary and I got two more loads of birch from Bob Zachel, split it and covered it.  I will stack it this week or next.  We need to swap our road tires for snow tires and I forgot to call the service station today to make the appointment.  The earliest is probably a week from Friday, so I am trusting it won't snow too much before then.  This is an early snow, and the fireweed prediction scheme - 6 weeks after the fireweed flowers turn to fuzz - has been right on.  I expected Snow the end of September by that indicator and here we are.

All the plants that are wintering over have been brought in and either gather light from the plant lights downstairs, or from the diminishing sunlight.  I will need to bring up a couple of hanging plant lights at the end of October to extend daylight for a few plants up here.  I will do that through January and stop in early February when we have 7 hours of full sunlight (nearly 10 hours of sunlight and twilight).  Gary needs to remove the remaining work bench activities out of the garage so I can park the car in it next week.

Later I will put plastic up over the atrium door to the north and one of our doors on the main floor - to reduce cold drafts at any temperature below -10F.  There is a more elegant and simple way, vertical honeycomb shades.  We have one installed on one of the doors on the main level, but have not had the ready cash to do the same for the others.  So, I make do with the plastic.

All in all, we are ready for the advancing winter.  In the meantime, I absorb each brush of color in the landscape.

Talkeetna Flooding

22 September 2012
10:54 AM

Sunrise at	7:36 AM	in direction	88°	East
Sunset at	7:49 PM	in direction	271°	West

Duration of day: 12 hours, 13 minutes (6 minutes, 37 seconds shorter than yesterday)


As I left the KTNA Art Auction last Saturday, the rain was steady where it had been somewhat variable before.  On Sunday, it rained steadily, sometimes heavily all day in Anchorage.  When I talked with my Mom on Wednesday I asked if it was raining and she affirmed very positively that they had lots of rain in Anchorage.  It's rained long enough, and steady enough in South Central that one region, that of the Upper Mat-Su valley has already flooded, and another is expected to peak tomorrow night, the Kenai River in Soldotna.

A state of emergency has been declared for the upper Mat-su Valley and central Kenai.  I've mentioned that my son, Lorien, is the news producer for KTNA in Talkeetna.  The last 24 hours have kept him and those helping him publish the news very, very busy.  His news casts have been posted regularly on the web site, Alaska Public Radio, and this morning at 6 a.m. AKDT, NPR.

As of the last update, Kenai Pennisula is still flooding, but flooding in Talkeetna is receding, although you wouldn't guess that by the photo of the Talkeetna airport posted on the KTNA web site!  Here's Lorien's latest report on APRN:

Talkeetna Flooding Slowly Receding

By Lorien Nettleton, KTNA - Talkeetna

Talkeetna Fire Captain and Operations Chief Tim Morgan stopped by the command center this morning on his way home to a well-deserved sleep break to report that flood waters continued to recede in both East Talkeetna and downtown Talkeetna. Hydrology levels have dropped significantly on the Talkeetna River and Montana Creek; the Susitna River water levels are slowly dropping.

This is not the first time the region has flooded.  It crested at 16.9', or 6" less than the all time record.  I have seen photos of floods in the midwest where entire houses were under water to their roofs, but in the low lands along Talkeetna, a crest of 16.9' means a few feet of water across a large area.  The flooding is also not a product of flash flooding, such as caused the tragedy of the Big Thompson.

I think the fact that there is no flood surger, and the flooding is inconvenient, damaging, but not life threatening must be the key to why Talkeetna residents don't support the damming of the Susitna River.  You would think, dealing with water in cabins, homes, and businesses that are all built right at ground level would encourage residents of the town to consider the dam favorably.  But by and large, they don't.

Fascinating village, Talkeetna.

The Best of Autumn in the Hills

18 September 2012
7:17 PM

Sunrise at	7:24 AM	in direction	85°	East
Sunset at	8:04 PM	in direction	275°	West

Duration of day: 12 hours, 40 minutes (6 minutes, 38 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Autumn across the hills

Autumn is brief in the Interior, in all of Alaska, but that doesn't diminish its glory.  An extra bonus of warm temperatures (50F to 60F) through the weekend sweetens this autumn's colors.  Our daylight hours are nearly the same as everyone now, and will be on par at equinox. Three days to equinox when we continue to slide into our darkest time at a rapid pace.

But today, and these last few days, make the autumn all the more to cherish.

We are rich - gold strewn across our driveway

Talkeetna - KTNA Art Auction

16 September 2012
9:10 PM

Sunrise at	7:18 AM	in direction	83°	East
Sunset at	8:11 PM	in direction	277°	West

Duration of day: 12 hours, 53 minutes (6 minutes, 38 seconds shorter than yesterday)

I drove up, I thought, to visit my son, Lorien, in Talkeetna.  I did do that.  I did visit with him, but a lot of that visiting was at the KTNA Art Auction .. and I got sucked in.

We arrived early since Lorien works for KTNA and mingled with other staff members.  I met the director who, when he realized I was Lorien's mom, quipped, "Everyone makes a mistake sometime!"  Most everyone else I meet through Lorien tells me what a wonderful person he is, so it was refreshing to get a humorous and contrary take on that theme.  The auction was held in The Sheldon Community Arts Hangar.  As its name states, it is a converted plane hanger.  From the outside, it is still rough, red corrugated steel.  From the inside it is a refined play house with lovely lighting and comfortable seating for a small community.

I have written about the artistic bent of "End of the Roaders" in Fairbanks.  Talkeetna residents consider themselves rural villagers at the end of their road and the number of permanent residents certainly speaks to a small village.  After looking at the many names of well-known artists and crafts men and women, I had to conclude that Talkeetna had the wherewithal to gather work from really, really good artists.  The wall was strewn with fine paintings, many of which pulled at me from the onset.  Along the tables were many mosaics, pottery, whimsical feather earrings, tote bags, historical prints, and more.  Artists included Sue Deyoe, Barstow, Halladay, deceased Curt Wagner, Rob Holt and many others whose names have slipped away.

When I participate in something like this, I am 100%, so I hovered for most of the night to ensure I actually had the highest bid on a mosaic salmon which I think is either coho silver or king chinook by the color, which is aqua marine with touches of red along the flanks.  It is wonderful.  I thought the artists name was Grete, but at check out a volunteer attributed it to Mary Gunderson, famous for her mosaics.  I am confused on that score, but it certainly is similar in style to one she contributed last year.  Then I was interested in one painting that reminded me of the photos I took this summer of the Knik Glacier when I was in Palmer.  Rob Holt, the artist, revealed a very delicate technique and I came back to it again and again.  I wondered a few times if it was a print; there was a certain flatness to it although it appeared to have some texture.  I decided I would try to bid on that painting even though, if original, it was sure to induce some serious bidding.

As I said, I became a part of the event and put my name on several silent auction items, thinking people would out bid me.  At one point, I tallied up what I'd committed to and went back and erased my name from all for which I was the last bidder, all but the salmon mosaic, to be sure I did not spend everything on silent auction if I wanted to bid on the glacier view, titled "Alone".  Near that painting I also noticed a fine painting of a redpoll that had an oriental feel to it, but thought it was most likely out of my price range and not what I would usually buy.  I am not a huge fan of wildlife art, although in that genre, paintings of birds appeal to me most.  I think an artist can only select a small portion of its surroundings - usually a branch or tall meadow grass.  I like the sparse quality that can come from the focus.

The bidding started on the painting of the red poll before "Alone".  I was not surprised that it was valued higher than many of the other pieces auctioned.  The bidding started at half its worth.  I put in a low bid and was immediately outbid.  Then it started to go for what I thought was too low.  I put in another bid thinking someone would raise it.  They didn't.  Much to my surprise, that painting by David Totten was the one for which I was the last bidder.  On his website, one gallery is of birds and he has one of two red polls that has a similar feel.  I think these are his best gallery choices and I am glad I have an original.  

As it turned out, the painting by Rob Holt was computer generated from an original.  Although the subject matter and the careful technique shown in the image appealed to me, I like to buy original art over prints.  That print sold for a few hundred higher than it was valued at the onset of bidding.  He is well appreciated in his home town.

I don't have either item I picked up at the auction yet.  I left it with Lorien because I didn't want to pack it in my suitcase and risk damaging the painting and mosaic.  The painting is fully framed.  I will post a photo here when he brings it with him in October for Teresa's birthday party.

Anchorage Pioneer Home Guest Room

15 September 2012
8:51 AM

Sunrise at	7:15 AM
Sunset at	8:15 PM

Duration of day: 12 hours, 59 minutes (6 minutes, 38 seconds shorter than yesterday)

I flew into Anchorage late last night to visit my mom. I am staying in one of the guest rooms at Anchorage Pioneer Home.  Since I am traveling with an iPad instead of my laptop, I will be uploading photos and posting this when I return home.

Guest room at Anchorage Pioneer Home

Every time I go into APH, I inevitably think about what my life holds for me when I get to the point where I don't want to or can't live on my own. I admit, I can't quite see myself there. When I review my family's aging, my mother is the only one that I know that has lived in an assisted living home. In her case, the need is clear. In those others I see in the wing I am staying in, the need is not so clear as to why they made this choice.  So I have been thinking over what a person loses as opposed to what a person gains by moving into one of the state assisted living homes.

A person would lose having that first cup of coffee or tea in the morning, sitting at his or her own table with familiar things around.  If she or he lives in a house, then losing the yard, the neighbors, maybe a garden is part of the sacrifice.  If a lot of work has gone into improving the house and making it special, all of that is left behind along with all that it represents; it is turned over to some one else to do with whatever they want.  A person loses the freedom to do some things as the mood strikes, like when to have meals.  Personal space becomes small, as seen by the photo above, making one choose only the most special of personal belongings.  The toilet and shower are shared.

On the other hand, meals are cooked for that person and the dishes are done by someone else.  Laundry can be handled by the laundry staff instead of family, so it disappears out of a resident's room and then reappears when clean.  There are lots of places to sit, lots of places to meet others for games and TV, lots of activities to participate in.  A person's day can be filled with contact with others, or quietly spent walking in gardens or doing things in individual's rooms.  The staff at Anchorage Pioneer Home are wonderful.  They are so good to me and my mother.

From what I can see from the elevator doors opening, two floors are for those who still live very independently.  That is where the guest rooms are.  Two floors are for those who need more care.  For example, they are served meals closer to their rooms instead of in the main dining room on the top floor.  I expect the staff in the intermediate assisted living care are as good as those who care for my mother.

A resident can come into the Pioneer home and still drive, still walk in the park, still shop on their own, but have meals, some cleaning and other things done for them.  Then as they need more support, they can move to those wings.  Finally, they can move to 24 hour care and even within full time care, there are graduated levels.  My mother's floor is for those who need physical care, but are still participating in life.  On the second floor are those who are fully immobilized, such as those in the last stages of alzheimer care.  So once a person enters the Pioneer Home system, there would never be the need to leave.

Anchorage in the autumn rain. I liked taking the photo through
the raindrops on the window of my guest room.

I took Mom up to the top floor to sit in the atrium for a while and stopped by the guest room to show her where I'd stayed.  I suggested it was a nice room.  She disagreed, even though it is twice the size of her half of the room she shares.  She did not like it, probably because nothing personal was in it.  Or maybe it was the grey wet view from the window because she didn't want to sit and look out across the city from the 5th floor like she usually does.

In some ways moving, to a place like the Pioneer Home could lift a great burden, that of maintaining oneself and one's belongings.  The residents seem content there, but I still have a hard time imagining myself living that way.  I guess I am not close to that yet since I can't see it as real, but I do think about it.  I have to.  At some point a decision will be made as to how I live out my elder days.

New Wood Stove - Yes or No

12 September 2012
10:08 AM

Sunrise at	7:06 AM	in direction	79°	East
Sunset at	8:26 PM	in direction	280°	West

Duration of day: 13 hours, 19 minutes (6 minutes, 39 seconds shorter than yesterday)


Purchasing a wood stove in Fairbanks is akin to buying a car.  The amounts spent are different, but the same types of considerations can apply for purchasers who want to reduce air emissions, increase performance, and reduce the amount of fuel needed.  Fuel efficiency for a car is tied to an efficient engine that performs smoothly.  Along with greater efficiency in wood stoves comes more even distribution and regulation of heat.  The more efficient both cars and wood stoves are, the less money you spend to get the desired performance.

We have been aware that although our stove meets EPA standards for emissions, it achieves that by maintaining consistent air flow.  Hot burning stoves emit less smoke particulates and non-catalytic stoves, such as our Quadra Fire, keep temperatures high by ensuring sufficient air flow from outside the living area.  No matter how much fuel we put into our stove at night, we get at most 6 hours of heat and some of that time the heat radiated isn't sufficient to keep the central part of the house warm during exceedingly cold outside temperatures.  Last year, in a semi-successful attempt to extend burning time, we consumed a lot of wood fuel.

First I considered a pellet stove.  They are efficient, clean, no more expensive to fuel than a wood stove, and use wood by-products.  Pellet stoves do not need the chimney stack required of wood stove because more heat is translated directly into heat for the home and comparatively little heat energy is expelled.  There are two drawbacks to pellet stoves.  First, most regulate how many pellets are needed for burning by electronically controlled dispensers that release pellets for burning to maintain the heat level required.  No electricity and the pellets are not dispensed.  Secondly, in the far north, we are reliant on being able to get pellets locally to make the cost reasonable.  It remains economical if pellets can be purchased from local vendors.  Finally, for resale, most people expect a wood stove, but a pellet stove is a questionable selling point.

Last year we began investigating catalyic burning wood stoves.  This year I concentrated on the features of the stove in earnest.  We could easily load up the Blaze King Princess to last overnight.  We would reduce the amount of emissions and the amount of fuel used.  We can purchase the Ultra model which has heat shields, making it appropriate for the close space in which the stove sits.  Right now, we do not feel any heat from the sides of the Quadra Fire and that is essential because clearances are just at 6".  The minimum required for an Ultra is 6" on the diagonal as the stove does not face perpendicular to the wall, but fits in a corner.  On the down side, the cost is over $2600 for the stove and new double walled chimney pipe to keep the temperatures high enough to mitigate creosote build up.

We would not need to buy more wood, having been delivered a short load by one vendors, but we still to invest over $2000.  Hopefully we could defray some of that cost by selling the Quadra Fire.  Depending on the amount of wood we burn, we could possibly recoup the investment in four to five years.  Is it worth it?  That is the same question we are asking when considering buying a Toyota Prius over a Honda CR-V.  Is the long term savings worth the initial cost?  Part of that worthiness has to be evaluated in terms of environmental impact.

As I said, for us, purchasing a wood stove in Fairbanks is as serious as our considerations for buying a new car.

Music, Music, Music!

10 September 2012
7:12 PM

Sunrise at	7:00 AM	in direction	77°	East-northeast
Sunset at	8:33 PM	in direction	282°	West-northwest

Duration of day: 13 hours, 33 minutes (6 minutes, 39 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Some of earliest memories of watching TV with my grandparents, one from the hills of Tennessee and the other the hills of Arkansas, was of fiddling on Grand Ole Oprey.  It must have made a huge impression because I can't ignore any kind of fiddle playing, whether it is Isaac Perlman in the tradition of the Northern Europe, Irish Fiddling, Old American Fiddling, or in the Blue Grass Tradition.  Guitar in those traditions has the same effect, although I hear it and my focus inevitably drifts to the music.

Leo Kottke wove his spell Friday night and on Saturday I was blown away by the April Verch Trio and other Fiddle Fest performers.  I first became aware of Leo Kottke when I started dating my husband in 2003.  He had Dish Satellite fed to his little house and he'd leave Acoustical Crossroads playing while he was gone.  Any time I'd come into his house with him, really great music would be playing.  There would be no picture, just the name of the artist and the title of the piece against a black screen - no clutter at all. Occasionally the musicianship was so good I'd take a look at the title and artist and Leo Kottke consistently was one of those that drew my attention. The Fisherman hints at what drew me to his sound.

When he performs, he doesn't just play.  He may tell you about the book he's reading, quote poetry, tell stories about his childhood (invariably funny), and try to control his hands which can't stop touching, tuning, and picking at the strings on his guitar.  Wearing glasses was a new event in his life and some of his thoughts drifted into the perceptual changes with these things on your face cutting vision into sections.  And woven all through this is some really, really good guitar pickin'.

All week long Fiddle Fest was holding classes for throughout Fairbanks.  My impression was that most of the attendees were children honing their skills and one of the teachers and performers, Caitlin Warbelow, was raised in Fairbanks.  She has won competitions and plays with many well-known bands.  This YouTube video at the Tap Root, does not showcase the smoothness of her delivery, but does exemplify the Irish Fiddle style - slow repetitive introduction to the melody, then two tempo increases before the finish.  She performs with other artists frequently and I noticed how easily her music blended with the Troy MacGillvray Band at the Fiddle Fest Concert.  Troy MacGillvrary, from Cape Breton, plays traditional Scottish and Irish tunes and when home,

April Verch and her band members, Cody Walters and Hayes Griffin, had a more traditionally North American sound.  They played several tunes in the Old American style, one Bluegrass melody in the Scruggs Standard, and several from the Ottawa Valley where she was raised.  She liked to emphasize that several ethnic groups, Scottish, Irish, French, and Polish blended their musical and dance styles to the forms she was raised with.  In addition to fiddling like a demon, she step dances and especially loves dancing in the style of her home.  They are coming back to Alaska in the spring and if one of their stops is Anchorage, I will do my best to be there.

What a great weekend.  The most northern city in the world solicits some fine talent for performances here.

Lows in the Mid 30s

6 September 2012
7:09 PM

Sunrise at	6:48 AM	in direction	74°	East-northeast
Sunset at	8:48 PM	in direction	286°	West-northwest

Duration of day: 13 hours, 59 minutes (6 minutes, 41 seconds shorter than yesterday)


I brought the plants in today.  There isn't much reason to leave them out longer and while our temperatures average 10F degrees higher than the Airport and downtown, why stress the plants by over night temperatures just a little below their comfort range?

Another Amazing Interior Sky

The cranes are gone and the hillsides show more yellow each day.  Aspen families turn as one while the birch turn selective branches and are more patchwork in appearance.  Some aspen are almost as red as the fireweed this year.  I wore a wool sweater during my walk today because there was stiff wind, moisture and it was in the mid 40s F.  I saw many people with hoods up against the wind and chill.

A view of the hills from campus

This is not my favorite time of year.  Despite the beauty, the anticipation of winter and cold outweighs the beauty of the lingering foliage.  My daughter was born toward the end of October and it's about then that I seem to have made the transition from grief that the visible life of summer flora has passed to acceptance and enjoyment of the cold, the darkening days, and the snow.

Autumnal Chores

3 September 2012
8:51 PM

Sunrise at	6:39 AM	in direction	71°	East-northeast
Sunset at	8:59 PM	in direction	289°	West-northwest

Duration of day: 14 hours, 20 minutes (6 minutes, 42 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Birch turning yellow with pink parsley geranium flowers

This may be the last weekend that the flowers hang on from the deck.  The low is predicted at 38F on Thursday and that is about the time I bring in those I will winter over in doors.  One autumnal chore has been to move the plant stand out of the garage and into Mom's apartment, freeing up storage space for wood to dry out and warm up before being converted to fuel.

I moved the tomato plant downstairs under a lamp and the vining plant with red trumpet-shaped flowers whose name I can never remember and can't seem to find on the internet.  Later this week I will move the fucshia plant, the geraniums and vining parsley geranium indoors.  I am not sure what to do about nasturtiums.  There are two herbs planted among them that I am not ready to harvest, but the nasturtiums do not like indoors.  After one day, the leaves will start to turn yellow.  That may be different if there is a light, but I am not sure.

Moving the plant stand further catalyzed plans for reorganizing the garage.  We recycled cans, glass, plastic, and paper that we'd been accumulating.  I moved my pots, potting soil, and implements to a larger stand where I can get to them more easily.  Gary built a wood storing rack so we can bring more wood in at once. I took some items that I had downstairs up to the third floor bedroom where I will repair and store them as they are heirlooms.  We took a few things to the transfer station for disposal and put a desk which we have never used since moving here in the reuse area of the transfer station.  All in all, it is a vast improvement.

Then, although I promised I would not speak again of the chore-that-shall-not-be-named in Wood Stove Fire -  Forest Fire, we still have much left to do.  Yesterday and the day before have been spent tending to winter preparations, as will today.  We found that we are short 46 cubic feet of birch wood.  At just over $2/cubic foot, our provider either owes us $80 or more wood.  That pile has been stacked in the wood shed.  The pile of spruce is being split and stacked while a pile of birch waits to be split.

When we are not working on the chore-that-shall-not-be-named, the piles are covered by tarps against the rain.  August rains did not come until nearly September this year, but Saturday I worked in the rain for much of the day.  The trees are turning yellow, but the flowers bloom bravely, as they will do until the first frost.  What we have in the ground are perennials or ones that reseed, so their offspring will surface again next year when the snow melts and the ground warms.

In the face of seasonal change, blooming like there is no tomorrow

If I do not attempt to over-winter the nasturtium, they may or may not produce viable seed.  I am gathering seeds, in case they were not started from vendor seeds which are created sterile.  Monsanto and other seed companies want to be the only seed providers in the world, which frankly to me is very, very scary.  But that is a different topic.

One way or another, this is probably the last weekend I will have flowers hanging out on the deck

The glory of the Interior under story

Howling Dobermans - Cutter's Influence

1 September 2012
11:37 PM

Sunrise at	6:33 AM	in direction	69°	East-northeast
Sunset at	9:06 PM	in direction	290°	West-northwest

Duration of day: 14 hours, 33 minutes (6 minutes, 43 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Have you ever heard a Doberman howl?  No?  Well, there is a good reason for that.  Aria and JayJay have taken to joining the chorus whenever Cutter - who has an EXCELLENT singing voice -  sees fit to sing.  A doberman howl is not full throated.  JayJay and Aria both have full-throated, deep barks, but it does not translate to their singing.  Instead they sound more like an alto that is trying to reach the top registers of a soprano duet and just can't make it; their voices are high pitched and squeaky.

Nevertheless, the choir unifies under his leadership and sings.

All three girls and the two cats fully accept Cutter now and he accepts them, although he will chase the cats on occasion, just as JayJay did when she first got here.  Chastisement does not seem to have the same effect on him that it does on the dobies.  If they are in trouble, they will hang their heads, look at you out of the corner of their eyes and adopt that - "Oh, I am a baaaaaad dog" posture.  "Please don't be mad at me.  I am truly sorry; really I am."  Even if they are not truly contrite, they sure can act it.  With Cutter, it is closer to water off a duck's back, actually.  He will go into what I call the sled dog avoidance dance, but he never really looks guilty - just like he doesn't want to pay the consequences for his actions.  He is an honest dog.

The girls love to dash along the deck and along the back yard if they sense an intruder.  Cutter thought they were nuts for the most part, but lately, he has been joining them!  He isn't doing it because he thinks it's his job to defend the house so much as because it is a great run.  Sometimes he will be out there by himself and just run back and forth across the yard and deck and back again with a big grin on his face.

He has become more handsome, it seems to me, and I am seeing a shift in his intelligence.  It is in his eyes.  He is more observant, more focused on me, more interested in what I am doing and learning what I am all about.  He often comes up for loving and has learned to ask to go outside and for treats.  It's amazing how quickly they learn to communicate that.  I wonder when we lost the ability to consciously use our telepathic skills and changed to voice.  I wonder why we did that, but the dogs have no trouble getting the message across, so we must still have it.

At first, he would lie by the door and I thought it was because he wanted to be outside.  It was warm and we kept the door open; it opens onto the deck and fenced yard off the back.  Gradually that changed and he developed favored spots.  He likes the landing where the stairs to the upstairs loft change direction.  He likes lying near the door.  He likes lying behind the couch near the door to garage.  He likes lying all stretched out up in the loft between the TV and couch.  He likes lying near the bedroom door.  He still does not like lying on one of the beds we have on the floor.  He tends to sleep stretched out while the girls tend to sleep curled up in tight black balls.

One day he insisted on going out.  I let him and instead of flopping down on the deck or going off to do his business, he stood at the front of the deck, looking and smelling toward Farmer's Loop and Steese Highway.  He did that for a long time and when I let him in, he was by the door again.  I wondered if this was where he was when he expected Aliy to come get him after we first brought him home.  I wondered if she or someone had driven by on Steese Highway in Big Red and he smelled his family and that again awoke that expectation that he return to what was his home and what was familiar.

It passed.

He is never overly demanding, but is confident in asking for attention.  He is happy to see us when we come home.  He gently licks my hand in greeting as I pass by.  He loves getting treats and will now come each time I call, even if it against his better judgement.

He does not like being in the rain.  No kidding.  He dislikes it enough that he would not go out and use the back yard to relieve himself and we came home to his one and only "accident".  We keep him downstairs when we go to work now, just to be sure.  It is a good sized pen, and we have a crate.  Yesterday I came back from getting Gary and he was on top of the crate, just like he used to be on top of his dog house at SP Kennel.  Last night while I worked in the garage, sorting, cleaning, getting things ready to stack wood, he went into his pen and lay down.  He would come out to check on me, but basically was content in his space since I was down there.

He was so grateful when I walked him and JayJay at Creamer's field.  I am buying a sled this season.  We will explore the tame regions of Creamer's field together and wherever else he, JayJay and I can go that make sense for a small sled and team.

He is a good dog.