So its now March and here in my little slice of Alaska we have 119 inches of snow (which is a dirty word this winter) lying about on the ground. We only need 13 more inches before we hit the record. I am so good with not hitting that record, really I am. As I look out the window what do I see that its doing again.... snowing.... really seriously do I look like I want anymore snow this year.
Up here in Alaska we are anxiously looking towards this strange little seasons called break up. Its not spring and its not winter its this messy thing in between. Sometimes its short and sweet, melts inside a week and then ta da spring. Other times its a slow lingering mess of thaw and freeze that causes small lakes to appear where only the day before you swore there was a road. And to make it oh so much more fun there are potholes, some the size of small cars (or so it seems like) and they love to lurk at the bottom of these temporary lakes just to make the alignment of your car go out of whack.
I feel for the poor pedestrians at this time of year as well some drivers just delight in driving through those lakes when they see someone walking and send that water gushing up and out over the sidewalk rendering the walker into a sodden frozen mess. I think that the pedestrians should be allowed to shoot the tires of those idiots and make them walk.
See I think that we are going to have an awful break up this year cause the city has been, well, lax about moving some of the snow in the city. For instance there is a snow pile that is a story and half tall and takes up so much of the circle that there is only a half a car lane left. Now in the summer and fall if you park your car there for more than 24 hours you get ticketed for blocking the ability of emergency personnel from reaching the houses. But its ok for the snow to block it. Heck you should have heard the garbage men on Monday morning, they were not happy and wow did not know that their range of swear words was that incredible. The mailman has threatened to not deliver mail anymore cause the boxes keep getting buried by city plows. We have those mailboxes where all the blocks mail is in one giant complex thingy and its on city land, yet the mailman is yelling at everyone that if it isn't cleared no mail. So what to do, call the city of course. What do they say, they say that the city is not responsible for it and its the mail services job (remember the boxes are on city property) and no they have no plans to remove the snow regardless if the garbage people can't get through. Singularly the most unhelpful phone call ever. They were polite but exasperated like they have gotten this call a million or more times.
So all this snow is hanging about in the street. There are huge piles everywhere and the storm drains are buried under several feet of snow. When the melting comes you will be able to take a canoe for a trip down the street I expect. I am sure that there will be over flowing creeks, backed up sewers, and flooded houses when that snow goes, cause sure as snow falls, we will have the worst possible break up that mother nature can think of. Its been that kind of a year.
I have visited my greenhouse to find out my waders to make sure that they are in good form, thinking seriously about getting a pair of extra tuffs this year. I might just need them. Then I think I might need to find a flotation device for the dog when she goes into the backyard during all of this. I am sure that there will be puddles of epic proportions taking up most of the yard. And yet some how by the end of May it should all be gone and dried up just in time for fire season.
Atypical Life in AK
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