I woke at 5:45am this morning. When I sat up in bed, my movement woke Steve, who said “It snowed. The ground is covered.”
He had gotten up 15 minutes before, and as he made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water, he glanced out the front window.
Steve was able to go back to sleep, but I was wide awake. I pulled on a pair of fleece pants and socks, and headed downstairs to start the coffee brewing. Sedona followed me, her bones creaking and snapping as she made her way slowly down the stairs. I’ve noticed that a lot lately, and I can’t help but wonder how much longer she’ll be able to make that climb up and down. She already needs assistance getting in and out of the car. My poor girl is getting old. She celebrated her 12th birthday this summer - which makes her 84 in human years. Heck, if I was 84 I’d be creaking as I climbed the stairs too!
I glanced out the window at the snow, and took note of the reading on the outside thermometer - a chilly 24F. I pulled on a fleece jacket, slipped my feet in my hiking boots, and put my camera on the tripod. My goal was to take some photos of the pretty white ground covering, even though it was still really dark.
While Sedona ran off sniffing and exploring the woodline, I experimented with camera settings and tried my best to get a good focus. Forget autofocus when it’s dark; the lens can’t pick up anything to focus on. I took about 30 photos altogether, but had to delete the majority of them for being a tad too soft.
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I stayed up until nearly 2am this morning. Steve was on day shift, so he went up to bed early. I wasn’t ready to retire for the evening, and found myself channel surfing from a prone position on the sofa, until finally I dozed off. Steve woke me when he left for work and sent me up to bed. I dozed on and off, until dragging myself out of bed (and to the coffeepot) at 9am.
I pulled back the vertical blinds to let Sedona out, and was shocked to see tiny “marbles” of ice falling from the sky and bouncing on the deck. I immediately called Steve at work to report the hail, and was told that it had been flurrying up at the mine site all morning. Later on this afternoon, it flurried some more - big fat flakes, that fell intermittently and melted upon contact with the ground. The skies have been gray, and it’s feeling much chillier (as in damp cold) even though the temperature reading isn’t much lower.
I picked up my friend Lisa today, and we went to the theater to see “Nights in Rodanthe“. It’s definitely a “chick flick” or maybe even a “date night” movie (if you’re a man who doesn’t mind watching love stories on the big screen). We both enjoyed the movie, but left the theater wiping tears from our eyes. It ends on a sad note - much like most of Nicholas Sparks’ novels - so take some tissues if tear-jerkers always make your eyes leak.
We grabbed a late lunch at Brewsters (the original location near University Blvd) and were less than impressed. The food was lackluster, and the waitstaff seemed to disappear soon after delivering our order. We really need some better choices for dining out in Fairbanks! Something with a varied menu, that doesn’t price burgers at $11 would be nice.
I arrived home shortly before Steve - perfect timing!
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The past week has ebbed and flowed with both activity and pure laziness. I find myself settling into the slower pace of autumn, and trying to mentally prepare for the onset of winter.
The trees in my yard are now totally bare, and the ground is covered with dull brown leaves. Gone are the beautiful golden canopies which shaded the yard from the sun. My world is becoming “plain” again, with muted colors of brown, tan, and gray.
A few days ago, my outside thermometer read 29F. I didn’t see any frost on my deck plants, and my sunflowers were still doing OK, although the leaves seemed to be drooping. I knew that it wouldn’t be long before the cold came and killed off all the flowers. That cold came last night.
I woke to a sugar coating of frost on my deck plants, my sunflowers, and the ground. I almost lost my footing when I went out to take photos of my flowers; the deck was slippery too. You’d never know that the morning was so chilly, as the sun is shining brightly now and it feels like a typical autumn day. As I type this, it’s 44F, but it feels much warmer with the sun shining. I just wish the trees still had their leaves. Then I could pretend it was still early fall, and we had several weeks ahead of us before the first snow falls.
Here are a few photos I took this morning:
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Hello friends! I can’t even begin to tell you how perfect Saturday was, for a drive into Denali Park! Thank you, thank you, thank you to JOHN for making it possible for Steve and I to have such a spectacular adventure!!!!
We dropped Sedona off at the kennel at noon on Friday. Since we would be sleeping in the bed of the truck, there’d be no room for Sedona. There was also the chance of rain, and wet dog and close quarters do not make for a nice roadtrip.
This is the first time that Steve and I have “roughed it” since just before moving to AK in 2003. In the old days, we tented - both alone and with our boys when they were younger. Somehow, I’ve blocked out of my mind just how uncomfortable and cold tent-camping could be.
Steve built a platform from plywood that fit snugly over his wheel wells in the back of the truck (we have a cap on the truck). We used a feather bed, several thick quilts and well-padded sleeping bags on the hard wood base. Let me tell you… we were both wishing for our comfortable memory foam mattress this weekend! But other than achy hips and sore backs, it was good to discover that we still had it in us to travel so sparsely. Now there’s nothing to keep us from driving up to the North Slope next summer.
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Where have I been? I’ve been right here, enjoying the beautiful fall season in Interior Alaska! With each passing day, the trees become more golden and leaves slowly drift to the ground below. Our yard is carpeted in yellow and gold and there’s a definite glow when I glance out the door. Sometimes I just stare through the glass for long minutes, amazed at the beauty.
The week hasn’t been totally joyful. I had a few emotional meltdowns, no doubt a result of sadness about my mom. I’ve also been missing my kids, lamenting about my own mortality, and even wondering how much time I have left on this earth. Not the most upbeat of thoughts, but I’m sure we all have these less than happy periods in our lives.
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Hard to believe that the summer is considered over for most. It’s definitely over here in the interior, where the leaves are changing over in record numbers, and we wake to morning temps in the low 30s. Fortunately, our afternoons remain beautiful and warm (50s and 60s). And we’re in our 2nd week (or is it 3rd?) of sunshine!
I didn’t welcome the month of September with much excitement. September 1st was the second anniversary of my mother’s passing, and remembering her was the first thing I did upon waking. With her birthday coming on the 7th, this entire week has had a few sad moments.
My mother is always with me…
My mother lives inside my laughter. She’s crystallized in every tear drop.
She’s the place I came from, my first home. She’s the map I follow with every step that I take.
She’s my first love… and nothing on earth can separate us.
Not time, Not space, not even death will ever separate me from my mother. I carry her inside of me.
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