Spring is here?

Is it spring yet? I'm not sure for you guys but here it’s snowing, raining and then snowing again. There is, a few buds ornamenting various skeleton bushes in town, all browns tipped with dew dropped green. The air is still crisp and cool. But we've seen the sun blinking through the darkened grey skies more often lately.

The deer have been forced out of the surrounding hills as they forage for food. This has put them closer to water and down nearer our roads. I saw a small doe and two fawns clipping across the asphalt on South Tongass as I headed to work though the early morning light this week. Carrie heard about a local wolf that had been hunting the deer and apparently culled one not two miles down the road. Near that same time Harley, in her love of a good joke, ran off on one of their daily walks and declined to return until nearly forty minutes later. Carrie paced the road yelling herself hoarse until Harley returned unscathed and fully cowed. Sometimes a good fright can give you a new appreciation of the nearness of nature around here.

I think we've almost forgotten what summer feels like; just the other day I ran headlong into a ray of sun and thought I’d gone blind. I forgot that people actually barbecue out in the open, not under the overhang of the deck. That you can actually swim in the ocean without it killing you. Wow. It’s like time has barred us in. But no longer, every minute of daylight is a blessing.

As for everything else here; Carrie is still battling the ignorant hordes, the merciless greedy politicians and the various infightings and personal pride that impede any good work. Presently she's in Juneau talking with state representatives and legislators about their coalition, and hopefully enjoying herself a little while away from our sodden hamlet.

I, in the meantime, am holding down the fort. Harley and I are sticking to a tight regiment of movies, pizza, beer and napping to get us through these lonely times. In all truth, Carrie's been gone four hours and I'm already bored. But, we will make the most of it, keep up on my duties that I'm lagging on, eh hem. I've been trying altely to write more, but Harley keeps pawing at me to go outside and who am I to say no to such a cute face?

As for me I'm learning a lot working construction with a small crew. We’ve been slated to remodel this old house here in town. I started by moving the old furniture out and then picking up the "big boy" our lovely sledgehammer. It is an amazing lesson in what to look for when purchasing a house for remodel and a great experience for building one in general. And the work is very rewarding. Very few people get to see a job through from start to finish, every person focused on a part of a thing. Working something through from beginning to end suits me just fine.

Tomorrow should be more of the same, though the sun may poke her head through these grey beasts once or twice to say hello. I think a hike, or at least some fresh air will do us good. Happy spring whereever you are.