Late August In Anchorage: It Gets Dark Again At Night And There Are Raspberries

I took out the garbage tonight at about 10:30pm and it was dark!

It's the end of August and in 30 weeks it will be the equinox when everyone, everywhere gets the same amount of light.  Then those of us further north, get more and more darkness.

But it's also the time when I can go out into the backyard and pick raspberries every day.

There's lots to write about.  I've been trying to imagine what it's like to be in Houston these days.  We are seeing lots of pictures of roads turned into rivers and someone posted a picture of a guy catching a fish by hand in a foot of water in his living room.  But it's not like everyone in Houston has been washed out of their homes.  It's just that the media focus on the most dramatic scenes.  The Guardian reports that:

"More than 2.3 million people live in Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city. Tens of thousands of homes in and around Houston are semi-submerged and thousands of people have sought emergency shelter from the wind and rain. Officials estimate that 30,000 residents are likely to need shelter."

My calculation says that 30,000 people is 1.3% of Houstonians.  I'm not hearing much about the other 98.7%.

And it feels like we're in a constant bombard of craziness from, it's not clear.  Trump supporters?  Russian bots?  Right wing propaganda mills?  A combination?  So many counter attacks to take the attention off of Trump, to try to put anti-trumpets on the defensive.  To let them pass unanswered leaves some people vulnerable to believing the nonsense.  Things like "where was Obama during Katrina?"  (He was representing the state of Illinois in the US Senate.)  But to have to keep answering everything takes our eyes off the really important and damaging destruction of the Trump administration.  Like dismantling the State Department.  Is that part of his instructions from Putin?

Netflix has the Manchurian Candidate.  If you've never seen it, you should.  If you have, it's time to see it again.

I haven't had a chance to write about my short jury duty call.  I got called for a jury, along with 59 other potential jurors.  Jury selection took two days and 30 potential jurors, including a current state legislator.  Eventually they got 14 (two alternates), and I was never more than an observer of the jury selection.  The legislator didn't make it onto the jury either.

Remember the number above - 1.3%.  The media want sensational stuff to get your eyeballs for their sponsors.  And that's true for all the news, not just Harvey.  Remember, for every person who gets shot on any given day, over 300 million people didn't see or hear any gunshots.  But those stories aren't as interesting.  So don't let the news get you down.  Just turn it off and go for a walk or a run or a bike ride.  Get into a park or a garden or the woods or by the ocean or other natural waterway.  Take advantages of what you do have and be kind and loving to those who don't have.

Most Beautiful Day Of The Year

Forget-me-nots

OK, some might argue that there were some great winter days, but today was by far the best summer day of the year.  The weekend was cloudy, rainy, some sun poking through the clouds.  Chilly - in the 40s, low 50s.

Yesterday was sunny and much warmer, getting near 60˚F.  But today it said 71˚F on our outdoor thermometer and sitting out on the deck felt decadent.  The leaves are all out.  Some flowers too.

Phlox

Narcissus 

Got up and attacked my to do list.  A couple of unexpected things came up, but got them taken care of too.  One item on the list was to cut the May Day (Choke Cherry) tree flowers so they don't send seeds throughout the yard and neighborhood.  I had discovered - because of the flowers - that we had one way in the back of the yard, on the other side of the fence even.  I cut off all the branches, then cut off all the flowers.  But then I discovered another one near the deck.  These are highly invasive trees that also make moose sick.  I've posted about them before - May Day Tree Invasion - Obvious While Blooming.  

Choke Cherry Flowers 

There were a lot of planes flying over.  The Anchorage Airport FB page explains why:

"Runway 15/33 Closure: The North/South runway will be closed for preventative maintenance with an estimated timeframe from May 8 - 28th, from approximately 8:00am to 7:00pm, Monday through Saturday. This will likely result in more aircraft departures to the East over mid-town Anchorage and more noise impact to the community during those times."

But it was still nice working and reading lazily out on the deck.  

Bread Print, No blue, Remaining Ice [UPDATED]

My bread recipe calls for parchment paper under the loaf.  Here's the bread print on the parchment.







And the bread itself.  (I know, they don't look like they match.  I think if I had turned the bread around it would fit better.)


I've been doing chores inside and outside.  There's one tulip bud and lots of other things are poking up out of the ground.  The irises, some lilies, and other things were exposed as I started raking the mulch off the flower beds and moving it up the compost pile.





Also had some printer problems.  It stopped printing blue.  I checked at Office Depot where we bought it about five years ago and they sent me to Lewis and Lewis on Fireweed where I could buy a new printhead for $65 with no guarantee that it would fix the problem.  And even if it did, the machine was old

by their standards and something else could go wrong.  And new ones that did all the stuff my old one can do - wifi, copy, scan, fax, color, etc. - are now available for a little more than the $65 printhead.

It's the magenta and cyan printhead on the right in the picture there.

He did suggest pulling out the printhead and cleaning it, but that didn't work.

So at Costco today I checked what they had.  The HP's started at $59!  (A whole printer for less than the printhead.  Something about our system seems pretty cockeyed.)  I ended up with one for $119.

It took less than 30 minutes to get it out of the box, plugged in, connected to the wifi and to download the appropriate software for my laptop and print.  I haven't tried anything with blue yet.  So there's now a five year old printer looking for a new home.  The blue doesn't work and other things could start to go wrong any time.  But surely someone can use it.

[UPDATE April 28, 2017:  I tried color on the new printer - picture letters to my grandkids.  It worked.  Then I made an envelope.  But the computer chose the old computer and printed the envelope on a page.  With BLUE.  So, it appears, eventually, the blue got back into the system.]

And yesterday I checked out the bike trail along Campbell Creek, east of Lake Otis.  It's all clear of snow now.  But there is still ice on the creek itself.

Home Building - Are Stellers Moving In? And Home Show

There were four Steller Jays poking around under the dead leaves in the backyard.  Yes, the snow is pretty much gone, except on the north side of the house, and that follows the shadow line as the sun gets higher each day.

The Stellers seem to be having a territorial fight over our backyard with some magpies in the last couple of weeks.  But I haven't seen more than three at a time before this morning.  This one came up on our deck.  The others were too far away and obscured by the branches of our still bare high bush cranberry bushes to get a decent shot.  The last time we had a magpie nest in our yard, we lost access to half the yard to screeching, dive-bombing magpie parents.  But we also got to see a nest full of chicks learn to fly.

Stellers have seemed more comfortable with people, often coming very close.  But that might not be true if they have babies.




 It's gray today, after lots of sunshine.  While the bike trails through the woods are still full of snow, the last two days I've been able to take a loop along the street-side bike trails/sidewalks with only a little water here and there.  But even with a fender on the back tire, my jacket or backpack shows I've been on the bike.





We went to the home show yesterday.  I still object to having to pay to get to have companies pitch to me, but since we have some long delayed home repairs - starting with our front porch.  We're comfortable with it, but guests do make comments.






Last time we went was long ago at the Sullivan Arena.  There's an advantage to having lots of companies related to homes all in one place.  We got to talk to lots of folks.  Even a company that uses a helical drill to put in metal posts instead of sonotubes if we switch to wooden steps, which we're thinking about.  But it seems they're a lot more expensive.

I talked to Adam about rain gutters.  Our old plastic ones I put in myself long ago, still are working fine, except the down spouts keep detaching from the gutters.  The part you use to hold the downspouts in place has broken in each case and the ones they have are for a different size.  Adam sells metal ones.  They also have some heat wires to put on the roof along the overhang that create places for the melting snow to get to the gutter instead of building up big ice dams.  We also got ideas for window upgrades - they even sell electric shutters for windows.

I also got to talk to some solar energy folks.  For under $10,000 (plus a federal rebate of 30% until 2019) I could get solar panels installed on our house.  They aren't useful, he said, in the three darkest months, and the price that MLP buys back energy is too low to be worth it, he claimed it would pay for itself over a period of time.  I didn't catch how long, but I did notice the average electric bill prices they listed were higher than ours.  So, while gun sales have dropped after Trump's election, perhaps solar buyers may be rushing to get their panels installed before the subsidies drop. 

A woman named Lisa, who was here from Minnesota, was selling, what I learned now online, is a "whole body vibration" machine for 'only' $2495.  I did get to stand on it and do some exercises.  It essentially vibrates and is supposed to help muscle tone.  This was a whole technology I knew nothing about.  Whether it actually does what they claim, is not really proven by science according to science based medicine website which seemed to one that wasn't industry based.  I did see them online ranging in price from $3999 to under $200, though the lower ranging ones only had a base and no handles.

What stood out as we walked around the basketball arena at UAA's newish sports center where vendors had their booths - plus a few more in adjacent areas - was the number of mortgage companies and realtors.  While I'm sure they were there when we did this in the Sullivan Arena long ago, they seemed to make up a much larger proportion of the vendors.

Warmer Weather and Lots of Snow Brings Breakup to Anchorage

Breakup in Anchorage is when the temperatures start getting into the 40s or more and the snow and ice that are left thaw into puddles and small lakes.  Breakups in recent years have tended to mild and quick, unlike 20 years ago and more when there were deep puddles everywhere.

This year we had a cold, sunny March with lots of snow sublimating.  Then a foot of snow at the end of March.  Now it's hitting high 40˚s F during the day and all that snow means lots of homeless water.


This isn't too big a puddle, but the picture shows the snow that's left still.

Here's the driveway of a church parking lot.  We had to walk in the street to get around this puddle.  We used to wear 'breakup boots' this time of year, but we've had such mild breakups that I didn't even think about it when we went for this walk a couple evenings ago.

Here's a driveway that hasn't completely thawed yet.

 And here's a stretch of sidewalk/biketrail that's on the south side of the street, so it doesn't get much sun and it's still partly frozen.







I finally decided I could wait to get my bike out no longer, even if I did get wet.

Here's a parking lot lake.  (The car was out of the deepest part by the time I got the camera out.)

I went through the Helen Louise McDowell Sanctuary where breakup is still in the future, though the snow was soft and deep.  If you got off the narrow padded down snow in the middle of the path, your foot would sink a foot.  I walked the bike.
















Here's the hidden sanctuary still looking very winter.

As I look at this picture I'm realizing that this is the part that has a boardwalk.  There was no sign of boardwalk.

Here's a bit of bike trail that was deep enough to make us detour the other evening.  But on bike it was fine, I have a back fender, but I still went through it slowly.  I also pulled out  The Cloudspotter's Guide to check on those cloud above the trees.

"Of all the common clouds, Cirrus must be the most beautiful.  Their name comes from the Latin for a lock of hair, for they are the delicate white wisps of ice that appear high in the heavens. . .
Cirrus are the highest of the common clouds and are composed entirely of ice crystals, typically forming above 24,000ft in temperate regions of the world."

Since Anchorage is not in a temperate region [yet], I don't know how high these might be.

28 Days Into March, We Finally Get Some Snow

It's been days and days of, in the words of Dan Bern, relentless sun.  He was singing about Southern California, and we aren't complaining, but it ended during the night and we got a little more than a trace of snow.

And it's warmer.  Yesterday we were in the mid 30s (F), and this morning's clouds were accompanied by 31˚F on our home thermometer as I write.  We really hadn't been above freezing at all this month with night temps regularly in the single digits.  We were cooler than normal.  As opposed to last year when we had very little snow, warm temperatures, and I posted this picture of rain drops on March 28, 2016.

And just in case anyone reading this is thinking, "See, it's colder this year, so climate change isn't really anything to worry about,"  should listen to Neil DeGrasse Tyson in the  2 minute National Geographic video below.  

Waiting For Spring

Someone pushed the pause button around the beginning of March here in Anchorage.  It should have slowly been getting warmer.  Some snowy days, but a progression toward warmer.

Since March 1 we've had blue skies, bright sun, and temperatures that ranged between a little under zero (F) and under 30˚ (F).  This is a time when it's finally ok for the days to start getting above freezing to help move the snow along.  But it hasn't happened.  But I don't remember so many days in a row with nothing but bright sun, certainly not in March.

Here's the ice crust on the snow in our front yard.  The sun melts it a bit in the day, then it freezes solid at night.

No, this dirty ice isn't in our front yard.  It's part of the berm on a much busier street.

Even the birds are getting impatient.

But the sun is much higher in the sky and we're getting nearly 6 more minutes of sunlight each day.  It will warm up!

First Snow And First Seminar Presentation By ISER's New Director

It's October 21, 2016.  Anchorage is getting its first snow.

The average first snowfall, according to weather.com is October 15, so this isn't particularly late.  But it's warm out (30˚F - -1˚C) and they're calling for sun later today.  So it probably won't last.  But it's beautiful while it's here.

I'm headed over to a talk at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at noon, so I need to boogie.  It should be interesting - it's the new director's first seminar presentation.  Here are the details.  I know most people can't get there on such short notice, but at the bottom it tells you how to listen online.

Here's the announcement.

Knowledge Accumulation in the Social Sciences 

Ralph Townsend, ISER Director and Professor of Economics

This is the first seminar presentation by ISER’s new director, Ralph Townsend. He will be discussing knowledge accumulation in the social sciences, and why thinking about that topic is important for ISER and other research organizations that study social problems. He describes his topic this way:

The epistemology of social sciences affects the ability of the social sciences to contribute to the resolution of “wicked” social problems. However useful epistemology based on falsification may be for the hard sciences, its limitations for the social sciences are clear. The enduring problem of replication of social science results is indicative of the problems.
 
Understanding the sociology of social science disciplines and the philosophy of knowledge accumulation in social sciences is relevant to the day-to-day work of organizations like ISER and also suggests unique research opportunities that extend into methodology.

 

When: Friday, October 21, 12 to 1
Where: ISER Conference Room,
Third Floor, 1901 Bragaw Street, Suite 301

 

1901 Bragaw Street is on Bragaw between Northern Lights and Debarr.
Parking is free.
Call 907-786-7710 if you need directions.

 

Note: Those who can’t attend in person can stream the talk live at:
http://stream.iseralaska.org

Termination Dust

It rained yesterday.  It was into the 40s in town.  And when the clouds cleared today we had our first glimpse of snow on the mountains for the season.

Early Fall Bike Ride - Old UAA Trail Reopened

Got in a bike ride yesterday afternoon while the sun was out.  We're clearly moving into fall as the leaves change.

A week or so ago when the temps dropped and it rained, I expected there to be termination dust* on the mountains when the clouds cleared.  But there wasn't any I could see.  And as you can see, it's still that way.

And here's a view from the trail that connects the east and west sides of the UAA campus - north of the student center and sports center.  The trail was blocked at the east end for two years because the put up a new parking garage at that end.

Imagine shutting down a well used street for that long.  Well, bikes and pedestrians don't matter.  They just have to live with it.

But it's open again, though instead of woods, there's a parking garage.  The gate was closed so I don't think the garage is open yet.  But from what I could see, they haven't really thought out very clearly how the bikes and cars are supposed to interact at that point.  Maybe they'll paint some lines, we'll see.  The windows in the picture are on a pedestrian bridge from the parking garage to the building that used to be the engineering building.
[UPDATE Sept 20, 2016:  I was wrong. Went by again today and they do have lines and a lane for bikes to avoid the cars.]

*termination dust is an Anchorage term for the first snow on the mountains signaling the end of summer

Greeting Summer Friends

As we hit June, more and more flowers are opening for their summer, above ground vacation.

The forget-me-not seems the perfect flower to start with as we remember our friends from last summer.  And it's the state flower.  Maybe we should send some of these to our Republican legislators to remind them that Alaskans are waiting for them to not just cut the budget, but to recognize that we're adults who are willing to pay our fair share to balance the budget.  

Some big pumpkin colored lilies.  

And, of course, the wild iris.  

And some daisy too.  

And finally, not a flower, but Campbell Creek, as I came back from some errands on the bike trail.  One of the reasons I live here - this wonderful wild creek meandering through the middle of Anchorage.  Although we're very near the Seward Highway, we're also in this seemingly wild spot.  

Parting And Arriving Shots

It was just about midnight as we took off from Anchorage last night.  It's summer if you count the seasons by how much light we have.

I'd note there was one Alaska legislator on the plane who took a break from the session to go to his daughter's college graduation.










But LA was fogged in pretty solid as we approached.  Downtown is somewhere down there between the wing and the mountains.  At this point the clouds were broken enough that I could see occasional spots of light.  But as we circled back toward the airport and the ocean, the cover got thicker.  I

counted slowly to 45 from the point we went into the clouds until we came out to this view below.

And then we our flight path to the airport cross the San Diego Freeway.  (When I left LA long ago, the freeways had names, not numbers.)

We were able to get off the plane pretty quickly and to the luggage carousel in ten minutes - just in time to see the first suitcases coming out.  We had our two 13 minutes after the door in the plane opened.  I continue to be impressed at Alaska's ability to make and keep their pledge to get the luggage out in 20 minutes from getting to the gate or you get mileage or a coupon off your next flight.

And then when we got to my mom's house and I read the Dispatch online, I saw that Alaska Airlines was rated as having the best service of the major carriers.  But it also mentioned that people are getting used to all the extra fees (like luggage, food, change) that

"raised $3.8 billion for U.S. airlines last year."

They can charge all these because there are so few airlines left that they can all just copy each others' fees and the traveler has no choice.  And because they have the power to unilaterally say you have to pay $100 just to change your flight to another day.  I understand there was a time when people booked a bunch of flights and then cancelled, leaving the airline with empty seats.  You can handle that more strategically - like charges within a week of the flight, or after the third or fourth change a year.  But these kinds of arbitrary and lucrative charges by the airlines, by banks, and other large corporations are part of the reason we have a growing gap between the rich and the poor.  Especially when the added profit goes to shareholders instead of employees or customers.  But at least Alaska's 20 minute guarantee gives people a reason to check in bags instead of taking them onboard.  No more hour waits for your luggage.

Budding And Blooming

Spring's transformation in Anchorage is pretty spectacular.  We go from snow, to brown, then there's this explosion of things popping out of the ground to reclaim their place in the sun for five months.  We've got one big, proud red tulip.

A lily bud.

I think this is the chocolate lily bud, but I'm not sure.  I'll have to see what comes out.

And here's a bleeding heart bud.  

The Sweet Peas Are Happening

I planted a row of sweet peas in the planter on the deck on April 3.  That's pushing the Alaska growing season a bit, but it seemed reasonably safe.

• We've had one of the warmest winters on record 
• Spring planting has been possible earlier over the years
• Our garden columnist Jeff Lowenfells was encouraging folks to push things early
• Sweet peas are one of the more cold resistant annuals
• I was going to cover the box with plastic tops from Costco trays

So, when we got back from our trip on April 21, I checked for shoots.  Nada.  Well, no sweet peas.  There was plenty of chickweed.  I checked again several days ago.  Still saw nothing and decided to pull the chickweed.  Carefully, lest there be a sweet pea hidden among the weeds.  

Yesterday I thought that either

• the seeds just haven't germinated and sprouted yet, but they're still coming
• the seeds were bad - they were from last year or the year before

I decided to put in another row of sweet peas.  This time from an unopened seed envelope from last year.  So I put them in a little water to get things moving before I planted them.  If the earlier seeds came up, it would be fine.  If they didn't, I didn't want to wait too long before planting more.  

So today, I was going to plant them.  I went out and took the plastic covers off the planter and pulled out more chickweed.  And as I was doing this, lo and behold, I saw sweet pea shoot sticking out of the soil.  And then another, and another.  There were maybe five out of the fifty or so I planted.  

I really don't think they were there yesterday, but as you can see, they are fairly easy to overlook.  It still amazes me when I see new sprouts poking out of the soil.  

I don't think I'll need the seeds that I've soaked in this planter.  It will just get too crowded if most of the old seeds sprout.  But now that they've soaked overnight, I need to plant them soon.  I'll put them in another planter in the front.  The trees there keep this spot from getting as much sun as sweet peas need, but trees are an issue (overall a good one) in most of my yard.  I'll show you the sweet peas when they are booming.