Anchorage Early Spring

As we flew back into Alaska yesterday, the mountains and glaciers of Southeast welcomed us.

And here's a photo of the Chugach that edge Anchorage.  If this were a painting, some folks would complain it was just patterns, but this is an undoctored photo.

AND, most amazing, here are the new leaves today on the birch tree out front.  It's April 21.  The earliest I ever remember fully budded leaves on the birch was around May 7.   Usually it wasn't until the end of May.  OK, I'm not sure about last year.  We were in LA with my mom about this time and there were leaves on the cottonwoods when we got back on May 13.  Then we headed for Denali where things weren't green yet.

When we got to Anchorage in 1977 we were told not to plant anything until June 1.  This year I put in sweet pea seeds on April 3, because over the years spring comes earlier and earlier.

Breakup

Breakup used to be in March and April.   Nowadays, break up happens after each sizable snow storm.
We had a record breaking snow fall Saturday, and the bike paths were pretty wet yesterday, but the snow is mostly gone.  But here's a picture of Campbell Creek from yesterday.

No, I couldn't figure out what kinds of tracks those were.

Photoshopping Spring Icicles

The sun is rising from the east now.  That may not sound like a big deal for most, but in the winter in Anchorage, the sun barely peeks up above the southern horizon.  Now it's in the east, and by the solstice it will be rising in the north, circling around the sky, and then dipping down again in the north.  So I had a little sunlight behind these icicles.

My autofocus was trying to decide if I wanted the icicles or the trees in the background.  So I took one of the pictures with the icicles  way out of focus and played with it in photoshop.


On top is the original picture with the blurred icicle.  Some interesting shapes, but not a very pleasing picture.









In the middle is the same picture after playing with it in curves.  I like the background here, but not the icicle.











And on the bottom, is using filters on the picture above it.  I'm pretty sure I used reticulation in the sketch folder, but I can't replicate it.  I get the purples, but not the greens.

In this last group, the middle picture is the original - the icicles somewhat out of focus.  Again, a bit of curves help, and then back to filters.  The one on the right is the posterize filter.  Can't remember the one on the right.

Real Snow

Compared the the anemic snow we had earlier this week, today it's been snowing steadily all day.  I swept - yes the broom was easier with the two or three inches of light fluffy snow - the driveway and sidewalk this morning.


Here's a glimpse of the snow in the backyard.




And then this afternoon I shoveled another five or six inches that accumulated since the morning.

The equinox officially begins here this evening.

Winter Isn't Over Until It's Over, But This Snow Is Pitiful

I can think of many March and April days when most snow was gone, followed by a day with enough snow to prolong winter significantly.

So, give the predictions of overnight snow,  I took a picture of our yard yesterday.  But the snow we got was barely able to cover the pile of moose poop.  The driveway was showing asphalt already.  But I did go out, just to get fresh air and exercise, to shovel what there was.   It was wet and heavy.  I suspect I could have let the above freezing temperatures do the snow clearing, but it felt good.  Clearing snow from the driveway and sidewalk is always a satisfying job.  You can see that you actually did something.    And who knows, there could be another seven inches on the ground tomorrow.  

According to Archeoastronomy  the vernal equinox is only three days off here in Alaska.  They peg it at 8:30pm Alaska time on March 19 this year.  We're already at 11 hours 54 minutes of daylight according to the Alaska Dispatch News.  Though that's a bit misleading since that really means from official sunrise to sunset and our twilights go well beyond those times.  But after Saturday, when the whole world has an equal amount of day (thus equinox), we'll have longer days than everyone to the south.  Until the next equinox in September.  

I'd also note that Chevrolet seems to have done some serious SEO (Search engine optimization), because the first page and a half of google hits for "equinox 2016' brought up a Chevy car I'd never heard of called the equinox.

Solstice Just 11 Days Away

9:50 am Anchorage December 10, 2015

10:40 am Anchorage Dec. 10, 2015

According to Time And Date:

The December solstice is on either December 20, 21, 22 or 23.

The North Pole is tilted furthest from the Sun.

It is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year.

In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the summer solstice and the longest day of the year.

December Solstice in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A. is on
Monday, December 21, 2015 at 7:49 PM AKST(Change city)

December Solstice in Universal Coordinated Time is on
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 at 04:49 UTC

And then, days start getting longer.

Ice Leaves

I've been waiting for the deck to dry off a bit and the lack of rain for the last three days seemed like a good time to take in the table for the winter. 





I went to brush off the leaves.

But they didn't brush off easily.

They were stuck.

So I had to peal them off and found these lovely ice leaves left on the table.

Back Home - Fall Chores And Other IRS Therapy

We're back home and the weather has held off - as it has in recent years - so I still had time to rake the leaves and mulch the flower beds. 

Leaves had abandoned the trees and were snoozing on the ground.  But I had some calls to make first.  The first was easy.  The second was the IRS.  I'm still trying to remain patient.  But I still don't understand how a major national payroll company and my mom's accountant can believe they can file one way and the IRS says they can't.  Basically it's about the payroll deductions for my mom's caregiver.  ADP sent them to the business side of the IRS and the accountant mentioned them on the personal account.  So, the business side has the money and sends notices saying they have the money, but no filing and the personal account says they have the filing but no money.  I started attempting to work this out last January and got a very understanding and helpful agent who made sure I got power of attorney for my mom's taxes for 2014 and 2015.   But then I kept getting notices and I kept calling the numbers. You have to wait two hours to talk to anyone, so make sure the phone battery is fully charged and you have something you can do while the phone is on speaker.  Each notice got copied to the accountant and I called the IRS. 

Finally in August or September a guy on the business side said, no, you can't do it that way.  You need to amend the personal tax form and get rid of the payroll taxes and file 940s with the business side for the quarterly deductions.  So that was done in September.  

When we got home, I had a notice to my mom, c/o me, in Anchorage, saying they were going to seize my property to cover the amount due.  The agent I got this morning - less than a minute pushing buttons and waiting - understood what was happening and said he needed to put the collection notice on hold for 60 to 90 days until the amended return got into the computer system.  But that part of the computer system was down so he couldn't do it then.  I should call back in a few hours and have it done. 

That's when I went outside to rake the leaves. 

The birch had been the first to start falling, then the cottonwoods, then the mountain ash, and last the Japanese maple.  I also cleaned out the rain gutters - there were plants growing in the one in front, in great compost.  And I mulched the flower beds with the leaves. 

And I ate a few rosehips.  I love them, even with the seeds.  And they have huge amounts of vitamin C.   From the Fairbanks News Miner:

". . . rose hips have 20 to 40 percent more vitamin C than oranges. Plus, 25 percent more iron, 28 percent more calcium and 25 times more vitamin A. They provide vitamins E and B, as well as selenium, phosphorus and a host of antioxidants. Finally, they have a lot of pectin, which is one of the water soluble fibers that lowers cholesterol."

And then when I got cleaned up and went back inside, I called the IRS back.  This time a woman answered, again quickly.  I guess the seizure notices get a better phone number.  She started to question my right to talk to her.  But I have power of attorney.  Yes, but once the tax payer dies, the power of attorney isn't good any more.  But I talked to Mr. V this morning and we did this and that and . . . I'm going to cut you off because I can't talk to you.  You have to file Form 56.  Can I turn it in at my local IRS office?  No, they'll just mail it.  But she did extend the time a bit to get the Form 56 in.  When you do that, you'll get a notice to your mom c/o you at your address.  That's exactly what the notice says that I'm calling about.  She was abrupt, cold, never said sorry about your mom (as the others did) and even though she could corroborate on the computer everything I said and that Mr. V had said to call back to extend the time for the amended form to get into the system, she just kept saying, it won't do any good to talk any more.  She couldn't do anything about it.  Grrrrrrr. 

I hung up.  Waited ten minutes.  Everyone else I've talked to since January has been much more understanding and helpful.  I called back and got Mr. VH who did say he extended things for 90 days.  He also suggested I take it to my local IRS office.  I mentioned Ms. A had said not to.  

But I was on the phone in the morning for about 40 minutes with Mr. V, then about 30 minutes with Ms. A, and another 45 minutes with Mr. VH.  The IRS had all the money since January - before the April filing date.  Actually, they've gotten it each quarter in 2014.  It's just that the business side and the personal side aren't talking to each other - even though the business side can see the personal side computer info.  Earlier people I talked to said they'd make sure no penalties were levied, though there is now additional interest and a penalty on the bill.  I'm assuming that will be removed. 

I believe in paying taxes, and while there are things I'd rather taxes weren't spent on - like the Iraq war and contracts with Haliburton - I understand that the many programs I do support need tax money.  But I can understand why people get enraged at the IRS.  And I also understand that part of the problem - like the long phone waiting - is because Congress doesn't adequately fund the IRS.  I think in part the plan of conservatives is to starve government agencies so they can't do their jobs well and this causes people to hate government.  But also, if the government is not funded adequately, they can't enforce the law and so tax dodgers and polluters and embezzlers and all the other types of cheats are less likely to get caught.  But I have to admit that if they can't figure out something as simple as my issue, then I'm sure they totally screw up more complicated filings. 

I was randomly selected to answer a phone survey.  It was relatively well done.  There were questions I could answer with appropriate options.  But the part I liked best was there were parts where I could actually talk and explain.  This was all automated.  And, they gave me the phone number of the IRS citizen advocate and I will definitely contact that office. 

The other good thing I did when we got back last night was take the sourdough starter out of the refrigerator and refreshed it with more flour and water.  I realize I haven't posted about trying out my new bread book I got this summer, but it was touch and go in the beginning when I did follow the instructions carefully, but the starter just wasn't wet enough. I've been making bread for years, but never with sourdough starter.   But I watched some online videos and added more water and eventually baked several credible loaves.  But then I had to put the starter in the fridge when we left town.  This morning it had expanded and was clearly the living thing bakers talk about.  And tonight I started another loaf.  I let it rise once and now it is in the fridge and I'll finish the steps tomorrow. 

Raking and other yard work and kneading bread are all good IRS therapy.

Keeping My Head Low

Like these two swans at Potter Marsh yesterday, I'm keeping my head low, getting ready to head south.  With a long to do list here, don't have time to blog on things important (it takes too long).  Yesterday, I escaped to Potter Marsh to sit and read My Name Is Red for my book club that meets tomorrow night.  REALLY good book and I'm sure I'll do some posts on it later, but now I just have to finish it and other loose ends before we go back to take another stab at cleaning out my mom's house and then getting some grandpa time in Seattle on the way home.

All this post death stuff has been affecting my stress level.  I'd decided to check on my blood pressure again and my home monitor was giving high readings.  Went to the doctor today and was reassured on two levels:  1.  my home monitor gave higher readings than their office monitor  and 2.  blood pressure levels for over 65 tend to be higher.  (Looking this up just now - something I was hoping to avoid in this post) showed less about the target blood pressure range and more about lack of good data and a range of opinions from the doctors.  I'm just not going to worry.  They said I was healthy otherwise.  But not so healthy that I got away without a flu shot and a pneumonia shot. 

So yesterday I sat in the car at a Potter Marsh pullout, watched swans and read my book as the wind now and then buffeted the van.   The swans were clearly loading up for their flight south - with their head below water much more than not.

And I walked the empty boardwalk.

Hanging out in the van with the book and the swans and a little walk on the boardwalk as it started to rain was what I needed.  Got well into this incredible tale that takes place in late 16th Century Istanbul and is loosely based on real a real workshop of court miniaturists.  Lots to think about that's relevant to the theme of this blog - how do you know what you know - as they examine the difference between reality and how that reality is represented on the page, and as they tread a fine line between honoring Allah with their work and slipping into creating forbidden idols.  And there's a murder to be solved and a love story as well.  And the author Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel Prize for Literature. 

Why I Live Here - Snow On The Mountains After The Rain In Town - Reposted

It's basically been raining for a week.  Sunday there was enough of a break to get in a decent bike ride.  But it's been cloudy and mostly rainy.  Yesterday I almost took my bike, but when I was ready to go to the meeting, it was raining enough that I thought better of it.

But today the sun was dazzling and the sky blue.  And I took my bike to my lunch appointment.  And when I got home I got out the better camera and went off closer to the mountains a couple of miles.

The clouds and mountains almost merge.

The sun was behind this cloud, painting the edges pastels.














Back home, I reshot the picture I took down the street and posted Monday and paired Monday's image with today's to show the additional snow on the mountains.  

And as I got back home, our neighbor was just about finished washing his truck. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Feedburner hasn't picked this up so I'm reposting it.  Sorry to subscribers who did get this already.]

Fall

The birch leaves follow the rhythm of the seasons and the laws of gravity.

And termination dust on the Chugach are another sign that summer is ending.

Spring Flowers And Bugs

The thalictrum tends to attract aphid larvae (at least that's what I've thought they were but I'm having trouble finding online confirmation) every year.  It's relatively easy to just clean them off.  But I was hoping that the blue damsel flies nearby might find them tasty.  But they didn't seem interested.

Our first iris is budding. 

Some of the dandelions have gone to seed already. 

I'm probably most excited about the lilac, which after 10 or fifteen years has a bunch of flowers.  Last year was the first it had any at all. 

And the tiny phlox flowers cover their green with a profusion of pink.

Sharing The Newspaper On The Deck At Breakfast

It's nice to eat breakfast outside on the deck again and I more than happy to share with the damsel flies. 

There Will Be Blood

It's summer, and this was the consequence of my lapse into un-Buddhist like impulses.  But it turned out I'd already made my first blood donation of the day. 

At least these guys are the big mosquitoes.  That means they are slow and easy to feel on hairy arms. 

Backyard is starting to Bloom

 Things are blooming already in the yard, like these two narcissus,


Wikipedia gives us some background on the name Narcissus:

In Greek mythology, Narcissus (/nɑrˈsɪsəs/; Greek: Νάρκισσος, Narkissos) was a Hunter from Thespiae in Boeotia who was known for his beauty. He was the son of the river god Cephissus and nymph Liriope.^[1] He was proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Nemesis noticed this behavior and attracted Narcissus to a pool, where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus drowned.

New hosta leaft. 

Phlox.

The dandelions are here already too.

Gaining Morning Light

It's February 6.  Not quite seven weeks since the winter solstice.  Even though sunrise isn't until 9:07 am, at 8 today it was already getting light.  It helps a lot that there are not clouds.  Sunset is at 5:21pm and we'll have an hour or so of twilight then too.  Six more weeks until the equinox when the light will be the same all around the world.  Then the north starts getting more and more light.

Winter Creeps In

When we got back to Anchorage Friday night, it was still warm enough to be comfortable in a fleece jacket over a shirt.  It was about 35˚F. I know for the people we left behind in LA, that sounded frigid.  But without much humidity and no wind, it's no big deal.

But it's dropped down a bit since and night time temps are down into the teens.  Still not too bad without wind and a good jacket, hat, and gloves.  But it does mean ice on the windshield.  There was an opaque crust Tuesday, but yesterday it was just this light pattern of crystals. 

One of the benefits of the rapid loss of daylight that comes this time of year, is that it's much easier to see the sunrise.  We do still have 8 hours and 40 minutes between sunrise and sunset, which means we still have three hours to lose in the next 50 days or so.