We are having a remarkable winter here in Alaska. My swamp-dwelling sister in the southern USA is enjoying colder weather. You read that correctly. Alaska is warmer that most of the nation. Cue the music from the Twilight Zone now.
Yep, it’s a heat wave, or climate change, or whatever. I have never seen green grass at the end of November in Anchorage before, and I’ve been here forever. Our lawns are typically covered with a foot or more of snow, not up for mowing consideration! (If you were wondering, the answer was no. The mower was put to bed for the year.) I even inserted those tall, orange, reflective pole guides through the garden for the snow blower (don’t ask)!
Yet here we are. What to do? The alpine skiers are getting desperate. The cross country ski types had a least a thin base to ski on the trails, for a while. It’s pretty spotty to non existent in my part of town. There’s always ice skating. Two years ago at this time I was skating on glass ice at Finger Lake in Palmer, Alaska. I could literally see fish frozen in the ice it was so crystal clear. Aside: When skating on lakes here, one can’t be the nervous type and truly enjoy it. There will be cracking noises. Sometimes very disturbing ones. Like the cracks and booms are having a conversation together. “Look at that fool! Let’s make her wish she had never laced her skates! Ha ha! Crack! Boom! Creak!” Last week a friend told me her son had fallen in to his thighs at Potter’s Marsh while ice skating. I guess it’s true. We are getting warmer.
My studded tires, which were installed the moment I suspected the snow wouldn’t melt away, are now just loud and useless as I roar down the freeway. I don’t dare take them off though. That would be tempting fate.
I would be more excited if the killing frost date was pushed back in proportion to the warm weather now. As it is, everything died at the typical time, and now it’s just dead stuff with no snow. Which is how it is in other, more southerly locales, I guess. At least the Halloween jack-o-lanterns used to freeze so I could easily heave them into the yard for the moose to graze. Not so much now. Eew.
How’s the weather? Is your area experiencing some strange temperatures?
Interesting that your area is experiencing weird weather. It is colder than normal here in SW Indiana. The garden is put to bed. Annie (our dog) hates that I won't go out with her after work now. Poor girl. It is going to be a long winter here.
ReplyDeleteA very warm 70 degree fall fooled us. We plunged to -20 winter two weeks ago. There was no middle ground. If we did get above 0 the wind made up for any numbers on the positive side. Today it eased up on us and it actually got to 44. My pumpkin was frozen so solid, my husband tried to chop it in half with an ax for the deer. No go. I a happy for your warm weather. Take it while you can get it.
ReplyDeleteI think it is the Jet Stream that is stuck in an usual position but due to shift soon so brace yourself,
ReplyDeleteLiked your thoughts on climate change - no doubt it is affecting me too. Enjoyed your post today. Jack
ReplyDelete@Lisa at GreenbowHa! I feel your dogs pain. Long winters are a specialty here. It's not usually so dark this time of year though. The snow makes it seem lighter at night. When we have snow, that is....
ReplyDeleteCB
@Bonnie KA 70 degree fall?! Wow, that is a nice summer day here in Anchorage! We have not had the distinction of hitting 20 below yet, so there's that blessing though.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of an axe for the pumpkins. I'll have to try that some year when they are frozen.
CB
@Sue GarrettRats! I knew it couldn't last.
ReplyDeleteJet Stream, please don't go!!
CB
@Gardens at Waters EastWe keep a stiff upper lip here at the Last Frontier Garden about change. Actually, it's more of a wide grin about the increased temperatures.
ReplyDeleteCB
I was going to tell you how we're expecting a Nor'Easter tomorrow. Very early to have a big storm like that, usually they don't hit until January but then I got sidetracked by that amazing American Women boycott posting above me. I can't tell if I should be proud as a Canadian woman to be considered better than American women or disgusted that this loser might try and hit on me because I'm 'foreign'. I think my poor feeble female brain can't handle the technicalities of his argument.
ReplyDeleteI know you wrote this post back in November, but I'm wondering how things are now that it's REALLY winter, at least according to the calendar. Has it been snowy? Are the lakes frozen over? Were you able to scrape your pumpkin carcusses off the porch? We've had a really mild winter here. It got cold in November but since then it's been pretty typical. Right now it's really atypical in that it was 60 degrees today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't have a repeat of last year's February record-breaking cold. ... I'm not sure if Al Gore was right or not but it does seem that our weather is full of surprises. Take care and keep warm.
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