Alaska- Extreme Weather Only, Please!

A chinook sunrise in Fairbanks, Alaska, January 16, 2009, around 10:00 a.m.  Taken from Lathrop High School.  

What a crazy few days it has been.  40-60 degrees BELOW zero here in the Tanana Valley a few days ago, and now 50 degrees ABOVE zero!  100 degrees difference in 3 days.  Does that happen anywhere else?  We are all dancing on the ice and slush as the second chinook blows in, bringing more extreme weather!

Up in the hills, our driveway is the most fun, as it is long and steep.  It is pretty much a luge run in this weather.  We turn off the road, point the car down the drive and hope for the best as we slide all the way down and around the corner to the garage.  Why not sand it, you ask?  Because it is our sledding run, of course!  And it's kind of fun, I have to admit.

The three hounds, Molly, Dimond, and of course Gus, are all full of energy.  They are begging to go outside constantly.  We do not have a fenced yard on our acreage, so humans must go out to make sure the 2 coonhounds do not get on a scent and take off.  Gus the bloodhound is always leashed.  We can call the two coonhounds off a moose if one is encountered, but Gus is a different story.  As a young male, he is unpredictable.  We can't take a chance on any accidents happening, as moose are constantly around the house.

Speaking of moose, below is a photo of a cow moose and calf on our driveway.  This is where the girls have to walk daily to get to the bus stop in the dark.  Earlier this week, Amanda was walking up to the bus, heard a grunt and rustling off to the side, and was charged by a cow moose.  Yikes! Fortunately, the bus was pulling up, so she ran for it and made it safely inside.  Whew.  Glad she's in such good shape and can run fast!!

Gus has been enjoying spending time on the deck now that it's warm again.  He has raided every flower pot since they have thawed out, and devoured as much dirt as possible.  Snout and ears covered in mud, he looks rather like a pig.  I was too mad at him to take a picture!  Here he is, cleaned up, but still rather piggish.

We have been trying to get some chores done now that it's warm for a few days, like cleaning the "nose cement" off the glass doors.  Problem is, Gus thinks he needs to chase the paper towel, re-cementing the inside of the glass as the outside is washed.  We should realize by now that cleaning anything is futile with 3 hounds living in the house.

 

At least the hounds are getting more exercise in the warmth.  Last night was a joy as they settled down to sleep quite early instead of driving us crazy with wrestling and barking all evening.

Now the delightful chinook is coming to an end as are our record breaking temperatures.  Snow is expected tomorrow, and temperatures will be dropping down to the negative side once more. Sigh. Here we go again!  Never a dull moment around here as we settle in for a few more months of winter...

U.H.O.  (unidentified hairy object) Yet another reason nothing is ever clean..

Wishing all of you pleasant weather and decent dogs until next time!!