Random Thursday

1) Well, I'm back at C-camp for the winter. Today I did a bit of running around, a few errands and lots of moving bags and boxes.

2) I'm not done with the moving of boxes. Some are still across the road in a friend's cabin.

3) I have to finish moving tomorrow or I'll really feel lazy about all of this.

4) What I really want to do tomorrow is take a walk over to the kennels and see the pups and Sylvie for a while.

5) I know you want to see more pictures of Sylvie. I've missed her while working out at Wonder Lake this summer! Pictures will be forth-coming.

6) Speaking of pictures, the WIFI at C-camp seems much faster now than it was last winter. This could be a problem as I attempt to get things done while catching up on shows on Hulu.

7) I really have a lot of things to do and projects to complete. It's going to be a mad knitting factory in this cabin in the coming months.

8) So much yarn, so little time.

9) And now I want to knit myself a Christmas sweater.

10) I'm going to bed before I come up with any more crazy schemes to lengthen my To Do list(s)...

[Not Quite] Back From The Land Of Crazy

Where have I been the last six (six?!) months?

Lots of places.

We played in the snow with the doggies until late spring.



Then Denali's west district rangers moved to the Toklat road camp.



Then I finally moved to Wonder Lake.



I worked out at Wonder Lake from June through September.



Then I moved back to C-camp in order to get ready for the winter.

(I don't have pictures of this yet, but I'll be in the same cabin as last winter, so look at those pictures. This year, there's more construction equipment and noise, so last year's pictures might be better.)

Then I flew to St. Louis for my brother's wedding.



Right now, I'm sitting in the Starbucks at Lambert Field (STL International Airport) waiting for my flight to Seattle, on my way back to Denali. This trip to St. Louis (STL) has been a whirlwind, with a busy schedule and lots of what can only be described as "stimulus". A bit taxing with sinus problems and allergies.

I'm ready to slow down and settle into the winter routine in C-camp at Denali National Park. Hopefully, I'll regain control of my schedule and endless list of projects that I want to do, and then I'll spend a bit of time playing with the kennels pups. :)

My Little Friend

Those of you who have seen my pictures on Facebook know of my little friend from this winter. Her name is Sylvie, and she's roughly six months old....


She came to Denali from a kennel in the town of Eagle (which I actually visited in 2007, interestingly enough), near the U.S.-Canada border. She was six weeks old at that time in early November. You see, Denali's kennel is a working kennel. However, the litter of pups born last season was all males. The kennels manager saw a need to bring in a new female and Sylvie got the job. :) Back when she was still small enough for me to lift with one hand, she posed for a Flat Stanley picture with me:


Since then, we have bonded. She is my little kennel friend. We have walked together several times.


She loves to do the Puppy Pounce in the snow, and usually comes up looking like this:


Every time I visit the kennels nowadays, she gets a hug:

It's Been A Few Weeks...

Things are good. The days are getting longer. The animals are becoming more active. I'm finding myself with lots of projects around the cabin - things I want to do for me.

#1) I have seeds to grow two kinds of green beans, two kinds of peppers, spinach and cucumbers. I want to have veggies this summer. The challenge? Keeping the moose out.

#2) I have started to work on two new pairs of pajama pants. Mom gave me the flannel and notions during the winter, and my cabin finally has great light again to work after I get done at the MSLC each day.

#3) I'm getting pairs of my fingerless gloves knit up in the hopes of selling them at a friend's shop in Glitter Gulch this summer. Extra pocket money never hurts.

#4) I've lost 3.4 pounds. I'm hoping I can keep up this trend; my goal on this front is a much greater loss. ;)

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Spring is well on its way for most of the United States. Here in Alaska, we still have at least another month of winter. But I did see a woodpecker yesterday while out on my walk after work. It was a refreshing sight!

March... How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

I have two boxes of Thin Mints, one box of Tagalongs and one box of Samoas sitting on the desk in front of me. Tomorrow I will be minus one box of Thin Mints, but my tummy will be very happy.

I love March.

On the 13th, we get REI dividends, and I will be doing some shopping. ;)

And next time I get to town for groceries? I will be coming home with at least one bag of Cadbury's Mini Eggs.



(Yes, I know I'm supposed to be dieting for the bridesmaid's dress in September. But these chocolate events only happen once a year. I must take advantage while I can.)

Random Thoughts From When Life Gets Carried Away

It's been a long week. Really 10 days. And the MSLC is the happening place to be this week. I really haven't had any quiet time to think, much less work on my actual projects at work.

1) Winterfest 2011 is over. Whew. Lots of people and kids running around this weekend. But Winterfest was overshadowed by two big storms that moved through, dumping 2'6" of snow in about 5 days. Blowing winds and bad wind chills kept the Winterfest numbers down a bit, but all events were enjoyed and received good feedback.

2) We still have a 6-foot-tall block of ice out in front of the MSLC. It's a big block, meant to be carved into a sculpture. However, due to the storms, the sculptor couldn't get himself and his gear down here from Fairbanks. So we're calling this ice block "Cubism". That's our sculpture.

3) I just had a few men in the MSLC who stopped on their drive between Anchorage and Fairbanks. They looked at the fossil display for a moment and then asked if we allowed subsistence dinosaur hunting. Take as many as you want! (Funny. Very funny.)

4) There is both an EMT class and a superintendent's budget meeting going on here yesterday and today. I have gotten NOTHING done in the office, even though actual visitor numbers are low. The folks in the budget meeting are, for the most part, not in very good moods. I think I'm glad they lock themselves in the classroom for this meeting. Just don't kill the messenger (me) if I ask you to move your car or donate for the coffee you drank. You can't double park or park behind others' cars in the lot just because you were late for your meeting. And we buy our own coffee around here. ;)

5) Because of the never-ending line of park leadership, EMT students and park visitors, I've had some very odd questions - and the expectation that I will know the schedule of every park employee. I've decided that I must be the Magic 8 Ball Ranger: shake me enough times and you'll get some sort of answer. Though you may have to shake multiple times to get the answer you want.

5) Yesterday, the park made me a job offer for this coming summer season. It looks like I'll be working up here at Denali this summer, instead of going back to Mount Rainier. I'm really looking forward to this summer. I'm not sure what district I'll be in or where I'll be stationed - but I think I'm hoping for Kantishna / Wonder Lake. It's amazing out there!

6) I've gone to bed by 10 p.m. the past few nights. This is early for me. I must be tired.

7) Ok, I know I'm tired. I really want to take a nap right now. But I won't be home for another hour at least.

Snowy Presidents' Day

Through next weekend, Denali Borough will be celebrating Winterfest. We will NOT be short on snow. I shoveled for a good 30 minutes this morning. It's still coming down and you can't really tell any more just how much I shoveled. ;)