3 may 10 spring is in the air

Spring visited today and Alaskans started acting crazy. The temperature hit 60 degrees somewhere in town so people were out in shorts and t-shirts. I even saw a woman in a strappy little sundress down by Westchester. I biked home, sharing the trails with every runner, dog walker, and baby stroller in the city. In my neighborhood, several men were engaged in a strange rite of spring: shoveling snow from one part of their yard to another part, where there was no or less snow. Paul even engaged in this act yesterday to free my raised vegetable beds from several inches of snow.

Another sure sign of spring and renewing life is the return of the gulls. The mew gulls invaded downtown almost two weeks ago. They've been circling roof tops and harassing other birds, maybe to get into practice for protecting their nests and young. They nest on the roofs downtown. When the chicks hatch in mid-June, the adults constantly circle and dive bomb anything or anyone that comes near them. This is a source of annoyance and entertainment at my office, depending upon who they're targeting. Yesterday I saw two gulls copulating on the clinic roof across the alley. Is there an act that says Spring more than the creation of new life?

On Saturday evening we had equal amounts of sun though not as warm as today. Paul and I joined a couple of dozen people at the Campbell Creek Estuary. The Great Land Trust is working to buy this property and transfer it to the city for municipal parkland. It's gorgeous! Birders will love it. We saw sandhill cranes, a peregrine falcon, pintail ducks, and a bald eagle's nest. If you'd like to protect Anchorage's coastline from development, go the trust's website and make a donation ... and tell the mayor how important this is. Thanks!

23 sep 09 cold but not frosty

The first thing I heard when I woke up this morning was that it was 32 degrees outside. My first thought: I didn't cover up the greens in the garden. My second thought: I was going to bike to work with a damp head this morning. Luckily we dodged the first frost (32.25 at our house!) and my crops survived another day. I dried my hair a little more than normal and a skull cap under the helmet kept me warm.

This was a long day. I had a Great Land Trust board meeting from 5:30 to 7:30. By the time I chatted and changed into comfortable biking clothes post meeting, I was assured of riding home from dusk to dark. I slipped into the garage just before 9:00.

My legs are tired. I was glad to hear that Paul had walked Bhikkhu. And he had chicken breasts on the grill!

One more day to bike this work week. Paul is going to join me again. We've got to leave a little early because I have to give a presentation in the morning. I know my legs will make it to downtown. Can they make it home one more time?