Alaska Home and Garden » seasons

Cold start to the cold season

Admin — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:03:58 +0000

The temperatures have been in the area of record lows for this time of year. At the offices of Alaska Home & Garden the outdoor thermometer for the past three nights has recorded a low of -17 on Friday night, -25 Saturday going into Sunday and -18 this past evening.

It is a chilly day this morning in the office, which leaves me huddled by the fireplace slowly feeding it logs to try to keep the temperture inside above 50 degrees F so I can keep working.

According to the forcast there is a good chance for Sunday evening, with it likely after midnight. The low cloud cover should raise the temperature a little, then it is going to be a cold week ahead with lows of zero to 10 below despite partly to mostly cloudy conditions in the Mat Su Valley.

Look for a clear and cold Thanksgiving, with the highs being zero to 10 above, and a low drop to between zero and 10 below. Cook lots of pies and keep warm this week Alaska!

Turkey Table Decor

Admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:20:08 +0000

Few things bring back the feel of an old fashioned family Thanksgiving like a cardstock turkey with a crepe paper fan-tail. I used to adore the delicate look of the paper tails on the turkeys.

Or check out this folk-art style table turkey. He stands 9″ high and is made of resin. Perfect for any decor and right now priced low enough to purchase several for multiple tables or as decorations along a buffet table.

First Snow

Admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:44:29 +0000

Termination dust on the mountains has given way to a dusting of snow in the valley.

Termination Dust on the mountains behind Palmer

Admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:51:38 +0000

Termination dust seen across Echo Lake in Palmer on Sept 20, 2011

The Termination Dust has arrived. This picture was taken on September 20, 2011 outside of Palmer at the Echo lake parking area. On the larger image you can see the snow just under the edge of the cloud cover.

This first snowfall is the Termination Dust. An end of the warmth of summer and the start of the long cold months of winter here in the Valley. I hope everyone is ready for it!

Winter Driving and more

Admin — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:32:50 +0000

Winter is here now, and it is time to think about winter driving. For some reason it seems like every year when the winter months begin, everyone on the road forgets how to drive in winter conditions.

The first thing to be aware of is that the moose are all headed down to the low lands for the winter, so watch out for moose crossing the road. Those suckers can stand just a few yards off the road and be completely invisible, then decide to bolt across it at the last moment to try and beat that big thing they see barreling at them – they don’t always make it. I personally think there are several more moose in the sidelines egging him on. “Come on Harold! You a chicken or something? Go for it, you’ll be in the club if you make it.”

Watch the school buses as well, they are back out there on the roads making their stops. Always keep in mind that you need to stop fully, NEVER try to pass a stopped bus for any reason. There are children present, so put them first. Even if you are late.

And speaking of children, watch out for snow machines. They’re out there and most of them you’ll see in the area of roads have a kid on them who won’t be thinking to double check the road before they cross it. So keep aware of where the snow machines are if you see one while you are out.

On the subject of snow machines, I noticed in the paper that there was a free two-hour workshop on Avalanche Awareness & Snowmachine Safety through the 18th at Wasilla High, I hope all you snowmachiner, particularly the ones with kids that will be riding this year, got the chance to get out there and participate in that. Wish I had seen it sooner, I would have given a headsup here.

If you know of anything like that going on, please feel free to poke a note in the comments here letting me know, and I will make a post about it to let everyone know. Thanks.

I have a lot more to get done tonight, so I will end this here. I’m hoping that in the next couple of days to be able to get my desktop computer back, then I will be able to update this site’s look and get it to a more membership friendly level. Until then, take care.

Cold – I’m ready for a fireplace

Admin — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:42:23 +0000

The cold weather has most definitely set in to stay now. I really want to get some kind of wood stove put in here, but first I will need to rearrange everything in the front half of the house to make room for getting one put in here. That makes me rethink installing one on a permanent basis and maybe instead put one in temporarily that I can later on replace with a fireplace. I really want a fireplace. Have always wanted to have one in my house.

Home heating

Admin — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:24:15 +0000

The other night the lights here flickered really bad and threatened to go out. It made me think seriously about the fact that our heat depends on the power and the need to get a wood stove put in the house. I think it is time to rearrange things in the front room so I can get a wood stove put in here and get some firewood stocked up. I don’t need a lot, just enough that I can run the stove occasionally to supplement the electric heat and if the power goes out.

There is already a stove pipe installed from when the house was built, so all I have to do is rearrange the living room and install tiles where the stove will go, then set up the wood stove in that area. When I get to that point I will, of course, be creating a tutorial for doing that for this site.

Time to Buy Winter Boots

Admin — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:06:09 +0000

It is time, if you have not already purchased a pair, to go out and buy a good pair of winter boots. The Weather Bug program on my computer is calling for about 2 inches of snowfall today, so it looks like the white stuff is here to stay. I have a good pair of winter boots already, ones I have had for quite a few years, just have to get into the basement and get them out. I need to get my dad a new pair of winter boots though. I can’t find his boots anywhere and if he is going to be going places this winter, then he is going to need a good pair of boots that will keep his feet warm.

First Snow

Admin — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:46:05 +0000

The first snow of the season fell today. It started out as a slow drizzle of rain, but I noticed at once there was a odd quality to the sound of the rain, one that could only be caused by the encroachment of sleet into the rain. Sure enough, the porch deck was showing tiny spheres of ice here and there. Within a few more minutes there was a quick flurry of cascading snowflakes that built rapidly to good sized clusters of snow falling. Some of them were a good inch across as they fell rapidly to the ground. I got some pictures and video of it, but am unable to get it uploaded until my desktop computer is repaired – hopefully I’ll have that back next week.

The snow covered the ground where I live in a decent blanketing of white. Somewhere between half an inch and an inch of snowfall I guess, but I did not actually measure it, just eyeballed how it looks across the lawn and into the garden area. White stuff – ewww. I’m not ready for that stuff to fall all over here yet.

Autumn In Alaska

Admin — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:46:59 +0000

It is autumn here in Alaska, time to get out there and pick cranberries. I’ve been seeing cranberry pickers parked along the road here for some time now, people parking their cars by the road and hiking out into the woods looking for cranberries to pick. I need to get someone to get up here and keep an eye on my dad so I can get out there and pick cranberries myself. Me and mom had always gone out picking cranberries every year, and had planned to pick them this year to make cranberry sauce for the holidays. I want to go ahead and go out and pick the berries and make the cranberry sauce like we had been planning.

Mom always said that the best time to pick them is after the first good frost, and it’s been frosting for a while now – so I need to get them if I am going to get some this year.