SUMMER'S COMIN' TO FAIRBANKS, AGAIN!
Ahhhhhh-
I breath a sigh of relief. I've made it through another Fairbanks winter.
I know... there's still snow on the ground, and it's still dropping below zero most nights, but really, winter is gone for another year.
Twelve hours of sunshine is slowly working it's magic on winter's snow-
March is here in all it's sun-filled glory!
I'm awe-struck once again. What a magnificent place I live!
The hillsides are showing the subtle colors of new buds on the trees- reds and olive greens, and if you stop, and REALLY smell the air, you can smell them all at once.
Run-off water is forming glaciered pools at the base of the hills, threatening to overflow any road that dares to cross it's path.
The plows have moved the the packed snow off the shoulders of the roads, so the melting snow doesn't flow across the roads to create ice at night.
The snowbanks in town are turning black, as March's sun melts them away, leaving a winters worth of grime and car exhaust to show on their exposed surface.
These are all sure signs.
The critters know; the squirrels are noisily going about their spring business again, chittering incessantly at their neighbors- chasing each other back to their "own property".
The ravens bicker amongst themselves, as they clean up another winters worth of discarded food (as wells all the other critters that were not fortunate enough to survive winter's grip- spring would be ugly indeed without the feathered custodians).
I'm already behind; The seeds I'm planning on planting are already two weeks late- if I get them planted now, there's another flat's worth waiting behind them. The growing season won't wait for me- I must start tomorrow, or else!
I should already be cleaning the fly rods, and checking to make sure all the fishing gear is in top shape. It will be too late in June- time to go fishing, then.
There are three months of summer here, and one month of autumn- one doesn't want to spend quality fishing time looking for waders, or repairing the boat, ATV, etc.
And the garden- wait too long to plant tomatoes, and you'll have nothing but fried green tomatoes, or tomato pickles when September comes- whew- not a moment to waste now.
My sighs of relief have turned into sighs of despair. Overnight the oh-so-slow plight of winter has turned into spring's race to get ready for summer. How did it catch me off guard again? You'd think after 49 years I'd have this all down to a science, but here I am, scrambling to catch up once again!
Well, enough time plunking away on my keyboard- no time to waste- gotta get going-SUMMER'S COMIN' TO FAIRBANKS, AGAIN!
Oly Flowers!! (DISCARDED BEER CANS) THEY APPEAR IN MELTING PARKING LOT SNOWBANKS EVERY YEAR.
regards, bigalak
When you put a season to rest, it is like someone turning out the lights and closing the door behind them. But instead of leaving a room, you are leaving an entire season behind that closed door.