Hell, mid-May here and by eight in the morning, I'm running sweat and have my sleeves rolled up. Yesterday, it was almost 70F by 0930!!! Oh, wait...I suppose this is all relative...
Not really. 70F by 9:30 would be unusually warm for us.
Ah, yes, but that's about as warm as it gets all day for us. Fairbanks gets the 90s, we find 70 to be over-the-top, way-too-hot...
But isn't Fairbanks 350 miles or so north of you as the crow flies? And it is warmer there? Weird.
It's a geological thing. That, and Anchorage is on the water, which tends to moderate the climate. Fairbanks also features daily rain showers (normally) that you can set your watch by. Usually around six in the evening to 10 or 11. They also get thunder and lightening, which is relatively rare in Anchorage.
It seems that every other night I'm awakened by rain pelting the roof. A steady, soaking rain falling at night. I think it's the remnants of the severe thunderstorms plaguing the Midwest.
By the time they march east to the Crotch of the Tri-State area, the danger has been wrung out of them but the rain remains. Such is our little geographic advantage.
I'm quite sure that denizens of our valley would be clueless about how to handle a true drought. High Summers here always feature a 'dry spell' when the lawns turn brown, but a drought of Biblical proportions is unknown in these parts. Mist rises each warm morning from the river and the valleys where creeks and springs flow. The hardwood forests are verdant, except when plagued by an infestation of insects like the notorious gypsy moth or a 17 year locust. There are some underground springs that pour out of the steep ravine sides and I've seen folks armed with gallon jugs gathering unchlorinated drinking water.
Winters can be harsh, as we saw in 2014-15. But this winter passed was amazingly mild and relatively snow free (at least the occurrences of the Big Snows totaling 14, 16, 18 inches at one time). Instead last winter we got six inches at a time every other day for weeks. There are hard facts that must be faced every Winter.
But this Spring has been a head scratcher. It started out warm and pleasant only to devolve into a damp and cool spell that has gone on since late April, or just about the time greenhouses opened up offering annuals and perennials. The only safe purchase at most of the farmstead stores has been asparagus. Buying flowers, especially at the rate I buy flowers, id a fool's game.
Meanwhile Daisy the Mutt will vacuum out my wallet this Saturday as it's time again to have her vaccinated against rabies, distemper and Lyme disease. The vet, who must have a boat payment due this month, also recommends that she have blood drawn to assure the heartworm medicine prescribed is doing its thing.
there is no Obamacare for dogs.
mom is still quarantining us from the Big House as the cat she stole from someone else was spade last week. Mom insists that the cat rest easy for at least another week. Anyway, the cat is doing what a cat supposedly does; sleep 18 hours a day and lounge around in feline luxury.
