This morning at 5:30 I stepped into the outhouse and, as I always do, switched on the weather radio. Shortly, I heard that a tsunami warning had been issued for the outer communities of Southeast Alaska, including Craig, Elfin Cove, Sitka, and Yakutat. The warning estimated that if a tidal wave hit Sitka, it would likely have occurred around 4:30, an hour before I learned of it.
Back at the house, I learned the cause: a record earthquake in Japan. Continue reading
Hard on the heels of my post expressing disbelief that spring could ever come again, something has shifted, changed—broken.
Nothing dramatic has transpired. The temperatures rose briefly, but continue in the teens. The winds abated somewhat, but are now howling around 50 knots again, with warnings of 80 knot gusts. The cold, parching sunshine persists.
And yet, it all suddenly feels different. It feels like spring. Everything I’ve just described no longer feels wintry. There’s no more despair of icy grip, only harbingers of hope for warmer weather. The homestead is coming alive. We are coming alive again.
Same view, different attitude. What looked like winter, now looks like spring (Photo: Mark Zeiger).
