When Rose is away, the chef will play.
Explored the stratosphere today.
Continue reading
We Set a World Record!
For pollen. From the article:
“Allergy doctor Jeff Demain said Monday’s count shattered the old world record that was set in Sweden several years ago.
“A level of 175 is considered high,” Demain said. “Fairbanks had a birch pollen level of over 4000.””
It’s not just birch, either. Over the course of two days I saw clouds of pollen coming off the white spruce with every puff of a breeze. The deck was yellow with it. We finally got some rain overnight, so things are looking more normal today.
Record levels of tree pollen dust the truck.
Riding in a Time Capsule
Old Blue rides again.
Let me just say that mentally you can turn the clock back decades by driving a 1990 Mazda pickup listening to John Denver songs on a cassette tape. So my current commute has me living in the past and “… humming some old song he wrote…” and other gems for the rest of the day.
Kicking the Boombah’s Tires: The Borough Sets Land Values
The Fairbanks North Star Borough runs on property tax. It’s the only regular tax that we pay in-state (though we expect that will change soon given the huge state deficit). Every year the borough sends out a notice telling you what they think your property is worth. We’ve never had a problem with them before, but this year when the notices came with a 20% rise in land values, we were surprised.
Continue reading
It’s Spring!
We’re two weeks early here. The first leaves popped out today and the raised beds are forked. Hammond’s Flycatchers showed up yesterday and Mew Gulls today.
The first leaves of the year are popping out. These are birch.
The raised beds are forked. They will heat up fast now.