Just when they arrive...

Well... the last three weeks here have been like spring. Ice and snow melting... temps in the 30s and even 40s, so I finally finally finally gave in to buying something I have wanted for a long time, but never felt justified in purchasing. RAIN BOOTS!!!

Here, they are called Breakup Boots, because this time of year when the ice and snow begin to melt is called Breakup. Basically the whole of Alaska turns into one giant puddle of water, ice, slush, and GIANT potholes. And when I say giant, I mean GIANT!!! There is one on my road that is so bad, someone put up a construction warning folding blocker thingy with reflectors in front of it so no one accidentally kills their car in the middle of the night. I accidentally hit it a few days back and was pretty sure I tore the engine right out from underneith my car. Of course, my car is pretty low to the ground. It's at times like that when I realize why so many people in Alaska drive trucks... I actually have a list... 1. You blind people with your headlights in winter, instead of being blinded yourself. 2. You are more likely to total the moose instead of having the moose total you. 3. It may be possible for your truck to drive itself out of the ditch. 4. You can carry tons of things in the bed of the truck, like your snow machine or wood or various other manly and Alaskan things. 5. You can attach a winch or a snow plow to the front of your truck which comes in vary handy if you run across either a person stuck in a ditch or excessive amounts of snow in your driveway (which let me tell you, happens A LOT). If we ever own our own property of like five or six acres, I am buying a truck with low four wheel drive and sticking a plow with fog lights and possibly extra high beams on it. But I digress... I was talking about my breakup boots...

So, this is a bit early in the year for real spring, and so I was hesitant to order the boots because I was so sure that the minute I got them it would act like winter again. And without a bunch of insulation in them, even though they would keep my feet dry they wouldn't keep them warm. But day after day it stayed warm (warm being 35 or higher) and the snow kept melting, so I gave in and ordered a really cute pair off of Target (or really amazon.com... and in case you are wondering, the nearest Target is in Anchorage which is three hours away. I wasn't driving up there just for a pair of shoes.) They were very cute, and I couldn't wait for them to come. Of course they arrive on the day I work a twelve and then go hang out at my future sister-in-laws for the evening. (my mail goes to my future in-laws house). But whatever, I determined to pick them up the next day. And as my luck would have it, I wake up the next day to SNOWFALL and COLDER TEMPERATURES!!!! Alaska strikes again. So I haven't really had the opportunity to wear my new boots yet. But hopefully I will soon because the weather men promise that it will be back up in the mid to high thirties on monday and tuesday. Now if only it would STAY spring, then I think I would be a ball of happiness!!! (However I am assured by more than one person that we won't really know for sure if it's spring until the end of April.)

Yes, Even the Weather can be evil and deceptive...

So... I have reached a decision. Either the groundhog lied or the weather is playing awful tricks on me. Let me explain better. It is the middle of February. It is still winter by all rights. We are still like a month away from the equinox. The groundhog said there would be six more weeks of winter. Everywhere in the lower 48 (heehee I sound so Alaskan now), there is all kinds of stormy winter weather. Yet somehow, somehow on the peninsula the weather has decided that it is spring. Here is how I know...

1. The temperature has been staying about freezing and rather close to Forty for a couple of weeks now.
2. This has led to the melting of snow and ice... all day and all night my roof goes drip drip drip as the snow that has been there all winter slowly melts. Today I saw road lines on a couple of roads that I drove on, as well as some brown (under a thin layer of ice) on the dirt roads I was driving on.
3.There are real birds (aka birds that do not stay the winter) back chirping and singing in the trees (the winter birds do not chirp or sing seeing as they are all ravens and birds of prey).
4. I saw some bushes with small flower buds on them.

Now you may be rejoicing with me that spring has come early to the frozen north. Except this means there are only two options that this early spring can develop into. And to be honest, I don't like either option. So, let me further explain...

option A: This is a false spring. Meaning that in another week or so, winter will come back in full force with lots of snow and below freezing temperatures, making the roads icey, the birds sad, and the buds die. This will mean having to wear winter gear again... plugging my car in again... and letting it run for a while before I drive in it again.

option B: This really is the start of spring. Now at first this one seems better. But since this is February and not April, this means we are still three months away from warm temperatures, no snow, and green. If this really is the start of spring, it's going to develop slowly. It's going to take FOREVER and I'm going to sink in depression waiting for it to really be spring. It'll get ugly and brown and I'll feel like I'm back in Missouri again.

Of course there is no option C... so if God, and the weather, and the groundhog are taking my opinion into consideration, I would like to have which ever option makes May come faster. Because I miss the green, and the warm, and the lots of day light, and the hiking, and the camping, and the being outside and not having to wear waterproof, (fake) fur lined boots....

Speaking of which, I'm thinking about getting some rain boots. But that is neither here, nor there.