Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Quiet Days, Long Drives

Well, all is awfully quiet on the landlord front today, folks. This means they have either decided that we have some pretty good legal points and decided it was best to just shut up, OR they are plotting their next move. Either way, I'm not sure I care.
EXCEPT... (yeah, there's one of those in there)...

The heating saga continues. Can you believe that??? So, the heater works, but every time it starts up, the smoke detectors go off. That was REALLY fun at 2 am, right after I got Beans back to sleep and about 2 hours before I had to get up to drive J to Delta Junction, let me tell ya.
And SURPRISE, SURPRISE! I called my landlord about it, got voicemail, and 12 hours later, have heard nothing in response.

This is where I'm going to give the weather report. It's been raining a cold rain today. It never got above 60 here, and tonight is supposed to be around 40. But who needs heat, right?
*sigh*

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So let's move on to something worth reporting today, then.
The MOOSE REPORT:
Moose Patrol was good this morning. With the slick roads, I was very glad that all of the moose we saw this morning were polite enough to stay off the roads. No babies spotted today, but several cows, happily munching on trees or standing in the roadside ponds along the way.

Speaking of roadside ponds, Salcha is experiencing some flooding. You can check out today's Daily News Miner (newsminer.com) for pictures. It made for an interesting drive, as many creeks, and the great Tanana River itself has crept out of it's bed into yards and even over the shoulder of the main highway in some parts. There was some talk about attempting to divert the water. Hopefully I can even make it back to Delta Junction tomorrow to get J from work.

There is something amazing about water. The Tanana is full and angry, running swiftly, cutting into the earth and making new divides in the earth. The old rapids have been drowned out, and new, angry ones have taken their place, sweeping new debris along the road.
I had nearly grabbed my camera this morning, and left it behind because the rain wasn't going to give me good pictures of the Dome or any of the other scenic view. With the river reaching new heights, I wish I had grabbed it anyway.

I feel bad for the folks in Salcha. The water at some houses are lapping at foundations, a few even starting to take on water. In spite of this, I was awed at the "hometown" feel when I passed
Salcha's fairgrounds and found many people of the town out filling sandbags. I wanted to stop, lend a helping hand, but with Beans in the car, the rain still falling, and the worst part of the road flooding to go, I pressed on to home.
It took 3 hours to make the usual 1.5 hour drive. I got home EXHAUSTED and craving coffee. (OK, so craving coffee is nothing unusual for me.) This was the first time that the drive through the mountains and next to the river felt "scary" to me, and I began to be very thankful that we are moving to Delta and J won't have to make that drive in snow and ice.

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So, I know I promised a fabric report, but that's going to have to happen tomorrow, since I didn't make it into The Calico Cow today. It's long boring story of a husband and a wife having a spat, that y'all REALLY don't want me to rehash... but I HATE fighting, especially with my sweetie, and I lost all motivation for fabric shopping. (Grocery shopping too, for that matter, so I also have to go to the commissary tomorrow as well.) I spent my afternoon moping around the house with Beans, and finally decided that it would be better to snuggle up with her and have a nap than it would be to worry about accomplishing much of anything today. And I'm glad I did. We slept for two hours, her happily nursing next to me, snuggling up for warmth. When she woke, she woke bright-eyed and happy, leaned over and gave me a sweet kiss, and said "mama, night night."
Who needs a clean house when you can get sweet, slobbery kisses from such a sweetie?

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Back to Delta Junction tomorrow. This time, I'm packing the camera, rain or shine.
So, from our trail to yours....
Happy Moose Trails.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My old house on Crown Rd. off Chena Pump - the water is 1/2 way up the foundation - and I don't think the people are living there right now. It's close to the Tanana and the Chena Lakes project doesn't affect it much. :( Prayers for those in Alaska affected by the flooding!

Susan Stevenson said...

I'm sorry that you're moving away. I figured I should never make friends with anyone, cause they all move. *I'm kidding..sorta*

You'll be much happier living there, rather than having to deal with long commutes. That drive can be nasty in the winter, with slick spots and the darkness.

Make sure you give me a holler anytime you'll be heading to Fairbanks/North Pole. Maybe we can have breakfast or lunch or something.

We're leaving for Valdez on Thursday, so I probably won't get a chance to see you before you move. Safe travels, and enjoy this wonderful state! And check out Rika's Roadhouse - particularly the fur shop (if it's still there) above the gift shop. Yummy hats, gloves, and coats. Warm and soft!