Fall into Winter - Alaska COLD! -- November 16, 2009

You may have given up on me by now, but I'm still here in Alaska, trying to figure out where I will really fit in and what I might want to do for the future. Our fall weather was beautiful, we didn't even get snow until after Halloween. But suddenly it's cold, COLD, today is minus ten degrees Farenheit, and it's clear and sunny. Apparently it's going to stay like this for a while. The winter sun doesn't bring much warmth, so even though it looks lovely it doesn't take much time outdoors to want to hurry back inside. I'm afraid my poor dog Cheyenne won't be getting much exercise when it's like this.

In two weeks I will be leaving for a holiday trip to see my kids and grandchildren in Oregon and Nevada. I'll also go to the Oregon coast to visit friends and stop between Bend and Las Vegas to spend a few days in Tahoe with my Peace Corps friend Gloria. I think I'm ready to leave Alaska for a while, and thankfully my wonderful friend Sandy will keep Cheyenne and watch the house for me while I'm gone. Leaving houses in the very cold winters is always problematic, because so many things can go wrong. For example, I'm thankful every day that my old furnace keeps going, since my plumber says it is old and will die any time. Hopefully it can make it through one more winter.

I keep thinking I have lots of books to read during these long dark winter months, but I still have trouble reading during the day. Apparently I have residual guilt about not being more productive during working hours. I did move things around in my mostly-wrecked basement so I can have a workroom-studio down there. Now I need to get busy doing some projects. Maybe after Christmas when I'm back here again. I have been giving presentations now and then, on Romania and Turkey, and organizing other slideshows from my travels. Before long I hope to have new adventures to add to them!

I promised to include some winter pictures, but I want to wait for a fresh snowfall. The moose were in my yard almost every day, eating every bit of grass they could find, including bushes and shrubs that I wish they would leave alone. I will post a couple of photos here. Also one of Dara and her family, with this year's meat for the freezer, and Peter's kids in Germany. I'll have lots of family pictures to show off after my trip. I won't put any photos of me in this message, because I got a way-short-short haircut and look too goofy to even look in the mirror. Hopefully it'll grow out soon!

Thanks to those friends who keep writing to me, even when I've been quiet for so long. It means the world to me that you keep in touch! Love, Kristin