Okay, to be honest, we haven’t really had a winter here in South Central Alaska. Seriously. A bit of snow, some cold days, a decent amount of rain, but winter? No.

The local skiers are bummed. The local ski hill operator, also bummed. The heliskiing company that comes to town each season is doing well enough, but they take clients up up up to where the snow happens to be.

On the plus side, I have barely shoveled all winter.

On the minus side, I have barely shoveled all winter, one of my prime activities that gets me off my arse. While shoveling is not great joy, it is a necessary evil that does get me outside and moving. Ah, well. There’s always next year. And I’m pretty sure next year will not be the same.

It’s nearly April and spring is in the air. That doesn’t mean we won’t get snow. It could totally happen. And lots of it. But I’d be very surprised if it was more than a few inches, really. Not the way the weather has been of late. In the meantime, I’m loving the pussy willows, the spots of green shoots, the occasional warm (well, relatively warm) day.

Bears should be waking up soon. Always a fun time to find poo along the back of the house. But it’s also fun to see the mama black bear and her cubs that live around here. Other than the occasional freezer raid, they’re pretty quiet neighbors.

Most of Alaska has had a mild winter, some areas with record-breaking lack of snow. It’s difficult to look at what we experienced this season and what the middle and eastern parts of the continent have experienced and deny there’s something wonky with the climate. But that’s a post for another time.

So, here’s to Spring, friends! May your flowers bloom and your bears stay out of your freezer : )