I was feeling a little smug this morning, what with all that snow and winter weather in the Lower Forty-eight, and all this sunshine and lack of snow here. (It’s so dry up high that I’ve heard the heli-ski season is in doubt. You can see rocks on top of the mountains from way down here.) I didn’t even put my long Johns on when I walked Pearl this morning– which was a big mistake– while it looks lovely it was about 10 degrees with a strong north wind that gave me an ice cream headache. I ducked back in to bundle up. (And, yes, I know, I will get no sympathy at all since I’ve just returned from the tropics. None. It’s February in Alaska, what did I expect?) I will say that the pool is a good way to extend that vacation feeling– or create one if you can’t travel. It is bright, warm, humid, and full of happy people in bathing suits. (I do think we need to figure the sauna thing like they have in every other northern pool. I bet a fundraiser or two would cover it.There’s nothing like dry heat and a good sweat to take the edge off mid-winter bad tempers.) The annual Idita-swim is on once again, you count laps that add up sort of like the miles on the sled dog trail from Anchorage to Nome in increments of 10, and move your little name tag along the big race map and through the checkpoints. The winner does not get a Dodge truck. The prizes are pool passes. (Honestly, you are winner if you just show up at the pool and do a few laps everyday.) In other news (I’m slowly coming back to life here), while I was gone we contracted the nice Marine to be our new borough manager and a police chief from Wyoming, the clinic may have found a dentist, but I hear he needs a place to live, the pre-school needs a new home for next year too– as the borough chose not renew the lease after 30 years. There’s choir practice tomorrow night at 6 in the museum, and Friday at 5:30 in the school there’s a Wear Red Day event (for women’s heart health) it’s a yoga-zumba-fitness hour-long motion party and everyone is welcome. There are home basketball games, the girls play Metlakatla Friday and Saturday, and John Schnabel will celebrate his 94th birthday this weekend. Wish him well. Tickets are going fast for the 22nd annual Great Alaska Craft Beer and Home Brew Festival at the fairgrounds May 23-4 go to www.seakfair.org if you want some. Yesterday we folded the Hospice newsletters and they are on the way to the post office, so watch for that, there’s some good information in it on dealing with sudden death and grief, which unfortunately never takes a real vacation from us.
