Marching Forward

During March the amount of sunlight here in Homer, Alaska increased by three hours.  You read that right, Folks----three (3) hours of sunlight gained in only one month!  And there's still about ten weeks left before the solstice in mid June, the longest day of the year.

Never mind that there's still a foot of snow on the ground in our yard, or that the night time temperatures are still below freezing, or that the daytime temps are still straining to reach the high 40's.  It is sunny from 7:30 AM to 9:00PM, and whoa doggies, that snow is melting.  It is a mud bath out there on the road ways.  Driving anywhere results in your car looking like a rolling cave with mud stalactites adhered to all vertical surfaces.  A new level of head light intensity has appeared.  Now there's high beams, low beams, and barely perceptible beams because of a thick coating of slime.  Getting in or out of the car is an exercise in agility trying to avoid touching any surfaces.  The other day I could have sworn I saw something sprouting on the car floor, potatoes perhaps.

I'm getting the point of wearing X-traTuffs-----all the time.  You say, "But I'm going to church".  No matter.  The seniors, the young people, the toddlers, even the preachers and choir members all have on their X-traTuffs.  Heck, it's only the beginning of April.  We're still wearing corduroys and flannel.  Next week is Easter.  I may wear the one skirt I brought with me.  It will be the first time I've worn it since we got here.  That is, if I wear it.

With the big melt has come rivers, streams, ponds and canals galore on all paved roads.  It's almost necessary to take a water safety course just to drive into town.  The sun is brightly shining, but the wind shield wipers are going full tilt because of all the splashing.  Amazingly, road crews are even now in the wet and cold trying to at least temporarily patch some of the holes.  These crews are very busy.  Last week I thought I saw a Volkswagen floating toward Kachemak City being guided with a rudder!  And the first time we hit one big dip/canal half way to town, we put our arms up and screamed thinking we were in the front seats of a roller coaster.  We most likely will need new shock absorbers soon.

Do we still love it here?  You bettcha!  It's special, unique, fun, amazing, captivating, beautiful, ...............
I am most definitely not complaining.  Just telling it like it is.