Open Thread – It Was a Dark and Stormy Night…
It is dark. It gets that way pretty early these days. I don’t pay attention to exactly when the sun sets because I figure if I don’t know, I won’t be forced to think about it.
It is also windy. Really windy. I can hear the gusts as they come barreling down the valley. It starts as a low distant rumble and as it gets louder, you realize it’s the sound of wind blowing hundreds of thousands of spruce and birch and aspen and cottonwood branches. By the time it gets here it sounds like a freight train, and it hits the windward side of the house (which has deliberately few windows) making everything shudder. The freezing rain is clattering in sheets against the glass even on the leeward side of the house because the great gusts, some up to 70mph or more swirl it, and the snow it’s blowing up from the ground, so that you can’t really tell what direction the wind is coming from.
Just as I typed that last sentence, another rumble happened right overhead. A huge sheet of snow came sliding off the roof, went sailing past the window and landed with a loud thud in a long pile in the deep snow next to the house.
‘Buf’ the dog who is usually either on the inside barking to get out, or on the outside barking to get in, is curled up into a tight little ginger colored ball, and occasionally raises her “flying nun” ears and looks at me out of the tops of her eyes as if to say, “Will you please make it stop now?” The last time she went out, she sank up to her shoulders in the new drift that had appeared outside the door and swallowed up the step.
As I head up to bed, I don’t know if I’ll sleep well or not. Sometimes if the wind is just at the right angle, it whistles through the edge of the window, and if the gusts continue I’ll hear them better from upstairs.
In other words, it’s December. And ’tis a night fit for neither man nor beast. Maybe that’s what Buf was trying to say.
Every year it seems impossible to think that a few short months ago, I looked out this window and saw the world in bloom, and swallows zooming around against a bright blue sky, and I knew I’d be able to sit outside at midnight and be able to read a book without a flashlight. I almost wanted to say something about fireweed, but I caught myself because a certain ex-governor has now tainted that association forever. A botanical crime of the highest order, if you ask me. Floracide.
I decided that a night like this deserves something cheerful. Because somewhere out there, under the wind and the snow and the freezing rain and the drifts and the grey and white and black, thousands of flowers are sleeping undisturbed by the tumult over their heads. And now I’m heading off to try and do the same.
Oh my! I am wide awake after the gust that just rocked our house. Gonna be some roofs gone by morning, and I’m hoping ours isn’t one of them. This is a whopper of a storm, as we are 150 miles away from you and on the other side of the Chugach Mountains. Buckle up, we’re in for a bumpy ride.
yes — very windy at my house, too. every now and then the house gets hit with a blast of wind and the whole place shakes. My two cats are like Buf — they want to sleep, but keep having to jerk their heads up to see if they can find what is making all that noise. my driveway is now a windswept piece of ice. Driving down the hill tomorrow will be an adventure, i’m sure. now i’m headed off to bed to see if the wind roars will lull me to sleep.
Gorgeous picture AKM! Thanks! Just the thing for a dark and stormy night. OK – don’t hit me but I’m sitting here in my shorts and bare feet smelling the plumeria outside my open windows. We’ve had strong trade winds lately & it’s getting downright cold at night – reached 71 last night.
I know, my family & friends on the mainland hate me too. Fair and blue skies to you all! May all your roofs stay on. Gee, I do hope Todd’s fixed roof stays put too. I do miss the snow on Christmas Eve & Day though.
Floracide! I think that word and your definition needs to be submitted to Webster’s – look at all the other words that have cropped up relating to Palin.
Your description was so real that I could hear the wind and feel the shuddering as the snow slid off and landed on the ground. I love nothing better than hearing the rain beating on my tin roof, makes me sleep like a baby. Sleet and snow are not as welcome.
I have the Cafe Press 12-page calendar now. Is there a list somewhere that tells what each of the photos are?
BTW – lovely photo!
I’ll be danged! Just listening to Willie Geist on MSNBC – mentioned Palin’s bus/jet tour……….and gave credit to Palingates!
I love the winter.
KO kicked some ass last nite on Countdown. The always lovely Shannyn Moore was on also , too.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#34214057
Interspecies smooch !!
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/News/AnimalPhotos/Animals_31-40/dog_dolphin.jpg
you’re a terrific writer. i know i couldn’t live up there where you do. it’s so cold. it is beautiful, but damn is it cold.
Any German speakers out there? The plane story is being reported in Germany!
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/leute/0,1518,664356,00.html
AKM, you really should credit Snoopy with the title of your article. That was his favorite line as he typed atop his dog house. I think a little “S.B.” at the end would do it.
Where I live, we have such high winds that one year the wind broke quite a few telephone poles and blew out the windows in cars in the Wal Mart parking lot. No joke. Of course, it was blowing sand, not snow. My new truck had to have the entire exterior repainted and all glass and chrome replaced.
OK- so I’m up and reading mudflats at 3:30 am Alassssska time. I’ve been trying to survive on 4 hours of sleep at a time as my ancient dog (I’ve spoken of her before) is going through her latest crisis. She is a beautiful Malamute mix and I have had her since she was a puppy. Her brother died on my birthday last year. She is an outdoor dog and (despite never having been house trained) she waits for me to let her out to pee or poop (as long as I get up every 4 hours to do so). So I am up. At present she has 2 toes on her hind foot that are disintegrating (the skin around her pads has seperated from the pad) and the vet has had her on antbiotics for 3 weeks now. I am driving him crazy calling him and taking her in every week. No one knows why this is happening. All the blood tests are within normal limits for her age. All he can figure is “some issue with lack of circulation” but her foot is warm. So it is 2 times a day foot baths, wound care, the evil and hated “cone” to keep her from licking, etc, etc, etc. I burst into tears tonight when she wouldn’t eat and I had to force her to take the pain meds. I want to let her go but it is just sooooo hard when the vet says he isn’t ready to give up yet. I talked to him about just amputating the toes today but he isn’t sure if there is enough viable skin to sew it shut and still wants to give the tissue time to heal. She is so stoic. She is still partial weight bearing on this foot if she has a bootie on. I don’t want her to suffer indefinitely…..but…..So I go to the Pharmacy for Silvadine tonight and some a-hole behind the counter with half his teeth starts a rant on how no animals should ever be euthanized because “it is just like old people—they should be allowed to die naturally”. I asked him “how do you feel about animals or people suffering for indefinite periods of time?” He makes some pro-life answer and I come unglued on the guy. I tell him I work in a nursing home where there are people in terible pain every day of their lives (which can go on for a very long time) and are begging, praying to die every day. His response? “Well, I stay out of nursing homes”. Where do these people come from??? My ungenerous thoughts as I left were, I wish you a long and painful life dude. Compassion is hard. It is hard to practice every single day. OK- gotta go, I’m crying too hard right now. Thanks for letting me rant.
dark, windy, icy. Not cold here in city ~ 34f on the park strip. Studs on your ‘rue?
@lovemydogs – sending love toward you and your dog. I understand about the dilemma. You’ll know when it’s time – when it’s more painful to keep him than to let him go.
How convenient for this guy to stay out of nursing homes so he doesn’t have to be confronted with the uncomfortable truth!
(((lovemydogs)))
I am crying with you. When I had to let my wonderful 16-year-old dog go, it was the most heartbreaking day of my life. I took her to the vet three times and three times I brought her home because it was so hard. Finally I knew I had to do the right thing for her. She left this life peacefully with her head in my hand and I’ve never regretted my decision.
I’ve said so often I wish we could be as “kind” to people as we are to animals to let them go when the good has gone from their lives and all that remains is misery.
There will always be people who pridefully cling to their ignorance and refuse to educate themselves otherwise. I pity them for their sad lives and wonder if they will die with no one to love them.
@lovemydogs, I hope you can feel the peace I am sending you. It is cold here this morning. Well, for us it is. Weather aliens have predicted either a significant amount of snow, or none at all, for Wednesday evening. Trying to decide if I should maybe just ignore it, or go get sandbags for the bed of my pick-up.
Probably go get sandbags. My mother moved near us when my dad died, and I am her caretaker now. How odd that is, you know? Want to be sure to be able to get there if she calls.
akm, we get those howling grumbles in the winter, too. But, instead of snow, we get ice. Because the Mississippi is so wide where we live, there is enough moisture and warmth from that thing to give those of us on the east bank a lovely pocket climate of ice in the winter when swooping storms move in. You have to drive down a bluff to get to our house, and that can be loads of fun!
Good Morning to all… so much to answer, but first things first:
Lovemydogs #12: You see suffering on a daily basis in your occupation, and I admire you. Being a caregiver is demanding upon both body and mind. I agree, to be charitable of the willfully ignorant is a daily struggle, and sometimes one just has to “let loose”. Glad you did. It is therapeutic for you, and maybe that ugly man learned something. One can only hope.
Please keep rereading LiladyNY’s note. It may give you needed Strength.
Holding paws when it is time to let our fourlegged companions go into the happy hunting grounds never becomes any easier, but it is the last kindness we can give them. She has given you joy, now the time will come for your to help her leave. I wish our 19th centuy bioethics would catch up with 21st century medicine to help those us two leggeds who suffer with no hope for anything but more pain…
Be at Peace with your decisions. Our thoughts are with you.
Man…YOU should be a writer!
I felt the cold, could see the trees, felt the wind blowing through my hair! Love it!
On another note, I just stopped by to post this below. Maybe or maybe you wont be interested. We’re attending a local one tonight. I’ll be sure to let you know how many DONT ATTEND and what GOOD IT WONT DO. (sorry, just alittle discouraged about the troop increase he’s gonna “give us” tonight)
Have a great day all of you!
UNITED ANTIWAR MOVEMENT TELLS OBAMA: NO ESCALATION!
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/48050
VETERANS FOR PEACE
Working Together For Peace and Justice since 1985
http://www.veteransforpeace.org
… now to the dark and stormy night: Brrrr… I shivering here in Florida just thinking of you, AKM. You took me right back to the early seventies when we were stationed at Kincheloe AFB on the east side of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and had 90+ inches of snow with the lake effect in full force and weeks of -35 degrees in between blizzards. Some of the guys on the flightline were fervently wishing to be back at Elmendort AFB! Memories… Stay as warm as you can, and may all the roofs stay on!
Jimzmom, keep those sandbags handy… and the candles… and the rest of the supplies. You obviously know what to expect! Good luck on the bluff.
Woohoo, Irishgirl #10:
Hadn’t seen the article prior to your link, but in typical Spiegel fashion the snark is in full bloom: They mention her meme “I am one of you”, calling her bus from which she “exits smiling radiantly and holding her son” a (hold off on your beverage) “ein Mogelpaket” (a cheating package) and her “Lesetour” (reading tour) a swindle!
ROFLMAO needless to say, and the term “reading tour” is priceless IMO!
Hope this brings some giggles on what may be a dismal morning for many…
I am so upset that more troops are being sent to Afghanistan. That we left that war to concentrate on Iraq is another shameful episode in our country’s history. I don’t know what decisions I would make if I were in the place of our Commander in Chief.
There has been so much speculation flying around, I can’t keep up with it. I am willing to wait to hear from President Obama what he plans to do and why he is doing it. He has spent a long time deliberating this decision that I think the least we can do is hear him out.
I don’t know whether to be astonished or amused at the media and others for presupposing to know what is being done and why. Clairvoyant much?
JMHO
#19 @fromthediagonal
LOL “reading tour” That’s rich.
I saw the article but couldn’t figure it out, not speaking German there also too.
Thanks for the translation. Chuckle snicker giggle.
((((lovemydogs))))
I sure hope Todd isn’t out there “fixin’ the roof”. Sounds dangerous.
@8 austintx, Awwwwww. That photo is so amazing. Thanks for the smile!!!!!
This particular “Biggest Fail of 2009″ poll does not include S’error Palin, but it does have Levi Johnston along with Perez Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and a few others.
http://failblog.org/2009/12/01/cast-your-vote-top-fails-of-2009/
Perhaps mudflats could come up with its own poll??
@fromthediagonal,
Thanks for the translation. I was dying to know if it was a snarky article. And yes, it did give me a giggle.
Also (((lovemydogs))).
Ahhhhh…..a stunningly captivating piece of artwork, indeed!
Oh Happy Day!
I am going to go against the tide here, but we need to remember why we went into Afghanistan in the first place: to rid that country of the inhumane taliban and to get bin laden. We’ve waited 8 years to see the heads of omar and bin laden on a pike; time to get that mission completed. Time to stop doing it half-assed.
lovemydogs: all of us dog lovers are with you in thought. My theory is that dogs are angels on earth sent to look after us. We’re sending good wishes to you and your angel.
lovemydogs, hugs to you. I also too love my dogs. I have 2 yellow Labs & 20 some cats. I’ve been an animal lover since the day I was born. It’s always so hard to lose one. It seems like most of the gang here share that love of animals. Almost 40 years ago I had a horror story of a birth that resulted in my baby girl dying & me almost dying. I made a promise to myself that I would never go thru that again & I never did. So they are my kids. Just know that I really do understand how you feel & my heart aches for you.
I do have some Palin humor that was in a local alternative newspaper here in Salt Lake City. Palin will be here on Dec. 9 (sigh) and this paper just did a “list of conversations you might hear while waiting in line at Palin’s book signing”.
The photo that they ran with the piece is hilarious. The used a photo of Palin where she is speaking into a microphone. But, they replaced the mike with a large salami and photoshopped her image in a Costco. Hilarious!!!!! Picture it…..Palin with a large salami in her hand—holding it up to her mouth. Priceless!
I won’t list them all, but here are a few funniest ones.
#7, “I’ll totally vote for Sarah in 2012! I can’t believe the election is just five years away”.
#5, “The reviews are just mean—nobody questions Dan Brown’s or Harry Potter’s facts”.
#4, “She’s a smart, independent woman, just like me. My husband told me so
“.
#2, “Sarah’s Twitter says, Just arrived in Mormon-sucker town…That’s us!”.
#1, Going Rogue…..Rogue is French for LUCKY HILLBILLY, right?
Very nice photo, AKM. Those shallow depth of field shots are difficult w/ a digital cam. In macro mode I’ve pretty much given up on opening all the way to f3.3 b/c I can’t see what’s in focus and what’s not – it’s easier to live w/ more background than w/ the frustration. Maybe one day a DSLR? Until then I’ll settle for envying shots like yours.
Beautiful piece, AKM. You totally took me there, and I didn’t have to buy a parka…!!
Irishgirl! Thanks for the link to the German article. I’m dusting off my 30-year-old German degree (and dictionary) & loving the snark already!
BTW, “schwindelt” means just what you think it does – - [insert pants on fire logo]
Lovemydogs, love to you and to your special doggie friend. I’ve been there with having to make the decision that my dog was just too sick (diabetes and blind) and that it was time. So hard. I’ve had two pets (that dog, a sweet, gentle Lab, and our cat of 20 years (Midnight)) tell me when it was time to let them go. Sometime, I will write my story about Midnight – wish I could tell it to AKM and have her write it; she writes so beautifully). Anyway, I will be thinking of you. I too am crying with you. Namaste.
AKM, I love dark and stormy nights … thinking of Snoopy and his typewriter. I love winter but live in the South so we don’t get that much of it. I know in Alaska, one probably either loves it and thrives during winter, or hates and just abides it til it is over. Your imagery is so wonderful and I love reading your descriptive posts of life and nature in Alaska. Thanks. Now, stay warm and safe.
trisha –
Love that #1 !!
sauerkraut -
Afghanistan
Respectfully sir , all the way back to and including Alexander the Great , many have tried , all have failed. Short of a nuke , it ain’t happening.
Now this just takes the biscuit (cookie?). S’error is charging her fans to have their photographs taken with her.
http://www.kswt.com/Global/story.asp?S=11596673
trisha
Love that # 1 !!
sauerkraut
Afghanistan
Respectfully sir – All the way back to and including Alexander the Great , many have tried and all have failed. Short of a nuke , it ain’t happening.
#34 Punkinbugg,
I tried to do a German to English translation on the net, but it didn’t really make sense, there was something about her having a drumkit on her arm!!
I don’t want to miss the snarky bits so I appreciate all the help I can get. So, have I got it right, you put lipstick on a schwindelt?
oops……….got lost in the tubes.Sorry.
I don’t know if this has been posted but it is a good read by Andrew Sullivan:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/12/leaving-the-right.html
What a touching post.
Lovemydogs- My sympathies to you and your beloved dog. Perhaps the vet is too narrowly focussed and in the whole context would actually be relieved to support your decision, but is refusing to make one for you. I’m not finding the right words, but a couple of years ago I had a similar situation and when I finally said firmly, no, we’ve gone as far as we can here, the vet seemed as though he had perhaps not been telling me he’d been thinking that already. I had been wanting him to tell me, first. Maybe they won’t.
AKM- ah- a dark of the night northern storm- a wonderful evocation- how your other senses- for sound, vibration, etc. sharpen when it’s dark. From your comments and those of CRflats, this is an exceptional storm? I hope fronts like this aren’t common?
It’s a challenge to love it all as one cycling web of life- us, critters, and with your inclusion of the sleeping buds, winter and the storm itself.
Sorry, posted a lot here today and forgot to say, AKM loved your post and your photograph. Are you using a tripod for those kind of shots, because it is ever so slightly out of focus. I say this because I went through a year of hell just before the elections, doing my final year in photography. I had major problems with focussing. In the end I discovered for shots like that, it was necessary to put the camera on a timer, because there would be an ever so slight camera shake just from hitting the shoot button.
I love looking at the reproductive organs of flowers, the stamen and the antler etc. The colours in that pic are out of this world.
((((((((((((((((((((love my dogs)))))))))))))))))))))))))))
this is a difficult time for you. i am very sorry for the hard choice you are making today. don’t worry about telling that man what you thought of his comment. in a way, his opinion helped you see clearly what must be done for your suffering companion. sending you love today. and every day…bubs
Hey guy and gals,
Long time no comment, have new job so very busy.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009911220349
Did you all know that it wasn’t a private jet for Sarah, it was TWO!!?
Bill Nojay, an event organizer, said Palin’s flight and her parents’ flight arrived within 20 minutes of each other, and they both headed right to Borders. Both were charter flights.
akm i do believe that little yellow flower has cheered me up. after reading the last bit of your commentary on Going Rogue i curled myself into a tight, little plump ball and pretty much stayed in a fetal position all weekend. glad to be back among the living and the pretty flowers.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!uk lady!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
indeed long time time no post. i was getting ready to come looking for you.
glad you are fine and working. i love for my friends to work and make mucho moolah so i don’t have to. (hee hee)
Lol, I was thinking of Brian. Anther not antler. UK Lady I was just thinking of you today too. Congrats on the new job. Off to look at your linky!
I’ve got myself the best job on the entire planet. Professional dog walker
Lovely dog, lots of them, lovely walks and I get PAID to do it.
Lovemydogs, I was just thinking of you and your pup the other day. Hadn’t heard from you in a while. I’m sending good vibes and warm thoughts, this is a tough time to go through for pet parents. They are lucky to have you. ((( )))
We lived on Goldenview Dr on the Anchorage hillside for 30 years and when the SE winds blew, we just figured we wouldn’t get much sleep. Now we’re out by Hatcher Pass – miss the views of Cook Inlet, but not the winds!
Irishgirl — lol not lipstick, but that’s a great guess!
“Schwindelt” means “swindled” or “FIBBED”
I’ll have to work on it this pm, have to do real work now
also, too!
Punkinbugg,
I was thinking more in line of swine as in pig!
Schwindelt = tells lies
Did everyone see this about Huckabee regarding a 2012 run and his slim to none chances? Two points about this: 1. Why do they call him “former” governor and Sarah is still being called “governor” ?
2. They say, He is right up there with Sarah in the polls. Hasn’t he been above Sarah? Sarah, with her pack of lies book is still “up there” for the republicans? Good grief!
Here is a portion of the article from PoliticsDaily.com
Though he’s right up there with Sarah Palin in polls of the prospective Republican field for 2012, his odds of success are suddenly slim to none.
You could argue that the former Arkansas governor is a victim of bad luck. You could argue that he’s a victim of his own bad judgment. What’s inarguable is that Huckabee commuted the prison term of a man killed by police after he allegedly shot and killed four police officers Sunday morning in Washington state, and it’s not the first time he has been in this particular spotlight…………
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/12/01/huckabee-white-house-chances-look-slim-to-none-after-police-slay/
Here is a link to that story.
From CNN – (CNN) – Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s memoir “Going Rogue” has sold more than one million copies after debuting only two weeks ago, her publisher Harper Collins tells CNN.
In light of the book’s overwhelming sales, a Harper Collins spokesperson said they have decided to increase its printing to 2.8 million copies, more than a million more than the initial order.
Palin’s book sold more than 700,000 copies in the first week alone, 100,000 more than Hillary Clinton’s 2003 memoir “Living History” sold in the same timeframe. “Going Rogue” also well outpaces President Barack Obama’s 2006 book “Audacity of Hope,” which sold less than 100,000 in its first week.
But Palin falls short of former President Bill Clinton, whose 2004 memoir “My Life” sold 900,000 copies in week one.
========================
Wow, looks like HC is printing another 1 million books to add to the bargain books bin.
Oh man, the Salvation Army in Houston is asking for proof of citizenship before giving toys to kids?
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/01/toy-immigration/
I’m going to read further, because I hope to hell this isn’t true.
UK Lady -
YEAH !!! bubbles and I were just talkin’ about you the other day and were gonna flip a coin to see who was gonna come kick your ass and get you back on the ‘flats. She did a number on me and I came back. Be glad she did not come lookin’ for ya. (((((((((((hug)))))))))))
UK Lady -
YEAH !!! bubbles and I were just talkin’ about you the other day and were gonna flip a coin to see who was gonna come kick your ass and get you back on the ‘flats. She did a number on me and I came back. Be glad she did not come lookin’ for ya. (((((((((((hug)))))))))))
oops – dang crappy mouse.
Love the flower–what a great winter-in-Alaska desktop wallpaper that would make if only it were bigger!
Interesting story in Newsweek on how perception of Obama’s skin color depends on political orientation. I’ll try to do a link:
Link
(((lovemydogs))). I had to let a dog and and older cat go to rainbow ridge,Molly Mae was blind and had tumors that could not be taken care of,My cat scruffy had diabetes and went into a coma and the vet did not think she would make it.I will say we had a cat the had leukemia and the vet told us not to give up on her,I had to take her in every other day for her shot,well in the end she beat it and lived for another 18 years before she got so bad she couldn’t control her self.You do what you have to do so they don’t suffer any more than they have to…I had an Aunt that had cancer,don’t remember what kind but she wouldn’t have chemo.Instead she traveled with her Husband and enjoyed the life she had left. Back than chemo really made you sick. It was her choice.
AKM, is the flower a Ranunculus (buttercup)? Looks like one. Lovely photo.
Stay warm up there! It’s chilly here – 35, but you probably think that sounds warm about now!
sorry this has nothing to do with AK or palin
…I’ve seen photo’s and this video of the alleged mistress of Tiger Wood’s, and kept saying to myself…’her’ hands are awfully large for a female…I had a fleeting thought of ‘her’ being a ‘he’.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=9208728
Lovemydogs, all my love to you and your dog. It is never an easy decision to euthanize an animal; however, I would like to share a thought with you from an article I read years ago. It has helped me through some very bad times, especially when I had to euthanize my search and rescue dogs. One was old and having seizures we couldn’t control. The other was an 11-year-old golden retriever that developed bone cancer. The thrust of the article was that sometimes euthanasia is the greatest act of love that we can do for our beloved pets. It is something we often wish that we could do for the people we love who are suffering so terribly with terminal illness. The rule of thumb I use for my pets is this: What is their quality of life? Am I keeping this animal alive for me or for him? I hope this helps you or at least gives you some comfort in this difficult time.
Please go to this site and show your support for Andrew Sullivan!
http://newledger.com/2009/12/andrew-sullivan-crosses-the-line/
I was just checking recent posts by the AK blogs.
It looks like Celtic Diva has received sort of an early Christmas present this week. Her FOIA email request has come in. She talks of some surprises and she will be putting together a post with more details to come.
We will be waiting…… maybe S’error will get a lump of coal in her stocking from the emails.
Irishgirl! I finished the (very rough) translation this morning, and posted it under the more recent ‘Boots on the ground: Mudflatters excellent adventure’ thread.
Enjoy!