The sun's grand appearance

Shout out a few hallelujahs and do a few sun salutations ... sunlight hit my cabin today for the first time since the beginning of November ... meanwhile the thermometer read a balmy 0 degrees ... I definitely had frosty cheeks when Zippy and I got back from our run.

Meet Zippy

Meet Zippy, a loveable wiggly 6-month-old husky mix. He came home with me on Wednesday and has already snuggled his way into being allowed on the bed … it’s impossible to say no to big floppy ears and brown eyes that just want to curl up on your lap. He’s an energetic dog with a great demeanor. He loves to be outside. Today we went on a long walk and I had him unleashed the whole time. He stays close, listens and is always up for a good game of chasing sticks. I can’t wait to teach him how to ski jour … but he needs to be a little older and we need to have snow before that can happen. (On a side note: three days of 50 degrees, rain and wind have complete decimated Alaska’s beautiful winter wonderland, leaving mud and slush in its wake. Eagle River, which only last week was complete frozen over, now is flowing ice free.) Zippy has some manners to work on and some commands to learn, but all-in-all he’s an awesome dog, and I’m happy to have him in my life.

Brrr ... it's cold outside

Alaska is in the middle of a deep freeze ... days on end of minus 20 degrees in Anchorage ... and much, much colder in the interior. It's a great excuse to hole up inside ... get to all those random chores and read a book ... but when cabin fever sets in ... there's only one things to do ... call the neighbors, grab the cross country skis, bundle up and head outside. Once you get moving ... frosty cheeks and eyelashes can be kind of fun. In the picture I'm with friends Wendy and Scott.