Winter Settles In

It snowed almost all afternoon yesterday, a storm blowing in from the Southwest that brought about five inches of white stuff to the neighborhood. With the day off from work, Yukon accompanied Bear, Jasper and I on a stroll through the blizzard, checking on moose tracks I had come across a few days ago while running.

Bear has outgrown the jogger (rather, has refused to ride anymore in the "baby stroller"), so we now use the wagon, which works pretty well as long as the road is plowed. He enjoys sitting backwards so he can see the tracks in the snow, and to keep the wind at his back. Snow in the eyes is no fun.

The snow shovels were brought out from under the deck and put to use. When Yukon went out, he yelled up at us that there was a mouse trekking across the driveway, floundering a bit, but nonetheless on a mission. Bear was clearly impressed, and wanted dad to bring it inside because it was "probably somebody's pet". I fear that coming inside was exactly what the mouse had in mind, however. It is not unheard of in Alaska to have shrews and mice come into garages in the wintertime, looking for a cozy place to spend the chilly months. Having spent too much time dealing with rodentia in South Carolina, I am not at all enthused by the prospect of mice in my house. Yukon will be making a trip to the hardware store for some abatement products.

The woodstove and holiday lights made for a cozy evening. I made everyone happy and had barbequed chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and squash for dinner.