Wel, it's officially spring. I killed the first mosquito yesterday. Yep. still 5' of snow on the ground, 44 degrees and the little buggers are already emerging in search of warm blood!

You know, it occurs to me I've never put my contact info on here. Sometimes I'm a total airhead and I forget that not everyone wants to make a comment that the whole world can see. If you'd like to send me a private email my (current) email addy is: dpwill99@gmail.com. I think I have a couple of million others somewhere, but I never check them anyway so there's no point in giving them out. You're also welcome to friend me on Facebook. I keep it completely wide open, I figure the more the merrier, so come on in! I've only ever blocked one person and that wasn't because I disagreed with their views (Okay- I DID disagree with the anti-fur things they insisted on putting up all the time, I'm a pretty pro-fur kinda guy) but more the fact that they posted between 40 and 50 pictures of animals that were in danger of euthinasation. (Sp, I know..don't even tell me, I just don't feel like looking it up.) EVERY DAY!  Now, I really DO feel bad about all these animals. It sucks that they have to be put down, but I really didn't want to have to keep scrolling through ALL of those pictures just so I could find out what my other friends are doing. Anyway..That's my contact info. If you REALLY need my phone # shoot me an email and I'll probably give it to you, but I'm not posting it to the world! Have a good one!

I haven't written in a while simply because I hate writing negative things and there's been enough going on lately that makes me absolutely furious that I decided to give it a couple of days to chill out a little. We're firmly in breakup now, snow is melting, it's been close to 50 outside- Absolutely AWESOME! For anyone who is wondering, Eddie the goat is doing fine. He and Jack (My cattle dog mix)had a few rough days while they shook out who was in charge, but after that all has been well. Okay- You're wondering whats got me so mad, right? Well, ok- Here goes. first is the proposed dam that they want to build up the Matanuska river. It is an absolutely beautiful area that some morons decided it would be a great idea to spend 4.3 billion (on the low side) to flood so we can get more electricity. It seems like there are people in this world that look at pristine natural beauty and start giggling like school girls when they think about all the money they can make by bulldozing it and covering it with concrete. I REALLY wish, no offense, that all of those people would leave this state and go back down to the lower 48. Leave Alaska like it is, People! If you don't like the fact that its sort of rugged and maybe not a technological mecca then MOVE! There is a bunch of 'urban development' everywhere else. Go there if you want to look over miles of concrete. 

 The other thing that has me pretty ticked off lately (Well, BESIDES politics, that's normal) is the incident down in Florida. A shooting in a gated community. A 17 year old kid that lost his life and a 24 year old kid that has to live with taking one. It was a horrible thing. one of the kind of things that never should have happened. Was it spawned by some deep racial hatred? I highly doubt it. More likely bad judgement in a stressful situation. Should the nation be using it as a key point to further tear itself apart? Absolutely not. I'm not going to use this as a forum to debate whether it was a justified shooting or not. All I have to say is that people shouldn't be using this sort of a tragedy to springboard their own political views. I mean, come on, people! Senators wearing hoodies to support..what, exactly? Justice? The Judicial system that they took an oath to support? Peace and equality in our country?  Does anyone really think they ACTUALLY give a rat's butt about this kid? It's a chance to draw attention to themselves and get voters. As the 'leaders' of this country shouldn't they be working to pull us all together as a nation instead of making cheap, grandstand stunts to drive bigger and bigger wedges? A 'million hoodie' march? To protest what? That the kid wore a jacket? That there was stereotyping based on the way he looked? Wow, really? You think? That's something that goes on every single day in every aspect of life. Don't believe me? How about you try an experiment. Any women out there brave enough to go out dressed as cheap and trashy as you possibly can to see if people treat you differently than normal? Guys- On casual Friday at the office throw on a ratty pair of cutoffs and a wife beater to see if people talk to you differently. Hmm..wife beater- a sleeveless white undershirt that has become synonymous with trailer park living, beer swilling trash that hits women. But we don't stereotype based on the clothes we wear, right? I have to wonder- If this kid had been white or latino, would it have even made the news any further than a local article? Would it have if the shooter had been the same race as the boy? What about part? At what percentage of the same race IS it not noteworthy to cover something like this? It's a pretty sad statement when you can picture the anti-gun coalition nearly giggling with glee because this gives them another excuse to attack gun rights as opposed to being saddened by an unfortunate tragedy. 

Well- There you have it. I got my rant on after all. Maybe if I completely stop watching the news I'll be able to write more enjoyable things. Hopefully all this snow melts soon so I can get outside a bit more and enjoy living in Alaska- Well, until they put up a strip mall in my back yard anyway-

People never fail to amaze me. As the elections get closer the political rhetoric is flying hot and heavy, especially on line. I find myself in the unique position of having good friends on both side of the political fence so I hear about how horrible the other side is all the time. The really funny thing is: In a lot of cases both sides are absolutely 100% correct. Radical views on anything have a tendency to be that way. It's really easy to lose your perspective on a subject when you are completely surrounded by it. In my opinion some of the fault lies with our country's inalienable rights. It's a great thought, everyone SHOULD have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The problem falls in the boundaries of that statement. Where does one person's right to happiness end and the other person's begin? Does EVERYONE really have a right to be happy all the time, and if so, what do you do about what makes one person happy angering the guy next to him? What exactly IS the definition of Liberty, anyway? I decided to look up the definition on line. Miriam Webster defines it like this:
a : the power to do as one pleasesb : freedom from physical restraintc : freedom from arbitrary or despotic controld : the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privilegese : the power of choice

 Wow, based on THAT definition it looks like we blew that one a while ago and we're sliding further from that definition all the time. When it mentions life, does it mean QUALITY of life, or the simple act of breathing, eating, sleeping and existing? The parameters of our inalienable rights seem a little vague when viewed through the microscope of todays' society. I get really confused sometimes about the things that people get angry about. For example, I've listened to people rant for hours against gay marriage. Personally I'm all for it. When I look at it objectively it REALLY doesn't affect my life in the slightest one way or another. If it makes someone else happy they should have every right to be so. Of course, having been divorced I also see the other side of that coin. Why SHOULDN'T homosexual people have to deal with the incredible pain in the butt that having to go through a legal divorce can be?  I mentioned that to one of my friends who happens to be gay one day and that thought gave him pause. It didn't seem so completely fantastic when he viewed the downsides of the whole picture. In that particular instance I think they should have the right to pursue their happiness as well as the right to lose some (or all) of their personal belongings and property in a divorce when things don't work out the way they plan them to. In general I don't have a problem with people having the rights that they want, as long as they accept the downsides of them as well and don't get them at the expense of others. I guess I'm just odd that way. I decided that life is WAY to short and precious to get all twisted up about things that don't really affect me directly. I've been asked my opinion about abortion before and gotten a VERY angry response from a (Male) individual when I responded that I really didn't feel qualified to have an opinion on it since I didn't possess a uterus. Everyone has an opinion on subjects. It's human nature to believe one way or another about a subject. When people try to force their opinion on others the problem begins. I guess that falls into the pursuit of happiness thing, I'm not sure. I know, for instance, if some people in this country got their way all firearms would essentially be illegal, like they are in the UK. That would make me distinctly unhappy since I live with and use them on a regular basis. Does that mean I have some recourse against those people for violating my inalienable rights? It just seems like if people would talk to each other instead of screaming and throwing their rhetoric in the faces of all that oppose them, or trying to make laws that enforce what THEY think is the correct thing while removing the rights of other people who disagree that things would be a whole lot more pleasant all the way around. Oh well, I hope I haven't offended to many people with this post, but I probably have since it seems to be the nature of mankind, after all.. Go out and find what makes you happy, everyone- It's not just our right as Americans, but as humans. Just pause for a moment while you're doing it and make sure that what makes you happy isn't trampling on someone else's joy. Remember, we're all in this crazy world together so why not make an effort to make everyone's journey through life as pleasant as possible? Have a great day!

Well, Dear readers, I'm wondering what the weather has in store for us this week.  I've had one of those headaches, lodged in the back of my head and pounding, for 2 days now. It's my own personal little barometer, a leftover gift from a girl on Interstate 88 in Illinois who didn't think it was a good idea to stop when the rest of the cars around her did for a toll booth. If you're reading this, Sweety- yes, it still hurts after all these years. Additionally Eddie, the aforementioned goat, has been trying to get into the house all morning, butting the door and looking in the window. He may just be cold, or he's learned a new trick, but I refuse to have a goat as a house guest. My porch is trashed enough. His house came yesterday, wobbling up the road on its one good wheel, the rim of the other one dragging in the snow like a wounded coyote. We got it part way into the driveway where it sank in tot he snow. It's going o have to work until breakup. That's the motto up here these days. Make it work until the snow melts and then make it right later. It's amazing how much 5' of snow makes everything more difficult. the other day I was walking in my back yard on the packed snow that we've made with the snow shoes. I though I saw a tree budding out and, like an idiot, I took a step over to look more closely at it. I really wish there would have been a video tape of me sinking to my waist in snow and then thrashing through it again to crawl back onto the packed stuff. I'm sure a video would have kept us laughing all the way to summer. Oh well, time to get started with the day, i guess. I have a ton of writing to do for school. I wasn't able to really concentrate and get anything done over the weekend. Not really depressed, per se, I just couldn't bring myself to be analytical or creative. I spent the weekend just sort of living. I spent time with the kids, slept in late, played video games, played with the goat and in general was a useless layabout. Sometimes you have to do that, just because. Like every other choice in life, though, there are consequences. Now I'm going to have to pay the piper and kick it into overdrive to try to write something noteworthy. Wish me luck everyone, and have a great day!

I can see that life with Eddie the goat isn't going to be boring! I thought my kids were bad about getting into things...Wow! All in all, though, he's a pretty cool goat. The kids have been looking online because they want to get him a girlfriend. I'm going to be a great northern goat baron soon if I'm not careful! Nick has been making plans, designing a cart for Eddie to pull. I guess with spring comes new adventures. The dogs are finally beginning to understand that he's okay so they haven't been barking at him quite as constantly as they were.  Between the meowing of cats, the barking of dogs, and now the bleating of a goat it gets rather loud around here sometimes. We'll eventually get things together though. This weird group of misfits is starting to take on some of the appearance of a family! Have a great day!

Today is St. Patrick's day. For most people it's nothing more than an excuse to drink green beer and Irish Whiskey, eat corned beef and cabbage and be Irish for a day. For me its something a little different. Today marks what would be my 14th anniversary of marriage to an amazing girl who changed my life in more ways than I can count. Neither of us was 'pure' Irish, bit we both had a significant amount of it in common so we seized on this day to have our wedding. We have matching tattoos, a very cool celtic knot design of a four leaf clover. She got hers on her ankle where everyone could see it, mine is on my chest, close to my heart where I will keep her always. We made it through a lot of life together in the almost 13 years we were married and we planned on having many more great adventures. We had talked about going to Ireland for this anniversary, begun saving for it. Well, Life has other plans sometimes. The savings got spent last year when the kids and I flew down to Illinois to bury her. It was a freak accident, something that shouldn't have happened, but it did. I've spent the last year in mourning. It wasn't until last week, the one year mark of the day that she died that I looked into the sky and saw the Northern Lights above me that I finally knew it was alright. I can't see my wife anymore, but I know she's still there, standing beside me, encouraging me to move forward with my life, to spend it living and striving to become something better than I already am, just like she always has. I love you, Glenda, and I miss you and always will. If I do manage to do great things it will be because of you. Happy Anniversary!

I watched "The Patriot" last night. It's a great movie with Mel Gibson. It's a fictional film revolving around a revolutionary war hero. Although its a work of fiction it does a great job of portraying what the feelings of people must have been back then. The reluctance of some to fight against British rule, the fiery patriotism of others and finally, how some people had just had enough and so, unwillingly, they went to war against a tyrannical government. The entire time I watched it I couldn't help but think how this movie might as well have been about an entirely different country than the one we're living in now. I'm not a terribly political guy. Usually I try to stay away from politics as much as possible. It just strikes me as sad, the idea of Freedom and Liberty, what those men fought for so long ago, the things that they wanted so badly that they were willing to sacrifice their comfy way of life, their houses, their families and their own lives to get, they finally got and then, over the generations we've squandered it, wasted it like a kid with a dollar in his pocket at the candy store. I wonder what it would look like if we did a comparison of the taxes that they paid in colonial days to the taxes we pay now? It's really tragic that all of those beliefs they had back then have been reduced to being a pretty damn good movie. Today, not even 300 years into the bright, shiny new country that those guys gave everything they had to create, the President signed Bill H.R. 347. This bill makes it a felony to hold a protest in an area that the Secret Service decides they don't want a protest in.(Peaceful or not, By the way, for anyone who happens to be reading this who is more of the peace/love mentality) Hmm...now we can go to jail for actually using our 1st amendment rights. Its not even a democrat or republican thing anymore. Members of both parties overwhelmingly supported it. I find it ironic. The only thing that the members of both political parties have been able to agree on for a very long time is that it is perfectly fine to violate some of the rights granted by the document that this country is supposed to be based on. This is why I typically snort in derision any time politics is mentioned. I'm not going to go on a huge rant about this. Yeah, I know, I've already been ranting, Right? well, I'm sorry. I go on tangents sometimes. I'll leave you with this thought. When I was growing up I was proud of our country. I was a child idealist. A patriot's patriot. (I may have watched to many John Wayne movies, I'm not really sure) I viewed the Statue of Liberty as a beautiful thing. A gleaming, shiny monument to a great country and the Freedom of its people. I was proud to live in the greatest nation on earth! Now I see the Statue of Liberty more as a poor, beaten woman sitting in a rape clinic with a torn dress and bruises all over her body. Her torch is flickering and about to go out. I hope she can find the strength to stand up, lift her head again and go on with her life.

Well, Aoibheann and I just went and visited what will be our newest tenant, Eddie the goat. I learned some basics of goat care (I had NO idea you had to trim their hooves) and got the phone number of a reputable goat supply house. WHAT have I gotten myself into this time....Oh well, it will be interesting, at least. I think a couple of hours of internet research on goats will be in my immediate future. On the walk down we saw 2 voles out sunning themselves on the snowbank. Cute little things as long as they aren't running around in your house or laying on the deck missing their heads after the cat finds them. Its 41 degrees out today, the sun is shining and the sky is a brilliant blue. On days like this there is no place in the world I'd rather be.

We got to go out snow-shoeing last night. We always go at night because there's something amazing about being deep in the woods with only the light of your head lamps. It adds a surreal quality and a sense of magic and mystery that I've never really seen anywhere else. The snow gleams in the light of the lamps, every lump in the snow throws weird shadows. The simplest track of a rabbit becomes something sinister that must be followed to make sure it isn't heading toward the village. Nick, Aoibheann and I went out around midnight. Corbin decided to stay home and sleep instead, he left early today for a friend's house. It's amazing how comfortable all of us are getting on snowshoes. When we first started it was like watching a bunch of baby ducks walking around. Now it's second nature to be on them. I guess practice really does help a lot.

I've been watching a lot of old movies lately. I like the classics, I always have, but now since I've been doing more writing I realize what an art form these old shows really were. The subtleties of a lot of the scene work is pure genius. You really don't see much of that in modern film. I guess it gives me something to strive for in my writing. "The Longest Day" is an awesome example. There were things in that movie that really had nothing to do with the main script, but their addition added an amazing depth to the movie. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. It's a 3 1/2 hour black and white film which is about half subtitled, but it's definitely worth watching! "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid" is another good example. Wow- These guys could WRITE! Someday I hope to be half as good as they were. If I can bring even a touch of that magic into modern films I'll be a happy man!

And so, gentle readers, yet another new chapter is about to begin in the odd and unusual life that I call my own. Sometime soon, This week or next, the new member of our family arrives. We're getting a 2 year old goat from some neighbors down the street. They're moving down to the lower 48 and the only other people they could find to take it were more interested in it's culinary qualities as opposed to its pet qualities. Having never had a goat and knowing nothing about them it's bound to be an interesting experience. Up until now my only experience with goats has been from the Woody Woodpecker cartoon show. If that's any indication all should be good. I can feed him railroad tracks, cars, houses and the odd wolf. Somehow I'm guessing they aren't really like how they're portrayed in cartoons, though, so if anyone has any ideas about proper goat care feel free to chime in! See? In my last entry I said I was feeling optimistic and that things would be changing and here it is, not 3 days later and I have a goat coming. It just doesn't get any better than that, does it? I was reminded again yesterday how fast life can get very real up here. I was cutting a tree, nothing unusual except that this particular tree was growing in a gentle arc like a lot of them do up here. They get bent by the weight of snow on them and they end up growing like that. It's kind of an odd site. Anyway, this one was growing over the roof of my porch and was starting to think pretty seriously about falling down and taking the porch with it, so I decided it looked like good material for the fire. Now- Here's the lesson: When you cut one of those bent trees they are apparently under an amazing load of pressure and when the base snaps the little suckers take off like an arrow shot out of a bow. If you've  never seen the trunk of a 6" diameter birch tree launch at you at somewhere around mach 2 you just haven't lived yet! I got close to having it cut down when it splintered and launched about 15' in a direction I really wasn't planning on it going. I felt the base JUST brush my leg as it whipped past. Every time I cut a tree down I get more and more respect for the guys that do it for a living. Anyhow, New goat and renegade tree, I think that's about all that's been interesting in the past few days. Have a good one everyone!

I actually slept last night, it was AWESOME! I had sort of forgotten how nice it is to sleep. I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but after watching the Aurora for a couple of hours the other night I feel like a massive weight has been lifted from me. Everything is still technically the same, I still have the same problems in the world, but I don't feel like they're dragging me down anymore. I feel optimistic for the first time in a really long time. It's odd, but I like it! I spent a couple of hours yesterday shoveling a couple of tons of snow off of a friends RV. They bought land up here and we spent some time standing on top of the motor home once it was clean, discussing the new house that's going to be built, the way the land is going to look when its done. It was pretty cool. I've decided that we have started breakup up here. Sure, it's only 8 outside right now, but it's staying light longer, getting warm during the day. Oh yeah- Its on! I love breakup. It's messy, wet, dirty, and kind of a pain, but it's an amazing thing. WInter finally lets go and things finally begin to live again. I guess that's sort of symbolic for me, especially this year. It reminds me of how I answered Glenda after Corbin was born. I was with her the whole time she went through his birth, which had some definite rough spots. The next day as she was recovering she asked me what I thought. I told her it was the most nasty, gross, disgusting, incredibly amazing miracle I had ever experienced. In a way that's what breakup is like. The days begin to warm up, the nights are still cold. The snow turns to slush, then water which sits on top of the still frozen ground until it finally breaks through and you have an endless sea of seemingly bottomless mud. That's the BAD part. The good part is  all the cool little miracles that go with it. For anyone that doesn't know, I live on a hill above what can only be described as a swamp. In that swamp, at this moment, is what has to be about 15 million tiny little frogs which are our only Alaskan amphibian. When the temperature starts hanging in the 45-50 mark and the swamp begins to thaw these little frogs all wake up at once. Like everything else up here, once they feel warm they start getting busy right away. There will still be a couple of feet of unmelted snow on the marsh and they will start singing, cruising for their annual mate. They sing like mad for about 48 hours. After the complete silence of winter it's honestly nearly deafening. it echoes through the trees, we hear it in the house. The volume of these tiny little 1" frogs is unbelievable. And then, all at once, they stop. You won't hear another chirp from them until next year. That's like everything up here. Spring doesn't sneak into Alaska, it bursts in in a wild blur of color and life. The birch trees go from stark white skeletons to being able to see JUST a hint of green at the tops, to fully leaved out, all in less than a week. The growing season isn't long here, so life doesn't take its time. It explodes in a wild blur of being. The best way I can describe the experience of living here is like this- Everywhere else I've been has been like looking at life through a pair of dark sunglasses that are slightly dirty. You can see okay, but sometimes you have to squint and look really hard to make things out. When I got up here it was like removing those sunglasses on a bright, sunny day. Everything was dazzlingly clear and bright, a little disorienting, and somehow far more real without that filter. On that note, I think I'm going to have to get going, I have a script to write for school today, wood to cut, and I'm heading over to my friend's house later to attempt to remove his tractor from it's snowy womb so we can start moving some snow around in preparation for the big thaw. Have a great day everyone!

The Northern lights were out tonight. The whole sky was filled with an amazing show of shifting, weaving, spinning colors. Normally when we see them its not nearly as impressive, but tonight they were everywhere. Sometimes, when you stand completely still you can hear them. It makes an odd buzzing/crackle all around you. It's like nothing I've ever heard in the world before. It surrounds you completely, coming from every direction at once. I imagine that if the earth spoke that is what it would sound like. It's a little chilly tonight, about -1 and completely clear. The moon is so bright out that it washes the light display out a bit, throwing some amazing shadows in the woods. One of these days I hope I can afford a good enough camera and muster the talent to capture on film what we see on nights like these. If you find yourself not believing in magic I would challenge you to come visit on the night of a full moon, when the Aurora are displaying. It will change your mind, I guarantee it. It's nice to see the lights again. In some ways it's like I'm getting a message from Glenda, letting me know that she's okay and everything will be all right. Its a renewal of faith, hope, love and magic that I've been needing desperately for a while now. I feel like I can live again.

Well, the sun is shining, It's a beautiful day out. If it's like this tomorrow I think I'll take a hike out in the woods. Strap on the snow shoes, take the pistol and go out to see what signs of spring are starting to show up. It's the closest thing I can get to pushing the pause button on the world for a while. Not a lot to write at  the moment, so instead of useless babbling I think I'll keep it short tonight. Have a good night, everyone, Hug someone you love today and let them know how much they mean to you. You might not have the chance tomorrow.

Well, here I am, sitting and staring at a blank box again. Nick and I just finished up cutting some more wood, it looks like it's supposed to get down to around 0 again tonight so we need to keep a decent fire going or when I get up with the boys tomorrow I'll walk out of my bedroom and see my breath. It's a very unpleasant experience, By the way, although it DOES wake you right up in the morning. For anyone who is wondering, no, I didn't get any of the kids to school today, we'll try again tomorrow. I'm getting ready to start work on another blog, you can see it over at www.alaskacustomfirearms.com soon if you're interested. One of my best friends, Steve, owns the place and, if I may do an impromptu plug, does some of the best gunsmithing work I've ever seen. We're going to be doing some articles on shooting, hunting, guns in general, crazy stuff we decide to build in the shop, and, since I'm going to be doing a lot of the writing, a lot of the same nonsensical rambling you see on this site. It should be a good time. I've decided to throw myself more fully into my work, so expect to see some more content on here as well as there. I'm still tuning my script as well, hopefully it will be ready for prime time soon. If anyone knows any movie producers interested in some fresh writing, be sure to steer them my way! Of course, if anyone just wants to get hold of me without posting something here you can always get hold of me at dpwill99@gmail.com.  Well, anyway, that's about all I've got tonight, it's been pretty quiet around here for the last few days. The yearling moose still hasn't found the nest we built for him. Oh well, if he doesn't show up I'm sure something will eat/use it as a bed. Anyway, I'm off to begin building the new blog. Stay safe everyone and have a great day!

I have to say, things have been strange this week. As anybody who has read this much knows, This week marks a year since Glenda has been in her accident. I honestly didn't know how anyone in the family would react to it. It hasn't been like I thought. We're all just...tired. I can see it in the kids, I'm having a really hard time getting them to school since Sunday. I slept through my alarm for 40 minutes this morning. It feels like we're all just in a huge fog this week. It's a gray day outside, cold and snowing occasionally. It actually snowed all day yesterday. In fact, the only NICE day we've had in a while was Sunday during the Iditarod start. It was absolutely beautiful. I'm guessing Glenda had something to do with that. It was her favorite day of the year. She loved everything about that race. Her and I even worked for the race from 2007- 2009. LOL I had my picture in a bunch of international newspapers helping pick up a dogsled one of those years. Well, enough rambling for the moment, I need to TRY to get the kids ready for school. They'll be late today, but if I can get them there at all I'll consider it a small victory.

AUGH! Winter has done it to us AGAIN! Every time I think we've finally broken through to the warmer weather we get another blast of -10 just to remind us that old man Winter is a biter old guy that doesn't give up easily. It was beautiful day yesterday, Sun was out, sky was so blue it hurt your eyes, and it was in the mid-20s...then suddenly....GOTCHA! LOL Oh well, I guess if I wanted warm I'd live in Belize. only another month or so and then it'll start warming up and staying that way.
Well, I made it through the Iditarod.  The first hurdle for the month is jumped. A few more and I've made it through a whole year. Maybe I can really start concentrating on what I'm going to be when I grow up then. The numbness is beginning to wear off a bit. I'm starting to tingle mentally. It's a lot like your hand when you start getting feeling in it after it's fallen asleep. There is no question that I've changed a lot over the past year, I'm just not quite sure how I've changed yet.

It looks like we have an odd new pet. In an effort to keep our little moose buddy away from my porch and get him down into the ravine where e won't get hit we got some hay and built him a nest today. I have to say, I never thought I'd be a home maker for a yearling moose, but I guess everyone needs a helping hand sometimes. Today is the day of the iditarod, the day that the sleepy little town of 250 gets in excess of 10,000 visitors. It's a REALLY good day to stay home and not try to go anywhere, especially this year. We have so much snow I have no idea where anyone is going to park their trucks and snow machine trailers. Personally I plan on ignoring it as much as possible. In 3 more days it will be the one year anniversary of Glenda's accident. It's funny, we got married on St. Patricks day because she said she  wanted me to remember our anniversary, now there's a bunch of them I wish I could forget and I can't. The iditarod, the date of her accident, the day she passed away, St. Patricks day, the day I buried her.  I'll be REALLY glad when March is over.

Well, my little moose buddy was back again today. He's now decided that my porch is a great place to walk because it's a herd surface and snow free. I was doing my homework and thought someone was stopping by to say hello. I looked out my window and he was just standing there, looking in. I think he would have come in to have coffee if he was invited. I'm trying to decide exactly what to do with the little guy. He's not REALLY hurting anyone, but he's to young to be afraid and run away and he's big enough to really hurt someone whether he means to or not. If you've never had a moose problem think of it as the world's biggest squirrel eating your bird seed. I just got done talking to one of my best friends from my younger days online. You know the guy you knew who was always up for doing stupid stuff? The problem was that we were both that guy so there were pretty much no limits. Amazingly, we both made it through that period in our lives and survived. It seems like a million miles away now.  It was a bit disconcerting when we first came up here. We looked at a map and realized we were closer to Russia than we were to our home town anymore. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like you're walking into the middle of a never ending National Geographic episode. I always expect to hear an announcer talking about the mating habits of the Beluga whale or something when I'm fishing out on the sound. Walking down a trail I keep expecting to get interrupted by a commercial. It's a strange thing. I can say, though, I now have a much deeper appreciation for a lot of the humor in the show 'Northern Exposure'. Live up here for a few years and trust me, It's comedy genius. I know, I'm babbling tonight. It just seems like a good night to babble, so I'm taking advantage of it. If you want really deep thoughts I'm sure there's a philosophy website just down the road or something. Hmm..THe moose just walked across my deck again. He must be going to bed in my back yard. I wonder if I can start charging him rent? Eh, He'd probably just pay in fertilizer anyway. I really should be writing at the moment. Yes, I KNOW I'm writing right now, but I mean working on something that might pay the bills eventually. The problem with that is that in order to write effectively I need to have the picture in my head and I think the tube is on the fritz for the moment. Things have been pretty scrambled in my head lately. Sometimes I look at things objectively and wonder what kind of a moron I really am. I'm sitting in a cabin in the woods in the middle of Alaska, responsible for 3 kids and I've decided I'm going to be a writer. The sane, reasonable part of me thinks I've totally gone off the deep end. Luckilly for anyone who happens to be entertained by my rambling, that part of me is very small and insignificant. I'm going more with the gut feeling on this one. I probably am crazy, but what the hell, right? I have the opportunity that most people never get. For the most part I can stand outside of the world and watch it. Don't panic, people, the picture is sharpening again and I will be taking the proverbial pen in hand again soon. I have a million ideas bouncing around in my head right now, I just have to place them in some sort of cohesive order. March is a horrible month for me, as most of you know. The Iditarod is this weekend which just makes a bunch of horrible memories slam home again. I never thought pictures of running dogs would make me want to vomit. But..It's almost over. Once it hits the 20th of this month I can begin moving on again. Onward and upward, sowing the seeds of modern literature wherever I may go! Well, Ok, not really, but I should at least be able to put a sentence together again. I'm trying for Hemingway, but I'll be pretty happy with Suess. I do want to say thanks again to everyone that reads this. Hearing back from everyone is awesome, It reminds me that there's a big, wide world outside my little snowed in cabin. I wasn't really sure I'd like blogging to be honest, but hearing that maybe I'm entertaining at least a few people in the world is one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. THAT is probably the biggest reason I want to write. it's what tells the logical part of me to shut up,  get in the back seat and hold on because it's going to be a wild ride. Well, I think maybe I've staggered down the literary highway enough for the night. Have an amazing day everyone! Go out and do something fun and tell me about it! I live in a cabin in the woods, let me live vicariously through your experiences! Enjoy the life you have and envy someone else for theirs, because they're likely doing the same to you!