Random occurrences from life in the slow lane

Startled awake yesterday to a pounding on the wall. At first I got a flash of a neighbor having seen my house on fire and trying to wake me up. Not nearly so dramatic as I came more alert. My friend the woodpecker is back and just had to let me know. He worked his way around the two walls outside the bedroom making sure I was awake and aware he had returned.

On the theme of birds, eagles are back along the river. There is a teen hangout where two immatures watch the flow from an old, broken cottonwood or swoop down to water’s edge to nab whatever they are finding in the stream these days. Farther along in a huge cottonwood, two adults do the same thing, though, I am sure with a more practiced eye.

One night last week I saw a fox race across the highway and slither under the guard rail. Moose are moving down and more and more of them are showing up along the roads. Time to slow down.

And, another only in Alaska observation: Two nights ago driving home, I came up on a vehicle with hazard lights flashing, four of them. Closer observation revealed a pickup towing a snowmachine trailer, but it was moving close to 60 mph so why the hazard lights? I caught up even with the trailer and then it became clear. On it were two carefully (it looked like at 60 mph) wrapped airplane wings. It isn’t unusual to see people hauling airplane parts around Alaska, even whole fuselages, but in the middle of the night on a dark road, one has to wonder. Nothing ulterior though, guessing the fellow just wanted to protect them at all costs from some idiot running into him and ruining his winter project.

So it goes. Snow in the forecast down to 1,200 feet.