Rule of Threes?

I was looking forward to this 3-day weekend.  March will be an impossibly busy month, so planned to get ahead and have my apartment in perfect order to be ready to deal with a hectic schedule.  I was also planning to finally shovel out my storage conex and get my skis out; I haven't been skiing at all this year, and the combination of more light and warmer weather is making for some beautiful days.  That was the plan.

Friday I got a call from a neighbor headed out of town...could I cat, dog and goldfish sit?  Sure.  So, after hanging out with the critters that night, I headed to bed after a long week.  The next morning, on my way to check on the neighbor's pets, I notice their snow machine is moved around.  My thoughts:  concern that someone was trying to steal it, relief that it was still there, I should let them know.  It wasn't until my way back home that I noticed what was actually missing...my Honda!  My thoughts:  incredulity that this happened again, dismay that it happened again, embarrassment that it happened again (because I didn't have it chained up the night before).  This was the third time it has been stolen, second from the same location.  The last time it happened, the police officer told me it was kind of my fault for not having it locked up.  Of course, fundamentally, it wasn't my fault, but there is a reason you end up with adages such as, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."  Apparently I'm a slow learner.  After last time, I had been faithfully locking it up.  Then, I got complacent.  I did, however, have my bike locked up.  I was so focused on the ATV, though, that it wasn't until a few moments later when another neighbor came out that she noticed my bike was gone.  Somehow, they got the lock open, and it was laying there on the ground.  That bike was Antonio's, and it's just an object, but for someone to take something of his away from me makes me indignant because I'll never be able to attach memories of him to other objects, ever.  It gets harder to hold on to memories over time.

After it was first stolen

Saturday, then was spent on the phone with Kotzebue police and with KOTZ radio station.  Since it's the only radio station and only truly local media outlet, lots of people listen to the radio, and they provide the service of making public announcements for everyone, including descriptions of things that are stolen so other people can keep their eyes out for them.  I was discouraged that day and trying to find the balance between disappointment with myself for making it easy for the thieves and indignation at the thieves themselves.  Everywhere you look there are ATVs not locked up.  In the summer you'll see some kid's bike lay in the middle of the sidewalk for days without being touched.  Why is it that for certain people, if things aren't chained down they walk away?  Mull it over, and I'll get back to that later.  Thankfully, someone who knew my bike saw it just a block away and happened to ask why it was over there.  The chain was off, so it was just leaned up against a truck.  I walked over, brought it back, and locked it up again.  One down.

Sunday I started getting calls from the radio station.  I did a lot of walking, but no luck.  Finally, when it was almost dark, someone reported seeing one behind the school.  I took a cab to get there before it was dark, and sure enough, it was my machine!  It wasn't wrecked, and it even had gas in it still.  I can't get it started, though, so something's wrong with it.  Grrr!  I tried for a while with the pull start, but no luck.  My neighbor towed us home behind her snow machine, and I locked it up.  That was that.

Phone almost buried

Monday...Late Sunday night, I realized I didn't have my phone.  I traced my activity in my head and concluded it must have fallen out while trying to get the ATV started.  When will the madness end?  The next morning I walked the route we took home, and when I got to where my Honda had been, sure enough, down in the snow, almost buried, was my phone.  I picked it up, wiped off the snow, and it was fine.  Three lost items recovered in three days -- the three days of my three-day weekend.  Now I'm back at work wishing I had a three-day weekend.  I'm not ready for this week let alone March.

Ooooh, Sparkly!

The snow has changed with the warmer temperatures lately.  The variety of sounds it makes, the many textures you can detect beneath your boots, and the way it looks and changes throughout the winter are all pretty fascinating to me.  I'll try next winter to describe it a little better and keep track of the changes. I'm sure it all comes down to chemistry, temperature, and the amazing properties of water.
Do you ever stop to think about water?  Any thought at all?  You could have millions.  It's all over the place, all the time, and carrying out so many functions of life, geology, climate...you name it, that it's staggering!  It's the only chemical compound to exist naturally on earth in all states: solid, liquid, and gas.  In fact, the whole earth was formed from water.  Read the creation account, or read 2 Peter 3:5.  (If you don't believe in God, go ahead and read verses 1-13.).  

So...water....  I don't know the science behind it, but I do know that for a couple of days we had temperatures around 30.  Right away the snow felt spongier, almost cushiony but not punchy like it gets in the spring when it's melting and every step has you post holing to the bottom. 

Then, this morning I noticed something that I absolutely love about this place!  It reminded me of Bluebell ice cream.  If you have a dad who eats out of the carton until the ice cream is starting to go soft and then puts the rest back in the freezer, you know exactly what I mean.  (Ok, so maybe I've done it on occasion too.). We all hate being the person who comes along next, though, because the texture (and I think taste) is different.  At least the top layer is crystallized or grainy. 

I think that's what might happen here. The top layer of snow melts ever so slightly and refreezes, changing its structure.  Whatever happens, it seems so much more reflective to me under the moonlight and streetlights.  It's like having a continuous disco ball at your feet or walking on glitter.  I really enjoy walks before sunrise and after sunset.  When the temperature is warm, you feel like taking your time and soaking it all in.   

I've tried very hard to capture some image of this, but I can't get it to work. The best I could do is the following video clip. As it plays, look for the little white specks that show up in the shadow.  It's nothing like being here, though.  Sorry, you'll just have to come see for yourself!