Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

We've all been there, right?  Head over heels, weak in the knees, all in........and then something goes very, very wrong.  And whether you're the breaker or the breakee, it's never easy and often downright ugly.  Yes, Neil Sedaka said it best.....breaking up is hard to do.

But here in Alaska, "break up" does not refer to the parting of ways of two ill suited individuals.  It's more like an extra season; after winter and before spring.  Or maybe is replaces spring.....I'm not really sure yet.  What I do know is that it is a big pain in the a$$ and it's definitely ugly, so it resembles a traditional break up in that sense.

Don't take your loovvve, away from meee.......sorry, that dang song is stuck in my head now.

So what Alaskans refer to as break up is the time of year when the temperatures soar above freezing, like in the mid 30's and 40's, the sun shines and the snow starts to melt.  It usually starts in late February or March.  For us, it started with dagger like icicles forming on the eaves of the house from the snow melting off the roof.  Then a present from one of the cats left on the dining room floor.  Yep, the little ground mice started running about and one met it's end while Oreo was out on an excursion in the back yard.  Gotta love cats, they're such givers.

And then the ugly.  The snow on the roads started to melt and left a slushy, muddy, slippery, pothole ridden mess.  This is not a happy time for your vehicles.  They are constantly covered in a blackish brownish film that seems to end up all over your clothes because clearly you can't seem to get in and out of the car without rubbing against it.  Or is it just me that can't?  The up shot is that you don't need a paper and pen if you need to write something down.  Check out this car that Jason snapped a pic of in Fairbanks the other day.

Uh, ok.  Nice to know, I guess.

And if your suspension survives the gargantuan potholes, your windshield is not likely to survive all the tiny little pebbles all over the road, left over from the gravel laid down throughout the winter to combat the icy roads.

Yep, that's my windshield.  Sigh.

Oh, you noticed Javier, did you?  He was an Easter gift to Jason from his Brazilian Spanish teacher.  He lives on my dash now and makes us smile.  Isn't he cute?

Next comes the flooding.  Gigantic muddy puddles everywhere.  The boys had to give up riding the quad on the trails after getting stuck a few times.  It's hard to imagine my home state of California is experiencing an extreme drought when there is water everywhere you look here.

School parking lot

But then, as the snow melts and the puddles start to dry up......grass emerges!  I mean, you can actually see the ground!  We haven't seen the ground since we moved here and weren't even sure if we lived on a paved or dirt road.  Turns out it's dirt/gravel.

Grass in the backyard!

And now the excitement starts to set in.  Summer is on it's way.  Winter is over.  The sky is blue, the temperatures are warm.  The ice is breaking up on the rivers.  You're ready to get outside and live. Cabin fever starts to become a thing.  It's weird, you'd think the cabin fever would hit in the dead of winter but it really hits now.  Joe is antsy to fish.  The boys are antsy to hit the motocross track. The cats are antsy to climb trees, hunt mice and attack the birds that taunt them as they are stranded on the deck.  I am antsy to have all of their antsiness relieved and to enjoy the outdoors.  Is antsiness a word?  I think no, but who cares?

Reality check, people.  Because if break up is anything, it's a tease.  This was our view this morning when we awoke from not only our sleep, but our delusions.

4 inches of fresh snow.

I can't really say that Joe and I didn't expect winter to have it's last hurrah, but the boys were not so realistic.  And I don't really think we've seen the last snow of the winter even now.  But it is a bit of a downer when you've had a glimpse of the other side.

Despite all this, break up is a glorious time.  It is the promise of summer, warmer temperatures, longer days, and outdoor adventures to come.  And it's fascinating to watch winter release it's grip on the landscape and give way to a new season, especially for folks who came in the dead of winter and have no idea what the new season has in store for us.  I think we are all looking forward to finding out.  :)

On a side note, I am going through a break up of my own these days.  In a previous post I mentioned my 27 year love affair with diet soda.  Gosh, when you put a number to it like that it's quite alarming!  Anyway, I've decided it's time for us to part ways.  It's not the soda per say, but more the artificial sweeteners that I'm trying to ditch.  Do you know how many products have artificial sweeteners in them?  Tons!  It's annoying.

Until next time....thanks for reading my babble and may you find adventure waiting for you around the next corner. :)

Brandy