djm

That's a great turnaround! It's hard to do, I know. And so happy for you and Gunther. I've enjoyed your posts and fully understand how he can be one of the best lifetime companions. My dogs, especially Kenai, were by far some of the biggest influences in my life.

Congrats on that weight drop. It's a big deal. I bet you're able to roam the world much more easily with Herr Günther!

I've spent the last few years hovering just above and below that 25 BMI "border" case. I do feel a big difference in hill running (and stair climb) 3-4 lbs above or below.

I'm not at all religious, but I've found this to be one of the more moving songs I've found in my life. It was also easy to perform in our high school rock band! I get the same feeling I've gotten in the Chartres Cathedral. No "belief," but humility and sense of beauty.

My Reeses used to do this in the travel trailer. He was in his last months, how could I possibly say no!!

YouTube video by AlabamaVEVO Alabama - Christmas In Dixie (Official Audio)

And, for the upcoming Christmas season. Alabama was maybe one of the best groups at presenting a sense of "home" in the South.

I remember hearing this all the time at Christmas when living in those parts.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjGb...

YouTube video by Alabama - Topic My Home's In Alabama (Live)

An even "homier" classic song about Alabama:

Well I'll speak my southern English,
As natural as I please,
I'm in the heart of Dixie,
Dixie's in the heart of me

My home's in Alabama
No matter where I lay my head
My home's in Alabama
Southern born and southern bred
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5m5...

YouTube video by Arlo Guthrie - Topic Massachusetts

and even Massachusetts!!! I'm just not sure there's something equivalent for Alaska. I suppose the huge extent and huge diversity in populations makes it difficult, too 4/x

www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1V5...

YouTube video by Dan Seals - Topic Meet Me In Montana

... and Montana ... I still remember being stuck in nonmoving traffic on I-5 in Seattle in 1985 with tears in my eyes hearing this on the radio, wanting to go back to what was then home...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Xx...

YouTube video by Chris LeDoux - Topic Song Of Wyoming

... and Wyoming ... 2/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S92b...

YouTube video by Alabama - Topic If It Ain't Dixie (It Won't Do)

I've always felt like Alaska lacks a beautiful "this is my home" kind of song, maybe because so many are so transient. I mean, there's this one for Alabama 1/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnnV...

I remember learning (under the guidance of a flight instructor) how to land small planes on backcountry strips at Hungry Horse (and others in the area) about twenty years ago. Was so beautiful learning to fly in that area.

I loved them until last winter when I hung a chickadee feeder under the deck, and one squirrel was SO good at getting to it, then depleting it. I had to put in a lot of work in subzero temps (with old fart hands) to finally squirrel proof it!

Your experience shows! Using gloves!

Every year I wish that sunrise and sunset would just sort of freeze for about a month around the winter solstice. I always find it a little depressing that it all changes so quickly and before you know it we're heading back into summer (quite the long trip, of course!).

I miss the peace of SoFo Heights, but I'm extremely glad not to be worrying about being first in line for SW flow dumping its first load on us.

This is one of the best Special Weather Statements I've seen. Does an excellent job of indicating the confidence and potential problem areas in the forecast. It's great CYA for NWS, and it's a great help to the users of the forecast. It's really the best we could hope for. @alaskawx.bsky.social

Not to be a jerk, but I'm one of those oddballs who loves it, even here in Fairbanks. I wish our 11am sunrise and 2:40pm sunset could freeze for a month before heading back into the summer mode :) :) The lighting is so beautiful, and you don't need an excuse to get in your jammies at 2pm!

Definitely a very strong contender.

And, of course, it's even worse in "snow challenged" areas, and even worse than that if it's raining in "snow challenged" areas. Just can't see squat through a vehicle windshield under those conditions. Age makes it even worse! :)

As someone who runs many, many miles in the dark, I find that when I'm out "in it" I often feel like there's a fair amount of visibility and illumination, but when I'm in a vehicle under same conditions the visibility is much worse. Many pedestrians don't seem to realize (or care) this.

Have long felt, pragmatically, that even if you could care less about income distributions, etc, universal healthcare pulls the admin pain out of small (and large) businesses, encourages vibrant job market, as folks willing to incur more risk rather than being stuck in a job just for health care.

In the A.I. Race, Chinese Talent Still Drives American Research

Gifting as a public service from my NYT subscription. No comment, no opinion presented by me. Just one of many, many interesting threads in this complex tapestry of civilisation.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/t...

That's great. Especially with older dogs, I often dreaded their having to deal with stress of a crowded waiting area.

Yeh, things get a little backwards around here when you have to worry about food thawing in the winter time.

It was a strange paradox of beautiful spring weather, and glare ice roads.

What I remember was the dewpoints rose with the temperatures, and so those roads, still sitting at subzero temperatures were more than happy to suck some of that moisture out of the air and freeze it for long term storage. Some of the most treacherous driving I've seen here.

And a week or two later it was almost 100F warmer.

YouTube video by The Full Series Channel Naked Science | The Rocky Mountains Were Once Underwater, Here’s What Happened

Wow, I've watched a lot of geology documentaries, but this one has some wonderful animations on the evolution of the Rocky Mountains, and help to understand so much of the detail you see when you roam those parts. Highly recommend if you're interested -- youtube.com/watch?v=TGnDsZwAtRY

Is that picture with the sun from the Chapman parking lot? I remember in the mid 90's - early Internet - Mitch Roth used to have a webcam pointed out that way, before they were really a "thing," and I always loved seeing Live Alaska from down in America.