Alaskan Winter January 2017

More snow.  It seems everyone is getting more snow.  What's our current accumulation?  I lost track somewhere after the 10-inch mark.  Yes.  I realize I live in Alaska.  To be frank, I'm not complaining about the snow.  I love the fresh snow, I'm merely stating the facts.  We're getting more snow, so much better than last years one snow wonder.  We only had one good snow last year and most of the winter was overcast, gray and depressing.  This year we're getting snow and turning the frozen north into a winter wonderland.  If I'm going to suffer through the cold and the dark, I want the snow.  The snow makes it more tolerable.

Winter - Alaska (04 January 2017)

I took this pic on my way to work yesterday morning at 11:15 am.  Believe it or not, this is a color shot with no filter.  The snow was lightly falling and everything was just so very white.  It was about 15 degrees and beautiful.  Today, we're under a winter storm advisory.  We supposed to expect another two inches of snow, but winds will are predicted for gusting up to 40 mph.  With all the dry powdery snow we have this is going to make any kind of travel interesting.  The snow we've gotten lately has all been like a superfine glitter.  Then you add gusting winds and you get snowglobe conditions, which are whiteout conditions in the real world.

The one question we get asked often is "what do you do in the winter?"  So many assume that all of Alaska is dark and extremely cold this time of year.

Let's start by stating it's not like a light switch, the light doesn't suddenly get shut off.  It's a gradual loss of light.  As for the amount of light we have this time of year really depends on how far north you live.  Those that live on the coast of Alaska have more light than we do in the interior.  What's more is that there is a difference in the amount of light between us and Fairbanks, as they are farther north.  Those in far northern locations, like Nome, then yes, your winter is dark for 67 days of the year.  We've passed the darkest day of the year, December 21st, and are now gaining light gradually.  As of today, we have 4 hours, 43 minutes of daylight.

It's not always 40 below zero here either.  Our winter weather varies, just like everywhere else that gets cold and snowy.  Sometimes it tends to be more extreme, but winter is winter.

Back to the famous question - "what do you do in the winter?"  Personally, Hubby and I aren't winter people.  We hunker down and hibernate.  We're not the outside enjoying the snow kind of people.  We don't own snowmachines.  We don't snowshoe.  We don't snowboard or ski, although we both own cross-country skis and I need to get boots.  Might need to get on that, since this year there is enough snow to actually ski in.  We're indoor winter people.  Movie-watching, book-reading, food-eating, jammie-wearing, stay cozy, winter people.

What do you do in the winter?