Lazy Day

What a perfect day to curl up with a good book as the fire blazes in the wood stove.

I'll just let the world go by without me and have a "do nothing" day for once.

Tomorrow, I'll think about our trip south and all the things I need to do.

Where's the Fall

Fall just arrived but I think it forgot what it's suppose to do. We are heading right into winter. We had our first frost this morning, there's new snow on the mountains and it's been below freezing the last 3 mornings. It even looks and feels like it could snow.

We have gotten most of the yard cleaned up and ready for spring. Next week, we'll start putting away all the outdoor furniture.

It's time to start gathering our things to head south for the winter.

Yard Work

Fall is slowing arriving in our beautiful 49th state. Saturday, we were able to spend the afternoon in the autumn sun doing yard work. The yard was mowed hopefully for the last time but the leaves are just starting to come down. So, the leaves will have to be dealt with next. Hopefully, we'll be able to get to those before we leave for the winter.

Flying Dogs

Where we go, our dogs go so that includes flying on planes. Our labs, Diver and Allie should have mileage plans but I can't get Alaska Airlines to agree with me.

When it comes to flying with pets, Alaska Air is the only choice. Our pups are the last to board and the first ones off the plane. You are notified when your pets are on board and you are handed a note verifying that they are.

Alaska Air is also the only airline that will fly our pets year round and the price for flying them is less than all the others.

Way to go, Alaska Airlines for being the most Pet Friendly in the sky.

Sortin Out

Today I started my annual job of sortin out and throwin away.
It seems I like to collect things over the summer months.
These things I'm talking about include magazines, newspapers, junk mail and plastic grocery bags.

I'll sort it now, that way, I get to start all over again next spring collecting things. I won't to have worry about sortin and throwin til fall comes around again.

Description of Alaskan Travelers:

It's the couple wearing heavy coats and flipflops checking in at the airport with 2 u-haul boxes secured with duct tape, 2 coolers full of salmon and 2 large dogs in kennels..

Wait, I just described us........

Making Piles

We're several days away from leaving Alaska and heading south for the winter hopefully before the snow flys but I've got to get started somewhere.

I've got to start getting all our stuff together for the trip south so I've developed my system of making piles. My husband will say that needs to go south and I throw it in a pile. That means it goes in the floor in the corner of our bedroom. Before it's all said and done I'll have one huge pile of stuff that I'll have to divide into smaller piles to be packed.

I have the pile that can get packed in suitcases, the pile that's not expensive but is important, the pile that's liquid and my expensive stuff pile that gets carried on.

I''ve got to watch what I pack and where because I got busted at Airport Security for a jar of jelly the last time we flew. Thinking back, why did I even have that with us.

Some of the stuff we take just amazes me when I get south and unpack. I have to wonder what was I thinking!!

So much to do! Oh My!

Just thinking about closing up the house and packing for the trip south makes me tired. I must have a half a dozen lists going at one time so I don't forget something. I try to keep my lists from the year before and add to them. That way I don't have to rewrite the same lists of things to do.

I have the closing down the house list, the packing list, forwarding the mail list, the travel arrangements list, if we're flying, the storing the vehicles for the winter list and the pets to the vet list for travel papers. There's probably a couple more lists that I've forgotten but hopefully my husband will remind me what they are.

Just keeping track of these lists are a job in itself and the real work hasn't even begun.

When the Snow flys

When the leaves start turning in Alaska, the snowbirds start closing up their homes. Their destination is south for the winter. After spending 2 decades of winters here, I don't blame them and I'll be right behind them come October 15.