I drive a gas powered car with a small tank. Today I had to wait to fill my tank behind many huge trucks and SUVs at my local Costco, where half the pumps are out of service. I could have been in and out far faster than the vehicles in front of me, because 12 gallons doesn't take as long as 30 to pump. Don't remember…

We live on a mountainside in Anchorage, AK and saw our first snow on October 2nd this year. Our roads remain snow covered from late October through early April, because our winter sun isn’t strong enough to melt it, and it’s too cold for salt to work. Some sand is added to steep areas, but not enough to ensure…

This isn’t actually all I need to know about any fitness tracker! Both wrist-worn trackers and smart watches appear to be designed as if every user is male, or at least, female with big bones. I am a woman whose wrist measures just 5.25" in diameter. I exist, and despite my extremely small frame, I am very active and…

“The parks that do allow ash-scattering require a special use permit, however, and there are guidelines for where you can spread them.”

So does chemotherapy.

Here in Alaska, flashing headlights generally indicate that there’s a moose around the next bend. They are oblivious to traffic conventions and quite lethal if you hit them, as they are tall enough to slide up over the hood of even large SUVs. When hundreds of pounds of moose then breaks the windshield and enters the…

I am a cheapskate nerd who lives in Alaska, where I seldom/never need AC in my car. So I disconnected the power supply to the AC compressor under the hood. Easy peasy though I do have to remember to tell mechanics not to reattach it, thinking they are fixing it for me.

Maybe my thermometer set isn’t fancy enough, but for under $20 I got a digital thermometer that connects to a base station via an oven safe wire, that will tell you the temperature of your meat and even chime if you set a target temperature. Plus a separate instant read thermometer that you can stick into anything.  I…

I roast my turkey cut up into the breasts, two legs, and two wings. Even with the biggest bird, the white meat (on a rack in on pan) is done in just over an hour, and the dark meat (second rack/pan) only takes 30 minutes longer. I use a digital thermometer set to the recommended temperature and remove the meat from…

Plus, at least USPS workers have the option of joining their workplace’s union. At UPS and FedEx, the delivery drivers are viewed as independent operators in most states, i.e. even though UPS and FedEx set stringent rules about how they must operate, and even provide uniforms, the drivers have to do their own payroll…

Note that the money comes from state royalties (the state owns the oil), which the oil corporations have to pay in any case.  What’s different about AK is that our state returns some of these royalties to state residents.

You missed the biggest of them all: Alaska. We got our annual Permanent Fund Dividend plus an energy relief payment in early October: $3284.00 for everyone who lived here from January through December, 2021, and who applied for the PFD by March 31st, 2022. Happens every year.

We don’t use salt on roads here, so lickage is rare. I did have a work colleague, though, whose Outback hood acquired several large dents from the front hooves of the moose that used it to boost itself higher into the Mountain ash tree it was browsing. Mountain ash and cotoneaster are two favorite urban trees/shrubs…

If like me you live where there’s a huge population of moose that comes down from the mountains into town each fall, and that likes walking along plowed roads better than post-holing through deep snow, I would recommend swerving if at all possible. It’s far better to hit a moose at an angle than to hit it sideways at…

The real consideration should be how much of a payoff you will get from life insurance v. just saving the money you’d otherwise spend on premiums over all those years, especially if you don’t have poor/young dependents. If you are young to middle-aged, buy stock. Investing in a no-load S&P 500 index fund is likely to…

Also, when running away from a charging moose during the rut, speed is less important than trajectory. Try to weave in and out of trees. Moose do not corner well. Rest assured I’ve successfully used this technique within the past month.

Don’t try running from the police if you are a person of color. Many police have no problem shooting unarmed non-white citizens in the back.

I’m a boomer, born right in the middle of the population explosion. And I just helped my state elect its first Democrat to the House since the 1960s. About 99% of my friends are liberals, too. None of us believe that ageism is any more OK than sexism, homophobia, or racism. You young libs have a lot to learn!

What’s next, monitoring by the American Taliban to determine whether we’re menstruating “when we should be,” and/or whether we’ve finally hit menopause? Nothing like having the gubmint know all about your fertility status before you do. Perhaps we will be forced to wear a large red “M” in the former situation and a…

Don’t use washable fabrics like dish towels if you have a septic system. Grease and oil is not altered by detergents and water — it is merely suspended as tiny droplets and washed down the drain, where it will solidify. It can coat your pipes, reducing flow rates and causing clogs. It can also accumulate in a thick…