Currently: December

Currently living/working: We returned from travels 12/3 right in time for what became the coldest December on record since 1989!  Subzero temps around our area have been inconsistent, and we live on a hill, which puts us in a banana belt of Healy. So our lowest was -35.5, but that same day, we went over to a friend’s cabin 3 miles away and their analog thermometer was recording -60!

Current mood: Though December is the will-we-ever-see-the-sun-again month—and the weather was FRIGID to boot—we wanted to burrow after travel. (I did have to leave cabin confinement & sub at the library 35 hours this month!) The one mood killer for me was the lack of physical exercise. I believe we’ve had 3 days above 0 (including Christmas Eve) since we returned; most of the time it hovers around -20 or lower. We have skiable snow, but not skiable temps, which is a tease. I’ve convinced myself that -20 is warm enough for a short ski and found the right layers, so I know I need to give myself credit for the 5 times in December I’ve moved my body. 

Currently excited for: You know what makes hibernating better? A cat! Ted, our temporary cat that has evolved from cat-sitting to shared custody, is back with us until mid-February tentatively. She is the best snerdler! 

Currently worried about: It’s already been a legendary and brutal winter, and it’s only December!!! We’re riding it out, and know this is Alaska and this is how it should be. Yet there is that creeping fear that we could have 4 more months of persistent bone chill (January is typically our coldest month, so TBD on weather trends). With that being said, the coldest days are also the most beautiful ones in our Narnia landscapes. When the sun is just a smudge on the horizon, the white stuff makes the dark months that much better.

Currently regretting: We had planned to open our yurt back up to have our typical holiday getaways, and even wanted to put up a Christmas tree there since our cabin just gets too crowded. But alas, the weather was prohibitive. (Our cabin is well insulated and our Toyo heater only burns through 1 gallon of oil/day to keep it at 70 degrees. On the other hand, the yurt burns through 2 gallons/day to keep it at 65 degrees and that was during above 0 temperatures!) So the yurt remains closed and we skipped a real Christmas tree this year. Still made things festive & found simple joys through the holiday season.

Currently not excited for: I dread seeing our electric bill since I know our heat tape for pipes, well house heater, and home heater has really been running nonstop this month, and we’ve kept our cars plugged in regularly as well …

Currently thankful for: Death never feels far away when it’s 25 below 0 as the cold pinches like pliers. Alaska takes constant effort, but at subzero temps, you especially can never let your guard down because the margin of error is so small. Some of it is just out of your control because the cold is so hard on equipment!! We feel lucky that we personally haven’t experienced any huge hardships—besides the fact that our propane regulator for our cooking stove is leaking outside and that the truck power was reduced on a drive to Fairbanks because the air filter froze up. Nonetheless, I included some sample messages from our network where most conversations have rightfully been centered around our weather and the many struggles. I love that we live in a community that is so helpful to each other (when not discussing politics of course). 

Currently amazed by: Most of you know my Uncle Fred has lived in Fairbanks (2 hrs north of us) for 47 years, and my aunt died a few years ago, so now he lives solo up there. Though he has an incredible community of friends and neighbors who truly look out for one another, he recently had a minor surgery that reinforced my mantra: Alaska is NOT an easy place to age alone—especially at 78. (Shoutout to Justin, who went back up to Fairbanks post-surgery to help out for another few days).

Current confession: I’ve previously referenced how slow yurt Airbnb bookings have been these last few years, and I’m echoing that again. We’ve had our first yurt (reminder, we bought a second one) listed since Thanksgiving, and have received ZERO bookings so far. I shouldn’t be worried, because it generally works out in the end, but yeesh.

Currently proud of: We like to give back to our community when we can, and we’re happy to participate in our Neighbor 2 Neighbor Holiday Food Box Delivery program. This was our 3rd year participating, and we are assigned to the dozen families who live off the road system in the northern part of our borough. These people are hard core! They sometimes show up on snow machines to pick up their food boxes to take back to their cabins tucked deep in the woods!

Currently reading: I read 27 books in 2025! Fewer than last year, but I am keeping up my 2 book/month habit. 

Several people had suggested Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking to me, and my sister-in-law had a copy I snagged to finally read it. I’ve felt such a profound shift in my personality—identifying more as an introvert these last few years—and have been trying to make sense of it. These tendencies impact my relationships (Justin is an neurospicy extrovert) and what brings me joy for work. This book was almost a guidebook, or at least an affirmation as to who I am these days. It explained why I can blog to 1000s of people the inner workings of my mind, but hate introducing myself to strangers in real life and hate small talk. Or why I disdain “high-wattage activities” and prefer quiet intellectual time and dream vividly. And how I can only focus on one task at a time whereas over-stimulation and over-arousal (socializing, lights, noise, etc) causes me to shut down and in need of restorative solo time. Or why I need to arrange my life in a way to limit surprises (a polite way of saying type A personality, which has always described me). The author, Susan Cain, goes in depth for these differences by using examples of specific well-known people, so for anyone out there who wants to dive in deeper to the introvert-extrovert model, this isn’t too scientific & definitely readable. 

I bought this Cindy Ross book (The Log Cabin Years) in 2021 after her husband had a tragic fall off a ladder that left him a quadriplegic, and buying her book was one way I could support her in the journey. Cindy was (is) a huge source of inspiration to me—she’s written like 20+ books, countless articles, led a nontraditional life and hiked all 3 big trails (AT, PCT & CDT). I finally read it. Really, the book just confirms what I already knew—that we do not have the skills or stamina to build a home ourselves! Although it did bring back some memories to the time when Justin & I were building tipis and stripping lodgepole pines for that bed & breakfast we ran in Oregon. But I digress. I hadn’t thought of Cindy in a long time, and looked up the updates. Her husband has done intensive therapy and can walk and use his hands again, which is amazing. Cindy is working on a book about her journey as his caregiver, and hopefully she finds a publisher because I would love to read that. 

Currently watching on Netflix/Peacock: Peacock rounded up our viewing habits for the year: about 123 episodes of Below Deck, 28 movies and 31 hours of watching sports. Sounds about right. But in terms of other things we’ve streamed lately (a lot), we blew through The Beast in Me and The Staircase, both basically psychological thrillers on Netflix that were very good.