Palmer Buzz

We need to celebrate, thank, and honor the plow people. They have been working on snow removal throughout the blizzards and holiday. They don’t stop. They have rescued so many and cleared so much snow on their way to their contracted work.

We need to celebrate, thank, and honor the electric line people. They have swung in baskets during 50 mph winds and slogged through snow up to their chest. They don’t sleep. They have been diligent and brave.

We need to celebrate, thank, and honor the first responders, medical providers, law enforcement, city crews, and firefighters because their work is never done and it only gets more critical when there is a weather event.

We need to celebrate, thank, and honor our neighbors. These people are generous with their time, their service, and their assistance. Good neighbors and friends think nothing about leaping into action when things get dicey.

This is the important Parade we need to host: Honoring Our Heroes of the Storms.

Weird Week—The week between Christmas and New Years is an odd bubble of weird time. It’s difficult to figure out what day of the week it is—because all the holidaying has created time blips. It’s hard to remember your purpose and agenda. Add to the seasonal confusion the snow, the wind, the power outages, and the cancelations and you have calendar chaos until the 2023 New Year get’s its legs.

Abundance of Snow—No exaggeration of the amount of snow is necessary this year. Just look out the window—that is—if you can even see out the window. Parked and abandoned cars became snow piles which then became drifted monsters. Small animals nearly drowned. The 4’ snow stick is buried. Flights were canceled. Roads were closed. Trees were bent and roofs sagged. Livestock became domestic pets. Biggest shopping day was empty. Tunnels were dug to allow animals to go down a path into their dog houses. Workers did double shifts. Igloos were naturally erected because large blocks of cement like snow were pushed around. Lots of energy and time was spent digging out vehicles and sadly, after the big reveal, sometimes it was the wrong vehicle! Short dogs reveled in their tallness as they walked atop drifts. Shovel envy was apparent and the winner of all snow shovels is a coal shovel. Both flamethrowers and chainsaws have been added to snow removal tool list. Vehicles drive around Palmer with 3 feet of snow piled on the roof—but happily, their windows are clear. All the clothes were worn and adding a snorkel would have been a good addition. Local entrepreneurs considered how to “ship snow” in a similar iced box for shipping fish.

Outage Anxiety—Most of us are so accustomed to having electricity, that the fear of an outage is terrifying. Some of this fear is a left-over from last year’s huge wind storm at the beginning of January 2022. Many people had outages that lasted for several days. The length of that outage has caused a form of paranoia that it will happen again, anytime there is a storm. Many people took last year’s outage seriously and created back-up plans and services. And many people didn’t or couldn’t afford the addition of generators or wood stoves. Secondary heat sources offer more than heat; they offer reassurance. In the same way candles and flashlights help dispel the dark spookies, a secondary heat source will help dispel the cold scaries. It would be a good plan to try and create a public class or a program for secondary heat alternatives. It would also be helpful to have a class instructing people how to deal with snow and earthquake emergencies, generators, turn-off valves, furnace filters, and those other critical components that become so immediate and necessary.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff on the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net or text 907.315.3222.