Welcome to April!

We made it through another Palmer Alaska winter. It was a tough, long, cold one and the winds of Winter were major characters in this ongoing weather drama. But here we are…on the other side of it and crowing that we survived.

Owl Time—Our owls have a lot to say right now. The Palmer Alaska Buzz questioned the public for information on what they are seeing in terms of local owl sightings and hearings. Because owls are nocturnal, we only really hear the in the evening.

Owls’ large eyes are forward facing and immovable to they must turn their entire head to shift visual direction. Common answers are the Short eared brown owls. No shrew or mouse or vole is safe around an owl and the owl is a silent flyer, by design. Their downy feathers eliminate sound so their prey knows not that they are being hunted. Folks have noted that locally that the Great Horned Owl with the deep, deep HOOO is common. The Northern hawk Owl, Short eared owl, Northern Saw-whet owl and small Boreal owl offer a too-too-too tremulous whistle and rapid hoos respectively. Those feathery tufts that stick up on their head, which resemble ears, are not ears. They are called feather horns, named plumicorms, which help them camouflage in the forest and resemble stumps of wood.

If you want to see Palmer owls, go to a farmer field and look at the left over bales of hay in the field. The owls are beautiful flyers and smooth gliders…with gorgeous wing patterns. Their favorite snack is a vole. Sometimes you can see an owl’s presence from the snow silhouette they leave behind when they plop down on the snow and grab a bite.

First Swan—The first swan sighting was last week. There will be more!

First Friday is This Week—At Palmer’s Art Cafe, this Friday, is a wonderful debut of a new artist. Alexa Maithe is presenting an exhibition of her work at 5pm until 8 pm on April 3, Good Friday. Alexa’s art is a fine combination of paint, sculpture, materials, objects and all are used in her personal art of transformation. This is going to be an exciting opening.

Odd Tales of Palmer’s Librarian—This is a great, true story of Sally, a dedicated, small time librarian who weathered many years of disdain, challenges and joy in Palmer, Alaska. There are some fascinating vignettes which may include— the occasional marijuana joint—returned inside a book, the assault of a rolling bill board parked outside the library window, talkative ravens, unusual stories about local characters, the never ending battle between freedom of knowledge and community standards, and other wonderful library stories. The presentation features charismatic Diana Bailey in a one-woman play about the tribulations of the well-loved Palmer Librarian, Sally Quinn. The play was written by talented Bridgette Preston. It has two shows only on Monday and Tuesday at 7 pm on April 7 and 8 at the Palmer Moose Lodge. It’s 20 bucks and another fine fundraiser for the our new Palmer Library. This is sponsored by the Palmer Historical Society and Grandmother Raven Productions. Tickets are available on Eventbrite or pay at the door of the Moose Lodge!

Have A Great Week!—Don’t forget that April Fools Day is Wednesday. Plan on hearing some absurd news that may or may not be fictional. Plan on some clever jokes as well. And the holy day of Good Friday, followed by Easter is this weekend. We normally get a nice little Easter snowfall but who knows, maybe this year we have had enough. Here is an annual tip for eating your chocolate easter bunny: Never Eat the Ears First….this is a tried and true piece of advice or folklore—if you want good luck in the following week. Also, watch out for large puddles and ice spots as the great melt continues.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff in the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz Column 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.