Wow, the snow in North Pole, Alaska has been incredible this year. It is now April and I am getting sick of looking at it. However, as I am typing away I hear the sweet pitter patter of snow and ice melting off the roof which means break-up (that is code for spring for you non-Alaska types) is near. We got nearly 4 feet this year which is unusually high for this area. Temperatures reached -50 and below for weeks on end, so our outdoor wood stove came in handy. Also, Dallas gets the bragging rights of shoveling over 9 tons of coal and at least 3 cords of wood single-handed. Please, save your applause. I'm ready for the summer sun. Bring on the sweat.