Life

Refuge notebook: Kenai refuge cabins are again open for business

As a relatively new parent, my appreciation of the proverb that begins with, “It takes a village,” seems to grow with each passing day. This… Continue reading

 

Tangled Up in Blue: Love & Volleyball

My boyfriend won’t let me be on his volleyball team. Last summer, before we were dating and when female participation in the Seward softball league… Continue reading

 

Out of the office: Best place on the peninsula

Columnist’s note: I felt compelled to write this column Sunday night, even though it wasn’t due until Thursday afternoon. A short time after I finished,… Continue reading

 

Refuge notebook: No silly questions

“Why don’t bats get dizzy from hanging upside down?” A second grade student at Tustumena Elementary School posed this excellent question to me. I stood… Continue reading

Healthy peatlands store carbon and help salmon

After this last summer’s lightning, fires and long drought, it should be obvious that our local climate is becoming warmer and drier than longtime residents… Continue reading

The author ran a marathon in the snow and has been feeling pretty blue since. (Photo courtesy Kat Sorensen)

Tangled up in Runner’s Blues

I’m always looking for the right answer, the right way to do things. I manipulate my Google searches over and over, to find the hidden… Continue reading

The author ran a marathon in the snow and has been feeling pretty blue since. (Photo courtesy Kat Sorensen)
Baked salmon with roasted turnips, brussell sprouts, carrots, beets, kohlrabi for dinner, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2019, near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the office: Summery salmon memories

Wednesday evening, everything on my dinner plate was either caught in Alaska or grown in Alaska. The last of the kohlrabi and turnips, a single… Continue reading

Baked salmon with roasted turnips, brussell sprouts, carrots, beets, kohlrabi for dinner, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2019, near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
A hiker avoids an icy, frozen boardwalk on a morning hike from the Dan Moller Cabin in Juneau in October 2019. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Tangled up in Blue: Winter isn’t coming

On a late September early morning drive back from Talkeetna, I saw winter surprise three different drivers. The first hit the black ice in their… Continue reading

A hiker avoids an icy, frozen boardwalk on a morning hike from the Dan Moller Cabin in Juneau in October 2019. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Refuge notebook: New fall colors include hummingbirds

In a day and age where social media seems to dominate and not always for the best reasons, I recently had the most positive outcome… Continue reading

Refuge notebook: More elodea found on Kenai refuge

When we first found elodea on the Kenai Peninsula seven years ago, partners in the Kenai Peninsula Cooperative Weed Management Area didn’t really have any… Continue reading

Taking the wild out of wildlife

I find this a little depressing. A 2018 study published by the National Academy of Sciences estimates that by weight, 70% of all birds on… Continue reading

The writer is seen in this ridiculous photo posted immediately to her mother’s Facebook as she leaves for Alaska in February 2017 with only one coat, the army jacket she wears in this photo. (Photo courtesy of Eileen Sorensen)

A little bit richer

I woke up this morning a bit richer. The Alaska Permanent Fund dividend landed in Alaskans’ bank accounts sometime early Thursday and mine was among… Continue reading

The writer is seen in this ridiculous photo posted immediately to her mother’s Facebook as she leaves for Alaska in February 2017 with only one coat, the army jacket she wears in this photo. (Photo courtesy of Eileen Sorensen)
Michael Armstrong’s dog, Leia, waits patiently to go for a walk on the Homer Spit beach on Jan. 25, 2014, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Need an exercise plan? Get a dog — a really rowdy, rambunctious dog

Suppose at your latest physical you got a stern lecture from your doctor. Suppose she told you to start exercising more — a lot more.… Continue reading

Michael Armstrong’s dog, Leia, waits patiently to go for a walk on the Homer Spit beach on Jan. 25, 2014, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
The author and her first cousin once removed, August Murphy, play at the waterfront playground in Seward, Alaska, in late August 2019. (Photo courtesy of Michelle Murphy)

Tangled up in Blue: Viewscapes

I want to start reflecting on this summer with an onslaught of adjectives — hot, exciting, adventurous, challenging — but I have two more things… Continue reading

The author and her first cousin once removed, August Murphy, play at the waterfront playground in Seward, Alaska, in late August 2019. (Photo courtesy of Michelle Murphy)

Refuge notebook: The porcupine — an underappreciated creature

Sauntering my way, the animal halted and gazed in my direction. It appeared uncertain about my status. Was I a threat? Or, was I anything… Continue reading

Reeling ‘Em In: Nick says ‘So long, and thanks for all the feedback, tips and tales’

Nick Varney says farewell to the summer fishing season.

A group of friends makes their way through the trail leading to Tutka Lake across Kachemak Bay from Homer, Alaska in August, 2019. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Let’s pour one out for Mother Tutka

For the two years I’ve lived in Homer, I’ve managed just two trips across Kachemak Bay that haven’t been work related. If I keep up… Continue reading

A group of friends makes their way through the trail leading to Tutka Lake across Kachemak Bay from Homer, Alaska in August, 2019. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Refuge Notebook: The Swan Lake Fire and wildlife

This summer brought one of the hottest and driest summers ever recorded on the Kenai. Large areas dominated by black spruce, hot temperatures, and dry… Continue reading

Kat Sorensen, the author, walks alongside her 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Kenai Beach in May 2018. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Tangled up in Blue: Miles and miles

I bought my 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee when I first moved to Alaska after a failed fling with a 1992 Cherokee that had a leaky… Continue reading

Kat Sorensen, the author, walks alongside her 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Kenai Beach in May 2018. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Refuge notebook: Why are the birch trees brown?

I was working out Swan Lake Road last month when I noticed that entire stands of birch trees looked odd. The leaves almost appeared to… Continue reading

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