Our wake-up call to get the roof of our house shoveled this year was the chicken coop collapsing. (Note: No animals used in this essay have suffered harm.) I heard it collapse and the dogs rushed across the deck to be let in. We love these dogs dearly but they are City dogs and not very courageous.

What drove me off the Juneau Assembly last year was the fever pitch of issues; the deep anger felt by my friends and constituents about, well, many things, including CBJ issues; and the speed at which a normal-seeming issue became a flashpoint. There are no normal issues these days.

Oh, thank goodness. A hidden benefit. My laptop is offline and there is no WiFi here and I am blessed. I am on a solitary spiritual retreat so I am actually doubly blessed.