Posts from — March 2024

This is what happens when you have small children – you dye your kitchen.

Yes, the festival of Easter, goddess of the Spring, is celebrated this time of year with the traditional symbols of fertility, the egg and the rabbit, by the people who settled around the Baltic Sea – the Teutons, Slavs, Finns, Prussians, Letts, et al. It is a festival of plenty after the hardships of winter, with the promise of new growth.

Of course, later groups took the celebration and turned it to other purposes, but I doubt Easter minds.

[An oldie from Easters past]

It’s that time of year. Spring arrives at 10:06PM CDT to night. You can find the date for your location at Time and Date.

The air is already filled with pollen and the live oaks are dropping last year’s leaves. The azaleas have already peaked and the pear trees are snowy with blooms.

I would note that locally we have had 12 hours or more of daylight since before St. Patrick’s Day, and usually do.

Éireann go Brách!

Well everyone agrees that he died on March 17^th, but the year is subject to debate. This is his feast day on the Catholic calendar. Enjoy as you are wont.

Wikipedia has more on Saint Patrick’s Day, if you need more.

Dallas won in 9 days 2 hours 16 minutes & 8 seconds. Jeff Reid brought the Red Lantern under the Burled Arch in 12 days 11 hours 22 minutes & 1 second.

Standings at 5:30AM CDT (2:30AM AKDT):
Finished at Nome
11 Wally Robinson (39)
12 Nicolas Petit (17)
13 Matthew Failor (31)
14 Ryan Redington (21)
15 Josi Thyr (22)^R
16 Jason Mackey (19)
17 Bailey Vitello (32)
18 Gabe Dunham (24)^R
19 Jessica Klejka (8)
20 Mats Pettersson (5)
21 Anna Berington (2)
22 Will Rhodes (4)^R
23 Lara Kittelson (36)^R
24 Anna Hennessy (25)^R
25 Benjamin Good (33)^R
26 Lauro Eklund (13)^R
27 Joshua Robbins (11)^R
28 Severin Cathry (30)^R
29 Jeff Reid (35)^RΦ
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

After race officials discussed his lack of progress with him, Sean Williams (27) scratched at Elim.

Standings at 8:30PM CDT (5:30PM AKDT):
Finished at Nome
11 Wally Robinson (39)
12 Nicolas Petit (17)
13 Matthew Failor (31)
14 Ryan Redington (21)
15 Josi Thyr (22)^R
16 Jason Mackey (19)
17 Bailey Vitello (32)
18 Gabe Dunham (24)^R
19 Jessica Klejka (8)
20 Mats Pettersson (5)
21 Anna Berington (2)
22 Will Rhodes (4)^R
23 Lara Kittelson (36)^R
24 Anna Hennessy (25)^R
25 Benjamin Good (33)^R
26 Lauro Eklund (13)^R

Beyond Safety
27 Jeff Reid (35)^R
28 Severin Cathry (30)^R
29 Joshua Robbins (11)^RΦ
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

The first 10 finishers are below the fold. Nothing said about Bryce Mumford who is too far behind to arrive during the race’s time limit if he is still moving.

Update: After race officials discussed his lack of progress with him, Bryce Mumford scratched at Unalakleet.

Standings at 9:30PM CDT (6:30PM AKDT):
Finished at Nome
11 Wally Robinson (39)
12 Nicolas Petit (17)
13 Matthew Failor (31)
14 Ryan Redington (21)
15 Josi Thyr (22)^R
16 Jason Mackey (19)
17 Bailey Vitello (32)
18 Gabe Dunham (24)^R
19 Jessica Klejka (8)
20 Mats Pettersson (5)
21 Anna Berington (2)
22 Will Rhodes (4)^R
23 Lara Kittelson (36)^R
24 Anna Hennessy (25)^R
Beyond White Mountain
25 Benjamin Good (33)^R
At White Mountain
26 Jeff Reid (35)^R
27 Lauro Eklund (13)^R
28 Severin Cathry (30)^R
Beyond Elim
29 Sean Williams (27)^R
30 Joshua Robbins (11)^R
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

3/14 is Albert’s birthday and

Π Day.

I assume you have all shopped for the perfect gift.

To start: Π ≅ 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399
3751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679….

I’m a bit concerned about Bryce Mumford (6)^R. He has been alone beyond Kaltag for an extended period. It could be bad bookkeeping, i.e. people in the back get ignored, but Kaltag to Unalakleet is the second longest stretch of trail and it’s wide open if the wind picks up.

Standings at 10:00PM CDT (7:00PM AKDT):
Finished at Nome
1 Dallas Seavey (7)
2 Matt Hall (16)
3 Jessie Holmes (9)
4 Jeff Deeter (18)
5 Paige Drobny (38)
6 Travis Beals (14)
7 Mille Porsild (12)
8 Amanda Otto (28)
9 Peter Kaiser (26)
10 Jessie Royer (20)
11 Wally Robinson (39)
12 Nicolas Petit (17)
13 Matthew Failor (31)

Beyond White Mountain
14 Ryan Redington (21)
15 Josi Thyr (22)^R
16 Jason Mackey (19)
17 Bailey Vitello (32)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Dallas Seavey will win his sixth Iditarod and become the winningest musher in the history of the race,

A Third Dog Dies: – At approximately 10:15 a.m. today, Henry, a three-year-old male from the race team of Calvin Daugherty (bib #37), collapsed on the trail roughly 10 miles before reaching the Shaktoolik checkpoint. Daugherty administered CPR but unfortunately the attempts to revive Henry were unsuccessful. Calvin scratched in accordance with Rule 42.

Standings at 10:00PM CDT (7:00PM AKDT):
Finished at Nome
1 Dallas Seavey (7)
Beyond Safety
2 Matt Hall (16)
Beyond White Mountain
3 Jessie Holmes (9)
4 Jeff Deeter (18)
5 Travis Beals (14)
6 Paige Drobny (38)
At White Mountain
7 Mille Porsild (12)
8 Jessie Royer (20)
9 Amanda Otto (28)
10 Peter Kaiser (26)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

There are some serious winds and wind chills around the Norton Sound.

Second Dog Dies:At approximately 10:00 a.m. today, George, a four-year-old male from the race team of Hunter Keefe (bib# 10), collapsed on the trail roughly 35 outside of Kaltag en route to Unalakleet.

Keefe Scratches: Veteran Iditarod musher, Hunter Keefe (bib #10), of Knik, Alaska scratched Sunday, March 10 at 11:30 p.m. at the Unalakleet checkpoint pursuant to Rule 42.

Naaktgeboren Scratches: Veteran Iditarod musher, Deke Naaktgeboren (bib #34), of Fairbanks, Alaska, scratched at 8:19 p.m. today at the Nulato checkpoint in the best interest of his team.

Burmeister Scratches: Veteran Iditarod musher, Aaron Burmeister (bib #29), of Nome/Nenana, Alaska, scratched at 11:00 a.m. today at the Unalakleet checkpoint. Burmeister’s reasoning for scratching is “to help promote the mental wellness and health of my team in the future.”

Standings at 11:00PM CDT (8:00PM AKDT):
Beyond Elim
1 Dallas Seavey (7)
Beyond Koyuk
2 Jessie Holmes (9)
3 Matt Hall (16)
4 Travis Beals (14)
At Koyuk
5 Jeff Deeter (18)
6 Paige Drobny (38)
7 Mille Porsild (12)
8 Jessie Royer (20)
9 Peter Kaiser (26)
10 Amanda Otto (28)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

We are now using Daylight Saving Time. At 11:30AM AKDT it was -23°F in Kaltag. – good mushing temperature.

Dog Dies: At approximately 9:46 a.m. today, Bog, a two-year-old male from the race team of Isaac Teaford (bib#15), collapsed approximately 200 feet from the Nulato checkpoint.

First Scratch: Rookie Iditarod musher, Erin Altemus (bib #23), of Grand Marais, Minnesota, scratched at 9:38 a.m. today at the Ruby checkpoint in the best interest of her team.

Scratch at Galena: Rookie Iditarod musher, Connor McMahon (bib #3), of Carcross, Yukon Territory, Canada, scratched at 4:30 p.m. today at the Galena checkpoint in the best interest of his team.

Scratch at Galens: Rookie Iditarod musher, Issac Teaford (bib #15), of Salt Lake City, Utah scratched at 2:25 p.m. today at the Nulato checkpoint pursuant to Rule 42 (Death of a Dog).

Standings at 10:00PM CDT (7:00PM AKDT):
Beyond Unalakleet
1 Dallas Seavey (7)
2 Jessie Holmes (9)
3 Matt Hall (16)
4 Travis Beals (14)
At Unalakleet
5 Paige Drobny (38)
6 Ryan Redington (21)
7 Jeff Deeter (18)
8 Mille Porsild (12)
9 Jason Mackey (19)
10 Peter Kaiser (26)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

We lose an hour Sunday morning when 2AM Standard Time becomes 3AM Daylight Saving Time.

Everyone has completed their 24-hour+ stop but Dallas has yet to make a 8-hour stop on the Yukon.

Standings at 11:00PM CST (8:00PM AKST):
Beyond Kaltag
1 Travis Beals (14)
At Kaltag
2 Jessie Holmes (9)
3 Paige Drobny (38)
4 Matt Hall (16)
5 Ryan Redington (21)
6 Dallas Seavey (7)
Beyond Nulato
7 Peter Kaiser (26)
8 Jason Mackey (19)
9 Wally Robinson (39)
10 Hunter Keefe (10)
11 Aaron Burmeister (29)
At Nulato
12 Matthew Failor (31)
13 Mille Porsild (12)
14 Amanda Otto (28)
15 Jeff Deeter (18)
16 Jessie Royer (20)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

Spring forward, Fall back.

Just to screw up your life, don’t forget that Congress has stolen 2:00 to 2:59AM Sunday from you. They should at least have the decency to wait until the equinoxes to do this sort of thing. There’s barely enough daylight to do what needs to be done, much less save.

It’s a government conspiracy to make you late for church 😈

We lose an hour Sunday morning when 2AM Standard Time becomes 3AM Daylight Saving Time.

Standings at 11:30PM CST (8:30PM AKST):
At Galena
1 Travis Beals (14)
2 Matt Hall (16)
Beyond Ruby
3 Dallas Seavey (7)
4 Peter Kaiser (26)
5 Jessie Holmes (9)
6 Paige Drobny (38)
7 Ryan Redington (21)
8 Matthew Failor (31)
9 Mille Porsild (12)
10 Hunter Keefe (10)
11 Jason Mackey (19)
12 Jeff Deeter (18)
At Ruby
13 Nicolas Petit (17)
14 Wally Robinson (39)
15 Aaron Burmeister (29)
16 Jessie Royer (20)
17 Amanda Otto (28)
18 Mats Pettersson (5)
19 Josi Thyr (22)^R
20 Jessica Klejka (8)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]