Thursday, May 12, 2016

This is why we can't have nice things in Alaska.

Courtesy of Alaska Dispatch:  

A moose with an appetite for music surprised a Denali National Park and Preserve employee last week at her home in Interior Alaska. 

On May 4, Britta Schroeder was drifting off to sleep when her wind chimes began to ring. It’s windy in Healy, the Interior Alaska community just north of the park, so at first she didn’t think much of it, Schroeder said. 

But “it continued on and on,” Schroeder said. Once her dog’s ears perked up, she realized an animal must be outside her door. 

She peeked outside and saw the moose, which a co-worker told Schroeder is likely a female. Schroeder opened her door just a crack -- so that her dog wouldn’t get outside -- to take video.

You know that moose has a good ear for music. That was actually a little pleasant.

Of course she kind of broke the chimes, but what do you expect? She's a moose.

You know I don't think you can actually live in Alaska for too long without having at least one or two moose stories to share.

I have a few such as the day I was delivering newspapers and hit a baby moose while standing uncomfortably close to its mother.

Or the time that I accidentally blocked the only exit out of a fenced back yard and in response was charged by a bull moose which chased me all the way back to my car.

Or the time I put my name on the list to help a non-profit organization harvest the meat from a moose that had been struck by a car. Yeah, that was a bad night.

For the most part however the moose and the people live in some harmony, though there are certainly times of the year when you want to give them a wide berth. 

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:49 AM

    That was a beautiful musical start to the day.
    Beaglemom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous4:34 AM

    I posted a little while ago about the moos's beautiful music. I've been wondering - do you think that, once she set the chimes to chiming so gently, she thought the violins would come in or maybe she's more partial to cellos? At any rate, the moose's gentleness with the chimes was lovely to see and to hear.
    Beaglemom

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5:49 AM

    One morning in Maine years ago, people saw a moose stroll through the Main Street in a small town. Just passing through.

    On another note, my friend was sitting reading in bed and the window above her headboard was open. She distinctly heard loud snorts and there were two moose faces staring in her window.

    Moose seem to be very curious and playful fellows indeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:39 AM

      We have moose wandering around downtown Anchorage often. Many years ago, I was driving downtown early one Sunday morning and there was a cow and her calf standing at the front door of Nordstrom's. Unfortunately, it was before cell phone cameras. It would have made a great picture. It looked like they were just waiting for the store to open.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous8:51 AM

    During a deep snow year we had a pair of two year-olds that spent a lot of time on our back deck. I have some great photos of them licking our doorknobs. They got pretty comfy hanging around, enough so that we had to resort to using the side door for a few weeks. The dogs were very glad when they stopped coming around.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous9:01 AM

    She was just about to fall asleep? But the video shows it's light outside? Was it night and it's that light in Alaska? I'm confused.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:37 AM

      Depending on where she is, yes it could very well still be light while she was trying to go to sleep. Up north, it's already light 24 hours a day and even in Anchorage it's light til well after 10:00 now.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:13 PM

      11:37 again ... sun is setting in Healy at almost 11:00 now.

      Delete
  6. Anita Winecooler4:41 PM

    Where we're moving, our big problem is deer, I know they're nothing by comparison to moose, but still, I can't landscape how I want, they have ordinances to cage in rhododendron and other plants they like, and not to plant poisonous bulbs like daffodils, the deer love eating them, but they contain oxalic acid, which causes their kidneys to stop functioning and causes neurological problems. During mating season, they wreak havoc on cars, buses, trains you name it.
    The way I see it, they were here first, we're on their turf.

    ReplyDelete

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