As we begin to approach the summer, it seems that our fellow animals cannot stop themselves from enjoying the best time of the year with us. Living in the state of Alaska, the transition from winter to summer presents us with a double-edged sword.
Instead of allowing us a smooth transition into our sunny warm days, Mother Nature forces us to deal with her nuisances of the spring season. Seemingly unable to deny her love for our state, she provides us with melted brown snow and her blessing of a variety of different animals — including the frightening bears, grazing moose, the geese, and their share of poop, it seems that Mother Nature loves to gift us with her wholehearted presence. Studying here at the University of Alaska Anchorage, it has become a common occurrence for students to run into animals, such as moose, during their casual walk in between classes. A friend of mine from the lower 48 commented, “Wow, these moose are really reminding me of all the stray cats at home.” As she was a Texas native, you can imagine the shock she must have felt when she realized our moose in Alaska are as abundant as the stray cats in Texas.
My friends and I began to participate in a game introduced by my friend from Texas, naming the different stray cats we encountered, but of course, we were naming moose doing our best to differentiate their identical brown fur.
Whether Mother Nature provides us with stray cats or stray moose, wandering bears, or geese poop, in our state of Alaska, the spring season is a time when we cannot avoid her presence.
It is only through this pesky time that we can transition from six months of cold dark days into our brisk three-month-long summer. This is Alaska’s charm at its finest and the existence of Mother Nature’s encompassing love.
— Yohan Whang
Anchorage
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