I watched my first sunrise of advent this morning. Without clouds to inhibit it, the sun popped out of the waters of Gastineau Channel like an angry orange god. It looked ready and capable to melt away the six-inch layer of snow that covers the ridge. Experience tells me that the sun won’t shift the snow without help from the rain, which is scheduled to make an appearance soon.

 Thick ground fog hampered our plane’s landing last night and made it hard to see the new snow covering Juneau. On the ride home from the airport I pondered how we were going to get through the snow to reach our front door. There was no need to worry. One of our neighbors had already dug a path. Am I naive to find hope for peace in such an act of kindness?

   Aki didn’t see the sunrise and hasn’t pockmarked the snow with her tiny paws. She spent the last 10 days in a dog hotel while her humans visited family and friends in Washington D.C. I’ll spring her when the hotel opens its reception desk at one this afternoon. Then we will go one an adventure to celebrate the return of the winter sun.