Maybe I'll get the mail

Maybe not. These are terrible photos but this is the mama and two baby moose that've been hanging around my apartment. Normally I come around a corner behind that blue truck to get my mail. Good thing I skipped yesterday morning.

This weekend was a series of firsts. I drove in snow for the first time, bought my first set of studded tires and almost got killed by a moose for the first time. More embarassingly, I finished my first novel since grad school. Since STARTING grad school. I used to practically inhale any book I could get my hands on. Since college though, it's just lost the appeal. I wont even tell you what I read because that would cause even more embarrassment.

Anyway, yesterday I drove to Homer to buy my tires from someone off Craigslist. Mrs. Hawker came with me so we could do some shopping and stuff our faces at a good restaurant. We got in some prime binge eating, saw the first big snow of the season and I got to practice winter driving. A very productive day. By the time we left, the snow had turned to rain and washed the roads clean. So we're driving home, I'm watching the road but feeling confident since the ice and snow were gone. All the sudden, Mrs. Hawker yells, "Moose!" and kind of jumped out of her seat. A giant cow had come running out of the woods. She was aimed at my window, but decided to stop right after the pavement of the other side of the road. WHEW! Seems I need to watch more than just the road.

So then we had to stop at Tustamena Lodge and have some Prime Rib to slow our racing hearts. Because the soup, salad, calzone and plate-sized pizza slice in Homer just weren't enough.