What's it like to live in Alaska? Well.... it's like, well... er it's like living anywhere. I sleep in a bed. I live in a house. I wear clothes I bought from K-Mart. I eat at McDonald's. Yes, we have houses, beds and K-Marts in Alaska.

       Surprised?

       A few questions most frequently asked me about Alaska:

       Do you use American money?   Yes, we use American money. After all, Alaska became the 49th state in 1959. I realize that's young compared to most states, especially if yours signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

       Do you live in igloos?   No, I've never even seen an igloo, unless you count the one my husband made for the children one winter when we accumulated 20 feet of snow. The boys could jump off our deck (which is ten feet above the ground) and hit snow immediately. It didn't, however, keep from me having apoplexy watching them do it.

       Does anyone live in igloos?   Not that I know of, an igloo wouldn't make a very substantial home. Even in the northernmost part of the state the snow melts in the summer. An igloo, as I understand it, is made of blocks of ice with a small opening resembling a dog kennel. How would you heat such a home? Alaskans are hearty but we do like our warmth. That was the problem with the children's igloo. They wanted to sleep in it all night but came into the house after an hour, chilled to the bone.

       Then where did all this talk about igloos in Alaska come from?   There are times when hunters, trappers, or dog mushers will build an igloo as a temporary protection from the elements. However, with all the neat camping equipment at K-Mart, why would anyone opt for an ice tent? I'd guess that some outside photographer thought an igloo set against a mountainside would be picturesque. That's a very good question, though, and I'm going to find the answer.... someday.

       Does anyone sell ice cubes to the Eskimos?   Absolutely! Free enterprise reigns in Alaska. All the grocery stores carry ice by the bag and the block. Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't eat yellow snow"?

       Do Alaskans speak English?   Yes, we speak English. However, that's a good question. Other languages are spoken in the state. A variety of native Alaskans, Eskimos, Indians, Aleuts, and Russians, as well as a large immigrant population of Laotian, Japanese, Korean, Filipinos, Spanish, and others live here. The official language is, however, English. On the other hand, Alaskans do have a slang distinctively their own.

       Like what kind of slang?   For instance, Aleuts, mushers, cheechakos, mukluks, outside, sourdough and lower 48.  To an Alaskan outside is anywhere that's not Alaska-- as in the phrase, "I'm going outside for the winter." Cheechakos are newcomers who may picture a hearty Alaskan sleeping in an igloo all winter. This phrase actually means "I'm taking a vacation in a warmer climate."

       Of course, I wear mukluks to keep my feet warm because I'm a sourdough, an old-timer, since I've lived in Alaska for 34 years. There are those who'd tell you that sourdough means "sour on the country but ain't got the dough to leave," but don't you believe it! The lower 48 represents the 48 contiguous states. We don't count that "younger" state admitted to the union after Alaska unless that's where we are going outside for the winter.

       What's the funniest question anyone has ever asked you about Alaska?   I chuckle when outsiders want to know our language and if we use American money, but the one that beats them both is: "When do they turn on the Northern Lights?" This dancing ring of light only appears when it's dark. There's no way to "turn them on" in the summer when we are having over 20 hours of sunlight and the sky is never entirely dark.

       Do they really give away money in Alaska?   Yes, I suppose they do. This year the PFD amounted to $1,540.88. However, divided by 12 months, that is hardly an incentive for moving here. With the high cost of living, it certainly wouldn't be enough to buy groceries. A gallon of milk is almost $4. I've paid $3 for a tomato and I held it in my hand all the way home. In Barrow my husband paid $10 for one cantaloupe. You should have seen the dollar signs in the eyes of a tourist from Arizona!

       What's the PFD?   It stands for Permanent Fund Dividend. Back in the 1960s Alaska sold a bunch of oil leases to oil companies for 900 million dollars, and the state receives royalties from the oil pumped through the Trans-Alaska pipeline. From these monies the state legislature set up a Permanent Fund for Alaska's future when the oil is depleted. The PFD is a portion of the earnings from that fund, shared equally with every resident man, woman, and child in Alaska.

       Aren't you afraid of being eaten by a bear?   The only time I've seen a bear is from a bus touring Denali park. I'm more frightened of being stomped by a moose. A cow moose and her calf come through my garden every year to eat the pea vines and broccoli.

       How can you stand to live where it gets so cold?   My answer to that is, "How can you stand to live where it gets so hot?" You can always put on enough clothes to keep warm, but you can't take off enough clothes to keep cool. Sure, it gets 60 below zero (yes, Fahrenheit!) in Fairbanks occasionally. But there's nothing like snuggling up to a warm fire, talking to a travel agent, making your reservations for a trip outside with your PFD check.