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Don’t forget to make time for the North Pole Street Nationals today and Sunday. I’ve had a personal reminder every night when I go home since I live on St. Nicholas Drive and have observed the effort that is going into this event. All of it has been a reminder that these street races are going to be a lot of fun.

First, the bleachers were set up. Then, the big cement barricades were installed. And a couple of nights ago, there was a big meeting with all the drivers — right there in the middle of the new highway.

They draped the cement barriers with sponsor banners, and since our house is for sale just down the road, I thought about hanging a “house for sale” sign with an arrow pointing toward my house.

The races will take place between the two North Pole overpasses, smack dab in front of Forbes Square on St. Nicholas Drive. The Top Eliminator class from Anchorage will be here to participate.

The Fairbanks Racing Lions is sponsoring the event. While it is free to the public, the group is asking for a $5 donation if fans want to visit the pit area and see the cars up close.  Organizer Jamie Bodenstadt said there are some bleachers, but spectators might want to bring a lawn chair to ensure they have a place to sit.

Because of limited space for spectator vehicles, parking will be available at the North Pole Mall and North Pole Schools.

There will be bus transport to the race site.  Registration starts at 8 a.m., time trials at 10 a.m. and the races begin at 2 p.m.

For more information, contact Jamie Bodenstadt at 907-456-2483 or visit www.fairbanksracinglions.org/

Moose encounter

Here is something to think about: Where has the moose that just wandered into your yard been recently. The other morning, our Chesapeakes were doing their all-too-familiar “moose bark,” and after groaning through a half hour of it, I got out of bed to yell at them and to see what was happening. The dogs were fairly frantic, and I could hear the moose rattling the bushes and thundering up and down the yard.

What I saw jerked me quickly awake. The moose was berserk, charging the kennels and actually growling. He was furious, dancing on hind legs, pawing the air and leaping toward the dogs. Twice, he raced past the kennels and back again, running incredibly fast. Every time they barked, he’d respond with wild hostility.

At one point, he charged my dog Maggie’s kennel and then stood in front of it, hunkered down with the hair on his back standing straight up. His snout wasn’t 6 inches from Maggie who immediately turned into a statue. She didn’t blink an eye, and I don’t think she was even breathing. I could almost hear her mind working as this monster stared her down. “I’m a tree. Just a little tree. No, not even a tree. I’m a stump. Please don’t hurt me. I’m a stump. Just a little stump.”

The moose finally left and probably wandered over to the North Star Subdivision, which got me thinking. If some poor sap wandered out in his jammies to get the paper and the moose was close by, he probably would have gotten nailed. This was one totally unhappy moose, and I know he would have loved a victim to take out some of his rage.

So, beware. That moose that wanders into your yard may have had a bad day.

Christian School

garage sale

On Sept. 13, the North Pole Christian School will hold its sixth annual garage sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hawks Greenhouse. Proceeds will go to the school’s Learning Center Grades, preschool through third.

For information on where to drop off items, contact Amber White at 488-0133.

Computer woes

Last Friday afternoon was brutal. I got home late, ready to finish my column and get it sent in time to beat my 6 p.m. deadline. I turned on my computer, and it took forever to come to life. Then it froze. I tried over and over again to “fix” it by rebooting. Luckily, I had a copy of what I’d written so far, so at 6:30, I raced to my office in Fairbanks, finished my column and sent it in. The next morning, I took my troublesome computer to Geek City.

I paid the expedited fee to have my machine fixed that day. Late that afternoon, I got the verdict and, in addition, got the lowdown on computers. It seems the hard drive is much like an old fashioned record, full of magnetic grooves called sectors. Brad Jones, owner of Geek City, said that normally they see computers with 20 to 30 faulty sectors. They turned my computer off when it reached 1,700.

My hard drive is now on its way to a recovery center in California where men in white coats will try to recover the data. The cost will probably be a minimum of $2,500. I really don’t have a choice but to pay the big bucks for my stupidity. Years worth of columns are on there, hundreds of photos, all my books, a year’s worth of research for a novel based in 1890s Montana, all the copies of a family newsletter I did for years and tons of other stuff. I have copies of my columns and books but not the rest.

If they can’t recover anything, I don’t pay, but I have hope since this is the company that recovered information from the hard drive that blew up on the Challenger. They also have recovered information from computers that have gone through fires, been fished from swamps and been through all sorts of turmoil.

So, did I learn anything? I learned about external drives, where it takes only a few minutes to save everything on your computer. If you don’t have one, get one. Two of the most important words in your life should be “back up.”

Palin: You go girl!

The controversy over our own Sarah Palin rages, but I think most of us in Alaska are thrilled with John McCain’s vice-presidential choice. She has done wonders for our state, and it will be nice if she is allowed to take her housecleaning techniques to a national level. We need leaders that have the aggressive boldness of this woman. Too many of our leaders are watered-down versions of humankind who are so afraid of being politically incorrect and so afraid of stepping on toes that they are ineffective. We need real men and women who put the needs of our citizens ahead of party or agenda. Sarah is surely one to be reckoned with, and I think in time America will recognize her rare qualities and come to love her as most Alaskans do.

I am so proud of Sarah Palin, and her speech Wednesday night was a joy to hear. For me, it’s a great time to be an Alaskan.

Message from a blonde

My sister, who for years was a blonde, calls such jokes “apricot jokes.” Blonde, brunette or redhead, this one is still funny:

The blonde, determined to be more energy efficient, replaced all the windows in her house with double-pane versions. A year later, she got a call from the contractor who complained that she still hadn’t paid for them.

“Halloo,” she said, “just because I’m blond doesn’t mean that I am automatically stupid.” She then repeated just what his fast talking sales guy had told her the year before — that in one year the windows would pay for themselves.

“Halloo, it’s been a year,” she declared.

The poor befuddled contractor simply hung up, knowing he would probably never win this one.