I like to think of chili as one of the more healthy comfort foods, especially when it contains deer, moose or caribou instead of store-bought hamburger. Something about it shouts, “man food!” Us guys like the meat and heat of it. We even like to cook it, which the ladies appreciate.

Earlier this week, I heard some guy in a local radio station commercial say, "You're not a real Alaskan if you're not grilling outside by now."

By now? No real Alaskan would ever stop grilling outside just because there's a little snow and ice on the ground. Anyone worthy of the title has been grilling outdoors all winter long.

Why fish won’t bite is one of the great mysteries of fishing. It’s been attributed to everything from circadian rhythm to karma. To make the puzzle even more exasperating, each species has its own feeding preferences.

Understanding fish is on a par with understanding women. Many times, I’ve seen an individual fish turn up its nose at my offering while a nearby fish of the same size and species will jump on it like a robin on a June bug.

On Wednesday I returned to Sterling from the south, where I enjoyed my first winter as a snowbird.

The real snowbirds are still down there, probably quacking and cackling at my ignorance. They know better than to return to Alaska while the temperatures are below freezing and there's snow that needs shoveling.