A mother moose and her young calf visited the house yesterday.

Summer is here, and there are two ways to know:

1) It’s hot. When it the sun shines and it hits 70 degrees in Anchorage, it’s plenty warm. Today, the thermometer says at least 75 degrees. That’s downright sweltering in Southcentral Alaska. Of course, you’ll still see plenty of visitors with jackets on, but the locals are ready to head for a small lake a dip to cool off.

2) Moose … and plenty of them. The cow moose have dropped their calves. The last two days we’ve had three sightings at the house. A mother and her twins were in my neighbor’s yard Tuesday morning when I left for work. Gina saw a cow and a single calf munching on leaves at the end of the driveway yesterday. This morning the cow and calf were back, this time in my neighbor’s yard.

I love moose (although they can do some serious damage to a garden), but there are plenty of reasons for everyone -- especially visitors -- to be careful. They may seem like big, gangly animals -- which they are -- but they can also be very aggressive, dangerous and deadly. If you see a moose, especially a mother and its young, give a wide berth. No doubt you want a postcard-worthy photo, but it’s not worth risking life and limb.

If you’re in Anchorage this week, enjoy summer. If you’re coming later, hopefully it will be just as nice. And if you see a moose while you’re here, enjoy it but remember it is a wild animal.

-- Steve