lazy and sunny days...

so the other day i decided to play a bit with the camera and take advantage of the sunshine. i couldn't figure out how to alter the contrast so i thought i would take pictures twice. once with it in program and once in program/landscape mode. the blues and greens did come out better in the landscape mode. i drove south of anchorage along the turnigan arm. no bore tide seen and no belugas. i did have fabulous blue skies and snow capped mountains. i thought i would take the drive down to a little trail i hadn't been on for several years. the trail is maybe a mile each way and leads to a glacier. the glacier used to come all the way down the mountain, but now it's receeded a great deal and is more of a hanging glacier. the dogs enjoyed the walk and the fact that the snow was still on the trail in parts so they got to roll around in snow.
above is at the base of the mountain where the water coming from glacial melt becomes the little stream/river.

i love the blue colour of the glaciers. the water that comes off it is filled with the silt which is quite unique and beautiful as well. it can gum up your water filter.

this is byron glacier. below is just a picture i took on the drive down turnigan arm.

had to share the progress of my himilayan poppies. they are blooming. now my other plants are also blooming and the rose is just about to bloom as well. it's fun to see things you plant, grow and bloom. i have planted grapes this year so we'll see. my cucumber or zuchinni may be ready to produce as well. my neighbors raspberries are growing into my yard and seem to be doing better than the ones i keep planting.

so i'm sore today. yesterday started with one of those awful migraine headaches. i don't get them very often, but they can really take you out. the worst is the puking. i hate puking. i'd make an awful bulimic, i also like to eat and get cranky when i'm hungry so i'd make a lousy anorexic. i've been accused of this before. several years back i had issues with my gall bladder. i had no stones, but instead had a malformed duct that caused the gall bladder emptying to be delayed greatly. it took them awhile to figure it out. i was hospitalized with pain, they did an upper gi scope to check for possible cancer. asked me about what i ate, how much i exercised. they eventually did a HIDA scan which left me in horrible pain and my gall bladder was removed. now i'd like to lose the usual 10-15 pounds that most people want to lose. a neice of mine also had to have her gall bladder out and they found no stones, but instead a malformed duct. so perhaps it's genetic.

anyway...by the time my headache was resolving the day was speeding by. i ended up sticking close to home and working in the garden for most of the day. i put the new push mower together and mowed the back lawn...sadly, near the end of the my mowing session i figured out that screws were falling out of the mower that i'd put in earlier. so now i'm looking for the screws in the lawn. i also did lots of weeding. the weeds have been nuts as usual. that night...tweak...my lower back. ouch. so today was another lazy day. i did walk the dogs, but it was painful. poor pups. they are so used to those long walks. i read in the yard and threw the toys for blossom often so i doubt either of them suffered much. they remain spoiled rotten. i'm almost done with this good book i'm reading, "the wednesday sisters" by meg waite clayton.

i think my back is easing a bit, but it usually takes a few days to stretch back out. luckily i have a massage scheduled for next week. sorry.....quite the dull post.

very scarey that this poor soldier has been taken hostage. that is never a good thing. my heart goes out to him and to his family who must be completely distraught at this time. most of the news has been about jackson....looks like they are finally reporting about other more newsworthy things. we're fighting harder in afghanistan...it's all very frightening. an amazing news item was that 14 year old girl that survived that plane crash.

okay so i have to tell you that with all the micheal jackson music playing i am downloading some tunes as we speak. i've not ordered any from the jackson 5. his siblings all seem like hangers on. at least i feel like this money will go to his mother and those kids. who...i must say dont' look anything like micheal jackson. i think some major dna testing is in order. i do think they don't belong with that egg donor mother though. she traded money for any rights to them. there is something a bit unmotherly about it all.

i'm also downloading some bonnie raitt. always a favorite that for some reason i've never put on my ipod. off to start on a new book....having finished the other book while awaiting downloads and such.