same place as yesterday, but a different look....

 it snowed overnight, so the kicksled will wait for another day i guess.  i did some loops in north bivouac.

 watching, "our idiot brother".  it's quirky and hilarious...love it so far!! okay...it just ended.  great flick!!

 anyway, we had a dusting of snow.  it's been cold so the ground is frozen up good so this snow is sticking.  supposed to be more coming soon.  my studs may not work.  was slipping around a bit.  could be me too though, gotta get used to driving in the winter again.

 my neighbors shoveled my driveway and front deck.  how nice is that!!  this guy in the movie, puts it out there, is nice, honest and overly trusting.  it gets him and everyone he knows in trouble, but as in life, it all works out in the end.

 lots of blossom pictures today.  her coat just so totally matches the brush around her.  so cute.  rio, as always was not easy to get pictures of.  she stays pretty close to me.  i think she enjoyed herself out there though.  she especially liked it in this center area.  no pesky roots to trip her up.  it was a bit tough walking out there.  with that dusting of snow you can't see the pesky roots so i was tripping up as well.  the snow also covered all that cool ice we were so carefully walking on yesterday.  i managed to stay upright.

 see what a perfect match her coat is to this brush...!!

 slept in today.  still i was the first tracks on most of the side trails out there. 3 hours sleep yesterday does catch up to you.

 i'm presuming these are fox tracks,  they were everywhere out there.  you can see who is going where on days like today.  so many animals out there you never really see, but in the winter they can't hide their activities as well.

 blossom seemed to enjoy following the scent of these tracks. i think that was why she lost her tennis ball.  it will become part of the land now i guess.  so many tennis balls out there.  so sad.

 also saw tracks of little shrew or whatever they are.

 rio is snoring away behind me.  i have the best dogs.

 more of blossom.

 had dinner out at the spenard roadhouse with friends...happy birthday sharon!! just got basics, pizza, salad and a nice sundae!! no soda...have been off for a few weeks now.   was tempted tonight to bend the rules, but i really think i should just go without.  really wouldn't mind losing a few pounds.  we shall see.

 love having clouds back.  i know i'm a freak. totally clear blue skies gets old for me fast.  the clouds just make it so much more interesting.

 more fox tracks sightings....so pretty out there today.  totally different than yesterday.

 before our walk yesterday i put a few tiny fake tattoo's on my face for the halloween themed walk.  after the walk and kaladi's and all that i headed over to the grocery store.  this is when i remembered i had them on my face still.  well, i remembered when the cashier said, "you must be a teacher".  well, i'm not a teacher, i'm just a middle aged woman who thought it would be funny to put little tattoo's on my face.  i didn't say that though, no i said i was a nurse in pediatrics.  surely that made me look less crazy.  today is halloween though so everything is acceptable.  i have to work.  bummer. i really do love to give candy out.  probably won't be many kids that arrive before i leave for work.  oh well.

 the kids have more to contend with trick or treating.  they are tougher in alaska as they say.  temperatures are supposed to be a bit low, like 15 and below.  also the news was reminding people to be watchful while trick or treating as the bears are still out and there are moose out there. there always seems to be some halloween moose stories.

 things are so much less fun it seems like to me, but kids still always find a way to find fun.  we just had so much more freedom.  we wandered the streets in kid gangs with our unfancy pillow cases going door to door.  the lives we lived were just so much less controlled by adults.  we ran free until it got dark or was time for dinner.  the kids now just have more controlled existences. i get the safety issues and all that, but something is definitely lost in that.

 it was changing when i was a kid though.  hospitals began opening their doors and allowing kids to bring in their bags of treats to be xray'd.  people were found putting metal slivers in candy.  people did still hand out homemade treats, but i remember my mom wouldn't let us eat anything that wasn't packaged in a factory. now i understand making treats for anything is not really acceptable.  so strange.  you just get older and the world changes.  eventually, i guess it changes too much and you get more ready to move on.

 more fox prints.  they were all over the place.

 this is in stumphenge.

 sat for a bite to eat earlier and a show was on about people who have been to heaven and back.  it's like it's the next thing to talk about.  it was also on the time or newsweek this past week.  one kid who was like 13 talked about his visit to heaven when he was like 4.  his dad is a pastor and he has a book out about his experience.  seems a bit strange that he would have enough material for a book or that his pastor family hasn't influenced his memory of this event.

 it's not that i'm anti heaven.  i have had a few patients who saw the light as it were and stated as such.  i've looked into patients eyes and knew their soul was elsewhere and then looked again and felt the soul was back.  i like the idea of a heaven and being reunited with family and pets and stuff.  maybe it's good this interest in heaven.  maybe it will help people in our country deal with death better.  to not fear it so much that they seem willing to torture their loved ones rather than let them go.  i think often one of the things god looks for is how compassionate we are in these situations.  are we selfish and hold onto family, despite the pain it may cause them or do we let them pass and feel the pain ourselves that comes with that loss.

 i don't know the details of what happens to us and i guess i really don't believe i have to.  i think i have faith that there is something else after this life and i just think you try to live a good life.  to be kind to others, to be honest, to live simply and to try not to take more than you give.  i liked the character in the movie i watched because he believed if you put good out there, good will come back.  i think that is true.  it's not about how much money you make or have.  god won't be in heaven with a calculator.  you may just feel the pain you have inflicted on others, be it through gossip or anger or hatred or unkindness.

 more fox tracks.  i think these big churches have a lot wrong.  i think it's more simple, which really makes it more complicated.  humans seem to like all the pomp and circumstance.  i don't think you need to attend weekly meetings to show god you are worthy of his love.  for me being in nature and taking notice of all the glory created for us and sharing it is sufficient.

 one lady was a doctor herself and so older when she had her heaven experience.  it seemed more real, but then they are all selling lots of books.  no idea if they keep the profits completely or what.  i like the message though that we are all perfect in gods eyes and that god loves each of us and is concerned for each of us.  nice to know someone is out there and on my side.

 it can be rough out there some days.

still, i'm not ready to leave earth and go to heaven just yet and i hope i have many more years to enjoy all the beauties of this earth.  well, who knows if i'll go to heaven or not.  it seems a lot of folks are pretty sure which way they will be going.  of course, those people often strike me as just the sorts that might not end up in heaven.  the afterlife will be an interesting place.  for now, i will go to bed and pray i wake in the morning at least as healthy as i was the night before.

halloween rituals and obsessed with ice and frost...

 blossom is so hollywood these days.   made halloween treat bags for those who came for monday walk.  the usual crazy eye glasses were included of course so at some point attempts were made to have the dogs test them.  manny wanted nothing to do with it and hopefully, he is not traumatized.  blossom heard the rustle of a treat bag and no longer cared what i put on her body as long as she got her treat.  she wore her jester collar for the walk and rio wore her one and only halloween/dress up outfit.  they just don't make cool stuff for big dogs!!  i must be the only person who wants to make my larger framed dogs look silly...silly isn't just for chihuahua's!!

 stopped by work as it was the day of the annual pumpkin carving contest.  there were just a few left out still, i guess it ends at 4pm.  clean up must have been fast.  this one with the dog sled team was up, which i thought was pretty cool...probably should have had more pumpkin in it.

 ob did their usual kinda strange and disturbing pumpkins.  this baby is pooping and the other one was breastfeeding.

 thusly inspired, and knowing that halloween is on wednesday, i went ahead and carved my pumpkins.  above came from the kit and below was free hand...my attempt at a dog.

 will  hopefully deal with the seeds and pulp tomorrow.  have never really totally gotten into the seed thing.  need a better recipe than the ones i seem to keep trying.  they look so good coming out of the over, but eh.

 did work sat and sunday...no on call for me.

 hit the bog on sunday between shifts.  lots of frost and bubbles again.  karen just gave me a tip she'd heard about the ice...carry hot water with you and then you can get clearer pictures of stuff under the ice!  will have to test that out.  we may try for potters tomorrow.  it's starting to snow a bit out there so if that goes wild we'll hold off on potters i guess.  i think it will just be  a dusting though.

 blossom and rio enjoy all the sniff action at the bog...local dog information i'm guessing.  blossom is the alpha dog of my two dog, otherwise she has not an ounce of alpha in her.  her alpha consists of checking rio's urine out and assessing whether the message is sufficient or putting in her two cents...it also consists of humping rio when she is  not getting enough attention.

 this is the side of the boardwalk above that blossom is sniffing.  i just love, love, love hoar frost and i'm still not doing it justice on "film" as it were.

 the lakes are freezing, i'm still a bit wary at times of going out too far.  i suspect that is my california upbringing. i'm not a natural on the ice so i'm not one to trust this whole going out on the ice thing.  i do love getting out there on the kicksled.  i think once it snows and the ice on the lakes are covered by the white stuff you just get tricked into thinking it must be safe.  somehow seeing down clearly into the lake and seeing how deep it is, well, it just makes you question the intelligence of walking across it.  out of sight out of mind is what i'm saying.

 of course, it does seem that every year people fall through the ice on the lakes and rivers and die.  the people that this happens too are often alaskan lifers.  water in any form is no respector of anyone, we are all at risk.

 i just love when the air bubbles cause these chains.  this tiny marsh area in the bog has tons of these things.i'm sure they have names...there isn't anything left to name in this world is there?

 i can tell the people who pass by me on the trail in the bog think i'm a bit nuts off on the side there taking pictures of these tiny puddles.

 how can i resist this though.

 today was the same.  we ran into the ridgeback photographer, jim barr i believe.  anyway.  we had just been enjoying the cool ice swirls in ponds out in the middle of our walk today and he mentioned that the ponds or tarns in the middle of the park were frozen.

 we decided to wander out there and check it all out.  so happy we did.  it was really a sweet walk. probably shorter than our usual but karen, lena and i still didn't get back til after 2:30 for lingering at the tarns.  just a treat out there.  of course, in my sleepy state i totally forgot my backpack with the big camera gear in it.  so all i had was my little camera and no extra battery or cards.  the cold tends to suck the battery, but i ran out of memory first.  as you can see i do not lack photo's today.  so perhaps a good thing.

 these are still from yesterday.

 work was not bad these past days. in the adults i started with 2 patients, gave one away and got a transfer in.   kept me steady, but not crazy.  my kid last night wouldn't slow down it's breathing rate.  always bugs you when you can't fix something.  hmm...docs are still trying to figure out what's up so i really shouldn't let myself get too worked over it.

 co-workers were fun both nights so all was well.

 this happens all over as the land freezes up.  that is a rock inside the hole.  this is also a problem on the roads and such so it can be tough to keep pot holes from forming.  doing road work is a constant issue.

 blossom playing dominant dog with rio...the only dog who will tolerate her silly dominance game.  of course, it looks even sillier when they are dressedin costumes.

 the teds thing worked out okay.  not my favorite, but there are worse things in life.  my body is tired, but that is usual after working nights.  i could say in the mornings it was just that usual "i worked all night" tired rather than my leg feeling totally wiped out.

 luckily, i live in a nation where care is a possibility. so often it's easy to forget that so many other humans on our earth get the same sort of medical issues as we do but they have absolutely no relief from pain, no treatment plan, basically, they just deal with it.  many die at a much younger age than we do here for very treatable things.  it's sad.

 these are on our n. bivouac loop.  the area where the trees really got nailed in the wind storm had these cool ice flow formations.  it was a kick just looking at the underwater happenings.

 cool swirls, right?

 i know i didn't do them justice with my little camera.  hopefully, karen got some awesome shots.  she has a lot more processing to do at home.  she shoots raw. i just do the basics, edit the basics and bam, i'm done.  she is much more patient and seems to enjoy that end of it.  i'm more lazy and the blog keeps me on the computer long enough.  :-)

 trying to weed out pictures as i go.  i loaded way too many.  soon this cool ice will be covered with snow so i have to take advantage of it while i can...well i don't really have too, but being that i'm bubble and ice obsessed, i must!

 just so many different things that ice does.  who knew?

 lena found this ghostly looking creature in the ice.

 so much bitching on the facebook site...can't wait til this election crap is over.   maybe people will get normal again.  i've never understood how people can seem to absolutely hate candidates or anyone that isn't on their side.  people get so nasty and horrible.  the behaviour surrounded elections it horrible.  i keep hiding posts.  so accusitory and hateful. of course, they all believe they are totally right and that anyone who thinks differently is obviously an idiot.

 manny stops briefly and i get lucky and capture him...well part of him anyway.

 anyway, all these accusations based on some information that fox news "uncovered".  nobody else seemed to cover this "big" story.  people just forget how different things are in other places.  you can't call 911 in libya.  i heard an interview with the ambassador over there that died, he knew the risks he was taking, he sounded like a very balanced person. in his heart he really wanted to help the people of libya and there are many there who also mourn his loss.  it's a chaotic place though.  there are risks and threats everywhere.  nobody is ever safe there at this time.  you just don't know.  if we would have sent in extra security, the death toll may be much higher and then they'd be accusing obama of recklessly putting more lives at risk.  spin, spin, spin..i'm dizzy and i want to get off this political rollar coaster ride.

 just popped downstairs and the snow is falling in bigger flakes now.  hm...

 today there were still fall colours out there, tomorrow it will be a sea of white.  this is why every day my walk is full of surprises.

 we kept the dogs pretty close to the sides on the ponds out there.  they seemed to enjoy it. i think even rio loved being on the ice and bunches of grass, so much easier for her than the roots of the trail and the frost heaves and holes.

 lots of bubbles for me to enjoy.

 lena forgot her camera, but she was enjoying all the sites out there on the trail.  the dogs wait for a treat.

 karen enjoys the photo ops of the day!

 gotta get cracking on that ceu coarse. was a bit annoyed by the last bit.  it's about cancer in women.  after they were really done with endometrial cancer and the scenario that went with it they added that the patient was single and lived with her cats.  seems a bit stereotypical and unnecessary to me.

 nothing wrong with having pets and that doesn't mean that every single girl with pets is some lonely freak.  just mildly annoying. i'll have to mention it in the course evaluation.

 lilly pads frozen in ice.

 a few months back during rounds the doc, mcghan, had mentioned that this patient of mine was really messed up and they were about the same age.  i then countered with the fact that men like this are in my dating pool.  all the alcohol is catching up to those who have taken in too much over the years.  it must have disturbed him.  i don't so that in an i'm so depressed way, it's just that when you get to a certain age the men in your dating pool can be a bit questionable.  many have alcohol or drug issues, many seem to be turning into pedephiles or just bad humans, and many just have a lot of baggage.  i don't want to become a caregiver to some old guy or deal with his ex-wife and all the other crap.  it's just reality.

 saturday in rounds i had another fine specimen in my age bracket with alcohol issues.  i'm guessing he was a bit disturbed by the sad dating pool i have as he mentioned it in rounds...he said something about this guy being in my dating pool.  yes and no, he has a girlfriend.  these losers actually do seem to have girlfriends.  some women are more willing to put up with the crap. i'm just not that girl.

 rather be out on the trails with friends taking pictures of ice bubbles!

 thought this one turned out pretty too.

 i think we were all thrilled by how the walk progressed.

 karen and i then went to kaladi's. kim and her daughter raven joined us along with another rt michelle.  one of our docs happened to be there meeting a friend of hers so she joined us as well....so another lovely kaladi monday too!

 a girl and her dog...lena out in the frozen bog.

 leaves frozen in time.

 blossom makes her way around the tarn or pond...still not clear how much water is required to go from pond to tarn and from tarn to lake. i think i will call these tarns...it's such a cute word!

 such a cutie.

 blossom turned 7 this weekend.  no big celebrations for her.  she's a dog...everyday is a party in her world...she hit the jackpot! must have been good in her past lives to get to live as a dog!!

 we went from subdued to silly pretty fast.  the glasses came out.

 realized this morning when i got home that i hadn't put the goody bags together yet.  worked quickly on the silly necklaces i'd decided to make..can't let that stuff go to waste.  i'd made and shipped goody bags to a few of my nephews. i'd had a partial package ready to go for a few months.  making it halloween themed gave me incentive to get it mailed before halloween. it did arrive in time and the boys seemed to enjoy it.

 above me, below, karen, lena and i.

 rio was forced to participate as well.  silly dog!!

 everyone lines up for treats from lena.

 blossom seemed to forget we'd put those glasses on her once food was involved.

 lots of bubbles.

 second tarn.  the winter trail crosses over this one.

 a few more bubble shots and i'm off to bed.

 we shall see what tomorrow brings.  it's not looking like potters for ice skating, but we shall see.  if not i'll have to think of another place to wander.  hmmm.....

hope you enjoy the pictures as much as i enjoyed taking them.