it's all about Rio this week....

 this somewhat crazy dog that has worked her way into my heart and quite frankly in the heart of anyone who meets her.  so funny how often i am walking her and someone will stop me and say, "is that the blind dog?".  so strange.  people remember her. she is a quirky beast...lots of farts, seperation issues..but she is also a super sweet pup.  i will miss her when she goes and i do hope it's no time in the immediate future.  she recently found her way back to her beloved couch.  hopefully she doesn't find her way to peeing on her beloved couch...but she looks pretty happy for the moment.

 she is more sleepy or relaxed this afternoon but also less inclined to eat for me.  the kitchen has been busy trying to find anything to peak her interest.  this afternoon not much was...she did better yesterday on the eating part.  she is still peeing so i'm trying to just give her a little time and see if she just feels better overall.

 had to give her pain meds which are known to decrease appetite.  she was having a tough time right after i brought her home.  she went outside to pee and it took a great deal of effort and strain on my back to get her back up the steps of the deck to the house.  for a minute i feared i'd have to call someone to help me, but i was able to hoist/push her.

 i ended up sleeping on the floor downstairs with her last night as the only way she would settle was if i was physically touching her.  then she slept and i think i even slept a bit..though floor sleeping additionally was not the greatest on my back.  at 6 am she actually seemed calm enough on the floor that i could climb onto the couch with her.

 needless to say i got very little sleep through the night or in the past few days.  i've been pretty stressed.  i'm sure some would think me nuts to flip my entire life around over a "dog" but my dogs are a constant in my life.  i have no children and no romantic partner at this time.  they are my family.  they are with me every day and everywhere.

 thankfully, i have many friends who totally understand a girl and her dog and have been very supportive and helpful.  can't worry about what others think of you, especially when a dog is sick and needs you.  you just take care of the dog.  she's been a good dog and if she doesn't make it through all this, i want to make sure her last days are not miserable.  i'm still very hopeful and thinking positive but i do have to think of that other possibility from time to time.

 a blessing of pets is that when their time does come we can give them a peaceful ending.  probably made it easier to go ahead with surgery for me...knowing that there is always a way to bring her to peace if it turns out the surgery isn't going to bring her comfort.

 i worry about her not eating this afternoon and not getting enough water in, but her gums are still moist.  i'd like to avoid taking her back to a clinic simply because it's so stressful for her.

 i feel badly for Blossom as she isn't getting her walks.  i was barely over 1000 steps today...no where near my 10,000/day goal.  will have to just start again next week on that goal.

 should have gotten more accomplished today but when Rio did sleep i tended to rest to and try and relax or i was busy cooking up different foods to entice her with.

 these are from happier days out in Homer....seems like a long time ago though it was just last weekend.

 the girls had so much fun out there.

 we sat out on the deck for a bit and read and enjoyed the sunshine..there was loads of sunshine all weekend.

 this is them curled up in the room...the rooms are tiny..the dog rooms anyway.

 Blossom crashed.  so funny.

 i always love all the old boats on the spit...they cry out to photographed.  the lupine were just starting to bloom, otherwise i would have taken shots of the boats with the lupine in front in color. so pretty.

 started to do real tasks several times only to be interrupted.

 just hard to stay focused on any task today.

 this one has just a bit of lupine just starting to emerge.

 the paper hasn't even been opened yet.  read a bit.  this one author who won't ever be known for being a classic novelist but who's books i tend to read as they are always just good, easy reads.  no brainers.  she has a gift for telling a story.  i suspect once you have the rhythm down in writing novels you can start writing them in some formula fashion...that is the only way i can think of as to how these authors turn out novel after novel so rapidly.

 took several short naps though and my head started to clear this evening a bit.

 this one old boat out there has actually been converted into a home...i think people do live on it.

 not sure it's seaworthy so if the spit floods for some reason they won't fare well, for the meantime if they can handle all the wind and the crowds in the summer they have an amazing place to live.

 random old bus out there as well.

 i'll probably just curl up with rio on the couch tonight. it should be a much more comfortable spot than the floor was last night.

 here is some lupine from Turnigan Arm where it was in a more full bloom.  i love the lupine.  it can grow in these huge patches and just looks so beautiful.

 these are wood bison mama's and calfs at the conservation center.  great to see they kept some behind.  figured they would.  they have done so well there and it's always good to keep some breeding stock in a steady location.

 baby everythings are so adorable.

 i'll return another time...it was way too crowded for me that day. i moved on rather than fight the crowds.

 it is a cool place so i'm happy that it's getting a lot of financial support through all the tourist activities.

 a few scenes from the drive down.  that should be Redoubt above and a crane below

 or a bunch of cranes

 Blossom lords over the front seat.  she's not keen on sharing the attention with rio...so it's been a tough few days for her not being the main princess of the household.  Rio is generally okay with playing second string to Blossom...thankfully..haha

 one of many bald eagle nests along the route to Homer.

 kite flying day...

 these were from the first night out at Bishops beach.  Blossom was so excited when we got there...she loves it. Rio was happy once she was hitting the water

 loved the light on the seaweed.

 and of course, the reflections

 my sweet puppy.  she will always be my puppy.

 cool kites...way cooler than any i had as a kid.

 coal on the beach.  many collect it down there to heat their homes cheaper.

thankful for: A.  one night down, hoping she has a better day tomorrow.  B.  great and understanding friends C.  walrus cam...a great way to take a mini break and relax to the sounds of the great beasts.  good night