tubing Arctic Valley and snow sculptures

 above pic is  by Karen Rode.  our little group spent a few hours out at Arctic Valley ski area on Sunday.  for avid sledders, going up there for some tubing seemed like a good idea. sledding and tubing are not just for kids.  $15 for 1.5 hours which i thought was pretty decent.  you get pulled up the little hill and we got many runs in.

 these are all mixed up.  the light was fairly flat for the snow sculptures but as always there were some pretty good ones.  I'm impressed by the details.  hopefully i get a chance in Fairbanks to see the ice sculptures again.  seems a bit early for the bigger ones but the smaller ones should be done.  looking like cold temperatures for the restart again.  highs of -10  i think.  may leave the pups home and just book up and down.

 Ivy gives me a good yawn this morning.  she goes in for her spay in the morning.  early in the morning.  i called today and they didn't seem the least bit concerned that she was finishing her heat cycle. she seems to be done actually.

 nice group for the Monday walk today.  last day needing to protect her virginity.  whew!! maybe having an incision will slow her jumping tendencies...doubtful.  did try on her post op surgical lycra suit.  Tusker was already trying to chew it off of her.  hopefully she doesn't really need it at all, but the cone and a dog door wouldn't work at all.  it did look pretty funny on her.  they have them in cool designs and colors but didn't have her size.

 my back/body is a wee bit sore post tubing yesterday but i felt better since speedy said hers was too.  SH has a bruise on her face from rescuing Syd who's tube flipped over onto ours...we rode down in groups mostly.  i screamed, everyone screamed.  then there was a great deal of laughter. it was great to just laugh and laugh.

 with this government take over as it seems to be there has not been much cause for laughter.  every day is stressful.  he is incapable of calm.  a narcissist with borderline tendencies and perhaps a manic side to him.  we are all forced to go on this ride with him.  the GOP seems fine with all, refuses to even consider investigating or looking into his many financial issues. the rich get richer and apparently now they do so on our tax dollars.  at some point we lost control of our government and let it be bought by the highest bidder.  so many just have opted out of voting or involvement.

 the only way out is for people to get involved, for people to vote in actual decent people who are less prone to bribery.  all is not lost yet, but this man and the GOP are causing chaos across the globe at the moment.  hoping control returns to the government before irreparable harm has occurred.

 took a few photos with the phone.  seemed unwise to carry my bigger camera but it probably would have been fairly safe.  i did use my GoPro, thanks Jeff!!  we got some fun videos.  i feared i swore too much on most of them as i apparently tend to say, shit, shit, shit, shit for much of the rides down.  haha.

 liked this mouse and cheese one

 our day started pretty cloudy/foggy but then the clouds/fog all lifted and it was absolutely stunning out there.

 another morning shot of Ivy. she is NPO at this point.  put up the food.  they said she could drink water.

 i'm scheduled for a massage tomorrow which will be great.  much needed...more for POTUS related stress than tubing, but a massage is always good for me.

 the ski area hasn't been groomed in a bit.  this place is all volunteer so they only have so much money for day to day operations.  it's right here in Anchorage though.

 Tusker in the car.

 Albert Einstein i think.

this iitoo has unleashed the white freaks.  incidences, bomb threats, murder even has increased.  it's so scary and easy to see how these horrible historical events get started.  most of us feel we are seeing history repeat itself at some level.  it's unsettling and terrifying.  this element of society is generally kept at bay due to social constraints against this behavior but sadly, this administration has made them feel empowered.

 selfie.  still trying to figure out the go pro, i think i got some decent movie clips today...even if i looked silly with the head gear..haha. this activity seemed perfectly suited for the gopro

 this shot below is also by Karen Rode.  we are hooked up and headed back up the hill.  pretty chill on our tubes.

 liked the detail of the keys in this one.

 i try to not let myself get too sucked in or angry over these things that i can't control.  it's hard to look away though.  seems like each day is some other hell that you are amazed is allowed to continue.  there are worse hells, i need to remember...though this one can get much worse very quickly.  i suspect the anxiety is the anticipation of the worse that could happen.  there is also just an intense sadness that this nation of ours, one that we love, feels as if it is at great risk.  i try to convince myself that those who seem to follow the iitoo like cult members do not wish to lose our democracy and will come to their senses at some point...it doesn't really seem possible though.

 still, we walk, we go tubing, life for the most part seems to move forward...of course, i am white so i have not been the target of those who hate anyone that doesn't look like them or think like them or believe like them.  there is a Jewish place of worship just down the street.  there were many bomb threats today at synagogues.  ours included.  nothing was found, but it happened.  children in the day care there were escorted out of building and sent  home early.  it's depressing.  i don't want this element of our society to be feeling empowered and acting on this.  i want a POTUS who would send a clear message that this is not to be tolerated, this one has done the opposite though.

 above pic was by SH.

 this one is pretty cool i think below

 will be anxious tomorrow...hoping all goes fine with Ivy Rose.  poor girl.

 the tow line...up into the abyss.  it was some pretty steep skiing it seems.

 the tow line stopped once so we did have to walk up once.  made us all appreciate that tow line.

 a wise owl...

 there was one lady who got all ruffled as they ran out of the larger sized tubes.  Syd is in the stage where the small tube was just a bit too small for her.  we'd gotten there early and had our tubes...in my opinion it's really just first come first serve.  not everyone tubed over and over for the entire time and if she'd been patient a bigger tube came available pretty fast.  some people just like to make a scene.  she was just talking loudly to nobody/everyone that if you pay for a child's ticket you only get a small tube...the price for child/adult is the same.  i guess the lady's daughter was trying to get her to shut up...she was embarrassed by this behavior.

 I'm always just laughing to myself...we are tubing.  it's a totally chill and fun activity....if you are pissed on a day out tubing there is probably no possible way of making you happy.

 she fits perfectly on the larger sized tube...

 well, i  have to drive to the vets super early so i better crash for the night.

grateful for:  A.  the siblings that i really get along with and enjoy talking with.  i know I'm supposed to say them all but there are a few that i feel much closer to.  those who are active participants.  in life we all make the choice to be involved in the lives of those we care about.  I'm just trying to say that i appreciate the effort that many of my siblings have made over the years to include me in their lives despite the distance and that we don't always agree on everything.  thank you  B.  being able to laugh loudly and forget the things that you can't always change..at least for a few minutes C.  my sweet and lovable puppies...best wishes to Ivy on her surgery tomorrow.

close encounters of the moose kind!!

 this pair have been hanging out around my neighborhood this week.  above was in my driveway.  this guy snuck up on me as i was changing out my card in my camera.  he had been across the street but when i looked up from my task...here he was looking at me.

 don't let their size fool you.  they are super quiet when they move around.  i had no idea he had crossed over.

 here he is safely on the other side of the street

 today we walked up Patterson and then went to the ice rink to do some training at the grammar school.  we need to do more training apparently. they want snacks or forget it still.  on the way to the park we passed this guy and his mama resting some 30 feet off the sidewalk.  was able to convince the pups to move through.

 their track record with moose encounters is a bit sketchy at this point.  i had hoped their incident at Kincaid would have convinced them to just leave these large creatures alone, but that hasn't been the case.

 on our walk in the bog the other day the dogs decided to follow their noses and took off.  my bad habit is releasing the leashes rather than hanging on for dear life.  i fear injury though so i suspect it's a survival instinct. they booked and then i saw a moose take off into the deep snow. i called the pups and thankfully, they did return.  we do have that command down pretty well.  had me concerned for summer and bears being around.  so more training!!

 Ivy watches moose with interest from upstairs.

 texted with my other brother, who attended the funeral today in Texas, sounds like the funeral was lovely and well attended.  they got a basket of treats i sent so that is good. can't be there, but you still want to let them know you are thinking of them.

 of course, work since this loss happened has been a bit rough i'd say.  sick kids with chronic seizures and chronic disabilities.  the lord works in mysterious ways i guess.

 last night i was put on call at 4:30.  when the phone first rang i figured they were just asking me to do something that they knew i wouldn't want to do...that happens from time to time. would you be willing to....i usually accept the challenge and save the day i guess.  normally they would never think of calling you off until after 5pm.  they said they had several folks on call.  i'm a bit unique though in that my skill set and skill level mean that no matter how many you have on call...i have a high probability of getting called in. i have been super tired all week.  this sinus bug has wiped me out.  otherwise, not bad, just sinus pain, annoyance and exhaustion.

 i crashed at 5:30 figuring best to get what sleep i could.  must have had some dream but it felt pretty real.  when i woke up i wasn't sure if i had spoken to work and was supposed to be going in? ended up calling them so see if we had actually spoken.  they laughed at me of course, i had not had a conversation...it was just my brain playing tricks on me.

 back to sleep.  the phone rang again at around 9:30.  call to come in for IMCU.  as i dragged myself out of bed to get ready to head to work the phone rang again. the hospital again...i briefly hoped calling me in was in error and i could go back to sleep.  there was a healthcare protest today that i was thinking i'd attend.

 anyway, it was PICU asking if there was anyway i could come in and help them.  i told them i'd just gotten called in to work IMCU.  so i called the house sup back and let her know that PICU was looking for help and she may want to look into that as i made my way to work.  soon after she called back and now i was going to PICU....they were calling someone  else in to take PCU patients so another nurse could then move to take IMCU patients. so PICU last night.

 the nights before were PCU and then ICU.

 that first night as i got report in PCU one of my patients got all pissed because she wanted to go out and smoke.  sad how out of their mind people can get needing that cigarette fix.  crazy really. i have never smoked one in my life...figured growing up in the smog of Los Angeles was probably sufficient damage to my respiratory tract.

 liked the tongue out.

 mostly, when patients or Dr's i guess from time to time, are flipping out on me, yelling swearing.  i tend to just go quiet.  people tend to look pretty idiotic ranting and screaming away anyway...but if you are calm while they do it they look even more idiotic.  then you just act like it never happened and act nice.  i got her some valium and just said something like, i brought you some valium because it seems you are having a hard time coping with things right now.  be calm and matter of fact.  if they are decent people at some point they will calm down and realize how idiotic they really did act.  through the night they will make a comment probably to try and diffuse the rant of before. i think most people want to be liked so then they feel the need to let you know that they aren't really like that person who flipped out on you.

 we all have our moments in life.  we all get stressed and sometimes we all flip out on innocent people who are just trying to help us.  nurses....well, we end up on the receiving end of peoples crazy moments pretty regular.  they are stressed, they got bad news, they are scared.  we are punching bags to some degree.  not going to say i like it...but it has happened so many times over my career that i guess i have learned that it isn't personal, though sometimes it can feel that way.

 he was after my little tree out front.

 no zoom needed for these shots...

 took a day off of walking after the moose chasing/bunny chasing walk.  sometimes you just need a breather.  these pups are great little snugglers too though so hard to resist that.

 Ivy is dreaming...not sure what they dream of, but i bet it's not about phone calls from work.

 when i got home from work i had all these great plans.  i was going to just stay awake, walk the dogs and then head down to the protest.  my brain was not really on board with that plan.  i think i woke up near 11 am or just after.  the protest was happening between 11 and 12.

 Ivy is still in heat so have to be careful about walks.  in the bog the other day, i had rabbits, then a loose dog that i had no way to know if it was intact or not and then the moose.  i think this is why i skipped walk the next day.  turned away from the loose dog and walked fast.

 Ivy has been a bit frisky these past weeks.  they have been rough housing more than usual it seems to me.  all up in each others crotches, some humping, can't wait til this is over and happy that i had his surgery done months ago.  still hoping we can get her surgery done.  i'm  hearing from others that it may just cost more to do it.

 fur rondy started today as well, so i was thinking of heading downtown after the protest.  so none of that happened and i ended up taking a nap this evening as well.  sleep time is all messed up.

 nibbling but not sure what to make of me standing so close.  i had door to car open still and that was really my best escape if the moose came even closer to me.

 and then, he/she opted to move on...you can see mama moose across the street by the shed.

 hair didn't look too bad the past two nights after several days of tweaking it with scissors.

 a fine looking beast, right.

 hopefully i can get to sleep again.  friends are meeting me at Arctic Valley for sledding tomorrow.  should be fun.  do need to walk these beasts someplace before i head over...then i will head over to fur rondy downtown to check out snow sculptures i guess.  keep myself busy.

 headed toward the bog with mom

 still amazing to just see these guys wandering all over town.  this time of year they tend to move more and more into town to take advantage of good eating and easier walking.  that deep snow must be rough on these guys.

 off to chill with mom.  pretty big calf so no doubt will be booted this spring so mom can start over with new calves...

 another neighbor was watching them across the street...peeking from behind that fence.  another one across from me must have gotten some pics of the moose with me.  may have to check.  he was laughing at how close that moose had gotten to me.

 moose cruising by the garage does give you some idea of size.

 the lady was aware of the moose walking down the street with her, but didn't seem too concerned.

 the bog is to the right of that house.  that is access trail...access for humans and moose.

 i think they checked out other neighbors trees on the way to the bog.  off to bed.  night.

grateful for:  A.  crazy career in nursing.  never dull and i have some awesome co-workers.  B. puppies to help me learn patience...much more training to do  C.  comedians who make life tolerable despite the stress of politics.