lazy rainy day

 but since i already did that yesterday i actually woke up and took the dogs for a walk.  the poor kids went 2 days with only tennis ball time.  incredibly lazy this week.  it's a pretty rare event that i go 2 days without a walk.  not all that common that i skip even one day really.  today we hit the dog park for several hours.  doing loop, counter loop, loop to exterior trails, then loop all around again and then hit the exterior trails again.  the pups are happy and have rapidly forgotten that they did not walk the past few days.  Dogs are good like that.  very forgiving....

 these pics are all from Kennicott.  i think all i have left of both Kennicott and Round Island are the going home pics.  summer is ended and fall is in full swing.

 worked PCU last night.  not a bad night.  the two nights before that i was in the ER.  one night straight ER...though i had a few holds and the next night i was ER at the beginning and morphed into holds. ER is exhausting...those do tend to be the days when crash between shifts.  the second day though the rain made it easy.

 the day i headed back to work i walked powerline.  seemed easy.  there were 4 moose spottings that day.  have wanted to hit hidden lakes, but i knew i wouldn't have time this day...as it turned out there was a big bull and a female moose doing their dance at the bridge...which is the turn off for the hidden lakes trail.  put the stop to a few people attempting the hidden lakes trail. another female was up further, having been run off.  this male actually wanted little to do with these moose.

 these pics are from our tour of the power house for the mine.

 big building. it did burn down once and they rebuilt it.  i think the second build was build south, brought up in marked pieces and put back together upon arrival.

 i slept through my alarm today.  was hoping to wake early and get some other stuff done.

 stopped by Home Depot to get a new toilet seat since mine spontaneously combusted.  i was pretty happy with the home repair until i realized that the actual seat part wasn't attached...the screws came already shredded from the seat portion...a return that they tried to resell?  perhaps...that is not the first time I've had these stores just rebox something and resell it.  my last item was the dog kennel..it had dried feces on it and a dirty sock in the box?  not to mention all the missing pieces and panels.

 that was a lot more work to discover it was a rebox item.

 so back to Home Depot tomorrow to return it.

 took the pups with me today. the Christmas stuff is out already!!!  what!?! there is still Halloween stuff as well.

 despite the long walk today constantly chasing the ball or swimming...2 puppies were super excited in Home Depot and wanted to jump on all the excited folks who wanted to pet them.  much more training to do still.  perhaps tomorrow i should just take one in at a time again.  brats!!

 Tusker did not like the looks of those Halloween creatures in the Halloween section of the store.  they were barking at him so he started barking at them.  thankfully, the folks at Home Depot were dog lovers.  we were not escorted out of the store. instead i got the pups to sit calmly right next to the display and gave them treats.

 Ivy is dreaming right now. Tusker is deep in sleep as well.  i must have worn them out a fair amount anyway.

 can't believe this month is almost over.  it's flying.

 below you can see the roman numbers that were used to label the parts of the building when it was dismantled so that it could easily be put back together.

 original floors.

 lots of mud tracked inside due to rain and my laziness tossing the tennis ball repeatedly out back door.  did a bit of a clean up before i left work.  it really doesn't look like the pups run in and out all that much when i am at work.  that could be impacted by the rain.  perhaps they run in and out more on a sunny summer day as opposed to a wet fall day.

 a work friend said there was a flood watch on the Kenai.  i had mentioned i may want to hit Homer again on Mon/Tuesday....i looked on the 511 road site, it had the usual constructions zones but no mention of any flooding.  I'd think it would be there if that were true. my friends just drove up last night from Homer to fly out and they didn't seem to have any issues.

 they were texting looking for a place to park their car. of course by morning when i arrived home there was half a second where i was all, what is that car...oh right...haha.

 a certain co-worker i worked with the past few nights seems to always find a way to mention that in his opinion i have some sort of privileged status at the hospital.  at one point i just told him, "i would hope so, i have been here for nearly 20 years". now i just joke with anyone around when he brings it up that he thinks I'm a princess.

 he seems convinced that i am given the real ICU assignments while he gets or i guess got the hospital convenience patients. he's since decided he doesn't want to work ICU...a good part due to the fact that i get these favored assignments.  i have to laugh though as my friends in ICU always laugh because i often get the crap storm assignments there.

 i do get pretty busy assignments...i have had more than one charge ICU nurse tell me they give me these assignments sometimes because they know i can handle it..i think i rarely complain.  of course, when i do complain i am not quiet about it.  i think it was mostly his perception, but i think the fact that i worked there for many years does mean they know and trust me...i can see why they would request me over someone they have less experience with.

 i remember him being shocked one night when i was a sitter.  he was a sitter that night as well.  we ran into each other on breaks.  he acted like he assumed i was above sitting.  I'm not.  I'm not above anything.

 it's odd sometimes when you get glimpses into how you appear to others.  some glimpses I've gotten over the years that stick out.  once as a vet tech in Los Angeles i got bit by a dog i think it was.  when i really get hurt like that i will tear up/cry.  this other younger tech came in and just said, "you cry!?!".  she was so shocked.  i informed her that yes, i do cry.

 in vet tech school our bizarre professor was off on one of his insane tangents.  he was shredding us all...finally i had enough, raised my hand and let loose with the truth as i saw it.  later, several of my co-classmates approached me to thank me for standing up for all of them.  they wanted to say the same things but suspected and hoped that i would.

 another time i was giving report to someone in PICU in the morning.  can't recall how or why they came to say this but she said something about how i had hugged some parent and it had been witnessed and the subject of much shock and discussion apparently.  they were surprised that i would hug a parent.  i let her know that i do hug people though i am not a hugger...meaning i don't just randomly hug everyone i meet automatically.  if someone needs a hug, i can sense it and i am capable of it.

 i don't think that makes me cold and a loud mouth.  i tend towards introversion in many ways.  i do much better in small groups or one on one.  I'm not very good at small talk.  i will stand up for those who need to be protected.  i like a hug as much as the next guy but no...i don't go around hugging all.  the way we see ourselves is not always the way others do i guess.

 i certainly don't think i get special privileges at work but i do think i have earned a certain level of respect through years of service. people trust me.  trust is something you earn over time.

 i am far from perfect.  my dogs would tell you that if they could speak....but they haven't run off and left me.  I'm guessing despite my flaws i do okay overall.

 i feel we should try each day to be better selves.  kinder, more compassionate, less selfish, more generous.  for me more patient...that is always a tough one.  being patient as a nurse can really be a challenge...patients are super annoying some days.  i know you are sick, but really!!  some days I'm sure my neuro assessment would show my eyes disconjugate from all the eye rolling.

 bit of an ibuprofen week after my dental work.  swelling around the temp crown, irritation. since I'm getting a gold crown it shouldn't take as long.  i have one gold crown and it has lasted for decades, i have another crown which is porcelain i think..the color was never right.

 Tusker just gave a low growl in his sleep.  he must be dreaming of attacking those Halloween ghouls!  he's so brave.

 at some point i was chilling on couch tonight and i suddenly hear the motion activated dinosaur on the front deck making noises.  creepy...nobody out there that i saw...are the ghosts starting early?

 health care is again on the line.  hoping my Senator again votes no.  McCain is already in for a no he says.  they keep trying to sneak by this crap.  work together, fix what we have.  take care of the people. quit saying we have no money as you spend butt loads and butt loads on more and more weapons and whatever.

sad to watch NK and our iitoo play chicken with our lives with these immature name calling spats.  these are the idiots in charge of all of our fates?  these guys have the power to start nuclear wars?  it's the most ridiculous and frightening truth of our current...that was one of the reasons i voted HRC.  i just knew she was one to be more trusted with the nuclear codes. all those who hate her and believed all the lies that were told have helped put us in a position of grave danger really.  hate is an easy emotion to manipulate.  if you hate, you are vulnerable.

 HRC just came out with a book. i am not in any way saying she can't write a book, but i had hoped she'd just stay in the background. i think Chelsea was doing a fine job speaking out.  the more she shows up the more power she gives iitoo.  as long as she keeps reappearing it gives him the fuel to fire up his base.  their hate for her is what keeps them chanting for him.

 some color between the black and white pictures.

 there are still a few flowers out there, but those numbers are dropping fast.

 a guy up north is dead after he accidentally cut his neck with a chain saw.  yikes...that is horrible.

 ordered some new scrub pants in the wee hours.  will turn old shredding ones into pajamas's.  they are comfy..!  may have to mark them up somehow.

 the Russia investigation continues.  i believe when truth is known...this will be the most corrupt administration we have ever known.  this will make HRC's little scandals and Bill's oral oval child's play in the world of scandal.  many will never believe it because they quite simply don't want to believe it and don't want to hear it.

 there is a new PBS series on the Vietnam war.  i really need to watch that. i was always fascinated by what i could find out as a kid about this war.  i was young but did hear of the draft and read a lot of books on the subject as a teenager.  i remember reading books related to the POW's and torture in general.  being shocked by what kind or horrible things humans were capable of doing to each other.

 posted a link to pictures that have finally been developed.  Charlie Haughey was a draftee.  when he came home from Vietnam he just put all the negatives in a box and never looked at them.  a young photographer and he met many years later and the young man was very interested in these negatives after they had spoken about them.  he finally convinced this guy to let him look at them. what little i saw was pretty soulful.  would love to see more of them.  Oregon Pubic Broadcasting did the report, there are over 2000 photo's...of course, with digital now you could easily take 2000 photos in a week or so.  haha.  back in the time of film you really had to be more thoughtful when taking pictures.

 these earthquakes and hurricanes have done some pretty horrible damage. i hear there is a dam in Costa Rica that is out.  Myanmar is a mess it sounds like as well with what is being described as ethnic cleansing situation.  on that positive note...i shall retire to my bed and hope for a peaceful sleep.

grateful for:  A.  lazy rainy day walks  B.  health that makes it possible to get out and enjoy each day with my puppies c.  photography...it can't capture all but photographers have been there for some pretty important moments on this earth and these pictures can change perceptions, can bring joy and understanding.  it's really quite powerful what photography is capable of.