do i dare post right now...

 the phone could ring at any moment.  I'm on call. 

 head is full of crap as, as usual, every day is a crazy day in our nation.  just when you think this iitoo can't go any lower he does...and just when you think this is the lowest it can go without the GOP finally standing up, speaking out, acting...well, they come on air and make excuses yet again. 

 a few from yesterdays walk with my friend KR. joined her at a trail head i have rarely been too.  looks like loads of fun trails out there.  some hills too.  she hasn't gone alone since the report of wolves though.  got a butt workout.  with KR, even more so as she is a super hiker. 

 I'm not in as good of shape as i was when we walked all the time.  that was before she went back to school and become a nurse anesthetist.  hard to get our schedules together.  so not as often for the walks but always enjoyed just the same.  even if my thigh and butt muscles scream a bit after.

 she has a young dog, Ginger.  they will join us swimming next week so that should be fun.

 saw a post on fb memories i had.  the dog walk Mondays started in 2008.  so they have been happening for a long time.  friends join and others stop coming, but still the walks continue.  it's been a great tradition.

 always like adding the train tracks in there.

 anyway...so many of us have known that the iitoo is racist.  many try and ignore that but it is the truth.  the GOP has been hijacked by crazy right wing "religious" groups and racists.  it's sad because i realize that there are many ideals that those who still want a GOP to succeed have hopes still exist...sadly, i suspect those ideals have been lost for the moment at least.  perhaps one day, they will be able to take back their party.  for now though, it seems lost. 

 on a day when the iitoo is supposedly working on his message for MLK day, he made a horrible comment...the topic was immigration. he wondered why we should take people from Sh--hole countries, referring to nations in Africa and places like Haiti and El Salvador.  instead he felt we should take in more people from places like Norway...you know lets get more white folks here.

 some GOP members have made a few comments here and there denouncing such comments, but really, most are pretending it really wasn't racist...that, like always, it's been taken out of context.  i mean by his report, he's the least racist person out there.  can we all just agree that is bull!

 it's becoming embarrassing to be an American.  this man is supposed to represent us all out there in the big globe we call Earth.  he does not represent me.  i support immigration, i support DACA, i support aiding other nations and taking in refugees. 

 i also believe hard work is not limited to the white and the wealthy, not limited to people who are highly educated.  i see hard working immigrants and refugee's all the time.  it takes hard work to succeed in a new place.  they are willing to do this.  under iitoo a bunch of 7-11's were raided, families have been broken apart.  lives have been upended.  people who were invited and welcomed and worked hard are suddenly being told to get the hell out of here. 

 our nation depends on the labors of immigrants, refugees and even the illegal workers.  instead of turning away hard workers we should be creating a plan where those who work hard can move towards permanence and even greater success. 

 so many see these folks as threats to them and their well being, when in truth it takes all kinds of people to make for a successful community.  we all depend on each other.

 I'm one who believes that when we build up people we build up our nation.  you want less crime, make education better and more available.  you want less crime, build up the schools and the after school programs.  you want less crime, encourage and support the arts, music, reading and outdoor activities and volunteer work.  you want less crime, make health care available and affordable.  you want less crime have programs for those with addictions, make birth control available.  you want less crime find a way to repair the souls in prisons rather than give up on all of them.

 what we are doing is not working and making our nation more racist is not the answer.  creating divides and fostering hatred is not going to make us great. 

 he continues to rally to his base, who seem to continue to not see the truth. 

 rolling back some regulations is not impossible, but wide roll backs without thought is disastrous. 

 saving jobs...well, the current iitoo talks the talk but he doesn't walk the walk.  this tax scam was shoved down our throats, they had no idea what was even in it.  it's becoming clearer each day what a scam this was.  walmart made grand claims of bonuses and increased wages based on the new tax law while quietly closing over 60 Sams Clubs...more loss than gain. it's all just one lie after another. 

 many feel the need to continue to believe the lies or just have hope that it will all work out.  it's better than facing what is really happening here.  that this current iitoo is racist, that he only cares about himself.  that he is not capable of doing the job at hand. 

 we all have to make decisions in life...which side will you come down on.  will you stand up to blatant racism?  will you stand up for those who can't fight for themselves? will you stand for good and kind and decent...

 i try not to get too stressed. there is only so much I can do as an individual.  i write emails to my representatives for sure.  i vote.  but in the end...we do have to rely some on faith that right will prevail.  that those who are greedy at the expense of the good people of earth will be caught by the web of their own lies.

 when that happens, things will right themselves. the animals and the land and the poor will be protected.  those who work hard will be rewarded. 

 these Dall Sheep were such a treat.  enjoyed my time with them.  time in the woods keeps me grounded.  times you can just stop and become part of it all. 

 times when you are made to remember what is really valuable in this life. 

 work was super steady for me last night.  seemed to never stop. i did manage to leave on time though. 

 snacking on the last of the macadamia nuts.  so good.  so sad...i will miss them.

 got up, brushed my teeth, gagged, puked...then had to brush my teeth again.  some days start that way i guess. 

 never hit the trails.  did get some stuff done around home.  threw the tennis ball a few hundred times.  the puppies are pretty into the tennis ball .

 they are chilling right now.  so easy going really.

 there were just 4 sheep. 

 and then i headed off to watch the sunset as i headed home.

 just caught the tail end of it. 

 someone on next door asked if they could put religious stuff in the little library.  i don't want to prevent people from putting any topic in there, don't want it to become stuffed with bibles though. 

 not sure it's really something i can control.  today i shifted books around a bit so they can be more easily looked through.  too bad that handyman never came through, as there would be more space with the plans i had. 

 that is life...you put faith in people and sometimes they will fail you.  the best thing to do is move on though.  it does bite sometimes. 

 best to keep positive when you can.  try and hope that people will do the right thing, see the truth and seek the truth.  it's there, you just have to be open to it. people will show you their character.  if they do you have to be willing to accept it.  to accept that people are flawed and that some are more flawed than others. 

 we are all flawed.  I've always been big on intention.  if you have good intentions the flaws are much easier to look past.

 and when all else fails lose yourself in a book or in nature for a bit.  the power of it will renew your faith a bit.

 some frost from the other day.

 and of course, some cute pictures of my puppies.

 they bring me joy and they prevent me from being alone in this world.  they are the only touch i get most days.  petting your dog or your cat...it's relaxing and healing. 

 they aren't much for conversation but they do make me laugh.  many days pass by for a singleton with out really any human interaction.  that can be tough some days.  i am grateful for the furs and for my connection to them. 

 i often think how lonely i would be in this world if not for the many cats and dogs who have shared my life.  then i feel for those who are truly alone.  who wake up without even a dog or cat to greet them.  the pets bring me purpose.  i have them to take care of each day.  i need to get up out of bed to feed them.  i need to get out of the house to walk them or to buy food for them. 

 on days when life feels too quiet, they are there.  i have learned i can depend on them.  i have not always felt the same for the humans in my life.  humans come and go, dogs/cats are  here with me every day. 

 and they do look super cute, which also makes me smile a lot.

 close of of the frost on pine needles.  thought it came out kind of abstract. 

grateful for: a.  on call night...may it last several hours  b.  mindlessness.  we all need it from time to time.  c.  for time to be mindless.  many work several jobs, struggle much harder to have much less.  I'm grateful that i was lucky.  it's really all luck anyway.  nobody deserves any of this more than any other.  i am American...not by some predetermined right, but by luck.  each person on this earth is equally deserving at the base...some just get more lucky in circumstances.  we all need to remember the gifts we have received and give back. we must remember that we do not deserve more than anyone else, and lend a hand to those who were given a tougher path.  that could have been because of where they were born, to whom they were born, in what socioeconomic situation they were born...so many things came in line for me that just were not available to others.  i do not deserve what i have more though.  i was just lucky.