biggest mushroom ever....

 well, maybe not ever...but it is impressively large.  i saw it from a ways back.  i saved it from canine destruction...never easy!

 it is that lovely time of year, rain and mushrooms.  can't get any better than that, right? walked with a few friends before heading back to work for a stretch of three.

 the mushrooms are from today's walk with the pups to University Lake and then out onto the trails behind it and around APU.  still a lot i must explore.  with the potential for cool mushrooms it's easy to get me out there for hours.  the dogs were thrilled.  as long as I'm out taking pictures I'm also throwing their tennis ball. 

 first a swim in the lake.

 another fairly large mushroom, this one a bolete.

 work was steady, busy. all three nights in the ICU and all with the same 2 patients.  so strange. kept them taken care of and i think i kept my co-worker entertained.

 as summer winds down you think of all the things you haven't done, all the hikes you didn't get to. still it always seems like i get out enough to keep myself happy. the darkness and winter coming means i can relax, not feel so obligated to try and use up every second of light outside doing things.  you can begin to cabin up guilt free.

 of course, my cabin up time will be used redoing this kitchen.  have spent time each day moving things from the kitchen to the garage.  tossing a lot of old stuff that i never used or just in time got expired.  start new.  my baking will no doubt be better if i start with fresh ingredients.  I've let the kitchen go as things have broken down so cooking has gotten less and less fun.  hopeful i can have a renewed interest in baking once i have a new set up.  purging always feels great.  it's just so amazing how much crap we all accumulate.

 you need to completely move out of each room from time to time in your house. force yourself to repaint or do floors or something, just to do a good clear out.

 i changed the window frame to free and i have a bite.  they were hoping to pick up Monday but I'll be heading to Denali on Monday so i wrote that they can pick up that morning before work if they want. i also have lowered the sale price for the fridge...

 realizing this morning that despite me tearing up the house, i have a dog sitter coming so i really need to make the place look somewhat livable.  ack! so now i need to clean.  i think I'm also going to be the driver/car for this trek north. so i should clean a layer of dirt out of the car as well.

 after this trip i will need to flip around, run home get dogs and then head north again as I've rented the Byers Cabin....fall colors/mushrooms...oh my!

 every time i flip over to Faux news it's like entering a different dimension...that crazy lady "judge" was on Hannity today i guess.  she starts with speaking of the conspiracy with the Dems, the "deep state" and i can't remember.  such victims they want to make themselves to be.  like it's possible that there is all of this conspiracy with zero evidence...any idea how many people would have to come totally on board for this.  as we can see, that just isn't how reality works...look at what is going on for the iitoo and friends.

 Cohen seems willing to cooperate after he plead out.  he also implicated iitoo as a co-conspirator in all this.  then Manafort was found guilty on 8 counts.  all but one juror believed that he was guilty on all counts so that one juror saved him...one of the jurors was on faux news claiming to be a big trump fan but still believing the law was not on Manaforts side. I'm guessing pardons coming.  i guess the iitoo has been told to await the end of Mueller's case before doing these pardons...doubtful he will though.  he doesn't seem too keen on listening to others. i suspect Manafort is counting on it though. 

 there are more cases being prepared in state cases.  the iitoo can only pardon federal cases though.  saw the idiot Sheriff o'piehole interviewed, kept saying he was innocent without realizing that by accepting a pardon you are admitting guilt. just another fine human.

 this week brought more news as well. Pecker, of National Enquirer fame was just granted immunity...not sure what all he will be bringing to the "witch hunt".  apparently, the Enquirer had a safe full of "catch and kill" stories like the one of the woman who had an affair with the iitoo while his wife was pregnant...he's a class act.

 they would buy stories from people in order to then collect money from someone like the iitoo to then never publish the story.  it wasn't just the iitoo, if the vault as it were got opened there would be some bomb shells for many of the rich and famous no doubt.  apparently too many knew of the safe so either this stuff has been destroyed or moved.  time will tell.

 i have to wonder if once the crap is totally hitting the fan people who have signed NDA's with this jerk will rise up, ignore their NDA's and spill it all. 

 i often hear from trump apologists that all his terrible behavior happened before he became potus...like somehow you can be a totally morally bankrupt person and then become some sort of reformed person after you get elected. 

 so many who hate bill and hill just don't seem to get that he is as corrupt as they were made to believe the clintons were, maybe worse, but some how he gets a total pass and they remain vilified.  it's also odd that they still keep harping on the same conspiracy theories about the clintons from now ages ago....Mueller is taking too long to wrap up his investigation but you can investigate the clintons until time ends apparently.  it also seems to be ignored that as far as i can tell there have been no indictments in the clinton camp.  they have not had anyone flip or lie or go to jail or....

 it belies common sense.  if you investigate for decades and find nothing...either there is not much there, or those doing the investigation are the most inept investigators every or the parties you are investigating are brilliant beyond anything we have ever seen.  i really can't see that being true. 

 our system needs some major revision and I'm hopefully that when this is all laid out we will make some laws that protect.  that is ironic as well because so many on the right scream that they want less federal control over their lives, less laws at the federal level but the total lack of respect for the norms and also for the laws will lead us down a path of more federal laws and control.

 it all often just feels like a last ditch effort to prevent the changes that inevitably happen in the world.  it's called progress.  either you adjust to life or you fight it.  i find adapting better.  change is really hard for some though.  add in God/Religion and it gets even tougher.  it's always complicated melding this modern world into the rules laid out in the scripture. culture/society have altered.  science has put a wrench into things.  what we can do, what should we do? there are often no easy answers and so it's easy to see how different people view things wildly different.

 i try to keep it simple...i guess my feeling is that was the message of Jesus when he came to earth.  forget all the detailed rules that have built up.  be kind to each other, love one another, don't judge. i would add live and let live.  I'm still pretty sure Jesus was pretty progressive.  he made friends with Mary instead of judging her.

 i tend to believe that we were instructed not to judge because our human selves just aren't advanced enough to be able to see the big picture.  the greater purpose.  i feel we all had lessons we needed to learn while here and so our lives reflect those lessons.  you can't judge others because you can't  know their lessons.  now as a society we do have the obligation to serve the masses.  so we do make laws that help keep us all in check.  our nation has gone a bit over board with the incarcerations.  making prisons privatized in my mind means there is a profit to be made for keeping more and more folks locked up.  i just don't get that this is a good thing. 

 now there is talk of privatizing wars...seems like that would make it profitable to continue to fight each other. 

 saw that McCain has opted to stop treatment.  haven't agreed with him politically often, but i have the deepest respect for him.  i have read much about his time in Vietnam and life as a POW.  i find it shameful the treatment of him by this iitoo and that more of his fellow senators have not stood up to trump on his behalf.  just seems sad to have him pass on with the nation being in this state.  all he fought for, all the times he was tortured and he leaves with this guy in the job.  a guy who had zero respect for him and his service.  a guy who avoided service himself over and over with lies. 

 another interesting story going coming out this week is that the accountant for the trump business has also been given immunity.  he along with trumps sons took over the company stuff while trump is potus.  no idea what will come out from that...but clearly, following the money is not going to go very well for trump and sons. 

 the iitoo was saying in an interview with his favorite faux news that if he got impeached "the market would crash...everybody would be poor".  he seems to believe that he and only he can raise up the US.  that without him the entire place would crumble.  we survived before he came into office and we will no doubt survive after he leaves...hopefully sooner than later.

 catholic services won't allow gays to adopt...of course, for years the catholics have moved abusive priests around rather than get them put in prison for abuses.  they protected them...so it seems a bit of an odd decision at this moment.  good parents come in all sizes, shapes, orientations, ages, economic statuses, religions...bad parents do to.  we have too many kids who need homes to judge parenting skills solely on sexual orientation.  they have just taken away opportunities for kids who have few opportunities to begin with.

 still many kids who have yet to be brought together with their parents.  stories are too common of parents who were tricked into signing papers that ended with them being sent back to unsure futures in their home nations without their kids.  heartless. 

 yesterday as i was driving down my street home, i saw the neighborhood watch guy on the street.  he started waving and then walking towards my place.  after working 12 hours i really just wanted to sleep, but how can i turn away Ramsey.  haha.  we chatted a bit before i headed in.  the day turned nice and so i woke early and walked the dogs in the bog. 

 since the sun was finally out i knew i had to take that opportunity to paint the area where the window once was.  not a perfect match on the color but it will do until the next time i do a full house paint job.

 these are at Grizzly Lake Campground.  sunset.

 this was my little cabin...my view was lovely of the lake.

 got the lawn mowed today as well. like to keep it short so i can locate the dog poops...won't be too many more mows left.  need to look into tree removal as one tree looks to be endangering my shed. 

 i hear the big Hawaiian hurricane has been downsized.  lots of rain expected though. one friend is supposed to head there on holiday..we shall see.

 a mother orca carried her dead calf for 17 days and 1000 miles.  seems odd, but it is not really.  animals mourn loss.  it's been seen over and over.  we often don't give animals enough credit for having emotions that run deep.  there are many stories such as this and also stories of empathy among animals...often even in animals who would normally be foes or who would normally be prey. 

 trying to catch up on some newspaper reading...local and not so local.  i always seem to power read as it gets closer to recycle day. 

 guess Sessions actually talked back at the iitoo.  such a strange relationship there.  the iitoo seems to have no idea that Sessions and McGhan, white house lawyer, do not actually work for him, that they aren't fixers  for him. that they have a duty and loyalty to a greater cause than him. 

 i was pretty tired from driving and i kept returning to bed, but then I'd just have to see what the sky was doing and back out I'd go.  what a great little spot. 

 one of these days i should stay a day or two and try to get the pups out on one of those paddle boats...not sure if they would capsize me though.

 nice to see the emptying cabinets.  hopefully i can start to attempt to remove a few cabinets and then attempt to put them up in the garage for storage out there. we are all capable of more than we know, right?

 when you live alone you learn you can do stuff.  others figure it out, why can't i? sometimes things are just physically a bit tougher.  i learn a bit each time i attempt stuff though. it's easy to get overwhelmed i think. 

 i think the pups are pretty tuckered out...or as i say, Tuskered out. hehe.  will maybe hit the trails at N.Biv tomorrow and hunt more mushrooms...or S.Biv.  what are the bears up to out there.  at least it's a weekend so maybe it will be more busy? 

 have always liked these little paddle boats.

 nice of the campground to  have some little boats for folks to try out.  would need to take a dry bag for the camera in case the dogs do swamp me if i go again.

 well, i guess i should get ready to crash.  place is still a mess.  hopefully tomorrow i get some major cleaning done....and a little packing.  will get to test out my group tent with friends the night before we head into Kantishna.  should be fun.  hoping so much for fall colors, animal sightings and some cool mushrooms. 

 this place just never seems to disappoint. it was a great choice moving north.  sights like these keep your soul filled.  God loved this earth, our job is to do what we can to protect it. 

grateful for:  A. mushrooms!!  they just make me happy. :-) B.  getting stuff done, i can be lazy sometimes but on the days I'm not it does feel pretty good.  C.   a good week.  may the truth be brought to light.