getting some crap done...

 vacations over, cabinets arrive tomorrow, well later today.  so the past two days I've been busting it attempting to get better prepped.  these are from Byers Lake last week.

 yesterday i started to make sure the garage was ready to take in the cabinets..of course, with my flight of idea as far as chores tend to go, this led to me spending time totally clearing out the shed in the back and  putting a bunch of little stuff in the trash or the free pile and of course, picking up dog poop.

 moved stuff from the garage out to the shed, worked on getting summer camping stuff tucked away until next season.  there was also lots of time spent moving stuff from the kitchen to be destroyed to the temporary kitchen in the garage. this all took some time and involved dealing with spider webs and still leftover hiding places in the shed for seeds and such that the squirrel who had made a nest in there a few years back.

 learned a lot about squirrels that year. mostly that while it's adorable watching them raid the bird seed, you realize that they can steal bags of bird seed in one winter and find dozens of places to store it...they are hoarders.  they could almost put the hoarders you see on those scary TV shows to shame i fear.

 i did make it to the dog park finally.  of course, all day I'd been tossing the tennis ball while i moved crap around and cleaned and sorted. in the afternoon i even got out the hose...they love that!  flying doodles!!  sandra took both the doodles in the red leaf photo's.  thanks!

 cabin one is pretty dark inside, does have a cool roof and cool burls around it. 

 pre ordered Bob Woodwards book so i think that is loaded...not sure I'm ready to read about the nightmare that is our nation at the present time.  September 11 may be a bad day to start it though.  enough bad has happened on this day.  some meme's are clever....one was saying something about how silly it is how flipped out folks get over other folks kneeling in protest at a football game during the anthem but the same folks seem totally cool with looking the other way while there is a lunatic in the white house. priorities people! 

 today was the first Monday walk of the season.  haven't looked at any pictures but we had a good crew and 7 dogs out there on the trails.  i think everyone had a good day.  it was another pretty one.  i popped out a bit ago and there were northern lights out.  will check again. should be decent night.  I'm too tuckered to go out looking for them i think...though i should since it's not 20 below zero...fall aurora are nice that way.

 before the walk i set up my new tent in the backyard.  it's the big 8 man tent so i wanted to see if i could set it up solo. there were a few swear words, mostly at dogs (Ivy) who kept running across the tent as i tried to set it up.  i did get it set up in less than a half hour.  then i thought i should let pups in to check it out....Tusker checked it out a bit more than he should have, opting to leave his mark in the sleeping room.  a few choice words at that time as well.  it's not like he's ever entered a tent and pee'd before, so it was pretty surprising.  brat!!

 it's all folded back up in it's bag...i was even able to make it fit again in the bag it came in. 

 i stopped by Home Depot after Kaladi's for door pulls.  it was on my list.  thankfully, a guy helped me and i was able to save over $50 buying the bulk.  happy i liked one that came in bulk.

 a kitchen remodel seems a bit of an overwhelming undertaking but half the battle is convincing yourself in life that you are capable of stuff.

 these pics are the drive across the Denali Highway..

 working on attempting to take a few cabinets out to put up in the garage.  thinking i may not need the doors.  hmm.  anyway.  i am learning a bit as i go.  one smaller cabinet i think i have all the screws out but that thing is staying put.  i did discover tonight that they hide screws under the hinges.  that did not help release that cabinet from where it remains. 

 i did get all but one screw out of another cabinet.  i know there is some clever technique to get the screw to come out when the top is all messed up.  not sure how yet.  so that cabinet is on it's side, attached by one screw still.  that is the one I'd like to get put up in the garage so i can put some dishes in it, making it easier to remove more cabinets.  may have to google that.

 mostly I'm afraid i will harm myself or do damage that i then have to pay to get repaired before the cabinets can go up.

  i do have a few more days off before i head back to work.  i left a message with my handyman guy to let him know the cabinets will be here.  i believe he is off hunting. 

 last night i finally did chill and watched a thing about Ruth Bader Ginsberg.  she is all about the law.  the conservatives will no doubt get their wish and get another conservative placed on the court.  of course, they are pushing this through faster than necessary.  suspect they realize their time in power may be short. not sure how long they can keep up the charade that all is well in the white house. 

 he may have contradicted some statements he said in his first confirmation to become a judge in lower courts.  if that happens, he could be impeached i guess.  that would be embarrassing...well for normal people,  not for DC GOP members. truth is of little consequence, all that matters is getting their agenda past. there are a few bumps in this road for him. 

 it seems more and more clear the GOP is a party that believes in no compromise, they believe they have the moral high ground on all, they have God so they must be right. they seem to forget that others believe in God as well, they just see a different way to have government work for the people....not for just the wealthy people.

 the attacks on the trade center are still fresh, but there is also many kids who have no memory of it or weren't around.  we are still in Iraq and Afghanistan....not sure either party has made much of a dent in terrorism as a whole.  so many lives lost, so many living in fear.  the terrorists got exactly what they wanted...which is pretty sad.  they disrupted our little world, made us fear each other, made us make enemies out of folks who have no ill will towards us but are being terrorized themselves. 

 i still think we have a radicalized Christian element that we are not treating as a potential terror group...we seem to believe Christians can't be terrorists, only Muslims. hell comes in all forms.  i guess China has been quietly imprisoning Muslims and indoctrinating them to change their religion.  not sure what all is going on...but information is starting to trickle out.

 the iitoo nearly headed us down a path to war with NK due to a tweet he wrote...one they intercepted i guess. word is NK is still making nuc's.  word is also that the deal with Iran was actually working.  we are the only ones out...just like we are the only nation to pull out from the Paris Climate deal.  now the iitoo and the DC GOP are busy taking away protections for clean air and water, busy making it easier for corporations to pollute out lands and waters without fear of retribution.  leading by spite, leading via a place of fear...never good

 have stopped at this little pond before.  good spot to let the dogs run around a bit.

 just a slight breeze that day, it was enough though to prevent the good reflection shots i love getting.  oh well.

 the lights are dancing across the sky now. pretty pale here in Anchorage, but still out there.

 sounds like the military is doing some night exercises as well.

 not sure if there are any events scheduled tomorrow as far as Sept 11 is concerned. i was in a bubble that day.  driving through the Yukon Territory.  we were out of range, off the grid. i remember my friend and i enjoying the absolute beauty of fall, it felt so peaceful but we wondered if ww111 had begun while we drove in peace.  kind of strange.  we had intrusions through the day when we made human contact.  we'd get an update here and there.  surreal...

 then we arrived in Whitehorse. the hotel full of Korean passengers from a jet that had been escorted to land with fighter jets and the pilot taken off the plane at gunpoint. all a mistake, but it was a passenger jet that was suspected to be another terrorist controlled jet and therefore orders had been given that it could be shot down.  the folks who joined us in our hotel were tired and relieved to be some place i suppose.

 really need to get that passport renewed...add to the list!

 tusker and Ivy enjoyed the many breaks we took.  after Glennallen they both just crashed.  i just kept driving.

 hit the grocery store this evening.  wanted to try and buy stuff that could be microwaved or made easily.

 it was already dark at 9 pm!! winter is coming.

 summer always flies past...fall does as well.  i tend to chase it around a bit though.  enjoy it as long as i can.

 the scenery was amazing. i stopped a lot and took photos.  nice to be off the grid...not knowing what the iitoo is up to is a good thing for a bit.  i do worry for our nation.  from all reports there is some chaos at the white house and sadly, the DC GOP seem to have little interest dealing with their inept leader for fear of losing power and missing this opportunity to get their agenda done. 

 the system is broken, i just hope there are some rational folks who actually come in and do something  about the broken parts of our nation.  we are due for an overhaul.  the founding fathers got a lot right but there was just a lot they could not have figured in...like women  and blacks getting to vote, own land, have their own rights to pursue happiness. it's not that long ago really and still a battle.  it ain't over...

 guess i should crash soon. it is getting late.  i woke up too early. i think i was excited for the Monday walk...and to get more stuff done!

 the road ahead is curvy but eventually it will straighten out.

 lots of kettle ponds out there

 more yellows on this half than the reds.

 flag on one of the hunters rigs.  seemed fitting to end with that on this day.  peace to those who have lost loved ones on this day all those years ago.  peace to those who continue to suffer from the trauma of that day.  peace to those families who are still dealing with disease secondary to exposures from that day and the many after.  peace to those families who are still separated due to the wars that come and never ended it seems. 

grateful for: A. those who volunteer to serve  B.  firemen, policemen, first responders, DR's, Nurses and all the staff that work tirelessly in mass casualties. C.  getting things done...it does feel good some days