suddenly feeling very hungry....

 i may have to rectify that soon.  Skelly finally got out of Christmas mode and into Valentines mode. his vast wardrobe is shifting to the garage. hopefully soon i will have that all organized. 

 slept in, as usual.  continued a text discussion with my brother that started last night....more on that later.  met one of my nieces old roommates from college for lunch.  she moved to Juneau last year and was up here for a marine biology convention . Marine biology was one of those dream jobs..i think i was headed that way for about a minute.  took quite a few classes actually.  headed to vet tech, then the goal was vet school.  i had many majors.

 my life pass took some wide turns.  i took the road less traveled and as the poet said, it has made all the difference.  i do recall us reading that poem in a class in Jr High i think and somehow knowing at that moment that i would be taking the road less traveled...and i am so happy i did.

 above is the puppies helping me make the bed....I'd kept Ivy Rose off but then Tusker jumped up as i was putting on the comforter...Ivy Rose is at the end of the bed sulking a bit.  she is currently behind me here in the office.  last i saw Tusker was again on the bed.

 after lunch downtown i headed over to the dog park.  i really need to get more adventurous on my walks next stretch off.  enjoying a down time week.  i think i needed a mental break after the whole kitchen remodel. 

 got news pretty early today that a medivac plane was missing outside of Kake.  i know many of the nurses that have gone on from ICU/ER to work on these flight crews.  always makes your heart break.  they have found part of the wing i think i read.  just makes me sad.  i read that the nurse was pregnant so that just adds to how sad this is. my heart aches for those who know the crew on board, their friends, family...even their pets...i think i saw another medivac plane crashed in the mid west somewhere a few days ago.  it is a dangerous job. 

 baked some cookies the other evening.  getting better with my oven. 

 Skelly was one of my first guests in the kitchen...yes, that is my life.   easier to dress them inside where it is warm. 

 it does appear that Round Island has found funding to get through this year...Hooray!!  so that was a high point today.  hopefully the boat captain is stable this year for taking people out. 

 where to start....? iitoo is my code for trump, it just means idiot in the oval office, which i believe he is.  i also believe he is putting our nation at risk.  this allows me to speak about him without having to have his name all over, for various reasons.  writing that has absolutely nothing to do with whether he is legitimate or not or whether i think he is legitimate or not. 

 his is a grown man and if he can't handle the heat as they say, he needs to get out of the kitchen...not sure why folks on the right feel the need to defend him and act like he is more abused than any other POTUS has been...they all get it, probably more since Nixon and his shenanigans.  people just don't trust them as much since around that time...i wonder why...that is on both sides.  of course, the iitoo does a crap ton of whining and his supporters seem to be sucked into that belief that poor trump...forgetting that it was him who totally pushed the birther bull crap about Obama.  if you can't take it don't dish it out.  so whining that we all need to just accept he is the legitimate potus and we should all be nice...seems a bit ridiculous after he spent years saying every nasty thing he could about obama...as did all the folks at Fox and Brietbart and infowars...so many...

 so many options to get your right wing "news"...or news in the shape of conspiracy theories that come with little to no proof and little to no indictments for any bad behavior.  this really just says that their enemies are so incredibly brilliant that they could not be caught...i don't think any of them are exceedingly brilliant.  it does take some guts and ego to deign to be POTUS, but in the end.  they shit the same as we all do.  they aren't bigger than us...just braver or more arrogant.  in the end i think one must have that level of arrogance to do this.  one also requires a fairly large ego to be a crazy adventurer.  that is just a requirement...if you don't have those personality aspects you probably won't take those risks. 

 we all must be willing to look at all sorts of sources.  just because one leans left or leans right doesn't mean that they are always wrong.  even a broken clock is right twice a day...i think that is how that goes.  I'm tired of  the whining.  the right  has gotten into this habit of playing victims.  they have decided that they are being picked on, that they aren't represented enough....they are very powerful.  they just elected their potus with a minority of the votes, that is not the first time that has happened. they have the edge because of the electoral system...and because they have just of late been the party that is better at rigging the system better....via voter suppression and gerrymandering.

 i find pretty much any and all discussions with those on the right leads to a but hillary or but obama....i guess that is an easy off ramp when there is no defense for the crap this current iitoo pulls.  turn and cough and crap on the other guy...if that doesn't work, go back to wild conspiracy theories that have been researched for years without any evidence that can indict anyone.

 since the beginning of the Mueller investigation the right has been in some big hurry to end it...witch hunt, nothing burger...and yet these same folks have no issue going back to hillary over and over and over for years, spending tax dollars.  give it up.  you have failed.  your options are A.  she is incredibly brilliant and commands all around her to protect her...not likely as i believe she lacks the charming personality of her husband B. the GOP is the most inept at doing an investigation since there is so much evidence and yet really zero indictments or C.  she just is not as evil as you all have been convinced she is. 

 making people hate hillary and obama with a passion has been a very effective tool for the conservative party. hate makes people easy to manipulate...gunman shooting up a pizza place because he was convinced Hillary was somehow holding children there is a sex slave ring.  the ridiculous conspiracy theories just keep coming.  one crazier than the next.  these theories have been blown way out of proportion.

 lets let Mueller complete an initial investigation before we determine on day one that this is all a witch hunt.  if in 5-20 years we are all still mulling over things without evidence then we will talk. 

 i am not obsessed with Put.  there are legitimate things that are concerning.  if our potus was trying to create business opportunities in Rus and is beholden to Put that is a potential issue.  Put is much more savvy than the iitoo.  he has gone out of his way to defend Put, he has had closed door meetings with him, where he collected the notes from the translator or only allows Rus translators in...where he doesn't allow even his own staff inside or tell them what was said.  i do not trust any POTUS to have that sort of relationship.  spending 2 hours with an adversary and have no record of it or have any other of your staff involved is just a total lack of transparency. 

 having all the National Security advisers speak and basically contradict the bull that the iitoo tweets out constantly is pretty wild.  more wild is to then have the iitoo ,be mad at people he selected, for speaking the truth of the current security risks.  as in all things the iitoo believes he knows more than anyone on every subject despite not actually taking the time to look into facts on any subject.  he "hires the best people" then calls them stupid and fires them. 

 it is scary to have a potus who refuses to listen to people with expertise in any and all areas.  the border crap is mostly a smoke screen it seems.  if McConnell and Ryan really were on board they would have made it happen in the first two years when they had power.  i think they realized what a waste the whole thing was.  they know there are other ways to protect the border without the hassle of all the lawsuits over land rights...the GOP is the one that gets the most irate over the feds coming in and just taking land...suddenly when it comes to the wall, they are willing to roll over land rights issues.  it makes zero sense.

 there is an assault on common sense and common decency in our nation.  an actor who is gay and black was just beat up with his attackers yelling "MAGA country" racists have infiltrated the GOP and they are in there thick...unless the GOP starts to loudly denounce this behavior, unless the citizens who are Republicans send a loud and clear message to the leadership of the GOP that this is unacceptable, the situation will get worse.  the racists and homophobic personalities have become more and more empowered with this administration.

 then you have his Press Secretary going on record saying Trump became POTUS because that is what God wanted.   when you look away, when you are willing to accept heinous behavior, you become part of the problem. 

 who we interact with in life has a large influence on who we are and how we behave.  if everyone around the POTUS is corrupt jokers how long will it be before the potus himself is also found to be a corrupt joker. getting  Rus to drop the emails at convenient times is working with them to advance your candidate...if he was involved or aware....it's really not being obsessed. it's not that far of a leap.  i think it's worth finding out where those connections go if they go anywhere.  those on right have decided it's all "fake News" before allowing it to move forward. the truth will set us all free.  they are angry that all their investigations of Hillary has yielded nothing...she is not locked up yet.  how can they accept his people getting locked up while she is still free? 

 the rest of these are down in Homer in August.  need to plan a winter trip down there..beach time is always great.

 i do have a swim day scheduled.  will have to find another day so my friend can join me with her dog.  she's going on holiday so it will have to be when she returns.

 the hot mike moment with Obama and Medvedev has also been blown way out of proportion on the right.  there are many things that potus will put off due to elections...both sides.  it was also said in front of what looks like 50 plus reporters.  it was awkward but hardly the big moment the right likes to make it out to be...absolutely zero comparison to a potus being in a room with an ex kgb Rus president with no other US representatives, and then destroys the notes the translator took over a 2 hour period. 

 love to watch the pups play in the waves. 

 they were pretty good today out there.  Ivy jumped on me once, felt like bone on bone.  haven't seen a bruise yet, though i did expect one.

 supposed to get sunny out the next few days...while i head back to work.  boo.  snow again on my days off

 should grab a few snacks and head to bed.  watch a Gilmore Girl episode and crash.

 hopefully a nice walk tomorrow and then get my tool organizer for the garage. 

 then on my days off i can start working on the garage

 maybe i can even put some stuff out with a free sign...see if there is anything to sell on the marketplace.  hmm. 

 good night. 

thankful for: A.  truth  B.  safe travels.....it's not something to take for granted.  C.  hope

snow and ice

 last pics from the Manitoba trip.

 small amount of snow last night, so just an inch or two over ice. today we just walked up and down the tank trail.

 just two of us today.

 been lazy this week.  so much to do, but i am totally in lazy mode.  hopefully, i get my crap together.

 i think it's post kitchen remodel..probably why i got sick as well. my body just opted out for a bit. 

 not much to take photo's of the past few walks.  we did get some miles in and the dogs always enjoy chasing the tennis ball no matter what the weather is like.  they are clearly not aware of whether a day is beautiful or cloudy...which i must say is good in a way...they are happy no matter what the day is like.

 watched this show on these identical triplets last night.  i do recall seeing some pictures of these guys in the 80's.  i think two of them just ran into each other and as they looked exactly the same they must have gotten to talking.  i think i missed the first part of the show which went over how they ended up getting back together.

 in the end it was pretty sad and weird.  apparently, the place that they were adopted from was working with some unscrupulous researchers.  they had been placed in a study by the adoption agency.  several sets of identical twins and this set of identical triplets were placed in different families to study how different parental styles impacted them.  the adoptive parents were told this group just wanted to follow up on the kids to see how being adopted impacted them...not telling them what they were really after.

 with the boys they made sure that they were each placed in a family that had already adopted a child so the researchers could have some idea of their parenting styles before putting these kids in there.  so they came to see all three boys without ever letting on that they had just seen their identical siblings and photo/video'd them as well. they showed another set of identical twins who had also been used in this way by this research team through this adoption agency...but there are several others who apparently still have no idea that they may have a twin out there.  the research data was placed in Yale University and have strict rules to not be opened until after 2066...the original researcher is dead.

 so a much more nefarious story than i had expected.  these babies were born in the 1960's...amazing what people are willing to do to other humans.  one of the triplets has committed suicide. 

 the shutdown is over.  it was not good for the economy...threats already being made by this administration to shut down again if they don't get their way.  it's all pretty ridiculous. they had 2 years to get done whatever they wanted.  thankfully, they are mostly incompetent and in chaos or they would have certainly done more damage to our nation.

 was reading that drones are being used to just pick up and drop drugs over whatever fences are out there.  doesn't seem like much of a stretch that soon they will have drone like contraptions that can just hoist humans over whatever wall they want built. there are areas where fencing does help, but by and large, fences/walls are not the end all answer to immigration issues.  currently more folks are trying to get caught so they can seek asylum.  drugs are a large issue, but those mostly are brought in at actual border crossings/ trucks, trains...and apparently via drones.  tunnels have been found.  for as much as some like to make claims about the wall in Israel, there is known to be an elaborate tunnel/black market system that has developed along there wall.  the bottom line is there are better ways...a less archaic system to protect the borders is needed, but shouting out build the wall is perfect for the average folk at a trump rally. 

 another iitoo buddy has been arrested.  he loves the spot light so seems to be enjoying the increased media attention.  he has a picture of Nixon tattooed on his body...which is strange enough.  his current charges are mostly for lying as well.  so many lies in this administration and those close to it. 

 the rest of these are from a day in August.  saw this huge cargo plane.  looked like a beluga whale.  after i watched planes i took the dogs to a dog park at this end of town, Conners Bog. 

 cruised Lake Hood as well.  always fun to just watch planes come and go.  we all seem to enjoy that,not sure why.  just a common fascination i guess.

 this administration opted to remove sanctions from the company of a Russian oligarch close to Manafort....there was an attempt to prevent these sanctions from being removed.  a few GOP members crossed but not enough to stop it.  now a few are already expressing regrets now that they are realizing how much this benefits this oligarch...of course, this information was out there.  they blame the dems for everything and believe nothing.  it's so bizarre.

 Venezuala is in a state of dysfunction with two men claiming to be the newly elected Presidents.  i really do not know much about this situation.  apparently, our administration is talking about sanctions against the one that Rus has sided with.  these sanctions would be on the oil...which of course, is no doubt the only reason anyone cares about what happens there at all. 

 of course, they have said they would do things and then not followed through.  Saudi has not been punished for their apparent role in the death of Kashoggi.  Rus has not been held to account for the poisoning of UK citizens.  so will this be all talk as well or will they actually act.  many only pay attention to what they threaten and don't bother looking to see if they follow through...they don't. 

 those meetings between the iitoo and Put are still a total unknown.  he even seized the notes from his interpreter and requested that they not discuss what was said even to his own staff.  that alone should make everyone sit up and take notice....what was said?  what was promised?  what does Put have on him at this point. 

 i am cooking in the kitchen.  all seems to be going smoothly. it has not improved my cooking skills..sadly, haha.  but it is fun to cook/eat in my new kitchen. 

 want to get some storage things for the garage so i can organize that and hopefully start parking in there soon...would be nice before i head out on the cruise.  that should be my goal i guess. have to hunt for my garage door opener i guess. pretty sure i know where it is.  probably needs new batteries. 

 still hunt for stuff in the kitchen.  not sure where the strainer is...hmm.  I've looked a few times.  tonight it took a few minutes to figure out where i put the dry onion soup so i could just make some dip for my chips.

 got my PFD filled out for the year.  the new Governor is talking about giving back the funds we didn't get the past few years when the last Governor put a cap on it and spent it for state needs. pissed off a lot of folks.  not sure how this will work out. 

 mostly i am not excited about this governor.  he is a mini trump or trump wanna be...he has the same views of destroy the established government with no real plan to improve or alter it...just about destruction.  i think we all would agree some improvements are always needed.  cut waste...blah, blah, but the current GOP plan is just to destroy what exists.  they do not seem to believe that the government needs to do anything by build walls and military. 

 our tax dollars do need to go to other things...like making sure our citizens are cared for, basic medical, good educations so we don't keep falling behind other nations in science, math, technology and even the arts and literature.  a society is much more than just a military and walls.  our nation is dependent on immigration to continue to infuse us with the best the world has to offer.  we need to be a place the best want to come to.

 many of our own citizens are not able to give back to society.  this means we do need to bring folks in from other places. we do not have enough MD's. we do not have enough caregivers for those with chronic disease. we have a bad drug problem in this nation.  those folks are mostly not able to function to improve society...you want to solve the border issue you need to spend the money to help clean up all the drug addiction in this nation.  the drugs will continue to come across the border along with the crime that is related to the drugs as long as there is a demand for the drugs. 

 people want simple answers to extremely complex issues.  that is just not how the world works.  complicated issues require answers that come at them from multiple vantage points.  this is difficult to scream out from a rally though.

 not sure what is going on with the walrus and Round Island.  need to try and get a hold of REI, they just opened the new store.  need to set up a date and look for a speaker for our annual event. i hope they still have a room available.  need to also try to get a hold of my contacts at Fish and Game just to see if there is anything new or changed.  hoping the current new director...which was the old director doesn't just put his foot down and end any hope of continued staff out on Round Island.  haven't heard anything yet.  not really sure what my next move should be.  write another article about Round Island and going there?  may be good.  just a you should go there article...see if i can get ADN to publish it.

 it was a pretty fall day out there at Lake Hood. 

 never know what you will see out there.  i haven't explored much of late.  south has had several rock slides post earthquake along the Seward Highway.  have no desire to walk along those trails of late...just seems too unstable to me right now.  will probably be even more unstable when the thaw happens in spring.

 the tides haven't worked out this week either but with the thaw we had last week, i wasn't too interested in the beach anyway. 

 love these views though.

 the floats are all put away for the season. 

 some just put their planes away until summer again.  i think winter flying can come with it's own risks.

 two schools in Eagle River will remain closed for the rest of the year due to earthquake damage.

 i have noticed a few small cracks in my dry wall but so far all looks pretty good. 

 strange AK news...another sea lion bit a fisherman out in Sand Point. the large mammal came out of the water and bit the guy on the thigh i guess...this is the third bite by a sea lion in  the past two years.

 a goshawk flew through a kids bedroom window in Valdez.  i guess it was after another smaller bird and didn't see the glass...it didn't survive the crash.

 as i was driving to the dog park the big cargo plane I'd seen was taking off

 so as i was at a red light i snapped a few shots of it

 just a cool looking plane

 the rest are at Conners Bog.

 sad case in a long term care facility in Phoenix.  a woman who was incapacitated delivered a baby...an LPN has been arrested for rape...or at least for abuse of a vulnerable adult and assault?  pretty disgusting.  nobody noticed she was pregnant as I'm sure they didn't even consider it a possibility.  that would be a tough call to make to the family.

 these are dogs playing in the water at the bog.  need to call tomorrow and see about getting a pool day.  they would love that.  would also be good to get them a good bath as well.

 lots of shaking and splashing...

 Ivy romps in the lake. i shall head off the computer.  a few errands to run tomorrow. 

thankful for: A.  no slippage on the ice.  B. mellow pups  C.  a Sunday Roast...it's been a long time and was much enjoyed!!