as the world turns...

 Ivy took a wee nap on me...i enjoyed every mellow moment she gave me.  eventually i did have to move though. 

 the Skelly's were inside for a bit this week.  they are now back on the deck mid prep for Thanksgiving..the lost holiday.

 it goes pretty fast and gets lost in the rush for Christmas. poor Thanksgiving.

 the Skelly's look cool in the pilgrim gear though.

 Monday walk, always enjoyed.  no KR today as she was at the Vet.  poor Mocha...hope he is having a good night and recovers quickly .

 figure I'd set up a dinner table and have some guests...the Skelly's are having Friends-giving!!

 i also zipped over to the local YMCA for a quick tour.  it's a bit ghetto there compared to the AK club, but it's also much cheaper. in the end i signed up for a punch card. only pay for the days I'm there.  it's for 10 punches but should give me some idea if i like it there or not.

 just want to get back in the pool for the old joints

 the transformation is happening.  Speedy and S will stop by with an apron and cap for Skellina so she will look the part more. I'll have to make hats for the other two later.

 got a few things accomplished today so that is always good...i count the Skelly progress as an accomplishment...it's a small world i live in.

 as i attempted to dress/undress i had a Skelly accident....Skelly down!!! Ivy swooped in to see if she could render aid.

 such a kind and helpful dog she is

 Tusker swooped in to steal my sleeping spot when i got out of bed post movie before crashing.

 this weeks baking...peanut butter chocolate kisses...yes i know, not very adventurous but still i am getting the baking started.  these chilly cold nights are perfect for baking.

 the rest are from a trek out to Valdez.  always lots of stops along the way

 trying to polish off a few months of photos from this summer.  so July was the next one nearly done.

 this old camper looks cooler with the fireweed

 walk to the beach in Valdez.

 finished a book this morning as well.  "me and Earl and the dying girl".  not the best.  a bit crass...i could see teens/young adults liking it more probably.  will pick out a new book this evening.

 should get the dogs out to a beach again soon since the roads are still good. no snow out there yet.  crazy.  it does happen.  with the darkness it's much nicer to get snow to reflect what light we do have.

 my little free library is still pretty packed with books.  i see folks out there digging through the books pretty regular.  the other night there were folks with a night light out there.  happy to see it being such a success!! i ended up having a great neighborhood to put one in. 

 bills paid so that is always good. 

 the drama in DC continues.  they are releasing transcripts from some of the interviews the house did...of course, most on the right will defer to their news sources and not bother to read it.  i mean who wants to read for yourself the truth when you can be told complete lies by fox news. i mean...anyone who speaks ill of the iitoo is clearly a never trumper or has joined the deep state..i mean that is the most rational explanation. they are all out to get him. 

 it can't possibly be that he lies and cheats and has for decades anyway.  those folks have all been taken over completely...seemingly no longer capable of independent thought. it's so sad to see all the intellectual curiosity  lost in so many. 

 the right can't fight the facts so instead they continue to scream about the process. they continue to do all they can to obstruct.  they are very good at obstruction. 

 in the end, it appears that they do not want to know the truth anyway.  they just want their way,  no matter what they have to do or cover up to get it. 

 it's clear this administration used the support and meetings with trump in order to persuade Ukraine to do their bidding..it also appears that this is not the first time they have done this...in the case of Ukraine..and no doubt if they have done it there, they have probably done it elsewhere.

 he is lining his pockets and the pockets of his family and friends. 

 his supposed personal lawyer has entanglements with others who have entanglements with Russians....we have just scratched the surface.  will any of the wake up to what is happening?  they aren't even doing a very good job at hiding stuff.  now one of the Guilliani henchmen may talk.  we shall see. they don't owe much if anything to trump..they are no doubt more on the putin side of things. 

 trump has done more to advance Rus than the US...Put is super happy with the fool he created. 

 the next court in NY also has determined that his taxes should be released for the state of NY.  they want to take this to the supreme court though in hopes that the plants they have put there will side with them..I'm hoping the case just is turned away.

 we do not want to start allowing potus's to be totally above the law...that is a consequence we should all want to prevent.

 what wall has been built has proven to be easy to climb over or saw through.  such a waste of tax dollars.  the facts are that most illegals come in at entry points, or fly or over stay visa's.  the facts do not matter to those who trust in trump.  he lies and they believe the bull.  this is the result of having a fool in the white house who believes conspiracy theories over facts.  his followers are also so subject to bull conspiracy theories that they have lost their ability to see truth anymore. 

 as i said, they seem to have lost any curiosity. 

 the party of fiscal responsibility is now the party of fiscal irresponsibility.  the deficit is up higher than ever....which if you look at facts always seems to happen during GOP reigns...imagine that.  that is the recent history...again facts...what are those?

 he lost another court case where he wanted to have immigrants prove they would either have health insurance or money to pay for their own medical before allowing them to enter.  so that is blocked for the time.  this administration also wanted to deport those who were currently getting life saving care in the states...a decision that would no doubt cause death in short order for those who were deported.  yes...these are the ones who proclaim to be the true believers in Christ's message.  nice.

 our cross country ski Olympic Gold medalist, Kikkan, is recovering from cancer...this week she ran the NYC marathon and completed it in just under 3 hours.  she is an animal!!  :-)  go Kikkan.

 Taku glacier near Juneau has been one of the few advancing glaciers....it appears it is now beginning a retreat. the Taku is more than twice the size of the Columbia so that will be a lot of ice, especially if we have another record breaking summer next year.

 we have a lot of glaciers here.  it's a bit subjective but the numbers could be around 100,000..most of those are retreating....a handful are still advancing. less than 1%. Columbia glacier began it's retreat back in 1982...when i graduated HS.  it's since lost 10 miles in length. Taku and Hubbard start at higher elevations which probably have protected them some from retreat...the warming climate gets them all eventually. it's sad to watch. 

 sadder still that so many refuse to believe the science of what is happening on our planet.  again they have abandoned their intellectual curiosity in pursuit of crazy conspiracy theories.

 the flowers are all gone now. 

 they are short lived but enjoyed immensely.

 as are great views like this

 i think i was just stopping by the side of the road on these

 this is Valdez Lake...with a heavily calving Valdez Glacier.

 so much more ice than I've seen in previous years. 

 i suspect that extra calving is partly responsible for the deaths this year. 

 bodies were found out there.  probably toppled from their boats and then taken by hypothermia.  I've never really heard though.

 Ivy takes a swim to fetch her ball.  well i guess i shall head to bed early. still adjusting to the time change i think.  will hope to walk earlier tomorrow and then head to the pool.  see if  my knees feel a bit better after some swim therapy.

grateful for A.  a decent education and the ability to read  B.  my senses...great to be able to see and hear well. C.  the prospect of swimming again....I've missed it