each day an adventure in alaska: back to the chilly weather....

3 more nights of work down. PCU-ER-ER...i think that was the order. amazing how quickly i forget things.

took a little sunset drive last night.

i always sleep the best when i don't have to work. yesterday i just took the dogs to Oceanview Bluff park again. always a favorite.

today was a loop at Campbell Airstrip. i had plans to head to Kincaid to the beach there, but part way there i realized I'd forgotten to put the collars on the dogs...so back home i headed...after that it just seemed smarter to just head over to a closer trail.

the dogs could care less where we walk as long as they get outside, they are happy.

the ER nurses laugh at me because i am too nice and i am easily manipulated. that is not to imply that they are cruel, but if we don't set strong limits we would have the entire homeless population of Anchorage living inside the unit.

it is tough. especially when it's cold out there like it's been. most of the homeless are psych, drug addicts, alcoholics or some combination of those. many have burned every bridge they once had as family has had to turn their backs on them. the villages up north will evict members of their own community as it can just become too much of a burden in a village to deal with people...one way tickets to Anchorage.

i have no real answers. it's sad but for many they made choices long ago that they are now living the consequences of.

was speaking to someone about alcoholics. i have lived in AK since '95...as a nurse i see the alcoholics and i have become somewhat of an expert. that whole rock bottom thing....it really can be a farce. people come in to the ER and ICU dead or near dead and still when they are recovered they head back to the bottle.

i saw a guy begging at the usual corner. a small/trashed tent set up near the corner he was begging at...outside the tent a small pile of empty bottles. if sleeping in a crappy tent in subzero temperatures in Alaska isn't hitting rock bottom....there is no bottom for some. there is only death.

i feel badly for them as i see the waste of this amazing life.

my own reminder to not become a whiner. i have a really good life. it's not always everything you want but overall, it is pretty dam great.

the other day i had 4 patients on the floor. every one of them was there because of either alcohol or drug related issues. it takes a toll on your life. I'm always amazed when i look at the ages of patients. the other day all my patients were younger than me, but their bodies have been totally trashed and aged by their actions.

in my dating years if i even suspected alcoholism i ran. i would much rather be alone than deal with drug/alcohol issues in a partner. that is a life of misery. it's amazing to me how many of them actually do have spouses and kids. i can only imagine the misery they inflict on the loved ones that stick with them.

i feel the same about mental health. i know that is terrible. they don't ask for these things, but that doesn't mean that i want to take them all in to my life and deal with it 24/7. it's a lot to ask of anyone. more power to those who have the patience to deal with it. it's enough for me to deal with it on my 12 hour shifts some days.

the pattern on my days off has been long walks in the very cold followed by coming home and getting under heated blankets and getting reheated....this leads to an afternoon nap generally. so pretty lazy winter days.

last night i re-watched "the art of racing in the rain" again.

i have tried to watch the impeachment stuff. today's was over before i got up. saw some recaps. the GOP lawyers are following the GOP elected officials. they only rage on about process and how much the Dems hate trump...they don't say none of it happened. they simply don't care. i would hope they would have a stronger case than the Dems hate trump. saw a post someone wrote which just said they are no doubt afraid to subpoena witnesses and documents...i mean if they do and the White House again refuses to comply their hands will be over the fire...it will prove the obstruction case that congress laid out....of course, it's already proven. he did obstruct...

the white house obstructs and they say that the Dems should have gone to court to force that. there are cases working through court, but they really do need to act when a potus is abusing their power. besides they actually have the sole power. sole power is only used in impeachment in the constitution from what i recall. a case already said, now i can't recall who it was, but it said he did have to abide by subpoena, that presidents aren't kings.

easier to just blame the Dems than to blame the white house for not abiding by the requests...this also went to court years ago...Nixon lost. the tapes had to be turned over.

more facts keep coming out. a tape just was released last night. trump was asking how long Ukraine could survive Russia advances without US help over a year before he stopped aid...he knew they couldn't. of course, i still think he is being played by Putin. as the facts come out more and more the GOP will look more and more foolish for siding with this idiot. loyalty is not good when it's blind.

he will not be removed, we all know that. unless someone like Bolton grows a conscience and sees that he will get off and decides to speak out. he could pull a Lev and just do an interview. i guess Pompeo flipped out on an NPR reporter. such a fine group they are. so classy. haha. what is sad is that they have been given the trust of many kind and decent Americans who seem to have faith in them. for many as long as they shower them with anti abortion/pro-gun/anti-immigrant stuff they will allow them to do anything they please.

saw a pup i haven't seen for several years. Indy!! my friends have re-homed him years ago. every so often i have run into him over the years. it's been awhile though...so it was fun to see him....he looks a bit older now. so regal. still very active.

all the dogs you knew as puppies...then you see them age. a dogs life is just way too short. mine are nearly 4! hard to believe. also hard to believe that Blossom has been gone for that long.

the rest of these are out at Campbell Creek Estuary.

the 2020 census is beginning in Alaska this week. it starts early in AK as i guess access to remote villages is easier in the winter and the residents are actually there. as soon as the thaw happens they start to move around to various fish/hunting camps through the spring/summer/fall.

the coverage of the impeachment is interesting on it's own. i often flip between the major cable news shows just to compare. this week, fox was mostly not showing the impeachment while CNN and MSNBC were both just airing it and not commenting at all unless it was a break in the action or over for the day. the people who were commenting on Fox were not actually watching any of it as they were just doing their usual shows...hard to believe they know much since none of them are actually watching it. just like so many on the right scream like they know what is in Mueller report without having read it...they also rail about the house's impeachment proceedings despite not having watched those or read any of the transcripts.

more and more it just makes them sound foolish really. i would hope that at least those in the Senate now involved in this would have actually read or watched this stuff but sadly a good percentage haven't.

not only that there are reports that many wander out of the hearings. they are whining that they are bored, that it is repetitive. cry babies. i have served on a jury and yes, i felt pretty sure that those could wrap up much quicker but the lawyers were repeating and restating. guess what....we, as jurors were not allowed to just walk out. we weren't allowed to read a book or any of that. our role, our job was to listen. for some that is weeks of listening. they only have days to listen. Moscow Mitch is working to rush this through quickly so they really have little to whine about.

one GOP senator handed out spinner toys to all the other GOP senators in a display of disrespect for the process. i really don't think they help themselves or their credibility with these acts. i realize that they have a certain percentage of the voters who applaud every nasty comment and tweet. who are ready to actually kill liberals...as they prepare for the next civil war, but there are many who are not loyal followers of this fool who still have Republican type values. some of them may be willing to vote them out. many who are middle road and voted trump may not vote for these fools the next time.

i do suspect that if trump doesn't win in 2020 we will have our first non-peaceful transition of power. he will scream that it was rigged or that his loss is all the fault of his enemies and his loyal followers will respond in the anger they have been holding back(though for many that anger hasn't been held back much at all). many are out for blood. he could give them a reason to spill some.

the GOP has the worst client to deal with really. during this trump was in Davos. he stood at a mike and stated that things are going well for him in the impeachment because his side has all the documents and the other side doesn't. a bit of an admission of obstruction really. a proud statement of obstruction. he tweets and tweets and tweets. they have no control over him. he can't shut up and they can't shut him up.

not only does the right want to stop all abortion options they also want to make sure women have limited to no access to birth control. the trump crew is at it again trying to make it so the insurance companies can get out of paying for birth control. maybe in a show of support they make sure that no woman has to pay for any charges related to births, prenatal care or child medical costs...i suspect that won't happen. they are working to check anyone coming into the nation to make sure they aren't pregnant so they can't have children born here who then become citizens automatically.

the Government Accountability Office did report recently that the Trump administration did violate law when they withheld funds for Ukraine. it's just a blip in the many illegal and contested items running through courts and watch dog groups in this administration. will we ever be able to recover after this lot is done destroying what our government does right. so many in this administration went in with no clue what they were tasked with and no desire to learn what the various jobs they took were responsible for. they felt they knew more than those who have done these jobs before them i mean no Democrat/liberal knows a dam thing. they are so skeptical of anything not by them. it's insane really. this administration is so dysfunctional at every level.

i hope when a rational person, of either party comes into party again, that some who have knowledge will return and help get the mess and dysfunction cleared up.

the massive murre death of 2014/2015 is now thought to have been related to a blob of warm water. this caused the fish the birds feed on to die off which led to starvation of the birds. there was also more competition for the fish that remained to eat. they estimate that up to and possibly over 1 million birds were lost during this time.

i actually rescued one that was on the side of the road by Potters. myself and another lady pulled over to assist the bird and it was winter and cold and she shoved that bird in my down coat. i drove to the bird rescue center with a murre squirming in my jacket. the plankton that the fish they feed on were also in short supply due to the warm waters...just a little glimpse at the possible future. murres dive under water to get their fish. they swim and can go really deep. they have a nearly impossible time taking off from land as they take off from cliff nests or the water. the one i found i was told would probably do well once released..of course, they may tell every one that.

making my way through some of the old news. so easy to get behind these days .

i am happy with the cold temps and the snow on the ground. it was too late getting here this year. we've had some lazy days this month and some nice walks. should get out exploring more. tomorrow we head to Portage to make a try at a walk out there.

i can tell I'm a bit less adventurous than years past. i guess you slow down a bit...with the knees i tend to do less of the inclines and more flatter hikes.

i think too, we hear the stories, we have our own brushes with danger and we learn to be more cautious. know your limits i guess.

find a way to balance what you can do with what you want to do.

our local active volcano, Mt Redoubt.

i should take a few loads of recycling out and trash out. get some stuff actually accomplished today. so easy to be lazy.

it is cold out there though. 9 below is what the phone says. too chilly to just pop outside with the trash. you have to dress up a little to go outside...then make sure you don't accidentally get trapped outside.