the pups are officially 5!!

 

bummer to have her Birthday while penned up but it is what it is as they say. 

we made the best of it and we have increased her leash walks to 3  10-15 minute walks/day when i am off work this week.  

Ivy takes good care of her new toys, whereas her brother has already destroyed his stuffed toys and was itching to get in the pen to grab ivy's toy. 

my knee keeps improving and i was even able to manage Tuskers walk out at N. Biv yesterday afternoon.  fresh snow, uneven trail and little hills. i still get grabs of discomfort but  so much better. not up to speed for sure and i still have a bit of a limp but i do feel i am getting on the right side of this.  hopefully, my next week of work is much smoother.

so my step count is bumping up quickly with 3 leash walks plus a Tusker walk on regular trails and then at least one more just yard walk with Ivy. 

was happy i got in some laundry/chores and bill paying between all the walking.  i am getting my 10,000 steps/day again.  that first week or two i think i was anywhere from 1,500-5,000 steps. pretty pathetic for me.

that tail on the kitty. so fluffy.  this was right after he went in and lay down next to Ivy Rose....this soon turned into a bit of a kitty humping session.  video was taken and shared.  shame....

we shall call it physical therapy. 

my life is pretty dull at this moment admittedly.  it was nice having visitors those first weeks. the dogs really loved it. i think Tusker loved having some alternative walking buddies. 

with his Birthday gifts and treat.  

only one hat not broken these days..reused.  so i took turns doing the photo ops for their Birthday.  

dogs could care less about Birthdays really but i like to mark the time. dogs are great that way.  they are not bothered by the passing of time and all that.  they do not spend their days wondering if they have any fulfillment in life. have they been productive? they are not bothered with the things us mere mortals worry and fret over.  

they are always a great lesson in that they live in the moment and they forget the past for the most part.

in this moment they were thrilled with their new toys and treats and for the walks that came through the day 

i use a harness for Tusker for the leash walks which does an amazing job keeping him from pulling.  it's the only way i can walk them together really.  yesterday evening i took Ivy by herself. i try to get her a walk alone each day.  he gets one so i figure she should as well. 

i'm still debating the what car to buy thing.  i go back and forth.  was really thinking of the truck with the camper added on...currently leaning towards an suv again with the plan to buy a van for road trips perhaps.  will there be room in the truck camper for myself and two dogs? may see if i can rent one this summer and see how i feel about it. a van would just be so much easier...if i can find one that isn't too crazy expensive.  seems a difficult task.  

so in the meantime i do nothing and buy nothing. 

Tusker helps me make the bed. 

always cracks me up trying to make the bed with dogs around. 

Ivy gets her xrays on March 22 and i'm really hoping that will open up the dog door for her. i'll probably have to put a gate up for the stairs though and prevent that freedom for another month.  hoping she gets full range soon.  can i keep her sedated forever...? haha. 

it's actually hard to tell she is on sedation really. i mean if you never met her she acts like a regular dog but i can tell the difference.

some outside time together.  Tusker joins us. those crazy dogs next door often jump at the fence and look like they may launch over it. their heads up at the top of the fence can get Ivy all amp'd up.  annoying really.  i wish she would actually walk her dogs and release some of their pent up energy.  i don't think she walks them very often though.  they bark a lot.

i'm still pretty beat by the end of each day. from doing nothing but walking and taking care of dogs. 

they look so cute in their birthday digs. 

they are fairly tolerant of my antics.

can't wait for life to return to normalcy.  

meeting some neighbors i guess with all these neighborhood walking and i'm super happy we haven't had a warm up with icy streets.  so far it's been safe walking her.  not even sure what we would do with icy roads...probably would have to just stick to the yard for potty breaks out of concern of slips and doing damage. the joys of northern life.

do enjoy those early morning sunrises on the mountains...views from bed. i always love to wake up to a view.

MO did this mural years ago, it really does brighten up the yard and is nice for photo ops.

good northern lights last week but it's been cloudy here or i have just crashed for the night.

enjoying the photos others are taking closer to Fairbanks.

the pups soon after they came home...so adorable. were they really this small?

i got some silicone heart molds and did some hearts last week.  test run...came out really nice though

more of the cute Tusker

not sure where i will walk him today.  it is nice to be out on the trails again though. 

some normalcy to life is returning. 

trying to keep to her schedule so that the return to work again will go smoothly.  still feel bad leaving her alone all night but sometimes i think having someone stop by will get her more amp'd up anyway. 

very happy with her progress so far. i'm staying a bit off the TPLO site as there are too many reports of things going badly so i don't want to get stressed by that.  

i still keep the notebook of her meds and walks.  that is the nurse in me i suspect. 

we like checking off the boxes i think.  

thankful for A.  Ivy and my progress B. the harness that keeps Tusker from pulling and makes group walks successful C.  to be out there on the trails a bit more again.  good for my soul. 

the life of dog....

 

i survived the week at work as did Ivy Rose.  i had gotten a schedule down and it seemed to work. the only down side is her sedatives have worn off by morning and she is pretty excited to see me. just keeping her a bit contained is a challenge.  she is for sure feeling more frisky these days.  

with Tusker outside on potty breaks she occasionally gets wanting to take off on a run and play with him.  leash is a must for sure. 

i spent my first week in the Covid ICU. Covid Cove. there were only 3 patients the first night and i was just the resource nurse, which was great because it wasn't too taxing work wise and i got to leave right at 7 am.  i kept the dog cam out and she was fine. 

second night it was just two nurses and 2 patients.  really mine was the only actual Covid patient.  so one patient, again, not too taxing for me, knee wise. 

third night started the same as night two.  just me and fellow nurse, C and the same two patients.  well our little covid cove section ended up getting 5 admits that night and so two more nurses  joined us through the night. only one other actual covid patient but the main icu was full.  place is blowing up. there was a 6th covid admit but they were able to hold off sending us that one.  so a crazy night really. lots of running around and my leg was beat by the end of it all. 

these aren't great pics but they are kind of fun.  some selfies with the critters tonight.  

Friday i was pretty beat and my leg felt it.  so i just did the basic dog walks, which is still quite a bit of walking.  ivy outside probably 4 times, two a bit longer in the neighborhood.  it's kind of working out today as just Ivy in the morning hood walk and both in the evening one.  then in the middle i walk her in the yard and then Tusker and i escape for a longer walk elsewhere.

today, i could almost be mistaken for not having a limp at all.  i still fell twinges here and there for sure but today was much better as far as feeling like i was finally walking a bit more normal.  some aches and the occ "what is that" feeling and overall just feel tired walking but better and better so that makes me happy. i can turn in bed without having pain most of the time.  as happened in the spring, i just do not get out of bed without a knee support on.  

Ivy still seems to be doing really well on the newly repaired leg, i can see the other knee is still painful at times. that is to be dealt with at a later date...we shall see. the insurance money came in...thank you Nationwide pet insurance.  no fuss, rapid check return so i can pay off that care card. 

my refi got cancelled because the title company did not get their crap done.  rocket was pretty peeved about it and embarrassed...on the plus side we are starting over and i now have an even lower interest rate if all actually goes through this time. so that is good.  above is Ivy with her snuffle mat.  she enjoys this. i leave her with it and the usual when i leave her home to walk Tusker.

i do feel guilty leaving her behind.  we are headed for week 5 though so we are getting there.  best to let those bones heal up completely before we move up on the exercise.  

the schedule is at least feeling like i have it under control. there is free time and i can actually get a few other things done. 

still haven't ventured too far with Tusker or for too long. seems unfair. 

i think i'd thought we would take drives, but she would jump around the back so that won't work.

can't say i get much accomplished but more than a few weeks ago

the kitties keep us all entertained.

the mornings are at least nice with some pretty sunrises at times

here Covi Cat is watching several birds outside

lots of sympathy at work. several co-workers thought i was out with covid, then asked about the limping.

selfie time.....

most of these last ones are from Cheney Lake.

enjoyed all the ice out there.

we all need a pick me up these days.

Texas is a mess and one brother had major flooding from broken pipes. Texas is the only place that has done what they can to avoid regulations. it's biting them now. Cruz left the state for Cancun and got totally shredded for it. meanwhile AOC has raised money for Texas whereas when NY was in trouble Cruz acted like tough shit for them. 

ready for bed soon. this has been exhausting.

still really no complaints.

sunrise....

it's the little things that keep it real and brightens the day.

i did buy some hearts in silicone so i can try to do some hearts.

Cheney Lake

that is the speedy update. 

thankful for A. surviving my 3 shifts B. Ivy surviving my 3 shifts C. healing for both of us.