cleaning spree ends in injury...

 

felt like a lot of blood. hematoma, instant bruising...looks so much better today after ice and elevation and rest. now i look like a wimp.  i am a bit of a wimp.  many of us are here. i mean as Afghanistan falls and people cling to a plane taking off in fear of what will happen when they are left behind...here in the USA people having melt downs over being "forced" to wear a mask.  ridiculous. talk about pampered, entitled humans.  it's really embarrassing. 

for me i was cleaning house and organizing.  i get in those moods on occasion.  this one closet door has seemed loose since the floors were put in several years back...last night when i tried to open the door it all just came flying down. it is heavy but luckily for me foot, my shin broke the majority of the fall or i may have had a broken foot.  

still lots of blood and a string of swear words for sure 

3 nights, back in the ICU. my home for the time being.  i was lucky and had 2 patient assignments all week.  many were not so lucky. management stopped by to say they'd gotten permission from the State of Alaska to decrease our charting requirements...this because they were and probably will continue to have to make icu assignments of 3 patients each. dangerous at all levels.  there were 6 such assignments the other night.  no management was there, but they sent pizza so all is well i guess.

i'm getting ready for a few fun visits coming up. it's a rarity but one i do enjoy. covid will no doubt add some challenges to it all. i do not want to bring them something and i'm sure they feel the same.  

Afghanistan is a disaster. i suspect nobody wanted to be the one in control when this ended in mess...the only way it could have possibly ended.  trump set up biden by making deals with the taliban that everyone knew they would never abide by and then dumping those deals into bidens lap at the last minute.  

the gop has a gift for never taking any blame for anything but instead heaping it on the dems.  so even though Bush and crew got us in to this mess, they will take zero responsibility for any of it. 

the humanitarian crisis will be made worse by the fact that because of us the taliban will be better armed than many much more civilized nations. we left behind training and equipment and the Afghanistan military and leadership folded like it was all planned in advance. 

getting out those who helped before the taliban kill them will be an impossible task at this point.  lessons never learned. my heart breaks for those good and decent people who were just born in a nation that seems hell bent on causing them the most pain possible. 

we should have never entered that place. we should have learned from Russia,who had done similar and failed. 

we did give them an opportunity but there just has never been enough desire or ability to create anything more than a tribe mentality.  

we have our own tribes going after each other of masks and vaccines and the constant blame and fear mongering.  we are in no position to help others until we can get out own crap straightened out.

we have spent trillions over there and the gop still always says we do not have the money to take care of our own citizens and infrastructure.  we have trillions to give to military, who then just leaves it in places like Afghanistan, to be used against us at some point...but we can't provide medical or education for our own people and we can't fix our own roads and bridges.  so short sighted.  such lies but they are believed 

we are all really just pawns in many ways. you vote and you try to do what is right in your own little world but it's others who take the taxes and start wars that you are never consulted on.  

Haiti just had a large quake as well.  7.2...which was about the same size as ours was a few years back.  always amazing what building codes can do to save you in the face of a large quake.  of course one big enough and there won't be enough building codes to save anything but it does go a long ways. 

they are not equipped to handle those injured and left homeless. 

it is disconcerting when the ground below you becomes unstable.  the aftershocks are a constant reminder of how truly powerless we all are, nature and this planet are more fragile than we care to believe.

it is also astoundingly beautiful when we give ourselves a chance to get out in it.

i have been getting back to my shroom strolls.  i always feel mixed.  like i should be doing some grand mountain hikes but i am drawn back into the land of the mushrooms this time of year.  will head out in a bit to walk these pups and then back to the to do list.  

want to get a few more things done on this stair railing.  

my injury put a quick stop to that last night.  it began swelling so fast...it was better to just stop and elevate/ice the injury. now i need to stop by Walgreens for some more bandages. 

as they say, first world problems.  there are so many out there who have it far worse.  

i did manage to put some stuff out front in the free pile.  brings me a smile to see the pile of odd stuff disappear. one persons trash really is anothers treasure. i'd put some blankets in there and a neighbor grabbed those up.  her friend is taking in a member of clergy from a village who has been diagnosed with cancer.  so she thought it would be good for the apartment she is letting him use. 

my neighborhood is a bit ghetto at times.  as a singleton i guess in the end i'm kind of happy to be here. we all are watching each other.  we are close so we see each other, harder to just avoid your neighbors in a tight place like this.  i also like that there is diversity here.  everyone and every belief is no doubt to be found here.

these are Independence mine and Eagle River nature center mostly. 

and flowers in Hatchers Pass.

errands and a to do list to accomplish today.  

would be easy to get sucked in to the horrible news of the day.  

better emotionally to get back to tasks and enjoying the beauty. 

there are horrors out there but there is also a great deal of positive and beauty to be found

the leg is a bit sore, we shall see what the walk does for that. 

this was on Gold Mint trail. 

this is a sweet cat out in Girdwood.  love those extra toes

love those extra toes

always  love the cool old windows

me at  Eagle River with the dogs

should take a little rock in case i find some nice spot to hide it. maybe on a mushroom

cool flowers

chatting with my friend, she'll be up here on the 29th.

i'm at least more organized. still too much stuff.

these sweet faces always make me happy. 

thankful for- A. not to have been born in Afghanistan B. that my foot is not broken. C. that the mushrooms are back!

another week has passed...

 

things move fast.  summer especially.  each day is appreciated though. here i am with my two pups, thanks to SH for photo's. 

my work stretch was all ICU except a few hours one night.  i was in ER that night but eventually i was pulled and moved back to ICU. 

there is lots of financial incentives to work overtime these days.  honestly, i would like to take advantage of it all but the shifts i do exhaust me most days. 

still, when winter comes around i should reconsider picking up some shifts just to help put myself in a better place with bills and all. pay off the summer and nagging leftovers. all in preparation for one day retiring...sooner than later, hopefully. 

i do not have huge retirement plans other than living the life i enjoy without the bother of working full time. something less taxing part time would even be okay for a few more years but this hospital gig is tough for those of us long in tooth as it were, though that phrase makes no sense and i probably have it wrong as i usually do.  the elderly are usually short of tooth. 

my days off are often filled with catch up sleep.  i did meet up with my friend last Sunday for a meal.  he will not be in town again for months so we enjoyed the meal more knowing it will be awhile.  

this past Sunday my friend and i attempted the Kenai Fjords whale watch tour.  it was a down pour the entire drive there.  we had decided that if they offered a refund or re-schedule we would take it.  they did.  it's a rare thing when they are willing to allow you to opt out for rough seas...so if they do.  take it.  anticipating rough seas i had taken a full dramamine, i usually only take 1/2 tab.  it's called less drowsy but i was more tired than i have been in ages. 

as we were in Seward anyway, we did a bit of shopping, something neither of us ever have time for when we are there.  on the way home we got a text from GT offering us some free salmon...not turning that down either.  so we made the stop and i was falling asleep chatting. i dropped into bed as soon as i got home and i slept for 4 hours. 

not much accomplished that day. slowly picking away at things. 

looks like with some help i may have some reliable pet sitters for upcoming visits.  so i may see if i can get one of them to do an overnight while my niece and her family are here and a few more days when a friend comes from CA. she takes her Birthday month off and on occasion she will turn up in Alaska.  :-) so CR will be coming late August to early September.  

SH and i had wanted to get on the Spencer rafting excursion and they do have an opening for the day after she arrives so we are booked there.  then she hasn't been to Kennicott and i've only gone once and not in the fall so they had one hotel room left.  booked.  hopefully, i can get us a little side trip to McCarthy.  she will then just be happy doing local hikes. she hasn't been to Hatchers Pass or Whittier so i'll take her on some hikes there. 

with my niece and crew we will get another happy trek down to Homer. never go wrong there. perhaps a water taxi across for a hike to the glacier lake.  we shall see how weather is and what they are interested in.  so the summer is not over yet.  :-)

lots of mushrooms popping up.  makes me happy.  so i've done a few mushroom walks on the trails near me. 

the last two nights i joined friends out at Dolly Varden cabin in Eklutna.  it's one of several public use cabins out there.  SH got lucky and found it open.  this one you can just drive up to.  only down side was it's a propane over wood stove heat.  imho they should be wood stoves unless the state supplies the propane or kerosene.  these are rented out all winter mostly and if you run out of fuel you could be in big trouble whereas there is wood out there to be found to keep you warm.  there were already comments where people went through their fuel quickly and had to leave early or be cold. 

we had cooler weather and rain so a wood stove would have  been perfect to just take the chill out of the air in the cabin.  we layered up and i think we were fairly comfy without any heat source but the other one they put up in the same area has a wood stove so that may be a good choice next trek if we find ourselves out there again.  that one would require the wagon but the trail is level.  

we had easy access to the lake and due to the wet conditions we just walked back and forth on the beach at this end of the lake. there are several other trail options out there. 

our friends daughter leaves for college in a few weeks so we got to take her with us so that was fun to laugh with her and catch up a bit before she takes off on her life's adventure. 

we played cards and i read until my battery died. 

since the cabin is drive up and fairly close i took the dogs for a walk here and then i loaded and ordered pizza from Moose's Tooth. so we ate a lot and enjoyed ourselves.  

the pups had a great time.  last night after 4 walks on the beach Ivy was limping slightly on her non-surgical leg so i skipped the last walk, even though the sun was finally out.  i played cards in the cabin and both dogs put themselves to bed...they were wiped out!! Ivy sleeps on my bed so i have to beat her.  i prepared and then took them outside for one last potty break then i make a beeline for my sleeping bag to beat Ivy.  she did help keep me warm though so i really can't complain too much. 

these are mostly photos from Independence Mine and local hikes

so now i go back to work tomorrow.  what have i gotten done? oops.  that is life i guess.  will try to do a few things tonight before i crash then it will all be between shift stuff. there are no more on calls. 

the masks have become such a strange battle for some on the right.  they have lost their minds as far as what makes us free in this or any other nation.  it's the sad reality of our days. 

no idea what the future brings.  one of the reasons i have always tried to enjoy each day.  i have all that money in a retirement fund but i have never felt like that is secure.  you just never know....it could all be gone and then i'll be up a creek without a paddle. 

our lives are not just ours.  we are all interconnected and sadly, we are connected to a whole lot of idiots these days.  

caught much of the flowers in Hatchers Pass this day.  they are staggered across the state really, when the flowers pop, as well as fall colors, and mushrooms and everything else.  i just try to chase it around to catch what i can.  

haven't seen too many animals this year.  we shall see what will be in this years calendar. 

it seems like i always have enough pictures though. 

gotta pay some bills this evening and clean up some stuff and do a bit more on the stair rail. 

i'm cooking some chicken noodle soup right now.  i tend to do that if i get one of those cooked chickens at the store...like i did today. 

a shot at Byers Cabin.  with SH and TO. 

love these public use cabins.  great little escapes.

these guys are pretty good posers.  not much changes with them i guess. still love pictures of them

i can smell the soup cooking.  

i suspect i will sleep really well tonight. 

met this little guy out there. so cute. he didn't seem too concerned about me.  he got scared off by some tourists who didn't seem to catch that i was trying to get them to slow down and quiet down...i think they would have enjoyed seeing this little guy, but they scared him off. 

all that green!

when we were out these past few days you could already see some yellows coming in and reds.  not many but it's starting to happen already

it's a long drive to Kennicott but the fall colors will hopefully be great.  

will be good to have a few new petsitters to call on...not that i go away much but it does make it feel more possible.  i haven't left Ivy since her surgery.  

this below is one of my favorites of the season for sure. hopefully i can find a spot for it in this years calendar.  i still have tons of photos to look at from the big camera.  so lazy!!

still some cleaning/clearing to do.  maybe this fall later i can have a few nice days to put out some free stuff.  

pretty purple flowers. 

well i better keep unpacking, cleaning, doing the stairs, cooking and then head to bed.  

thankful for A. public use cabins and friends who invite me! B.  warm puppies on a cold night.  C. simple pleasures like food, cards, reading and laughter.