flu shot.....

so that gives me a few weeks to ponder trying to get the covid booster shot.  you could get them at the same time but that sounds kind of awful to me. also get the same one as last or go for moderna for the booster? will check in with my Dr in the next few weeks and see what we can figure out if work hasn't made the offer yet.  things are changing rapidly with recommendations.

they are now finding a lower dose is safe for younger kids.  with all these kids back in school we are bound to see the weaker ones come in with worse respiratory infections.  we are already starting to see the uptick in the usual respiratory stuff.  our nation has many at risk kids...we shall see what happens with the politicalization of covid once it's more kids getting hospitalized if that happens.  i suspect it will...how could it not.  sickens me that this virus first seemed to skip the kids and through the politics and outright stupidity we will now have to see children possibly get hit harder in this next wave and this next strain of it.  

all these Jesus freaks...the vaccine was the miracle you fools!  

it is out of our control at this point...we tried to make it voluntary to get vaccines and now they are making mandates. the downside to that is any side effects will be blown way out of proportion and the blame game will be bumped up...if it weren't for the fact that hospitals are overwhelmed and non-covid patients are getting bumped or lost in the mess of it all...

even non-covid deaths are, in my opinion, now covid deaths because perhaps they would have gotten better care had hospitals and staff not been overwhelmed with the unvaccinated. 

covid seems to thrive in the morbidly obese population.  you want your political views to kill you? that is your freedom i guess.  strange as it is. 

had a pleasant chat with a sister in law. she is also in medicine.  she has not always been overly sisterly to me but i give credit to her as this week she was kind and supportive and even exceedingly complimentary to me.  i had heard that life has changed her for the better and it was nice to have proof of that. it can be tough for people to change so it is even more impressive that she seems to be softening. i do always have some hope and i am always willing to alter my response to those who alter theirs.  

these are again at Eklutna Lake.  

today i met my friends J&M H at Reflections Lake.  she was a main walking/hiking buddy in Ketchikan and they are moving to the Palmer/Wasilla area to be closer to their daughter and her new family. congrats! that will  be fun... hoping we can get a few hikes/walks in again.  some friends you just pick up like no time has ever passed. 

i am very lucky to have so many great people who have come in to my life over the years. 

goofballs!

i zipped to work right after to grab the flu shot.  arm a bit sore and i generally feel a little crappy after for like 24 hours 

Reflections Lake did have some nice reflections, as advertised.  i planned it so they would only have to drive part way in, but they drove right past to a little reflection lake in Anchorage so the dogs and i did one loop without them and they did a second loop after i headed out.  figured it would be a nice halfway point plus a nice family walk for them to do with their new grandson as he gets a bit older.

this one is crazy!!  i think she's gotten more nuts post op. her right knee still bothers her some but it certainly isn't slowing her down.  we did laugh on the trail as at the end a squirrel grabbed the pups attention...silly squirrel.  i had the dogs off leash, even though it's an on leash area, i'm bad.  they are just so nuts on leash and really quite well behaved off leash.  i think my friends were impressed seeing them sit nicely off trail as others passed by. 

i am talking 59 1/2 for retirement from the bedside....not sure what i will do at that point...but with covid that just looks more and more appealing to me.  i'll have to put some more energy into the actual planning of that idea.  will need an easier job to do at least part time that gives me insurance.  

life is always a who knows though.  my retirement savings could disappear, i could get ill, die...planning is not always what one expects.  i'm not a great planner. i am more of a live each day sort of person.  i waste a lot of time but time wasted is the happiest...meandering around trails with the dogs.  i enjoy my free time and i'd be fine with more free time to just do what i do now.  

there is snow in the forecast....we shall see.  should be more on the mountain tops tomorrow at least. 

it is odd that i didn't do my drive of Denali Highway this fall.  fall feels unfinished. i missed many cool color opportunities.  had lots of other fun though too. 

always good to not get too many habits.  

there are still loads of mushrooms to find. the shelf fungi is thriving right now. 

headed to Pt Woronzof tonight for the sunset.  guess i missed a good one last night so i wasn't about to repeat that.  turned out pretty nice.  one moose sighting.

Ivy is fast asleep. she is all grey. we went to Matanuska Glacier yesterday.  enjoyed the drive and the glacier.  always a nice day trip.  the locals cost is $35 to walk out front.  worth it to me a few times a year.  they had put out some trail stuff in front as it can get pretty mucky out. 

there was some ice on the lake in front of the glacier...i mean there was the usual icebergs, but there was also ice that was starting to form a crust over the lake...it's that time of year.  the lakes will freeze up. 

i'll switch from flowers and mushrooms to looking for cool ice formations 

covid kitty is staying inside a bit more. he always seems upset that the weather is changing which decreases his outdoor pleasure...i suspect he blames me for this. that is how cats are. 

the berry picking is done.  i never made a trek to several of the usual trails but did other things i guess.  there is always so much to see in the warm days and never enough days to see it all. 

tide was up today but on this day i enjoyed a walk on the beach at Pt Worzonof.  this water tower gets painted over often and still the thing gets all tagged up. 

we don't have too many places filled with graffiti here so this beach is a big graffiti place

here i am with Covid Cat.  

the pictures get a bit mixed up....he was not at the beach with us. 

i get messages asking if i want to work every day.  so far the temptation hasn't been there to pick up and take the extra risk.  

there is some major farting going on in here.  the dogs are sleeping in here with Miss Breezy.  i know it's not me farting...they do sleep so peacefully

watched a few movies in the evenings.  don't do that so much in the summers but starting to settle in for the winter and watch movies again. 

the colors do look nice in the light of sunset

it was windy down there today.  

we are slowly adding layers to our wardrobe in prep for the winter weathers return. 

do i buy blizzacks for the CR-V? probably will need to.  if i had been smart i should have just bought some in Homer...if they had them...when i got that flat. put the last two tires on marketplace but no bites 

still leave a little rock here and there.  

i have quite a few rocks so i hope to do some more painting over the winter for next summers drops. 

there are a few that i will just have to keep.  favorites that will never end up out there. 

will have to see what the weather is like tomorrow and decide where we can walk.  

dogs could care less as long as they get to get out there and play 

do i hike in a mushroom rich area or look for fall colors...or get both i guess.

these are all from August.  soon we will have no leaves left.  they are starting to really drop

save the earth.  covid is doing a bit of a purge, which less people is always a good thing for the earth i guess.  always amazing, so many have died and yet the earth still has so many people that you don't notice any decrease in numbers really. 

sleeping lady

a local landmark.  

it's time to crash.  will hit bank for a few deposits tomorrow.  maybe just do a cash withdrawal to start building up my at home cash stash.  i used that for the Element.  

thankful for A. the hope of people changing for the better B.  new life in the midst of so much death C. new friends, old friends...