Brent Sass has won the Iditarod...

 

i still need to look at the rest of my pictures from the restart.  Brent Sass has won the Iditarod as i said.  he has won the Yukon quest 3 x and the vets choice award for great dog care.  so congrats to him.  Dallas came in second.  he was hoping for a record 6th win and perhaps one day he will return again to go for that. he has said he will cease running the big dog races for a time to be with his daughter. 

these are from the ceremonial start in Anchorage where i had just moved to the area between hospitals to watch the curve.  it was a wet day so these are kind of  blurry because my digital camera, as all digital cameras are not keen on being wet/damp. the auto focus ceased working at optimal, but still so much fun watching them turn this corner and a few didn't quite make it..one almost ran into me and that video was pretty cool

i head back to work tonight. things were slowing down overall at the end of last week. i worked PICU, was a sitter and then worked ER. at first i floated then i headed back to the west side to close out the ER patients and transition to hold nurse. in the end, i went home early as my ER patients left and one of my holds headed to OR so then there was just one so i gave that patient to another nurse back there and booked early

it's always a treat to head home a bit early. that night as a lovely surprise it was only an 11 hour shift to start with due to day light savings. i had forgotten that. it was only 9 hours for me i think though. 

it's day 20 in putins reign of brutality on the people of Ukraine. the poor mayor remains held by russians. i am just hearing of the possibility that an entire hospital has been taken hostage by russia.  they are being cruel/savage. they do not follow or care for any civility or kindness.  Zelenskyy has said that there will be no punishment for it's citizens who kill any russians. 

they fire on civilians, they fire on schools and hospitals. they have killed journalists. they need to be stopped.  still hoping we at the very least get planes to Poland so they will give their migs to Ukraine pilots. they are already familiar with those planes so it will be easy trade for them.  they need to some power in the air...and sea i might add. we all need to support the end of this terrorist endeavor.  it's beyond war, it's an act of shear terror on the part of putin.  

it was pointed out that my last post i said russia has 144 billion citizens rather than 144 million.  i write with emotion at times and can get words/details wrong.  so will correct that.  putin oddly is asking for military assistance from China and even N. Korea i think.  they do not seem interested in helping him.  for sure not in sending troops to his losing battle.  he invaded a sovereign nation just because he wanted it.  hopefully this is a reminder to others that this is not the best laid plans.  historically, it does seem that the most long lived dictators are the ones that don't make huge attempts to increase their territory but hang on to what they have by ruthless and brutal means.

one does hope the people of russia will eventually find their way out of this one dictator.  of course, one never knows what waits in the wings beyond putin.  it could be worse.  there are still brave acts in russia by those who protest despite knowing the potential consequences. one woman got behind the propaganda spreader on russia "news" and held up a sign.  who knows how severe her consequences will be...she probably did though which makes it a true act of bravery. it would be great to break up that country and allow the people that live there some control over their futures and the futures of their children. 

putin doesn't care about his own soldiers so i suspect he is looking for fighters from the middle east and africa on the hopes that they will not have any emotional ties to the Ukrainian people and will be more willing to inflict pain and suffering. 

life does carry on here.  my tiles should arrive on Thursday and my bathroom project should happen at the end of March or early April. i bought a toilet to replace the old one with. you do debate....the war could expand and come to us...do i spend money on home improvements? in the end, i opted to hope for the best.  to hope that the pressure the world is putting on putin and russia will see the end of this brutal attack and we will move forward.  

nuclear bombs could rain down on us all but you can't live the what if life. you have to carry on.  i will be taking some money out and being prepared with having extra food and water here and that sort of thing. if a nuke is dropped you may just be evaporated out of existence. we just can't sustain living in worst case scenario's.  i am not in Ukraine, they are having to live with the day to day hell. i will appreciate my safe and peaceful existence at this time. everything can change quickly. 

did some rock painting the other day.  it does always calm me.  i need to clear out the garage a bit to make room for the workers to prep and stuff to be stored there while the bathroom gets redone. the to do list is always present.  a reminder that everyone in Ukraines to do list became shorter 20 days ago to the very basic survival needs. 

these are loaded backwards.  this was after a spill...the dogs used the spill to chill for a minute

they were literally at my feet. the one closest is the Iditarider. 

i haven't followed the details of the race as i have in the past.  i can still look at the videos and all that on the Iditarod site.  do love hearing all the stories from the trail. 

walked with my friend yesterday and there was a young moose very close to the trail.  several bikers had passed before us so we thought it may be possible to get by.  Sunny Boy hasn't met a moose really and he still barks at things on the trail that are new to him.  i can't recall if he barked but my friend SH went before us and as she went to pass the moose, it charged her.  thankfully, the moose was bluff charging her but it was a close distance to travel and she probably could feel his breath on her. she could have reached out and touched him.  we backed away and went the other way. 

the moose are hangry this spring.  so much snow that it's been a tough year for them to forage.  there have been many instances of them charging. i have heard at least one dog has been killed.  there was moose that charged 3 dog teams out there. i think the 3rd team just ended up taking the moose out.  we do not have a shortage of moose or bears up here, so do not be concerned about that.  when moose are taken out like this...there are many in the surrounding villages that will happily come and grab the meat to be shared with those in their community. 

the same happens when moose get hit by cars here. there is a list of folks willing to come out any time of day or night to harvest the meat.  this meat is also donated to wildlife rescue centers to feed the animals.  most zoo animals get more processed meats...for the bears at the conservation center they occasionally get a treat of a moose leg to munch on. 

i hear the beluga whales are being spotted on their spring run up turnigan.  the whales and the bald eagles come to enjoy that early run of hooligan.  the locals will also come enjoy that run soon as well. 

soon the adventures will begin for us all. 

these are downtown anchorage. 

fox news, especially one fool, continue to spread russian propaganda.  russian news just posts it as it is. they don't even need to attempt to alter it for their viewers.  i do hope these idiots who are trump/putin supporters wake up one day.  there comes a time when you have to see that you are on the wrong side of history. 

i recall my mom had a co-worker who had grown up in Germany during the war and even in the 80's refused to admit that her country did anything wrong. so sadly, some will never be able to admit they were rooting for the wrong team.  the amoral team, the team of terror.  

some simply refuse to admit that anything they believe could possibly be wrong at all. 

people are dying, it's totally unnecessary.  i do hate humans some days.  humans are capable of such horror.  you never see animals behave this way.  they take lives, but only what they need for their own survival. they do not have the capacity of cruelty.  

i still need to shower and get my day moving forward. it's beautiful out there again.  the roads are a mess, especially the side roads, like mine.  it is always amazing how quickly things change up here. i love the drama of Alaska.  i love the miracle of the diversity of this earth.  nature will always win in the end.  i suspect God is more of a fan of nature than of the human lives that inhabit it. 

Sunny Boy is doing better about getting in the back of the car this week.  yesterday we had class. he did well. i got complimented for my training of him.  he still has a lot to learn but it really is fun and rewarding training dogs.  i took both dogs into Home Depot yesterday and after class i took Sunny to Cabela's for a little training walk.  he's still not brilliant on leash.  in the end i just want him to walk around me and not pull or trip me. 

they are napping behind me right now. they adapt to what i am doing, which is great. when i prepare for work, they are getting to just lay down and wait for their treat.  each week we add new lessons.  he is starting to understand the stay command.  he's doing great at the off trail command. 

i still put out different memorials, rocks/ashes.  Tusker is missed always...so are all the other dogs i've had in the past. i've been very blessed with some amazing puppies. i've had a lot of amazing cats as well.  Covid Cat is enjoying the longer days and warmer days and getting outside a bit more.  he still also loves napping inside.

we are not done with winter. we will still get some snow days but the melting is winning and it won't be long before spring arrives.

with it the new growth and new critters. 

anywhere man leaves a negative stain, nature eventually finds it's way back in. 

there are little signs of hope. i try to look for those to brighten up this world of negative news. 

these faces and the snuggle times buoy me up each day. 

i see how many refugees from Ukraine risk a great deal to get their pets out with them.  you know that the furs in their lives help them cope with the hell they have been made to endure 

still slowly trimming Sunny's fur. ran into work friends a few times this week.  almost all of them have some sort of doodle/poodle crosses.  fun to walk with friends.  fun to at least have a break in the covid mess. who knows what next strain will hit us all. hoping the covid strains will lessen in strength and normalcy will return on that front. 

yes, i still say prayers.  i'm sure i will scream and yell at God again from time to time. will it help? it will help me.  sometimes you just need to scream and hope you are heard even if you know you won't be. 

these two are still working on their relationship.  i think covid cat gets frustrated and takes it out on Miss Breezy at times. so there are some spats there. i am trying to add more kitty play time to get their extra energy and attention needs met. 

may head to ruth's in a bit.  haven't been as much lately.  there was some little episodes of drama.  i avoid drama.  so now when i go i just try to walk and see what i see. if i find rocks, great, if not, no big deal. 

we shall see what this week brings. 

look how small he looks here.  he's as tall as Ivy is now i think.  not sure what he weighs.  

i now just put little puppy/kitties on the rock scenes even if i don't add the rainbow. 

such a cutie!!  

grateful for: A. home projects.  it's always fun to have an area become all pretty.  it just makes me happy. B. that we are safe and have running water and electricity. C. that i can go to work without fear that our hospital staff and patients will be bombed or held hostage.