first 3 shifts behind me...

 

that makes life nice. only 3 more until my 6 day stretch off. :-) i'm so happy i don't work normal hours. i basically get a few weeks off each month.  live each day. be lazy, don't be in a rush.  life is too short for that crap. 

too many people over schedule themselves and feel bad if they are not actively doing crap all the time. do minimal crap.  enjoy the peace of nothing. love low tides up here. the beaches can go out for miles. 

yesterday we did nothing out at the dunes.  i've heard the call of sand hill cranes these last two days.  yesterday over the sounds of multiple motor bikes down at the dunes...then i saw a group of 5-6 cranes.  they are back. their call can  be heard for miles. so doing nothing is amazing.  listening to the birds. enjoying the sunshine. watching the dogs just be happy.

watching coverage of the hell happening in other parts of the world, especially Ukraine right now, is a constant reminder of how precious each day and each minute is. much of what we do won't matter much really.  

i did get some yard stuff done. clean up time. of course, this means playing fetch with the dogs as i slowly do the yard work. i had kicked over the front deck railing. it's bothered me for some time as it's half off anyway so looks terrible.  so it's down.  i break it down a bit for trash day each week. my neighbor texted me as i had just kicked it over and left it there as i headed to work. amazing how much lighter the deck looks and how open.  i don't think i'll be leaving it without a railing though.  eventually, i will fix the one bad plank and figure out a new railing and perhaps little gate. 

always nice to sit out there with the dogs. 

this week i worked ER-Pediatrics-ER. the last night in the ER was busy.  it never stopped! the waiting room was packed all night. the front area of the ER was crammed with psych patients taking up rooms so the pair of us in the back area ended up doing ER patients all night.  really weren't any holds.  most of the patients were in/out so i ended up taking care of 17 patients through my 12 hours. iv's in, meds given, iv's out, discharge...repeat. 

the first night in the ER i was starting to hope i may go home early...but then i guess someone felt ill upstairs so i was shifted to IMCU from 5 am to 7:30. the odd thing was taking the full report at 5am made my body feel like it was a brand new day.  i was wide awake when i got home.  so poor sleep that day.  we didn't make a walk that day but we did make the dog park on another day.  

Sunny loves interacting with all the other pups.  so social. he does love to play and run but he is also happy chilling at home and snuggling. 

starting to see some signs of spring up here. still loads of snow to melt.  

haven't chosen my walk spot for the day.  moving slowly of course.  saw a photo of a mama black bear with 3 cubs right at the bridge at Campbell Airstrip...so it's that time of year again.  not keen on meeting bears on the trail. especially a protective mom with 3 cubs! this trail is just a few miles from my house. 

i loaded the tires into the Element and today i made appointments for both cars for tire change over. the element tires may not be great....we shall see. they were finally unfrozen from the yard enough to pull out. 

dog poop pick up continues in the yard.  it's a process. as the snow melts i clean up.  there is also the vomit from Tusker to clean up. i knew it would be there....just more reminders of the pain of this winter. 

i have a good load of rocks to paint and prep for summers adventures and rock drops. so fun. 

this state is magical.  there is so much drama playing out each day/week.  the changes are constant. you can walk on the same trails every week and it can look so completely different

the same for the intertidal zones that i head to.  it's never dull. 

i forgot to pack my big camera the other day when i headed to Homer.  that is a sign of the times.  often just use the iphone. the big camera is good for those wild animal sightings when you want decent photos from a distance. i get lazy with my photography as the phone camera takes good enough quality for my general needs. 

i get lazy with loading the big cameras photos on the computer. 

the pumps at work have changed over so they interact with the computer program.  i had not taken the live course and the online course i took...well...while i was attempting to take that i woman in a psychotic break was screaming constantly behind me so my focus was not great. i guess several of the boxes are not even set up to work yet so i at least know how to tell if that has happened now. we adapt to these changes.  

nursing has changed a lot since i started. we did all our documentation on paper in those days.  we had to mix many of our own drips. we had to do a lot more calculations

the basics of caring for a patient stay similar though.  the computer stuff is a huge change.  it's made things safer in many ways but also we now document the same stuff over and over in different spots. i'm sure this makes it easier for those who work in offices to track everything we do. 

we are watched more closely.  our actions constantly under the scrutiny of one computer system or another. 

the good and the bad. 

covid....doesn't seem to be any huge wave.  i do feel like these omicron variants are less damaging so i'm good with that.  as long as the hospitals don't get bogged down again i'm cool with it. i haven't gotten that extra booster yet. i'd rather wait and see.  rather get it if/when another wave hits us more directly. see what happens as far as it getting incorporated into the annual flu shot. 

love this one below of the daisies. they are always a favorite

i've also seen the Canadian geese arrive and did see several swans as i made my drive to Homer last week. 

i'll hit the shower soon and get the walk plans made.  where to go? the bears add another plot to the walks.  as i loaded for work the other night there was a mosquito flying over the car.  another sign of spring.

we hit the 50's this weekend. in summers we don't tend to get much over 70's here. with the long days though 70's+ can feel super warm. 

my friend kindly takes family photos on occasion...or tries to.  

dogs, like kids, are not always all that cooperative with photo ops

still working on his training stuff though i should be doing more.  we do get the morning training session in after breakfast every day. 

we ran into this standard poodle.  super nice owners.  he was 8-9 months old. Sunny is now officially 7 months old. growing up so much.  all legs still.

he had fun playing with his new friend.  this was out at the dunes as well though now the snow is mostly gone

University Lake is still frozen though there are larger areas that are open water. Ivy has been able to swim.  Sunny has not ventured beyond his belly. he's not a keen swimmer. it's good that he is willing to romp in shallow water for fun...and to chase birds.

the residents of Mariupol that have survived to tell the tale have harrowing stories. the filtration camps are dirty and poorly supplied. their phones are checked for any connection or support to Ukraine. they are often tortured and questioned and rumors of murder are common.  others are put on buses to russia, often they are told they are headed back into Ukraine territory but that is not where they end up. the fate of many will never be known. the ones that have escaped have done so are great risk to individual drivers who find ways around russian check points back into Ukraine held territory. 

there is still that group of civilians and soldiers at the steel plant.  the russians will claim they will allow them to leave, they will stop shelling/start shelling. it's awful. 

i guess someone who was able to get out earlier from Mariupol has set up a web site Mariupol Life.  people can post profiles of sorts for people missing/not heard from. 

these are from Cheney Lake.

just a few months ago but he's taller than her now. he's made his way into our lives and our hearts.

how well would his coat fit now.  it's been warm enough i haven't tried it on. 

it was too big when i bought it for him. 

such a sweet face. he does look more like a poodle now. 

they are a cute pair.  most on the trail assume he's a doodle.  i mostly don't bother correcting them 

he's a dog and he's loved, no matter what breed he is. :-)

heart breaks for all the terrified pets left behind in Ukraine.  another reason to hate the jerk that caused all this mess.

almost time to make my escape from the great indoors. 

the dogs love their outdoor time.  Covid Cat is thrilled with the spring weather as well. he was back on the roof of the shed...he is good at getting on/off of it.  as long as it's in the yard still he has my full support. looks like a great place to watch the world. if he's going to get outside i do prefer him sticking close to the house.  it still makes me nervous.  

slept a lot yesterday. went to bed early, woke at around 1, started the laundry.  life as a night shifter.

the end...haha.  grateful for A. these happy pets that brighten my every day B. signs of spring, even the bears i guess! C. freedom and free speech.