Happy Valentines Day...(to those who celebrate and thrive on it)

as i am currently extremely single it's not on my list of celebratory holidays. always a date of stress it seems for those who are involved. i had thought of doing a girls night for those who had no partners, but some years i really just don't bother with it. probably the coughing and being sleepy aided my whatever attitude over the holiday. i was pleasantly surprised by a knock on my door after 9pm tonight. a guy was out there in a very fancy suit/tux. thought perhaps i was getting a stripogram, but he came bearing flowers. i was talking to my friend, gnat, in california at the time. not easy accepting flowers, talking on phone and keeping 2 dogs at bay while talking to well dressed stranger at the door. very sweet of my friend tanya and family to think of me and send some flowers off! it's a rare thing when a single gal gets flowers. :-)
above is the big mountain of denali (or mckinley to those in the lower 48). looks like the mountain is floating.met amy and her pups up at prospect heights. in retrospect we should have gone for the snowshoes. the snow at my house was about 4 inches of very wet, heavy stuff. up there it was pretty nice snow. oh well. we survived. had some lovely views of anchorage. the clouds started rolling in when we were nearly done, so we had blue skies!laika rosemore of my fair city. mailboxes on the way to the trailhead. always love these long rows of post boxes. no valentines in my box today, but i believe my brother jeff sent one so something to look forward to. he's very good at keeping up on the holidays and all. i feel bad as i've really slacked off. don't know how he finds the time with two small kids at home. jeff, you rock!! not that any of my siblings visit my blog. he still rocks!another shot of anchorage with mt susitna in the background. woke much earlier and more alert today. great to slowly see improvements. still a bit short of breath on the walk and slow but each day better. not looking forward to work in a few days. it's coming up fast. yikes. mostly, i think i'll just be super tired. i came home from the walk and took a nice hour long nap. maybe more, not sure. i have an electric throw blanket and that thing knocks me out.the dogs enjoy the views. the benches are a bit buried and as you can see if you step off the thin packed down trail you will find yourself postholing up to your thighs. amy and i each did this at least once. this is where the snowshoes may have been helpful.the dogs didn't seem to have any issues. laika again takes in the view. ekko poses, which he's not generally fond of doing. loved amy's sunglasses out there today. so hollywood!!chilled at home this evening. i keep saying i'll try and do some laps and then i get settled in and it's hard to get motivated. maybe tomorrow....for sure tomorrow!!couldn't decide which picture i liked better and it's getting late so easier to just put in both than decide.rio stayed home today. the deep snow out there would have been tough for her to work with. she does sink into the deep stuff. blossom was mildly disappointed that the toy didn't get utilized. she gets pretty obsessed. did bring it out, but ekko immediately took control and wasn't about to give it up. we finally just put the toy away. poor blossom. those malemutes just have different ideas as to what toys are for. they are more into keep away and destroy than fetch. hard to explain that to a dog though. she just looks baffled at thier lack of understanding at the game.ekko plays keep away with laika close by.suppose i should have some comment on valentines day, but i really don't have much to say. lots of postings on facebook. it's now the new requirement for valentines. not only must you gift appropriately you must say something publicly about your love on facebook. the trend is kinda silly. does everyone really need to know how fabulous your spouse is? just gets boring celebrating everyones undying love for each other. love is great, but does it have to be a community event. just another day here at the Zoo. dogs don't care for valentines day. they don't expect and i have no added expectations from them due to the day. they give every day. the cats were thrilled today because i had grabbed an extra straw at subway. i ate a foot long...something i have never done. what a huge pig i was today! the cats played with the straw for an hour or more. why do i spend money on pet toys...? beyond the straw and a rawhide for the dogs, that was the valentines excitement...until the flowers came. i do love the unexpected!! ekko again poses for a rare shot!a little sundog action out there today!all over town the streets get plowed over and over again. i love that you can see the layers like sedimentary rocks in the snow. that was the reason for the next picture taken out my car window as i drove home from the walk today.and the lovely flowers!!! will definitely add some life to the house. thanks again tanya and family!! so sweet of you to think of me!!this last picture shows that even the neighborhood children are now able to walk along the 6 foot fence line. just so funny to look outside to see what blossom is barking at and see a toddler standing on the snow in thier yard looking right at us. blossom is obviously a bit perplexed as well. guess i should hit my inhalers and turn in for the night. hope you are all loved and have love in your hearts, whether for family, spouse, friends or pets. love is a good thing and is meant to be shared. i always say, in a world with so much hatred any form of love should be celebrated!