lovely day, lovely friends...

 above was my favorite shot of the day.  mondays aren't my best photo day...more of a social walk for me.  it's good for me to socialize.  we were 4 braving the frigid temperatures outside and we were joined by a few more at kaladi's.  thank you ladies.  the monday walks have gone on now for 4 winters i believe.  it's like a reading group or a knitting group in  a way, over time friendships build and grow.

 a few of blossom at home.  the rio ones didn't turn out...she tends to move more.  the one below was taken through the dog bone when i was getting ready to make rio's PBB (peanut butter bone) today.  when i leave the dogs at home i fill a bone with turkey dogs and peanut butter, then just tell them to go mimi's and they are all happy as i walk away.  today it was just rio staying home.  it's really been cold and i think she prefers her couch time when it's below zero.  who can blame her.

 just finished watching a movie, "iron jawed angels".  it stars hilary swank, who i always love in movies.  she's just a wonderful actress who can take on many roles it seems. in this movie she plays alice paul, a suffragette.  she and a brave group of women worked together from 1912-1920 to get a constitutional amendment passed to guarantee women the right to vote.  it was long overdue.  things came to a head after war was declared and they were arrested under baffling and untrue charges and treated poorly in prison. she began a hunger strike while in prison.  eventually the main suffragette leaders, who previously didn't support or condone this splinter groups outbursts, came out to demand president wilson address this issue.

 loved the clouds today...clouds and a forcast of snow ahead...even if it's barely calling for it.

 women are powerful and men still fight against them gaining the right to vote in many other nations.  it's always hard to say what side you would have been on or if you would have been brave enough to endure the suffering these suffragettes endured.  i thank them for their dedication to a cause that i benefit from every day...that right to vote should not be taken for granted.

 it was a good movie.  always love to catch a bit of history with a movie.  i know it's hollywooded up a bit and can't be counted as 100 % accurate but then again, neither can the history books.  those have also been altered often times.

 as usual, a lot of frost out there.  since it was so cold we did the gasline to powerline and back to tank trail, then we took the side trails that run along side the tank trail.  always so beautiful back there.

 we crossed over the frozen parts of stumphenge.

 great to get a totally different perspective by walking on the water.

 me in the frost.  probably should have tossed on my skhoop,  still trying to re-work my layering process now that i got these dang hose.  tanya smartly wore hers and i think karen is in the market for one.

 they aren't overly glamorous, but the dang things keep a girl warm.

 lena even pulled out her camera.

 my hand got chilled a bit at times trying to snap away.

 indy out there enjoying his day.  we lost the tennis ball somewhere out here.  oh the many tennis balls lost to the woods.

 our hospitals helicopter crew was lost 5 years ago today.  always must take a moment to remember them and others who fly for medivac crews across the globe.  it's a dangerous job, but a needed one.  not for me, but those who do it seem to love it,despite the personal risks they take.  many good souls lost...but never forgotten.

 karen out and happy with her camera.

 still wishing i could figure out how to turn pictures on blogger...or convince them to add that into the options for photo's.  this one actually kinda looks sideways, but it's not.

 the usual trees.  so pretty.

 i was in stumphenge so this seemed a fitting shot.  blue skies with clouds!!!  i was so happy.

 we had a bit of a quake today.  i must have been driving as i totally didn't notice it. nothing seemed to have fallen at my house.  it must have hit while i was moving between getting my gas and parking at the fred meyers grocers.  when i walked inside stuff was off shelves and there were several workers kinda rushing about.  my brain thought, quake? but i wasn't sure.  i got my few items, checked out and left.  when i got to the car they said we'd just had a 5.7 quake.

 alaska is a place where quakes happen pretty regular.  there were like 16 more quakes, all smaller that followed that 5.7.  i never felt any of them either.  generally i find they have to be over 3-3.5 for me to note them...or right below me.  one morning there were 2 strong jolts within 45 seconds.  those were both located within a few miles of the house though several miles down.

 a lot also depends on what sort of land you are on.  some land gets more action than others. the east side of town is generally more solid (it was one reason i bought my house on this side of town).  i was kinda looking for homes that were built before the '64 quake and had withstood that.  this one was built in the 80's.  the inspector did note some improvements that had been added to aid in earthquake strength.  can't say i love quakes.  they do leave you a bit unsettled when they happen.  i tend to prefer that bam...there it is as opposed to tornado's and hurricanes where you seem like you are anxious for hours or weeks.

 boddhi in his latest muzzle.  he just wears it for the monday walks i think.  he can get a bit alpha.  it has actually worked very well and we just haven't had any of the issues we once did with him.  seems to just calm him.  of course, today he apparently found something foul to rub his face in and when we got back to the car it was noted that whatever it was was smashed all over the netting.  ick!!

 he's clearly out having a good time with his buddies.

 he's fine with them, but if any other dog appears that is at all alpha, the fireworks can happen.

 here we are in stumphenge.

 apparently, some people read this as my friend natalie informed me that in one post i was trying to discuss public use cabins and instead called them pubic use cabins.  oops!!  happy to have readers though.  hehe!

 tanya thought this looked like a little fairy house.

 headed back to the cars.

 guess the homeless guy in new york that a cop bought shoes for is again shoeless.  when i first saw that story, i pessimistically figured he would soon be shoeless.  of course, i assumed he'd sell them. apparently, he has hidden them for fear someone will steal them.  many of our homeless actually have mental health issues.  many are war veterans.  there was another article today about how many vietnam war vets were probably ptsd, but it wasn't diagnosed in those days so instead they were discharged as undesireable discharge, so without benefits i believe.  there is a suit to try and reverse this in many who were discharged under this non benefited class and later diagnosed as ptsd.  so far it's being denied. our vietnam vets have had an uphill battle.  it was not a popular war and they were ultimately the ones who suffered the most.  they are a good percentage of our homeless today. it's sad and i do hope they get the care they deserve in their last days on earth.

 amy and lucy joined us at the coffee shop. great to see them.  such a cutie...we all took turns holding our newest member to the monday walk and coffee crew!!

 bit chilly out there for one so new to our world, but one day i'm sure she will join us for the walk portion with her canine siblings, ekko and laika!!

 better hit the sack...the to do list ain't getting any shorter....i'd rather walk and blog, but i'm sure i'm supposed to get a few other things accomplished as well.  good night.