to do list done...

 at least the short list i made for myself for today....cat litter, dog poop pick up in the yard, laundry, mail packages, bird feeders...check, check, check!!

 i have very low aspirations.  makes life much easier.  we did the gasline to powerline to tank trail and around for todays' monday walk.  perhaps not my best choice, but it is nice to change it up.  this meant that the amy's had to work harder getting kids up hills and then battling twigs coming downhill.  hopefully, i will be forgiven for this.  the view from the top was quite lovely so hopefully worth it after all!!  i like to work my arse on occasion.

 as you can see we had a bit more of the fata morgana today.  above is mt foraker, denali and what's the other one....kinda like the 3 tenors.  i think that is yet another seinfeld reference. i'm so cultured.  which brings me to another seinfeld reference from when they were at a play and seinfeld starts singing a bit from looney toones bugs bunny.  that is my kind of culture. what can i say?

 we had three RT's along for the walk.  they were stopped and about 40 feet in front of then i spied a moose that they had not seen.  they were more than happy to let me jump out in front and deal with said moose.  thankfully, said moose was quite young and amy's malemutes circled around the moose which encouraged it to move along peacefully.

 i think everyone had fun on the walk despite me making it more of a work out today.  later i headed  back to basher trailhead a bit further up the road from the bivouac's and took both dogs for a short walk there so that i could enjoy this sunset.  it looked like it may be quite nice and dang it if it wasn't a beauty!

 also looked a few more pictures from my card as i enjoyed a fire in the fireplace.  posted a few mushrooms on the my shot site of nat geo.  my friends seem to enjoy them so it's always fun to see what people across the globe think.  love that i get hits from all over this lovely earth.  gotta love the internet for how it's brought people together.  just us regular joe's.  i look at their photo's from their lives and they look at mine.  no politicians, no politics, no religion, just people who like to take and look at photography.

 downtown and mt susitna in the background.

 watched one of my netflix movies last night.  i'm not recalling the name right now.  it was a disney flick from several years back.  it was about a girl who runs away from home and joins an act leaping with horses from like 40 feet up.  she goes blind and continues to perform.  enjoyed the story.  good movie.  i do watch occasional disney movies or animated...gotta keep up a bit and it's just fun and light.  she would have to have a lot of faith in the horses to do what she did.  guess it's based on a real story.  people be brave.

 a friend is going in for open heart surgery in the morning in Texas.  she is too young for this and has young kids.  hoping all the best for her and her family at this stressful time.  sunsets like this do make your heart light and bring you hope.

 after coffee i just ran home, grabbed rio and the packages and headed to for the hills as it were.

 thankfully, our sunsets are still pretty early so i was able to hit the posts office after the sun was down.  there was a short line and the guy was nice again.  he's been much more chatty and pleasant of late.  hmm...

 i usually drive by the post office by my house and if it looks too busy i head for the ace hardware store, but it looked fine today. 4 packages in the mail.  i think that means i'm pretty much done with the post office for a bit.  i have a few calendars to be raffled off so i'll have to see who ends up with those, may have to mail a few.  haven't done much advertising so not that many folks have signed up for the raffle.  cest la vive i guess. more is better for charities.

 the volcano out there almost looks like it's smoking.  think it's just the way the clouds are. that should be iliamna.  you can see 3 from anchorage.  augustine, iliamna and redoubt.  redoubt being the closest.

 saw this little lady on my way back down the hill after the sunset heading for the post office.

 it was getting darker so not any grand photo's of her.

 when i was at the computer last night the cats curled up on the dogs bed. liked how they were each in their own colour.  rio is still downstairs on the couch tonight. blossom is up here.  miss breezy was nestled in with blossom, but she seems to have moved on. nice having the animals around.

 tried to get some selfies today.  my friend Quinton made this beautiful scarf for me.  i LOVE the colour.  it's so pretty!!  thanks Quinton!!  wanted to wear it today as i suspected my local knitting friend would enjoy seeing his work.  she was impressed and loved the yarn colour as well.

 can't say that i do this beautiful scarf justice.  it's for sure time for a spa day and a new hair style.

 the scarf does go a long way in improving my look.  it is funny, my brother posted a few photo's of me as a teenager.  now i felt as large as an elephant when i was a teenager.  life in S. California can be a bit tough for teenagers. there are some skinny bitches there.  i wasn't one of them.  however, as i look at those pictures from years ago i have to admit that i wasn't a cow either. i was a normal figured girl.  not huge, not tiny.  i was way to hard on myself and no doubt continue to  be.  still, some toning is always a good idea.  free weights are my best plan for that.

 the kids get into the sled....they look pretty happy for their ride.  it was actually quite warm out there today and doing those hills makes you warm if you aren't already.

 the amy's push/pull the sled.  the one amy has been sick with a cold bug so i was impressed that she made it out.  i do always fine a good walk in the woods is great for the lungs and the sinuses.  nothing like cold weather to clear you up.

 4 dogs along.  blossom chased her toy for quite a bit of the walk.  she seems pretty satisfied tonight.

 cute outdoor girls!!

 a little girl power story for the Olympics. women ski jumpers will finally be allowed to compete. before it was all men, which does seem a bit outdated.  so go girls!!

 loved this of amy and lucy...so cute!!

 took the RT group on the side trails back to the parking lot while the amy's stuck to the tank trail.

 always pretty down on those side trails so fun.  a bit of open water out there near stumphenge.

 someone made this big snow smile on the side of the road.  does make one smile....:-)

 katie and some grandkids.  speedy made some nummy rice crispy treats packed with treats.  they were a hit with the crowds!!

 back to sunset shots.

 i was a wee bit late getting out to the Monday walk.  partly as i was lingering in bed reading and wasn't paying attention to the time.  oops!!

 loved how the colour bounced off the snow.

 and the dog of course

 i think rio was happy to get out since it was a short walk.  of course i was thinking a bit about a guy who was young and recently was found dead on this very trail.  not far in.  still haven't heard what happened there.  we lost another homeless person, 2 women in like a week.  sleeping in tents and cars in the winter is never a good idea.  some people don't have many options or they have gone through them.

 i am extremely grateful for all the many blessings i have been given.  from a stable and safe childhood to a relatively protected and stress free adulthood.  i have friends and family who care about me and who i know i could call on. i have the best pets, i have a lovely and simple house, i live in the most beautiful place in the world...well i think so. i have good health that allows me to go out and enjoy the beauty of alaska and i am able to take and share photos which brings others happiness.  can't complain about that.

 much more to be grateful for but suffice it to say i am very lucky and blessed and ever grateful.

 it's a simple life...i get to spend time in the woods, walking and enjoying the peace and beauty that is gifted to us each day by God.

 a few more attempts at getting pictures of me in my new scarf.  it makes me look professional almost.

off to read for a bit.  enjoy the pictures and have happiness in your life!!