another week in paradise!

 nice to have flowers on the back deck again.  always costs a few to go to the good nursery and get the pretty flowers, but totally worth it.  my back deck is a little slice of heaven.  i have been sitting for at least a few minutes in my swinging chair every day...it's total relaxation and very good for my brain to just shut down completely.

 a few from the drive home from Homer last week and also from various walks this week.  always walking.  i need to get that swimming and gym routine back at full tilt and get this old body back in shape...there is hope for me.  i prefer myself with a few pounds off...and i really want my arms toned again.

 i am realistic enough to know that i won't be able to have some perfect rocking body, mostly because that takes a lot of work and maintenence and i just don't see me doing what i did in my 20's, fun to have those memories i guess.  i have always enjoyed weight lifting and i think it's a great way to tone up. in my 20's i used to do 2 hours at least 3x/week.  since then i have had periods where i am very regular and it still pays off...

 people around me seem to make the progress i want to see in myself.  need to be inspired by these people and kick myself into gear.  you are always capable of more than you give yourself credit for.  i think it's easy to get that twinge of envy and then do nothing and feel badly about yourself, better though to move past any envy and instead make goals for yourself.  you could get pretty depressed comparing yourself to others all the time...there will always be others who are better at this or that or look better or are richer or whatever...so if you compare yourself, odds are you will find yourself lacking...but you really can't think like that or you would just curl up and  die.  hell, you never know, someone may be comparing themselves to you and feeling badly about themselves.  we are all pretty self deprecating, aren't we?

 it's continued hot up here..hot being relative, in the 70's.  for Rio that is super hot.  today we just hit the dog park at U-lake. plenty of water.  yesterday we walked the bog and i tried to keep them out of the water.

 great to get some more work done  in the garden.  i have some goals now in that i will be headed to Ketchikan soon and a friend will be staying here with the dogs.  i really would like to make sure the place is in decent shape before i leave her here.  need to get some paint and do a touch up on the tiny kitchen. not seeing the money for a total remodel there yet so perhaps a can of paint will extend the life of it.  at least it's cheap.

 that Ketchikan trip is coming up super fast!!  yikes!  only 3 more shifts to work.  i'm never really all that excited to go on a trip until the packing is done and i'm at the airport. i'm generally anxious until then. at that point though it's happening and it's out of your control..all those details.  the pet sitter will just have to sort it out and the house will have to remain standing. then you just have to relax and go with the flow of whatever happens

 loved my traveling partners in the car...so cute!

 worked the adult icu 2 of my three shifts this week.  that first night i got to come home early.  4 nurses only had 1 patient each, my patient had to take a road trip so i told the charge i could put them in any room she wanted when i got back.  i was lucky to go home and not get called back in..yeah me!!

 worked out great as i had told Tanya i'd meet her for a walk at 12:30 in Kincaid. oops!!  so we were able to and then able to go to the nursery...it's become an annual trek for us both.

 liked the dark clouds and light clouds above...what is this contraption below?  i'm not sure but it was on the sidewalk all week this week and blossom was very suspicious of it...barking everytime she saw it.  cracked me up.  what goes through these dogs heads.  so cute!!

 these are from a rainy day walk last week.  we are looking to get more rain.  we need it.  not as much as California and places like that but lots of pollen in the air and dust, so i'm sure a lot of folks will be happy to have the pollen counts go down.

 her tiny dog was making me laugh, carrying sticks and wearing a flashy dog coat.

 Miss Lucy is getting bigger and more and more adorable!!

 one day while listening to NPR while driving they were talking about women and c-sections.  there is a high rate of c-sections being done.  i think the doctors in the US are trying to lower the rates. it used to be set aside and only done for emergencies.  now they seem to be done for convienence.  i guess Brasil and China have super high rates. one woman was trying to avoid it and instead went home  she was deemed to be endangering her baby and soon had the police come and take over and bring her back for her c-section. it's not that anything was going on, doctor just wanted to get it going.

 my last night this week i was in CCU. i had 3 patients and was pretty steady. each time i came out of one of my patients rooms most or all of my c0-workers from the unit were sitting down texting...i finally blurted out something about being the only one with patients that needed looking after..i'm sure i didn't endear myself to these folks but at the same time...it just gets so irritating.

 the work ethics i was taught was that you are paid to work, not paid to talk on the phone.  now so many people must be texting all the time, OMG,what if they missed a text about stopping to get milk on the way home or saying so and so got kicked off American Idol of something.  the point being...do your damn job and when you have done all the work and are all caught up, then perhaps you can pull the phone out and check to see who of your many,many friends and family have texted you!

 amy must have really good treats...she sure has everyones attention!

 pretty dang cute...perhaps i should stop getting these big dogs and switch to tiny ones.

 another chihuahua in Sitka will not be wearing any more cute coats though.  apparently the owner was fairly new to Alaska and let her dog out to do it's business...sadly a large grizzly bear was in the area and pinned poor little Paco under it's big paw and proceeded to eat the little dog within sight of the owner.  i can't even imagine how horrible that must have been for that poor woman.  the bear doesn't know it's a loved pet...to the bear it's just a meal.  so sad though.  it's that time of year.

 a friend texted me to day to let me know one of her co-workers had been charged by a large grizzly on the Tank trail. i tent to start avoiding those area's this time of year, unless i'm with people.  safety in numbers. the bear stopped the charge before the guy was hurt but i can tell you how traumatizing a near miss with a grizzly can be...and by hte way, they are always huge grizzly's when they are coming after you and they get bigger the closer they get.

 hit spencer loop with Lena the other day.

 blossom always remembers where the mud collects.  silly girl.

 every day is so pretty!! rain is predicted for sunday, which is great.  we really could use it.  we could have a bad fire season if we don't get a bit of rain.  California is battling some bad fires i hear. of course, they are building more and more so when these things happen there are no safe zones, everyone is at risk.

 manny waiting for a treat....such a good boy!!

 we were planning on taking the cut off as L had some place  to go but these signs would have prevented us from not taking the cut off.  of course, there was no sign saying why and we were curious.  makes you want to go check it out...we didn't though.

 always looking for trails with a water supply to clean off the mud on the coats and for letting them drink and not overheat.

 all the mud is gone...she is mid shake.

 another day i took Blossom and we hit the campbell airstrip trail and did a loop.

 always nice to see a few clouds out there.

 and the green is advancing!!

 loved all the light through those baby trees

 the bald eagles of Dutch Harbor/Unalaska are getting agressive!  when they are working on the nests and having their little baby's they go a bit nuts...no surprise.  the are doing it by attacking peoples heads.

 so this is a tribute to green!!

 this moose was taken from the car while i was driving...liked the lady quiety watching from the shed area.

 the denali highway road is now open through. may have to hit it earlier than the fall this summer and avoid hungry desperate bears.

 these are in the bog by my place.

 just peaceful.

 the wood bison have been given the green light to be re-introduced in Alaska. very exciting news.  they've been at the conservation center since 2006 so it took some time...that is how everything works.  start up slow, shut down fast.

 had to put Blossom in sideways...i forced her to get her hair all brushed out and trim her face.  she kept backing herself into a corner.  such a wimpy puppy. she looks good now though with her face all trimmed up.

 a few from University lake.  i got there late, saw several regulars.

 will be interesting to read about how the introduction of bison goes next year.  seems like a positive thing, sadly they were wiped out by over hunting.  now they'll get a chance to try it all again.

 Rio enjoyed the warth and sunshine.

 it' s after 2 am and i really should be crashing..no telling how i write this.  wondering if there are some really strange sentences in here.  haha.

 every so often a personalized plate catches my eye..this one made me laugh.

 will end with katie's old cat...i love old cats...so regal looking.

thankful for...1.  that i am about ready to curl up in bed and sleep.  i am sleepy.  that being said i am 2.  grateful to have a home and nice place to sleep, mostly safe and warm. 3.  for pretty flowers and lovely sunshine.  good night.