sunsets...and i head back to work tomorrow...

 wish me luck!! hopefully, it's not too bad and my knee isn't too swollen by the end of the night.  one night will get me back on schedule.

 as you can see it was foggy today.  there were patches at times and other times the skies would clear for a bit and be bright, beautiful and blue. it was cold too.  i'm sure it dipped below 0F a few times...the sign said -2 as i drove past on my way home.

 both dogs had a bit of a long day.  Rio was at home...i'm sure she preferred that to being out in this cold weather.  Blossom joined me and was in the car a few hours here and there.

 it was a busy day for me, but i got it all done...

 first i took Blossom for a loop at the University Lake dog park. then off to my Dr appointment...he gave me the all clear to do what ever i wished..obviously listening to my body's cues and acting accordingly.  he said i could ski but that if i do to much i will have increased swelling in the joint.

 as i have 3 nights of work ahead i suspect for me that will be equal to running a mini marathon so i won't be hitting my cross country ski's just yet.  he was happy with the progress.  no signs of clots or infection so he was good with it.

 from that i headed over to Kaladi's to meet with the Monday walk group...really of late the Monday coffee group.  hoping to remedy that next Monday!! above is Denali...it does appear that there may be some Fata Morgana at the base...hard to tell with these shots, but i noted some as well in some of the mountains sticking up over the fog.  the fog obscures it.  a Fata Morgana is a type of mirage...

 after the coffee i headed up to Basher trail with Blossom to enjoy a bit of the sunset above the fog bank.  just hoped it would be cool to look down on Anchorage and across to the sunset.

 i thought it was worth it....

 my new watch isn't set to exactly the right time yet though and that put me a few minutes late for my PT appointment.  i did some speed exercising and was able to get out in time to head to my massage appointment...whew!!

 Blossom bathed in the light...so pretty.

 thick frost...hopefully i can advance my walking trails by next week between shifts.  have been sticking to the same ones.  Basher was a short walk but it did have the hills and i survived those.

 the massage was much  needed.  can't say my massages are the most relaxing. i had some very tense muscles and knots to contend with. she focused on my shoulder/back knots, my knee and my hips...which seem to have taken a hit as well.

 as i suspected all my other body parts got somewhat tweeked with walking strange post op.  i continue to use my arms for stair assistance.  my Dr did give me a script for 4 massages so i'm scheduled for next Monday as well.

 welcome back Jillian!!  my massage therapist was out on maternity leave and today was her first day back.  when i arrived a co-worker, Tabitha was just leaving.  we've both been missing Jillian so it was funny that we both had made appointments the first day available.

 another of Blossom bathed in light.

 i always love the light through the trees.  it was beautiful.

 my massage was 1 1/2 hours and we laughed as i had knots and tense muscles enough for at least 3 hours work.  tomorrow dentists for a teeth cleaning, walk and nap hopefully before work.

 going, going..

 gone.

 a very pink Denali in view.

 just love that fog...

 the garden writer for the paper contemplated whether to write about "how to grow pot" since it will soon be legalized here.  so he did write a bit,mostly about whether to write about it.  as he said, he writes about potatoes and they can be made into vodka.

 several folks have been stricken with botulism in southwest Alaska..well they were in December..i'm still behind in my reading.  usually the botulism comes from badly fermented fish heads, a native treat though i would surely vomit if i attempted to eat such a thing.  i suspect the seal oil that was responsible for these cases of botulism would probably send me to the toilet as well.

 friends of a guy who died in an avalanche were able to return to the area and retrieve his body. they found his friends dog, who had also perished, curled up next to him with a paw on his shoulder.  so sad, but it was comforting to his friends that he had not died alone and that the dog had been with him there.  such a sad story though.

 spirits...i'm of the feeling that they can linger around a bit.  i've also heard that kids are more in tune to spirits...maybe just more open.  heard that a kid may have seen the spirit of another kid who had passed recently at the hospital.  guess the kid described the kid and was spot on.  i think all hospitals have been known to call in a preacher to bless a room and encourage spirits to move on.

 can't say as i've ever seen any spirits in patients rooms.  for sure i have looked in the eyes of patients and known that the entity that we refer to as a spirit was just not in those eyes...i have returned later to those same blank eyes only to see that the entity had returned.

 i have spent a great deal of my career tending to those who are dying.  it's an interesting time of life that out culture often just pretends doesn't happen.  personally, i think our death is as important as our birth.  how we come into the world and how we leave the world.

 my massage therapist was saying that her brother has passed when she was fairly young, a teen.  the night he passed his spirit was noted to be in the house.  in the wee hours the entire family felt him with them, passing the halls and they all stuck their heads out their bedroom doors at the same time.  the dead are among us.  somehow.

 i don't have all the answers, but i don't feel any need to know the answers.  i just don't think we can have answers to all those sort of questions.  in my opinion....religions exist because of mans need to believe that they do know the answers, that they have control over something that in my estimation can not be controlled.

 the rest of these are from yesterdays sunset.

 mans need to be right, to be right over others.  it's the cause of much bloodshed and none of them are right or all of them are right..or maybe a little right anyway.  mostly, the stuff of religion is created by man for the benefit of man. (i'm saying man in general really though often religions are male dominated)  in short, religion is often a means to control the masses.

 still if it brings people comfort and peace so be it...as long as their beliefs don't trample others way of life and belief.

 for myself i find that my spirituality is closely tied to nature. once i ran from a church building after a service, a panic had settled in me being there in that meeting.  i ran to the woods and that has been my church since then.

 the message of kindness, love, acceptance...those are the words that one should live by.

 Rio doesn't appear too distressed that she was left home alone all day.  she was warm and happy.  Blossom is tired after 2 walks and lots of tennis ball chasing.  great to have happy dogs...!!

 could see a few volcano's in the distance.

 redoubt i think.

 love these kind of sunsets...for sure they are already getting later as we add time to the light side of the day.  we are constantly gaining or losing light...that is just how it is up here.

 it changes..everything changes.  that is life and that is life in Alaska.  you just have to adapt...adaptation is a big challenge for many.  if you can't adapt though, you will drown in this world, fear will overwhelm you and you will be lost before you can find your way back to the land.

thankful for A.  the best massage therapist!!    B.  super Physical Therapist C.  a Dr who took care of me and gave me a promising future of great hikes!! good night.