GO TEAM BLOSSOM

 that has been the cry all weekend.  with pets i find i get little jingles or songs or bits that seem to stick and cause a great deal of tail wagging.  so i'm sure the other humans i share this earth with would find me silly and odd, but the dogs totally dig it!! ( told you, i'm bringing digging it and dig it back)

 was a seemingly lazy walker this week.  still got my steps in...but i actually skipped a dog walk one day...horrors!!  that day was yesterday and i paid for it with shredded carpet in my bedroom when i woke up today.  if you don't wear out puppies they find a way for that energy to be released

 cows in Palmer.  we rarely see cows in Alaska in general so seemed fun to take a few photos or this rare sighting. i see far more moose than cows

 he's a bull

 these are from the drive to Paxson and the start of Denali Highway.

 fog, rain, clouds...today i got lucky on the walk at the dog park and it didn't start really pouring until after we were back in the car.

 Tusker did 2 more good swims to get the tennis ball today. i felt so sad for the boy on the first swim as right as he got to the tennis ball another dog swept in and snagged it.  he looked so deflated and it took awhile before he opted to make an attempt again.  he is the carpet shredder by the way.  so far area rugs and the old horrible carpet in the bedroom.  it does need to go...but still, would rather not have it shredded by the puppies.

 last night at work many of my co-workers had tears in their eyes.  they had just learned that a co-worker who had called out sick last week...an extremely rare experience for this particular worker...near zero in the 20 years he's worked there, this man didn't call out this week but never showed up to work...that was not something that had ever happened with him...police were sent out to do a wellness check and he had passed away.

 he worked days, so i never worked directly with him.  he always bounced into work with a smile.  i'd see him as he left his shift and i arrived or vice versa.  always a smile.  a great loss.

 as i got report and we spoke of his passing we looked up to see our confused patient dancing with the tech sitter with him.  he even was spinning her around. we all laughed.  it was perfect light moment to the sad moment we were in.

 if you are not a nurse you will never understand the work we do.  i've been in nursing since 1993 and i'm still surprised by the stuff we see/do. when you are a nurse you join a club.  often i feel alone or lonely in life...but i know that i am and will always be part of this club.  we have all seen the things and done the things that nobody else can fathom.

 watching that patient spin the tech around with a big smile on his confused face was priceless.  we have so many stressful times and then there are those times.

 it is not an easy job, being a nurse, but i am grateful that i have had the opportunity to be at the bedside and involved in the care of the other humans out there.  some of them are nuts and infuriating i will admit.  i changed assignments...the other morning i said...if i return please do not give me that patient.  we all do that.  some of these patients or their families are such royal pain in the arses that nurses will rotate out of the assignment so they don't get too burned out and irritated. 12 hours is a long time.

 12 hours is long.  people sometimes think we have it easy because we tend to work only 3 days a week.  we work with the fullness of our body, soul, spirit and mind though.  unless you do the work...you will not fully understand how involved your entire being is in those 12  hours...of course, there are slackers out there, i wont defend them.

 i can honestly say that i am a better person for having been a nurse. it forces you every shift to face the limits of this life and encourages you to embrace each day and each moment you have. when you lose a co-worker like we did or more often patients you are reminded that we have a limited time here and it shouldn't be wasted on hate or anger or petty irritations.

 i always think, embrace the good and walk from the bad.  the negative will drag you down if you let it.  you can only control so much in the big picture. be kind, be helpful, be hopeful, laugh, love and let all the other stuff wash off of you.

 that is snow on the mountains...yes

 my massage therapist is going out on maternity leave...i get to sneak in a massage tomorrow before she goes though.  yea!! i feel like i have shin splints on my left forearm. that is my puppy training arm.

 this was as i was driving out of Paxson Lake campground...a little hope for possibly improving weather.

 probably hit the colors more on this side.  this side tends to turn a bit earlier than the other.  i can start to tell by the colors in the matanuska valley.

 good campground...

 a few sightings of the pipeline...that is the pipeline in the distance.

 used to stop here...it closed down and is really crumbling fast.

 pretty colors.

 so this is on the Paxson side.

 early morning fog.

 the road is still a bit paved for like 30 miles on this side.  i think on the other side only like 7 miles are paved.  towards the end you are starting to go a bit nuts with the dirt road though.

 the weather again isn't looking all that great for my stretch off.  boo.

 still may try to escape with the pups

 the lonely highway

 beaver activity

 must get reflections when i can.

 found this little trail i'd never been on....short but a perfect first stretch for the dogs.  they got to wrestle and play and it had water at the end...always a plus.  haven't done those big summer hikes i usually do in the summers.  next summer...hopefully the pups are all trained up and ready to run...hopefully, i get recommitted to the gym at the end of this month.  i need to be able to keep up with them

 the wind was kicking up yesterday afternoon.  i decided to close the outside run door to limit the dogs activity outside.  other than paper shredding...an Ivy trick all seemed ok.

 huge lichen covered rock

 dogs, ducks, water, fall colors.

 Blossom gets in on the wrestling.

 more lichens

 loads of blueberries out there...still tasty

 more lichens.

 guess i shall get ready for bed.  enjoy....still more pics from the summer adventures to get in here. usually i can catch up when the world here turns dark and grey before the snow comes.

thankful for: a.  the opportunity to be a nurse, to go beyond the basic cares and give the best cares.  you have 12 hours to make a difference in the lives of people and often you are successful.  b. rain and wind and the changing seasons.  love that fall air  c.  friends and family...i do get in my hermit modes but it doesn't mean i don't love you guys.