obsessed with Jellies in Seward...

 there were lots of really big jellies on the beach that day we went.  so fun to check them out...not sure i got the best photo's...i'm sure a better photographer would have done wonders, but it was still fun trying.

 dog park and bog these past few days between work shifts.  it's easy on rainy days.  we did work on some leash work.  this past week we also hit those stores to work on leash work individually.

 Ivy, the sweet heart has been making me nuts with her leaping behaviour.  so annoying and aggravating.  i do recall Blossom being a jumper as well.  stuff that works with other dogs hasn't been working on Ivy and instead has made it worse.  finally discovered the best thing is simply to turn my back and ignore her.  she then gets no reward for her antics.  any action i do otherwise seems to make her more excited thinking we are really getting a good wrestle session going.  my getting irritated is also attention that seems like a positive thing to her.  it will work itself out and i could already see less jumping when i arrived home using this.

 i try to leave the house calmly and i need to be better at arriving calmly as well.  don't think i posted this of Atticus in Rio's coat of many colors.  it fits great. hope it works for them.

rough today getting to Ivy's class as it starts at 9:45 am and i worked last night.  was on call but got called back by 8pm...all time and a half and i grabbed my ipod as i was headed to a sitting job all night.   don't mind at all doing sitter jobs when it's for dementia/alzheimers type as opposed to alcohol.  i think he thought i was someone else all night.  thanked me and told me he loved me.  of course, he forget everything i said literally within 30 seconds.  so sad.  can't say i was impressed with the primary nurse...what a grump...!!

 the night before i got to go home early at like 3 am...so that was really sweet!

 i think i was ER, ER, sitter.  amazing how quickly i can forget what units i worked in through the week.

 forgot to move pics over from the dog park the other day.  met some friends and their new puppy there...so cute!! next time i'll have to add those.

 these are mixed phone shots.  the light was beautiful in the bog the other day.

 i'm thinking of making one more little over night adventure next week.  gives me an excuse for avoiding something else anyway.  still not sure if i'll escape to Valdez or Homer. i guess it depends on what vibe i get from the hotels that allow dogs.  :-)

 Monday walks start tomorrow.  Tuskers class starts tomorrow as well, but dogs don't come to first class.  i must get his vaccines together.  my filing system has failed me of late.  need to take some time and clean it up.  want to get all my WARIS stuff more organized instead of just being in piles on my cardboard folding table.

 ivy didn't do so great at first in class today...probably in part to my tired state...but we both improved. one of the mastiffs must have been having issues.  not sure what happened there but they were having trouble i guess.  at the end of the class they said they didn't think they would be returning.  not sure what happened, but they are probably exactly the folks that need to keep returning.

 one little pup in there.  owner very quiet but that little puppy did a great across the room wait and then come.  Ivy was awesome at that as well.  the teacher on like our third time doing it had me sit down on the ground...that was a bit much for Ivy and she broke her stay.  i herded her back and repeated.  she was a bit too excited early on with the walking around the room to stay in heel very well.

 Tusker will be young in his class, hopefully, they don't get too tweeked about that, but i think he'll do just fine.  there wasn't a class for him opening up at the right time.

 getting back in training does help motivate me.

 i came home today and returned to the bed...i'd taken a 45 minute nap between work and the class.

 Blossom is a great dog and part of that is because i put the work in up front to train her.  it's not easy, but it is worth the effort.  it can be frustrating to me when people with dogs that don't obey them, because they didn't do that work up front, act like my dogs are just naturally behaving the way they do.  give me a little credit.  yes, it does help to start with dogs/breeds that are more naturally wanting to please but it's still a lot of work to get them there.

 this jumping phase is very frustrating, but i'm trying to look at the big picture.

 aren't these jellies cool.  you can see them next to the dogs...they were easily a foot in diameter often.

 didn't see any star fish out there that day though.

 fall colors are pretty dramatic in Anchorage right now. figure i should hit some good ones if i head to Homer or to Valdez.  there are some pretty dramatic waterfalls that way, which i would love to capture in fall.

 dating is tedious...at least for me...mostly because often the people that I would have interest in are not the ones that have interest in me...then when people that you have no interest show interest it becomes something you have to deal with.

 other peoples expectations and other peoples disappointment. i don't like to hurt others feelings or lead people on to think there is a chance when there isn't but it can be difficult to walk that line..especially when these are people that you will continue to deal with.

 my face was swollen last week.  it looked pretty hideous.  i like real people and real people responses.  my bull meter is not tolerant of platitudes.  even when i was younger and dating quite frequently...salesmen types were the guys i ran the fastest from. they will say anything to sell themselves to you as a product more than a person.

 i'm sure there are some women who would love to be told they are beautiful when they so clearly are not.  half my face was swollen beyond recognition.  i was not beautiful.  laugh, joke, but don't try to spin it somehow.

 puppies love lights...there were these pumpkin toys that squeak and light up...they have been a total hit at our house.  i need to hit the other petsmart and buy out their supply. Tusker is also pretty keen on the laser light i'd bought for the cats.  between indoor playtime to night and the dog park in the rain today...they seem pretty spent.

 i'll have to start loading pictures soon so i can put together this years Betsy calendar.  always good looking at pictures from the year and remembering.  so often you think your life is somewhat droll, but it does look pretty fun in pictures when you look back at it.

 Ivy continues to avoid the deeper water.  comes close, swims a few strokes but looks to panic a bit when she is trying to swim and get toy in water so she abandons the toy and heads back to shallow water.  as soon as Tusker or Blossom get back to the more shallow water with the toy, Ivy is there to try to steal it.  silly puppy.  she has loads of personality and makes me laugh with her antics.

 Tusker is my sweet, snuggle pup.  all three dogs have unique personalities.  so fun...all of them.  Blossom seems to enjoy having them around for the most part.  having 2 young ones seems to allow her to choose her level of involvement at any given time. some times she hangs back and other times she jumps into the play action.

 look at that sweet face....i'm in love with all of these guys.

 the cat Miss Breezy Chatterbug is making head way in her relationships with the pups.  she is clearly enamored of them yet is still playing hard to get with them. it cuts into my rest as the cat will lay down by my head and then let out her usual meows...that gets the pups riled up and they try to get close.  if only the cat would just keep quiet...but the truth is she wants those puppies to give her some canine attention.  so bizarre.

 Blossom investigates the jellies.

 they are pretty big and the colors were cool too.

 watched this jelly and others being tossed in the surf.

 it was Tuskers first time actually swimming in the surf.  he did really well.  Ivy looked a bit anxious at times, but she seemed to enjoy wading as long as her feet were able to touch ground.

 even though she appears the braver of the two she is really the more wimpy.

 don't think i'll have to mow the lawn again.  i really should rip the crap out of the beds and take the weed whacker to it all.  that thing is kind of powerful though.  i think it scares me a bit.  haha.

 Ivy lays in wait

 i'm sure they will all figure out that they have it all over Ivy in the water.

 on land...well, then it's a fair fight

 guess i should crash.  fun day tomorrow with the walks starting and the class starting.  that is my so so exciting life.  :-)

grateful for:  A.  on call time.  but also for call back pay.  B.  kindness  C.  the many wonderful pets who have shared my life.  i've had so many wonderful dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, frogs..the list goes on.  i'm always grateful to God for my connection to animals.  life would have certainly been more depressing and lonely without that.