more walks...Blossom is home, for what it is

 at least her paw print and ashes are home.  not the outcome i wanted.  still sad.

 i used to have these scary dreams in those morning hours where i'm drifting in/out of sleep. in them, Blossom would invariably be on the verge of death as i woke up and then realized it was a dream.  in these dreams, for example, i'd throw the tennis ball and it would bounce over a cliff and she'd just leap after it.  the scenario's often changed but that was how they went

 Tuskers got a frost covered beard.

 the last 2 mornings i've had more pleasant Blossom dreams.  the first day she was wrestling with the puppies, today it was just a flash of her, standing. i am grateful for these...as i take them as some sort of sign that she is okay where she is now. i know some would see me as foolish to be missing my dog, thankfully, the bulk of my good friends and close family do understand this loss, and the validity of it.

 back to work tomorrow for the holiday stretch over Thanksgiving.

 i'd actually tossed a turkey in the crock pot today.  i can eat leftovers while i work which will make it seem more like the holiday.

 this gal and her dog joined myself and another friend on the walk today.  i give her chops as she did not have any cleats on and it is icy out there.  we all survived and since all 4 of the dogs out there today are still in the puppy realm, i have tired pups tonight.

 Tusker also had class.  he was, of course, a wee bit tired in class.  towards the end he just happily lay down and relaxed while dogs paraded past him.  he is for sure the more chill dog.  that doesn't necessarily mean he will be the best behaved.  Ivy has more of a desire to please and would have never just lay down in class. he does charm those he meets, Blossom included. she always gave up her tennis ball for him

 walks were often slowed up as she dropped it, watched him and waited until he dropped it, then he would want it back and she'd drop it...you get the picture.  moving forward on walks had become a joke at times.  luckily i was rarely in much of a hurry anyway.

 there was this odd cloud vs smoke above the distant volcano out there.  Illiamna?  Augustine is further south and Redoubt is closer and bigger

 these are from the phone from today.  walked airstrip to homestead and then took the back trails over to rovers and back.  not many folks on trails today.  it is a bit chilly out i guess. never seems to stop me.

 debated hitting basher for the sunset walk but i had that turkey and tuskers class so i just made a drive and headed home

 here is rare picture of all of the dogs in one area kinda

 look at those adorable faces.

 thankful to have these guys around.  they have been willing to snuggle with me a bit,they make me laugh when i'd probably rather cry and they get me out hiking when i'd  no doubt rather veg out in my sadness.

 there was a moose that we ended up passing by within 20-30 feet.  it was a young moose eating by the creek.  the pups have been barking when they see moose but today they were on leash and walked by without barking or pulling me.  i said a lot of "leave it" and "no bark" to them.  didn't bother with treats...who can manage dogs and treats and watching moose...anyway.  they did get bonus treats when we were safely past. i think the other two gals who i was walking with (i haven't walked with them much) i think they were going to stop and decide what to do about this moose, but i kept moving forward so they followed.  we all got past . sometimes i think if you linger and debate all you do is the get  dogs more riled up and the moose more anxious.

 these are at the coast in Anchorage. it's a beach i can only get to in winter really as it's pretty boggy and i have to wait until it freezes. it's a bit of an ice rink getting out there right now.

 forgot i was on black and white but they turned out okay

 lots of sunlight.  will have to look at tides again for this week . always love it out there at the beach.

 maybe my next stretch off if the weather is decent i can try for a Seward day or Homer overnight or something.

 the dead trees always look pretty cool down at the coastal refuge.

 i remain anxious about these horrible election results.  anxious for my walrus and the polar bears, caribou, musk ox and all the other arctic animals.

 seems like  that guy gets away with every infraction.  his money and team of lawyers make him free to do whatever he wants to whomever.  it's frustrating and sad really.   i tend to believe in Karma, but so often you see someone like him who always seems to come out clear and you wonder where is the karma, where is the responsibility.

 my sweet puppies.  i try not to put too much pressure on them in my head.  they are sweet, they will never be Blossom, or Rio.  they will become their own selves and i adore them for their individuality.  they are so different from each other and each dog i have lived with has been very different as well.  just want to appreciate these guys for them.

 yin and yang for sure.

 no snoring, no farting.  it took some time after Rio passed to get used to sleeping without that snore .

 haven't figured out the dog bowl thing.  i still feed 3 dogs, one phantom.  that is no doubt me more than them.  eventually i'll have to just get rid of one of their bowls.  Blossom's bowl has been in my dog family for several dogs now.  it's a right of passage eating from that bowl.  just with two of them i have no idea who will eat from it...so far they seem content to share it and perhaps that is how it will be.

 color...no clouds this day hardly..today as well.

 yesterdays Monday walk was just Speedy and I.  we did some different loops.  this beach walk i was alone.

 tranquil though.

 watched, "the kings speech" last night.  of course, it kept freezing up during the big speech. i was getting all annoyed.  tried several times.  finally i had to do a dvd cleaning on the thing and then it worked finally.  didn't want to skip the big moment on the dvd.

 back to work.  the pups survived the night alone last week.  nothing was destroyed.

 lately it's been sticks mostly.  not sure if that means they are slowing down on the chewing or that i've just gotten better at moving stuff out of reach. they did have Blossoms leash out in the yard when i got out of shower.  not destroyed though. i had no idea how quickly they could tear one of those apart...they looked pretty solid

 loved this battle shot

 took Tusker into Petsmart with me the other day for training and then Ivy got to make the rounds at Lowes. both did very well.  was very happy with Ivy in Lowes as it can be pretty noisy in there.  she didn't spook though so quite proud.  she also didn't jump of people.  perhaps i'll be able to get these guys to the point of getting their canine good citizenship certificates.  i opted out of trying with Blossom when she was young because she was such a jumper with greetings.  she wanted to meet everyone.  i took her to stores and just hung out in front of them working on greetings.  she eventually stopped jumping on folks.

 that was something they had to not do to get that certificate and i think i ended up getting her into agility classes and then i guess i just forgot about it.

 tendonitis on my elbow which has been very annoying. always some ache isn't there.  such a bother.

 dogs on a stick...

 sun starting to set.  we drove down along the Turnigan after our walk.

 much to be thankful for...i have been trying to put 3 things in each day i blog.  some times it's silly stuff but even the silly stuff is worthy of thanks.

 someone pointed out the irony of it being Thanksgiving and a time when the pilgrims and natives got together in peace...out at standing rock the native protesters getting hozed and hazed.

 sunset shots.

 always so beautiful, these winter sunsets.  so early too.

 man, these pups are out!!

 ordered some material at this site where you can create your own design. have been wanting to do one with walrus.  hope it turns out cool..then i can beg my sister to make me a scrub top.  :-)

 may have to drag them to bed.  haha.  i do shut the office when i am not in it.  too much for them to get into.

 guess i should turn in.

grateful for:  A.  all the kindness and support these past weeks.  B.  the happiness of puppies.  they do make me laugh with their antics  C.  sleep time visits from Blossom. she can stop by anytime!! :-)