Happy, Happy Good News Week..

 never sure what impact i have actually had in all of this.  did send quite a few notes, emails, calls...but President Obama's administration designated the Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary a National Historic Landmark.  not sure exactly what this will mean.  hoping it doesn't get reversed by incoming.  could mean further protections and perhaps some extra funding to help with staffing.  they are still working on funding....hoping explore will help out again for a third year.  they have signed agreement i guess to return, but details on funding still not settled.

 feel free to send off letters to dept of fish and game encouraging them to find funding and keep the island staffed.  the landmark status seems more related to the sanctuaries cultural/archaeology...it all should be protected from poaching.  the natives used to use the island and there are artifacts that do indeed need to be protected...fingers crossed this is a blessing for our little island paradise.  i was gleefully spreading the good news the other day.  thanks to all for the support and always tolerating probably too many conversations about walrus...and dogs too probably.  haha.

 my niece, CB posted a quote that i will share...it is very true.  "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world.  For indeed, that's all who ever have"  Margaret Mead.

 the cat has decided to come sit at the top of my office chair.  this is not something that has happened probably since the puppies arrived so much excitement on Ivy's part mostly.  so i have spent the better part of this session going all Cesar Milan on her with the cat in here.  Tusker was less nuts about the cat but he also had a few finger points with that sound Milan makes.  currently Ivy is elsewhere, which means this seems to have worked after 20-30 minutes of calm assertive energy training...i'm not always good at the calm part.  Tusker is currently sleeping on the dog bed, not concerned about Miss Breezy Chatterbug being here.

This was my other happy news this week.  my hat is done.  Hibernation Textiles created this amazing hat for me and will be sending it my way via my friend MW who selected the colors and helped arranged for this artist/knitter to do this for me.  i had chatted with MW about this artist since she is obsessed with these hats and has several really cool ones.  she has her rabbits and kids and at night when the kids get to bed, she knits.  she is able to spin your dogs fur into yarn so i had started having brushing sessions with Blossom through the summer.  don't think she was too keen on the brush sessions before the puppies but this summer it kind of became our time together.  i'd Milan the kids away from us so we could just brush and have that time.  obviously, Blossom passed away much sooner than i expected...and often my muddy girls fur was a bit too dirty to include in the bag of fur...when she passed i had about 1/2 of one of those gallon bags.  she spun the fur into the paw design.  it came out amazing....thanks to Hibernation Textiles and MW!  this will for sure be treasured. 

 we had snow fall through the night.  i'd guess 8 inches.....the tape measure appears to show 10 inches more, but there was some snow on the rail to start.  i worked the last three...should have just stayed up so i could have all that fresh snow to myself at first light...but i opted to sleep a few hours..by the time i got out there it was too packed for snowshoes really from all the other folks excited about snow..but it was also not really packed enough for the walking . it was a work out.  the pups were happy and took nice naps post walk

 success at this moment.  Ivy has now  joined us in the office and is laying down not bothering kitty.  good puppy!!  above is Ivy in my bedroom window.  i am outside shoveling the front drive...she just looked so cute in the window watching me.

 did take the time before the snow came to do the annual drag the tree to the recycling area at Carrs.  not sure how long it is...i'd guess 3 miles round trip.  pups were good for their first trek there.  the sidewalk along the big road gets feeling thin with all the traffic and another pedestrian.  there was some jumping . overall very well done pups though.

 these are mostly iphone pictures.  the sunset tonight was beautiful.  i mostly just sat in my bedroom and snapped pics while enjoying it.

 another day we opted to walk in the fog in the bog.

 i'm sure i could have found a trail out of the fog, but actually sometimes it's just so peaceful in the fog i just can't resist.

 that is my place...

 before the snow we got that fog.  came home to long and beautiful hoar frost.  every day is pretty amazing in this place.  what a gift to be able to live here and enjoy all the unique and ever changing beauty.

 of course, all that fresh snow meant the puppies were in and out of the dog door.  romping and bringing snow in, toys out.  then they would occasionally jump on the bed and me with wet paws/coats.  i never turn down puppy snuggle time though.  how could anyone resist these sweet faces.

 pretty amazing sunset out there tonight.

 work went well, my week was IMCU, where i ended up with 2/3 patients that  i'd had the previous week in ICU.  then i worked in ICU the next night and then finally in ER.  my IMCU night i had a patient that was getting worse pretty quickly.  i think i bypassed the usual modes as the nurses i worked with seemed to laugh that i just picked up phone and called the ICU docs and worked out transfer plan...i called the ICU charge with updates, the Peat showed up at the perfect time to help out.  we laughed as the RT seemed to want to take credit for calling this patients demise.  one of my nurses spoke up and said, yeah, i think that would be Betsy...she called you at 10 and all you wanted to do was change the pulse ox..then she called you again and you asked if she'd changed the pulse ox...the pulse ox is just the probe we put on your finger to get your oxygen levels basically.  his kept dropping.  we all cracked up after he left.  thank you cool co-workers!!

 Tusker in class the other day.

 i really should put a load in the washing machine and head to bed early i think. not much sleep today.  ER wasn't too nuts, steady.  the usual string of patients that come in hoping for narcotics only to be denied and then freak out.

 manics who speak continuously and are impossible to really follow their stream of thinking.  suicide ideation....there is always psych.  a lot of messed up people out there...it's pretty sad.  always grateful that i do not have their issues.  we all have our own issues but being a drug addict, having mental health issues, being homeless...it's a rough life for some folks.

 i try to be patient and respectful.  i see others who aren't and i get how it can drain you.  i'm probably manipulated more than they are i guess.  better to have a clear conscience though i guess.  try to be kind.

 there were all these cool frost designs on my front window when i came out to go home this morning.  didn't really capture them with the cell phone i guess, but looked like a bunch of flowers and stems to me.

 these are from the fog the other day.

 sunsets, fog, snow, dogs, and a little help for my walrus...i'll take it all and enjoy it.

 eat drink and sleep i guess.

grateful for:  A.  Obama and his administration for helping my sanctuary.  thanks also to the first family for presiding over our nation with respect and dignity for the office.  we are in for a drama ride...speaking of psych issues.  B.  snow...always grateful for snow  C. for my new hat....love it.  D. sunsets...