close encounters of the moose kind!!

 this pair have been hanging out around my neighborhood this week.  above was in my driveway.  this guy snuck up on me as i was changing out my card in my camera.  he had been across the street but when i looked up from my task...here he was looking at me.

 don't let their size fool you.  they are super quiet when they move around.  i had no idea he had crossed over.

 here he is safely on the other side of the street

 today we walked up Patterson and then went to the ice rink to do some training at the grammar school.  we need to do more training apparently. they want snacks or forget it still.  on the way to the park we passed this guy and his mama resting some 30 feet off the sidewalk.  was able to convince the pups to move through.

 their track record with moose encounters is a bit sketchy at this point.  i had hoped their incident at Kincaid would have convinced them to just leave these large creatures alone, but that hasn't been the case.

 on our walk in the bog the other day the dogs decided to follow their noses and took off.  my bad habit is releasing the leashes rather than hanging on for dear life.  i fear injury though so i suspect it's a survival instinct. they booked and then i saw a moose take off into the deep snow. i called the pups and thankfully, they did return.  we do have that command down pretty well.  had me concerned for summer and bears being around.  so more training!!

 Ivy watches moose with interest from upstairs.

 texted with my other brother, who attended the funeral today in Texas, sounds like the funeral was lovely and well attended.  they got a basket of treats i sent so that is good. can't be there, but you still want to let them know you are thinking of them.

 of course, work since this loss happened has been a bit rough i'd say.  sick kids with chronic seizures and chronic disabilities.  the lord works in mysterious ways i guess.

 last night i was put on call at 4:30.  when the phone first rang i figured they were just asking me to do something that they knew i wouldn't want to do...that happens from time to time. would you be willing to....i usually accept the challenge and save the day i guess.  normally they would never think of calling you off until after 5pm.  they said they had several folks on call.  i'm a bit unique though in that my skill set and skill level mean that no matter how many you have on call...i have a high probability of getting called in. i have been super tired all week.  this sinus bug has wiped me out.  otherwise, not bad, just sinus pain, annoyance and exhaustion.

 i crashed at 5:30 figuring best to get what sleep i could.  must have had some dream but it felt pretty real.  when i woke up i wasn't sure if i had spoken to work and was supposed to be going in? ended up calling them so see if we had actually spoken.  they laughed at me of course, i had not had a conversation...it was just my brain playing tricks on me.

 back to sleep.  the phone rang again at around 9:30.  call to come in for IMCU.  as i dragged myself out of bed to get ready to head to work the phone rang again. the hospital again...i briefly hoped calling me in was in error and i could go back to sleep.  there was a healthcare protest today that i was thinking i'd attend.

 anyway, it was PICU asking if there was anyway i could come in and help them.  i told them i'd just gotten called in to work IMCU.  so i called the house sup back and let her know that PICU was looking for help and she may want to look into that as i made my way to work.  soon after she called back and now i was going to PICU....they were calling someone  else in to take PCU patients so another nurse could then move to take IMCU patients. so PICU last night.

 the nights before were PCU and then ICU.

 that first night as i got report in PCU one of my patients got all pissed because she wanted to go out and smoke.  sad how out of their mind people can get needing that cigarette fix.  crazy really. i have never smoked one in my life...figured growing up in the smog of Los Angeles was probably sufficient damage to my respiratory tract.

 liked the tongue out.

 mostly, when patients or Dr's i guess from time to time, are flipping out on me, yelling swearing.  i tend to just go quiet.  people tend to look pretty idiotic ranting and screaming away anyway...but if you are calm while they do it they look even more idiotic.  then you just act like it never happened and act nice.  i got her some valium and just said something like, i brought you some valium because it seems you are having a hard time coping with things right now.  be calm and matter of fact.  if they are decent people at some point they will calm down and realize how idiotic they really did act.  through the night they will make a comment probably to try and diffuse the rant of before. i think most people want to be liked so then they feel the need to let you know that they aren't really like that person who flipped out on you.

 we all have our moments in life.  we all get stressed and sometimes we all flip out on innocent people who are just trying to help us.  nurses....well, we end up on the receiving end of peoples crazy moments pretty regular.  they are stressed, they got bad news, they are scared.  we are punching bags to some degree.  not going to say i like it...but it has happened so many times over my career that i guess i have learned that it isn't personal, though sometimes it can feel that way.

 he was after my little tree out front.

 no zoom needed for these shots...

 took a day off of walking after the moose chasing/bunny chasing walk.  sometimes you just need a breather.  these pups are great little snugglers too though so hard to resist that.

 Ivy is dreaming...not sure what they dream of, but i bet it's not about phone calls from work.

 when i got home from work i had all these great plans.  i was going to just stay awake, walk the dogs and then head down to the protest.  my brain was not really on board with that plan.  i think i woke up near 11 am or just after.  the protest was happening between 11 and 12.

 Ivy is still in heat so have to be careful about walks.  in the bog the other day, i had rabbits, then a loose dog that i had no way to know if it was intact or not and then the moose.  i think this is why i skipped walk the next day.  turned away from the loose dog and walked fast.

 Ivy has been a bit frisky these past weeks.  they have been rough housing more than usual it seems to me.  all up in each others crotches, some humping, can't wait til this is over and happy that i had his surgery done months ago.  still hoping we can get her surgery done.  i'm  hearing from others that it may just cost more to do it.

 fur rondy started today as well, so i was thinking of heading downtown after the protest.  so none of that happened and i ended up taking a nap this evening as well.  sleep time is all messed up.

 nibbling but not sure what to make of me standing so close.  i had door to car open still and that was really my best escape if the moose came even closer to me.

 and then, he/she opted to move on...you can see mama moose across the street by the shed.

 hair didn't look too bad the past two nights after several days of tweaking it with scissors.

 a fine looking beast, right.

 hopefully i can get to sleep again.  friends are meeting me at Arctic Valley for sledding tomorrow.  should be fun.  do need to walk these beasts someplace before i head over...then i will head over to fur rondy downtown to check out snow sculptures i guess.  keep myself busy.

 headed toward the bog with mom

 still amazing to just see these guys wandering all over town.  this time of year they tend to move more and more into town to take advantage of good eating and easier walking.  that deep snow must be rough on these guys.

 off to chill with mom.  pretty big calf so no doubt will be booted this spring so mom can start over with new calves...

 another neighbor was watching them across the street...peeking from behind that fence.  another one across from me must have gotten some pics of the moose with me.  may have to check.  he was laughing at how close that moose had gotten to me.

 moose cruising by the garage does give you some idea of size.

 the lady was aware of the moose walking down the street with her, but didn't seem too concerned.

 the bog is to the right of that house.  that is access trail...access for humans and moose.

 i think they checked out other neighbors trees on the way to the bog.  off to bed.  night.

grateful for:  A.  crazy career in nursing.  never dull and i have some awesome co-workers.  B. puppies to help me learn patience...much more training to do  C.  comedians who make life tolerable despite the stress of politics.