frosty the snow walrus...

 there could be a good story there! it's what walrus need is a good Christmas story. 

 a bit of last minute shopping today.  look what i found!!  i had picked up this Mrs Clause outfit for Ivy Rose but how could i have her wear that when he wasn't wearing a Santa suit...so here it is, complete with sequins!!  his actually fits much better than hers.  really need to try and get these pictures taken in better light before the season is over. 

 the weather forecast was for snow all night last night...well it was delayed til this afternoon.  big fluffy flakes fell for a few hours.  not a lot of inches, but still it was pretty and the world looks all bright and happy now. i love snow! these are from yesterdays and today's walks out at N biv.  always a treat.  there was a dusting of snow last night.  the picture above is from yesterday.  today there was that dusting out there when i walked.

 ran into a co-worker out on the trails and his wife.  hadn't met her.  she's very chatty. I'll just leave it at that.

 i should probably deliver a few gifts tomorrow.  did the last of the painting today so that should be ready.  mailed the last of the packages. i cruised into the post office and there was no line so i got very lucky. 

 driving around town with the Christmas carols on in the car and the snow coming down..made me feel festive...

 then the phone pinged to let me know the lovely news that the Senate passed their new tax bill.  well done.  the GOP is on the way to screwing up the economy and screwing the middle class.  it's what they do. the economy seems to always do better under Democrats.  this bill doesn't even make sense...clearly pandering to their wealthy donors at the expense of the rest of us.  the richest get a permanent tax break while the rest of us sorta get a break...but for a limited time. i'd rather us all pay more taxes if it actually goes to vital things like health, education, fire, police....

 not to mention their lovely plan adds loads to the deficit and the word is the way to pay for that is cutting the Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. thanks GOP and all who support them.  those things are not entitlements. i, like many, have worked hard and put in to these with the hope that there will be something there to help me when i get old.  we aren't all rich!!  trickle down doesn't work...wake up!!!

 they screwed up in the house so they will get to re vote tomorrow.  i wonder how that will turn out? 

 the iitoo thanks the GOP and all who support as well.  since nobody has seen his taxes we have no way of knowing how this all helps him personally.  great job! I'm sure you are all still convinced that it's of no importance for him to show his taxes while he signs bills that no doubt benefit him personally...along with many members of the senate and house. 

 faith is great, but it should never be applied to those who do not deserve your faith in them.  there are people who should never be trusted completely and many of those people reside in DC.  just because they scream I'm born again doesn't necessarily mean they are truly repentant and worthy of your complete trust.  they may just be as underhanded as they seem.  as corrupt as they have proven themselves to be over and over again prior to running.  they may owe millions to a corrupt oligarch.  they may owe favors to said oligarch.  i want to know the truth and i won't be quiet until we hear truth, all of it.  that includes the taxes and financial connections that are critical for us to know to understand any possible illegal or questionable actions.

 this man is not a God, he has a long track record...a terrible track record. 

 it will take decades for us to recover from the mess this administration is making of our nation...if we ever do. 

 pups wore their sweaters yesterday.  i have one more night off then I'm back to work for three.  we shall see how crazy it is before Christmas. 

 those are some cute puppies. 

 the GOP and faux news are trying to speak ill of Mueller.  they are so gross really.  the man is a Republican....they have no issue going after their own, nor do they have any issue going after decorated military...McCain proved that. 

 for all they scream about being supportive of the military, he sure has shredded several military members and their families, for as much as they scream about supporting the men in blue, he sure has whipped the CIA, FBI and HS.  for as much as they scream about abortion, they refuse to make birth control readily available and they refuse to spend a dime on the children once they are here.  no money for schools, no money for health, no money for welfare for families that are struggling.  there is zero compassion.   yes, churches should step up and help the poor, but they aren't able to do enough...there are poor everywhere.  people are struggling, homeless camps growing.  the GOP has no heart and no soul.  they have allowed CHIP to lapse and have refused to even help those sick kids. 

 this is the GOP...save the guns, kill and molest the children.  is this their plan?  tax the poor, protect the rich, become the rich.  how can anyone stand by and not speak out.  not be mad as hell.

 WE ARE MAD AS HELL AND WE AREN'T GOING TO TAKE IT ANY LONGER!!  what movie was that from? 

 i try to avoid, focus on the other things in life...but it's not easy.  i feel like our nation is being torn apart and sold off and i feel totally helpless. 

 these faces bring me happiness though.  they give me some peace and a hope for hope. 

 even if i feel hopeless at times. 

 look at this silly face...she cracks me up

 i think it was a tough place for these pups to be in when Blossom died suddenly.  i really had to try to not compare them.  I'm so happy with these guys now.  they aren't Blossom and never could be.  she was one of a kind,but so are they.

 I'm happy that they are their own unique pups. it's been a tough few years with pets passing away, but these guys have been a great comfort while i worked through the loss.  dogs are great at that. 

 you have to get up and feed them and walk them.  you can't ignore them. 

 and you can't help but laugh and smile when they are near you. 

 spotted these little frozen lichens today.  so cute.

 back across the ice. it looks different every day.

 every walk, even in the same spot is filled with tiny surprises.

 our earth is worth our protection..every square inch of it.  these tiny things are fragile. 

 the rest of these are on a short walk in Denali National Park, Horseshoe trail.

 had a moose visitor

 crossing the trail

 always welcome.  we saw two moose out there yesterday.  the pups did great getting past them without any drama.  they are so mature!!

 something was munching on these little mushrooms. 

 we had class last night.  just one class now.  last night the pups seemed sleepy so i traded out the pups at the halfway point.  Ivy was even tired.  6:30-7:30 is pretty late in dog time.  they had been up and going all day.  we have two weeks off of class then just two more.

 beaver dam

 rock formations from eons past.

 another Blossom memorial. 

 still working my way through August and September.

 fall leaves looking like a flower.

 the lake

 more signs of fall

 the trail heading down...it's a bit of a grade...very manageable though.

 it's a short trail really, close to opening of the park.  can't take the dogs though. 

thankful for:  A.  tiny details, such a gift.  B. scientists that study all of these details and help us understand the world around us.  C.  health, that allows me to get out and enjoy the great beauty of it all before it's destroyed bit by bit.