the New Year has begun...

 

seemed like a good day to play catch up again. 

recovery is going well. you get anxious those first weeks worried about complications like clots, infections and that sort of thing. getting further away from the surgery so i am feeling good about it all. still get a twinge on occasion as i heal and for sure get tired more quickly than previous. 

i'm only off work until the 10th so time is flying by way too quickly. i have enjoyed this time to heal both physically and mentally i think. its been good for me. 

since surgery i have only taken 2 days off of walking.  mostly i have stuck to wide open, more flat trails. the last week i have ventured off to some side trails. it's still pretty icy out, i have cleats on all the time out there though. no falls. 

have been making some ice hearts as it's been lower temps this past week or so. i haul 2-3 hearts on my walks to leave out in the woods. last Monday walk my friends also carried hearts so we were able to get quite a few out at North Bivouac trail. i have also dropped hearts at University Lake now. 

someone messaged me a post on a fat tire group. they had taken a photo of one of my hearts, it was back lit as it was dark out and it sure looked pretty.  they were very excited with the find. great to have some positive feedback. much of these sort of things you never know if it brings smiles to anyone.  i loved a quote years ago, "practice random acts of kindness and senseless beauty". this is one of the ways you do that...still fun to get feedback. got more at the dog park the other day as i was putting one of the hearts that had fallen back up. i was spotted doing this and they spoke of how much they were enjoying the other hearts. 

i did post photos of the hearts on an Alaskan group. it was well received as well. so every morning i pull the hearts that froze the previous day out and start over. i'd gotten a few bouquets after surgery so i have added the plant material to the hearts as they wilt away. turned out really pretty and a fun way to extend the flowers.  thanks for the bouquets  AR and CB!

New years Eve day i ended up picking up a Mama cat and her 4 kittens from the shelter to foster. Miss Sophia is very mellow. her kittens are 14 days old at this point. they've all got a little cold bug but hoping they heal quickly from that. not sure how long i will have them. the kittens longer they say, until they are over 1.5 pounds. not sure how long it takes kittens to get that big. fun to get my kitten fix and help out at the same time. the other pets are jealous and attentive when i go to the spare room where they are living at this time. otherwise, all is going fine. 

i have never heard so many fireworks as i heard that night. seems everyone in every neighborhood in Anchorage had spent a wad of money on fireworks. they started early and went on until  very late. in addition to the fireworks we were gifted with an incredible aurora light display. so beautiful. my pups were barking a lot and anxious. Ivy was doing the barking and Sunny Boy was just panting.  tried keeping tv up loud and even putting headphones on the dogs.  we were all very tired yesterday though. the foster cat was chill every time i checked on her. so anyone looking for a chill, sweet girl.  she will eventually be available at the shelter. 

had to laugh as so many people have said one reason they voted for the idiot was because of the high cost of eggs...clearly not that big of an issue since so many had loads of spare cash to spend on fireworks. 

we are weeks away from the idiot taking over again.  the wealthiest man in the world has bought his way into the position with trump doing as he  is told by Musk.  i do not look forward to the mess that our nation will be over the next 4 years and the decades it will take to sort it all out. i will likely be dead before this country gets to the other side of this mess. 

i mostly just avoid the news.  will enjoy tiktok for quick updates until that goes away from the ban. if it does. i get the bullet points. a nut job drove his car through a crowd New Years and killed 10, injured many more.  he then got out and started shooting before being killed. another guy blew up a tesla in front of a trump hotel. this stuff is just the norm now.  thank you gop for making it so easy for people to kill. 

the holidays were pretty subdued for me.  a few calls, a few messages. nothing much. the dogs enjoyed opening their gifts. walks, naps, dogs, friends mostly. 

as a singleton the holidays can be rough or chill.  it really just depends on my state of mind and the year. this year, the holidays just came and went. 

the hospital i work for gave us each a $25 gift card for groceries...of course, this is the exact same amount that we have received for over 10 years, meaning the actual value goes down every year.  not to be ungrateful but i am feeling pretty ungrateful. they have done very little to entice people to stay...and i think this happens all over. this nation just has zero appreciation for workers. 

when i first went into nursing they did a good job convincing us that we were viewed as professionals.  that just isn't the case really. we are low level workers in every way. they demand us behave like professionals but treat us like fast food workers. not to disparage fast food workers. we all deserve better but if these companies have any interest in patient safety they would be wise to treat their core workers better.  i'll be out soon though but i do hope for better for the nursing coming in to the job. 

as i said, i doubt i will live to see the better America so many of us envision.  i do hope it happens.  at this point we are clearly and quickly becoming a corporate ran oligarchy. the rich keep getting richer and sadly the bulk of them have no limit to how much money they want and desire while millions suffer more and more. i am grateful for each wealthy person who gives a good chunk of their money to others.  there are celebrities that do more for mankind than the churches that is for sure.  

the church i was raised in is one of the wealthiest churches out there. 250 billion dollars and i do not believe that includes all the land they own, which they are also one of the largest land owners. they only give less than 1% to help and much of that is bull shitted by keeping track of members volunteer hours and putting a price on that and calling that their donation to society.  they also, no doubt, run the money from this light the world campaign through an llc/nonprofit so that they get credit for those donations. prove me wrong please. i have read the books.  this is not at all what the teachings they supposedly follow of Jesus preach.  Jesus, his message, was very much against wealth and was very much for taking care of those who are poor and in need.  these churches are so far removed from the message. 

they have tax exempt status and take full advantage of that by hoarding money and land. 

i heard all my life that the government doesn't need to help the needy, that should come from churches and non-profits...from the same people who support churches that hoard the money and refuse to call out their church and then vote against the government using tax dollars to help....thus the poor and needy get nothing and the churches and wealthy just get wealthier. the system is totally screwed up. 

i signed up Sunny Boy for some adult dog training. will be fun and get me more motivated i think. i just have to get no sleep every other sunday a few weeks. 

these pictures are all local hikes and rambles. 

these are out at Byron. very little glacier left up there

the rest of these are from this December. 

we had some nice ice crystals at the beginning of the month. then a little snow.  now just cold so the crystals are forming again. i was happy to not have the dumps of snow of the last 2 years, mostly because post op i couldn't have shoveled so that has saved me. 

i always love the various crystals.  ice can show up in so many shapes and forms. it's beautiful really. 

i'll head out walking with the dogs here soon. i try to walk and then do some sort of errand or fun thing.  that has been the plan these past several weeks. 

yesterday was just the walk since new years eve wore us all out. i felt like i had a hangover despite not drinking a thing. 

as i said, only 2 days i haven't walked since surgery.  

i hear little kitten mews.  they will grow up so fast.  i had them out a bit ago.  one kitten was climbing on  my legs. 

may change the Skellys to a Valentines theme so the hearts will look cute with it. 

will sort out where to walk here in a bit.  was going to try oceanview bluff park a few weeks back but it was pretty ice covered and seemed silly that close to post op. we've only had a dusting of snow 

Sunny dressed up for the cold. i have wanted to give them a bath so i can give him a clip. too cold for them to be a little wet driving home. 

figured it was too much work...soon though.  i'll hit the monster wash.  

haven't done this trail yet post op.  too big of hills, again, soon.  i'll have to get myself cleared to return to work next week. 

the dogs could care less where we go to play in the woods, they just want to be out there. 

it's been nice when friends have joined us on the walks.  mostly it's been us though. 

dropped a few ashes early in December. 

maybe i'll start getting a few more things done this week. 

i'll keep making ice hearts and leaving those until it snows or warms up

will check in with kitten updates, feel free to stop by and get your kitten fix. it's good for them to get handled.

snack time then walk time i think. 

no goals for the new year yet.  i'm not the big goal maker i guess. i just do stuff. 

my actual goals are pretty small. be happy, find your peace, enjoy nature.  stuff that is just part of life. mostly be grateful for each day and every joy that comes your way. 

Happy New Year to all...

grateful for A. continued healing B. making people smile C. the comfort of pets and people who accept me for who i am.