each day an adventure in alaska: simple living is the most peaceful

Just ordered the calendars and Christmas cards. Made another item but forgot this last litter of kittens. Silly me. I usually wait, but Shutterfly can be spendy if you don't take advantage of the deals.

Was going to swim but got sucked into the Shutterfly stuff. It was a wet day out there today. Thankfully, a friend texted me for a walk. Does my heart good.

Thanks to all for the support after the last post. Truthfully, once I am up to write, I'm starting to come out of my melancholy. I am forever grateful that my experience with depression comes and goes. It always makes me more understanding of the gravity of having more chronic experiences with depression.

Have been on a run of Emergency Department shifts. I think 9/9 shifts. I do enjoy the ER. It kicks my ass though. It's a busy place most shifts. Recently, I had a night of social admits/homeless folks. It's rough out there, and with winter coming, it's just gonna get rougher. Luckily, these were very pleasant interactions. I'm constantly shocked that our nation has people who are so medically fragile living on the streets. Especially the elderly and veterans. Of course, one drunk woman was calling me names and demanding respect for elders. I hadn't disrespected her, but I did remind her that I deserved respect as well. You often get what you give. At this point, I'm an elder too, dang it! HaHa

One not-so-pleasant guy the night before. Frequent flyer. That means he is there often. Another shocker is how many people come to the ER as often- some daily, some twice in a day. This guy's a jerk to everyone when he is there. Everyone has a story; we don't always have the time in the ER to pull out those stories. We often just see the hate that is aimed at us. Some are just seemingly impossible to please, yet you know there is a person with a story, just begging for attention.

After all these years, I don't even hear the names I'm being called; I just walk away. Engaging when someone is angry is really a waste. They usually just escalate.

In nursing, you learn to let name calling and all roll off of you.

I suspect those of us who have been in this business just live with a level of PTSD from all of it. We have to absorb a lot of anger, fear, and pain that is pushed our way. Being hospitalized or having a loved one hospitalized is traumatic. Nurses/staff are often the punching bag, literally the punching bag some days.

Much of the pain we have had to absorb sits inside of us. Certain memories always stay with you. specific cases, deaths, situations. The pandemic.

If you do not have preset coping skills, you could fall into destructive coping techniques. That is true for day-to-day life as well. Many just do not have those skills. They turn to alcohol, drugs, things that often destroy them.

dogs walking, art, writing, kittens...I do feel like I have many things that I use to cope and distract. Nothing is foolproof. Sometimes you get frustrated. Sometimes you lash out at others.

I'd say nature and the pets are my biggest distractions from the stresses of life. I also like to veg out with tv shows, games on the phone, and reading. Like so many others, it can be easy to get sucked into scrolling and the horrific things happening in our nation and across the globe.

Wish I had more trust in the system of voting. The midterms are coming up. This group of thugs can't be trusted to not try to mess up the outcomes. Truth is, I suspect the election that put him in had some outside interference. We are just cogs, though. We vote, and perhaps if enough of us vote ,we can beat the rigged system.

weather has continued to be wet at times, with some breaks of sunshine. I have been trying to winter prep at times in the yard. Raking leaves and planting bulbs. I'll be happy when flowers come up again in the spring. I'm not a great gardener, but I still try to do the basics. Want to put some stuff up at the doors to try and preserve heat. The prices just keep rising with the orange grifter in the white house.

The orange grifter came into town the other day. They are worried about the election, so if they are scared enough to come to Alaska to try and help the GOP here, I should take that as a sign of hope that they haven't gotten the whole thing rigged yet. I was at Point Woronzof when his plane passed by. First, the usual flights stopped, then his plane went by. I really just hate him and all he is doing to this country.

No kittens currently. I had a litter of 7, 4 black and 3 grey. They just needed to gain weight. I kind of suspect they may have been 2 litters? I had trips scheduled, so I could only take them for 10 days. I had the 7 for ten days, then I headed on a road trip to Denali and across the Denali Highway. Fall color hunt. We spent 2 nights at a Public Use Cabin at K'seugi Ken Campground. Between nights, my friends and I headed up to Denali National Park for the day. They took the bus and the dogs, and I wandered the park.

My day in the park was a bit rough. Far too many protected squirrels. My dogs were going nuts on leash. I got dragged into a tree. Luckily, nothing broken. Minor meltdown by this human. Ice and dinner with friends helped before we headed back to the cabin. Not sure I want to get dragged through the park again. Must get smaller dogs in the future.

The cabin has amazing views of Denali from the back deck. The first night was beautiful with the sunset. By night two, the clouds rolled in. I had a pretty wet crossing of the Denali Highway with the dogs the next day. Still beautiful, though. The drives get longer the older I get, but I still enjoy them.

Had enjoyed a cabin in Eklutna with friends before I got the kittens. The summer fun was dampened a bit by the rain and the gas prices. Another gift from the orange grifter. His gift to Israel was a war in Iran that we can't win and are already screwed from. His sons have learned the grift and are benefiting like their father from the death of Iranians and Americans. I'm sure they are also benefiting from the concentration camps. It's disgusting watching it all happen and feeling so powerless. I doubt the biggest grifter will ever suffer consequences. I can only hope that all around him do.

I took a lot of science courses in my many years of college. It wasn't as expensive, and I changed schools and majors a lot. I have a little free library at my house. It's nice because I can clear out old books. This week it was textbooks. Old science ones. They are being grabbed up, so that's fun. I like to think some kid is perusing them and will pursue science themselves one day.

my goal with the pool is 2 nights/week of swimming laps. Right after I started, they shut down the pool for maintenance. I'm doing pretty good aside from those weeks. Figure, do more in the winter months. It does feel good doing laps again, though. It's peaceful underwater. It's also really good for my joints. I'm hoping it helps my knees.

Had a 3 am unwelcome visitor last week. Covid Cat brought a shrew inside. The chasing of the shrew, and the excitement of the dogs witnessing the chase; woke me up. Got the cat and the shrew shut into the spare room. When I returned with a hemostat, the mouse was tucked under the cat's arm, ready for nap. I was able to grab the tail and get the shrew back outside. My heart was racing a bit after that, so it took some time to return to sleep. Sadly, the cat picked up on the dog door, and he's a hunter.

Above is Powerline Pass; below is Valdez. Actually, it's a mixture of both in here. They never load in the order I attempt. Lots of wildflowers to enjoy.

We had a beautiful evening when we arrived in Valdez, and then the rain hit. I was in a leaky tent, so it was a bit chilly. Once I got Sunny Boy outfitted, we were good, though.

This is the old downtown of Valdez. It was abandoned after the 1964 earthquake caused a tsunami here.

See every other shot. The old area of Valdez is a perfect spot to take the dogs to play. hardly anyone there.

I always love all the wildflowers in the summer. Everything flies by so quickly in the summer. Once the light starts to fade and the temperatures drop, I just start to relax more. You feel obligated to be out and about all summer. Winter allows you to cabin up more and be lazy.

Lots of little free libraries out there. I love them.

The critters enjoy a nap as well. There are currently 2 cats and a dog chilling in the office with me.

The mushrooms are dying off as well.

They will be replaced with ice and snow soon.

So, enjoy them while they last.

I'm sure i could blabber on more. I'm getting hungry though. Have to catch the meal window for swimming too. I still follow the old rule of waiting for an hour after you eat.

Really should head up to Powerline again and see if there are any big bull moose up there.

I keep missing the bulls. On the trail, I'm happy to miss them since Sunny likes to chase them. If I head to Powerline this time of year, I'd leave the dogs home.

Ivy keeps farting tonight. It's a bit distracting. The cats don't seem to mind. Not sure what caused that. No diet change for the dogs.

We are decorated for Halloween, and the Pumpkin Massacre is getting planned. I held my nose and went to Walmart, as the pumpkins were available and fairly cheap.