busy day fell into tomorrow...

 but the calendars and Christmas cards are done and on order!! they were 50%off and free shipping so it had to be done!! i frequently just book it out and then hope for the best. 

 these are from the Hope run and from local walks this week as well.

 fall colors are quickly going away and the frost is coming on as the night temperatures drop down precipitously.

 i have been at the computer too long tonight, my knees are not happy.  this whole week the knees have been unhappy.  is it the change in temperature or was it related to the vaccine.  the knees felt like they had a sudden onset of inflammation around Tuesday...I've been blaming all strange symptoms this week on the vaccine. next week i have to get the flu vaccine...

 by Saturday my left knee, which is usually the only knee that gives me trouble, was feeling better. today the right knee is starting to feel a bit better...so hopefully this week of work goes better.

 my work last week was  ER, on call, called in to PICU and then ICU.  i moved one patient out and was to get another but that patient coded in the ER and never made it up to the ICU.  that is how it goes some days.

 been watching the British Baking Show as i loaded pictures and planned the calendar and cards.  always a favorite show.

 often i enjoy podcasts as well as i load pictures.

 we had a lovely day out on the trails.  Monday walks are always a treat each week. the temperatures had really dropped so there was frost and icicles forming. 

 my friend and i then headed over to Pt Worzonof after coffee.  wanted to stretch the dogs a bit and look for moose.  it was windy on the beach so we didn't last too long, but the dogs did get a nice extra run in as they chased the tennis ball on the sandy bits.

 then i headed to Potters via Lake Hood.  we did spot a few moose on the way towards the float plane lake.  a nice sized male so success.

 there are a few of these old phone booths around out there.  no phone inside this one.

 these are in Hope.

 no swans out at Potters today...there was a thin coating of ice over much of the marsh.  i was having fun skipping rocks on the fresh ice, which can produce fun sounds.  there are some really cool videos out there with those sounds...i had some sounds but i also had car sounds which made getting a video difficult.

 in addition to old phone booths, old cars are scattered all over the place.

 was busy these few days off with some yard work as well. 

it's actually best to leave the leaves on the ground, however, i have dogs and they poop so it can be difficult to locate the poop if i leave all the leaves down.  so i did get the rake out and put to good use. filled two big bags with leaves.

 since i had to take out 4 trees this spring...there are a lot less leaves out there to rake this year. felt bad removing trees but they were and are getting a bit out of control. getting ready to take out fences, the shed and i couldn't have that. did lose a bit of the fence from one of the leftover ones.

 i just have the two days off so often that turns into errands and catch up on things that need to be done around the house.

 these folks used old tools for decorations. 

 this lovely bird was out at the dog park this week.  when ever there is a bald eagle hanging out by the lake at the dog park, everyone warns others with small dogs to be aware and keep the small pup safe.

 this week there was an incident out at Taku Lake.  not a dog park but a dog was swimming there and some otters went after the dog, which then got the owner to wade out to rescue the dog and then the owner got bit as well. the owner isn't actually sure if the bite he got was from his dog or the otters.  both are recovering. 

 of course, the folks who make comments on line are negative and hateful sorts for the most part.  it is kind of odd.  some of these folks must really spend hours of their days on their computers. 

 what sort of people have that much anger...why would one waste it going after fellow citizens who are dealing with an unusually and frightening situation.  so much judgment of everyone.

 mostly they were basically slamming him for not having the dog on leash.  dogs like to swim.  he may well have walked the dog there on a leash and then let it off to swim as many dogs do. some times it's just not the best time to state the obvious.  I've no doubt the guy feels horrible to have witnessed such a random and bizarre event...clearly he loves his dog, he went in to the water to rescue the dog, at risk to himself.  the otters apparently work like the beavers do...grabbing the dog from below and dragging it under, or attempting to.

 these are from today's walk.

 impeachment inquiry continues on.  now that the Ambassador opted to speak to the committee despite the administration attempting to forbid it...we call that obstruction of justice....the dam seems to be breaking some and others are feeling more comfortable going against the demands of the administration and testifying.  saving their own arses no doubt.  this administration will turn out to be the most corrupt and greedy one ever seen in this nation.  laws will have to be created in order to prevent such abuse from happening again. 

 sadly, he still has that most loyal base of supporters, equally angry people who he had easily manipulated with his con job. the "news" on the right has added to this false information by spreading conspiracy theories instead of news.  that fool lawyer of trumps has been going around trying to find "proof" for already proven wrong, conspiracy theories.  everyone this man touches ends up compromising their own values and ethics.  I'm still expecting a rash of suicides at some point once people figure out they have been fooled by the most foolish.

 sadly, there are already many small farmers who have already lost their livelihoods and lives because of this trade war with China.  he talks out of his arse but he can't make the deal happen that he promised.  that is what he is....all talk and broken promises, but those loyal followers still believe the bull and if they listen to just the right media sources, they don't know the truth. 

 now he's trying to find a way to undo the hell he has created in Syria/Turkey border and how, our allies, the Kurds are being killed while the Isis fighters are probably going to be released....who benefits from this Putin.  he he toasting himself nightly by the mess he was able to make by helping get this fool elected. 

 i suspect he never dreamed it would all go so well for him.  what does Put have on this iitoo anyway?  is it just a hope to be like him one day....?

 this administration has done so much damage to our nation. it will take years and maybe generations to sort some of it out.  the GOP that were supposed to prevent the worst of it, have failed.  those who elected him have also failed.  failed to believe truth over lies, failed to put the nation before this buffoon.  we should all  be Americans first.  not support someone steps back and allows our Allies, who have saved American lives, be slaughtered.  not allow our own troops to be put in harms way by a rapid withdrawal that we can never recover from.  not allow our enemies to have power over us and our economy.  they have looked the other way...because they hated Obama and Hillary.  hate makes people so easy to manipulate. they wanted to hate liberals, they wanted to hate the black man who made it to the highest position in the land and then didn't end up screwing it all up.  they hated the idea of Hillary becoming potus so much they preferred to look the other way while Russia put it's mark on our election.

 they hate change....well life is not controllable.  change happens.  roll with it, embrace it.  learn to deal with it. 

 they just showed a video made by supporters of him at one of his hotels during a conference.  it was a brutal scene of trump being some hero killing off all the perceived enemies of the right.  it is supposedly disgusting and macabre. he, hasn't  said much about it...just the usual bull that he hadn't seen it, had no idea about it. 

 lives are being lost because of this fool.  the right needs to wake up.  control him or get him out of there. it looks like even Pence is implicated in the Ukraine scandal.  it would so serve them right if Pelosi ended up running the nation by default.  i suspect the right with Moscow Mitch will continue to protect him...they will have impeached a man for sex in the oval office and stupidly lying about that under oath, but they will give a man a pass who has shown his total lack of competence, who used his position to attempt to get dirt on an opponent from another nation.  he accepted and remains intent on accepting help from other nations because he can't lose.  he won't accept it...ever.

 the little creek had some nice ice showing up today.  last week it wasn't there.

 it's coming on 3 am, so i probably should head to bed here.  i do head back to work tomorrow night though..well, tonight. 

 ice is always cool. i don't take very good photos of the ice, but it's still cool.

 I'm starting to feel the long day. 

 I'm sure i got a number of steps in. I'll maybe ice the knee again as i drift off to sleep.

 sitting has always been irritating to the knees. 

 i haven't heard how the CT went yet. I'll have to give them a call tomorrow and see if they will get back to me.  I'm hoping that no news is good news as they say.

 these icicles were under the foot bridge

 i think this leaf had frost the melted.

 i am ready to turn in for the day. i hope i did not screw up the calendars or cards tonight in my haste to get them done. 

grateful for: A.  my furs, who always entertain me and keep me from being too lonely  B.  friends and the Monday walks  C.  the ever changing world we live in. 

raking leaves...

 and they were taunting me by continuing to fall as i raked.  feels good to be outside on days like this though.  the air is crisp and clear and the sun is shining.  i tend to just try to get out for an hour or so.  got a few bags loaded though.  you may not be able to tell by the morning though.

 the first part of the commentary looks good, now, the rest..will have to focus on that tonight a bit.  need to also start to get a list of universities together for our next mailing.  our first mailing is slowly getting sent out...hopefully not to dead people.

 the news today was that over 30,000 walrus have hauled out again near Point Lay.  the internet comment battle over global warming goes on.  i'm always surprised that anyone feels they can refute that the overall temps are warming.  i think pretty much any scientist will tell you that is what is going on...i also am shocked that my co-humans find it impossible that the billion+ humans on this earth have no impact.  to me, it's how much and what to do about it?

 getting involved with the walrus on Round Island i was naive in thinking at first that i wasn't also getting sucked into the global warming battle....the liberal conspiracy(quoting one or more of the comments posted).  the earth will do as the earth does, but i don't think we should all sit ignorantly by and not monitor the signs and try and come up with ways to slow the warming. animals like the walrus and the polar bears are worth watching as they seem to be the species that are most obviously impacted.

 30-40 walrus, mostly young, were noted to be dead on the beach at Point Lay.  probably trampled, how and why...?  a team will go out and perform necropsies but we may never know if it was a disturbance that caused a stampede and if so what that disturbance may have been.

 loved this dead fish shot...not as much as Blossom loved getting a bite though.

 still prefer black and white over sepia i think.  like the little camera and i think it will be good this winter.  kinda find myself missing my shove in my pocket, snap a one handed shot camera though.

 was happy to see the walrus news making national news. tried to make a few comments and direct people to our facebook pages when i saw the article posted.  no bites yet.

 yard work came first today.  i did eventually get the dogs out for a walk.  we hit Potter to Mchugh Trail.  as i was headed that way, we stopped to enjoy the swans that have collected by Potters Marsh.  okay....i doubt we enjoyed the swans, i did though.

 there are quite a few of them there.  also lots of photographer types, real and imagined.  i am one of the imagined ones.  i am an amateur with minimal gear...i was surrounded by much more impressive lenses.  i will say that little powershot can zoom in pretty sweetly.  i have to get used to distance and not letting the little screen jump around.  you zoom in and then...where the hell did those swans go? haha.  need more practice.

 guy out there fishing in a small lake at Portage...he caught one.

 anyway, i was about to head for the walk when suddenly all the swans were flying all over.  it was a fun show.  i'm sure some of those big lenses got some pretty lovely shots for some folks.  smiles all over. so i was swan paparazzi.

 we just went to the viewpoint and back on the trail. the fall colors were really pretty so we ambled along and i took pictures. it's a rough trail for my blind dog, Rio Catalina as there are lots of roots for her to deal with on the trail.  that isn't easy for her.  she always carries on...she's a trooper that dog.

 after i'd hit hope i cruised up to Summit Lake before heading home the other day.

 looking over notes Karen took at the lecture...thank you Karen and will also look over some notes sent by a biologist who was on the island several summers...see if i can add any of that into my commentary piece.  of course, just because i write it in now way means they will print it.  worth a shot i think though.

 caught a few sunset shots as i drove home the other day.  the sky looked beautiful.

 it didn't last long though.

 wanted an omelet today.  every so often it sounds really good.  i like cheese and potato with some tomatoes in there.  nummy!! my goal was to leave the house by 2pm and i think i was pretty close.

 these are from yesterday down at the beach with Blossom.  the weather has been so amazing this stretch off.  you never do feel like you have taken full advantage of it though.  when you live in a place with long winters and rain in the summers and darkness challenges you really do feel obligated to not waste a second of good weather.  sometimes i find it a relief when it starts to rain good...like now i have a good excuse to laze about the house or catch up on those chores that have been neglected.

 liked this of this woman just walking on the mudflats.  the light was cool.  below Blossom gets herself as muddy as a doodle can get.

 these would be the after shots...

 not only did she load up with mud, but as soon as she hit this sand, she decided to roll around in it.

 those were all i took with my rebel, below are the rebel with the wide angle lens on the Hope trek.

 another month has began. i really need to whip out some continued ed and then get my nursing license renewed.  so hard to figure out if you have enough, i just pay some money and take a class that covers it all...last minute of course.

 october i can also get WARIS a business license.  it's also a month when i start frantically loading photo's to shutterfly so i can make the annual calender.

 Christmas is coming...yikes!!  you have to keep on top of these things.

 haven't actually eaten yet tonight. snacked is all.  will probably just snack more and get back to work on the above mentioned items.

 miss my lazy life!!  it had to catch up with me eventually though...everyone else is busy i should be too i guess.

 the lake...

 then the mad rush to try and capture the sunset on the Turnigan.  made it, but barely.

thankful fors... A.  migrating birds, always fun to see them coming and going.  they are signs of the changing seasons.  B.  omelets.  nummy!!  C.  falling leaves...so fun!