and once again...the dogs are off!

 

some of these are from Sunny Boy was finally learning how to use the dog door.  he is a pro now.  so cute! 

he sometimes takes a few times to pick up on stuff but once he gets it, he's good. well, except potty training. we've still had some piddles on the piddle pad. second puppy class last night.  he had a melt down as we headed out.  i suspect he is more attached to Ivy than i realize.  he didn't want to be in the back of the CR-V without her last night and kept jumping out.  it was a struggle that i lost eventually.  i tossed him in the front seat and when we got there he snuggled in my lap for a bit before being calm enough to go join class...a little puppy tantrum with a puppy style time out

he did find in class.  our weak areas are the leash walking and the stay command at this point...he simply doesn't want to be left behind.  trying to get him back in again after class was the same.  he kept jumping out the back.  in the end i pretty much stuffed him in the side door so he was in the back.  he was exhausted and chilled back there. as soon as he got home he and Ivy Rose were all snuggly with each other and headed outside to play.  it is super sweet to see how well they have bonded.  thinking next week i'll have to get the Element ready for driving.  i've been starting it and running it but it has one tire that is low and needs an oil change so i need to get it over to get that done. i would have filled the tire here but i can't get the cap off...frozen? not sure.  on womans day it frustrates me when i can't do seemingly simple tasks. 

not sure what happened there.  may have lost a picture. oh well. otherwise, enjoying warmer weather and longer days. nice walks with the dogs. 

we hit traffic heading out to Willow on Sunday. in the end we arrived on the lake just as the first team was passing.  it was beautiful out and we all had a great day. many friends and it did feel like normal, which i think we all needed. 

of course as the stress of covid fades the stress of this probable world war begins.  that damn putin invades a nation totally unprovoked simply because he has decided he wants that land...he could care less about the humans that live there and seems like he would be perfectly happy killing all of the humans just to possess the land. he doesn't care about his own people so why would anyone think he would show any compassion. he also doesn't care how many war crimes he commits to get to his goal

i guess he said he'd stop if he gets everything he wishes.  short of that, he will just continue to blast those poor people.  who is next? i doubt it will stop..unless he is killed from the inside.  he is very isolated and has made it pretty impossible for anyone to get to him.  the life as a paranoid narcissist with access to incredibly dangerous fire power. my fear is that the nuclear option will be used.  i don't think it's a matter of if it will be used by putin...it's a matter of when and where?  will he hit Ukraine at the heart in order to take out their President. will he hit somewhere in the US? europe? it all sickens me.  watching those poor people trying to escape Ukraine with their kids, pets and elderly. 

for what? there is no sense to it.  i still believe that him being able to win over trump empowered him even more.  Ukraine is putting up a great fight and honestly on the ground,  his own people do not have the will to fight a battle they have no actual fight in...especially once they realize they were misinformed and that Ukraine didn't actually want to be saved from itself. he has limited the access of information to his own citizens that many have no clue what is going on.  misinformation is everywhere. 

for those who protest in russia, prison and possibly being sent to the front lines.  he's jailed the protesters, even children and very elderly and refused to allow the word war to be used. he's cut off all social media in russia and banned media that isn't russian. 

Ukraine needs power in the air and sea to have a chance. i guess Poland is now willing to give up old russian migs to them in exchange for newer old US models of planes.  the fear is the entire world will get sucked in to this war...which we are already in truth.  sanctions only go so far.  Putin is so isolated and protected from all that.  his oligarchs may be impacted but it's not likely they will take him out.  he could care less how badly his own people have it due to the sanctions

people here, especially those on the right, are bitching about the increased price of gas at the pumps.  blaming biden...he doesn't control the price. we are still paying less than what the people in europe have paid for years. many complaining own huge gas guzzling trucks. also many who complain are the same who have been denying global warming/climate change for generations now and have refused to move us forward and away from dependence on others for our gas/oil. 

these same people seem to believe that the halted keystone pipeline would have solved their issues.  never mind that it was halted before biden took office essentially, was only an extension of an existing pipeline and most of that was meant to be exported, not for domestic use. there was a guy from texas that headed over to fight with russians...so the misinformation is impacting some of the trump fools...fine go fight in russia.  they shoot you if you are injured so they don't have to bother with field hospitals and burn your body if you are killed so they don't have to bother with making accounting of your death. 

so many said they would rather have putin than biden...really?  such fools really.  no clue.  i think there are many i just can't speak to at this time. over these past 5+ years i have called and hoped that this event or that event would be the thing that wakes people up but now i can't bear to know the truth of where many view these events in Ukraine.  to hear them regurgitate the lies and misinformation.  it was too much with covid and now with Ukraine it's just incomprehensible. 

got up early to join a friend who is up from Ketchikan for a walk but she volunteered all night with the Iditarod so she is wiped out.  perhaps we will walk later this afternoon.  so i am awake and figured i'd write.  i made an omelet, which the way i make them doesn't always make my guts happy...so now i had even more reason to stay close to home for a bit. 

the puppies are getting restless though. i may have to get off the computer and get them playing. or work on stay again. will have to do it from really close at first. just heard the dog door so it sounds like they are headed outside to play.

i think nearly 2 million have left Ukraine..the largest and fastest exit in Europes history i think, at least since ww2. putin has targeted neighborhoods, hospitals, escaping civilians.  not sure how much actually communication is happening with those on the grounds. it does appear that much of the equipment at least at first has been older stuff.  breaking down.  no access to fuel. 

need to set up the new box as cable is over now i guess.  it's on me...that could be a disaster. haha. 

now we get into the ceremonial start photos

as you can see it was snowing big heavy flakes out there, all day really.

eventually my camera was damp and those digital camera's are not happy wet.  the ability to focus rapidly stopped when i was out watching the teams by the dog park later.

still fun to go downtown and see the animals. they skipped this last year due to covid so it was nice to have it back. i think they did encourage the mushers to not do as much chit chatting closely with fans as they usually do. 

they even put up extra fencing on the inside to keep some distance. 

still a party atmosphere, downtown and along the route. many came out.  there were a lot out at the restart as well.  no russian teams and not that many international teams...still probably 10 out of 50 i guess so quite a few. actually 49 teams. the lowest number i've seen.  Dallas has said this will be it for a bit. he's no doubt hoping for his 6th historic win on this, the 50th run of the Iditarod. his Dad is also running

King is running but only because Petit came down with the covid and had to back out...so he asked King to take his team to Nome. why should they miss out on the fun. so as he's not really run these dogs it won't be a competitive run for sure, but a more fun one. he was joking he wanted to take his little poodle along as it's the only dog he would know the name of.  

a team of standard poodles did attempt the race one year.  they did not get too far i don't believe, for sure did not finish. took the dogs walking after the ceremonial start and that poor Sunny Boy was loaded on all legs with huge snow balls....not really a great way to travel to Nome.  fine for a jaunt in the park though. 

yesterday i was able to get the clippers and use them a bit on Sunny.  we work on grooming daily.  i still need to set up a grooming appointment for his ears and feet especially. need to find a good groomer though. one that will make his experience good and not traumatic.  these things matter a lot. 

still have a long to do list it seems.  today i need to add, put the cube together to that list. should get the Element in as well. 

those should be todays goals. so maybe dog park and element to start.  gotta get in that shower first and get the day officially started.

look how cute this little guy is

sled set up is very different on the two days.  this is a quick fun run through the city and sunday was the start of a long journey with bags packed. they do have dropped bags along the route for food and supplies. 

i am always an over packer so i know i'd be hitting it hard...

you can see history unfolding. not the good history..the scary awful history. i know i have lived a life safe from any of this drama and i have been very happy to have that peace and freedom in my life. none of us look forward to what may come. 

i try to live like the animals do.  they live each day, they do not worry about what may happen or even what has happened.  they aren't aware of what is happening in other places.  they only know what is right in front of them.  we are all just pawns for those who have money and power....that is the sad reality.  we don't see it all the time, but when stuff like this happens it's way too clear. 

i am no different, no better, no worse than those who are now thrust into this hell.  it's just a matter of where you land in this world.  where you are born. to whom you are born. for the moment i am fortunate to not be in the center of the hell that those in Ukraine are living with...but that doesn't mean my time won't come. 

it for sure doesn't mean that some God deemed me more valuable. i do not believe, if God exists, that that God really has that much impact on our lives. it's just what we tell ourselves because we can't control the putins and hitlers of this earth so we have to hope that there is something more powerful than us that will eventually take care of the inequalities we live with. 

i certainly do not believe a God would ignore pleas from Ukraine and Syria and other places that are and have been decimated by horrific men or natural events and yet would listen to my petty prayers and answer those. it's silly to think really...and yet, like so many others i put those prayers out there with my petty hopes.  i add in Ukraine these days of course, but i look at history and history does not really seem to be on the side of an intervening god. 

these much larger dogs are from the Denali National Park dog teams.  they were invited to be the ceremonial sled #1 in the festivities of Saturday.  they are the only dog teams utilized in any national park and they are used mostly in the winter patrols.  in the summer they do runs but they also spend much time entertaining tourists. as it was the 50th anniversary of the Iditarod it was super fun to have them there. was a great surprise

so i leave you with the dogs of Denali.  

i do hope and i do pray for Ukraine.  i am agnostic.  that is where i landed.  i do not know the answers and i'm okay not knowing them.  they are answers we can't know anyway...so i feel like those who claim to know them are just fooling themselves really...they don't know.  we always had testimony meetings growing up and people knew everything..it was mostly lies.  was always annoyed by the kids getting up on fast and testimony meeting and at age two regurgitating their parents testimonies. that is programing. i'm okay with not knowing things. i do not think we were meant to have all the answers. 

we were meant to learn and grow and experience and figure out the best way to spend our short time here on earth.  we were meant to help and support each other.  

i do not believe it was meant to be some battle over who picked the right building to worship in. i do not really believe God abides in churches.  i feel God more in nature.  churches are just places to gather and support..sadly, they have mostly become corporations filled with greed and corruption. the parishioners deserve better. 

well, starting day i guess. fingers crossed i get a few things accomplished. 

grateful for A. peace B. those who fight despite the odds for what is true and what is right.  C. all those who are stepping up to help the refugees and Ukraine any way they can, it's truly inspiring. 

February pics....

 stayed home ill another day.  just the coughing and being tired at this point.  will have to brave it tonight though i think.  unless i start to feel really crappy. you can only take so many days off really before you just have to put on the big girl pants and go for it.  my cough tends to make others more uncomfortable at this point than myself...coughing spasms sound pretty bad at times.  Robitussin and cough drops will have to be enough at some point.  above is Portage Lake in the brief period it was sort of frozen.

 i did not venture on to the ice there this year at all.  it never seemed thick enough to me to be safe...and i believe my assessment was accurate.  a few did venture out there, but a few also went through.  i can tell by posts in the hiking page on fb that many do not necessarily use common sense before venturing off anywhere in AK.  this is a different sort of place though and it doesn't take much to get yourself into trouble quickly. 

 some get pretty snarky on these pages as well.  not much is safe from nasty folks anymore in our world.  people seem to sit in wait on their computers, jumping on any comment they can find that they can turn nasty.  we are losing our ability to interact rationally with one another.  perhaps we never really had that ability and we simply only ever dealt with people who were mostly similar. 

 perhaps the internet and social media force us to deal with people who see the world differently and we are all failing to adapt to this.

 we are tribal at base.  even the cavemen probably thought their way of building a fire was far superior to the method used in a different group of cavemen. feeling superior seems to be a key element to ego/self.  feeling one has the correct way of thinking, the right church, the more superior race, sex, culture....

 these are cool old cars at the Fur Rondy this year. I'd never gone and doubt I'll go there but every few years but it is still cool to check out old cars.  i like that some keep a few around and fix them up so that they still run.  we have come a long ways in a short time.  not sure that is always a good thing for us or the earth but humans are pretty amazing in what they can come up with.

 we tend to be able to take issues head on and find a work around.  sadly, at this point in our nations history, many are putting up roadblocks to progress.  oil/coal should be moving into our past and we should be encouraging those around us to use their talents and ingenuity to develop new methods of powering us forward.  we can do it, we can do anything, we just need to be willing to move on from oil and coal.  there are corporations who want us to remain in the past even as they work towards this change in the back ground...because they even know that oil, gas and coal will become obsolete at some point.  I'm sure they just want to make the most of the oil and gas and coal that they are already harvesting from the earth. they have known for years.  it's been a very successful campaign though.  many out there refuse to believe the basics of the science that we are doing damage to our earth. 

 when you know better, you do better.  i have faith in my fellow man...we can do better because we are extremely adaptable and can use the tools of intellect to come up with better methods.  there are many with high intellect out there...we simply have to afford the masses the chance to be educated and you just never know what can and will be done. 

 i always think of kids dying of preventable diseases or starving and wonder which of those kids would have cured this or that or invented this or just been a gifted artist...what have we lost.  which would have just been creative and kind enough to raise the next generation of creative and kind people...if only we hadn't looked the other way while their lives were just snuffed out. if only we hadn't opted to destroy our education system, if only we hadn't done what we could to make the world better instead of hoping the past could save us.

 these big old gas eater cars were pretty well made and cool looking.  our nation is floundering, allowing other societies to become the more powerful nations.  we have already ceded our power to others.  this administration is just putting the final death blow on us. 

 so many still just refuse to even open their eyes to what is going on.  allowing others to dictate what they think and believe to be true.  the Mueller report does one major thing in my mind...it proves who was really the "fake news" and it wasn't who many have been told are "fake". they were correct.  their reporting overall has proven to be right on.  Mueller just couldn't dot the i's or cross the t's to do the final death blow....too many lied, refused to answer or used methods to communicate that could be quickly quashed. 

 they are on a campaign to "move on" and say it's over and that the Mueller report proves them clear...though if you actually read it, it does not. 

 don't they even wonder why this administration is busting it's butt to put everything to rest, to hide everything.  he calls himself the most everything, including the most transparent...yet he refuses to allow anyone to see his grades, his taxes, his business dealings, the report. he refuses to allow anyone to testify publicly...why is this?  if the Mueller report clears them all of wrong doing why wouldn't they want it out there for all to see.  if it exonerates them why hide it.  if he is so proud of his financial successes and how he's skipped paying taxes then why not display all for us to see. 

 i am grateful to the media who keep digging in and finding truth where they can...i realize there is a large segment of the population who will continue to refuse to even read or believe what the media turns up but at least they are still seeking truth.  it's there for those who bother to look.  he is a business failure.  he has been taking others money and losing it at a grand level for decades.  he has been committing acts of fraud for decades...he has been lying about every aspect of his existence for decades. 

 i keep waiting for a few in the GOP to finally be brave enough to fess up to the truth.  they know it...it's whispered in the halls on Capitol Hill all the time, but none are brave enough to stand up...will they ever be?  what is it that has them snared in this deceit?  money, power, greed? or is it more nefarious? 

 truth does tend to come out eventually...but as history shows even the most blatant of truths will not always turn those who choose to believe otherwise.  there are still many out there who refuse to believe that 6 million were killed in WWII.  still many who refuse to believe that we landed on the moon.  conspiracy theories are not new and people buying into them is not new either. 

 there will always be those who prefer a world of their making and who prefer hearing what they want to hear over listening to the facts..or seeking them out.  they prefer to believe what they are told than read for themselves, uncover for themselves.  is it laziness or just a need to believe in a world that is comfortable, that makes them forever right. 

 what happens when people do figure out they may have been wrong?  if they ever do?

 these are a few from the sprint races during the Fur Rondy. 

 woke up early today so i figured I'd write and head back to bed for a bit. have been waking up with headaches anyway. 

 reports of a porcupine taking up residence in the bog by my place.  have heard some dog/s were already quilled...that would be mine. best to avoid that scenario if i can.

 we had some wind the other day, it did manage to get the newspaper off the roof and i think the plastic bag out of a tree across the street...that bag has been caught in that tree since i moved in here or close to that anyway.

 will the Dems be brave enough to pull the trigger on impeachment?  not sure.  i get the impression the GOP and administration are daring them to do it...the big concern seems to be what the politics will be for the parties.  i think it hurt the GOP going after Clinton.  i think that is because in the end it was clear they were going after him for whatever they could go after him for...it was purely politics...they went after him every way they could and all they could actually prove was that he had sex in the oval office and lied about it...i think the bulk of society saw it for what it was...truly a witch hunt. 

 it is funny to watch folks like Graham and McConnell talk about that impeachment with self righteous indignation.  how it was all about the rule of law and our Democracy when actually it was about winning at any cost...now those same act like this is all a nothing burger...when in truth this has a hell of a lot more grit to it.  this campaign used a foreign entity to improve their chances at the ballot box.  they may not have been proven to have a conspiracy level crime but it's clear they were ready and willing to work with anyone to improve their chances...to benefit themselves financially. 

 it's clear Rus did all it could to interfere and the right still hesitates to prevent this from occurring again....they have really done nothing to prevent interference again.  they discount all about the Mueller report...even this aspect...because the current administration feels if they admit Rus helped them then they admit that they did not get their office cleanly. 

 they are using stall tactics at this point.  Barr was voted in contempt, while the iitoo invokes executive privilege in an attempt to keep the truth from congress.  they are allowed to see the redacted version but they are not allowed.  this iitoo trusts Put over his own national defense intel.  no curiosity about this however. 

 watched some of Comey's town hall between naps last night. i do trust Comey...he pissed off both sides but i believe that he is overall trustworthy. i  suspect his sense of duty and of right actually bit him in the arse.  my guess is that he over thinks some things.  he does have a lot of experience.  he agrees with the over 900 former prosecutors have signed on to a letter stating that this potus would be indicted if not for him being a sitting potus.

 the case for obstruction is pretty clear really. was just reading the start of that section the other day. 

 if you trip a cop as he is chasing down a bank robber you can be held and charged with obstruction...even if that cop eventually captures the felon.

 of course, one has to wonder why he has continued to fight so hard against the information getting out there.

 cracks me up that those on the right keep whining that this has gone on for a whole 2 years, like it's forever....with some even stating he should be given an added two years to his presidency to make up for it...haha.  these are the same folks who are still screaming for new investigations into bill and hillary and Obama.  as if years and years of failed investigations are valid but 2 years of fairly successful investigation are invalid.  crimes have been proven to have been committed in these past two years...where are they from the previous 20...

 the GOP looked at Obama every way they could, trying to find the oral sex moment in his tenure, but they were unable to. 

 another school shooting in Colorado this week.  the right refuses to do a thing about all these mass shootings.  so entrenched in their right to bear arms that they seem totally willing to look the other way as child after child is killed off in school...yet they sunk their teeth into a sex scandal and spent millions to impeach a potus for said sex scandal.  I'm not saying Clinton wasn't a horn dog who used his position for personal gratification but how is this so different from a potus who uses his position for financial gain?

 i suspect the bulk of the public will see the difference in impeaching a guy for a sex scandal that he lied about over impeaching a guy who obstructed an investigation into Rus interference into our election, who obstructed us from seeing if he had any financial ties to Rus that would explain his obstruction.

 part of me knows he will get away with all of it....they all will.  the Presidency will ultimately be his get out of jail free card..one can hope that his kids will have to do some time if they have been involved...justice needs to be served....

 the GOP paid for Nixon. i suspect the bulk of society was not happy that he just got a pardon....but at least a few of his henchmen did do some time for their involvement.  that seems like child's play compared to what it appears has happened with this administration. 

 so far anyone who tries to stand up is immediately accused of having joined the "deep state". 

 the cranes are back, the geese are back and now i see the terns are back.  those terns travel nearly 25,000 miles every year....crazy. 

 the crap going on in DC may come to a head in the supreme court...it will be the time to test those who were awarded the position they held from this administration, will they be like Barr and prove they work for this potus or will they hold themselves to the constitution in making their judgments? 

 the FBI has again proven that these conspiracy theories are crap...no evidence of illegal "spying" on the trump campaign...of course, again, those on the right will continue to believe conspiracy theories over facts...it all seems pointless and hopeless

 a falcated duck has been a surprise visitor to Potters Marsh i guess this week.  usually only seen in Asia i guess.  birders are going a bit bonkers over it. they have occasionally been spotted in the Pribilofs or way out on the Aleutian chain but never this far inland.

 ice crystals on the creek/river out of portage below. 

 the photo's can't show how beautiful it was that day.  no way to really get down close enough for decent photos

 love how many forms ice and water can take out there in the winter. 

 frost is amazing.

 guessing that ice in the lake is nearly gone at this point.  i really thought it would last longer. 

 guess i shall head back to bed soon.  try for another few hours.  I'll need as much sleep as i can get if i want to try and make it through a night shift tonight.

 the ice was sublime the day i was out there at Portage.  glass....

 enjoy your day, where ever it takes you. 

thankful for A. nature and all it's beauty  B.  cough medicine and sleep  C.  snuggle time with the pups...they are so sweet.