strange relationships....

 so these are from today's Monday walk.  we got blue skies today.  yesterday was dreary.  i woke fairly early, it was soup out there so i went back to sleep.....that lasted until after 1:30. was it the weather, was it the darkness, was it not having a kitchen...? 

 i am in a relationship with my handyman....gotcha!!  no I'm not but it does have some of the same elements....but not in any romantic way...just in the i really want to get my kitchen done way.

 i find myself oddly comforted that he has left tools behind at my place. i am excited when i hear he is coming over to work on the kitchen. i feel my heart beat faster when his truck pulls up to work and the dogs are excited too, they feel it as well i think.  i worry when i hear of accidents on the highway...i want to protect him. i want to bubble wrap him so that he travels safely to and from the Kenai.

 i have been burned by other handymen, who have not been dedicated to my project.  who have taken my money and never returned. i find myself still having some hope that they will return and complete the projects they promised but never did. 

 so this is relationships in your 50's some times...my needs are few. haha....i have not heard from my handy man since last weeks cabinet push...usually just when i start to panic that he too will never return to hang the rest of my cabinets i generally get a text with his plan and all is well.

 i also find that i am careful to not be pushy or seem upset in the least at the time it is taking.  i fear scaring him away or being too needy.

 i have gotten some painting done which makes me smile when i look at what is in the kitchen and the color...i gotta say, it is looking pretty dreamy. 

 i watch cooking shows on TV and dream of one day cooking again and not just snacking but cooking and eating real meals.  i dream of baking...it is that time of year, cool temperatures, holidays.  a girl really likes her winter baking.  i had no idea how much a kitchen does to your psyche. 

 snacking is becoming less and less satisfying.

 more from Powerline Pass....

 i did get the new phone yesterday.  the girl was super helpful at the store...i guess they have actually been robbed at gunpoint a few times...the phones are expensive.  it was a smooth transition to the new phone...painful because it is expensive. it's also painful that we have become so dependent on these gadgets. 

 it was not that many years ago that we lived without these gadgets, not many before that when we survived without the internet...life is strange.

 i got every bit of use out of that phone though.  in the store i kept flipping back and forth from airplane mode to save the battery to get us through the transition.  i couldn't get it to charge over like 16 percent that last 24 hours.  they bought it back for $60...my sad little phone is gone.

 the rest of these are actually up Arctic Valley.  always beautiful in the fall.

 chatted with a few siblings today.  had to see how the weekend went.  sounds like everyone had a good time.

 not enough snow up there yet for skiing, but on the day i was out there hiking they were working on the equipment and prepping for winter skiing. 

 the dogs just like to run. 

 by the time i left AT&T it was for sure dark so i just took the dogs to the dog park.  we skirted around the lake and did some back trails.  a bit darker but it had warmed a bit and the lake freeze looked a bit sketchy. best to just avoid it.  the bogs were nicely frozen today though so I'm sure just the top layer of the lake was frozen.  you can get some fun new ice formations with that. 

 at one point when we hit the bike trail yesterday the dogs both booked into the woods.  they returned pretty quickly and soon i discovered what they had booked to check out...a mama moose and her calf.  thankfully, she did not come tearing out of the dark woods and take me down.  we skirted past her.  those lit up bikes are hanging just off the bike trail near the little free library.

 finding myself worried about my friends in fish and game.  we have an idiot GOP nut job who will soon be our Governor...thank you for electing him fellow citizens...not!!  he is saying he wants all at will government workers to quit.  the last GOP governor got the walrus islands defunded...what damage will this guy do to the walrus and to our environment as a whole.  they are all about making money now...incapable of caring about the future.  greed is ugly.

 too late tonight but perhaps i will send off a few texts...what is safe?  i recall when i first organized WARIS there was concern over there about interacting with me.  I'd never really got the politics of all of that...still don't but i do understand more...which sucks that they can't just do their jobs but are so impacted by the changes in state/national government.  folks do not go into these jobs to battle politics. 

 got the sweetest card from the family of a patient...they also sent a donation to WARIS. we had just been chatting while i cared for their family member. it's pretty rare to get these really.  i don't believe that is because my work isn't appreciated just so few actually take the time to write notes.  i think mostly people just want to move past their time being ill or dealing with sick families.  probably doesn't help them remember their care when they are getting bills either .

 "you were, by far, the most caring and knowledgeable nurse we encountered on this awful journey. you made it a tiny bit more bearable for us and we wanted you to know how much we appreciated you" that is snippet from it.  so sweet...for sure i will save this note though. 

 I'm happy we walked the way we did today.  i was concerned the ice would be too thin but it was fine and it was beautiful out there as usual.

 we had a nice crew out there today.  a few newb's who i think enjoyed themselves.  a new pup too.  she looked to have fun.  no children knocked down so that is always good as well.

 love the patchwork of colors.

 the late night comedians were all over the crap the iitoo said this week.  one friend commented that they don't even have to write anything, the iitoo says such incredibly stupid stuff that all you have to do is play him.  OMG he is a fool.  it looks worse and worse with each passing week.  he is incapable of intelligent conversation. 

 he visited Paradise this weekend.  this should have been the easiest of optics.  a win, but in the interview he called it Pleasure twice before having to be corrected by the outgoing and incoming Governor i believe it was.  how aren't his supporters just filled with embarrassment.....i mean enough already. the emperor has no clothes and somebody really should insist he put some on!!

 they really just should keep him hidden in his castle and speak for him at all times. he is incapable of speaking intelligently and incapable of not spinning tales and absolute lies when he does speak.

 the Finns are totally making fun of him because he claimed he spoken to the leader of Finland and that the leader had told him that they all rake and that prevents forest fires or some crap. i can't recall all the tale that the iitoo spewed out.  the Finns aren't buying it and i appreciate that.  they have been taking photo's of them out raking, vacuuming and/or using their roomba's on the forest floor.  the trend is RAGA-rake America Great again.  i had pondered getting out a rake myself and snapping a selfie raking the ice...because Finland and California have such similar weather patterns.  he is just a fool and i just wish those who elected him could at least admit that the man is a fool instead of so many defending him and making up these crazy lies to justify his tomfoolery...which i have no idea what that means or where it came from, but it is what we are dealing with.

 someone left this painted rock out there. i have run across a few of these now.

 and this day i enjoyed a nice halo around the sun. 

 always enjoy the sun dogs

 Tusker enjoys the views....which were spectacular.

 a group of Cordova area fishermen were charged and given fines and probation after it was found they had harassed and killed 15 Stellar Sea lions.  what is wrong with these people.  the boat captain got fined $20,000, 3 months house arrest and 5 years probation.  he must also do 400 hours community service and publish an apology in a magazine...it's never enough.  personally, revoking their fishing license and their vessel. 

 the zoo gardener was found dead in the zoo parking lot.  he was murdered. i believe they have caught his killer. 

 another dog team in training was run over by a vehicle. the musher was unharmed i believe, no dogs lost, but there were some injuries.

 views from the top.  a pretty chill hike for the views you get.

 another shot of the sun dog, with the real dog

 started cleaning some of the dust today....just seems i can't keep up with it.  should be a bit less of it going forward...

 looking out to cook inlet

 a bit of downtown is spotted

 and then looking back up the Southfork valley...eagle and symphony lakes in the distance

 a bit closer shot of the lakes

 guess i should head to bed...it's nearly 1 am.  too many late nights this week.

 look at those cute pups.  i switched the pictures on the phone so Rio and Blossom are no longer on there...it was time, past time i suppose. 

thankful for:  A.  family that support each other... B. frozen lakes C.  laughter, i wouldn't make it otherwise

more from Round Island. day one

 not too many wallies on the island while i was there really.  the ones that were there were mostly on main beach which is not an easy viewing place while you are on the island.  you web cam viewers with explore.org have the best shots of that beach.  still there were like 10 i think at second beach and 3-4 at first beach.  enough to keep me interested of course.  some wallies are better than no wallies.  :-)

 looking at the web cam it sure has greened out on the island.  plant growth in AK is pretty incredible.  once it gets going it's nuts.  i sometimes need to mow the lawn a few times a week just to keep up the jungle.  it's a short season.  before you know it the flowers will be replaced by mushrooms and then falling leaves and then winter returns.

 didn't see any tufted puffins while i was there but plenty of horned puffins. none at puffin rocks though. it's the earliest i've ever been.

 some of the camera equipment.

 flowers blooming there and here.

 got my car back today...could have returned to Round Island for that cost..or so it felt. haven't paid a car payment for years so that is how it goes.  the element is getting older.  eventually i'll get another car, one with a bigger towing capacity....but i'll hang on to my element i think.  it's a classic car and a great dog car.  great for tooling around to trails with wet and muddy dogs.

 today we headed up Powerline Pass and then on up to this area just below the hidden lakes. could have gone further i guess.  we chilled there. i had put a cairn and ashes of Blossom up there after she'd passed so i repaired the cairn and left a few treats for my pups in heaven.  most of the cairns i make i don't really return to or expect to return to.  this one...seems like a good place to return to.  didn't leave any ashes today but they are there....tossed by the wind and the winter.

 trail above and equipment below.

 a bird takes advantage of the equipment and sings away.

 still some snow on the trails today.  a bull moose was crossing the trail ahead of me. lost sight of him, he seemed to be moving pretty fast.  so i got a hold of the pups and we slowly moved forward.  soon a saw a woman coming slowly towards me. she had a baby and a toddler.

 no moose...then i looked up the mountain.  man did that moose move fast up to that location.  would have gotten a photo but it was pretty far away and began moving even further up the mountain.  what spooked it?  bear?  i never saw one.

 lots of kids after that. it was a group of moms and kids out for a nice walk.  lots of strollers.  some wrappers and food bits left by the creek.  happy to see the moms and kids out there, but do wish they would have taken a few minutes before heading back to use the teaching moment of picking up trash and making sure no food was left scattered about.  i picked up the trash...and a pair of kids sunglasses.

 ran into one little girl 7-10 years?  not sure.  she told me she had just seen a dead rabbit.  i'd heard that horrible rabbit scream a few before that so not sure if she saw it get killed or what.  i mentioned that it was sad but that there would probably be a lynx or a fox or some bird that would be happy with the meal.  she just said, "I guess so" not sure i allayed her sadness over the dead rabbit by informing her it would soon be a happy meal.  the cycle of life...it is what it is, right?

 bizzareness in DC as usual.  you almost get immune to it.  the iitoo had a round table with his cabinet members who went around the table fawning over him.  he was in heaven.  tomorrow Sessions testifies in public hearing.  no doubt he will answer nothing and defer all.  not that he has proven himself to be all that trustworthy.  what does iitoo have on all these people to make them so cultishly dedicated to him.

 still, it's a matter of time before one of them grows a conscience and spills the beans on the whole situation, whatever it is. impossible in my mind to think there is nothing there as the GOP likes to pretend.  they have lost all credibility.  out nation is currently feeling on the path of total destruction. it's a sad thing to watch and to feel powerless over.  there is a whole segment of those who voted for this iitoo that i suspect don't want to really come to the realization of what this man is doing to our nation and what a lunatic he is.

 if any of them do i hope they start calling their representatives immediately.  the GOP won't listen to us snowflake libtards...we couldn't possibly be right about anything.  it will have to come from those who voted for this iitoo.  still i'll write another note or make more calls.  hoping that sheer volume will wake up some out there.   this man has no understanding of how any government works, no understanding of history, no appreciation for anything that is natural and beautiful...unless you can golf at the place.  he seems to have little tolerance for the poor or the unhealthy.  he has surrounded himself with people who will only say yes.  some GOP seemed to abhor him during the election...one can hope that they still do and are secretly plotting a way out of this.  how to do it without creating a civil war with his super culty base.  not matter what this guy does they seem to support him 100%...it's bizarre.  nobody has ever had a base like this.  what a bunch of twinkies...! he had one thing right...he could shoot someone on a city street in New York and they would still support him and excuse his behaviour.

 the cormorants are nesting.

 saw some eggs in some of my pictures.

 local flowers.

 a few walrus chilling on the beach.  you are above them here.

 they do look pretty relaxed though.

 nice to have my dirty old car back.  i still need to get the auto lock fixed.  more money!  it's not making any more strange grinding noises.

 really need to clear out some crap.  time for another free pile out front i think.

 no doubt i'll be a bit sore tomorrow after todays walk.  at least 6 miles i guess.  a few extra.  time to get cracking on some bigger walks.  get myself back in better shape...hit the pool again more.

 finally reading the paper from today.  two states have began a suit against iitoo stating he is violating anti-corruption clause of the constitution and that he is accepting millions in bucks from foreign governments.  he's been in violation of many things since day one.  mostly ethical and moral violations which seem to be all they are...apparently the GOP could care less about morals, ethics and values...let alone Jesus and the tenets of Christianity since they now have power...

 i suspect Jesus would be flipping tables in DC and letting this ilk know that they do not speak for Jesus and the message he brought to the earth in his short time here. i suspect they are more of the sort that he chastised because they put earthy things before God.  this GOP worships money and power.  i've read all the books and this sort of behavior tends to not go well for those who practice Christianity this way. love one another, treat others as you wish to be treated...none of this is to be found in the current GOP, who still claim to be the party of Christian values...they really need to admit that this ship sailed long ago and they really are the party of the super wealthy and greedy.

 seemed to enjoy watching the walrus swim more this trip than others...probably my excitement to see them on land and get pictures of them there.

 i do wish these lawyers well on their fight.  resist...it's all we have.  he has always run his businesses straddling what is legal land he is continuing that as POTUS.  other POTUS of the past have followed certain more's and unwritten ways of doing things in DC.  this guy will do what he can get away with...pushing what is legal and to hell with what is right.

 the Dems have their own issues.  there is some dissent and i think many folks in our nation, like myself would like to see another party emerge and come to power that is more for the people and by the people. i have called it the Rationalist Party.  not sure that my party will come into favor...haha. one can dream. of course, the fear is always that this will split folks and allow the GOP to continue it's reign of hell.

 just a few sprinkles on my hike today.  looks like more rain fell while i was chilling inside.  tempted to head over to Reflection Lake.  the flowers should be hitting a nice bloom.  back to work tomorrow night for 3...then to Kennicott.

 there is always so much breaking news that news gets old pretty fast.

 Alyeska is replacing it's oldest lift.  chairs may be available for sale.  seems like that could be a fun thing on a front deck in Girdwood.

 looks like the sun is coming out again here.  always nice.  perhaps the sunset will be worthy of a drive some place.

 many in Russia protested today.  Put doesn't like protests.  he likes control.  many were arrested.  he, of course, arrested the guy with the best chance of battling him out in an election.  of course, the arrests also disqualify the guy from running.  not that an election would be fair there. many are not as unhappy with life under Put.  better than it was.  the vast majority of most societies just want to live their lives and if they can do that reasonably they will tolerate all sorts of bad behavior it seems.

 bald eagles pretty active on the island last week.  saw at least 4.  the other birds were less than thrilled with these guys being there....they want to protect their nesting area's.

 a few from the cell phone from todays walk.  tried to get pics of the dogs and me together.  not always easy.  they are pretty good at jumping onto the big boulders so that does help.  if i get on the ground with them Ivy goes nuts with excitement.

 she only jumped on me today i think.  that is success in my eyes.

 after a nap i woke to this guy looking pretty cozy.  really should have called out sick for work...how could i possibly disturb him.

 almost back to the main trail.  i do have some tired pups tonight.  lots of running for them.

 up on rocks

 rose in my front yard.

 the iphone shots always get so jumbled.  was laughing as i attempted to re-make the bed the other day.  fresh sheet day can take some time.  i generally stop as they dogs jump on bed.  leave and do some other task which eventually gets the pups to come find me, then i can sneak up and do more on the bed change

 above i'm almost done with the bed but not quite.

 the tundra flowers are starting to bloom.  always amazing. should hit Kennicott in perfect time for some great flowers.

 can't believe it's getting so near to solstice.  boo.  summer solstice always makes me sad...the days will start getting shorter again soon.

 i re-built the cairn for Blossom...the main rock was still there.

 half way done with the bed.

 that is me...selfie time

 the kids always look adorable.

 trying to get the dirty linen off the bed with two big dogs

 i shall go see what is happening outside.  perhaps it's a good day for moose spotting.  of course, i really should clean out a closet or something.  sorry about the politics...i have to rant some times for the sake of sanity.

grateful for:  A. long relaxing walk/hikes with the dogs  B.  blooming flowers.  C.  happy puppies