Alaska....no gym membership required.

 

after a little float down the Kenai River. i had never done this. always fun to get visitors and add a few things to my list to see and do. we had a great trek that week.  the memories will be in my heart and bring me joy for years to come i'm sure. 

this week has been digging out of a big snow dump.  it was the heaviest snow i think i've ever had to shovel.  we got about 16-18 inches.  big ruts, the roads, even plowed, are choppy and washboard like. 

i came home from work on that last morning and had to step into the deep snow on the driveway.  i ended up saving the digging for after i woke up.  i admit to feeling a bit defeated as i attempted to dig out. it was so heavy.  i was stressing it would be too much for me.  looking for some neighbor kids to dig it out. 

my attached neighbors came to the rescue. they helped get me dug out and once they arrived the work just got easier. sometimes we all just need a little help. they also came with a tool or two. one was an ice chopper. you just slam it down and break up, well that day it wasn't even ice it was just thick solid snow. the driveway was all lumpy so it's a bit more even now. yesterday the plows came and so i had the berm to clear off. today....i rescued the Element. 

i stopped by home depot and bought myself an ice chopper tool. the sun and sunset yesterday were beautiful.  hit the dog park the last two days. also just spent hours outside with the dogs tossing ball, shoveling snow. 

i am sure i have burned plenty of calories this week. 

this is the place we stayed at in Homer.  super cute and comfy. it was a great fit for our group. 

heart seaweed. 

work was ER-Pcu- ER, ER/PICU then PICU. not sure how i ended up in ER that 4th night.  there were picu holds in the ER. i finally contacted the picu charge and told her that i was just doing holds, she could probably snag me if they needed to. she did. that didn't actually happen until after 5 am by the time i gave report. that was also the night our computers were down for 5 hours...so i came up to picu and the computers came back. so i was doing catch up charting on 4 patients in the Er and a new patient in the picu.  i still got out on time. thankfully LS did my admission stuff and everyone helped me out. 

felt bad turning over my ER patient load to a nurse who is, well....not the most proficient. what can you do. 

i had been able to go home a few hours earlier from holds in the ER the week before. that was great. 

today i braved North Bivouac.  it was pretty post holy.  i should have opted for snow shoes. maybe tomorrow. 

don't see any takers for Monday walks again. 

Halloween was fun, as usual.  most of it is cleared out.  not the Skelly's yet though.  

halfway through my stretch off already. my next stretch is a 3 on , 1 off, 3 on stretch.  not looking forward to that.  a co-worker was begging me so i gave in.  supposedly she will bring me back some chocolate covered macademia nuts from her trip to Hawaii, they wouldn't just give her the time off.  the younger nurses would have just called out sick, guilt free....and probably never heard a thing about it.  people in my group, or around there. we had an overly ambitious work ethic drilled into us.  i like the new kids moxie at times. life is to be lived and as long as you aren't calling out all the time to play, some times it just has to be done. 

on our walk to Grewich Glacier. i know i spelled that wrong.  it was a pretty day and i think everyone enjoyed that trek. well, i got a lovely blister from my rubber boots. never fun.  i trudged along though. never occurred to me that with so many Moms there was for sure a bandaid amongst them

that one loaded twice for some reason. 

walk on the spit and some swing time

napping otter. someone got a photo the other day of an otter eating an octopus. who knew

ended up with 3 babies in the PICU the other night.  it was an incredibly poopy night, lol. in adults we call them code browns, each baby took a turn overflowing their diapers through the night.  it was so gross, in one case i accidently flicked the diaper and poop came flying at my head. on my break i grabbed some shampoo and did a wash.  couldn't wait to get home for a more efficient wash.  it's a joy being a nurse some moments. 

i've also managed to get breast milk in my eye. i was filling a feeding bag above my head and it splashed. you just never know what grossness you may encounter. just another day at work

got some shaving done on Sunny Boy today. a little bit on Ivy Rose as well.  they both seem to get a bit jealous and want their Mom time. she kept coming over with the tennis ball so i trimmed her face a bit.

watched a program about a family's experience with the tsunami in Thailand the day after Christmas in 2004.  they all survived somehow.  the two little kids climbed trees and the Dad found them. the Mom and older son got washed further inland and the Mom got beat up pretty badly. they were able to see each other in the water and saved a toddler they found once they hit the end of the hell ride.  some locals eventually found them and dragged the Mom to their village, put her on an old door and drove her to a small  hospital.  she came close to death but then they all got reunited and flown to  Singapore for further treatment before heading home. 

the only strange bit was the end...where they didn't put in some facts/details about those who passed away in the tsunami or were forever lost. most movies/shows about actual events, generally say something about the loss of others and those details. 

joints a bit achy in the evenings after all the shoveling so ibuprofen and re-watched the "Queens Gambit".  i enjoyed that the first time so i watched it again.  you always seem to catch stuff the second run through.  great sleep all week. 

just though i'd toss in a blog 

i'll probably continue pulling back from several members in the family.  they are happy being Mormon and i'm happy not being Mormon.  i told someone recently that in truth, it probably would have been better to have just been shunned or disowned. all the pain up front over the false hope i had for some family that is just not possible.  they haven't really noticed that i have backed away anyway.  they never did call me, it was 95% all me, these relationships,  so i'm not missed at all. 

expectations are a bitch. better to just release them and move down the path. not sure if that is what happened with my Mom and her brothers. they both left the church as adults. i don't think they were ever close though, but who knows. 

people are there for different aspects of life some times. some stay, some go. better to not force it with anyone.  if they want out, go. 

starting to feel that about the Monday walks.  better to not force it.  perhaps it's just run it's course? i have never liked feeling like i'm begging people to be around me.  the people who want to be in your life, find a way.  those who don't, they slip away. it can be tough to not take it personally, but generally it isn't personal. people just have different things going on.  you are not their priority.

that in no way means that i will not pick up a phone or do the basics if those things happen. i don't see any more family reunions in my future. it's too stressful trying to fit in some place you don't belong.  they are better off without me and trying to make me fit in where i don't belong.  they prefer all that church stuff that i don't want any part of...so let them have it. 

sadly, church was always the winner over family, always odd since they claim to be "family first". i always knew it was family first, after the church.  people make the choices that make them the happiest. so be happy.  

part of me hoped they'd see things the way i did. that isn't going to happen. it would be way more painful for them if they did at this stage of life than it was for me going through so much earlier. 

most people stick with what they know, what is familiar as long as it doesn't cause them too much pain. for some, even if it does cause them pain. it's the easier path really.  i didn't take the easier path.....as was said, i took the road less traveled.  it worked for me.  it doesn't work for all though.  

so you just have to keep on taking the path that brings you happiness.  

and let others take theirs...

a few wildflowers from the summer.  always love the flowers...hell, i love all the unique and tiny things of this earth.  

my nieces were impressed that i knew the names of so many things in nature. i do hope they learn to look at all the things around them and discover the names and such about them.  such a gift it would be to pass on to their kids. 

some of these are Eklutna and some are Reflection Lake

either way, beautiful. 

better for crash for the night. 

thankful for:A. help from my neighbors. B that i was able to help get 2 people unstuck...you get help and you give help. C.  the companionship of dogs.  where would i be without the pets? it would probably not be good. 

otter love them otters!!

 very fun encounter with an otter at Deep Creek. at first i thought it was a rock, then i figured it was a dead mammal as it wasn't moving at all.  then the dogs got closer and it woke up. 

 did an overnight to Homer.  i don't go long to these places but i really pack it in when i do go.  we stop to walk a lot along the way.  Deep Creek and Ninilchik are some favorite stops.  Deep Creek is a place where the charter fishermen enter/exit the water and at the end of their day they dump all the leftover fish bits down the beach.  generally that means loads of bald eagles...this day it also meant this otter.

 i suspect it had filled up on halibut much like a big thanksgiving meal...then crashed to wait for the incoming tide.  haha.

 it never seemed overly anxious about our presence, but it did make it's way to the water.

 you never know what you will see why you are out and about in Alaska...it's one of the many things i love about living here...and a reason i never like to leave.  fomo as they say. 

 i walked a lot over those two days and the dogs ran a lot. i also drove a lot.  we are all a bit tired today.  did sleep great last night. back to work for a stretch now. 

 i have the dogs managed for my little trek to Sitka...thanks CM.  so that is the next summer thing on the list.

 haven't really watched otters "walk" on land.  like all marine mammals they are much more graceful and adept in the water.  fun to watch it creep along. i know it could have moved faster had it really been alarmed.

 the dogs did check out this strange "dog" I'm sure they thought.  the otter no doubt has some tales to tell his otter friends when he meets them in the big sea.

 thankful my dogs have little to no interest in all the dead stuff at this beach.  it makes for a fun adventure coming and going to Homer. meandered all day and grabbed pizza and checked in at 9pm.  off to the spit to look for sea stars...none there.  no idea where they migrated to. 

 then got lucky with the sunset and back to the hotel to crash. of course, Tusker decided to crash before me...and he took up the entire bed.  that is how he is!  no peep from them all night. 

 in the morning we caught a nice low tide at Bishops Beach.  out for hours enjoying our beach time and then wandered around looking at fireweed before making our way back north again.

 i can smell smoke here today in Anchorage from the Swan Lake Fire.  we passed through the fire area.  they were still dropping stuff on it and there were still  hot spots noted.

 I'm still looking through my pictures.  not too many eagle shots since Tusker has a desire to chase bald eagles so i don't get close enough to many for decent photos. 

 i was excited to see if any of these otter shots turned out and i also had some fun sunset shots i was excited to see.

 we stopped several times on the way back north as well.  the dogs got to run at Deep Creek again.  the tide was in more.  they were pretty wiped out by the time we arrived home and crashed again. tired dogs...that is the ultimate success!

 the dogs are fairly easy to call back despite the interest over this sea creature...

 as it moved to the waters edge they made a second run to check him out...i called them back again.  back to the tennis ball.  that is their main focus...great to always have that. 

 could just as easily be a bear or moose...an otter is a bit more unusual though.

 just love the way it moves.

 Tusker heads over to check it out again.

 stopping and returning.  such good puppies!!

 not sure how much damage an otter would or could do. they do crack open shells so i suspect they can do some damage.  so could the bald eagles but thankfully, most wildlife is pretty tolerant.

 headed back to sea

 some last looks at us...we were as strange to him no doubt as he was to us.

 back in it's element.

 so for sure a highlight of my short trek south.

 a few cute goslings from the dog park last week they are getting much bigger as are their wings. still little puff balls.  birds are so fluffy and cute as babies.

 the fall out from the crazy and racist tweets this weekend continues.  is it racist, is it not racist...so many excuses and folks on the right falling all over themselves trying to defend this crap without putting their feet in their mouths over it.  for those who may be confused...it is a racist sentiment.  it's all getting hard to determine because we hear so much crap from this potus that is inappropriate and rude that we are all getting numb to it. 

 the right likes to complain that it's all about being politically correct.  i would agree some of the political correct stuff got ridiculous...but at it's core the intention of all the politically correct stuff was respect and kindness.  how awful that you should be respectful and kind to your fellow man..boo hoo. as i see all the hatred and anger that has been fueled by the right though i have to wonder if humans need to be nasty to other humans.  if the whole politically correct thing caused people to bottle up that nastiness and now it's exploding...rather than just slowly escaping over time.

 at one of his hate rallies the other day...where by the way he really says nothing at all, but it's entertaining and allows the haters to scream and get together in their hatred so that seems to make it all okay. as he spoke of the 4 new dems, they all began to chant send them back or whatever it was. he did nothing to stop it of course...today however he's trying to put out the message that maybe this isn't a good chant. fine for him to text it but they probably shouldn't be chanting it?  hmm.

 trump seems to be a product of the worst of conservative talk shows/radio.  they have for months called out these 4 women as the next devils...i mean you can't go after Hillary for 2020.  who to re-direct their hate...to the squad i guess.  they have nothing for their poor constituents but hate.

 I'm sure these folks have a lot of security on them but all this hatred directed at others will eventually lead to something worse than a chant at a rally. I'm sure those on the right will fall all over themselves again about how it couldn't possibly be the fault of trump, how he didn't really mean it to come out that way.  the excuses and the but the left speech will reign over all no matter what horror this man brings down upon our nation.

 a few more from the beach in Anchorage the other day. 

 saw trump talking today...he looked more orange than usual.  is he actually becoming more orange...or is it really a shade of yellow...yellow being the color of a coward.  if that is the case then graham and others should also be looking pretty yellow about now. 

 have watched a few of those Letterman interviews.  the last one i watched was Howard Stern.  I'm not a big fan of his...literally never have listened to his stuff but i have read other interviews and then i saw this one.  for all his shock jock stuff he actually seems pretty normal in regular life. 

 he likes trump, loved to interview him because he just says whatever and that was always good for the entertainment...but he was really surprised that trump went this route to be potus.  he tried to get stern to support him but stern wouldn't support him and tried to get him to not take this path. trump, according to stern, is a party boy.

 that party boy partied with epstein..sounds like many did who are in high places and they may soon find themselves outed for behaving badly. would that turn his rally crowd against him...not likely.  they have been excusing his bad behaviour for years now.

 the only thing that would turn any of them was if he had been partying with young boys...that would do it. if epstein had been doing this with underage boys rather than underage girls he never would have left prison in Florida.  that is the society we live in.

 i do hope one day folks wake up to who this man really is, trump that is.  that there is a sense of shame for how he has led a segment of the population to a place where they go to his rally and shout send her back. 

 at this point my feeling is that blood will be shed over this fool of a leader.  that either his followers will kill his so called evil enemies or they will rebel outright if he loses the 2020 election as they will never believe the results. 

 blood has already been shed though.  there have been more hate crimes, more shootings, deaths at the border.

 the rest are from the trek south with the iphone.  more to follow.

 the kitten cuddles with her pup family...so cute

 Bishops Beach

 caught the train coming and going.  always enjoy catching the train...especially with the fireweed.  some of the fireweed was at it's peak...berries have already been spotted. was it the heat or are we in for an early winter.

 i enjoy winter though...better than heat in my mind.

 i am feeling ready for another nap.  will post more another day. 

 Ivy so focused on the tennis ball that she doesn't notice she is standing on a dead fish. 

thankful for: A.  that i have dogs that do not roll in or eat the dead stuff they find  B.  another safe and successful adventure  C.  fireweed!!