in my 60's now....crazy

 

seems like my entries are more on the monthly basis. i think that is a reflection of a calmer brain. much less craziness. growth, maturity. who knows. some days i keep fairly busy and other days i get less done. i try to just allow my brain/body to guide me. 

this month i did get to Denali National Park and back down to Homer for my Birthday week. both trips went well  and i had great views and the dogs and i were all exhausted after.  Denali, the big mountain made a showing. in Homer, i found a new spot on the spit to explore during a nice low tide. 

i'd heard that there were sand dollars there.  i had nice -5.2 low tides. i spent the first morning at Bishops Beach and the second morning at the new spot behind the pier one theater on the spit. not disappointed either day.  there were thousands of sand dollars, especially once you got into the more sandy section below the tide zone. picked up a few shells as well. i have bleached those and put the nicest ones in the coffee table.

other finds, a nudibranch, stars, cucumber. always fun. weather was supposed to rain the whole time but really it was great.

my only complaint was that the hotel in Homer had tv set again to revert to faux news. i mentioned it again and they seem to be attempted to fix this. it used to revert to music. i like to leave the tv on when i fall asleep. the noise muffles any sounds outside the room which may make Sunny or Ivy bark. i tend to leave it on a station that plays friends or big bang or some other inane tv program. wake up to faux though, ick. they do actually seem concerned and baffled why it is doing this. 

my hotel in Healy called on my full day there and asked if  i was  staying, saying that when they went to clean the room was empty. odd as i was in the room taking a rest between drives into Denali and all my stuff was there. happy i was there when i got that call or i may have been very anxious about it. 

there are stars at the end of the spit but less than previous years and you really need a good low tide to see them.  

did not see any big animals in Denali, at least not close up.  there were loads of ptarmigan that the dogs wanted to chase. maybe the fact that they were still changing colors they were easy to spot. the road was open to mile 30 for all. 

that is always a fun time to go and you never know what you will see. still pretty and the big mountain was out. the drive out and back is long but we had a good time.  i always make lots of stops. 

now i have an overnight with friends at Dolly Varden cabin for June and also just booked that cute cabin at the KOA for June. no great low tides the rest of the summer anywhere it seems. was looking at Yakutat. maybe just find a low tide in general. it's been on the explore this place list for awhile. 

the painting on the shed is nearly done.  i painted it non-mellow yellow with brown trim.  still have a little trim to complete. painted some birds and birdhouses on there. 

got the railing on the back deck repaired and he will come back and put some sort of awning up over the back door and repair that wall where water and dogs damaged it. i also want to get sand and pavers in the area next to the shed and perhaps a planter on the other side. 

this keyboard is sticky, kind of annoying.

i have planted some flowers, which always perks up the place. 

look at the pretty sun star!

i also had a company come out to look at replacing upstairs windows. way too spendy for me. he mentioned a 40 year warranty. laughed as at 60, a 40 year warranty feels like overkill. i'll be dead. it's not that you are planning your death but you do realize that some things are really not going to matter. 

i think dropping eternity from your constant thoughts also makes some things matter less. 

i always thought the idea of my dead relatives or God watching my every move was strange. i mean how would they know when to look away or do they view every odd human thing i do. taking a shit, having sex....so many things in life we really don't want any other humans to see let alone those in the afterlife. 

my Birthday is always an awkward thing. i mean i want and crave the attention and acknowledgement while also being very uncomfortable with any attention. in the end this year, i had a few lovely meals out with friends and took a beautiful drive back from Homer after a perfect day in the tide pools. i hung out with my dogs that day. 

a friend called while i was on a stop to stretch with the dogs. of course, i dropped the chuck it out there i suspect. it was gone.  i walked back but never ran across it. tried to find a new short chuck it in town and then ordered one online. hopefully it's the right one. 

it is funny that Ivy loses tennis balls constantly, hundreds really. i lose one chuck it though and that is a disaster for us. 

in between trips i've mostly walked at the dog park or Campbell airstrip. 

the dogs are happy with this. i have walked Sunny on leash at the airstrip since the bears area out and the moose are popping out babies all over the place. he actually does great on leash and it's just me that needs to adjust to having a dog on leash. will meet friends in a bit for a walk today. 

this guy is real pretty too

i'm a fan of big clouds and sunsets

i return to work tomorrow night. i took this week off to enjoy my Birthday.  i have always tried to avoid my Birthday being at work. i do recall one Birthday at work. had to call a code strong as my patient flipped out. i was dropping a foley cath when my coworkers stood at the doorway singing happy birthday. nurses and medical folks in general develop a very twisted sense of humor. love my co-workers.

the trees are all green again. i love that fresh and beautiful pop of green.

now the flowers are coming out. this place is just a constant barrage of change.

love all the drama. i don't like drama in day-to-day life but i love it in nature

beautiful sunset in Homer at Bishops Beach. there are horses in the horse paddocks now. tours being given. 

i should have asked if they had any tours for low tide, because the next day the horses were in the paddock while we were on the beach. that night a woman was on a horse and Sunny kept barking.  he seems better with just the horses. not the horses with riders.

these boots were added to the mix of planters as you can see the big cracks. i do wear these a lot up here in the summers. guess Ketchikan has had loads of rain this past month. over 20+ inches in May alone. 

more of the greens

our nation remains a mess. love that a reporter called the idiot out. apparently, he's being called taco over these tariffs. he's so thin skinned, as are his followers so this has really upset them so of course, it's going wild. so many great memes. taco stands for trump always chickens out. perfect. so that has become his new name...among so many others. 

they have to crash and burn on their own. we have to mostly just sit back and allow the final meltdown of these idiots.  sadly, this is going to cause suffering in many. i just hope that once their extinction burst is over things can be made better for everyone. all the things they have fought against will be codified as rights. healthcare situation will improve as will workers' rights, gay rights, women's rights, education, racial inequalities...there is much wrong with this place. believe me no God will fix any of it. 

praying hasn't shown to work to fix actual issues in any society. that requires laws. 

this is the new spot for tide pooling

a little double rainbow action. I'm seeing some sunshine out there right now. hopefully a good walk 

i have a few things on my to do list. a few appointments to make. i tend to group those and tackle those at one time. i'm starting to think my anxiety is also wrapped up in some adhd. wasn't something we were aware of when i was younger. just ordered a book to do more research. claims to help you get your life more organized and productive, which would be helpful.

should eat something before i head out. just snacks

Sunny may be on leash for the walk. my knee has been a wee bit sore. suspect all that slipping around in the low tide zone. i did one slow backwards fall.  caught myself and was just in a bridge position. 

there was still some ice on lakes when i headed north last month. sure, that is all gone

love those trails in Talkeetna for a break in driving 

may add a night in Tok after Valdez, take a drive to Chicken?  it's been a while since i've done that drive.

grateful for A. another year on this beautiful planet B. pretty good health for my age C. the people and pets that make my life more full.  

why i write less these days....

 

the easiest answer is that i am calmer, more settled. it took me 60 years but i think i've mostly gotten there. i'm happy that i struggled and analyzed everything. it actually goes against what i was programmed to do. that is to just ignore anything that doesn't sit well with me. 

life is good and life is bad, but mostly life is worth living. i have struggled with negative intrusive thoughts for most of my life.  the first i remember it was when i was 10-11. i have also always questioned things and have never been satisfied with the standard non-sensical explanations that were meant to just put off actually questioning things. thought terminating cliches. heard them all the time growing up and was never satisfied with them.  things like, there are just things we aren't meant to understand in this life and it will all be clear in the next life. what that really means is quit questioning things that make no sense that your brain is telling you are ridiculous and wrong.  

early on those were thoughts about polygamy, racism and continued revelations that seemed more like convenient "revelations" over actual revelations. some brains just work differently and i think i've finally come to better accept that there are aspects of how my brain developed that made it more difficult for me than other family members to just accept the unacceptable. to this day i'd say none of them really like the polygamy history and continued belief of polygamy in the next life, but they still just brush it aside with thought ending cliches. it just doesn't bother them. 

i think another thing that was hard to let go of was the hope of what is and what could be when it comes to relationships and what really is.  we were taught all this family is forever but in actual practice. family really is the ward you exist in and blood relations are nice when it's convenient but the church will always come first. before anything.  literally anything. i had some unrealistic expectations of what family was and that led to a lot of sadness and disappointment.  

you finally just reach a point where you are more realistic about those relationships and what is possible vs what was never possible. covid and a certain painful interaction were just the glaring proof of the reality that i had been unwilling to accept. in that i was still hanging on to the thought stopping cliches. hope does that. you want some happy family that you have seen play out but the reality just will never match up. 

it had to be accepted that these relationships were much less deep and meaningful and much more surface and expected. when push came to shove. the support and kindness and acceptance just do not exist.  the desire for a continued relationship, minimal. in the end a quote about not being mad about things but more just being done attempting to make more of something than it ever was. protection, acceptance, those were bridges too far. i kept crossing the bridge and hoping they would be there on the other side to meet me.  they weren't. when i stopped calling, it was clear that mostly they wanted a minimalist relationship.  one they can claim is deep when in reality it's more superficial. 

i also had to accept that no matter who i became, what i did in life, i would be judged. i would always be in a certain box.  i'd left the church. that was who i was from the moment they figured it out. i was the sister who left the church.  the scape goat, the black sheep. ultimately, it is what it is. you can't take the labels away once they exist. people label all of us. in different groups we interact with we end up labeled and that is just the label we will exist with in that group. i was different in this group and then i moved far away and that just made it easier to put me in the box.  at some point you have to find your peace with how others see you and just be happy with how you see yourself.  also find others who see you in a more positive light than a negative one. you have to respect yourself. 

there is also an acceptance, that is painful.  i am nobody's favorite. everyone i know has others in their life that they will always value more. that can feel lonely at times. i am the favorite of the pets i share my life with which is probably why i devote so much time and effort into those lives. 

so it becomes an acceptance of being your own favorite and being happy with whatever place others are willing to give you in their lives. being happy you have a place at all.  accepting what that place is, whatever that may be. 

people come and go in our lives.  some stick around but have new roles.  the best friends of childhood are still very good friends but that bestie part evolves. i think often many of us miss those childhood friendships that were all encompassing. as adults we end up, if we are lucky, developing multiple various level friendships and relationships that bring very different things to our lives. i can still count on MJ to tell me what i need to hear with brutal honesty. one day a few years back she just announced that my one brother is just an ass. i think that was how she put it.  it was all i needed to hear really. it stopped me from ruminating.  the reality is that sometimes people are jerks to us. on the flip side, we can be jerks to others. none of us are perfect. it's good to allow yourself the respect to let go of those who have proven they haven't earned a spot at the table. 

that doesn't mean you have to ghost them or be nasty to them.  letting go, setting boundaries, seeing people for who they are and what they bring to you can be enough. not giving them the power they once had.  it's a way to not be angry, to not feel hurt, more of an indifference.  they have had their power in you removed. 

so i write less because my brain is just calmer and at peace.

i'm less likely to put myself out there over and over without getting the return. i walk away more. i'm more willing to just do what i feel like doing. each day on this earth is a gift and i have had so many wonderful people wander in and out of my life. so many amazing experiences and adventures.  more to come i hope. it's a release just finding that acceptance and wishing for more than what is. i am nobody's best friend and the chances are i never will be again. that also means i don't kick myself over it, wondering what is wrong with me that nobody wants me as their favorite. i'm imperfect but so are all the other humans on this planet. it's not personal, it's just reality. it's the nature of life on this planet.

so i've done more hikes and drives solo lately. 

i also welcome hanging out with others. i do find myself paying more attention to things like, do i initiate these relationships all the time? how one sided is it.  is every text interaction or phone call started by me. just some cues that perhaps i'm more invested than the other people are and to back off more and let them seek me out, or not. 

the shed is completed. the basics anyway.  happy to have that done.  trying to prime the outside of it. gotta hit the warmest part of the day. paint prefers a bit warmer temperatures. should be mid 40's this afternoon so i will hopefully try a bit more. waiting for some storage shelves to arrive and then i'll put those together. i got the lights up inside and have begun refilling it.  front will be dirty shed stuff and the back will be cleaner stuff. perhaps more summer, camping items. clear the garage up a bit. maybe a little reading nook.  he just needs to come put on the other handle.  set up the inside for Covid Cat. he hasn't really figured out his entrance yet. 

in the spring i'll paint it all. well, not the back.  got another dump run in.  thanks to LS!

lots of walks, some alone with the dogs, other times with friends.  

we had the pumpkin massacre yesterday. successful again. i do love Halloween. the new Skelly's are out front with a pirate theme. we have only had a light dusting of snow so far, but it's coming down the mountains further and further.  

Sunny Boy chased a young moose at the dog park the other day in the rain.  the Mama moose stood up and at that point Sunny Boy came running back to me. 

i still have anxiety at times.  it's greatly improved, as is my overall mental state, by taking Mg Glycinate. i also have a spray that is holistic for calming, better coping techniques and just plain recognizing the anxiety.  accepting what it is and how it plays into my current life. 

work, it's still work.  less anxiety inducing than it was.  i've stood up a few times to just say, no to assignments.  my anxiety levels increase with the most ill patients. part of me wonders if it's just time to drop ICU.  i did get an assignment change and i have tried to spread the word requesting i just get standard icu patients.  i have to admit and accept that at this point i probably have some ptsd from working with critical patients for decades.  it's more about managing it at this time.  in some ways i'm happy i have stuck it out, conquered the worst of it.  learned i can handle those patients still, just that at this stage, i prefer not to.  i need to get the resume created. i look for job options.  at this time i'm keeping the higher paid 2 shifts/week and plan on retiring from here at 62. that is now less than 2 years away.  time to sort it out. 

the two shifts/week have been much more manageable of late. i still feel some resentment to the hospital overall.  they have never shown any gratitude for those who stuck it out. no respect for those who have experience.  it's disappointing to say the least. it will never happen and that is something i need to accept or just walk way from.  until i find something that i want to do and that will pay me a decent wage i'll stick to this and look for a second part time gig that is very different. i'm at the high end of the wage, i am not going to be wanted in another job for my experience and expertise, that will just mean they have to pay me more. age discrimination is real. 

we are not well respected professionals, we are glorified fast food workers.  the top administrators do not value us for what we do or what we know or the experience we have.  we are only valued for how much they can get from us for the lowest price possible. 

it's been a lot of harsh realities over the past few years. it's honestly been heartbreaking at times.  i do feel like i was broken and i'm rebuilding who i am. the anxiety was just a sign of my mental fragility. 

no matter how painful things got at times, i am grateful for the life lessons and life experiences. i've had things much better than so many others.  my life, in general, has been pretty carefree.  so many others have had so much more to cope with. makes me more grateful for my overall chill existence. 

still, we all have our things.  it's better, in my mind, at least for me, to work through it all. my brain demands it. 

these photo's are from a train trip to Spencer and above is from a trip to Homer. 

Sunny Boy turned 3. how is that? i'll never really get over the loss of Blossom or Tusker and how they happened. Blossom for passing away alone. Tusker for the drama of Covid impacting his cares and for passing so young. the other losses hurt but i at least had some time to prepare emotionally. Sunny Boy has brought a great deal of joy and comfort to me.  he's the most snuggly dog i've ever owned.  i needed it. he was perfect for my meltdown era.  Ivy Rose is the sweetest girl. not sure i've ever been so beloved by a dog. 

cooked up some pumpkin seeds and cooked down the pumpkin pulp. perhaps i'll get some pumpkin bread made today. 

it's the little joys in life that bring the most satisfaction.  

for me, that is mostly found in nature. i've always had a relationship with the world around me, finding the smallest and most beautiful things. 

took a fall out there the other day. huge bruises. i slipped and went down on my knees but my shins bounced off exposed roots.  i kept walking but later that evening the pain was kicking in more.  i finally looked at the evolving bruises.  yikes! ice, elevation and ibuprofen. looks real nasty now. 

guess i really should get motivated and get some stuff done. winter is coming fast and i do want to get the stuff out of the yard and into the shed in an organized fashion. 

the stuff i'm hemming and hawing about is probably just stuff i need to get rid of.  plenty of that out there.  plenty of that in here too. someone mentioned my generation and how it sucked that we started out buying records, then we had to change to cassettes and then we bought CD's and then it turned into streaming.  such a bother. i did finally dump the last of the cassettes.  the records were gone years ago. i still have cd's though.  i also dumped most if not all the vhs tapes but i still have dvd's. that's all streaming now too. 

photography has also evolved.  first we have film and then it was on on discs now it's stored on line. 

lots of that needs to be just gone through.  need to ship some of the old, old family photos that i still have off.  i don't want them to be yet another thing between my siblings and myself and i have no kids.  i snagged some precious stuff because, lets face it, my parents house was a mess and that stuff was strewn about with little to no care.  the diaries were dispersed and i sent my sister my Dads old Navy top. i left so i really never snagged that much.  it's been fun enjoying them, but i'm at that time in life where it's best to let go of stuff, not hang on to it. 

in the end, that is all most of us are. a few items that remain 100 years after we are gone. after that less and less. in a few hundred years we are all mostly forgotten or just a name on a list of relatives. none of who we were carries on. these truths also made me more skeptical of the forever family concepts....that and divorces.  it all gets pretty complicated. the Mormons want to baptize all who have existed except records only exist for a finite time frame and after that the wealthy perhaps had some records, the royalty, beyond that there is no record of all the people before us.  it's idiocy really. the entire concept. when does it cease? at what level of caveman did Jesus save?

enjoy this life for yourself.  do not waste time in terrible relationships, hoping it will change.  do not stay in religions that do not bring you satisfaction.  do not stress over details that will not matter in 5-10 years. 

politics, i've stepped back some.  no point making myself nuts.  i vote and that is about the extent of my power in this situation. those who support this fool.  i have less and less respect for. if i'm on TikTok i just block the maga fools as i block them i just say, idiot in my head. 

it was never about the religion, values, ethics...it was about getting their way. about pushing their way on others. trump doesn't have good values, ethics or morals but they look past that, just like they look past the craziness in their religions.  Clinton was terrible character for what he did by having an affair, trump, well, it doesn't matter.  it's about money and it's about power. that is all they ever really wanted and there is no amount of religious flatulating that will convince me otherwise. as some have said, the Christians have spend a few thousands of years telling us to stay clear from the antichrist and now they vote for him and raise him up as a God. jokes on them really. 

all i can do is hope that enough of the other citizens in this place see the truth and vote him into oblivion.  will they? i wish i had more confidence in my fellow citizens. 

well, i better get out there with the dogs.  then get to priming again.  ladder time!

grateful for A a calmer and more peaceful state of mind. B. a beautiful fall C. the people who accept me and want me to remain in their lives in a meaningful way.