Autumn Reflections

I've used this photo in a previous post, but it from the Kenai library parking lot and is a beautiful picture of fall leaves! 

Obi has eclectic taste buds. He'll eat veggies, fruit, meat, anything that falls to the floor, and nasturtiums! 

It seems one night Obi barked like crazy for a reason. It seems there was a moose altercation of some sort. Notice the bench is still in place, but the capstone from on top of the brick was knocked clear! 

The photos below are of one evening, around 645, out on the lake. 

 The North Kenai Methodist church has a resident moose. I didn't get close to it, it just looks that way! I was in the car for the first picture. I was outside the car for the second one.

It is wonderful what I can see now! Fall is brighter and so are words and all sorts of things out there. 

Last Days

I wasn't sure I wanted to add these pictures. Some of them might be disturbing, but well, they won't go on a facebook link! 

Mum lost ground quickly. This first photo is from September 15, about 10 days before she died. 

It was decided she needed to eat pureed foods. This meant they took the food, pureed it, then molded it into what it should have been. Mum said the potatoes and gravy were about the best things she'd been offered. The pancake was awful! The 'meat' was also dubious. Pureed and reformed sausage is just wrong. 

Mum's hens and chicks were budding, I sent the plant home with Janet to see if she could coax it into bloom. She does have quite a few chickens.....

Sunrise on the way to the hospital during a road construction stop. Mom would be impressed or maybe dismayed at the work they've done. 

Below is from the 21st. She'd moved to needing oxygen and was fighting every breath of the way to live. 

                                     
Her room was always full of visitors. The nurses were amazed at how many people knew her. Even some of the nursing staff knew her personally. One woman helped train Obi, another was, I think, the grandchild of one of mom's good friends from days gone by. There were lovely moments with each visitor. Below is a very old friend. Nikki and mom used to fish together ages ago. Nikki has Alzheimer and she remembered mom and they shared stories as best they could with bad hearing and an oxygen mask.

 Mom's body was full of liquid, they decreased her hydration, but she couldn't get rid of the water very well. Her legs were where it started. This arm also ended up with a blood clot.

 After mom was gone, I found this plate on a car next to mine in the parking lot. I'm not sure it is accurate, but it was comforting.

Aunt Darlene and Erin came up for a couple of days. Erin has photos of all of us, but she's not sent them to me yet. I'll share those once they arrive. It was incredibly lovely to have them here, they were such a tremendous help. Aunt Darlene stayed at the hospital and then the two of them helped move mom's yard stuff into storage for the winter.  

 Here is my cousin Erin residing on a log. The tide was really high on this evening and we even took Obi to the beach. He really liked Erin!

 JaLeen and Janet have been out several times, I managed to get a couple of very bad photos of Obi and JaLeen, this was the best of them. Obi is now with his new furever friend, Colleen.

As I was out and about this last week, I noticed mom's shoes were still on the front porch (it is the front door, but no one uses it as much as the back door). I'm trying to walk in her shoes, not to fill them, cuz I can't, but to walk a path close to hers and it has been a great deal of work. I'm fortunate for those angels around me who have helped. My sister and mom's church and my friends and my family. 

Nancy Mae Egbert

Above is a link to her obituary. 

September Stuff

We have had some stunning weather this month. Lots of sunshine and stellar sunsets. 

 I've eaten salads and dinners outside, although many more meals have been in the hospital cafeteria.

There is a salmon outside the window of her hospital room, thankfully, most of the other animals around are less metallic in their makeup. . 

Our fireweed is beautiful this fall. Normally, we see the leaves turn red and then the plants get ugly in the autumn rains. This year it has been dry, allowing the herb to keep the fire theme from flower to frost. 

I had a chance to watch waterfowl on Bishop Lake and earlier the same evening, I saw beluga playing just off the mouth of the Kenai. (there is a beluga count this weekend. There are only about 300 in the Inlet now.) 

In spite of moose season, there are any number of the creatures roaming around. I've been privileged to see cows with calves and even a young bull. 

Our local forecasts have heralded a change in the weather starting this weekend. I reckon our summer is almost over and is about to reach an end. In hindsight, I can honestly say it was a season to remember. I wonder what is around the corner??? 

Out and About-

Mum felt able to visit the beach on Thursday. She had the dog and her cane and a bag for rocks. 

 Obi was slightly bored cuz he wanted to walk a bit, but Mum said she'd take care of him.

 Obi's favorite thing to do, when he visits the Inlet, is to bark at the waves. He was very glad when mom took him near the water.

Mum was watching ripples near the shore and asked me to take photos of whatever it might be, so I did. They were pretty much in the same place the entire time we were there.

 I also picked  up some shells. Shells are rarely found on the Arness beach. I really like the odd one that looks a lot like a real heart. I couldn't find what it might be when I was online, though- Most of the rest are empty barnacles.

 Beach loot of shells and rocks. I found some things I've not found before, I think it is because of the recent really high tide we had. One of the rocks resembles rough petrified wood. It is rock, but not exactly.

At home the fallen tree had what I believe is Chaga on it. I removed as much of the growths as possible. Once it was cleaned a bit, I broke it into pieces for drying. 

I asked mum to stand in front of the fallen tree for a photo op. I really wanted her with a background of fireweed, but mot of that is already done blooming! 

 On Wednesday we went to the most awesome amazing spot in Soldotna. It is a small building near Fred Meyer with several businesses in it. A bookstore (where I purchased a book), a boutique (I got something there, too), I think a bakery (but I'm not sure, I didn't go in there), and the absolutely best place to eat I've been to in forever. It is called Fine Thyme Cafe and I highly recommend it. We met there with Sharon and some of Eileen's kids. It was good food and fun. Mum was very glad we met with them. (I didn't get a picture of everyone in the group, but I took several with their cell phones!!) The flowers are from their outside area. 

 The dragonfly is just cuz it was being nice and didn't land on me. These giant things clatter and are rather startling. Beautiful, but I much prefer to photograph them not on me! (it was back out at mom's house-)

It has been a busy week, starting with the downed tree of my last post!