basket goals!

Making one of this is in my 6 month plan. 

A gorgeous, practical, reliable, foragers basketpack!

womens suffrage

Fought for the "right to vote" drives me crazy. 

They fought to restore women's right to vote which was stolen from them by white men when forming a government based on racism, sexism, and exploitation. 

Paw Paw 2019

It's the paw paw time of year again in Pennsylvania!  The largest native edible fruit in the USA is what I'm after. 

Paw paws grow in about half of the states in the USA.    Get out there and forage folks! Or hit up a local forager like myself who would love to sell you fresh fruit, frozen puree, or even seeds!

Sellng my stuff!

Starting to sell my "shit"!

I mailed a used vest to Israel last week and today I mailed a box of acorns I collected last fall to Minnesota.  You'd be surprised what people buy.  It's not much and a chunk of that is free shipping...but it's something.

Good grief

Makes you wonder how much crap is IN the barn if the goat has to duck to get out the TOP of a dutch door.  With that failing roof and boards rotting sandwiched inbetween feet of manure I hope animals aren't in the barn when it falls.  Wonder what the condition of the goats hooves are standing in that mess for years. Shame on her. 

I've been adopted

I miss this man

Baby Cali

Cali is 12!

Never imagined the puppy with the deformed leg born in my bedroom the Sunday morning before spring semester of my sophomore year of college would be with me 12 years later!

Our friendship and life has been one crazy wild wonderful and challenging experience.

Cheers to Cali today!

Wool insulation

This is amazing!

http://oregonshepherd.com/why-use-wool/

Couldn't stop myself

Straw is not a snack

Snacking on straw?

Not quite.

Straw = bedding
Hay = feed

Yes you are a crazy person

Wildlife outside bad?

Livestock outside good?

Idiot.

She reminds me of this one crazy lady at Ayrshire who was "in charge" of the cats.  She requested another employee and I try to catch the goose and put it in a stall because it was...

....

....

Wait for it...

Raining. 

Fired for facts

Thoughts?

http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/cartoonist-fired-after-poke-big-ag-ceos

Feel good story

What a sweet smart loyal boy.

http://www.boredpanda.com/home-destroyed-wildfire-pig-charlie/?utm_source=androidapp&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=androidapp

Standing Rock

I wish I was there.

Holy root canal(s)!

I'm about to fundraise for a few puppies and use them on root canals.

How the hell do people afford dental work? Medicaid doesn't covet dental and  even the best plans on the exchange barely cover cavities or root canals and if they do its after a waiting period.

My anxiety comes through as night terrors and extreme teeth grinding.  Apparently I ground an existing filling to pieces and have a roaring infection and exposed nerves or roots...I couldn't keep up.

The dentist started to fill the cavity in another tooth...which actually needs a root canal as well. So I have a nice partially drilled tooth on standby.

His endodontist is out until January.

All I want for Christmas is 2 root canals.

I was told ibuprofen and Tylenol mixed will stop the pain. I have my doubts. Next step while waiting for q root canal is draining the abscess I'm on antibiotics for. Disgusting!

Falconry regulations

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=5deae24fdbc8af54f0e9b629ac06d8aa&n=sp50.9.21.c&r=SUBPART&ty=HTML#se50.9.21_129

(ii) You may not use falconry raptors for commercial entertainment; for advertisements; as a representation of any business, company, corporation, or other organization; or for promotion or endorsement of any products, merchandise, goods, services, meetings, or fairs, with the following exceptions:

pumpkins

I have a thing for pumpkins.  They rate up there with feathers and acorns.  If Sadie had been alive there wouldn't have been room for a pumpkin at my side.  I think she would approve of her stand in.

Sadie

There's a spot on the porch where Sadie used to be.

Last Tuesday I took Sadie to the vet to have her killed.  I say killed because nothing else is suitable (in my experience) when you drive a beloved decade long friend and partner to the vet knowing they will not be alive for the ride home.  

Sadie was not put to sleep, she's not sleeping.  She wasn't put down in some wrestling move.  She wasn't humanely euthanized.  The veterinarian warned the shot of anesthesia would sting.  Sadie reacted by aggressively attacking my hand.  I hadn't anticipated such a violent reaction, but what was I going to do? Quickly restrain her by clamping her muzzle shut during the last few lucid moments of her life? No way, I let her fight back.  It was only fair.

Sadie had bitten me twice before in the past decade. The first bite was hours after  I adopted her from the Rockingham County Shelter the first weekend of my senior year at JMU.   She peed in the house and immediately ran under the coffee table.  I patiently tried to coax her out. When that didn't work I foolishly grabbed her collar.  She nailed my hand.  I imagine she had been beat for peeing in the house before and wasn't about to let it happen again.  Sadie looked out for herself, something I respected and greatly  appreciated about her.  So when she wanted to fight the sting I let her.

I believe an immediate death with a .22 would have been more humane.  Having your dog injected with sting, not so much.  Saying Sadie was humanely euthanized would be a lie.   I was selfish and wanted to hold her. Shooting a dog sounds barbaric but having shot a pig and seeing several others shot, it appears immediate and painless.

Sadie was street smart and scrappy.  That never changed and is a large reason why the substantial loss of both her vision and hearing were so difficult for her.  Regardless of her level of trust in me  she didn't have acute awareness of her surroundings.  Sadie started to flinch when I touched her, not from pain but surprise.  In the past month she began obsessively pacing the house. If Sadie wasn't sleeping she was pacing, only to stop and drink or stare at a wall.  Her mind and body were gone.

In the past week I realized I have missed Sadie from the moment she required a leash for her safety, about a year ago.

I tried to find a favorite photo of her for this post and couldn't.  I love them all.  I initially wanted to focus on our happiest memories but there are too many.  What spoke to me most was this photo my mom took today while I was visiting.  Many pictures have been taken on these stairs.  A decade of photos that included Sadie at my side.  Now there's a spot on the porch where Sadie used to be. 

She is so missed.  I truly was blessed to share so many years with such an amazing companion. 

Sadie is buried on my parents property next to my childhood dog Timber.  Beside the garden and across from a patch of zinnias, still blooming.