Bleached

This poor critter didn’t make it.

While visiting Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge earlier this summer, the Girl and I walked a portion of Carson Slough. It was hot. But there had apparently been water there at some time. Because this poor critter was found on the bank of the (now dry) watercourse.

I wonder, though, how an adult made it to maturity in this dry place. I will never know.

Sunset on Fifth Street

I noticed the play of light on the park at Fifth Street in Carson. I liked the look.

I started carrying my Panasonic Lumix G3 a week or so ago. I have one micro-4/3’s lens, so I adapt something to the camera. In this case it was a 50/1.4 Fujian closed circuit camera lens. This lens is pretty soft wide open, but the center is acceptably sharp and the lack of edge sharpness gives the images a vintage look.

I liked the play of light at the intersection of Steward and Fifth Streets the other evening. So I made a couple of captures. This one has an interesting feel to it.

Sick Girl

The Girl was quite sick for a few days. At least she is home and recovering.

The Girl is home now and recovering. She had a rough couple of days, which required spending some time in hospital.

I noticed last Thursday that she seemed off. She didn’t eat her breakfast, which is not completely unusual, but relative rare. Then while I was in a meeting, she vomited some grass she had eaten. Again, that was not completely unusual, if relatively rare. (She is a grazer and usually just passes the grass.)

Friday she again acted oddly, not wanting her breakfast although we had a nice walk. I noticed that she didn’t seem interested in food or water as well. I worried over her much of the night and she asked to go out several times.

Saturday morning she seemed lethargic and uninterested in much. When offered a walk, we went part way (just a hundred yards or so) before she expelled a very watery stool. She refused water when I offered it, licking a little from my fingers but refusing to drink.

I called the vet and took her in to the urgent care clinic. He checked her over, found nothing obvious, and recommended supportive care and some testing.

I left her in his care. When he called later in the day, he reported that she had an ileus with a lot of inflammation and bloating. He would continue supportive care, hoping the hydration would reduce the inflammation and restore some of the function of her gastrointestinal tract. I could tell he was really concerned for her.

Sunday he called with news that there was some improvement, but that she was still not eating, lethargic, and not interested in water (of course not, with the hydration). That evening I called and he reported that she had eaten a little, the inflammation was down quite a lot, and there was no physical blockage.

Monday she was much improved, eating a little and happy. By the afternoon he indicated that supportive care was no longer needed and that she should come home. That made me very happy. So I retrieved the Girl and brought her home.

But I learned she was still very sick. I coaxed her into drinking water by adding a little juice from a can of chicken to it. I also convinced her to eat a little by adding some canned food to her kibbles (or rather, some kibbles to canned food) and adding a little chicken juice to that). She slept the rest of the day and much of Tuesday.

But Tuesday evening she asked for food and I noticed that she had taken water from her bowl. So I fed her (sweetening the kibbles again) and refilled her water bowl. Tuesday night she wanted to sleep with me again. But OMG was she noxious! Whatever was disturbing her system made some very nasty gas!

And then this morning she acted much better. She again asked for food and to go out. After I fed myself, she asked to go walk. So I took her out to Riverview Park for a walk. The park is still in rough condition, but it’s walkable. There is less risk of her picking up some toxin out there, at least in my opinion.

I think there is a good chance she picked up a toxin while we walked here in town. Perhaps one of the lawns was treated with pesticide or herbicide. Perhaps another animal was sick. But my suspicion is that she picked up something on our walks. Therefore, I’m going to be more careful with where we go and what she nibbles on.

New Skins

New boots arrived Monday. It was time to rotate out an older pair.
My new boots arrived Monday afternoon. The older pair were finally at the point I decided to retire them. Most of the tread is gone from the Vibram soles and the upper has lost much of its support.

This has to be the tenth pair of Merrel Moab Ventilator boots I’ve worn out. I wear out a pair or two of the three-season boots every year. I wear out another pair of the wet/cold-season boots every other year.

I walk a lot. These are decent boots. At their price point, they are difficult to beat. They fit my feet well. They provide some arch support. They are reasonably grippy on the surfaces I encounter. They are cool enough on hot days and perfect on warm days.

I keep two pairs active much of the time. I rotate them so they have a chance to dry after a walk. After about six months the older pair is retired and a new pair brought into use. They break in after a week or so. Then I work both pairs until the older pair is sufficiently worn to retire it and bring a new pair of boots into rotation.

I don’t particularly like new boots (until they are broken in). But they are necessary and these work for me.

Slingshots and Catapults

This is my Flippin’ Out Scout slingshot with double bands.
A few weeks ago I purchased a slingshot. A photograph of that is posted on my IG account and I’ll write a comment about it here eventually.

I wanted something I could shoot here in town on walkies. There are many open areas where it is safe to shoot a slingshot and there is no prohibition in the Carson City Ordinances (at least that I could find). No one has hassled me about it (yet).

Shooting a slingshot is a marksmanship skill. It requires good eye-hand coordination and an understanding of marksmanship. So it’s good practice for me.

This slingshot has a large palm swell. It’s a bit big for my hands, but still manageable. It is the first time I installed double bands. They are quite powerful and too much for .38 caliber shot. If I use that size shot, I get a lot of hand slap from the excess energy in the bands. However, .44 caliber shot works much better. There is enough mass in the larger shot to use up the bands’ energy.

I will eventually get a chronograph so I can measure shot speed. (It will also be useful when I start handloading centerfire cartridges later this year or early in 2018.) I’m curious how much energy the slingshot can produce.

In any event, this is fun and I’m enjoying the focus required to shoot it.