There Ought to be a Law

Seen in the local Walmart yesterday, September 29.

Really, they shouldn't be allowed to push this stuff until after Thanksgiving for here in the U.S.

With 3 months exposure to Christmas junk, by the time the day actually does come around I've grown so tired of it that the day itself is welcomed only for the fact that it marks the end of the madness.
Okay, just had to get that out of me.
Yes, we are back home from the desert and more pleasant posts will appear from now on.

Monday Mural

Alma, Georgia

I don't thing you could go wrong living in a county named after something as great as bacon.
(click on the photo to view the mural better)

For more murals on Monday Mural go to Oakland Daily Photo

A New Discovery on an Old Trail

Like the fungi post of a couple days ago, here is another example of my not noticing things.  I've been along this trail dozens of times and never saw this.  I mean, it's right there!  Oh well, being a person who always tries to put a positive spin on an otherwise unpleasant situation, I just look at my not noticing as leaving room for new discoveries. 

There are quite of few of these hollowed out areas in Annadel Park.  These hollows are left over from when cobblestone was quarried and used in the building of San Francisco and other west coast cities, as well in their reconstruction after the 1906 earthquake.  However, cobblestone roads were not suitable for motorized vehicles, and by the 1920's demand for cobblestone declined.  This hollow is different from the rest in that it has this small tin roof shelter, for what purpose it had, I don't know.  There is no smoke residue and its too small to sleep in.

Sinbad and I will be away for a few days, off to the desert for peace and relaxation.  

I think I can find my way okay.

Be back later next week with new tales of misadventure.

See Anything?

He sees you.

I'll move in and lay low in the grass here

Hmm...don't think he is going to bother me.

Guess I'll move on.

Now, if I could only find a varmint for breakfast.

Photo #1 was normal. #2 was zoomed in. 3,4 & 5 was in that digital zoom mode of my little point and shoot thus crappy details. #6 was back to regular zoom mode.

That Wiley ol' coyote can probably see better than my camera can.

If It Were a Snake It'd Bite You!

If you are a regular follower of my blog, you know how I enjoy hunting for and taking pictures of fungi and mushrooms during the cold damp months of the year.  That is about all I enjoy of that time of the year too.  Well you can imagine my surprise seeing this alongside a trail that I frequent from time to time.  Just how many times have I passed it by and not noticed?  I wonder, as this is variety that lasts all year long.

It is well camouflaged among the decaying wood of of this downed tree, taking on it's color and texture.

I saw these and they looked tasty.  But being that the deer have not touched them leaves me to think they are not safe to eat.  Someday I really need to get a guide on edible plants of my area.  

My life may depend on it someday.

Update on yesterday's Wednesday's Wreck, 

it was finally gone when I rode by on my motorcycle yesterday.

As TexWisGirl commented, "Left to die in a Walmart parking lot" what worse fate could happen to anyone or anything?  Egads!

Wednesday Wreck

It is getting so I don't even know what day of the week it is anymore.  This was intended for my Tuesday Trailer Trash but yesterday was Tuesday.  So I made it Wednesday Wreck.

This has been sitting at my nearby Walmart for a couple of weeks now.

Look at that tire!  Would you drag anything down the highway with a tire like this?

And if you had the intention of abandoning your trashy trailer which this has all the appearances of having been done to it, wouldn't you have removed the license plate?  I would have.  

Notice the right tail light too.

I may go by there today and see if it is still there.

Ledson Marsh

In the far east end of Annadel State Park lies Ledson Marsh.  It is fairly large and I've often wondered if water remains in the middle throughout the year.  The growth is so thick you cannot work your way through it to find out.

That is not smoke in the distance but early morning fog rolling in over the mountain tops, slowly burning off from the sun.

The lower end of the marsh is thick with cattails.  This late in summer they are all fluffed out.  

Cattails are known as bulrush in most places around the world.  I often wonder why the name cattail?  

I guess hotdogs on a stick was not acceptable.  

My camera was confused, not focusing in on the nearby tails.

I looked them up to see what the fluff was properly called and learned some things about cattails, bulrush, hotdogs on a stick, I didn't know.  The seed hairs were used by Native Americans as tinder for starting fires, down to line moccasins, and bedding, diapers and baby powder.  It can be dipped in wax or fat then used as a candle with the stem serving as a wick. Without the wax or fat they will smolder like incense and repel insects.  Boiled rootstocks have been used as a diuretic for increasing urination, or mashed to make a jelly-like paste for sores, boils, wounds, scabs, and smallpox pustules.

Random Acts of Nature

Don't ask me about the pattern in that leaf or I might tell you alien intervention as with crop circles.

Trail Hazards

The trails in the park do have their hazards whether you are hiking, biking or running.  Turkeys are rarely a problem although these do not appear to be in any hurry in getting out of her way.  

We could call this a Turkey Trot.

I've come across deer right alongside the trail after rounding a turn when riding my mountain bike.  With no time to stop I can only hope they choose to remain where they are and not cut across in front of me.
That would be not good, for me or the deer.

There are Mountain Lion in the park and I have yet to see one.  Here is evidence of their presence - Mountain Lion poop.  You can tell by my boot, this is no small kitty cat.  But they don't worry me.  In fact with the number of people that use this 5000 acre park everyday, there is rarely a sighting.  The big cats choose to stay to themselves.  I feel I've been watched before, for sure.

No, the thing that worries me most is the Rattlesnake.  As long as I see it before it sees me, that is fine.  But running along like this lady is, you can come up upon one suddenly, scaring both you and it at the same time.  This is why I try to run down the middle as much as possible, not along the edge as she is.

Then just yesterday I hiked a trail I've only been on once before, The Bay Ridge Trail that skirts along the park boundary.  On the other side of the stone fence was private property - rich people's backyards.
I thought I'd sneak a peek over the fence and saw this.

Now this scared me and I got out of there really fast!

You Know it's Not a Good Day

when you find yourself sitting on the front bumper of a police car 

with your hands secured behind your back.

Probably the rest of his week isn't going so well either.

One More to Go

Driving in the country of Marin County I was stopped for some road construction.  Off in the distance these workers were dragging something across the roof of a cow barn.

Watching as I sat there I realized they were dragging over the last panel of corrugated tin roofing, finally completing what must have been a monumental job, re-roofing this entire barn and probably the buildings behind it also.

Oh my aching back!

Looks Good Huh?

This vendor is at the flea market every Sunday.  

Only because I am there during breakfast time prevents me from buying one of these birds.

Sinbad Update:

    He went 48 hours without getting sick this weekend, eating his food with gusto.  So Tuesday I started him back on his thyroid medicine only this time cutting the pills in half.  He got a half in the morning and a half in the evening.  Come Wednesday morning he ignored his food then around 8 am he tells me he's going to throw up.  Into the bathroom we go and he heaved three times with just a little liquid and foam, nothing more.  That pretty much confirms it; the medicine is causing all the problems.  

   He originally got the pills on 8/22 and after several days of taking them we left for our road trip on the 30th.  He hadn't been eating much when we left and then the throwing up began getting worse and worse while on the road.  Stopping with the pills his appetite slowly returned and the vomiting ceased.  So that pretty much confirms it.  We're done with the pills.  I am going to try an alternative method of controlling the thyroid and part of it will be changing his diet to more of raw meat since isn't that what cats eat in the natural environment?  He hasn't been eating crap cat food all this time either.  He gets quality grain free wet and dry. This will slowly cease though as we convert over.  

   Anyway, the chicken above ties into this theme, only he'll get a portion of all the meats before they are cooked. 

Nature's Undertaker

The Turkey Vulture  (Cathartes aura)

I remember my 9th grade science teacher explaining one day why vultures had no feathers on their heads.  Sticking their heads inside of foul disgusting rotting corpses filled with all sorts of terrible bacteria, the ultra violet rays of the sun sanitize their heads for them.  That is what he said, and I believe everything Mr.Foxworthy taught me.

"What are you looking at?"

This is linked to Wild Bird Wednesday

Tough Acts To Follow

I really expected to come home in a couple of months with a lot of new, entertaining and weird things for the blog.  But now that has all changed.  After touring the Great Plains and then the Deep South, it now looks like I'll have nothing more than things around home to present for the time being.  Meanwhile, my little buddy seems to be back to his normal self with 48 hours of no puking.  I'll start him back up on his thyroid medicine Tuesday and hope that doesn't stir things up in him.  I am happy again.

Here is a Madrone tree I noticed on yesterday's hike which had an assortment of colors going for it.  As I noted in a post a few years back about this particular species, they are sometimes called the refrigerator tree for even on the hottest day laying your hand against the reddish part of the tree will feel cool to the touch.  I don't know why that is, but it is.

A big thank you to everyone who wished Sinbad a speedy recovery.  Thanks..."sniff"

Monday Mural - Chief Eufaula

Dothan Alabama

It is interesting to read the words the chief spoke to the Alabama legislature.  

Sounds to me the words of a man with a broken spirit.

For more murals on Monday Mural go to Oakland Daily Photo

Sinbad

This is our camp we had when I hastily left at dusk as Sinbad seemed to be worse.

Along Hat Creek

It was the day after Labor Day and only one guy was there, in a tent at the other end of the small campground.  I wonder what thoughts went through his mind as he stood there by his campfire seeing me haul ass out of the camp at 8 pm.  I left my little pay stub for that night's camp fee behind on that post.  It could still be there. 

Sinbad is doing much better.  We had a couple more episodes with Saturday evening being the last...so far.  I feel so bad for him as he stands there on the counter dry heaving into the sink.  I talk to him saying it will be okay and gently pet him, then wipe his mouth off.  I feel he looks to me as if to make it all better and I am so helpless.  But then he is fine, jumps down off the counter and will lay down next to me in the chair or on the floor at my feet.
Sunday was a good day.

  

Sinbad Update

He is doing better and the hourly vomiting has ceased.  Thank you everyone who have expressed best wishes for my little buddy.  I appreciate your words very much.

A couple weeks ago I took him in to have his teeth cleaned; not under any anesthesia.   The teeth cleaner guy detected a small lesion on an insignificant tooth behind his canine.  The vet suggested to have it removed for it could be sensitive in time and we know how an exposed tooth nerve can feel.  Yet in his check-up before the cleaning he detected a heart mummer in the little guy along with a rapid pulse rate and high pressure reading.  I was concerned about having put under for the tooth removal anyway, and the vet was concerned about his heart for the procedure and took a blood sample for testing.  The blood result showed he had a hyperthyroid.  Medication was given to get the thyroid under control before we proceeded.  Meanwhile we went to a heart specialist to have a sonogram done on his heart and see if there was any heart damage.  Fortunately his heart was fine; no thickening of the heart muscle.  We caught the hyperthyroid early on.  Whew!

A week or so into pill taking and we left on our road trip.  I planned to return in two weeks for another check-up and then proceed with the tooth removal if things had improved.  So again, it was good I had already long since decided to not go on our cross country trip.  Then this past weekend event took place. Back home and to the vet.  His pulse rate and blood pressure were at normal readings which implied that the thyroid medication was working.

Yesterday was good.  We've had only three pukes in the last couple of days.  Two had a leaf in the vomit. He's known for eating crap off the floor.  I think he must have been a goat in a previous life.  The third one was found this morning which is my fault for I left his kibble out all night.  He has a tendency to eat too much too fast then upchucks it.  I've always given him a tablespoon full of food at a time when he asks for it and have gone back to that regime.

Otherwise he is active, alert, is eating again and is his normal self...kind of.  We'll see how the weekend transpires.

Sinbad is not doing well

Sinbad was not eating much when we left home.  I stopped off at our daughter's on the way Saturday and spent the evening there.  We left Sunday at noon travelling north towards our destinations.  I elected to stop early at the first camp we came to which was near Shasta Lake.  That evening since he still hadn't eaten I decided to abort the trip and return home on Monday.  But come Monday morning he ate a healthy breakfast of both dry and wet food, so what to do?

I continued on our way but turned south towards camps along Hat Creek north of Mt. Lassen Nat. Park. I just felt better going closer than further away from home.  The plan was to hang around this area for a few days and see how he did.  It was now Monday, our Labor Day holiday and everyone had cleared out for home.  We had the small campground all to ourselves.

Sinbad was alert and active wanting to go for walks.  At 3pm he got sick and threw up.  He continued to throw up every hour but was fine in between.  I decided the next day we would go home, but at the 8 pm that evening the vomit was pinkish - blood?  I freaked, threw everything together and drove on through the night arriving at home at 1:30 am.  At home was his last throw up.

The next day he was fine and we went to the vet.  He got a shot to settle his stomach and was good all day eating normally.  This morning he is once again nauseous and thrown up twice.  Think how it is when you have the bug and get nauseous and vomit every hour with nothing in your stomach.  You feel fine afterwards then it slowly returns an hour later.  This is what is he going through.  The vet is to call today and check in.  I may call instead.

I am just so very glad I had already decided to not take our planned long trip back to the New England area for the fall colors.  To be a couple thousand miles away from home....