August is the Sunday of Summer

As a kid I hated Sundays because the next day was Monday (and there were no cartoons on Sunday morning). It’s bad when you start worrying about Sunday on Saturday or even Friday, which is what I am doing now. It’s July 18th and I am thinking about August because September comes after August. This reminds me of stressing about Christmas when Halloween decorations start to appear. One year I considered buying Christmas presents December 26th but I decided to hold off until the 24th. All this is to say that I love summer, mountains, wildflowers, lakes, birds, granite, Lodge pole pines, Jeffery pines (they smell like candy), Red firs, Mountain ash, Quaking aspen, Marmots, and I don’t like it when summer threatens to end, which it does before it begins. The day after the longest day of the year is the beginning of the (quick) march toward the shortest day of the year. And the dumb-head in me thinks about how June 22nd is a slightly shorter day than June 21st. But optimistically I think about how December 22nd is slightly longer than the 21st. That is when I start thinking about and looking forward to summer. Once I told my dad that I whished I could go to sleep in September and wake up in June. He yelled at me not to wish to miss any of my life. “But what about the school parts?” I thought.

White Crab Spider

Here's another crab spider. This one did not land on me but it did look like it wanted to beat me up.

Crab Spider

This is the spider that landed - with a thunk - on my shoulder.

Sad

If I had more hair, this is what I would look like today. I took Taffy, the beautiful dog, to the vet. She has a tumor on her right leg that makes her limp and hurts. The options are not good. One is to amputate. The vet says it might give her a few more months. The other is to keep her on painkillers and then decide when here discomfort outweighs her happiness and then put her to sleep.
It is a strange position to be in. If money were no object I would amputate. But money is an object - a scarce one. It seems a little sick to let money be part of this kind of decision.

Limb Amputation

Anesthesia (Inhalant) $51.98
Additional Anesthesia $19.00
Surgical Monitoring and Recovery $13.00
Hospitalization per day $49.50
Major Surgical Pack $38.85
Surgery $600-$800
IV Catheter Open $48.00
Injections per Day Open
Intravenous Fluids/Administration X1 $135.00
Prescriptions Open
E-collar $19.00
Buprenex inj x2 $90.90
Cefazolin inj x 2 $90.90

Total - $1165.33 – $1365.33

Plus $338.00 to check for more cancer before surgery.

It's been a quiet week in Lake...

I am finally in the cabin that inspired the name Cabin. Except that I am not in the cabin, I am in Bob Dog’s pizza. Bob Dog has free Internet. But I am living in the cabin for the next couple of months. I will be sharing the cabin with my nephew AJ and various friend’s and relatives throughout the summer. Mostly Aj’s friend’s. He was up for less than a day and had five different visitors. It’s cool of AJ to hook me up with a bunch of 19 and 20 year old girls to hang out with. I always said AJ’s got the hook up.

My tan is coming along nicely, for a farmer.

This post was meant for last Wednesday

We left Chicago 9ish and arrived at my apartment in Milwaukee at 11:45. We took the valuables out of the truck, carried them up the stairs, unlocked the deadbolt and the door was still locked. It turns out there is another lock that we normally do not lock. I do not have a key for that lock. I knew who had the keys but it was late and I didn’t have her phone number. Luckily Alice has a cousin in Milwaukee who kindly took us in. We eventually got into the apartment at noon the next day to get my tent and camping equipment but those things were in Chicago apparently. My sleeping bag is there too. My iPod wont hold a charge. I got a parking ticket.

Thank you Maria for helping me customize my blog.

Remember when I mentioned all the White-throated sparrows singing in Milwaukee a few weeks ago? I didn't think so. Listen here.

Strawberry grouper for lunch.

"Most contradictory of species, man alone creates sanctuaries for his victims."

Jacques Cousteau

Electric Raccoon

We went to Lake Michigan yesterday and this was one of many raccons shooting lazer beams at us.

Justin sent this picture of yours truly (that's what I call me) and Robert. Thanks Justin.

Conservation

This thing gets much better mileage than a car which makes me feel good about riding it. Of course the rides I took were rides I wouldn't have gotten in the car for, like doing circles in the driveway.

And Ruffed Grouse.

Birds I saw in Wisconsin this Weekend.

Red-eyed Vireo, Black-throated green warbler, Ovenbird, Black-capped chickadee, Bald eagle, Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Hairy woodpecker, White-breasted nuthatch, Red-breasted nuthatch, Red-breasted merganser, Hooded merganser, Chipping sparrow, White-throated sparrow, Red-bellied woodpecker, Common loon, Mallard, Double-crested cormorant, Starling, Brown thrasher, House wren, Yellow-rumped warbler, Gray catbird, Sandhill crane, Common grackle, Red-winged blackbird, robin, Crow, Raven, Hermit thrush, Blue jay, Cooper’s hawk, Red-ailed hawk, Eastern bluebird, Easter Kingbird, Belted kingfisher, Pileated woodpecker, Northern flicker, Chestnut-sided warbler, Great blue heron, Ring-billed gull, Canada goose, Song sparrow, American goldfinch.

Luke spotted the Eagles and Jen spotted the Pileated woodpecker.