Just an FYI, in PA it is no longer legal to shoot your dog, unless it is in acute need of euthanasia with no means of getting it to a vet in time (example given was overnight in an area with no 24hr vet). I imagine other states may have similar laws?
Oh maybe. I wasn’t advocating it, and I don’t know what state OP is from. I’m pretty sure it’s still legal in TX & OK, but I was going off of AVMA euthanasia guide, not any state legislation!
VMCAS days are here again!!!
What hike?
Lakes of the clouds by Westcliff (Not RNP). It's technically 10.6 mi but that's from a different trail head than we took. It's really rocky and very steep in some places and as you can tell snow might have been a factor also [emoji28] my knees hurt soooo bad right now.
Beautiful. If you get up to Estes Park, I highly recommend the Ute Trail off the divide. That's my home town
Thanks for the recommendation! Last summer the SO and I were in Estes so we went to RMNP and did Emerald Lake. I likes that one a bit shorter and not as steep and Rocky so easier in the knees. There's lots of trails up around there I'd love to do but alas I live so far away 🙁
My SO has bad knees but loved it. All down hill, only steep for the middle 1/3rd of hike. Long though, 6 hrs. Perfect for Z and @staff_wielder
PMed you!
I just graduated yesterday!!! My whole family was there including my 88 year old grandma who made the trek with my aunt, uncle, and cousin from NY to MA for it (which wasn't easy for my grandma who has difficulty walking)!! We had an amazing dinner and then today my mom and I went birding early in the morning (we're both bird lovers) and the first bird we saw (besides a bunch of American Robins and Starlings) was a Red-Tailed Hawk on telephone wires (we saw him on the way there) but once we got there, we almost immediately saw a GOLDEN EAGLE!!!!! We'd only seen them in raptor rehab centers so this was AMAZING!!! We proceeded to observe a whole plethora of birds among 2 locations!! These birds include Northern Flickers (the male was doing a courtship dance), American Goldfinches, a bunch of Grey Catbirds, Baltimore Orioles, a Wood Thrush, a Yellow Warbler, a Magnolia Warbler, and the last thing we saw was a pregnant White-Tailed Deer!!! She said it was the best mother's day gift she has ever gotten 😀 We finished out the day with breakfast with the family at a lovely local diner and I was able to give my family a tour of our incredible campus farm which included petting baby goats, little lambs, seeing some foals, and teaching my cousin (10 years old) about Barn Swallows.
On a sadder note, once my family left, it was time for me to go in to my lab for my last day of work (I work(ed) in animal care in a Zebra Finch lab at my school). I have taken care of these nearly 250 Zebra Finches for almost 3 years and it was incredibly bittersweet to band my last 6 fledglings! But I know good things are ahead of me now
It's been over 90 already don't be sad because of that lol
I just graduated yesterday!!! My whole family was there including my 88 year old grandma who made the trek with my aunt, uncle, and cousin from NY to MA for it (which wasn't easy for my grandma who has difficulty walking)!! We had an amazing dinner and then today my mom and I went birding early in the morning (we're both bird lovers) and the first bird we saw (besides a bunch of American Robins and Starlings) was a Red-Tailed Hawk on telephone wires (we saw him on the way there) but once we got there, we almost immediately saw a GOLDEN EAGLE!!!!! We'd only seen them in raptor rehab centers so this was AMAZING!!! We proceeded to observe a whole plethora of birds among 2 locations!! These birds include Northern Flickers (the male was doing a courtship dance), American Goldfinches, a bunch of Grey Catbirds, Baltimore Orioles, a Wood Thrush, a Yellow Warbler, a Magnolia Warbler, and the last thing we saw was a pregnant White-Tailed Deer!!! She said it was the best mother's day gift she has ever gotten 😀 We finished out the day with breakfast with the family at a lovely local diner and I was able to give my family a tour of our incredible campus farm which included petting baby goats, little lambs, seeing some foals, and teaching my cousin (10 years old) about Barn Swallows.
On a sadder note, once my family left, it was time for me to go in to my lab for my last day of work (I work(ed) in animal care in a Zebra Finch lab at my school). I have taken care of these nearly 250 Zebra Finches for almost 3 years and it was incredibly bittersweet to band my last 6 fledglings! But I know good things are ahead of me now
Was it a male?? I think they're stunning!! I've always wanted to see a Lazuli Bunting and Indigo Bunting as well (it's really cool how they're all in the same family 🙂 )
It took me so long to realize that you didn't say "scarlet teenager" and weren't making a joke about weird young people hiking in the woods.
Yes, a male 🙂 We had an indigo bunting come to our feeder once last year!
We get a few really cool ones here and there - rosebreasted grosbeak, yellow bellied sap-sucker, the indigo bunting - but our common visitors are bluebirds, cardinals, nuthatches, titmouses (titmice?), Carolina wrens, TONS of woodpeckers (hairy, downy, pileated, red-bellied), doves, gold finches, purple finches, fox sparrows, the occasional cowbird, blue jays...not to mention the RTH and Coopers/Sharp-shinned hawks that like to eye my chickens
He was so adorably irritated 😛 I got to release him and he was sooooo outta thereHe looks...angry
Right back atcha 🙂 I should find some of the feeder pictures my husband has taken - nothing fancy but still pretty.
YAAASSSS!!!!! Bird Crew!!!!
I enjoy how different bird watching is from place to place. I've seen all of these birds really frequently since I spend so much time between CO and TX and between those two places you can find a ton of unique bird species. The city I live in in TX has actually been named the "birdiest city in the US" a few times because it's smack in the middle of so many migratory flyways. Though I prefer going birdwatching for goofy shorebirds, it's got great spots for finding crested caracara, too, which is always cool.
Crested Caracaras are absolutely beautiful!!!!
Update: I am now going on a date with this attractive young fireman.My trainee at the rehab centre today was a fireman. A very attractive young fireman. Who in his spare time decided he wanted to help animals and had been bringing in wildlife for years.
I had an absolutely wonderful shift.
Indigo bunting come through our area every spring. I remember one morning I woke up to a tapping at my window and opened my eyes to see TWO indigo bunting staring at me! They are so pretty.
They're stunning!!!
I love them!!! 😍
Please keep us updated. I'm looking forward to update #40 when you have the wedding 🙂
This is awesome, and I'm happy and excited for you! Plus, with continued technological advancements you could end up working for pet wearable tech, new diagnostics, or who knows what else.Earlier today, I was accepted to a local university to study computer science and information technology. Woo. As I've previously mentioned here before, I enjoy coding as a bit of hobby already, so it'll be awesome to be able to hopefully make a career of it since the whole "becoming a veterinarian" thing didn't pan out so well. Almost all of my credits from my original university transferred, so I'll just need to take the major courses. Also, since my employer offers a pretty generous amount of money for educational assistance, I won't have to take out much - if anything - in additional loans. Which is awesome.
...but even if I did have to pay for the entire thing in loans, the debt from obtaining the two BS degrees combined would still be less expensive than what it would have cost me to finish the DVM. Chew on that, I guess.
Anyway, I'm excited to start this fall.
I think Hills, Purina, and Royal Canin are the standard ones.
He got a cute faceJUSTIFY!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD LET'S HAVE ANOTHER TRIPLE CROWN WINNER!!!!!!!!
I didn't get a chance to take any photos, but got some fabulous bird watching in on my camping trip this weekend. Saw a lot of lovely mountain bluebirds, some western tanagers, a ton of red-winged blackbirds, some violet-green swallows, various gulls, black-billed magpies, and a very curmudgeonly double-crested cormorant. There's probably more, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head.
