Monday, September 30, 2013

In Which We Have A New Pigger

Here were are, with another new week and some new posts.

And we have another new thing in our house, too: Introducing Gummy Sue!


Only about 3 months old

Twin never really wanted another pig. We already have 3.

Miggory Sow

Sister Cavia of Saint Guinea de Pig (all inclusive church) aka: Sissy

Harriet B. Suit


But we briefly fostered this little lady with her mom, aunt and two sisters. One sister was absolutely fine. But Gummy and her other sister were not. Both Gummy and her other sister were tiny, and seemed to "get lost" a lot in the cage. Her other sister just kept getting worse and worse. When they went back to the shelter, Anne asked the vets to check their teeth.

Her sister had terrible, sharp, fangy teeth. The vet thought they should probably euthanize her as a kindness, but before they could make the decision she passed away.

Gummy also had problems. She's missing all her teeth except for her back cheek ones (hence her name). Which meant she was having a hard time eating, which was why she was so small. Also, we had noticed one of her eyes reflected funny and the vet thought maybe she had a detached retina.

We took her home for some more fostering, to see if her teeth would come in (since Guinea pigs are born completely ready to be on their own, twin was pretty sure no teeth would be coming, since they should have erupted in the womb.)

After another week, no teeth. She had put on weight (because we introduced her to the wonder of baby food!) We also thought maybe her good eye was no longer good.

So we had a possibly blind, toothless guinea pig who needed special food and who may not live a full life. She's also developed a tilt to her head, and sometimes spins in circles (always to the left). Who would adopt her? Probably no one. So she stayed with us.

She had another vet appointment and it looks like both her eyes are at least partially blind if not totally.

Tilty head. Reflecting eye = Gummy Hot Mess Sue


Now that she's gotten bigger, it's easier for her to eat, but she still gets baby food and may for the rest of her life.

But she's ridiculously sweet. She talks all the time, probably because she can't see what's going on. If you hold her, there's a good chance she'll fall asleep in your hands. And she gets along with the other pigs, even Harriet, who doesn't really like anyone.

I will only tolerate Sues of the Gummy nature


So there you have it. A new pigger. She may be a hot mess, but we adore her.

She drinks water upside down

Friday, September 20, 2013

Friday Fun

YAY! We've made it through one more week, which means we've once again reached the greatness that is the weekend (and are that much closer to wonderful fall!)

I just checked outside. The leaves haven't started changing quite yet


Let's get straight to the fun, ape-friends!























grains of sand magnified 250x








bunny sugar cubes

 


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wednesday Weird: Shunka Warak'in

A cryptid again today for Wednesday Weird.

There have been sightings in the northern US (mostly Montana, Illinois, Nebraska and Iowa) of a beast that resembles a hyena, a primitive wolf or a cross of both.

The Ioway and other Native American tribes of the region called this creature the Shunka Warak'in which translates into "carries off dogs" since the beast would often sneak into their camps and do just that.

Documented sightings wouldn't start until the 1880's. The Hutchins family settled in lower Montana. Not long after, they and their neighbors began to encounter a strange wolf-like creature.  Ross Hutchins would later write: One winter morning my grandfather was aroused by the barking of dogs. He discovered that a wolf like beast of dark color was chasing my grandmother’s geese. He fired his gun at the animal but missed. It ran off down the river, but several mornings later it was seen again at about dawn. It was seen several more times at the home ranch as well as at other ranches ten or fifteen miles down the valley. Whatever it was, it was a great traveler The witnesses described the creature as being nearly black and having high shoulders and a back that sloped downward like a hyena. One morning in late January, grandfather Hutchins, alerted by their dogs, was able to shoot and kill the creature. The creature was taxidermied and donated to a museum in Idaho where it was displayed for years (the museum owner dubbed it "ringdocus" (Why? Who the hell knows.)) 
photos of the taxidermied creature before it went missing from the museum
 
 

  So this is all interesting in and of itself. But what's important to note is the youngest Hutchins had a PH.D. in zoology and had no idea what the animal was. He speculated that maybe it was an escaped circus hyena, but the nearest circus was hundreds of miles away.  The taxidermied specimen went missing for quite some time, but was rediscovered by the museum in 2007. 
Photos of the creature after it was rediscovered by the museum


 

  There's a theory the Shunka Warak'in could be a Borophagus, an ancient hyena-like canine known to inhabit North America almost 13,000 years ago.   
  Since the animal was killed in the 1880s, there have continued to be occasional sightings of similar creatures in Montana and other states. A strange wolf, responsible for the deaths of over 120 sheep in Montana in 2006 was shot and killed, and though it's appearance was not like other wolves, the fish and wildlife department did classify it as a wolf. So there you have it! Thoughts? Theories? I like the Shunka Warak'in a lot because there's an actual body of the creature and a zoologist testimony, things frequently lacking in most cryptid cases.

Monday, September 16, 2013

In Which I Try To Decide

So I'm working on final revisions of my WIP All That Remains (OT - I start a lot of blog posts with "So". I know this. I sit here and try to think of some better way to start, but "So" just makes the most sense. Revision fail? I dunno)

Mostly all I have are minor revisions (well. I also still have it out with two readers. They could possibly have some changes, but I won't know until they're done). I've been picking at them a little bit each day. Because, truthfully, I'm trying to decide about what to do on a possible bigger revision. It would involve combining two characters. And not minor characters, either.

One is more fully realized, the other is not, which is part of the problem. But that character also has pivotal plot points, so I couldn't just, cut him out, you know?

I'd pondered this change a few months ago, and ultimately decided against it. Then I had a conversation with my lovely friend Tricia, and she brought it up again.

I'm just not sure. How do you know if making a big change like that would make it better? Or just different? Anyone have any thoughts? Because I'd like to hear them so I can decide what to do.

How about you? Writing? Revising? Something else? Fill me in!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Friday Fun!

WOOOO! It's Friday ape-friends! Which means we're almost into the weekend of fun!

Oh yes, I can see it coming



And! AND!!! The weather has finally cooled off some here! Hopefully no more temperatures in the 100s for us. I can't wait until I can run around in the leaves and greet kids when they come trick or treating.

All right! Onto the fun!.
.





























Stingray Photobomb

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Wednesday Weird Fail

So. I had a whole Wednesday Weird post written. Typed up and everything. Then I was like, "I just need a picture to go with this post". So I started looking for one, and along the way, I discovered some more info related to my Wednesday Weird post, which contradicted some of what I had researched earlier.

So I had to pull it down for further research. But Wednesday Weird posts are not quick posts to write. Which meant, when I pulled it down, I didn't have time to write a new post. I had to, in fact, cook dinner.

Which means no Wednesday Weird post for today.

In a peace offering, I give you this video:

 



Monday, September 9, 2013

In Which I Got A New Tattoo

So I know I've mentioned my Tattoos on here before and here's another post!

I had a quill tattoo on my shoulder.



I can't remember how old it was, but not that old. But it started to fade really badly, until parts of it were almost gone.


 

I still wanted a quill tattoo, so I decided to get a new one. I'd been planning on it for awhile and finally just decided to do it.  Here are the final results:


 
 
 
better lighting to see the colors
 


What do you think? And do you have any tattoos?

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

IWSG

First Wednesday of the month, so you know what that means. It's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group!



Can you believe it's the 2 year anniversary for the IWSG? That kind of blows my mind. Mostly because I always think (and it feels like) I’ve only been blogging for two years, so when I see something that proves I’ve been doing it longer, it kind of blows my mind.

Writing is like that too, sometimes. Querying especially, I think. Because you're querying, abut you're also (hopefully) writing the next manuscript as well, so by the time you look up, hell a whole year of querying has gone by. Maybe more, if you had to stop in the middle for an R&R or something else.

It doesn't seem so crazy, then, when you hear that it took people, 7, 8 or even 10 years to land an agent.

Some people see those numbers and they freak out, or get depressed. I just kind of shrug my shoulders. Because, I mean, their journey is not YOUR journey, you know? And also, that time is going to pass anyway, so you might as well keep writing, you know?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...