Adventure bike searching

So, it's been forever and a day since have posted, due to various reasons.  However, am in the market now for an adventure bike.

Have found a near perfect one, in Idaho someplace, yet, as is typical with Craigslist, one or both parties begin to flake out....  Or are unbelievers unless standing directly in front of them, or for a whole host of other reasons...

It's maddening, and saddening, and all that other happy jizz jazz.

This is the first picture of the bike....  It's a 650CC DAKAR, one of the best rated adventure bikes around, very well respected for beginner through advanced riders.



The second picture (on the right):


Please wish me all the luck in getting it.

Am on an island right now and can't easily get it unless pay a $100 ferry fare, plus 60 gallons of disel fuel (will let you do the math), plus a full day of time as will be travelling at RV speeds (not the fastest).

Am needing to plan ahead as have a little trailer thingie on the back that will hold two bikes, yet have a tool box in place of one bike....

Really hoping this person will work with me.  Will add another post with the outcome.

Silence..... and Withdrawn..

After I made a large amount of progress, I then suffered a setback and reverted back to the way I was for most of my life, which isn't helping me advance myself.  Not quite sure why, or for what purpose, I regressed, but I did withdraw into my inner self.

One of the reasons, while not nearly close to the full reason, is became engrossed in video games again, like Fallout 4.  Put over 200 hours into that game so far, and still counting.

What got me to writing again, with this post, is a daly'ish e-mail I receive.  It's put together by Dan Lewis, a father and publisher of the Now I Know daily'ish e-mail.  Title of the newsletter that helped me see how I've reverted is called The Withdrawn, and is linked.  Hopefully I don't get in trouble by doing a full copy/paste of that day's e-mail.

If you like this please sign up for his newsletter as it's full of many interesting tidbits.  Only downside is there are a lot of ads, but those are ignorable except for bandwidth they consume..

The Withdrawn

The high school dropout rate in the United States is about 7%; that is, seven in 100 Americans age 16 to 24 are neither enrolled in high school nor have a high school diploma. The economic perils that high school dropouts suffer is significant: per PBS, about 30% of dropouts live in poverty, for example.

In Japan, the dropout rate is lower -- culturally, the shame of not continuing with one’s education makes it less likely for someone to go that route. However, it still happens. And when it does, the effect can be even worse. Many don’t just withdraw from school -- they also withdraw from society.

In the 1990s, Tamaki Saito -- who the BBC described as a “newly qualified psychiatrist” at the time -- found his services requested by a surprising number of parents with the same story: their children had all dropped out of school and had fallen into a state of isolation. These adolescents had locked themselves in their room for weeks if not months or even years, their only outside interaction coming via the computer screen, and often only emerging to eat. The kids -- typically boys from middle-class families -- were “paralyzed by profound social fears,” per the BBC. As Saito explained, “They are tormented in the mind. They want to go out in the world, they want to make friends or lovers, but they can't."

Since then, many Japanese researchers have studied this shut-in affliction. There’s even a term for this phenomenon of extreme reclusion: “hikikomori.” Per Wikipedia, it literally translates to “pulling inward” or “being confined.” Saito defines hikikomori as “a state that has become a problem by the late twenties, that involves cooperating oneself up in one’s own home and not participating in society for six months or longer, but that does not seem to have another psychological problem as its principal source.” While some of the afflicted with hikikomori have autism spectrum disorders, that’s the minority; for most, hikikomori is the primary problem, likely caused by a traumatic event or series of events which make hiding from society seem like a good idea.

Despite the extreme-sounding diagnosis, hikikomori is shockingly pervasive. Per the New York Times, "conservative estimates" place the population of withdrawn people at between 100,000 and 320,000. More aggressive estimates conclude that there are as many as one million hikikomori sufferers in Japan -- which is nearly 1% of the population. The Japanese Times shares even worse numbers -- 700,000 people on the low end, 1.5 million on the high end. And the number is growing because, as the New York Times further notes, "as a hikikomori ages, the odds that he'll re-enter the world decline." It's easier to withdraw than it is to rejoin society.

But there is hope for even long-term shut-ins. In 2015, ABC News (Australia) profiled an 18-year-old named Yuto Onishi, who for three years stayed in his room, “slept during the day and lived at night, trawling the internet and reading manga.” He “refused all contact with friends and family, sneaking out only in the dead of night to eat.” But an intervention, focused on counseling which involves the entire family, seems to have worked.  As of that article's writing, "Yuto has been out of his room for six months."

A letter that speaks to all, regardless of politics

I am a proud independent voter and generally stay out of politics, and will in this case too, for the most part.

The original link is here, and hope don't break any rules by copy / pasting entire thing here....

I'm an undecided voter, with one exception.  I won't mention her name, or what she's under investigation for, but if she's the one the Democrats put forth, my vote WILL go elsewhere.  With that said, am still undecided with the exception of that aspect.  If the Democrats put forth someone else, will consider, or Republicans, or even the Green Party (only an example).  I really want a lady president, but she has to be beyond reproach and this one has too many uncertainties for me personally to even think about voting for.

The letter, while focusing on one person, speaks to all Americans.  The struggles the writer writes about affects all of us now.  The hopes he writes about is hopes for all Americans.

A Letter to Donald Trump (from a voter, not me)

Posted March 2nd, 2016 @ 4:34pm in #Trump

---

This letter from Troy Morton was in the comments to my post from earlier today. I am reposting it here, with permission, because it is simply beautiful.

Breathtaking, actually.

Enjoy. 

—

To: President Trump

From: Just a simple man

I’ve been following your campaign since your announcement, reading millions of words written about you, watching thousands of hours of video and speeches, listening to many talk radio show segments, and engaging in dozens of debates with people around me.

No candidate has ever captured my attention the way you have.

Now that it’s clear you will be the Republican nominee, I want to share with you something so personal, painful, and uplifting, that I almost don’t want to write it, but I will anyway…trolls be damned:

My whole life, up until yesterday, has been based on reaction to fear.

Growing up as a black man in Washington D.C. during the “crack 80’s”, when Marion Barry was mayor, I lived a lower middle class childhood in one of the most dangerous cities in America. Though I had many friends, I was also subject to the threats, intimidation, and bullying that happens when you’re not like the people around you.

There was no father in my life to steel me against the world I lived in. My mother was strong, but it’s not exactly the kind of strength I needed. I was a boy, and needed a Man.

Without strong male guidance, I learned to fear…but not how to face fear and win. Even joining the military and going to war didn’t overcome my weakness, and all my future decisions considered strongly the level of fear I had at the time.

As a result, my life has been full of conflict, as I have unintentionally signaled to adversaries that I am an easier opponent to beat than others. I have won victories, but never truly enjoyed them knowing the battle is never won for me…only endured. I have also suffered crushing defeats, and important people in my life lost confidence in me as a result. I have not reached my potential, and settled instead into apathy and stasis, content to only being “smart enough” or “good enough”…not great. Not strong. Not resolute…

Not a leader. Not a winner.

My life, in many important ways, mirrors the American experience. Potential to be great, but paralyzed by fear. Full of conflict. Enduring, not winning. No leadership. No strong Male inspiration. And occasional, crushing defeats that hit to the core of our country…most notably 9/11, but also with the erosion of our middle class and uniquely American culture.

Like you say so often: we don’t WIN anymore.

Watching your campaign, and being as invested in it as I am, has been an exercise in recognizing, and confronting, fear that I never expected. Every time your opponents hit you…I feel fear for your candidacy and our country. Every charge of racist, sexist, facist, etc. causes me to worry that no one, not even you, can really change the country for the better. That we’re doomed to failure…

Then…inevitably…you win the battle. You don’t “survive”, or “endure”…you attack, and put fear into your opponents. You don’t stop until they are buried under your feet. Until they become paralyzed…

Sometimes, you even bait them into hitting you, just so you can beat the crap out of them again. Your life is full of conflict, but it becomes yet another opportunity to WIN, and makes you MORE powerful…not less.

Then, once they are eliminated as a threat, you are generous to the vanquished. It’s not personal, and they are not evil. They were, simply…in the way. Once they are not, they become worthy of kindness and respect.

Furthermore, you’re not just a blunt instrument…your strategy is impeccable. You go into every conflict knowing exactly what your opponents weaknesses are, how to exploit them, and what levers to pull to ensure victory. Clearly, you spend good time before announcing your candidacy doing the things the military taught me as a young soldier: surveying, recon, intelligence-gathering, ammunition, discipline, execution…

You are defending America from our enemies within, and it’s an AMAZING thing to watch.

Last night, you also did something else. You became the Man that helped me see fear for what it is: an illusion of power, a powerful teacher, and the path to winning if used properly. There is no reason, regardless of the enormity of the task, to lose to fear if you prepare well, are disciplined in your execution, and have the faith necessary, in God, yourself, and in others…that leads to victory.

Winning is always possible, but becomes probable if you never back down, never quit, and become your dominant self. Once the battle is won, treat the vanquished with kindness and respect. Be the bigger man.

You taught me how to Win.

I appreciate what you’ve done for me personally, and what you’re doing for our country. I know I’m not the only man who admires you, and can’t wait for you to become the father, and leader, of our country. It’s been a long, cold winter for men in America the last 8 years, and I believe that your election will dramatically improve the level of respect, admiration, and love people will show for strong men and Fathers, and will create a new generation of leaders from impressionable young boys.

That, more than anything, will Make America Great Again.

-Troy

Some good news today + Weekend Activities

It's with great feelings that I can now say all the cats are on a partial raw food diet.  Paisley was the last hold-out, but she succumbed to the inviting temptation that is raw turkey (I think).  Of course, it has other nutritional stuff in there.

This is the food I'm currently feeding them from Rad Cat.  They seem to like this, an no one has complained, except Paisley at the beginning.  The two boys just wolf anything down..  Should see them, like cat garbage disposals...

I will be switching to mixing my own.  Will buy ground chicken / turkey (organic preferably) to mix in with the food.  It'll be significantly cheaper than Rad Cat and at least on par with their offering nutrition wise.  Am going to use Wild Kitty mix, which is made from all human grade ingredients.  This is a big plus for me.  Am hopeful they don't turn into wild kitties.....


For my weekend activies am taking a self development course, it's called Inner Vegas.  This is a first for me that am going for this course, and it's intrigued me for awhile  Initially heard Dr. Joe on Coast to Coast A.M and something just resonated.

I must confess, had little hope of attending this class as they keep the class sizes small and I was already #3 on the waiting list.  I did, however, have a feeling to contact them on Wednesday inquiring if there was any movement in list as stayed in Vegas specifically for chance to attend.  Didn't hear any news.....

So Wednesday night I asked "the people up above" to do whatever is in my best interest, giving them permission to help me out.

Suddenly, the next morning Dr. Joe called asking if was still interested, peppered me with couple questions, then gave me to his wife to sign me up.  And I'm in!!!  Like Flynn....

My goal here is not to gamble, as that's just not my thing.  My goal is to get assistance, to unlock what's in me, to help me manifest my dreams for the good of everyone...  That is why a thing like Secret Santa exists.....

Time for a nap.  Exciting energy packed three days coming up!

Best wishes to everyone!

Fuel fuel everywhere....

Diesel fuel that is.  After spending several hours trying to fix it on the road, decided to move on and probably left a little line of it stretching from Yuma to Vegas.

It all started when was leaving Yuma and, ironically, dumping my garbage right before leaving the RV park.  I have a habit of walking around the RV and peeking underneath to see if anything is dangling or leaking or just doesn't look right.  In this case saw a steady drip drip drip...

The drips were coming from two different areas, one was near the radiator, other was just behind that.  Could tell, by the color, that one was anti-freeze, and by smell the other one was diesel fuel.  These weren't large leaks so felt safe to get going.

Finding leak

About five miles up the road, there is a large open air flea market that also had an equally large parking lot.  Had a feeling needed to check leak again so pulled in and left engine running.  Turns out that the antifreeze stopped dripping, but fuel leak was going pretty good, increasing in volume, but still drips now and then....  GRRRRRR..

Now, this type of analysis isn't really my thing, but when it needs to be done we must step out of our comfort zone(s).  In this case it was diagnosing things on the fly.

What I knew at this point:  Have a fuel leak.  Engine runs fine. Have a fuel leak.  Fuel leak doesn't seem pressurized as it's slow steady drip instead of spray or stream.  This also points to it not being on the intake, where the engine would exhibit some issues.  There is also deductive reasoning involved in that it's best to eliminate some of the more major possibilities.  Thankfully a diesel engine is fairly straight forward.

Leak area

Area where leak is is on the passengers side, in the rear, just to the right (looking forward) of the engine.  It is dark, and noisy, under there so hearing protection is recommended, if have it.  My preferred method of identifying where problem lies is using my cell phone camera, which doubles as mandatory picture taking for this blog!

If look at the picture, the middle piece is the fuel line, then there's an outer thing.  The fuel was originally coming from this outer thing, which looks to be some sort of protective sleeve.  While don't know for certain, this protective sleeve was probably added by the prior owner, and believe the joint shown was also done that way.  Unsure why.

Judging by the pictures, leak appears to be coming from the brass fitting where the two pieces of hose are joined together.  What I did to try and resolve the issue was take it apart, at this fitting, snip the hose back a bit, and reattach.  Did this a couple of times and still same result, which meant that the leak was coming from some other place, or the fitting was bad.

Was in parking lot for a good two hours investigating, then attempting to resolve it, when said enough is enough.  Leak wasn't all that bad, knew had enough fuel in tank, so picked up my tools and pulled the rig forward.  I then took the opportunity to clean up the parking lot, to the best of my abilities, so didn't leave a big mess around.  Still left some fuel on the pavement only because it's hard to get up.  As was writing that just remembered had kitty litter.......  ooops...  Not that I want a next time, but will now know.

Old hose connected

Got to Vegas with no problems.  Most of my reasoning for determining that it was safe to travel with that fuel leak is it's on the return line from the fuel injectors and it was a few drips here and there, not a full on constant drip.  While I felt bad about wasting fuel, and still feel bad, figured this was the best thing could do to preserve some sanity.

In Vegas, went to the auto parts store and was expecting to get 3/8" fuel line, but the guy behind the counter came back and said 5/16" fuel line was a closer fit, and it was.  As a matter of habit, I generally take what am trying to replace to the auto pars store.  In this case snipped off a small piece of the fuel line and took it with me.  He then matched it up and came back with proper size.

Upper hose barb

Install process for the top was super simple.  Only had to undo the hose clamp, with a small socket and ratchet, loosen the clamp and slide down, then pull hose off, gently as possible.  Want to be careful don't mess anything up up there..   Install process is precisely in the reverse order, with additional step of transferring old hose clamp to new hose.

One thing had to be careful of is fuel leaking out.  As mentioned, this is somewhat directly connected to the fuel tank, so if hose end is below fuel level am sure can guess what happens next...  A puddle appears.  To remedy this after unhooking hose, stuffed end of it up in the catacombs above me someplace so that it wouldn't slide down.

Next step is to replace the bottom part, where it was full of fuel.  With hindsight being the clearest, what I should've done is loosen clamp, slide clamp forward onto metal pipe, take hose off and put finger over end, slide new hose on and slide clamp back over.

Bottom new hose connection

What I actually did:  Loosen clamp, slide clamp onto rubber hose, take hose off and plug leak with finger (and nitrile glove).  Then slid new hose on and remove finger.  While new hose was loosely connected removed clamp off old hose.  Then had to take hose off, plug hole, slide clamp on new hose, then slide over metal pipe and finally tighten hose clamp.

As can see, there is some extra work that was unnecessary.  One thing I had to do, to remove the hose from metal pipe, is use a box cutter to lightly cut the hose.  I say lightly as didn't want to mark up the metal pipe.

While didn't trace this metal pipe all the way to the fuel tank, it does go quite a bit forward, and of course, has fuel leaking out.  My natural assumption is it's directly related to the tank.

Final step was to start engine and validate it is all leak free, which it is.  yippee!!!!

An updated picture of the cats....  Scatter and Bob this time..  Bob is growing like a weed...  Look at how long he is all stretched out.

Scatter (top) and Bob lounging

3D Printer heated bed repair

I was happily printing away when I heard a noise to my right, which is where the 3D printer is located.  Quickly looked over and saw flames...  Real, honest to goodness, flames, like FIRE......  Now I know why there's a STOP button....

I pummel the stop button with my finger and everything stops and all temperatures are set to zero, PHEW.  However, there is an aftermath, and a resolution, documented here....  Here is the complete album.

Angst ended here

I took divine inspiration from what Michael Peters did from the RigidBot Google Plus community.  My setup is very very similar to his, with some changes based on materials I could find and my overall setup.  Here is his larg'ish step by step documentation on what was done.

Now, my moment of angst ended like the photo shown.  Upon reading the community, everyone says this connector is a ticking time bomb, yet I never thought it would happen to me..  Famous last words, amiright?  Am lucky in that the damage started on the far right and stayed away from the thermistor leads, otherwise it would've been more work and/or replace bed itself.

My lug

As didn't know exact parts he used (part numbers and the like), did the best I could.  My first bit of hassle was finding the copper lug he referenced in the document.  Wound up getting these from an auto parts store (AutoZone I think).

Finished "lug"

To resize it, used a Dremel and snipped off the end, then trimmed the side.  Did both of these with the copper piece in a pair of lockjaw pliers.  I know, not safe but when in need do the needful.

In the picture, you'll notice that one side is smaller than the other.  In a later picture will notice had to do this to keep the hole as far from the outer edge as possible, and trimming only one side let me do a little less work.  Used a little buffing wheel to make it shiny and remove oxidation.

Hole Marking

After cutting the lug up, marked an area on the platform to get drilled out.  While marking the hole, also decided to mark the outer edges as will have to scrape the green stuff away.  Not sure what it's called, but green coating is protective and covers the copper underneath, preventing damage, and also insulates it so nothing gets shorted..

Starting the hole

To get the hole started, used a scratch awl to make an indentation, then a small drill bit to make the first hole.  As Michael said in his document, it's best to start small and go larger to prevent cracking the board.

Hole complete!

Kept enlarging this hole, ever so slowly, until used a 5/16" drill bit.  When using a 1/4" bolt, this gave, ideally, 1/32" on either side as an insulating factor.  In my case, had to expand this a little, details to follow.

Almost to the end

Then came the scraping, and more scraping, and more scraping.....  I used a retractable box cutter to make it happen.  While I didn't use it for nefarious purposes, it came in handy for this task.  With the blade extended, very lightly traced along the black marks.  Traced very lightly so wouldn't cut through the copper itself.  Then slowly, and lightly started scraping the green stuff off, holding the blade at about a 30 degree angle.

Even though there was a lot of green stuff left after scraping, figured had exposed enough copper to get great contact with the solder.  From that picture did scrape a little more, though was worried would scrape too much so decided to stop.

Dry fitting

In order to clean this, for good contact and easy flowing solder, I used some Carb / Choke cleaner.  Brand doesn't really matter, but some brake cleaner would have been better.  I was too lazy to walk outside and get some brake cleaner.

Another dry fitting of the copper piece proved that had shaved off just enough.  Next step was to solder it in place, which was harder than I imagined, though finally got it.

Now, just as am writing this, realized didn't capture a post image of what the top side looks like.  Rest assured, it's soldered in place securely but doesn't look all that pretty.  That's not the reason no picture, it's I plum forgot.  There's a larger overview picture that will be shown later.

Bolt centered

Due in no small part to the "fun" I had while soldering everything in place, the copper lug came a little off center.  Rather than try and remelt all the solder with my 40 watt iron, chose to use a dremel to make things right!  This picture is after I made things right!

Here is another step where I deviated from the guide, only because couldn't find a nylon shoulder washer locally. NOTE:  First prices I found on Amazon seem astronomically high.  Not sure if it comes in a multi-pack or not, but still very high.  With that aside, this is what I should've used.

Gasket Sealer

In my case got the chance to use some Gasket Sealer, picked up from Ace Hardware.  According to the package instructions this is good until 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which is much higher than bed is capable of.  Not sure what electrical resistance is like, or long term durability, but will find out soon enough.

I squirted this stuff in the hole, around the bolt, and let it sit overnight.  Neglected again to take a picture of this process, though have one later.

Negative wire pad

All of this work was for the positive wire.  It is now time to hook up the negative.  In this case only had to clear a space on bottom of the board.  Judging by this, I would have to say top of the board is almost exclusively positive current, while bottom is negative.  That's only a guess on my part, educated, guess nonetheless.

Now, here is my glorious soldering job, at least on the negative wire.  The soldering iron I have seems to have been a "tad bit" underpowered for the job, though was able to make it work.  There shouldn't be all those blobs of solder, yet at this stage didn't want to change a thing.  Was more than ready to stop it all.

Add caption

Here will also find the completed assembly for the positive (red) wire  Notice the gasket material (black) under the nut and connector?  This is what let sit for the night.  This allowed the liquid to settle down and around the bolt where used the dremel to make nice edge clearances.

Now came a problem..  Only had one meter (~3 feet) of wire, and if followed the instructions, wanted me to create a stress relief loop (great idea).  Problem with that is would've needed to splice additional wire in place, as control board is on other side of the printer.  It was here that a novel idea cometh upon me.

Add caption

The novel idea was to run wire directly underneath the bed to control board.  In and of itself this provides a stress relief of sorts.  And, yet again, fail to take an overview picture of the whole thing, though here is one of the spots where put a glob of sealant, then pressed the two wires in.  Can also notice how I routed this away from the thermistor.  Didn't want the potential to give it improper readings.

As a cheat trick, instead of waiting overnight for the stuff to firm up, turned the heat on for build plate (also to test) and set it for 60 degrees Celsius.  Within 10 minutes the outside was firmed up, and within twenty everything was firm enough.  Not quite sure what the longevity of this will be, or if additional damage could happen to the board (like green stuff peeling away), but for now it seems OK.

Wires connecting to board

On the other side, after getting it in place, I scavenged one of those cable clips from the satellite dish install on top of the roof.  It was a little too big so used some zip ties to secure all the wires in place (two power and two thermistor).  It seems to keep everything in place really well with no movement.

One change not documented in pictures is the thermistor cable.  I had recently begun taking apart my MakerFlop(Bot) CupCake 3D printer for parts, and had a female connector that accepted two prongs.  Simply cut the old thermistor wire, attached this new one, spliced everything together, and it's all acting hunkey dorey after plugging it in.

Glass

There are two additional changes I did, the first was to replace the aluminum build plate with glass, and second is to put cork underneath.  As a temporary solution got some glass from Home Depot.  This came in at exactly build size area, 12 x 16 inches.  Ideally would have wanted 13 x 16 inches so that the clips (holding glass in place) wouldn't reduce the available build area.

Money shot

Here's the money shot...  Everything in place and printing.  If notice the clips holding glass on, underneath will also see some thin cork.  This cork helps prevent heat transfer from going down.  Doesn't prevent all, but a good portion.  Am thinking of enhancing this by adding another layer of cork as well as maybe some aluminum foil sandwiched in the middle.  Unsure if that will help with anything or just be a pain.

Now, from what I gather, after people see the money shot, it's time for cuddling.  Here's Paisley and Bob laying on my organic duvet, enjoying quality time together.

Paisley and Bob

Cat update

I must say, to start off with, I listen to everyone's advice equally and weigh it with my own internal (fluctuating) thoughts.  One time, year or so ago, a wonderful friend told me that, with a male cat, I should feed him really good food as they're prone to certain things.  Now, at the time I was feeding Scatter and Mia Acana cat food, specifically the Wild Prairie type.

Being on the road like I am it's very difficult to find this particular brand, so I get the best I can get, without overpaying just to have a "name brand".  Some of them are awfully expensive, with decreasing cost vs benefit the higher it goes.  Acana has a sister brand though don't remember the name.

First found this particular food at Chopper's Holistic Pet food, and have been getting stocking up when can find it.  Got hooked on that particular cat food when I e-mailed the company some time ago asking if they use GMO Alfalfa, as noticed Alfalfa in their list of ingredients.  I got back a lengthy e-mail from one of their higher ups directly addressing my question, and giving me all sorts of other information on how the source their ingredients.  This endeared me forever.

I do my best to give them the best nutrition, but sometimes that's not enough to prevent an occasional vet visit.  Such is the case on Christmas Eve day.

Scatter didn't eat for a good two days, and constantly threw up bile, a clear liquid.  Now and then, though rarely, I would see him drink water though never eat.  He also seemed to lose energy.  I tried to get him in to see the holistic vet, which will mention later, though there were no last minute appointments available.  I then brought him to place they recommended, Desert Inn Animal Hospital.

Dr. Nick looked at Scatter, had an X-ray done, and nothing was found.  He suggested it was just a passing bug and gave Scatter an anti-biotic, something else, and then a thing to calm him down.  I have no complaints about the service.  Must say I learned a good lesson that day is that the initial appointment fee was very reasonable ($51), they gave Scatter an x-ray and that was $225+.  Granted 3 x-rays, all done on computer....  Wasn't expecting such a pricey x-ray and to say I was stunned is an understatement.  Scatter got his first ever Scooter ride!

To that end, I made appointment with one of the holistic veteranarians in town at Animal Kingdom Veterinary Hospital.  Am very impressed with this place and happy brought Scatter in here.  He didn't want to go, and didn't want to stay, even though the vet was very nice, so much so that used an ear thermometer thing instead of the traditional way to measure cat body temperature (think of one way exit area).

I mainly kept the appointment to ask about overall pet health. She, being Dr. Joanne (so little notepad paper says), mentioned that she feeds her three cats a raw food diet.  I have, in the past, thought about doing this with Pia and Mia, even going so far as getting a meat grinder that could handle bones, but never did as they had a lukewarm reception.  Dr. Joanne helped me immensely in this and she gave me some detailed feeding instructions that she uses.

While, for the moment, I'm choosing to use raw food for their dinner, this is what she does for breakfast and dinner.

Per cat:

1. 1 1/2 - 2 Tablespoon Rad Cat (Chicken or Turkey)
2. 1/6 can of typical cat food
3. Adjust as needed to maintain appropriate calories for weight

This is going to be a bit pricey long term, but if it can help me avoid another expensive x-ray am all for it.

To this end, am looking around at making my own raw cat food again, not by grinding meat up myself, but by purchasing ground meat (with or without bones) and then adding the vitamin supplements they need.  Have found couple places that offer supplements in a pouch that just mix with the meat, which is the route will start with.

On other cat news, Bob is now enjoying the RV lifestyle.  He's the kitten I rescued awhile back, and brought into the humane society to be adopted.  Well, I dropped him off on a Tuesday, instead of Friday like had wanted to, and then picked him up couple days later.  Three cats is a handful, especially around dinner time....  And they're all being cared for to the best of my ability.

This will seem a little strange, but I didn't actually adopt Bob from the shelter....  Someone else adopted him on my behalf.  I would've done it in a heartbeat, but at the moment time was of the essence to get him in line to be fixed.

People always say, "oh, you're a cat person"...  My thoughts on this is that there are no "cat people" or "dog people" or "rat people", there are just people who like companionship.  I would really like horses now, though currently out of my reach.  I would really like a dog, yet they are a fair amount of work which don't want to expend right now.  So, cats it is, and they're fairly self sufficient, sans changing litter box.  Speaking of which...

Am looking at changing Paisley's name, the female cat I adopted in Longmont, CO.  This is because her name doesn't seem to fit her, can't explain it.  Am thinking of name beginning with J, though that might change, something like Julie, Jane, Jopree, Jennifer, JoJo, who knows.

Best wishes to everyone for the greatest year ever!