Monthly Archives: October 2018

Business, Photography

Mystery of the Painful Ankle

Somehow my ankle got screwed up, and I have no idea what happened. I recall stumbling on some stairs, but it didn’t hurt at the time. Sigh.

Woke this morning with some minor pain, but by the end of the work day, much of it spent on my feet, I was feeling more twinges.

Got home, made dinner, sat down to watch the news, got up and YOW!

Nearly fell down the pain was so sharp.

What the heck?

I’ve been RICEing it this evening, and have it loosely wrapped for bed with a tensor bandage with a topical patch inside.

Sure hope it’s better in the morning, because I have another six-hour delivery shift. . .

bum ankle

UPDATE (Nov. 6): Well the ankle has pretty much come around, but a week of walking funny has resulted in a painful muscle in the foot.  Everything is connected . . .  Heading off to work with a topical patch and ankle brace.

Fishing, Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping

Kanaka Creek Return of the Salmon

Yumi and I headed out to Maple Ridge for the Return of the Salmon  at the fish fence at Kanaka Creek Regional Park. It was a lovely day for the fun event.

Kanaka Creek Salmon Return
Glorious male chum in full spawning regalia


Thanks to all the KEEPS volunteers!


Ross Davies regales folks with nature tales, and explains the salmon life cycle


Yumi with a bunch of kids, checking out aquatic bugs


Metro Vancouver Parks display


The fish dissection was educational albeit a tad gruesome : – )


That wee ball is the lens from a chum salmon’s eye


A bear nonchalantly ambled by, ignoring the hundreds of people


Watershed Watch Salmon Society booth.

Defend the Heart of the Fraser!

 

Pets

Health Challenges Beset Choco the Cat

It’s been an exhausting week. but we still have our love bug.

Choco the Cat was diagnosed with diabetes earlier this year, despite being a skinny gal all her life.

An adult rescue, we’re not sure of her exact age, but she’s around 16 years old. We welcomed her to our family in August, 2005.

The vet recommended insulin shots twice a day, and we’ve been administering them.

Over the last week she suffered a couple of seizures.

The seizures were terrifying for her, and for us. Thankfully Yumi was still awake the first time it happened, heard something strange and ran down to see what was going on.

Choco was convulsing, and Yumi brought her to bed, placed her in my arms, and Choco tucked her head under my chin, and clenched her front paws around my neck as if to say, “Help me Daddy!”

Yumi quickly prepared and administered a sugar solution, and Choco came back from the brink.

She was at the vet’s all of the following day on an IV. She’s come back a bit, is eating and drinking.

We are struggling with quality of life issues, but as long as she’s happy cuddling, still eating, drinking, and eliminating, and not having more seizures, we’ll give her the best care and attention possible.

She’s having a blissful cuddle with Mommy as I write this .

Damn we love her.

Choco and Yumi
Relaxed in Yumi’s arms.

UPDATE: 10/20

Choco and I just watched an entire football game like this. I’m going to need a shoulder transplant. . . 

choco paul watching football

At her request I had the sound turned down so low that I could barely hear the game.

There was also a ban on backseat quarterbacking, general yelling, and jumping up and down ;-).

Fishing, Nature, Photography, Society, Streamkeeping, Travel

Adams River Salute to the Sockeye 2018

We spent a few days up at the Salute to the Sockeye festival the last few days at the former Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park.

The park was recently officially, and rightfully, renamed Tsútswecw Provincial Park. (I’ve read news reports that family of the late Haig-Brown — one of Canada’s most famous environmentalists and nature writers — supports the renaming).

This year is a dominant run, and though it’s been slow shaping up, it was still awesome. I think this is the third or fourth dominant run that we’ve taken in — they happen every four years, with slower runs in between.

sockeye salmon adams river