...and so november has all but rained on by, so soon, so suddenly. next time i blink it will be the new year, no doubt. i have sort of given myself permission to not even try and achieve anything for the rest of the year. little everyday things are challenging enough these days. not that i'm depressed or anything, i just don't have the energy to work on all my brilliant ideas.
it has been dark and dull here, though. two snowy weekends but it has melted away by monday both times. harvesting and foraging has dwindled down, but i still get chards from my garden boat and there are occasional mushrooms in the woods, funnel chanterelles and velvet shanks mostly. it has not been great for photography, but i should be getting a new camera for my birthday (i turned 35 earlier this month) so that might help a bit.
the older one of my rats has been sick lately, last weekend i was sure he was done for, but he pulled through a nasty sounding, sudden pneumonia and started to pick up, so i got him a hefty course of antibiotics at the vet instead of a ticket to the other side... twice a day we wrestle with the feeding syringe, this time. three more doses to go. i know he's not getting any younger, or much healthier, (his lung capacity is already compromised) but as long as there's a spark in his eyes, i want him around. well, both of them of course. they sleep a lot since it's dark and cold now, but when it comes to food and treats, there's plenty of ratty spirit present.
i finally got them a bigger cage yesterday, but as i'm typing this, they are both asleep in the old, tiny one, even though there is nothing but woodchip at the bottom. it's their home, so i won't keep them from it, but the plan is to have them spend the nights in the new cage, as well as any time i might be away for a little while, so they have room to roam unsupervised. basu already did sleep in there last night, but wheezy old paroni chose the familiar option. he's more like that, as am i, not fond of things changing so much.
my morning walk was interrupted today by a troupe of neon orange moose hunters, so i turned back mid-way. didn't really fancy running into a panicky, giant animal, nor seeing one get shot. just my luck, though, the one day i actually managed to head on out right after the first chores of the day, and the weather was lovely, too, mild with a peek at the blue sky. i heard the barking dogs getting nearer and the one gunshot, so i'm assuming it was a successful hunt. i feel sadness and compassion for the animal, but at the same time i have to respect the fact that this is how my people have lived throughout the centuries in this wilderness. even though i'm a vegetarian, my genes come from moosemeat-fed bodies. however, our plot will always remain a safe haven for game, as long as i've got any say in it.
