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Archive for AP Lines
Almost TherePosted by: | Comments
Friday, October 25th, 2013. The official start of this year's land-line trapping. I'm almost ready for the three-weeks, all-day, all-out blitz for canines (with a side order of coon) about to commence :)
I've almost have all the traps waxed, packed and ready to deploy. There are still quite a bit of "little things" to be completed, loose ends tied up.
Almost have enough coon and canine baits made. Almost got a couple batches of my own lures made… for later season work when the critters have been exposed to off-shelf commercial lures.
Almost have my permissions secured. Still a few straggling properties I'm chasing landowners for, still not 100% sure exactly how every mile of my lines will map out. That's always a somewhat dynamic, moving target based on weather conditions, crop harvests, other trapper's pressure, etc.
Almost have my truck ready to go. Still needs a little bit of work to prepare it (best as possible) for some long miles straight ahead. Scheduled to complete and will be done by next Friday dawn's early light.
Thru the years I have learned that no matter how early we start our preparations, there is never 100% completion before day one. At least that has always been the case for me. I suppose if my lines were shorter and less gear to manage, that could be different. But this year I find that the more I get done, the more there seems left to still do.
I'll be ready for land season when the opening bell rings at 7am eastern next Friday. I won't be ready for the waterlines to come until that time draws nigh. That whole operation will wait for now… plenty of time to deal with that when the actual time comes.
Meanwhile, this weekend marks the completion of gear to prep and routes mapped out. Monday thru Thursday will be
spent invested pre-making sets, getting ready to deploy max number of traps out and functioning on day one.
Other than that… steady as she goes each day. By the time it's time to get started, we'll be ready. That includes blowing the off-season dust from this online journal, and detailing our season's journey all along the way. Look forward to seeing you here inside :)
Tight Chains
Rain DelayPosted by: | Comments
After a 3.5 drive from home yesterday, I finally reached the first destination to scout for fall muskrat trapping up north. Season opens Thursday next, and it was time for the final precision scouting effort to determine exactly where opening day should be spent.
Truck was pulled over at the same off-road launch that I used this past April at the spring season's end. If you looked closely enough, you might still see some faint shards of surveyor ribbon left on shore by other trappers before me then. Water levels looked good. Loaded the canoe with a brand-new deep cycle battery to power the 40lb trolling motor for an effortless push back upstream.
This particular flow winds its way thru a cattail & grassy bottomland for about three miles as the crow flies before it meets the migthy St Lawrence river. I have trapped this location fall and/or spring, on & off for the past twenty five years or so. Muskrat populations have always fluctuated between pretty good to stacked like cordwood in the times I've been there before. As I paddled my way downstream for the first couple hundred yards of the three-mile trip, it struck me odd to see almost no fresh muskrat sign at all. No feedbeds. No toilets. No shiny cattail and mud houses nestled back in the cover.
Looking close at the bottom of this flow with polarized glasses on did not paint a prettier picture. No muskrat holes or runs visible at all. None. As I rounded a distance bend that heads for a fairly straight stretch, it all came crystal clear in a hurry. The section of flow I had been on with its normal three feet of water only existed because of a beaver dam. Below that dam and for the next three miles or so was nothing more than a trickle of water. And mud.
I gotta tell ya… that sight left me with an instant sinking heart inside. Pretty much knew right then & there what the rest of my scouting trip would find. If this flow, a tributary to the St Lawrence Seaway was nearly three feet below normal water levels, that must mean the whole big river itself was drawn down the same.
Mind you, these were the exact-same waters Holly and I spent a long weekend kayaking back in early August. At the time, water levels were normal and summertime muskrat sign was ample if not abundant. I saw no reason then why this time right now would be anything other than business as usual on the fall trapline up north.
But I guess ten week's time can make all the difference in a historical drought event. The yellow line on this NY map outlines my road trip yesterday, which took from 7:30am departure from home to 8:30pm arrival at the same. Thirteen hours of driving with a few interludes of paddling or walking in the mud resulted in no trappable muskrat populations found.
All of the old-timers I've talked to or that others have talked to and relayed in conversation say to a man that they've never seen water levels this low in New York state. Not just up north… most everywhere.
So if the men who've lived here all their lives that are now in their 70s or 80s cannot ever recall drier times, what does that tell us? Suggests to me that this summer has been at least that long a historical mark for lack of surface water tables.
Regardless, one thing is clear. My plans for a marathon muskrat trapping season are on hold due to rain delay. Or more aptly put, total lack of rain this year. Yesterday was also the open of trapping season in North Dakota. I've heard from friends out there that muskrat populations are decent in the big waters but small flows and shallow sloughs are dried up and nonexistant for the most part. It's not like NY is dry while most other parts of the country are normal to wet. The historical drought of 2012 has been constant news everywhere, all summer long.
Everywhere I looked yesterday, remnant muskrat populations remain. A couple of spring-fed sloughs along the highway were mushroomed with new muskrat houses as ample water levels = ample water animals present. Give those areas one winter and spring season of normal to high precipitation, and muskrat numbers should bounce right back again. I did see plenty of fresh beaver sign and if weather conditions permit I will be up there this spring for a flat-tail trapping trip. But as for muskrats spring or fall? Not this year.
It remains to be seen how the water season here in my part of NYS unfolds ahead. That opens about a month from now, on November 25th. Meanwhile the land season comes in here this Thursday, canine and coon trappers have no shortage of critters to work with out there. I'll run some short lines for coon in the local area, but by no means will it be a concerted efforts. Gas prices are high, coon prices are low and my normal work day schedule is not conducive to longline efforts for canines.
A ten-day muskrat trip was carefully planned and scheduled starting Thursday. 500+ traps are all ready to go. Boats and canoes and motors and gear remain ready to deploy. And there is nowhere to go with nothing to catch when you get there.
So our first season opener comes in four days from now. I'll shift to Plan B and dabble with some coon while I wait for the water season to commence here on 11/25. The only plans I have that remain intact for the season of 2012 – 13 are to enjoy the great outdoors, have lots of fun and catch some fur where found. Anything other than that is under rain delay for now.
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Lucky ThirteenPosted by: | Comments
Seems like forever ago when the last batch of fur left my shed and made its way to the market, marking an end to the season of 2011-2012.
After all this time, the next batch of fur is scheduled to ride in that very same place of prominence in my truck… two weeks from today. The water season up north opens thirteen days from now, a day which will be spent setting traps somewhere or other from 7am to nightfall. The day after that, Friday Oct 26th will yield the first of this season's fur as we check the line before spending the remainder of that day setting more traps until dark.
No doubt this year will be fun, exciting, entertaining, educational and memorable. Maybe a bunch of other good things too. But it won't be one of recordbook catches for me or probably anyone else.
The historical summer drought and significantly lower fur populations are a limiting factor, a reality we face. Much like grain farmers this year watched sky-high corn prices rising in the futures market, while they looked out across parched cornfields with stunted stalks and maybe one smallish ear per stalk in the better fields. Muskrat prices may very well rise to $20 or more this season, but many if not most trappers across the country are staring at prime water locations in the past that are now barren mud.
Long-term, this drought impacts water animals only until normal water levels return. If ample moisture falls in the way of rain and snow this winter, a restoration of standing water sources will mean a return to solid furbearer populations post haste. But in place where the affects of drought may linger into next year, could be a reduction of water animals for some time to come.
Back in March and April, I had tentative plans to trap North Dakota first and then our regular season here in New York, followed by a potential trip (or two) to New Jersey and/or North Carolina (beaver & otter) and then back to North Dakota for the spring season to wrap things up. The key word there was "tentative" because everything was based on weather patterns. Unfortunately, we all know how this summer turned out.
That leaves me with starting and ending this fall & spring season ahead trapping rats and beaver up north, with the usual mode here at home in between. It'd be nice to visit New Jersey for a spell in late February / early March… something I still look forward to. North Dakota is simply too dry overall for me to make the 24+ hours drive each way and operate that far from home with fractional muskrat populations. That still remains possible next spring if reports out of the midwest on rat catches are more favorable than expected. But in reality, that probably waits until the fall of 2013 from what I hear direct from sources on location out there.
I'm also prepared for the fact that running out of available muskrat locations here is a very real possibility. Half the places I've scouted are either bone dry or too dry for sustained populations. That means half the places I had potential to trap and likewise others did too are non-existent this time. So that in turn means me and all those other guys are left with fewer spots that remain.
An early freeze-up and lots of ice this year would probably work well in my favor. Most muskrats trappers out there in my state are not willing to work thru the ice, they are open-water only. A relatively few guys look forward to working thru the ice, because they can pile up solid catches from locations that are inaccessible in open water. I prefer to trap open water but will not hesitate to run all-day lines thru the ice if/when normal winter weather conditions return. Last year we had no ice at all to work with in my area. Nor do I expect to ever see such a non-winter season during wintertime here again.
Other than that, I'm mostly prepared and ready to start. About all that's left would be painting and flagging stakes, moving my gear to the staging area up north and a few other odds & ends. Any mid-season changes in plans such as more emphasis on coon or fox will be dealt with at the time. Each of those critters are simple to cold-roll prospect and set up for. Finding them and preparing gear for such efforts is not a problem.
Above & beyond all else, this trapping season will be another year of being outside, enjoying the depths of nature and wildlife to its fullest. Whether it all goes according to script or nothing as planned remains to be seen. I'm every bit excited about my 40th year stringing steel as I was my very first. Maybe a bit more. Looking back on all the years past… I know how much fun there is in store!
Luckily for me, only thirteen days left to go :)
Ringtail AddictionPosted by: | Comments
A funny thing happened on my way to scouting preseason muskrat lines. I keep running into raccoon sign. Lots of it.
Now that's not good for a longtime coon trapper addict, someone who spent a lot of years chasing ringtails in the daylight and dark. There was a time I thought that addiction might be cured, or at the very least quelled. But each time I run across hot, smoking coon toilet locations or beaten-down trail networks connecting food and travel zones, that oldtime itch to lay out some steel and block those paths tends to flare up again.
My general area of the state used to have a lot more coon around than it does today. But just like too many other places across the country, we've had our bouts with rabies and distemper to knock raccoon numbers back.
Add to that progressive habitat loss, with decades of intensive logging and of late the heightened land clearing for small grain crops and a lot of ancient, hollow den trees are gone for my lifetime. It takes an oak or sugar maple too near 100 years of growth to get big enough and hollow enough for sheltering coon. I don't have that kind of time left in me to wait for today's ten-inch trees to get there again.
Today's coon that cannot find enough open room in remaining hollow trees for shelter are more and more taking to ground dens for winter shelter. Whether that affects fur quality overall or not, I can't say. I do know that fur buyers used to tell me that coon denning in hardwood trees would have the glossiest fur from frequent rubbing against oils in the wood.
Regardless, my travels thru the state take me past roadside trail locations much like the one pictured here. That specific place does not have a cornfield this season and likewise no rutted path of travel this time around. But more years than not for the past three decades and counting, a creek on one side and a corn field on the other side of that highway = what you see right there.
In the past I ran mostly #220s in such trails with a mix of #11 longsprings for blind and baited sets along with #1.5 coils when available steel began to run low. The difference now will be #160s replacing the #220s by law and prudence, along with new dogproof (DP) traps where crisp trail set locations don't exist and baited sets take over.
I'll still rely on #11 longs for some blind and baited locations as needed, too. They are my preferred foothold trap for coon on dryland sets and in shallow water: perfect grip across paw for comfortable, secure hold and they do a fine job with incidental mink, red and gray fox as well.
I've used #160 size bodygrip traps a fair bit for blind-setting coon trails in recent years with near equal results to the #220 days. Early on when vegetation is thick and natural pinch points exist, either trap is about equal.
As the season wears on and vegetation opens up, then we see some coon balk at the smaller #160 that would probably still steer into a #220. Eventually all bodygrip traps become less effective than baited sets late in the season, overall.
A pair of coon taken with #220s in late November (as pictured) naturally gravitated against those tag alder saplings, which served as a natural pinch point, albeit open air. I'm not sure that would work equally well with #160s set legal (in blind trails without bait) here in NY, which mandates the top of jaws be no higher than 8″ off the ground. That eliminates jacking the trap up 4 – 6 inches off ground and creating a higher window presentation for snaring coon.
But, as the opening picture showed, big coon naturally squeeze themselves under, into and thru some pretty narrow places by choice. It's simply a matter of being a bit more picky at where we deploy those #160s to nail even the biggest coon that come along.
As with any lethal trap, my #160s will only be used in places where pet traffic is not an issue. That's where the DP traps really shine. It's easy (or at least somewhat easier) to secure permission when the landowner sees how DP traps function. A quick demo of what's deployed usually gets the green light where dogs or small livestock happen to roam. Even cats can be discouraged from catches if sweet or fruity baits are used.
Those #11s are key in heavily-used but open trails where no pinch points exist to blend in bodygrips. Then it's simply a matter of bedding in the little foothold where coon traffic dictates, and they'll be there in the morning when we come.
Although I'm mentally committed to a primary focus on muskrats this year, I will allow myself some time in distraction for putting some ringtails in the truck. Also, if I happen to run out of muskrat locations far from home before our local water season opens one month later, it's no big deal to stretch out the coon line and shift gears in that direction for a little while.
Either way and anyways, I look forward to a mixed bag of fur this season ahead. Thirty days left until the first stakes get stuck in the mud. I'm ready get started right now!
Tight Chains
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Counting DownPosted by: | Comments
Well, as of 7am this morning we're down to merely 37 days and counting before the season of 2012-13 officially begins. Seems like forever ago when I pulled stakes last back in April, and settled myself in for a long summer break to follow.
I'm not quite ready yet for the start and quite frankly I don't know if any of us ever really are. Seems like there's always something or other we forget until last minute. This year I've been pretty good about steady pacing the workload, picking away at something or other most every day.
Noah Would've Understood If we're gonna get serious about trapping, we're gonna need two (or more) of everything. I have two canoes, and that's about it. I need two 50lb thrust electric motors and enough batteries to not run dry during two day's hard use. Also need two pairs of fresh waders… the ones I have on hand are pretty chewed up from rough going in beaver-snag infested waters. Neoprene and sharp sticks submerged in the silt and muck do not play nice together.
All the misc gear such as gloves and socks, inside-wader pants (fleece sweats) and insulation, jackets and coats including rain gear, polarized sunglasses for sunny days, patch kits, duct tape, first aid kits, etc are just as vital as traps and terminal gear. It takes all that stuff to operate traplines at high levels of efficiency.
Gotta make our extensive lists and check them twice. Details, details :)
Unofficially, I've been plugging along most every day with preparations and tasks to get ready… and still there's more to go. Just finished dip-treating the last twenty-five dozen #160s, about five-dozen assorted footholds and three dozen #330s to complete the task.
Next up is the process of removing one spring from all the #160 and #220 size traps. That will include a few hour's time standing in front of a table vice with music playing to break the monotony or better yet, volunteer help to converse the time away. For those who asked, I always remove the spring without chain, leaving trap chain on the lone spring for these traps. Factory chain is a vital part of my staking system for muskrat-mink bodygrip traps.
Basically this offseason I swapped out all of my existing #110 size traps for #160s instead. So my overall numbers of traps didn't increase… just changed the assortment. I do have more steel to accumulate real soon (can we ever really have too many traps?) which include Bridger #150 and #159 bodygrip traps designed for muskrat (mink) specifically.
Also adding a couple different selections of canine foothold traps, but there's no pressing need to get them ready for service right away.
Childhood Memories Have a 12′ aluminum car-top boat that my uncle recently gave me. It's at least 50+ years old or more but great shape still. I recall him having that from my youngest memories as a child. Always fantasized about motoring around in it when I was a kid… now it'll be serviced on the water lines for muskrat and beaver where flows are big enough to warrant but calm enough to handle that size. Right now it is just plain shiny aluminum, but about to get two coats of flat brown paint to kill the glare on sunny days. Next couple of sunny days that come along, that little boat will get its first major facelift since sometime before I was born :)
Stakes Are High
So far I have 30-dozen sumac saplings cut for stakes… 7′ and 8′ lengths for footholds in the big marshes where visibility sucks, and also under-ice work with baited bodygrips and deep runs. Last season never saw more than one day of ice hard enough to walk before it mushed up and/or went away repeatedly. Ice walking and the knowledge on how to systematically pick off rats from beneath its cover separates catches in the 100s versus catches in the 1,000s for New York trappers. Really looking forward to stretches of under-ice trapping this season where different areas inaccessible during open water become readily available once things harden up.
I need to paint the ends of those some bright flourescent color, and do the same thing to several hundred 4′ stakes for the #160s and #210s deployed. Right now there is a rainbow of vary-colored tapes on what I have… need to consolidate a color scheme so I know at a glance which are mine versus all the other stakes expected to be seen that don't belong to me.
This summer's historical drought has left the remaining local waterways with enough depth to cover a rat's back choked beneath a thick covering of duckweed and algae that cooked in the sun for months on end. Normally we have several gully-washer storms during the summer that flush slow moving waters from warm weather weed coatings. Not this time. The same algae and duckweed that formed in May is still pretty much right there in the same spots. By now it has aged in the relentless summer sun. And it does not smell like fine wine or cheese, both of which tend to age well.
Considering the local "flows" which in fact ain't flowed one bit since April are choked with vegetive sewage, I'm saving my fall scouting until the last few weekends before game time arrives. About half the places I intend to cover are very familiar waters while the other half are completely new to me. We deal with pretty much the same general situations in each location, but each location tends to have a personality all its own. I really prefer to cover the water at least once before loading up equipment and paddling (motoring?) out into the vast unknown.
Other than all that, just a matter of keeping busy with small tasks each day and marking off the days on our dwindling calendar until no days remain between us and the long-awaited start of 2012-2013 season's fun.
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Dawn Cuts GreasePosted by: | Comments
When I sold my spring muskrats from the March trip to northern-zone NY this past season, I actually swapped them for new traps instead of cash. Twenty dozen new Duke #160s followed me home from the show in Herkimer yesterday, along with some vintage B&L stoploss traps and other sundry items.
Cocolamus Creek in southern PA was the buyer, and I've waited until the NYSTA convention this weekend to take delivery. Saved the shipping costs involved and leaves me plenty of time to get them prepped for the fall season opener in late October straight ahead.
These traps need to lose the boxes, lose the factory grease, gain a light coating of rust followed by a couple coats of trap dip in time to dry by October 25th. Tall order? Nope… piece of cake :)
First step was unloading the truck. As you can see, I did it by myself and there was no careful stacking of the boxes from truck to ground. Gentle enough not to hurt the traps, boxes were already half opened in the process. We also have some 30-gallon containers to put them in, and a creek full of running water as well.
I've read a lot of tactics for removing factory grease from traps. Some suggest taking to a car wash. I've never found that to be effective at total removal of oils at all. Some suggest running traps thru an automatic dishwasher. I'm sure that works… but we're talking 20 dozen pieces of steel here. My dishwasher is not quite big enough for that!
Many years ago I watched oil-soaked waterfowl and mammals being cleaned by hand using nothing more than Dawn dish detergent and water. How many times have you seen the t.v. commercials touting Dawn cuts grease?
Me too.
So the easiest way I've found to strip factory grease from new metal is fill a container with traps, add some water, add a 1/4 cup (or so) of dish detergent to the water, finish filling said container with poured water to suds it all up nice. I'm able to fit about five dozen of these #160s into a standard trash can sized container.
From there I let the steel soak a couple of days minimum or until I'm ready to take the next step. Each day I agitate the containers by shaking them sideways to swirl the mix and refoam soapy suds. Not sure if that really matters or not… but who doesn't like making bubbles anyway?
Next step, a few days from now is to pour off the soapy water, load traps in the bed of my truck and finish rinsing them off at the car wash. We'll continue this story when that time comes. Once totally cleaned, traps go back in a water – white vinegar bath mixture to etch the steel and promote light rusting in rapid fashion. Then we rinse them again, let dry and dip with trap treatment coating of our choice.
This leaves me with +/- forty dozen #160s and maybe five dozen #210s to begin the season with. I'll add another twenty dozen Bridger #159 single-spring 6″ traps to round out the collection. Need more than enough inventory on hand in case of heavy theft or other unforeseen loss potential, in addition to trapline rotation strategies. Where 48-hour check laws permit skipping a trapline check on the third or fourth day and setting a fresh line elsewhere, checking both lines next day and continuing the shift from old line to fresh sets require lots of extra steel.
To this point in time I've liked Duke #160s best of all for muskrats specifically, but the Bridger #159 is equally effective and more feature laden for the same general price. Considering I remove one spring from my Dukes to begin with, the Bridger #159 saves me that extra step to bother with in preparations.
All brands work and each trapper has their own preferences. How you set the trap, how you position the triggers and specifically where you set each trap means everything in the end. What brand or particular size said trap means least of all in the equation for success.
That's it for the first step in this simple trap-cleaning process for now. More to come, this week :)
I Dip – You Dip – We DipPosted by: | Comments
The summer season gradually winds to an end. Days are getting shorter. Nights are getting cooler. Opening days for trapping seasons 2012 – 13 are drawing nearer. Crunch time is on the distant horizon. time to get serious about getting ready for the big events!
I still like to boil and wax my canine gear in typical "old school" style out of part nostalgia, part habit and part fear that changing things up might impact results in negative fashion.
Truth is, I'm probably just as well off to dip every trap I own and then wax or otherwise seal the canine traps afterward. Regardless, I have dipped all of my water traps (and footholds for coon) with various dip products thru the years dating back to 1990 if not earlier.
Definitely learned a few things in the past two decades and counting when it comes to dip-treating traps. By no means is any rocket science involved here. Matter of fact, I think a lot of trappers probably over complicate the project. So let's walk thru the past two days in my yard here for an overview of what I personally do.
Weather is perfect this week for treating traps. Gotta make hay while the sun shines… or in my case make both old and newer steel shine while time is still on our side.
I had roughly ten dozen #160s, four dozen #220s, seven dozen #1.5 coils and two dozen #2 coils with a few other misc make & model traps prepped to dip. Not a big pile of steel to deal with… couple gallons of liquid dip and an hour's messy labor should get the job done :)
All foothold traps get some type of small object between the jaws to prop those inner surfaces open. I have a bunch of miscellaneous nails and screws laying around, so I grabbed something short and used those for this process. These traps are Bridger #1.5 coils new last spring, their first trip thru the speed dip baptism process.
Compare those prior to some aged #2 Victor reverse-jaw coils that were pretreated with a vinegar soak to strip old rust, dirt and debris away from bare steel. These traps are as open-pore steel ready to accept dye coating as you will ever see.
Step one is always pouring the liquid medium in our selected container first, then gradually stir the dip product in for smooth, even dilution. I learned long ago not to simply pour in globs of dip to an empty container and then add the gas dilution afterwards while expecting that mess to slurry real nice. Doesn't work well that way at all… pour the gas first, gradually stir in dip and allow it to mix thoroughly to begin with. As with most any project in life you can think of, prep work is everything.
My personal preference has always been white gas or stove gas, aka coleman camping fuel. I have used unleaded gas before and it works fine, but the white gas seems to dry quicker and leave a more even coat finish. Maybe that's just me, maybe I didn't work with gasoline enough. By no means do I imply that my way is the only way, or that other liquids won't work as well.
But hey… this is my story, my chronicle and that's what I do, dammit! <laugh>
Once the dip mix is properly diluted and stirred, time for the bathing to begin. I like to dunk my traps by the dozen when it comes to small footholds. Bodygrip traps are laid flat in piles until they just stick out above the surface of liquid, whereupon a little sideways sloshing gives everything a nice even soak.
A mix of brand new #160s and some three years old now that haven't been treated since their first time dipped, three seasons ago. I expect a lot more time afield and in the water for them this season alone than the past three seasons combined, so everything gets well coated ahead of time this time around.
Nice, smooth coat after the second round dipped. First bath on Wednesday, second bath today (Friday) and that's it for them… ready for a lot of long, hard use in their future straight ahead.
Those aged Victor #2 coils sucked up that coating like thirsty sponges. Nice thin, even coats of coverage with no globs, drips or runs anywhere.
Our virgin Bridger #1.5s took on two thin coats of cover, but in usual patchy fashion for new steel. They were cleaned of all grease and grime but not completely rusted, so I expect they will need be dipped again before next season begins.
A few pointers I keep in mind from experience learned the hard way…
Always wear old, worthless, decrepit clothing from head to footwear at all times while working dips. Whatever you have on will be spattered and ruined for anything else but the next paint job or septic tank inside inspection you have in mind. So don't even almost think about wearing anything you care about for this job. A trip to salvo for used clothes is a much better idea than "trying to be careful" than attire you don't want ruined. Believe me, it will be ruined when you're done :)
Prepare the dip mix well diluted and blended before traps hit the surface. Add gas to your chosen container first, gradually pour in the dip medium from its can and stir, stir, stir, stir like you are mixing your own kid's wedding cake. If you mix the dip solution thoroughly first, everything else is a breeze from there.
Dip traps in the solution once, remove when wetted and soaked, then shake them vigorously to remove drips and runs. This is where the ruined clothing aspect comes from. Flecks and drops of dip will be flying all over the place. An outdoors project well away from anything you don't want stained, for sure.
Better to dip traps a second or third time than try to get one thick coat of coverage. Like any other paint project, thin coats layered are much more durable than a thick coat on its own.
Traps that have been dipped before do not need be stripped of old dip before retreating. Just clean any dirt and debris from them, redip once or twice and good to go. Those #220s of mine in that pile have several coats of dip on them dating back fifteen years or so now. I have no plans on taking them back to bare steel any decade soon. Dip, redip and redip some more.
That's more or less the preseason drill for me. I've dipped traps during beastly hot weather, barely above freezing weather, high humidity, low humidity. Never once have I had major issues with finishes drying hard enough soon enough for expedient use. I think the important steps are stirring the blend well, dipping several thin coats and shaking off excess liquid in between.
Follow similar steps = enjoy similar results for yourself. Dip away!
(Pre)Season ArrivalPosted by: | Comments
Time has mercifully wound itself down to merely 68 days remaining until the start of our new trapping season here in New York. Funny how it seems like only a million years ago since I pulled the last stakes and shipped the end of a season's catch off to sale.
My how time crawls when we're waiting impatiently to have fun! <lol>
My own personal gameplan for this season ahead has taken firm shape. I had hoped to begin my year out in North Dakota chasing after thick populations of muskrats along with various other incidental furs. But the historical drought event this country has suffered since spring greatly reduced shallow waters habitat and muskrat numbers overall. For sure there are still plenty of animals to be caught out there, but the difference between that and staying here to work the NY areas is not great enough to merit extra time, travel, effort and expense to operate so far from home.
That trip will have to wait until April 2013 when spring season arrives. So I turned attention to trapping various public and private water flows in the northern zone of NY, where water season opens Thursday October 25th to start. It also runs thru April 15th, 2013 if a spring trip for muskrats and/or beaver merits that effort there.
It will still be out-of-area trapping because the nearest point of water from my front porch is a solid three hour's drive and the furthest distance planned is just shy of four hours away. I do have arrangements with a close friend to store gear on his property and run freezers for holding catches and fur. The plan is to skin very little while on the road, spending max time tending lines from daylight to dark and maybe a bit beyond either end of those extremes.
That early season game will be a juggling act between home and away for roughly a month until our southern zone water season comes in, or until I run out of acceptable density muskrat locations up north. Whichever comes first.
I've made a couple of road trips north to scout the general region and familiarize myself with some new locations. Even talked Holly into joining me for one of those scouting trips under the premise of it being a two-day getaway trip. Actually, it was her trip planned, she asked me where I'd like to go and it just so happened to be along the St Lawrence seaway area. Imagine that? <grin>
My hit list of places to go has now been narrowed to fifteen with ranking of preference from top to bottom based on various factors combined. When scouting muskrats at this time of the year, overall populations are deceiving. Vegetation is thick, cover is dense and you just don't see a whole lot of feeding activity visible. It is more about looking for ideal water conditions and habitat than it is counting actual muskrat numbers.
Once summer turns to fall and temperatures cool off, emergent vegetation goes away and the entire scene changes. Then you can see channels, runs, bank dens and later on actual muskrat house construction. For now it's all about general exploration and familiarity of the areas. Soon it will become missions of precision scouting for details. Next month begins those efforts in earnest.
Other than that, just idling time away with necessary prep work. Dipping traps to treat, looking to purchase the final round of traps and gear for this fall – winter effort when the New York State Trappers Assoc convention arrives at the end of this month. That still leaves plenty of time to prepare any new and used traps for line use and wrap up all loose ends for misc missing gear. Need to be sure I have more than enough traps in case of harsh theft or extreme high water conditions that can reduce equipment without warning.
So here we are, checking each past day off the calendar until such time comes that opening day arrives. Meanwhile, taking all the necessary steps involved to prepare ourselves best we can while enjoying what still remains of summer & early fall in the process :)
Jersey ShorePosted by: | Comments
Summer solstice has passed… longest day of this calendar year has come & gone. Now the days start getting shorter all the time. Which can only mean one thing: trapping season is soon headed our way!
Well, maybe the word "soon" is relative. I'm not wishing time to pass too quickly because that's my life flying by in the process. Everything will unfold in its own good time. Right now is a somewhat quiet time before the real preparations begin for a long, long trapping season ahead.
New York starting dates for the 2012 – 2013 season are set for both halves of this state. Thursday, October 25th opens land trapping here in the southern zone and everything up in the northern zone with a close of April 15th in water. Sunday, November 25th kicks off water trapping season here in the southern zone where I reside, closing date the usual Feb 15th 2013.
At this time my general plan is to work some water stretches in the northern zone for muskrats from late October thru Nov 25th. That will depend on what I find thru some late-fall scouting trips in various locations. If I cannot find enough sign to merit the effort away from home in that direction, I'll either land trap here or look to deploy elsewhere.
November 25th begins the bulk of muskrat trapping here at home. Depending on area-wide populations and access secured, I might have enough muskrat water to work with all season long here. Then again, I might not. We can also expect a more normal winter season this time around with plenty of ice and snow. Could even see that right on the November opener… which has happened plenty of time before. No guarantee of open water and easy trapping when our water season rolls around in this neck of the woods.
In the middle of winter when freeze-up settles in and snow covers the land, I'll be ready to run some winter fox lines that break the monotony of muskrats – muskrats – muskrats thru a six month stretch. Considering the first rats traps will get wet in late October 2012 and the last ones pulled sometime in April 2013, that's half a year of working the water wherever I find myself in between.
So all of my plans have contingency backup plans as well. If the fall season here in NY turns up nil muskrats north and not enough coon to keep me happy here at home, I'll be prepared to head elsewhere for early season muskrats instead. I expect to run an extensive spring 2013 line for rats out in the midwest to wrap the season on that end. Should that plan somehow fall thru, I'll spend time up in the northern zone NY for water trapping until the April 15th close.
There might be a stretch where I either run out of fresh areas for muskrats and/or run into weather harsh enough to stall things out in the mid-winter stretch as well. With that in mind, I'm looking for a contingency plan there as well.
All my life I have heard about, read about and wondered about trapping the eastern shore tidal marshes for muskrats. Way back when I was still a kid, stories on that in "The Trapper" and "American Trapper" magazines fascinated me. Something about the idea of endless acres of mixed marshland habitat along with the extreme challenge of fluctuating water levels and a dollop of winter weather mixed in seems like a complex challenge for water trapping.
After an extensive amount of internet and telephone research, it looks like a trip or two on the public marshes of New Jersey will fit right in. Turns out there is a lot of public access water there, it's roughly a seven-hour drive from my door and seasons run from Jan 1st thru March 15th. Our season here in my part of NY closes Feb 15th and the usual spring season out west usually starts sometime in April. I looked for a place to fill that void in between, and found one that seems to fit perfectly :)
A lot of emails have asked about my plans = progress towards an instructional DVD on muskrat trapping. Well, that project is finally complete. I'll save that discussion for another conversation post in here later today, but for all those who have asked, we will do our dead-level best to help push your muskrat (and mink) production a little bit better this season ahead.
Also, the next stage of production here is a YouTube videos channel. I expect to post a lot of frequent, brief but helpful segments about all aspects of traps and trapping. Look for that to go online soon.
Mid-summer is here. Trapping conventions season is upon us. Weather conditions are ideal for treating traps and gear. Fall will arrive sooner than we think. Time to get busy getting ready for a long, loooong traplines adventure ahead :)
Holding UpPosted by: | Comments
A few readers asked about my backyard wetlands sanctuary, and I happened to be on the far end of property this evening while spying on the local muskrats. So for all those who wondered, here is a rat's-eye view of what they see from a waterline perspective :)
I have a bunch of emails from trappers asking what my
expectations guesses are for next season's fur prices to come. The simple reply is, no one knows for sure.
There is no possible way to predict or assure anyone of anything. I learned that much in the summer of 1987, coming off record high fur prices and heading into the fall season ahead. I had a very profitable season of 1986 – 1987 and prepared for the mother of all longlines ahead. Bought a new 4×4 Chevy fresh off the factory line. Bought twenty dozen BMI #220s and twenty dozen #1.5 Montgomery coils. Bought a bunch of other stuff, too. Lots of it. I was well prepared to be cookin' with peanut oil soon as season came in.
But the stock market crash in October 1987, mere days ahead of the trapping season opener took fur prices up in flames with it. So I have firsthand experience and a lifelong lasting memory of how quickly things can change in the wild furs world.
Meanwhile, final Canadian auction house sales went well overall at the FHA last month and NAFA sale this week. Fox and coyotes sold very well, mink and muskrats very well, everything else did fine. I'm sure some trappers were disappointed because some items brought less now than various sales last winter. It is core human nature to expect trees that grow to the sky, to expect prices to keep advancing with no end or even pullback in sight. But that's not how it works in the world of commodities, of which wild furs definitely are.
Having sold red fox in the past for $100+ averages and then a decade later sold even better fox for a $18 average, repeating that process with $40 coon to $5 coon, $9 rats to $2 rats on average, I'm here to tell you that current fur prices are good. Real good. At the very least, they definitely don't suck.
Anyone who expected $20 rats and $100 beaver and $200 otter next year simply because has not yet learned how this game works. Likewise, anyone who hung onto their furs just because the summer sale has to be higher prices than the winter sales has not yet learned how this game works. Nobody rings a bell at the price highs. No one knows where price levels will be in a month… not even the fur buyers.
This is definitely a game of speculation, all the way from every level of participation.
So I don't have any better guess or feel or insight on what next year might bring as anyone else on earth does at this time. I know that prices paid in the country got a little bit frothy at the highs for premium goods, and I wouldn't be surprised to see somewhat lower prices overall before anyone sees new recent highs again.
Truth is we can do real well with $35 red fox and $8 muskrats and $20 male mink and $18 western coon. Of course I'd prefer double or even triple all that when it comes time for us to sell.But the reality is, fur prices are going to fluctuate from one season to the next and quite often one part of each season to other. That's the game. Don't be disgruntled by oscillating prices that may not hold up to higher-highs all the time. Don't be discouraged if you ain't getting rich this time around.
Truth is, fur trapping is not the easiest, high-paying work to be found. For those of us who are addicted to the core, we will be out there until our bodies simply won't hold up no more.. even if fur prices fail to hold up long before then :)


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The Videocon A55 HD looks elegant with a sleek finish and has been given an iPhone 5-like body and is priced at Rs 13,490 in India. However, the phone comes with a 5-inch 1280 x 720 pixels display, similar to that of the Micromax Canvas HD. This Videocon phone is light, weighing just 114 grams. Only the Gionee E3 Life is lighter than this one, at 110 grams. This makes A55 HD easy to carry and even for a 5-inch handset, the phone does not feel bulky.
Specifications and price
*Estimated street price: Rs 13, 490
*Display: 5-inch HD capacitive touchscreen
*Screen: 1280 x 720 pixels
*Operating system: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
*Processor: 1.2 GHz quad-core processor
*Camera: 8 MP rear and 3.2 MP front
*Expandable storage capacity of 32 GB
The A55 HDs display is bright, crisp and offers decent viewing angles. It houses a quad-core Mediatek 6589 chipset based CPU, same as Canvas HD. However, unlike the Canvas HD, our experience with A55 HD was quite impressive with no obvious heating or lagging issues observed. The rear camera of 8 megapixel is average and can be used for quick shots for posting on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, etc. The front camera of 3.2 megapixel is more than handful for video calling and random self-shots.
The phones 2,000 mAh battery offers nothing extraordinary and unless you dont use 3G/2G (highly unlikely these days), you would not have to carry a charger along with you.
In terms of benchmark scores, the A55 HD got 13243 on AnTuTu, 4037 on Quadrant, 28296 on An3d bench XL and 1459 on Vellamo. The same benchmarks on Canvas HD gave 12443 on AnTuTu, 3783 on Quadrant and Vellamo gave a score of 1428. Call quality is very nice and noise cancellation works like a charm. Camera is also of decent quality and video quality is impressive.

subset: commoncrawl


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CORTE ALTAVILLA, Conversano
The hotel Relais Corte Altavilla (4 stars) is an old medieval court situated in a residential area in the heart of the historic center of Conversano (Art City), in the hills 8 km from the sea, in Trulli and caves area. Here in 1100 lived Sibilla d'Altavilla, Robert' wife Courtehouse, son of William II the Conqueror King of England. Sybil, Queen of England is currently not buried in the cathedral of Rouen in Normandy.
Thanks to careful restoration carried out in 2002, the old court palaces has been transformed into a refined inn with rooms, elegant suites and apartments, where walls of white stone, lime plasters, vaulted ceilings and wooden beams, give rise to a fascinating reality of fantasy and wonder.
Corridors become narrow streets, ancient chianche smoothed by the time they become white carpets and farmyards become cozy lobby. Nothing is left to chance, attention to detail, attention to simple things to make sumptuous and elegant every corner, past and present; harmonious contrast between old and new. Originality and professionalism, decor and service, always.
Discretion, friendliness and helpfulness at reception, to meet every need, and suggest itineraries from the cliffs of Polignano the Trulli of Alberobello, the landscape of the Valle d'Itria to the caves of Castellana, and then the white town of Ostuni, Frederick II and Castle Monte, the stones of Matera, the Salento, the farms, the rock churches in short, the Puglia.
Sun terrace are available, cocierge / information center, bicycles, transfers and chauffeur services, day trips by private car or by boat, relaxing massages and shiatsu massage in your room, cooking course, parking.
In the morning, in the restaurant on the terrace with a breathtaking view of the old town, breakfast is served " Buffet": orange juice, yogurt, various cereals, fresh croissants, pastries, cakes and pies, bread Chiaffarata, hot toast, jams, seasonal fruit, tarallini, cheeses and meats, eggs.
For dinner, the chef serves dishes prepared with local ingredients, taking into account the season and making the most of them with great creativity
The thirty-two units (rooms and suites) are equipped with all modern comforts including air conditioning direct commands , LCD satellite TV, direct dial phone, safe box, outlet for internet connection, minibar, smoke detector, a small kitchenette (not all rooms). Upon request, junior suites with Jacuzzi.
Rooms of different categories: from penthouses to Sottani, from standard rooms to suites. For the more romantic hotel rooms with jacuzzi.
Family apartments are available with 4 beds with kitchenette.
All rooms are in a very sophisticated style and have all the more modern comforts.
The rooms retain the original architecture.
Scenic and features rooms with stone arches and barrel vaults, located on the ground floor, formerly headquarters of workshops, stables and cellars.
Furnished in " poor art" with wood and wrought iron, have been restored while maintaining its primary characteristic represented by " chianche" white stones used as flooring and polished over centuries by washing " Bistrica" of women.
Even today they are used as cellars where we can tidy up your homemade wine.
They are equipped with all comforts including air conditioning, heating, fridge and small kitchenette hidden in a stylish furniture, satellite TV, direct dial telephone, safe box.
They have two beds
The contrast between the white stone walls, plaster and wooden beams, the view of the impressive Romanesque cathedral and a nice sitting area, are the characteristics of these unique residences in the heart center of Old Town.
Furniture of charm and excellent amenities such as air conditioning, heating, fridge and small kitchenette hidden in a stylish furniture, satellite TV, direct dial telephone, safe box and unique views give them a unique charm.
They have two beds.
Picturesque and welcoming residences enclosed in stone walls and white plaster, made from old houses in 1200 in a medieval court, furnished with wrought iron beds and wooden furniture. They have two beds and are equipped with all modern comforts including air conditioning and heating, satellite TV, direct dial telephone, safe, fridge and even a small kitchenette hidden in a cabinet style.
Spacious units furnished with period furniture including a characteristic belief that encloses a hot plate for cooking and a refrigerator, beds and dormose wrought iron, stone walls, vaults and beams.
houses that run on two floors connected by a spiral staircase made of cast iron and wrought iron, characterized by its panoramic terraces typical of the ancient medieval villages. Beds and dormose, scenic views and beliefs distinguish this type.
They have three beds located in two separate rooms and all modern amenities like air conditioning and heating, satellite TV, direct dial telephone, safe box, refrigerator and kitchenette hidden in a cabinet style.
Mini-apartment with two bedrooms and a living room with kitchenette hidden in a cabinet style. The bath room has a bathroom with sink.Wrought iron furnishings, furniture, large windows and all modern amenities characterize this type. Therefore have four beds
Located in a residential area in the heart of the medieval old town of Conversano (Art City), in the hills, 8 km from the sea, in the area of the trulli and caves
- distance from the sea: 8 km -beach and rocks
- distance from the center of city: downtown
Table service, cooking gluten-free upon request.
The services in the rooms are as follows: LCD satellite TV, air conditioning hot / cold to direct commands, direct dial telephone, internet connection, safe, kitchenette (on request in some rooms), hairdryer, minibar, smoke detector .
In the common areas: wireless room, lounge room, free internet point, restaurant terrace overlooking the old town traditional cuisine, 2 meeting rooms, lobby with reading corners and a courtesy bar, terrace elevator, free parking service, spa
addition, Guests: bicycle rental, transfer service, organized excursions with chauffeur in Apulia, cooking classes, excursions by boat (owned by the hotel) or mini cruises, horse riding school 5 km, the possibility of buying extra virgin olive oil with brand custom Corte Altavilla. Air-conditioning - Parking (parking is private and closed with a gate)-Internet access.
Corte Altavilla, Rates 2012
prices per room per day in B&B
Type dwelling
Low season
01/01 - 14/07
15/09 - 31/12
High Season
15/07 - 15/09
Sottano (2 pax)
Standard (2 pax)
Junior Suite (2 pax)
Top Standard (2+1 pax)
Flat e Attico (4 pax)
Top Junior Suite (2 pax)
Top Suite (4 pax)
Corte Altavilla
In the presence of children from 0 to 12 years old in the flat type, it make a 15% discount to be applied to the total cost of the apartment.
B&B= bed + breakfast
Restourant Service:
Euros 28,00 drinks are not inclued
Excluding dinner of St. Sylvester, lunches and dinner of Christmas', New Year's Eve, Easter


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In the last few days, I obtained a couple of extra Fenix L2D flashlights so that I can easily set up another family member or friend to ride with me in the evenings.
But...since I have them available, I figured I might as well play for a bit.
Thus....the "QuadraFenixa" (or something to that effect).
I've got two spacebars on the front of one of my bikes, which gives me enough room to attach four L2Ds via lockblock. This evening, I'll give it a ride and see if it was worth the effort or was overkill or was a bad configuration...or whatever.
Here are a few photos:
Testing it against a backdrop in my home showed that it might give an interesting kind of "wall of light" effect (although that's probably overstating it in a relative sense). Maybe just a "picket fence of light" rather than a wall. Or...maybe a wall.
From the head-on view, it will actually be much more blinding than in the photo below if you were to look straight into the lights...but I wanted to take a shot in such a way that you could see the position of the lights (thus, this rather crappy photo).
Actually, with my helmet light, this will make five of them (I'm starting to lose track)...
If it doesn't work out or isn't at least a bit of fun, I'll let the thread die an easy death.


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Leaf Cap Autumn Bracelet Kit
A sophisticated design inspired by nature can be found in this leaf cap autumn bracelet kit. This kit includes everything you need to make a simple bracelet featuring pearls in earthy colors and silver bead caps with a leafy design. The included instructions tell you exactly what to do to recreate this stunning design. The pearls glow with copper, cream and olive green colors. Give this kit as a gift to a beginning beader or use it as a quick, fun project for yourself!
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me....not so good.
Bruns said it right, playing at Baylor is bad. Atmosphere is stale, but were probably their most winnable game. Recipe for disaster. Plus 3 straight games of letting a win slip out of our fingers....has to take a toll sometime.
We were down in 04....and came away with a season changing win, barely. I feel we have a better team this year, than 04's....but Baylor is probably a little better as well.
Anyone feeling good? Why....
"Unless a man is born again, he will not see the Kingdom of Heaven" John 3:3
I expect a letdown. Hard to believe there won't be one. How much it impacts the game is the question.
Not good. I think we should be able to score as long as we abandon our abysmal running game and chuck it around the field. Their QB is good. He runs a lot better than Reesing but doesn't throw as well. I'm not sure if we can contain him.
If we get the team we saw the second half of UNLV/first half of Kansas: I really like our chances.
If we get the team we saw the first half of UNLV/second half of Kansas: We're in trouble.
They'll have to play 4 quarters in order to win this game and I'm not sure I see it happening
Griffin will give us fits. If our guys show up, I expect another high-scoring, competitive game. If they don't, we'll get whipped up and down the field. Hopefully we can keep our heads high and play like we have something to prove. We need to see the same intensity and enthusiasm from the first half (first quarter especially) of the KU game translate into four quarters. It will be a tough game.
As for the atmosphere, a good contingent of Cyclone fans will be in attendance (I'll be there), so hopefully we can make enough noise for everyone.
Originally Posted by leg4cy
Not good. I think we should be able to score as long as we abandon our abysmal running game and chuck it around the field. Their QB is good. He runs a lot better than Reesing but doesn't throw as well. I'm not sure if we can contain him.
I agree, by all accounts, he's gonna be good. Always seems like a coming out party against ISU.
Control or get to him will be the key. Let the QB get off early, could be a long night.
I think they're stinging after this loss - for themselves and by the coaches. This will show us the extent of the character of this team. We already know the team can fight back from the adversity of a tough season and improve, and we know it can fight back from large deficits and not give up.
The team had a letdown after the Iowa loss - and it cost them a game. I believe the kids/staff learn from that and there will not be a letdown this week. I fully expect ISU to dominate and win big.
ISU fans are the greatest in the world. All they ask for is hope and the belief that we have a chance to win every time we step on the field - Johnny Majors (paraphrased)
Ya gotta have the horses, man - Johnny Orr.
Until I see us do a decent job containing a mobile quarterback I'm never going to feel good about this kind of game.
Originally Posted by leg4cy
Not good. I think we should be able to score as long as we abandon our abysmal running game and chuck it around the field. Their QB is good. He runs a lot better than Reesing but doesn't throw as well. I'm not sure if we can contain him.
I didn't see our running game as being all that bad this last game. More so just under utilized. Maybe we can't run anything else, but KU pretty much had that inside option/fake/QB run figured out in the second quarter. Other than that it seemed like we ran when it was predictable that we were going to run. I'm not saying we'd have done any better, but instead of using that inside option thing so much, I'd have liked to have seen us mix it up. Robinson looked to me like he was running pretty well early.
Now to answer the question. Really, this is a game we need to win. Do I feel good about it. At this point, yeah, I do because without this win, you can pretty much cash this season in. I'm hoping that Chizik and Co. are able to plant that deeply in the kids heads. I'm hoping out let down happened during the second half of the KU game. We should come out blazing for Baylor.
Until we can run the ball on a 1-AA team, I will always feel bad about the next game.
I think that we can go get a win pretty easily. Their QB tends to only scramble straight forward from the game that I saw. If we can stay disciplined and contain, then I think that we have a swinging chance. they may have a good running qb, but it isn't like they are awesome at defense.
Heres to winning 2 of the next 3.
Someone in another threat compared us to that 04 team that won at Baylor. I agree, but feel we lack the senior leadership we had that year (Hobbs was huge for that defense).
It's easy to say any game is season defining but I really belive this one will show our mettle. If we drop it because of two deflating losses in a row then I think we're in for another 3-9 season. But if we do what I think we're going to do and walk out there with a hunger that rivals that of the KU game then we might pull off one of those patented Dan McCarney Big XII Three Game Win Streaks.
That said, I feel better about the game than I did before we played KU. Griffin will give us fits but we showed that we don't quit and we can match wits and plays with just about anyone. Their defense won't be nearly as good up front as KU's.
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Wide Right & Natty Lite - Loyal Sons, Forever True. With beer!
I look back to what Edelman did to us when we played Kent St., that guy made us look bad. I think Griffin could have a huge game against us. Our D needs to stay calm and stick to their assignments. But I do feel a little nervous about this game.
It's Bushbama!
2 time Chupacabra of Humor Award Recipient
Originally Posted by joefrog
I will admit, I am to blame in sometimes making mountains out of molehills.
I think we lose by 10. Have not felt good about this game all year.
Kansas wears Adidas.
Bank it.
Originally Posted by cyrocksmypants
CG. No one knows what you're talking about.
Originally Posted by cowgirl836
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|Written by Darci Tomky
25-year-old endures cancer, loss of brother
For a 25-year-old newlywed, the past five months are not at all what she imagined them to be.
"I feel like I'm too young to have cancer," said Alexa (Lock) Keathley of Holyoke.
After discovering a swollen lymph node and a mass under her sternum, Keathley learned she had Hodgkin's lymphoma.
But as she said, she is going to "deal with it and move on," currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments once every other week for six months.
"If you're going to have cancer, this is the one you want." That's what everyone's been telling Keathley. Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of the most curable cancers.
Despite that, "#cancersucks" is a frequent hashtag for posts on Keathley's Facebook page, with selfies that remind friends that even when cancer sucks, this young woman is staying strong.
Kevin and Alexa Keathley are looking forward to Alexa's last round of chemotherapy at the end of July after six months of treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma.
And this isn't all Keathley has been dealing with in the last few months. Her brother, Zane Lock, had melanoma, one of the most deadly forms of cancer. At 36 years old, Lock died on Feb. 26.
"If I could, I would have traded places," said Keathley.
Lock had been treating his cancer for about two years, but in his last two months, "things went south quickly," said Keathley. "It went from being contained to being everywhere. When I found out it was in his bones, I knew it was bad."
Keathley said that amidst the initial shock of her own cancer, she was always more worried about her brother.
Her concern also went to her parents, Ron and Cindy Lock of Holyoke. "What are the odds that they would have two kids with cancer?" she asked.
One of the things that has helped Keathley is her strong support system, which she said isn't a problem around here in this small, tight-knit community.
Keathley has also relied on her husband, Kevin. "It's like having my best friend around all the time," she said.
It's important to "stay strong and keep faith," said Kevin.
Registered nurse now becomes the patient
Keathley first discovered a swollen lymph node on her neck Dec. 18, 2013. She tried some antibiotics, but those didn't help.
One week later, she developed a fever while at work on Christmas Day in her position as a registered nurse at Melissa Memorial Hospital.
At the clinic the next day, her lab results seemed a little weird, and the X-ray was suspicious. A CAT scan revealed Keathley had a mass under her sternum near her heart.
That's when the waiting began. "Not knowing exactly what you have—but knowing you have something—is terrifying," she said.
On Jan. 23, the lymph node was removed and biopsied. Keathley was told she had Hodgkin's lymphoma.
She met with her oncologist for a treatment plan, and while Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of the most curable cancers, Keathley explained doctors still don't know what causes it.
The tumor was left in, and Keathley said it was not big enough to require radiation, so the plan was to start six months of chemotherapy treatment. Since she has a background in the medical field, it was great that Keathley could easily grasp what her oncologist was talking about during her appointments.
The first item of business was to place a port in her chest where she would get the chemo treatments. Unfortunately, during the procedure on Jan. 30, Keathley's lung was punctured and later collapsed.
She was in the hospital longer than expected because of this setback, but after a few days with a chest tube, her lung had healed enough for her to go home.
Two days later on Feb. 5, Keathley received her first round of chemo. She has continued every two weeks, with her final treatment scheduled for the last week of July.
For 3-5 hours each time, Keathley is at chemo in Sterling. Her mom is actually the chemo nurse at the hospital in Holyoke, but because of Zane's passing, she has been in Arkansas where he lived.
Family friends Kim Kingman and Rena Schneller have been great about giving Keathley rides to Sterling, she said.
One good week and one bad week have become the norm for Keathley. The effects of chemo make her very sick, requiring a lot of rest for about five days.
Through all of this, Keathley has continued to work, with the hospital being great about her scheduling conflicts. She is lucky to work 20 hours on a bad week but has a fairly normal schedule during a good week.
Because chemo drastically decreased her immune system, she has to wear a mask around patients at work and she can't be around contagious people, but other than that, things have remained routine at the hospital.
"It helps if you have a positive attitude," said Keathley in her advice to other cancer patients and their families. "Be realistic about the situation."
Keathley has been counting down the days to her last treatment. After that, she will have a scan, which is expected to come out clean, and she will be cancer-free.
While she has embraced a shaved head during her treatment, she is still excited to be able to grow her hair out again and experiment with some of the shorter hairstyles she hasn't tried before.
Bills have been overwhelming for this 25-year-old, but she knows it could be a lot worse. The insurance coverage has been great so far.
Friend and 2007 HHS classmate Ashley Stroh started an online fundraiser for the Keathleys. "Alexa is the strongest woman I know," she said on the website. "Every single day I am blown away by the amount of grace she has during this fight. Her strength comes from the Lord, her awesome husband, amazing family and dear friends."
The fundraiser can be found at www.giveforward.com (search for Alexa Keathley).
Keathley to walk at Relay
With a new perspective on cancer, Keathley is excited to be a part of this year's Relay For Life.
She will be walking with the Melissa Memorial Hospital team at the event this weekend, Friday evening to Saturday morning, June 6-7, at the Haxtun Baseball Field.
"It's a good cause," she said of the funds raised for the American Cancer Society, noting she thinks they are getting closer to a cure for cancer.
Additionally this weekend, Keathley said her family is having a celebration of life for her brother, Zane Lock, on Saturday, June 7, from 2-4 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Holyoke.
Holyoke Enterprise June 5, 2014


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Find a Doctor
With over 450 board-certified physicians, Albany Med Faculty Physicians are some of the most expert in their field. All Albany Med Faculty Physicians, along with a variety of other medical providers, are affiliated with Albany Medical Center Hospital. Find the right physicians who meet your medical needs.
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Please contact those physician's offices directly for a listing of participating insurance plans. Charges are available upon request.
Robert Morris MD
Board Certification:
American Board of Internal Medicine, 1997
(Cardiovascular Disease)
Contact Information:
Capital Cardiology Associates, PC
2231 Burdett Avenue
Suite 160
Troy, NY 12180
Tel: (518) 292-6200
Fax: (518) 292-6207
07/01/1993 - 06/30/1996
University of Connecticut at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT
07/01/1990 - 06/30/1993
Strong Memorial Hospital
Rochester, NY
Medical Education
09/07/1986 - 05/17/1990
Sackler School of Medicine - New York
New York, NY


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7 oz. beef patty topped with root beer braised pork belly, smoked Gouda, a tempura fried onion ring, bearnaise aioli, and spring mix all on a brioche bun.
Pawleys Island, South CarolinaNo Comments
Copyright © 2015 Damn That Looks Good
Damn That Looks Good is a humor and entertainment food blog in the Three Ring Blogs Network. Damn That Looks Good posts funny photos and funny videos daily that consist of delicious food such as hamburgers, cookies, cupcakes, chicken wings, food porn, fast food, homemade food and more. Other members of the Three Ring Blogs Network are People of Walmart, Girls In Yoga Pants, Forever Alone, Daily Viral Stuff, Wedding Unveils, Neighbor Shame, Full of Your Selfies, Memory Glands, Jaw Drops, Freaks of Fast Food, the Proud Parents and more.


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German cops fooled by car made entirely of snow
German traffic wardens are currently doing a bit of damage control after they ticketed a car that was made entirely out of snow...
Someone in Aachen, Germany, thought it would be great craic to make a full sized VW Beetle out of snow – sure why not? Their sculpture was so good that it fooled traffic wardens who gave the 'car' a parking ticket.
It looks like the wardens may have actually fallen into a trap set by some mischievous pranksters, as the car was built right in the middle of a no-parking zone in the dead of the night, according to Orange News. The car came with outlines of all the windows, wheels and even the VW badge. Check it out below...
"It was incredibly realistic looking. It looked like you could get into it and drive away once you'd swept the snow off," said one local.
"The wardens eventually realised they'd been had when they tried to scrape the snow off the number plate and found there was no plate, just snow," they added.
A spokesman for the local traffic unit said: "We can take a joke as well as the next person and it was a very convincing prank.
"But whether it was made of metal or snow it was still obstructing a road that should have been clear."


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by Coach Ryan Waters
The Warsaw Wildcats won the Warsaw tournament with ease and advance to 3-0 on the season.
Unfortunately, we drew them in the first round and Tuesday night, Dec. 4, we will play them again at home for the second time in 10 days.
They are an extremely tough team defensively and were able to pressure us all night long. They jumped out to a huge lead in the first half due to carelessness of possessions – 34 turnovers to be exact and that many turnovers are just unacceptable if you expect to be in ballgames. The second half was a much better story despite the final outcome. We were only outscored in the 2nd half 22 to 21 with Warsaw Varsity still playing all of the third and part of the 4th quarters. We lost 74-36 with Richard Lyness leading us in scoring with 11, Sutton with 9, Hedrick 8, and Girven, Keith, Robertson and Hall with 2.
Our young team is averaging 31 turnovers a game right now and it is obvious that the games are moving too fast for our young players to keep up with. It's my job to make sure that we are physically and mentally prepared each and every game, and that we do a better job of guys knowing where they are supposed to be and protecting the ball.
In the second game of the tournament, we faced Lakeland. They were also a young team, but have some pesky guards that created havoc on our guards. The story is the same as Warsaw in the fact that we had 37 turnovers in the game. This time we played a great first half trailing by 5 points after the 1st quarter and only by 9 after the 2nd quarter. Our shots weren't falling and they had gotten to the free throw line a bunch.
We liked our chances at half and tried to make some adjustments, but the 3rd and 4th quarters were turnover free-for-alls with Sutton having to sit with 4 fouls. We really struggled to get the ball past half court and it was all down hill from there.
The final in the Lakeland game was 80-44 with Sutton leading us in scoring with 14, Robertson 8, Lyness 7, Girven 6, Hedrick and Hall with 4 and Hillsman 1.


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Israel and the Middle East
JCRC values Israel's integral role in the modern Jewish identity. We are committed to promoting a secure and vibrant Israel as the Jewish and democratic state and homeland of the Jewish people. JCRC strives to advance peace, reconciliation and a two-state solution through education and community action, working within our community and with allies to fight the campaign to delegitimize Israel. JCRC hosts lectures and provides informative resources on Israel and the Middle East.


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Framebuilders, please talk about your experience building low-trail, front-loaded rando bikes for yourselves and refining your designs based on your own riding. I want such a bike, and I want to select a builder with this kind of deep personal experience, among other criteria. I'd like to have a builder who loves the kind of bike I want.
I have spoken to a few custom builders, but I'm sure I can learn something more from you guys.


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By Rebecca Noblett
FORT PIERCE, Florida, March 6. Indian River continued to dominate on the second night of NJCAA Championships, winning every swimming event and sweeping the podium in every individual event.
The women started out the night with a victory in 1 meter diving. Ashley Wright took home the title with 486.20 points, with teammate Hunter Taff placing second with 400.80 points. Darton's Kelsey Carniglia took third with 365.15 points.
Darton's Crawford Berry won the men's 3 meter, with 583.50 points. SUNY Delhi's Matt Salle took second with 434.05 points, and Iowa Lakes' Eric Moore rounded out the podium with 361.85 points.
The Indian River swimmers kept their streak going in the 200 freestyle relay. The women's team of Rebecca Derogatis (22.98), Patricia Casellas (23.65), Barbara Caraballo (22.91), and Olivia Sims (23.79) brought home the title with a 1:33.33. Two teams tied for second place. Darton's Ashley Delgado (25.12), Sarah Hoop (25.17), Rachel Carillo (27.2), and Sandra Guerrero (24.75) clocked in at 1:42.24, as did South Georgia's team of Ariel Pillipow (26.58), Clara Moody (24.96), Leanne Bagaoisan (26.24), and Bonnie Brown (24.46).
For the men, Indian River's Spencer Williams (20.70), Stefan Stojmenovic (19.96), Bryce Timonera (20.49), and Michael Ragan (20.10) touched in 1:21.25 for first. Iowa Lakes' team of Dima Suhushin (21.67), Kyle Thomas (21.45), Brian Bacon (20.93), and William Clark (20.72) clocked in at 1:24.77 for second. Darton's Matt Weiss (21.00), Michael Neese (21.46), Ethan Wolovick (21.67), and Draven Barcia (21.30) took home third with a 1:26.51.
Indian River swept the podium in the men's and women's 500 freestyles. Josefine Hippi posted a 4:56.51 for first place. Georgina Allin took second with a 5:02.57, and Rebecca Halfast touched third in 5:09.03. For the men, Ronald Santos took first with a 4:33.94, just ahead of Marc Rojas (4:34.04). Evan Jacob hit the wall third with a time of 4:35.62.
The hosts continued their sweep in the 200 IM, once again taking home all six medals in the event. Barbara Caraballo, who represented Puerto Rico at World Championships in Barcelona this past summer, cruised to victory with a 2:01.69. Georgina Allin took second with a 2:08.39, while Sorca Jordan touched third with a 2:12.25. For the men, Alec Scott placed first with a 1:48.41. Justin Oathout hit the wall second in 1:50.13, with teammate Quinn Poti touching third with a 1:51.16.
The 50 free closed out the evening and saw another podium sweep from Indian River. Rebecca Derogatis set a new NJCAA record with a 22.93, taking down the mark off 22.94 set in 2011 by Monroe's Mallory Morrell. Indian River's Patricia Casellas took second with a 23.72, with teammate Olivia Sims clocking in at 24.20 for third.
A tie on the men's side saw Indian River take home four medals in the 50 free. Stefan Stojmenovic posted a 20.59 for the victory. Second went to Bryce Timonera with a 20.71. Michael Ragan and Spencer Williams tied for third, with both posting a 20.78.
Indian River has a healthy lead on the women's side after tonight's events with 630 points. The fight for the next few places is close- Darton is currently second with 291 points, Iowa Lakes third with 289 points, and South Georgia fourth with 276 points.
The top four looks the same on the men's side, with Indian River first with 611 points. Darton is second (344), Iowa Lakes third (329), and South Georgia fourth (319).
As a refresher, IRSC's men are vying for their 40th straight win in the meet, while the women are looking for a 32nd straight victory.


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Mistakes on special teams add up in Huskies' loss to Oregon
The Huskies had a tough time on special teams during their 43-19 loss to Oregon at Husky Stadium.
The game turned early when Oregon blocked a punt for a touchdown, converted a fake field goal en route to another TD and executed a two-point play on a swinging gate following the blocked punt. That all came in the second quarter as Oregon turned a 3-0 first-quarter deficit into a 15-6 halftime lead.
Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said the Huskies already put a heavy emphasis on special teams in practice so it won't be a matter of doing more work on it, necessarily, but just trying to do things better.
"It's hard to say we will focus on it [more] when we have been," he said. "We have been and we will continue to do so." He said "a sign of a really good football team" is one that "does things right and is clean on special teams."
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Washington was neither on this day.
Sarkisian said the blocked punt happened when the Huskies "just miscounted" and left Oregon's Rory Cavaille unblocked with Tyrell Irvin recovering the ball in the end zone.
On the two-point play, UW true freshman safety Nathan Fellner was late getting on the field in the confusion after the blocked punt, leaving the field open for Oregon backup quarterback Nate Costa to waltz into the end zone.
"We were very aware of what they were doing on it," said special-teams coach Johnny Nansen. "We got the punt blocked and they scored and we just didn't have enough guys on the field. We had to run a kid in and by the time he got on the field they already shifted over to what they were looking for."
Later in the second quarter, Costa took a snap as a holder on a field goal and ran seven yards to pick up a first down, setting up another TD.
"We'd seen it," Nansen said. "We practiced against it all week. They just did a nice job of scheming us up."
Bronson takes blame
A key sequence in the game came in the second quarter, following the blocked punt, when UW drove to the Oregon 4-yard line with a first down. Jake Locker threw a pass incomplete on a run-pass option on first down, saying later he should have tried to run.
True freshman running back Demitrius Bronson then got two straight carries, getting two yards on second down and one on third down. Bronson was in the game because starter Chris Polk was having his ankle retaped, struggling with a seasonlong injury.
The carries were part of the heaviest workload of Bronson's career as he got eight carries, gaining 39 yards, the coaches deciding they wanted to give him a look this week. Johri Fogerson saw little time as a result and had just one carry.
Bronson rued that he didn't get the ball into the end zone on the second-down play.
"I've just got to put my pads down and go," he said. "I put that on myself as far as not getting in there. The hole was there. Yeah, it's one of my first runs. But I've just got to put my pads down and keep running my feet."
On third down he was struck down by Oregon rover Javes Lewis a yard shy of the end zone.
"I felt like I was maybe too high," he said. "Maybe I was tiptoeing, I don't know. I've got to watch the film again. But I feel like I could have got in there. I put that on my shoulders."
Polk playing through pain
Polk said it was frustrating not to be in the game for those two plays but said he had no choice but to get it retaped after injuring it again earlier in the drive.
"My ankle is just real weak," he said. "I have to have tape on it even in walk-throughs."
Polk said he hopes the bye week this week will allow it to heal. Polk is also nursing a sore shoulder.
"My shoulder's still real weak and messed up," he said. "I'll just take the bye week and get healthy and get it stronger."
Despite the aches and pains, Polk rushed for 104 yards, the second 100-yard game of his season and career — the other came at Notre Dame (104).
Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or email@example.com.


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The orbital period of a planet depends on both the radius of the orbit, and the mass of the star, and the range of habitable radii depends on the luminosity of the star, which depend on its mass and age.
Also, you only needed the third law. Assume the orbits have approximately the same eccentricity, and the semimajor axes will be proportional to the mean distances. If your planet is 1.3 times as far from its primary as Earth is from Sol, and it also has an approximately circular orbit, then the semimajor axis is 1.3 times that of Earth's. In fact the semi-major axis of a near-circular orbit, is pretty close to the mean distance from the primary.
The planet is going to receive less energy that far out, so you need to make the star brighter to keep the planet from freezing, you need to raise the luminosity by the square of the change in radius to do so. So the star needs to have a luminosity 2.2 times that of Sol. If it's the same age as Sol (4.7 Ga), I think you would need an F9 class star (I'm working backwards using the star system design rules in GURPS Space at this point) which would have a mass of 1.15 solar masses.
The square of the orbital period is inversely proportional to the cube of the mass of the primary, so doing all the math: (1.297^3/1.15^3)^(1/2)=1.198, Multiply by 365.25, and we get 437.5 earth days.
I'm open to being corrected by anyone who actually knows something about Astrophysics though.


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אנחנו בפייסבוק
Some 100 moderate ultra-Orthodox men, women slated to take part in demonstration against Beit Shemesh violence. 'We would like to show that many haredim are against the extremists'
Kobi Nahshoni
Published: 12.27.11, 15:10 / Israel Jewish Scene
Kobi Nahshoni
According to the group's organizer, the protestors aim to make it clear that the majority of the haredi public does not support the zealots who are verbally and physically harassing the students.
The initiator, Asher Gold, chairman of the ultra-Orthodox student union at the Lander Institute in Jerusalem, told Ynet that he was shocked to hear about the spitting and curses directed at the young girls and realized that the moderate haredi public could no longer sit idly by.


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post your ip's, default router, and dns info!! it's totally safe! everyone does it!
you first.
Originally posted by Seesine:you first.
no u
I lost mine when I was taking it for a walk.
I have no idea where I find any of that stuff or what it is.
Maybe if you do it first, I'll have a better idea.
My ip is 14986492164918, why?
my IP is 123.456.78:90000
your ip is 192.168.1.1
Originally posted by waffle_god:your ip is 192.168.1.1
DAE le linksys?
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text: Dean Gaffney recovering after car smash 08 Feb 2013 Actor Dean Gaffney is "on the mend" after undergoing emergency surgery following a horrific car crash last month, according to former model Katie Price. Share Share Share Story by UTV Staff, Belfast The star, best known for his role on soap opera EastEnders, reportedly underwent reconstructive work on his skull after his Mini Cooper vehicle smashed into a steel barrier in Derby, England, on 30 January.Gaffney has not yet spoken about the accident, but reality TV star Price reveals that her pal is slowly recovering from the smash. In her colum for The Sun newspaper, she writes: "My friend Dean Gaffney has texted me to say he is on the mend after suffering head injuries in a car crash. I'm so relieved to hear it, Dean. Keep well and keep going."Gaffney had been driving home after performing in a stage production of Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced at the Derby Theatre when the accident occurred. © UTV Share Share Share


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When More Kids Could Mean More PainDevan McGuinness
As I mentioned in my first post here on Babble – I have a big case of "baby fever". I have three gorgeously healthy kids but there is this tugging in my heart and my brain that someone is missing. It is the type of pounding that I just can't seem to ignore and hope it will go away.
My husband is well aware of my desire for another child. We talk about it often weekly if not daily we find ourselves in a discussion about where he's at and where I'm at. He is not 'there' yet but has not shut the door either.
Last night we had another discussion about what adding another child would mean for us.
Our pregnancy history has not been easy and this plays heavily into our decision. With our history of pregnancy loss and my diagnosis of factor v leiden and hormonal deficiencies we have to carefully plan our pregnancies. Even with the precautions in place when we try to conceive, it does not guarantee any 'safety' of a healthy full-term pregnancy.
During the talk we had last night, he asked me if we do decide to add another child could I handle another loss. Would I survive anymore pain and grief if history were to repeat itself one or two more time?
That is a realistic question and something I'm really struggling with. Facing the real possibility of more loss if we want to add to our family is a very real fear.
How do you weigh your odds of loss vs your desire for growing your family?
Related: Pregnancy After Loss: Words of Wisdom from Moms Who Have Been There


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Oh-so many of us try to "fill a hole" by purchesing stuff, only to learn the hole remains.
Our Son (42) passed away 2 years ago. Except for buying what do not need, I don't remember much else in these 2 years.
Now it makes me sick when I look at piles, knowing that they need to be somewhere else beside the floor! When we go out, I hate the thought of coming home.
So, STACKS and STACKS, I hope will help me with some products to organise my LIFE.
It will not take my pain away, but help me to cope being in the home
To others who hurt…no matter the reason, I want to say, if at all possible, make it easy on yourself…and the "clutter" control will hopefully help you a bit.
My Best Regards,
Submitted by Hilde Hilton


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It's hard not to notice sexism when it is everywhere. After dealing with a person named Chris for three years trying to find lodging in Cannes I was stunned to find out that Chris was a woman. I'd assumed she was a man and all of this time I thought I was communicating with a man. I trusted "him" that he wouldn't rip me off, that he knew what he was doing — and once I discovered "he" was a "she" I had to rethink my expectations. Suddenly I worried whenever the wi-fi went out that "she" wouldn't know how to fix it.
And then there is the matter of the movie blogosphere dominated almost completely by men. They talk mostly to each other, care mostly what one another thinks, and women are rarely included in the conversation. For the honey badger of it, I often butt in to the male tête-à-têtes but that is how you get labeled a bitch on Twitter. The women in our field of work have to play the nicely demure game, never ruffle too many feathers and all of that. I am thinking of making up t-shirts for us women in the business: "Cunts Unite." That might not go over too well.
Recently, a petition was circulated that upwards of 800 [now over 1700] people have already signed, taking Cannes to task for not including enough films by women directors. Okay, no films by women directors in the main competition category. This offended me too until I started seeing some of those films. Lo and behold, the rarest of all things: movies about women that didn't have anything to do with the men they were sleeping with or marrying. All of the films I've seen so far in competition have had strong female storylines. Only one hasn't and it still had many well-drawn female supporting players.
These films so far have wiped up the floor with all nine of the Oscar contenders last year, save The Help. In fact, watching these films so far here in Cannes one gets a much more refreshing look at women's place in the world — wow, there are writers and directors who do consider women to be actual thinking people with motivations beyond getting married.
To that end, one has little choice but tip one's hat to this fest in that regard — women are represented here more than I've seen them represented at any film film festival I've ever attended. Yes, it would be nice if one of those films had been directed by a woman — but if it had, would anyone have taken it as seriously? We already know that if you are female novelist and you write a book about a female heroine you are never going to get the label "the great American novel." The only "great American novels" are written by men. Just like the only universal stories in film are often by and about men. The Oscar contenders last year about the male ego, once again, repairing itself from a damaged state so that the man can go back to saving the world.
Two films I saw today are about female characters. Remarkably, neither film depends on a man to complete things. Male characters are in the film but their roles are less important to the overall story than the females. The first, Beasts of the Southern Wild is a revelation. Not since Tatum O'Neil followed around after father Ryan in Paper Moon has a girl actor exploded off the screen like Quvenzhané Wallis, the bold and formidable hero of this inexplicably brilliant film. I am not sure how its co-writer and director Benh Zeitlin came up with it, how that muse delivered this piece of work, but to me, it is right up there with the best feature debuts by the best filmmakers — we're talking Orson Welles, Steven Soderbergh, Kathryn Bigelow, Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee. Here is a brand new voice, a visionary who is not afraid of the obscure, and dares to carve a wholly new way of telling a story — with symbolism and poetry — brazen and unclean, not politically correct but the raw and whole truth.
The film is about Hush Puppy (Wallis) who is being raised by her ramshackle of a father — they live in the backwoods trash heaps of Louisiana, killing chickens they keep for food, sometimes cooking cat food for dinner, pulling crawfish out of the ocean and eating them in piles. It's a precarious existence, living up to its name: these are wild beasts who don't follow society's rules but manage to make do outside of them. So much happens between Hush Puppy and her father it would be unfair to recount them here, but suffice it to say he does what every single parent knows they must do: prepare their child for the big bad world after their gone.
One of the ways Zeitlin, and co-writer Lucy Alibar disarm you is with sentences you can't walk past. They stop you right in your tracks. When we first see glimpses of Hush Puppy's long since vanished mother she is described as someone who could turn on heat just by walking into the room — literally, turn on the flame underneath the pan. We see just her lower torso as she shoots an alligator — its blood smeared all over her ample thigh. This was a woman, all right.
Little Hush Puppy is being taught John Connor style how to toughen up for the coming apocalypse. She'll have to be tough, her daddy tells her. She'll have to be a beast to conquer the wilderness. His one request, "don't let me die plugged into the wall." He wanted to be put in a boat and "lit on fire." I'll make the assumption now that you won't see a better female performance all year than the one Wallis brings. Yeah, Oscar is a long shot. Tatum O'Neil was wrapped up in the star system already and Paper Moon was a fairly conventional film. Beasts is anything but conventional.
Mostly I liked the idea that the story turned on the inner life of its heroine, a girl, imagine that. Who will she be, what will she have to survive? The final scenes are some of the most powerful images anyone has ever put on screen, coming from the place that howls through the soul of a brilliant, ballsy artist.
After the movie ended, I couldn't really catch my breath. It was literally taken from me. I had to wait through the credits in hopes that I eventually could. When the credits finished rolling the crowd applauded once again, loudly, enthusiastically, with shouts throughout the theater. It didn't get a standing ovation but it came mighty close.


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The Blogging Syndrome
The other day while at the gym, I started regaling my friend with a story about my weekend trip to San Jose. Just as my storytelling juices started to flow, he interrupts and says,
"Yeah, I know. I read it in your blog."
"Well did I tell you that…"
"Read it."
"How about…" I sputtered /p>
"Yep. That too."
"Ok then. How many reps?"
Conversation over, we exercised in complete silence. I call this the "Blogging Syndrome". It's the increasingly common situation I find myself in where I cannot carry a conversation because the conversation is already published on my blog for the world to see. I have nothing to say that my friends haven't already read.
Perhaps it is time to purposely disseminate misinformation on my blog both as conversation starters, and to reserve a few interesting stories for me to tell via the old fashioned oral tradiion.
No matter what happens, I know I'll end up telling my friend.
"Hey, I just realized that we have nothing to talk about because of my blog."
Yep, I read that.