A handful of updates

On the anti-snitch book:

Thanks to enthusiastic input, the anti-snitch book (booklet, really) is outlined, reality-checked, and ready for writing. Unforeseeable circumstances held the project up for three weeks, but we’re rolling again now.

Thank you to all who’ve contributed so far and all who’ve offered future help. We’ve got some great material.

On Sweetie the heeler

Speaking of a little help from friends, Sweetie the heeler (now called Georgia) is doing well several weeks after her first immiticide treatment for heartworm. Her two foster “dads” dote on her and they and Sweetie are being very patient with the endless crate rest the treatments require. (The treatments can be as dangerous as the worms. To prevent dead worms from going into the lungs and causing sudden death, all exertion is forbidden for up to two months — which is awfully hard on an enthusiastic young dog and the humans who have to crate her.)

I was starting to feel disgruntled with the cold, wet spring we’ve been having here in the northWET. But turns out it’s very good for keeping Sweetie peaceable in her crate; seems she has no desire to go out in the rain.

Once again, you can pat yourselves on the back for making the cure and a new life possible for Sweetie.

On the (bet you thought I’d forgotten) rifle raffle:

Late last summer I asked if you all might be interested in a raffle of a custom-decorated rifle. Response was enthusiastic and I hoped to have some designs for people to v*te on by fall.

A number of people have asked where that stands — not least the kind guy who donated an AK-type rifle (here’s the before picture of the actual gun), who has quite justifiably nagged me about it.

All I can say is that life — and fright — intervened. I was pretty nervous about the whole project, never having done anything like it. And a very busy winter and spring gave me an excuse to put it off.

Rest assured I haven’t dropped it. OTOH, I am going to drop the idea of creating designs for people to v*te on. My original thought was to draw up roughs of a Van Gogh “Starry Night” design, a custom camo based on my dog Robbie’s brindle coat, and a “Don’t tread on me” snake. But it’s perfectly obvious which design everybody’s going to prefer, so when I finally get to this, it’s not going to involve dogs or starry skies. 🙂

Still not sure when that’ll be. And there’s still a chance I’ll mess it up and the rifle will never leave my closet or return ignominiously to the donor. But believe me, it’s still on my to-do list.