Fasting BG 2021

[walkerwally1]

100 this morning.  Some areas in Southern California got some significant rain yesterday which is good but of course not here in the desert.  Our high yesterday was 96° and should be the same today.  It is supposed to cool down a bit next week.
SKB, pretty cool.  Amazing that the owl stayed around so long.  The hawk outside my window didn't stay very long and I didn't have my phone or camera nearby.  When I lived up on the mountain we did have a bear on our back porch looking in the window.  That was a shock.

[bigskygal]

99 this blue sky morning.

68° was the high yesterday, today's forecast is 81°/41° kind of doubt it will get that high here. Not sure where exactly they are making these predictions from.

Got my errands all done yesterday and just as I was driving home got another stupid bloody nose! But I did get the Ayr that Kathy recommended so when I got home I used it. A few doses yesterday and one so far today and my nose feels much better. Thanks Kathy!! (Though I am still afraid to blow my nose...)

Yeah Wally, the bear on the porch was shocking. DH had gone to bed to watch his old movies and I was up in the living room watching TV. Heard some bumps and thumps on the front porch. Called out to DH, what are you doing outside? He said I'm not! looked out window on front door and there I was face to face with a bear!! It could have so easily pushed through the door...but I think I startled it as much as it startled me so it bolted off.

[Grammabear]

If I looked out my window and came face to face with a bear, I would probably need to be changing my clothes very shortly.  Thankfully, the only kind of "bear" around here are the two legged variety which might be the most bothersome.

Has anyone gotten the 'Hi-Dose' flu shot for this year yet?  We see advertisements for it on television multiple time every evening.  This past week when DH and I went for out 'jabs', the nurse said as she was doing the injections, "Oh, by the way you are getting the high dose shot because you are more than 65."  This is the first time getting the high dose (didn't even know there was such a thing) and no one ever asked us if a high dose was okay?  Mine itches like crazy and looks like a huge mosquito bit me.

[walkerwally1]

I have had the high dose flu shot every year for a long time.  You may have had it in the past but they never told you.  It is supposed to offer better protection to older people.  I never noticed any reaction to it though but we are all different.

[Grammabear]

I have had the high dose flu shot every year for a long time.  You may have had it in the past but they never told you.  It is supposed to offer better protection to older people.  I never noticed any reaction to it though but we are all different.

Thanks Wally.  My husband said his arm was sore for a couple of days and he usually is never bothered with any kind of reaction either.  My arm wasn't sore, but the next day it does look like a huge mosquito bite.  Have you been lucky enough to avoid the flu also?

[skb]

I wish years ago when I lived in the CA Sierras and a bear appeared on my front porch I had a camera to record it!! Scared the carp out of me looking eye to eye with the bear. Not sure which one of us was the most scared!!

Ah, that must have been really scary for both of you.

I have been confronted by Bears twice. Both of the times, I was alone and on foot, deep within the jungles of Central India. The Indian Bear is known as a Sloth Bear. It doesn't grow large like the Grizzly but a mature bear standing on its hind feet can be 6 to 7 feet tall and very intimidating, especially if lets out a cry.

In the forest, Bears, Elephants and Boar can be particularly dangerous because they all have poor far-sight vision. Bears being very inquisitive, can come really close and then they get scared enough to attack.

In 2005 we had gone to check out a water hole for tigers, when I saw a very attractive bird known as a Paradise Fly Catcher. It has a long flowy tail and I wanted a good close up picture for my collection. So I started following it in the hope of one leaving the comfort of the group behind me. This is something that normally I would never do but the bird kept drawing me further and further away.

There was a hillock to the left of me, from where I heard a rustling sound, and suddenly a Bear walked down on to the track. He had a good look at me. Trying to figure out what I was and whether I presented any danger. I knew I was in trouble as the others were at least half a kilometer away. If I ran, the Bear would certainly chase me and make mince meat in no time. So I froze into a statue and waited for him to relax.

In about 30 seconds he had decided that I was not a threat. He stood up and started to scratch his back against a tree. Having done that, he started trotting away from me at a good pace. I wished that I had a video camera that day, but all I was carrying was a Canon DSLR with slide film roll in it. Here are a couple of pictures of that encounter.

You cannot view this attachment.

You cannot view this attachment.

[Grammabear]

107 this sunny morning.  84/50 deg F.

Shyam - You have magnificent pictures of a fully mature bear that could have easily made mince out of you.  I'm glad he didn't, but instead provided you with great pictures instead.  I am sure the group you were with was very impressed with the details of that event.

[walkerwally1]

I have had the high dose flu shot every year for a long time.  You may have had it in the past but they never told you.  It is supposed to offer better protection to older people.  I never noticed any reaction to it though but we are all different.

Thanks Wally.  My husband said his arm was sore for a couple of days and he usually is never bothered with any kind of reaction either.  My arm wasn't sore, but the next day it does look like a huge mosquito bite.  Have you been lucky enough to avoid the flu also?

Yes, I haven't had the flu for many years thankfully.  I honestly don't remember when I last had the flu. 

[walkerwally1]

86 this morning.  It is going to be another smoky day today.  I was wrong and relied on a news article when I said that the Giant Sequoia trees were safe from the fires.  There are two fires that are still threatening the trees with no containment.  One fire is near the Trail of 100 Giants where there are many of the tall Sequoia trees and another fire complex in the Sequoia National Park where the Giant Sequoias are including the General Sherman tree that is the largest tree in the world.   In normal conditions these trees are able to withstand fires going through but because of the drought the intensity of the fires threatens them. 
SKB, that was quite an encounter.  I have been in situations where a bear came into a campground a couple of times but they were just looking for food and we were in a camping trailer.  The bear that was on my back porch didn't pose a threat and was going after the dog food that was left out. The surprise was that our entire property was fenced and that posed no problem to the bear getting in. 

[bigskygal]

122 this mostly clear morning.

72° was the high yesterday, today's forecast is 82°/45°.

I hope the Sequoias survive these fires, they are truly magnificent trees.

Still have not gotten my vaccinations still afraid of a bad reaction. I haven't had the flu in as long as I can remember and I don't get the shot. I am a very solitary person and take precautions when I do go out. I may change my mind as Winter comes along.

Great photos Shyam!

[skb]

The second encounter was also dangerous because it was a dark night and the bear was much closer than the first time. However, this time my friends were only about 20-25 meters away.

In the forests there are no cell phone towers so we have to travel to hilltops where some signal is available to call back home. On one such hill top, there is a tower constructed by the Fire department from where they keep a watch on the forests for fires. We knew that cell signals were possible by climbing one level on that tower. So, four of us drove to that tower to be able to talk back home. While the others climbed one level, I was fortunate to get signal at the ground level itself. I started to make calls and stroll a little bit away from the tower.

Having walked 20-25 meters away, I noticed some dark shape drinking at the water hole. At first I thought that it was a pair of wild boar clinging together. But when I shone my torch it turned out to be a Sloth Bear. He was so thirsty that he just gave me a brief look and resumed drinking water. I retraced my steps and all of us got into our car and then drove there to have a good look.

You cannot view this attachment.

[bigskygal]

What an amazing and scary adventure!! Great photo!

[Grammabear]

124 this morning.

Shyam - That is a fantastic photo of the Sloth bear at the tower.  Are they generally considered a bear that avoids human contact when possible?

Wally - I hope the trees in the Sequoia park somehow escape the fires.  I have read about them in the National Geographic magazine and the pictures are awesome.

[walkerwally1]

99 this morning.  It is supposed to be cooler today with our high around 88° and it looks like we will be around that for the rest of the week.  Smoke has been pretty bad around here and this morning it is like an overcast sky.  Hoping for a change in the wind direction soon. 
Yeah Grammabear, unfortunately there is very little containment of these fires right now but they are putting a lot of effort into protecting the trees.  One fire is called the Windy fire and it is now over 85,000 acres and only 2% contained and threatens trees along the "Trail of 100 Giants" in the Sequoia National Forest but not in the park.  The other fire is the KNP complex which is two fires that joined and in in the Sequoia National Park  and is around 47,000 acres and only 8% contained so these fires will be burning for a long time.

[bigskygal]

117 this blue sky morning.

75° was the high yesterday, today's forecast is 81°/41°. I don't know where the weather station is that they take the forecast numbers but it appears to be a warmer area than here where I live.

I've been to Sequoia National Park many times. Those trees are amazing! It would be devastating to lose even one of them. I hope they get a good rain there and it puts out the fires, or the firefighters are able to protect them somehow.