Crow Horse

Perfect!!!!!!! We always seem to be chasing something and don't stop for a moment (or more) to savor what we have. We look towards a conceptual destination and miss the entire journey. Live in the moment with gratitude.

Thanks to everyone who "weighed" in. I thought about the question of weight and what it really means to me a great deal since I posted the question. I suppose I'll never know her true weight and at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. For me it's not a numbers game. I like to push myself to do better and better. That's not a bad thing when tempered properly. What really matters is the experience of hooking into her, her wild runs, acrobatics and deep dives. She fought valiantly and I was extremely fortunate to have been drawn into connection with her. It was the experience that should be savored and that shouldn't get lost in a numbers game. She won't have a weight attached to her. Instead, she'll be added to my "Big Girls Club" that is burned into my memory. Enrollment is open for the club and I hope to recruit more members this season.

To get a better estimate of the length, I rotated the bass and located it under my arm. Although my arm isn't fully extended out from my body, it's close. The bass's tail extends beyond my armpit, but with a fudge factor, it's at least 24" long. Precision guesswork at it's finest.

It is beautiful. I got married there. What makes it extra special is that I have the place to myself virtually all of the time.

Yes, she gave me a great fight and she kept surprising me with some unexpected runs. I'm not using terribly light gear. A Vendetta 7' medium/fast rod, 3000 size spinner with 10# braid. 10# 25' mono leader. A Megabass Flap Slap seduced her.

I don't know if this will be any help, but have a go at it. https://youtu.be/MZYKRwyI9LE

Anybody want to take a stab at guessing her weight? For reference, from my wrist to armpit is 24"s. She put up a great fight with some strong runs. It only took me about 6 1/2 hours to find her. (I'm terrible at approximating weight)

Psychology Suggests People Who Pick Up Litter Without Being Asked Practice Quiet Responsibility That Shapes How They Treat Strangers And The PlanetYou Notice What Others Walk PastYou Treat Shared Spaces Like HomeYou Move Fast When Something Feels OffYou Handle Mild Discomfort Without DramaYou Keep Your Standards When Nobody WatchesYou Feel Responsible Without Feeling SuperiorYou Imagine the Next Person’s DayYou Let One Good Choice Spark AnotherMore can be found here: https://cottonwoodpsychology.com/blog/psychology-suggests-people-who-pick-up-litter-without-being-asked-practice-quiet-responsibility-that-shapes-how-they-treat-strangers-and-the-planet/ Personality traits of those who do litter: People who litter typically exhibit traits like low conscientiousness, external locus of control, and high impulsivity. They often justify their actions through entitlement—expecting others to clean up after them—and a mindset of diffusion of responsibility, believing shared public spaces are "not their problem". [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Psychological and behavioral studies outline the core traits that drive improper waste disposal: [1] Low Conscientiousness & Empathy: A reduced capacity to consider the long-term community or environmental impacts of their actions. External Locus of Control: The belief that outcomes are up to fate or other people rather than their own direct responsibility. They often rationalize that because the area "is already messy," their one wrapper won't make a difference. Entitlement & Narcissism: The belief that public spaces exist for their personal convenience and that janitors or maintenance staff exist to pick up their slack. Impulsivity & Need for Convenience: Prioritizing instant gratification. If a trash can isn't immediately at arm's reach, they will drop an item to avoid the temporary, minor inconvenience of carrying it.

I finally got out on the water and towing with the new tires was a lot smoother. I'm using Load Range B which is appropriate for the trailer load and I ran the tires at 30psi instead of the max of 35psi. I forgot to bring my non contact temp gun with me but the tires weren't even warm when I arrived at my destination. The trailer rode much smoother than the smaller 8" tires I replaced. I'm very pleased with the results.

If we don't change our ways as a collective, we'll end up with this.... https://youtu.be/S1J6TFHCevg?list=RDS1J6TFHCevg

No judgement on my part if one chooses not to pick up other people's trash, however, I will demonize those who discard their garbage where it doesn't belong. It's difficult to identify a lower level of human. Nothing burns my arse more than seeing a beautiful natural area desecrated by garbage Nature is my church, synagogue, mosque, or any other holy site. I treat it as the holiest of the holy. I am always prepared to pick up what I find left behind by others. I carry leather & exam gloves, several kinds of trash pick up sticks, a shovel, and contractor size garbage bags. I also have a long telescoping pole to snag lures from trees although I don't carry it all the time. Some of what I pick up is absolutely disgusting. Discarded food, used toilet paper, broken lawn chairs, a surprising amount of trashed fishing lures, hooks, and weights. Camping gear, clothing, broken glass, beer cans and cigarette butts.... I could go on and on. I police the area before I launch and after as well. While on the water I'll grab whatever litter I can find. We shouldn't ask who should pick up the trash. A much better question to ask is who WILL pick up the trash. "Should" fixes nothing. "Will" starts the process of repair. I was taught as a Scout to leave where ever I am better than when I arrived. I see no reason to stop now. My wife and I will police our local roads as well. There is no shortage of trash as well as ignorant beings to ruin it. Don't eliminate them. Re-educate them.

I like to think of it as the grief we experience is inherently connected and in direct proportion to the amount of love we shared. It's a fundamental component of the human experience.

It's amazing that we as humans and animals can establish such deep connections. Again, my sense of it is that we are connecting with another sentient being at it's most basic level. If you distill it down, we are nothing but wave form at the sub atomic levels and a connection is made with another who is on the same resonating frequency. I see that connection being made when I am talking with several cats. There might be one who will be hanging on every word I say. It's visibly perceptible and I feel that is where we get a "lock & tone". It's where the real magic starts to happen. That might not be the best way to describe it but for me it seems to make sense.

It doesn't sound crazy at all. I'll wager that any pet "owner" who has a very deep bond with their companion would take that deal in a heartbeat. I know I would. My sense of your dream is that it was a very clear message to you. Dreams are considerably different than "messages". Dreams are very muddled, vague and ambiguous. They are like spinning the tuner dial on a radio, picking up a variety of frequencies and together they make no real sense. Messages are very linear, vivid and lucid. They are sometimes more real than real. Again, just my opinion, I believe that those who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge and who have had a very deep bond with their human, do return from time to time to "check in". These visitations can be quite subtle or extremely profound. To that point, be keenly aware, keep your internal radar sweeping,and know that it's not a construct of your imagination.

Oh so very true. It does suck, but that is the premium we pay for unconditional love. I've learned several things being that we've gone through these cycles too many times. Firstly, we are stronger than we allow ourselves to believe. The pain might seem unbearable, but we will manage to bare the weight of grief and survive. The second thing I've learned is a little more complicated. As mentioned, we've had to say goodbye so many times, I always thought that somehow I would be stronger the next time those words were spoken. Maybe stronger, maybe develop a thicker skin, maybe develop a protective shell of sorts. I was so very wrong in thinking it was going to be easier and less painful. In fact, it became much harder for me each subsequent time. I just could not make sense of it. The answer came to me when we had to say goodbye to our beloved Amber. Amber was a truly unique girl different from other cats. She was a long haired tortie, who embodied love in everything she did. She never just walked from place to place, She trotted or bounded from here to there. She was always in her own world of love and wanted to share it with everyone. When we had to say goodbye to her, I was a mess, couldn't eat and felt physically ill. While mourning our loss, for a brief moment the veil of sadness lifted to allow clarity and the answer as to why this kept getting more painful. When we say goodbye for the last time to a loved companion, we realize how fragile and precious life really is in a very real way. We respond to this knowing by loving those still with us in this 4D world even deeper and more fiercely than ever before. Doing so, we experience love like we've never have, an entirely new level of love. The next time we say goodbye, the void left in our hearts is deeper and the grief is more intense than ever before. So why continue going through these cycles? Simply, if you stop loving, you'll never experience the greater levels of love. Our brain basically squelches emotions like love and I'm here to tell you that there are levels of love that defy human comprehension. That's just my take on it all.