That looks like a red tail hawk. (I know, I know, a red tail is taxonomically a buzzard, but it won't wait for you to die before it chows down on you. )

better than when a grizzly bear protects her cubs when you stumble upon them.

every once in awhile you get a turkey that gets protective and becomes a nightmare.

those baby coyotes are back in the culvert under my driveway. they go there for awhile every year.

the good and the bad.

the sand pipers all hatched from two broods and have been sitting on my gazebo by the river making their peeps sounds asking mom for food.
baby turkeys every where.

my fawn that was born by the house in the front yard has gotten eaten by the baby coyotes. thats nature. the mom and them chased it down the driveway and through the trees and caught it. mom hangs near the house and its sad.

nature is like a poker game. the weak get eaten by the stronger. and the strong need lots of weak to survive.

The twin fawns and the single fawn with Does are doing well about my place. The large forked horn, still in velvet, will not last the winter - he will be poached most likely; or legitimately be shot during hunting season, least likely.

Did a hike on the hill behind my place a few days ago and came upon a rope, white, coiled on ground and then looked up, as the rope hung from a tree. Sure enough, a pair of bleached antlers (forked horn) was tied to the end of the rope - poacher had strung up the buck after killing it and gutted it, etc., and hauled off the meat. Probably done last winter.

when i go back to playing poker after the virus has calmed down. i will play much tighter than usual for a while till i get accustomed to the new faces and styles of play.
even the old ones i know just how they play sometimes change and you have to be aware of that or you get killed in the game.

montana is nuts. people are in the bars and playing poker and no one is wearing a mask. and the governor made it a requirement. and cases are rising fast.

It isn't just Montana. I was surprised by how long people were careful. My fair value over/under would have been three weeks.

Yet again, Thucydides proved correct.

a pair of twin fawns have taken up residence in my front yard since its been left bare by the disappearance of the single fawn that the coyotes got. they lay under some of my fruit trees in the afternoon to get shade and the good grass and clover near the trees as they get watered.

so far none of the poker players that play in the local games have come down with the virus or at least know they have had it. montana still has a low amount of cases and luckily so. not much is shut down. masks are required to enter any place byut it is not being enforced if you dont wear it once in.
more cases are on the way with hte tourists coming in and the local with an i dont care attitude.
which may lead to the bars being closed down and poker as well.

Not to worry, say your prayers and God will protect you.

By the way, a doe with two cute fawns have been hanging about my place for ~ 3 weeks.

my n95 mask will do a better job. the only thing in this world that really protects us is the atmosphere.

so now its august 2020. the virus is increasing. so what are the decisions to make.

do you go about your life as normal and even go play poker or go in bars. take the risk because you are young and healthy and less risk for you. or be more conservative and realize it could still ruin your life.

or if older, sick or have health issues or all of the above, do you stay completely away from people. or just stay away from places that are more likely to be infected. or just go about living and take your chances.

Because you don't know when you have contracted it for about a week, and therefore you could be a spreader for a few days, it's obviously best to stay at least six feet away from others so that you may not infect them, if you've been unlucky.

Wear a mask, particularly in stores and where others are, as that helps not to spread it, as well as being somewhat of a preventative for you becoming infected. Wash your hands well with soap asap whenever you have touched anything, (door handles, trolleys, etc), and before you touch your face, as that destroys most of the viruses you might have picked up after an unknown spreader has touched the same.

The longer you last before becoming infected, (and hopefully, with those precautions, you might avoid it), the more the medical profession will discover ways to treat you if you are one of those who unfortunately become very seriously ill.

Stay safe by not taking chances you can avoid with a bit of forethought and planning.

57 here. No bars or restaurants. Mask on in any building. No guests allowed at house. Won't get on a plane.

mike i do all that same as with howard.
6 feet was a convenient number put up by the cdc. not the right number as if someone coughs you can get it within 30 feet and it stays in the air longer than they said originally.

so there is really no completely safe distance if you are out and about. you take your chances. but give yourself the best of it if you can.

howard i wont be flying anytime soon thats for sure. hours next to people isnt so good.
bars might be worse as the people are talking and more active. i dont know but nix on both.

I'm flying to Sicily ASAP where I have wonderful friends and everything and everyone is safe. And the food and wine are excellent and people are nice and polite all the time and everyone obeys the authorities and respects the law and follows all the needed CVOID safeguards to ensure the safety of all. Also, The Pope lives in Italy. Enough said.

it was nice knowing you. ill give you a 20 round one gun salute and remember you for all time.

hope you arent serious. they have a 14 enforced quarantine.
and a ban on non esstional travel there. you may get there and not get back or get stuck in transit.

zeno this may be you. listen to all of it and think.

I too will raise a scotch in Zeno's memory.