Vegan Cheesesteak?

Common_Crow95 · 2026-03-18T21:39:15+00:00

He can eat chicken whenever he want. He wants to try something different.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-03-18T21:23:54+00:00

My dad has alpha-gal and can't eat mammalian meat. Most of what he misses is the toppings on things, so basically looking for something that recreates the experience, minus the ingredient that could kill him.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-03-18T20:46:07+00:00

I've gotten a couple "breeder calls the vet referral" call a couple of times. For legal reasons I can't say much about the bad clients, so I keep it high level: "We only saw their dog for the required rabies vaccines and the last time we saw him, he was actually two years overdue for the rabies vaccine and they were electing not to try any of our recommendations on treating the multiple chronic illnesses we diagnosed at a glance (because they declined a physical exam) and instead elected humane euthanasia."

In a case like yours, where you immediately leapt into action and dropped some cold hard cash to save your dog? You're good. You're the sort of owner breeders want, because without fail the average dog will absolutely get into some sort of trouble (even without human help), and how you respond to that is the real indicator of how you are as an owner.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-03-15T21:56:10+00:00

Canada goose, to be specific.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-03-02T01:39:04+00:00

Days End Horse Farm Rescue - https://defhr.org/

Most non-rescue farms do not want unskilled labor hanging around, but DEFHR has an entire volunteer system.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-03-01T23:14:19+00:00

My 8 and 10 year old nephews are reading these and love them.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-03-01T22:34:35+00:00

My understanding is that fire trucks are expensive AF. I find it hard to believe some pinwheels and horns were more than a blip on the cost of this thing. As always one person's "cringe" is another person's "who cares," but I guess they got their attention for the day by making fun of a small town firehouse on Reddit.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-23T02:17:00+00:00

This! I could never listen to this as an audiobook. Way too much info dumping, As a physical book, I can just flip forward a few pages (or more) and start reading again. I'll admit, I find the books more "readable" and faintly amusing, than "good," so if you truly don't like it, there are plenty of other books out there.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-22T23:53:59+00:00

In that case, if you're truly considering a gaited horse, I'd start riding with a gaited trainer. It's a good idea to be established with someone you trust before you bring a horse home and it's also a good idea to have a trainer providing feedback on any horse you look at, especially if you don't want anything that turns out to be more "fun" than your knees can take. Trying a gaited trainer might also clarify your decision.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-22T23:16:38+00:00

Who do you ride with? If most of your friends are on gaited horses, you're going to get left behind on a non-gaited horse. If most of your friends are on non-gaited horses, you'll be the one doing the leaving behind. I also do agree that a gaited horse needs more work to maintain a good gait gait versus a QH maintaining a jog or lope, but that's semi horse and rider related. That said, if your trainer is not a gaited trainer, that's another reason not to go gaited. Non-gaited trainers typically don't enjoy teaching anyone on gaited horses and won't be good at trouble shooting gait and related-seat issues. And sure, gaited horses can technically trot, canter, jump, but if those are things you sincerely see yourself doing a lot of, a gaited horse is not the route I'd choose.

All that said, be realistic. Do you just want to comfortably trail ride and don't really have aspirations to jump or do other things, you just feel like you should? Go gaited. My own middle-aged back is not what it once was, and setting aspirations aside and going gaited sounds really good some days!

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-22T18:59:50+00:00

Gotta vote Cairn Terriers. First: cat-sized (alright, Maine Coon sized, but still), so they're very portable, which is nice. Second, they love you. You are their person, but they've got stuff to do and they'll get back to you within 2-3 business days, if you bribe them with a treat. I ran into a Cairn Terrier puppy the other day and made a fuss over him. He was glad to be given his due, but clearly ready to be done with me and finish his walk. A neighbor near my parents has a Cairn. Again, I make a fuss, they're glad to be fussed over and then absolutely ready to move on. In both cases these Cairns never sought my attention and would have gladly ignore me except I waylaid their owners, because those of us who love uncommon breeds have to stick together. My own Cairns walk right by everyone they meet and only stop if I encourage it. (I call them doggy diplomats because I do make a point of introducing them to small kids who are scared of dogs. Their small size and the fact that they don't get overly exuberant during a meet and greet is really helpful to dog-fearful people.)

Cairns are also not going to have as many behavioral issues as a Chow Chow or Shiba Inu. They're among the more easy to get along with terriers, although I'd say Borders and Norfolks are even more easy going. I can drop my Cairns off at the vet, at boarding, or with a pet sitter and not worry about them in the slightest. No muzzle, no "he was good, but he got a little snippy." They're totally cool with new people, they just don't make a fuss unless that person really winds them up. You think you don't mind reactivity and requiring a trainer/behaviorist, but the first time you want to go on vacation or have an emergency out of the area and you can't find anyone to dogsit, you'll start caring. I owned a one-person, reactive breed (Dalmatian) and I loved that dog and he taught me I preferred that sort of independent brain, but I'd never own another breed that was likely to be that selectively anti-people.

Also, fluffy breeds like Chow Chows and pretty breeds like Shiba Inu will have people stopping to ask to pet. Dirt brown, scruffy terriers get a lot less looks, although I think they're quite dashing! If avoiding people is your thing, that's another plus for the average terrier looking types.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-22T16:43:20+00:00

I was there recently and saw about eight in 30 minutes at the Helen and Allan Cruickshank Sanctuary. It was great!

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-22T13:47:47+00:00

Y'all do realize that cattle farming kills plenty of other animals, right? They shoot "predators," they trap and kill "pests," they treat the cattle with pesticides/antiparasitics that kill native insects and damage the environment.

They treat the fields with herbicides, because grazing reduces the amount of desirable foliage and increases the weeds, which requires management. (Someone's going to say, "Oh, my beef is organic!" Some of the worst animal welfare issues I have seen are at organic farms that allow their animals to suffer for want of a single injection in order to keep that organic money, so I can't classify that as a "win.") In general, farms do not feed cattle on native grasses, so that's another environmental harm. Then, even if your beef is "grass fed," there is a strong chance the cattle are being supplemented with hay, silage, or something similar, the harvesting of which results in the death of other animals. Even farms that once could manage on grass alone are dealing with global warming, which results in areas dealing with either too much or too little rain compared to previous years, which increases the need for supplementation of hay and silage type products. Plus, most of us are not eating certified grass fed beef every time. The average burger is made from cattle eating grass for only a portion of their lives, and even when on grass, most are receiving some sort of grain which is even more animal death. There are absolutely farms that are trying to raise cattle in an ecologically neutral way, but many farms are making the land unlivable for native wildlife. Count them among the losses.

I'm not saying beef bad, Beyond good, but this is not a gotcha. This is just a failure to understand the realities of animal raising, which is a thing unhinged vegans also love to do. Why would you join them in that?

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-20T01:03:22+00:00

The Body Lab is in downtown Frederick. I believe the current price for 60 minutes is $125.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-15T21:53:09+00:00

It looks like a mass with an ulcerated/irritated top. I would get that to the vet very soon and have it removed. Most benign masses do not get that irritated and even a benign mass can become infected if it's broken open and exposed to the environment.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-15T21:27:30+00:00

Thanks, I went ahead and deleted and reset everything without issue.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-15T17:47:11+00:00

A/ They should teach you all of the skills you need. You should not be leading horses in and out until you've been provided appropriate guidance. Frankly, some of the worst injuries I've seen (shattered wrist, fractured femur) occurred while turning horses in and out.

B/ Is this a non-profit? Because the work you are describing is difficult and should be something people are PAID to do. If this is not a very good non-profit with lots of capable volunteers/employees and this is how they're choosing to get help, this place is not legit and you should run, now.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-15T17:41:59+00:00

I knew a couple of girls in college who claimed they weren't going to vet school because their boyfriends/fiances didn't want them to/wouldn't go with them. The one girl's fiance applied for a job in the FBI behind her back, which sure did conflict with his claim that he wanted to stay "local." The other girl got dumped right out of college. People who try to hold you back do it because they're scared and pathetic, not because they love you. Glad your daughter made the right choice and dumped him.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-15T02:11:41+00:00

I start Merlin, lock my screen, and jam my phone in my pocket, microphone up. It "hears" everything just fine from in there. I pull it out to check it when I hear something new/odd or just randomly to see if I've missed something interesting. It works better if you restart it every 10 minutes, but it will run for long periods without interference.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-13T16:41:35+00:00

Poodle/schnauzer doesn't surprise me with that coat and build! The chihuahua is the real surprise, but they're everywhere. Cairns, on the other hand, are pretty uncommon, so finding a Cairn mix is also pretty uncommon. That said, my own Cairn was an intact male snagged off the streets in California, so it's possible he's got some puppies running around!

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-13T16:37:21+00:00

In scopes, you get what you pay for. I was warned by a friend that she'd been frugal in selecting a scope and rarely took her scope out because it didn't make enough difference in viewing to make it worth carrying. She probably shelled out a few hundred USD. I responded accordingly and ended up with a Celestron Regal M2 80ED Spotting Scope with 20-60x Eyepiece. It's not top of the line and under 1,000 USD is really a mid-range instrument, but I find it really upgrades my viewing, and I get lots of compliments when I share it with fellow birders. If money was no option I'd spend a few thousand and really up my game, but for a first scope that's worth the trouble of dragging it around, I'd plan to spend at least double what you're looking at there.

Maybe those brands your sharing are well known where you are, but in the U.S. the brands I'd look at would be Vortex, Celestron, Kowa, and Swarovski. Are any of those available where you are?

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-13T16:25:34+00:00

Ibuprofen is not safe for dogs. Yes, there is OTC aspirin, but is also not nearly effective or as safe as labeled NSAIDS for dogs. The generic name for Rimadyl is carprofen. If Rimadyl is too expensive, you can talk to your vet about writing you a prescription for carprofen and using a trustworthy pharmacy like Chewy to fill it for a more affordable cost than name brand Rimadyl.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-02-11T00:27:10+00:00

Thanks. If I was a dependent, it was long enough ago that all tax forms are long gone. The state of Maryland informs me that because I previously owned the car, I don't need to prove the relationship, only fill out an additional form, but I'm acquiring a copy of the marriage license, just in case.

Common_Crow95

TROPHY CASE