今 この瞬間も「バレーボール」だ

14 years ago when I had recently moved to Alaska, I went hiking with an Aleut friend, and she pointed to a feather lying on the ground and said "hey that's a bald eagle tail feather, you should grab it!" and I was like "uhh I'm very white and that's very illegal" and she went "they're fuckin everywhere up here man. I have 20." so she grabs it off the ground and hands it to me and says "there, now it's a ceremonial gift from an indigenous person."

and I'm like, okay, cool, I guess this is how we do things in Alaska. nice.

so I keep this bald eagle tail feather around for years. display it in my home among other cherished memorabilia from places I've lived and visited, etc.

on a whim, I have just now looked it up. there is no exemption to that law for a ceremonial gift from an indigenous person. the last 7 years I lived in the US, I was technically a bald eagle poacher.

the law against 'picking feathers up off the ground' means that you can't go shoot an eagle then sell the feathers on etsy by saying you 'just found them'. you can't own them no matter where they came from, which makes sure that they're not going to come from any birds killed and then secretly disposed of.

"Josh?"

Gauze pads and cotton swabs for cleaning wounds and cat ears.

Soap for cleaning wounds. Seriously, soap and water are the best choice most of the time.

Rubbing alcohol for disinfecting scratches, particularly from cats, roses, or blackberries. (I have an inflammation reaction to those three).

Bag Balm for minor scratches and badly chapped hands.

Petroleum jelly for hairballs and chapped paw pads (yeah, my first aid supplies include cat stuff).

Tegaderm HP for bandaging--clear film bandage that you leave on until healed, keeps wound clean and moist and scabs soft. Water, shower, swimming pool proof. Recommended by wound care nurse after my mother had large skin tear. Magical stuff!

Menstrual pads for direct pressure on severe bleeding wounds. Sterile, non-stick, absorbs blood. Also nice for guests.

Vet Wrap (bandage that sticks to itself but not skin or fur). Er, coban I think it's called in human medicine? Good protection over another bandage, especially Tegaderm. Keeps idiots from chewing on sutures. Can be used with a splint in a dire emergency, or to temporarily fix broken tent poles or pack-frames when I was backpacking regularly.

Nitrile gloves for working on people or critters who aren't myself. Also for fabric dyeing and wood finishing.

Albuterol inhaler for my asthma.

Afrin nasal decongestant spray for nose bleeds (learned this from my uncle on blood thinners).

Cortisone cream for insect bites and bee stings.

Benadryl tablets for ant bites--I'm allergic!

Tweezers. Good tweezers!

Pulse-ox meter to measure blood oxygen levels. Good for asthma, covid, and non-verbal post-stroke mothers with colds.

Thermometer.

Other thermometer that works on cats.

Botanical Applique Quilt by Chinami Terai (Japan)