u/diamond-refinement

Any tips on fully getting this chaos back to bare ground? Is it going to be hand weeding hell or is there a non-chemical method I don't know about to get the overgrown grass out from between the fences? It's about a 4 inch gap between the chain link and the wood boards. I don't own any yard equipment but I have lots of people I can borrow things from, and I'm willing to rent stuff as well. We'll be tarping the open space of the lawn to clear it and seed a custom native meadow mix of mostly edible/medicinal plants. Hoping to have a baby first year meadow next spring!

For context, I've been living at this rental property for about 2 years, and just let the tiny yard (~200 sqft) do whatever it wanted for that entire time. There's nowhere to store a bunch of yard tools, and the landlord won't let me put up a shed, so I simply will not maintain it beyond the bare minimum for fire safety and spigot access. But! I would be much more motivated to care for and use the yard if it was cool native plants and not just allergen central of invasive turfgrass species.

(PNW zone 8b)

Just swapped in these new Ergon PT pedals from the shitty stock ones and holy cow the difference is astounding when wearing less structured shoes! I'm a casual commuter with a cheap ebike who really doesn't want/need anything too fancy or specialized. Huge thanks to the nice Swedish lady at the used bike shop who noticed my barefoot shoes and recommended these!

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I'm a little concerned about how they'll do in the rain so we will see how they do when the weather changes.

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Neighbor kid brought us a 3-4 week old kitten with an infected paw wound last night. I think he’s a stray that they found in a bush. He’s got the will to live, he’s eating and pooping and peeing on his own, and the vitals I can check look good (HR, RR, temp). We know basic care protocols (keeping him warm, feeding KMR every 3-4 hours or as often as he’ll eat, etc).

I know he needs to go to the vet - we don’t have vet money. There are people who have agreed to take him later today and I’m hoping they will get him the care he needs, in the meantime I want to get this wound taken care of as much as possible.

What I have done so far:

Soaked off the poopy compacted scab to expose the wound between his middle toes. Lots of pus came out to start but that appeared to be a buildup under the scab and it’s slowed significantly since. He seems to be using his paw more since getting the scab off as well.

The wound continues to ooze blood and pus. I’ve debrided what I can with clean warm water, gentle pressure, cotton swabs, and a syringe. Chlorhexidine solution to follow in a few hours - got some froma coworker. His metacarpal pad is swollen, as well the two center toes, the outer toes look much healthier and don’t seem to be as tender/ painful. The more concerning middle toe appears to have healthy tissue but no skin.

Right now the wound is out in the open and he’s been licking at it. I’m worried about dessication/further infection. I have the materials to make some appropriate dressings, but I have no clue how to effectively wrap a wound this small - any guides on how to do so would be fantastic.

I tried looking up information for rat paw wounds (similar size ig) and they suggested immobilizing the whole limb by wrapping them all the way around the midsection to prevent access - Is that appropriate for this kitten situation? I worry about temperature regulation if we were to wrap so much of his body.

Once again. No vet. Fully aware he needs expertise and antibiotics. Not an option at this time.

Tl:Dr - How do you wrap a nasty forepaw wound on a 3 week old kitten?

Heading southbound through this intersection is my personal hell, but it's unavoidable. This intersection is the worst part of my commute by far. Its part of a .75 mile stretch where the city hasn't connected a major separated path with painted bike lanes. I've tried it several ways and so far the pink route has felt the safest.

Some additional context/info:

-This intersection is between two arterial roads close to a highway interchange, so speeding is common and almost expected. Cars are rarely going the 35/40mph speed limit, usually they're going closer to 55. Drivers on this route are on their way home and very impatient.

- Red option: I'm on a trike, so I can travel at sidewalk speeds much safer/easier than a bike without dismounting, but the curbs/improper curb cuts jostle me a hell of a lot more than they'd jostle a bike, so I try to avoid them for the sake of me/my equipment. I'm also at this intersection around when a lot of kids are on the sidewalks walking home from school, and it adds about 5-10 minutes to my commute depending on light timing.

- Yellow option: I'm pretty sure this is what I am "supposed" to do based on road laws and general road use conventions. It also feels like the most likely to get me killed. Knowing that the right lane ends, most drivers merge to the left early, but some use the soon-to-end right lane as an opportunity to floor it and get past as many cars as possible before merging into a single lane. I'm terrified that someone will try that while I'm in the lane and hit me from behind going 40+mph. I've had one close call, and I'm grateful that car saw me in time and had working brakes. I will not be trying this route again.

- Pink option: I get yelled at by a car around 50% of the time when I use this route, but I haven't had any actual close calls beyond people intentionally trying to scare me by zooming by after the bike lane reappears and I can safely move to the right. I'm stressed as hell while there, but I also feel like this positions me in a way where a potential collision with a car is less likely to happen and also less likely to kill me.

I'm not very fast, and I'm not very experienced on roads, are my instincts here correct?

Pretty nice bike to leave entirely unsecured. Dramatically decreases the likelihood of my own getting taken though so I'm a bit grateful.

Update on my first couple days using my new trike as someone who hasn't done any cycling since childhood.

Some points of interest:

1. Model: This is a Mooncool TK1, got it because it was cheap with good reviews, and I didn't know if I would like it. I'm not regretting my choice in getting a tricycle over a bicycle, I AM regretting my choice in trike model. It's absolutely not worth getting a single speed trike. Multiple gears are necessary. That being said, I like this one enough to keep it around for a while and I'll probably sell it on the cheap to a friend when I upgrade down the line. Easy come easy go 🤷. Oh and the seat on this thing sucks if you're a more active rider, it's just too big to facilitate a good range of motion, I've already replaced it.

2. Handling: I was very concerned with the road camber causing me to veer off to the side constantly, but truly if you look off into the distance and don't think about it too hard, it's not difficult to ride in a straight line. If you're used to a bike I'm sure turning would take some getting used to, but the "slowness" of turns has yet to bother me at all.

3. Curbs: navigating curbs is a lot more annoying on a trike than a bike. You can hop down curbs just fine if you hit them exactly perpendicular, but too much of an angle at the wrong speed might tip you. I haven't attempted hopping up a hard curb and I doubt I ever will.

4. Tipping: I've taken this trike on some pretty sketchy roads and tipping has not been a concern at all, though I do think a deeper pothole catching one of my back tires could whip me around/throw me at the right speed. Tree roots will absolutely rock your shit though and put the differential through its paces.

5. Cargo: truly you can carry so much stuff with this! It's a little mind boggling how much I can fit in the front and rear baskets when compared to what I can pack on my little vespa.

6. Children, pedestrians, and other cyclists are SO excited about the trike! Makes me feel very cool on my whimsical little not-car.