(UPDATED post)

I did some updating to The Last Ancient House.

Two poems were added, which aren't new but for some reason I had neglected to add them before:  Yuggoth On the Rim and Yule Fest.

Also added is the first story I ever tried to write, many years ago when I read some online stuff and decided I could write stories at least as good as those.  Written not long after reading Three-Fisted Tales of "Bob."  There are things in it that make a lot more sense if you've already read The Book of the SubGenius.  It was my attempt at writing a Lovecraftian three-fisted tale, and is called Nyarlathotep's Lament.  It has been revised several times since the original.

I had to run over to my dad's house this morning to help tag a new set of twin fawns.  We still have four more does expecting, so next time I hope to tag them myself instead of just getting a lesson from Dad.  This time it was a set of bucks, so we're in business.

So now I can add day-old fawns to the list of baby animals I've held in my arms.  One of them got a little alarmed when the tag went through his ear.  They bleat a lot like a baby goat.  The other one took it all in stride and went right back to sleep.

You might not think that a brown-and-white fawn could hide so well in dark green Bermuda grass, but they can.  We had to be right on top of them before we found them.

Unfortunately, I forgot my phone.  I could have taken some pretty good closeups of the fawns if I'd had a camera.  Next time, I promise.

Each fawn has to be cataloged after tagging, so we have a record of which doe it came from.  Another chore is that the afterbirth has to be buried so it doesn't attract scavengers.  Crested Caracaras (which we somewhat derisively refer to as "Mexican Eagles") are especially nasty.  They can be drawn in by the afterbirth, but they will also attack living animals if they are still hungry after they finish.  They won't attack adult deer, but they'll attack anything small and weak like newborn fawns.

Since it's technically illegal to shoot the filthy things, I always just yell and shoo them away without harming them.  Of course I do.

The interesting thing in this bit of San Antonio self defense news is what they don't mention.  Fearless Store Clerk Shoots Out Thief’s Windows:

Police say a robber came into the store and acted as if he had a gun. Once he got cash, he hopped into a waiting pick-up truck. The clerk ran outside and shot at the truck as it drove away.

What isn't mentioned is if there were any consequences for the store clerk.  After the robbery was "finished," he followed the thugs outside and shot at their vehicle as they were fleeing.  And yet, no word on if the clerk got in trouble with "authorities."

Don't get me wrong.  I have no problem with the store clerk shooting at them as they flee.  But in some parts of the country, the clerk would be in serious trouble.  Never mind that that store is his livelihood, never mind that he probably spends most of his day watching so-called "customers" like a hawk to prevent petty thefts, never mind that his store will be tagged if he turns his lights off for more than 5 minutes.  Yes, this is self defense, because that store is how he supports himself and his family and every punk who gets away is a punk who will come back, and a punk who will tell all his fellow punks that the store is an easy mark.

In some places people would already be plastering their panties because he shot at them as they ran away.

Hard luck.  You don't want to get shot, don't rob convenience stores.  In San Antonio, anyway.

Via Civilian Gun Self Defense Blog.