Whisker Biscuit and new Shimpaku!

I wasn't really planning on getting another tree, 11 is a good number but I couldn't help looking through a nursery when I passed it today, and managed to catch this gem before they were gonna throw it in a dumpster - marked down from 40 to 20, they couldn't get rid of it because its a little sickly looking and scraggly, not as filled in and healthy.  when I examined the container it was in later when I brought it home, it appears to be a solid ball of roots; it really really needs a root pruning. Additionally, the plant was in the sun all day long and its been hot - shimpaku junipers enjoy lots of sun, but not direct middday sun, which is what it had been getting. Additionally based off of the color I think it was being overwatered.  

So before they threw it in a dumpster, I offered 'em 10 bucks, which they readily accepted.

Its a beast - two feet tall at least, and as I said, scraggly looking. But with the right attention, that can be changed. 

size 14 male foot, and the beast of a tree.

But on close examination ...

Gold! Lookit that trunk! the bark is great, and the photos don't do it justice, but the trunk is 2-3 inches thick, and I've been lookin for a thick trunk (I've got a lot of big pots lyin around)

A view from afar - after I've cleared away some of the bad stuff.

another shot of the trunk.
And some more clearing done. I'm not going to rush through this one, because its a big tree, and there are a lot of things to think about. More later

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So for my Birthday my parents got me a gift certificate to the nearby archery range because I asked for a "whisker biscuit" which is an attachment for my bow. The problem was that they come in different sizes, hence the gift certificate. Mom/Dad if you're reading this THANKS! I love it!!

For those who don't know, a Whisker Biscuit is an arrow rest - on older bows (think native americans) the shooter will rest the arrow on a finger, or some sort of protrusion, while pulling the end of the arrow back before shooting (loosing) the problem, is that this ends up doing two things - firstly, it hurts the fletches (think feathers) on the arrow, and can end up ruining arrows. Secondly, and somewhat more importantly, the fletches that hit the finger or the bow after being released end up putting the arrow on a wobbly flight, which can ruin accuracy, and consistent shooting.   A whisker Biscuit is a bristle circle thing. welp, pictures help. So here's my bow:  Its a Bear DeerHunter, from the 80's - a double cam compound bow that shoots (currently) at 60 lbs, which is enough to take down a deer (as the name would imply)

here's the shooting block - looks fancy, but the three pins on the top are there for aiming based off of range - they still need to be adjusted, but basically they'll end up being 30, 60, and 120 feet.  Beneath them you see the circular thing - thats the whisker biscuit. You drop the arrow in from the opening in the right, and the darker black bristles hold the arrow up while the brown arrows hold it centered and allow for the fletches to pass cleanly through.

here we see the arrow in the biscuit!

After attaching this and adjusting a couple things, I hit 3 bullseyes in a row from 30 feet - which is AWESOME before fine-tuning. Also thats almost good enough for bowfishing and small game.  So I'm pretty excited for my future shooting!