What is happening

[Sandi]

Around here we have more cicadas than crickets. They come closer to a clatter than a chirp but it still beats pile drivers.

[Allen]

I live out in the woods, in the bottom of a valley. It seems to gather sound, and not let it go. I can hear the loudspeakers on the rodeo grounds about 3 miles away when they have events. I can hear sirens on the highway that's a bit beyond that. Someone fires a gun a half mile away and it sounds like they're 50 yards from my house.

But I live for my solitude here. My nearest neighbor is about a quarter mile away. Most of that distance is on my property. If I had my way, the nearest neighbor would be on the other side of the other highway, 3/4ths of a mile away.

[Dragon Fan]

Were it possible I would not have neighbors even that close, My house is just outside a small town in central Pennsylvania, I don't mind people, but they sure can be noisy. Back when I hunted, all I need do is walk out my back door for a half mile or so and there was plenty of deer and small game, now, too many houses have been built. Can't hunt most of the land now. Ah well, guess that's progress.

[vyon]

I won't invite you to stay with me then, Dragon Fan. Fire engine sirens go up the hill, fire sirens go down the hill - I don't know why they go up, the station is up there somewhere. Police cars ditto, though at least they only do flashing lights at night. Ambulances in both directions as well - and that's only at night. In the daytime we get the same, plus convoys of heavy trucks going up to the rubbish dump and landfill somewhere in the hinterland then bouncing along the uneven road on the way down the hill empty.

What I don't hear very often is small birds. There was a blackbird singing in the trees at the back of the house at three this morning. I see a fantail there sometimes. There are a few sparrows and some very bossy tuis. Then there's a large flock of pigeons that roost on top of my house because it's opposite the Council flats. The people there are not allowed to have pets so they feed the birds instead, some of them are quite tame.

I'm more used to a quiet suburban street in Tauranga with at least one cat in every house and six in ours. We could see a dozen fantails in the manuka tree, flocks of waxeyes taking turns to brave the cats and bathe in a dish on our deck, chaffinches, greenfinches, sparrows, blackbirds with territories at the back of our house another lot at the front, they fought if they met. A thrush patrolled our back doorstep until he got eaten by one of the cats. We had tuis for the winter and shining cuckoos in summer. We were visited by some Rosella parrots, a couple of Minahs, starlings pretending to be quails, real quails occasionaly and a pair of plovers on the golf course next door. Hawk patrolled our treetops early in the evening - if he went too far over the cliffs the seagulls would chase him back inland again.

Did I mention that there is only one outside cat here? Gareth Morgan can't blame the lack of birds on the cats!

[Allen]

Originally Posted by Dragon Fan

Were it possible I would not have neighbors even that close, My house is just outside a small town in central Pennsylvania, I don't mind people, but they sure can be noisy. Back when I hunted, all I need do is walk out my back door for a half mile or so and there was plenty of deer and small game, now, too many houses have been built. Can't hunt most of the land now. Ah well, guess that's progress.

That far, huh. I have deer, turkeys and small animals come up to less than 100 feet from my house. We were on our way out just the other morning and 3 deer ran across the driveway. Guess that would have been about 50 yards from the house. a couple of weeks ago, we saw over a dozen turkeys right outside our gateas we were coming home. They all ran into our property.

[Dragon Fan]

Originally Posted by Allen

That far, huh. I have deer, turkeys and small animals come up to less than 100 feet from my house. We were on our way out just the other morning and 3 deer ran across the driveway. Guess that would have been about 50 yards from the house. a couple of weeks ago, we saw over a dozen turkeys right outside our gateas we were coming home. They all ran into our property.

Hunting laws and private posted property pushed hunters deeper into the forest than was required to find game, We also still have visitors ( mostly at night ) from deer, they love to eat Peony flower buds ! not to mention the damage they would do to my Garden, rose of Sharon bushes, blueberry, blackberry, apples and peaches. And the skunks and Raccoons make a mess of the garbage bins. It still beats living in a big city.

[Dragon Fan]

Originally Posted by vyon

I won't invite you to stay with me then, Dragon Fan. Fire engine sirens go up the hill, fire sirens go down the hill - I don't know why they go up, the station is up there somewhere. Police cars ditto, though at least they only do flashing lights at night. Ambulances in both directions as well - and that's only at night. In the daytime we get the same, plus convoys of heavy trucks going up to the rubbish dump and landfill somewhere in the hinterland then bouncing along the uneven road on the way down the hill empty.

What I don't hear very often is small birds. There was a blackbird singing in the trees at the back of the house at three this morning. I see a fantail there sometimes. There are a few sparrows and some very bossy tuis. Then there's a large flock of pigeons that roost on top of my house because it's opposite the Council flats. The people there are not allowed to have pets so they feed the birds instead, some of them are quite tame.

I'm more used to a quiet suburban street in Tauranga with at least one cat in every house and six in ours. We could see a dozen fantails in the manuka tree, flocks of waxeyes taking turns to brave the cats and bathe in a dish on our deck, chaffinches, greenfinches, sparrows, blackbirds with territories at the back of our house another lot at the front, they fought if they met. A thrush patrolled our back doorstep until he got eaten by one of the cats. We had tuis for the winter and shining cuckoos in summer. We were visited by some Rosella parrots, a couple of Minahs, starlings pretending to be quails, real quails occasionaly and a pair of plovers on the golf course next door. Hawk patrolled our treetops early in the evening - if he went too far over the cliffs the seagulls would chase him back inland again.

Did I mention that there is only one outside cat here? Gareth Morgan can't blame the lack of birds on the cats!

We do like the birds here, they can sure make a mess around their feeder, not to mention that I had to relocate our clothes line due to the birds leaving proof that they were there and had eaten. We did have a problem with feral cats for a while, they escaped from an animal rescue place and were all over the place, the township animal control officers and the wild coyotes took care of them in time. All is quiet on that front now.

[vyon]

We had a rotary clothesline down the hill from a buckthorn tree. Not a good idea! The birds would stuff themselves full of red and black berries then sit on the upper arms of the rotary clothesline - the result is an indelible dye. Fortunately there weren't rules about putting our clothesline on the front lawn, because that was the only place that it could be relocated to. I forgot the Sacred kingfishers in my list of Crescent Road birds. They came down from the next-door neighbour's when he subdivided and removed the phoenix palm that they'd been nesting in for twenty years. When the birds returned for the spring and found a tv aerial where their home had been they took up residence in our phoenix palm instead - and had their revenge by sitting on the new neighbour's bedroom roof and toot-toot-tooting from five in the morning. She rang the council to demand they be shot - I should imagine the council's answer was as rude as the bird's. Sacred kingfishers are native and protected.

[Kugai]

Sooo

Got the date for my Eye Surgery - next Monday

Might be intermittent on being Online afterwards,

[Kugai]

Well pisswhiskers!!!


Just got a phone call from the Hospital. Seems they're gonna have to shift my Surgery to the 18th due to my Surgeon having to deal with an urgent case. Oh well, at least they let me know in advance this time.

[Sandi]

Sorry, Kugai. That kind of thing is so annoying. You get all your ducks in a row and yourself all composed and then get told to wait.

[Kugai]

True

[Dragon Fan]

pisswhiskers!!! never heard, or saw this one before. But, from context I think I can figure it out. Doctors live in a different world than us normal folk, but I have come to the thinking that when it comes down to it, I will accept their Quirks, They fix us when we need Tweaking. I like that.

[vyon]

Kugai's hospital put-off is a local problem Dragon Fan. It is getting a lot of publicity at the moment because we are in the middle of an election campaign. Our main medical system is state-funded and funding in the present administration has not kept up with the demand. The result has been that if there is a big car accident or something like that, or a hospital full of emergency 'flu patients, people who are having "elective" surgery can be put off and told to go home, even if they've already been prepped for their operation. It happened to an adopted member of our family three times, the "elective" (a political definition meaning anything that is not an accident) surgery in question being an emergency heart operation. He did eventually get it.

[Dragon Fan]

Ah, I see. I would think that would be Frustrating also. Here, we are dealing with Obamacare, a kind of state funded health care. Everyone is forced to have health care coverage, if you can't afford it, you are fined. Hospitals are forced to provide care to everyone, to cover the cost, they increase the costs of their services, to cover for those who can not pay. Insurance companies are forced to cover even those who can not pay, to cover these costs, they increase their premiums, and lower their benefit levels to those who can pay. Since Obamacare went into effect, my monthly cost for the minimum level health care coverage has increased every year and the coverage level has decreased every year. I now pay 6 times what it was before Obamacare, and receive 30% less coverage. We just received notice at work that the monthly premiums are going up again in January. No doubt the coverage level will go down again also. Obamacare is imploding and it will completely collapse in the near future.

[Sandi]

It has already done that as far as I am concerned, My recently widowed daughter now has four children to try to keep healthy and the insurance she has seems to be in name only. I'll stop before I get political.

[Dragon Fan]

Understood Sandi, I will Also...........How about those Pittsburgh Pirate baseball team! they were losers for 20 years! Had a few seasons over the .500 level and back to being losers again. I really like baseball, but wow is it rough when your team is so bad. Hows that for a change of subject!

[mawra]

Hope all are safe from fires and hurricanes.
If you're in their path stay dry and flame free.

[Allen]

Thank you, Maw, but I don't want to stay flame free. I recently started collecting oil lamps, particularly the Aladdin brand. I've been working on them, polishing parts, fixing them up and making sure they're in working order, which requires flame.

(Yes, I know what you meant. I was just being funny... or at least trying to be.)

[Sandi]

I know some people in eastern Florida. Trying to get them to come visit a few days but haven't heard back so far.

[mawra]

I hope all who are told to leave do so. I have never understood why people stay.
If they stay with kids they should face child endangerment charges and should pay the cost of being rescued.

[mawra]

Virginia is in the path, but we are 4 hours inland, so we're safe.

[Kugai]

BUGGER!!!!!

My Pizza Stone cracked in half.

Was just taking it and the cooked Pizza out of the Oven when I found the thing had cracked in half.

[mawra]

Facebook was wrong, we aren't getting much of Erma. Some winds and a little rain is all.

[mawra]

Pizza stones are not suppose to crack. I hope you saved your pizza

[Sandi]

I've never tried one. When we eat pizza it's usually take out. Maw, you should still keep a check on Irma. Are you old enough to remember Agnes? Probably not. Anyhow, that one killed some people in Richmond, I think, and crippled the DC area.

[mawra]

We're watching. We don't live near any water. We're suppse to get 5 inches of rain. Our problem is high winds, we got one tree that really needs to be cut down. If we get high winds it may come down. We're not sure wich way it will fall.

[SpaceCowboy]

I've got a niece who lives in Florida and she has evacuated to her sister's place in Hampton Roads/ Tidewater Virginia. If the two of them have to evacuate from there they are heading for their mom and stepdad's place in Coldwater Ohio. I feel sorry for Maggie the one who lives in Florida because her dad couldn't evacuate because he is a police officer where they live.

Originally Posted by mawra

We're watching. We don't live near any water. We're suppse to get 5 inches of rain. Our problem is high winds, we got one tree that really needs to be cut down. If we get high winds it may come down. We're not sure wich way it will fall.

[mawra]

Va beach area is not suppose to get much

[Kugai]

Originally Posted by mawra

Pizza stones are not suppose to crack. I hope you saved your pizza

I got it as a present a decade ago from a friend who has since passed away mawra,


Stay safe Floridians

[Sandi]

I spent most of my childhood in Florida and my teens in VA Beach and never once ran from a hurricane but I would run from this one (and now in Alabama I may yet have to!)

[Dragon Fan]

Talked to a friend that lives in Jacksonville, 3 blocks from the ocean, she's bugging out to her daughters place in south east Georgia, not much better there but her daughter is a paramedic, and her Husband a Fireman so they can not Evac. Prayers to all who must stay to help !

[SpaceCowboy]

That is true, but who knows which way Hurricane Jose is going. Right now all they can say for sure is north.

Originally Posted by mawra

Va beach area is not suppose to get much

[SpaceCowboy]

Well there wasn't much damage in the area of Florida my niece lives and she will be heading back by the end of the week. On the other hand guess who might be getting left over rain from Irma on the current track? That would be me, my sister who lives in Rome City Indiana, and the nieces mom who lives over in Coldwater Ohio. I guess I shouldn't have tempted fate.

Originally Posted by SpaceCowboy

I've got a niece who lives in Florida and she has evacuated to her sister's place in Hampton Roads/ Tidewater Virginia. If the two of them have to evacuate from there they are heading for their mom and stepdad's place in Coldwater Ohio. I feel sorry for Maggie the one who lives in Florida because her dad couldn't evacuate because he is a police officer where they live.

[Sandi]

The only thing you can be sure of when it comes to predicting what a hurricane is going to do is that you can never be sure of anything. We got wind and rain but not really excessive where I am. Nothing even comparable to Frederick or Ivan.

[Dragon Fan]

Nothing but a small temp. rise here, just the first wave of wind, not much. hope we get some rain, my garden could use a good drenching.

[P'ter]

Be careful what you wish for!

[Dragon Fan]

Nothing but a light sprinkle last night, not much in the rain barrels this morning, Most of the rain was further north and east. looks like Irma decided to by pass this area.

[mawra]

We ended up not getting much of anything. A small warm breaze.

[Greenrider Tresa]

I'm really glad there wasn't even a hint of rain today. Not so happy that I had to get another laptop, I seem to have horrible luck with them for some reason.. At least it means I get to try out Windows Ink.