I hate summers. I really do.
If you find some one that likes them, they probably don't work outside.
3 days in the 108F range and I'm already looking forward to winter.
Typically we get 36 days over 100 and the good thing about that is we typically don't get 37.
Today started overcast and cool which is unusual, but it didn't last long. As soon as the clouds cleared, the temps rose dramatically.
With power rates through the roof and the Congress with our fine elected Messiah wanting Cap and Trade signed, I suppose we will start looking for even higher rates.
The bird cage misters have been on for the last few days and the cats don't move much.
The dogs? pfft...nothing slows them down.
Work is still slow and talking to other contractors in the area, I'm not the only one going through this. Nobody wants to spend money.
Even the State Project tomorrow has been delayed due to a shipping error. I'm told they have the money for this project so maybe I won't get a IOU. If I do my State Tax Return will say IOU2.
I did get word today that the Health Center wants to go ahead a start the design work on their Emergency Backup Generator project. That will take some time to start though.
I also was told today our big project for the year starts in 30days. So I need to pinch pennies this month and make it to ground break.
Maybe I'll just become a bum for another month....
If I had some money I'd be up at the Casino using their AC and having a great time, but Heapum Redman very greedy.
So much for blaming the Whiteman for the same thing.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Kitten update
All's Well so far. Still not out of the woods, but the kitten is eating, sleeping, peeing, pooping, and talking....I suppose that's about all I do as well.
We haven't named it yet. Still waiting on the shape of things to appear down there before coming up with a name.
We are probably going with Athena or Apollo.
We have a few other cats with similar type names. Cleopatra and Nala and I recently lost my personal cat Zeus to a Dog attack.
I'm a Dog person too, but when a Dog roams the neighborhood killing other animals it's time for it to die. Period. I had a good idea which one did it because I caught it one day chasing my cats around the house.
A Renter from down the road owned a Grey Pitbull that frequently got out.
After the Attack, I saw him walking it in front of my house. I told him that if he valued the life of his dog, he'd keep it locked up. A brief argument ensued, but I noted the conversation wasn't up for debate. I never saw the dog again roaming alone and the owner moved a few weeks later.
As noted previously, I grew up on a small farm and have had to put roaming dogs down in the past. I don't like it or look forward to it. I just know that it has to be done.
I spent the night once in the barn with a loaded 12gauge only to have to destroy the neighbor's prized Doberman at first light while attacking our sheep. I don't recall the money the guy spent on raising his "prize winning" pooch, but whatever it was it didn't seem to matter to our livestock....or the 12 gauge. We tried the rock salt shells for awhile, but that didn't solve the problem in the long run.
On a related note. One of the funniest things I ever witnessed was grazing the herd on a large open field behind our property. Behind that field was a small Vietnamese vegetable farm with a bunch of Asians working out there every day. One day I saw a group of them trying to catch one of my Lambs and make off with it. I was riding a fairly large Quarterhorse and sped off after them. I guess they never really saw a horse before or maybe they watched too many John Wayne Movies and thought I was going to string them up on the nearest oak tree, but these guys screamed like children and dropped not only the lamb but everything else they had loose on them.
I'll never forget the fear those people had in their eyes. It's not like they were starving or anything, they just thought they'd get a free lamb for the pot.
Anyway I always thought the whole ordeal was pretty amusing and in the Third Person point of View probably looked like a Fox chasing chickens around a coop.......ah great fun.
Wait a sec....maybe it was just me that thought I was John Wayne? ;-)
We haven't named it yet. Still waiting on the shape of things to appear down there before coming up with a name.
We are probably going with Athena or Apollo.
We have a few other cats with similar type names. Cleopatra and Nala and I recently lost my personal cat Zeus to a Dog attack.
I'm a Dog person too, but when a Dog roams the neighborhood killing other animals it's time for it to die. Period. I had a good idea which one did it because I caught it one day chasing my cats around the house.
A Renter from down the road owned a Grey Pitbull that frequently got out.
After the Attack, I saw him walking it in front of my house. I told him that if he valued the life of his dog, he'd keep it locked up. A brief argument ensued, but I noted the conversation wasn't up for debate. I never saw the dog again roaming alone and the owner moved a few weeks later.
As noted previously, I grew up on a small farm and have had to put roaming dogs down in the past. I don't like it or look forward to it. I just know that it has to be done.
I spent the night once in the barn with a loaded 12gauge only to have to destroy the neighbor's prized Doberman at first light while attacking our sheep. I don't recall the money the guy spent on raising his "prize winning" pooch, but whatever it was it didn't seem to matter to our livestock....or the 12 gauge. We tried the rock salt shells for awhile, but that didn't solve the problem in the long run.
On a related note. One of the funniest things I ever witnessed was grazing the herd on a large open field behind our property. Behind that field was a small Vietnamese vegetable farm with a bunch of Asians working out there every day. One day I saw a group of them trying to catch one of my Lambs and make off with it. I was riding a fairly large Quarterhorse and sped off after them. I guess they never really saw a horse before or maybe they watched too many John Wayne Movies and thought I was going to string them up on the nearest oak tree, but these guys screamed like children and dropped not only the lamb but everything else they had loose on them.
I'll never forget the fear those people had in their eyes. It's not like they were starving or anything, they just thought they'd get a free lamb for the pot.
Anyway I always thought the whole ordeal was pretty amusing and in the Third Person point of View probably looked like a Fox chasing chickens around a coop.......ah great fun.
Wait a sec....maybe it was just me that thought I was John Wayne? ;-)
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Oh no..not again
I'm am fully confident there is a sign somewhere on this property that says "Cats here".
I can't accurately tell you how many we have now, but better add another.
My son's friend just brought over a day or two old kitten that was abandoned by it's Mother. The kitten's sibling was already dead where they found it at the neighbor's house in the flower bed.
So of course I had to take it in and at least give it a shot at survival. $8.00 for the Kitten milk from the Vet and another $10 for a thermometer and alcohol to test the food warmth and I'm already in the hole with this one.....I've spent money on worst causes.
I think it has a shot because it looks like it got at least some of mom's colostrum and feeds pretty well from the bottle. It's strong and very vocal. Looks like it wants to try this life thing out.
My daughter is home for the summer vacation so she has volunteered to get up and feed it. We will see. If not, I know my Wife will.
I grew up on a small farm/ranch type setting and have witnessed nature in all it's glory and tragedy and I know things might go well or.. not for this little guy.
In any case, my kids need to see that life sometimes needs a bit of help regardless of the way things might turn out.
So wish it luck and I'll keep you posted.
I can't accurately tell you how many we have now, but better add another.
My son's friend just brought over a day or two old kitten that was abandoned by it's Mother. The kitten's sibling was already dead where they found it at the neighbor's house in the flower bed.
So of course I had to take it in and at least give it a shot at survival. $8.00 for the Kitten milk from the Vet and another $10 for a thermometer and alcohol to test the food warmth and I'm already in the hole with this one.....I've spent money on worst causes.
I think it has a shot because it looks like it got at least some of mom's colostrum and feeds pretty well from the bottle. It's strong and very vocal. Looks like it wants to try this life thing out.
My daughter is home for the summer vacation so she has volunteered to get up and feed it. We will see. If not, I know my Wife will.
I grew up on a small farm/ranch type setting and have witnessed nature in all it's glory and tragedy and I know things might go well or.. not for this little guy.
In any case, my kids need to see that life sometimes needs a bit of help regardless of the way things might turn out.
So wish it luck and I'll keep you posted.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Baseball
It seems like with the majority of the US, I've lost touch with Baseball.
I don't know why, maybe it's the pace of the game or what, but I just haven't watched it lately.
Well we got our yearly tickets in the Sky box of the local minor league team and went last night.
Great Fun!
Maybe the big screen, the combination of outdoor seats above first base or the choice of leather recliners inside the box, or even the free food had to do with it but I really need to get out of the house and do this more often.
You just don't get the combination of the music, crowd, and local fun at any other game. That is until hockey season starts.
The Game was a leapfrog contest and it went all the way down to the last batter, last pitch, last swing, and a tie at first base with the runner on third coming home that had our local team score the win. Pretty exciting.
We only get the box one night out of the season, but I've watched it in the stands before and the excitement is still there.
I used to pitch in Junior High and Little League, but concentrated on Football in High school. I never enjoyed Basketball and still don't. It's played on a Dinning Room Floor for Pete's sake...
Football is fun to both watch and play but baseball is I'll admit, more enjoyable on the field than in the stands.
I always tell people I don't play Golf because who wants to hit a ball and go run after it? Baseball on the other hand relegates somebody else running after the ball. Sounds better I think.....
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Gun Control
Pretty simple statement.....
If you are for Gun Control, please take note of what is happening in Iran right now.
A Government is walking right over the rights of it's people and all they can do about it is take cell phone videos, send them out to others and hope that someone will come to their rescue.
Sorry I'd rather be a Citizen than a Subject.
If you are for Gun Control, please take note of what is happening in Iran right now.
A Government is walking right over the rights of it's people and all they can do about it is take cell phone videos, send them out to others and hope that someone will come to their rescue.
Sorry I'd rather be a Citizen than a Subject.
Weather, Location, Related...
Being from the Land Of Fruit and Nuts does have it's advantages.
Especially when the above describes what I consider the REAL California.
You see the quote describes our Agriculture Rich area of California and not the Politics of San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Although SF is close enough to visit and be back home in the same day, we are worlds apart.
This area produces too many crops to list, but the majority is rooted in the production of Grapes, Almonds, Pistachios, and Tree Fruit.
Just last week I did a job that had me sitting in the middle of hundreds of acres of Fresh Market Tomatoes. The field is generally planted in Cotton every year, but Market prices what they are, Cotton will take some time to recover.
I've been carefully applying fertilizer and watching the water closely on my small one dozen tree orchard in the back yard. We have trouble with hardpan and I applied gypsum to the soil this winter. Our soil is comprised of Decomposed Granite, but I hear the Gyp is good for clay too.
My Dwarf Peach Tree just gave up it's first batch of about half dozen pieces of fruit.
The Apricot had some trouble this year but at only two years old it has a few full size apricots on it. Not bad considering it's age. Next year should be better once the tap root has taken hold.
The Dwarf Nectarine is loaded and should be a few weeks out from picking.
The plums are doing well and have enough fruit to have me bagging them up for the family members shortly. Way too many plums for us to eat alone.
I'm surprised on how well the Almonds are doing since every farmer I talked to has noted the Rain and Hail took a toll on their retail crops. I have a wild tree that must have sprouted from a bird sitting on a fence last year and it's over six feet already. Should be healthy enough to produce nuts next year . The older tree is loaded as long as the Blue Jays stay off it.
The Three Citrus trees (Lemon, Orange, and Grapefruit)are still young, but have fruit that will be ripen towards the end of the year.
Two years ago I planted a small vineyard consisting of four Thompson and two Concord cuttings. This year I had to build the third tier of their wire trellis. They are growing that rapidly.
Those Topsy Turvy hanging plant things? Yes they work as long as you feel the need to water your plants about 3 times a day. Once a tomato plant get's big enough, the small hanging pot can't support enough moisture in the soil for very long. They need to be about three times larger.
My wife bought one at work and I planted some tomatoes in the basket and some in the ground. The hanging ones are much larger and producing fruit much faster, but I'm spending more time taking care of them too.
The weather has cooperated and has been cool enough to not stress the plants. Maybe that's why they are doing so well. We did have a few days over 100F in May but it has been cloudy and cool ever since.
Friday may have us in the 100s again, something I'm not looking forward to.
Especially when the above describes what I consider the REAL California.
You see the quote describes our Agriculture Rich area of California and not the Politics of San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Although SF is close enough to visit and be back home in the same day, we are worlds apart.
This area produces too many crops to list, but the majority is rooted in the production of Grapes, Almonds, Pistachios, and Tree Fruit.
Just last week I did a job that had me sitting in the middle of hundreds of acres of Fresh Market Tomatoes. The field is generally planted in Cotton every year, but Market prices what they are, Cotton will take some time to recover.
I've been carefully applying fertilizer and watching the water closely on my small one dozen tree orchard in the back yard. We have trouble with hardpan and I applied gypsum to the soil this winter. Our soil is comprised of Decomposed Granite, but I hear the Gyp is good for clay too.
My Dwarf Peach Tree just gave up it's first batch of about half dozen pieces of fruit.
The Apricot had some trouble this year but at only two years old it has a few full size apricots on it. Not bad considering it's age. Next year should be better once the tap root has taken hold.
The Dwarf Nectarine is loaded and should be a few weeks out from picking.
The plums are doing well and have enough fruit to have me bagging them up for the family members shortly. Way too many plums for us to eat alone.
I'm surprised on how well the Almonds are doing since every farmer I talked to has noted the Rain and Hail took a toll on their retail crops. I have a wild tree that must have sprouted from a bird sitting on a fence last year and it's over six feet already. Should be healthy enough to produce nuts next year . The older tree is loaded as long as the Blue Jays stay off it.
The Three Citrus trees (Lemon, Orange, and Grapefruit)are still young, but have fruit that will be ripen towards the end of the year.
Two years ago I planted a small vineyard consisting of four Thompson and two Concord cuttings. This year I had to build the third tier of their wire trellis. They are growing that rapidly.
Those Topsy Turvy hanging plant things? Yes they work as long as you feel the need to water your plants about 3 times a day. Once a tomato plant get's big enough, the small hanging pot can't support enough moisture in the soil for very long. They need to be about three times larger.
My wife bought one at work and I planted some tomatoes in the basket and some in the ground. The hanging ones are much larger and producing fruit much faster, but I'm spending more time taking care of them too.
The weather has cooperated and has been cool enough to not stress the plants. Maybe that's why they are doing so well. We did have a few days over 100F in May but it has been cloudy and cool ever since.
Friday may have us in the 100s again, something I'm not looking forward to.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
♦
First post into the new Blog.
I suppose the first thing to add is the biggest major change in my life.
Major for me at least is the addition of a new Dog.
Back in October we were given a Female Miniature Pinscher..or Min Pin.
I had stopped by a fellow contractor's house to drop off a business card for him to drum up new clients. I have known for some time that he raised these dogs, but never saw myself with such a small toy breed.
Well as we stood and talked out front, this 6 week old female walks out to the front yard by herself to verify that all was well with the new voices she heard and proceeds to walk right up to me and jump into my arms.
"She's your now" he explains.
Seriously? Why yes, I'll take her. I reply.
I know right away the fortitude this girl has shown already she's a Alpha female and would make a excellent dog.
I call the wife on the way home and notify her that there is something in the truck I need for her to help me unload. I get the third degree about she can't lift heavy objects and complains that she has too much to do than to wait in the driveway for me, but she is there waiting for me when I pull up.
I hand the puppy out the window. Her expression changes......drastically.
Well fast forward to May and "Sugar" as she is now named, is doing well and has become the Commanding Officer of our home. Min Pins are like that, but she takes this position to a new level.
I'm again over at the breeder's home doing some work and he notifies me that one of the other females from Sugar's litter that was given to one of MY family members is now in need of another home.
Long story but this family thinks dogs are cars and are traded as such.
I previously made this family aware that if they had problems with their dog to contact me and I'd take her in. Well things happen and a divorce from their family to ours probably made such a call a bit difficult for them.
I told the breeder to tell them you found a owner and to bring her back.
I picked her up the day they dropped her off.
So now "Lilly" has join our ranks.
She was a bit timid and looked to be under fed, but in the last few weeks has filled out nicely and even her ears are starting to stand up straight. A good sign.
Lilly and her sister are the best of friends and great additions to the family..........until they think play time is 11:30pm..........on our bed.
I'll post pics as soon as I learn how.
I suppose the first thing to add is the biggest major change in my life.
Major for me at least is the addition of a new Dog.
Back in October we were given a Female Miniature Pinscher..or Min Pin.
I had stopped by a fellow contractor's house to drop off a business card for him to drum up new clients. I have known for some time that he raised these dogs, but never saw myself with such a small toy breed.
Well as we stood and talked out front, this 6 week old female walks out to the front yard by herself to verify that all was well with the new voices she heard and proceeds to walk right up to me and jump into my arms.
"She's your now" he explains.
Seriously? Why yes, I'll take her. I reply.
I know right away the fortitude this girl has shown already she's a Alpha female and would make a excellent dog.
I call the wife on the way home and notify her that there is something in the truck I need for her to help me unload. I get the third degree about she can't lift heavy objects and complains that she has too much to do than to wait in the driveway for me, but she is there waiting for me when I pull up.
I hand the puppy out the window. Her expression changes......drastically.
Well fast forward to May and "Sugar" as she is now named, is doing well and has become the Commanding Officer of our home. Min Pins are like that, but she takes this position to a new level.
I'm again over at the breeder's home doing some work and he notifies me that one of the other females from Sugar's litter that was given to one of MY family members is now in need of another home.
Long story but this family thinks dogs are cars and are traded as such.
I previously made this family aware that if they had problems with their dog to contact me and I'd take her in. Well things happen and a divorce from their family to ours probably made such a call a bit difficult for them.
I told the breeder to tell them you found a owner and to bring her back.
I picked her up the day they dropped her off.
So now "Lilly" has join our ranks.
She was a bit timid and looked to be under fed, but in the last few weeks has filled out nicely and even her ears are starting to stand up straight. A good sign.
Lilly and her sister are the best of friends and great additions to the family..........until they think play time is 11:30pm..........on our bed.
I'll post pics as soon as I learn how.
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