Thursday, August 14th, 2008
All Winter, I say that I can’t wait for Summer. This is for obvious reasons. I always say that I can make it up to January 15 with Winter and then I’m done. If I can’t grow anything, I am not a happy camper.
This next paragraph really has nothing to do with this post. I just thought I would throw it in here.
Laura and I were eating dinner this evening when I noticed Finnegan Gordon Belle (Flipper Human the cat) laying on the chair next to us. Now, just to give a bit of background on this cat…he is grouchy when he sleeps. He really has no time or patience for people who get in the way of his “resting sessions.”
Well, after I finished slowly (repeatedly) placing my food in my mouth, I decided to walk over and pet the cat. I got a few good pets in. I thought this was nice. What did the cat do in return? He looked up at me, shifted his weight, sat up and bit my hand. Nuff said. I walked away and left him alone. Sure, when he wants to get picked up every other minute of the day, I accommodate him, but when I want to play, noooooo.
Here he is, the bum…
Man, you can almost see the attitude.
Ok, back to the post. If you haven’t noticed around the blogging world yet, things are a bit slow this Summer. I guess people are outside, enjoying the weather. I am sure all sorts of families are vacationing at the beach and places like that. Gee, even I got in the car a few times this season. Well, let’s just say all this enjoyment hasn’t really helped my reading habits. Blog reading I mean. Yes, it’s sad but true.
In my opinion, if you want to be one of these crazy bloggers, you have to write all the time. You have to wake up and want to bring the camera with you when you get your morning coffee. It truly is a disgusting way to live, but if you’ve ever written in a format like this, you’ll know what I am talking about.
The thing of it is…we computer people LOVE to read what you write. It doesn’t matter what it is. We just want to keep up with your lives. I should actually be writing this to myself because I have been slipping through the cracks lately. I mean, I have been cutting down some small trees on the side of the property, but I don’t think I can bring the camera every time, nor do I think people want to continuously read about it. I’m not even sure what I can take a picture of. I keep asking Laura if it looks any different than it did earlier and she just gives me a sad look and turns her face back and forth, saying…”no, my sweet prince, it doesn’t.”
I sometimes make the joke to Laura that people don’t need to call me to see how I am doing. All they need to do is read this silly thing. It’s kind of not fair because I do a lot of calling. Trust me, let’s not change this arrangement. I like you reading and I like doing the calling. Oftentimes, I feel more comfortable if things are on my terms.
I guess I get a little depressed when I see the internet get light for a while. I think overall traffic takes a hit during the Summer. I never thought I would see the day when I get excited at the prospect of a rainy day in September…when all the kids are back at school and college is in session. Ooohhh, look at all those users checking out my sites. The Christmas season is a whole other story.
It’s amazing. For all the cool things we do in the Summer, we really don’t feel like writing about many of them. Maybe it’s the sunshine. Maybe it’s the guilt of bringing the laptop out on the deck with us and writing, when we really should be looking at the squirrels. Perhaps that’s why some of the best authors like to go up to their chilly cabins to write and don’t do it on the beaches of Barbados. Really now, Barbados is no place to write. Maybe Vail…
My friends, the good news is there are new blogs being formed every day. Just yesterday, an old friend of mine showed interest in making a blog of his own. I hope he does because the world needs more smart writing. I am actually curious about what he has to say. I am sure there are other great blogs that have been started recently that I never knew about. Oh, it’s going to be fun because the blogging season is right around the corner.
So, for those people who have shown interest recently about blogging and why they should get into it, I will explain what I like about the whole thing. Basically, I think this is a place for people to get to know me. I really like the format and I feel comfortable sharing things here. I really don’t care if some trucker from India reads this thing every morning before he has his breakfast. If he finds me entertaining and gets a kick out of the projects that I do, then that’s cool. You know, I bet there are a few truckers who like to read my blog.
Also, I really like to take pictures. Here, I can post them and tell people all about what I was doing. Of course, if you haven’t noticed, I think the stuff I do is reeeeally important.
The best thing is when I help people. I know I have said this before, but when someone gets some use out of what I write, that makes it all worth while. You can imagine the blisters on my fingers from all this writing. Can you imagine that?
Well, it’s getting a bit late now and I fear that I am not making sense anymore. I just want to warn you that the camera comes back out tomorrow and I am going to be outside with it. I am going to take a picture of something and post it here. You just wait…
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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
So, I did it. I jumped on the Milky Spore bandwagon.
Yesterday, I was thinking about how much I hear about this Milky Spore stuff. You know, Milky Spore is the thing that causes Milky Disease in grubs. It’s powder that you sprinkle onto the ground in a grid that takes years to work. Some people say that too many conditions need to be met and that because of all those conditions, it doesn’t really work. You can read about that here.
Here is how it works…First, Milky Spore comes in two types, powder and granules. The powder is more concentrated, but the granules are a heck of a lot easier to apply to a larger property. I can’t even imagine putting a teaspoon of powder down every four feet to create a grid across the entire lawn. They have applicators, but still…
I prefer the spreader method. Even if you need to apply the Milky Spore more often, it sure is a heck of a lot easier.
Back to how it works. Milky Spore gets placed on the dirt by you. It gets washed in by either a hose or rain. Grubs (when they are feeding) eat the Milky Spore and get sick. Before they get sick, their bodies turn into Milky Spore factories, creating a bunch more Milky Spore. When the grub dies, they release all that new Milky Spore into the soil. This goes on year after year. The only thing you have to remember is that you need to apply enough to build up a certain level of bacterium in the soil to do any damage to the grubs. Also, if it’s too cool when they eat it, it will pass right through them without damage.
Like I said, I like the granule method better.
The bag says it is safe for other insects, birds, pets and man. I am not sure about women. It didn’t mention anything about them.
I bought two 20lb bags this afternoon during a rain storm. When I got home, I waited for the rain to stop and spread both bags. I think there is supposed to be more rain tonight, so it should get washed in. Now, I just have to apply every year. They recommend three times a year, but that probably won’t happen.
I sure would like to get some people’s opinions on this stuff. Does it work?
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Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
He really does. Whenever we dress him up, he starts purring a very strange purr. He stands there and gets a little freaky.
If you have ever dressed a cat up, you would’ve noticed that when they have clothes on, they don’t move. When you put them on the floor, they just stand there. It’s pretty funny.
Ok, I think this will be my last “Simon Dress Up” post for a while. I can’t imagine finding anything better than a little Green Bay Packers sweater. He just loved it and I mean that.
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Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
Have you ever noticed the complete disinterest that people have when being forced to listing to pet stories? They go something like this…”Yeah, my cat is really something else.” “No, mine is crazy and wild. I really think that my cat does the nuttiest stuff.” “Dude, trust me, just the other day…” Get the picture? People argue and argue about who has the funniest animals with real “personalities.” The truth of the matter is that no one really cares about other people’s pets. If they listen, they listen out of politeness. I am fully aware of this.
With that said, here is another picture of Simon. I thought this picture of him wearing my hat was pretty funny. Right?
If you take a close look, you can see my chest hair overflowing past my shirt.
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Monday, February 11th, 2008
Our cat, Simon, has some mental problems. He usually sleeps, but sometimes he fights with the other cats for no reason. He also eats too much. Sometimes, he has his way with articles of clothing or my winter hats. It is an odd scene.
I have this neck warmer that I sometimes wear as a hat. It is in tube formation, so the top of the hat has a big hole in it. The other day, after Simon was acting up, I decided to slip this neck warmer over his body, so it was around his waist. I call it “The Punisher” because he settles down while wearing this. If you have a cat, you know that they act very strange if they are wearing any clothing.
Last night, while sitting on the couch, I decided to slip this neck warmer over Simon’s head, around his neck. I thought he would try to get out of it, but oddly enough, he seemed to like it. Laura just had to run in the other room to get the camera. Wanna see?
You can see the “issues” in his eyes, right?
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Monday, December 31st, 2007
No, this isn’t about drinking, but I knew you would think that.
I have this pillow case…and decided to use it on a certain someone. I had to find someone who wouldn’t care if I shoved their body in it. I found that someone in Simon. Yes, he is a good cat and was a good sport this New Year’s Eve. I took a picture of him after I got half his body in the pillow case.
You see? Simon is half in the bag.
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Saturday, November 17th, 2007
Here comes trouble. I was talking to Craig this morning on the phone about maybe getting a video camera. He told me that his digital camera does a pretty good job of taking video. Ohhh yeah, I forgot mine does too.
Oh, this isn’t going to be good. I took a sample video this morning of Simon, the big, fat orange cat. Here, take a look…
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Thursday, August 9th, 2007
Paul keeps on telling me not to use GrubEx to control Japanese Beetles, but to use Milky Spore instead. Apparently, he has been hit by the Japanese Beetle onslaught this year along with the rest of us.
Paul likes the idea of using Milky Spore because it isn’t an insecticide. It is a naturally occurring host specific bacterium (Bacillus popillae-Dutky). It is harmless to anything other than Japanese Beetle Grubs. This is good if you like to walk on your lawn or have pets and kids. It does need to be watered in, just like an insecticide thought.
The way you apply Milky Spore is different than you would apply an insecticide. Instead of spreading it with a lawn spreader, you pile it in small spots in a grid like pattern on your lawn. Over time, the milky spore is eaten by newly laid white grubs and they become infected by the bacterium. It takes a few years for the milky spore to completely kick in, but the stuff lasts for 15-20 years. That’s pretty damn good.
If this GrubEx that I already put down in the beginning of July doesn’t take care of the grub problem, I will put down milky spore next Autumn. That’s when grubs are at their hungriest and they are the most likely to eat the milky spore.
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Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
Please take a look at this photo and let me know if you see anything that shouldn’t be there. If you can’t find what you are looking for, just take a look at the second photo. I’ll give you a hint…it’s not the pasta sauce, the sugar or the baking soda.
Ok, here’s the answer…
That’s Simon the cat. I was making coffee the other morning and somehow he slipped in there. I saw him wandering around outside the cabinet, but he waited for me to turn around to make his move.
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Sunday, May 6th, 2007
Well, it’s another year for the Bear Mountain Dogs Walk for Cancer. I think it might be the “Dogswalk” for Cancer though. I did a post on this last year, so you already may have an idea of what goes on with the walk, but I may have better photos this time. Of course, I brought the camera with this in mind.
So basically what happens is this…you register for the walk and you go there and walk. Around the lake that is. Of course, there is the whole park to explore afterwards if you want, but the basic jist is the walk around the lake. If the Bear Mountain Inn is open, you can hang out in there too. Today, the Inn was closed for renovations.
So here goes…
This is the Bear Mountain Merry-Go-Round. This is where some radio personalities and vendors set up shop.
Ahh, the walk begins. The photo above is the first leg of the walk around Hessian Lake. The whole walk isn’t even that long…maybe 3/4 of a mile.
Who else but Holly and me? Laura took about five pictures of us on this bench, but this was the best one. Holly freaks out a little bit when the camera comes out.
These are just more pictures of Hessian Lake, from different angles. In the last one, you can see the top part of Bear Mountain Bridge.
This is a very important shot that Laura took. Doesn’t it look like I am standing on the edge of the picture?
Another important shot by Laura. Her whole family was impressed by my balancing skill.
Here we go down the last leg of the walk. This is a slight decline heading towards the canoe area and back to the big field.
Finally done. I don’t think we were as tired as the dog in the picture, but it’s a decent little workout.
After the walk is finished, some people come up to you and hand you a bag with little goodies in it. Mostly it is promotional items for dog food companies, but sometimes you get lucky with a frisbee or something. Also, the big thing is to walk around and visit all the tables giving out free stuff.
Another year down and a good tradition followed. Till next year!
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