In the garden, and RAIN!!!! by SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

OMG!!!! So after I tossed out the seed and peanuts THIS weekend, I saw TWO scrub jays and what I think was a yellow warbler, and of course the ubiquitous mockingbirds.
I was absolutely thrilled with the scrub jays, as they have the prettiest blue on their tails and wings!

Now, as much as I like to pat myself on the back for making such a nice (National Wildlife Federation certified) habitat, I realize that these birds don't ALL live in my backyard! All I'm doing is tempting MOST of them into my yard with extra-tasty food.

No indeed- they live someplace else, and find enough food to stay alive someplace else.

The only birds that "live" in my yard are the hummingbirds and mourning doves (when nesting). The hummers seem to have taken up permanent home in my climbing roses, and the morning doves had a ground-nest under the sage.

The yellow warbler always seems to come from the back-door neighbor's yard, which is filled with the kind of tall (camellia) bush/ short (apple, lemon/grapefruit) tree that they seen to favor. The crows were nesting somewhere in my side door neighbor's yard I think- at least, I saw them a few times glide in stealthily with nesting material in their beaks. - It sure would be nice to know which areas have enough habitat to support some of the bigger birds, especially the scrub jays.

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Planted 2/3 of my modest vegetable garden yesterday too: four tomatoes, seven Japanese eggplant, three basil. Today I'm planting four pepper bushes and two zucchini. The last tie I planted zucchini, the bushes failed to produce a single one. I have no idea what went wrong except the leaves were very mildewed.

Also played (at) tennis- for the first hour and some I was driving the balls pretty hard to the baseline, after that my arm got kind tired and I had to slow my shots down. But for was miserable as my hitting was last week, this week it was spot on and a lot of fun!

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Monday, May 16, 2016 6:36 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Snowed on Friday and Saturday, which really reduced roadway visibility.

Three weeks ago my Godmother's rhubarb was already going to waste.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2016 11:57 PM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Snow?

SNOW????

Where the hell do you live, Alaska???

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2016 10:53 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Oh, didn't you mention somewhere that you live in NY state?

I saw that they had some cold weather and graupel (soft hail) at the western end, and snow upstate. Also snow in WI, OH, northern and western PA, and New England. That's a late storm! I hope the rhubarb and all budding plants survived.

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Thursday, May 19, 2016 7:40 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

I guess a lot of weird weather can be tied to those bigger "loops" that the jet stream is taking now, and that it doesn't precess as quickly as it used to so those projections of very cold (or warm) weather stay in place longer.

In the midst of the "strongest el Nino ever", February here was ridiculously hot and dry - like August. http://ktla.com/2016/02/09/as-record-heat-hits-socal-officials-warn-of
-fire-danger/

But just a couples of weeks ago, we got a VERY late-season rain, http://ktla.com/2016/05/07/flash-flood-watch-issued-as-more-rain-expec
ted-to-hit-socal-this-weekend/

I'm not complaining about the rain, not at all! I guess my point is that everyone should count themselves lucky if they get normal-ish weather!

And snow in Nova Scotia ... isn't that, like, normal?

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Thursday, May 19, 2016 6:01 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Snow?

SNOW????

Where the hell do you live, Alaska???

WI. Friday in Green Bay, getting the withered remains of the storm, and Saturday in Niagara - that was the bad visibility.

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Saturday, May 21, 2016 2:02 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
Snow?
SNOW????
Where the hell do you live, Alaska??? - SIGNY

WI. Friday in Green Bay, getting the withered remains of the storm, and Saturday in Niagara - that was the bad visibility.

So basically you followed the storm by traveling west to east, along with it?

Did that once, from Detroit to Buffalo to London (Ontario) to Rochester. It kind of pooped out by Rochester.

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Saturday, May 21, 2016 2:03 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
It's normal for winter Sig. But not sure about May.

No, you're right. Prolly not May. But I've heard so much about bad Nova Scotia weather, I assume it's usually awful there!

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Saturday, May 21, 2016 9:23 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Yanno BRENDA, it seems like every time you post about the weather, it's raining.

Did you get a LOT of rain lately? Or is this normal for your area?

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Tuesday, June 7, 2016 11:10 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Today I saw what I'm pretty sure is a common redpoll. It was far enuf away to be mistaken for a house finch or purple finch, but the very red cap flashing about, and red face and black around the bill indicates - I think a redpoll. It was eating the cosmos seeds.

Redpoll

House finch

Purple finch

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Monday, September 12, 2016 3:57 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

It's been a while since I posted here.

I'm still saving that parking lot tree, six (sometimes eight) gallons at a time. So I'm still that crazy lady with the milk jugs full of water, watering that Bradford pear. Although it suffered some permanent dieback due to extreme neglect, it's looking a lot better than last year. I hope that next spring it will be full of blossoms again, since the tree as had enough water to set buds. Those flowers... they stink, but they look pretty; and when the pears are full of bloom the petals drift down like snowflakes.

The garden still needs... oh, about 100 more plants to be complete. Who would have thought that a xeric garden would need so many plants?

My inspiration is here ... https://cynthiasnativegarden.wordpress.com I know I've linked this before, I just wish I had her "eye" for arranging plants so nicely.

I'm still seeing a lot of different birds around, although not anywhere near as much as at my sister's house! Scrub jays still come to visit now and again; they're such a pretty blue.

I did encounter one kind of wildlife tho that was a little disturbing .... I had put the hummingbird feeder in a bucket and was on my way inside when I saw what I thought was a large praying mantis on the feeder, so I took the feeder back out and carefully placed the mantis (?) on some plants nearby.

And then I decided to look up what I thought I'd seen, and what I saw was this

Yep, a scorpion. Oh well, it's a good thing they're not TOO toxic!

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I think it's time you disabused yourself of that pleasant little fairy tale about our fearless leaders being some sort of surrogate daddy or mommy, laying awake at night thinking about how to protect the kids. HA! In reality, they're thinking about who to sell them to so that they can get a few more shekels in their pockets.

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Sunday, September 25, 2016 11:51 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

This weekend's heat wave ... 100+ ... I hope is the last hurrah for summer. I've been giving that parking lot Bradford pear 8 gallons every weekend; good thing too because of the heat!

Refilled the hummingbird feeders (which I do once every two weeks now; the hummingbirds migrate so I guess they migrated out of the area?) refilled the birdbath and ground tray (which I do twice a week) and soaked the avocado trees ... ran water for four solid hours for them. I'm sure our water bill will show that! But I think that will help them weather this latest heat wave, and I shouldn't have to do that again until next summer. I hope.

Not much going on, the veggie garden has been squeezing out just enough tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers for weekly home use. The zucchini failed, again, this year, after producing just a few squashes. Some day I'm going to figure out what's wrong with them! Raccoons are digging up the mulch looking for grubs. A typical end-of-year lull; and waiting for a more persistent cooling down so I can plant some plants, and the beginning of the winter rains in December assuming we get any.

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I think it's time you disabused yourself of that pleasant little fairy tale about our fearless leaders being some sort of surrogate daddy or mommy, laying awake at night thinking about how to protect the kids. HA! In reality, they're thinking about who to sell them to so that they can get a few more shekels in their pockets.

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Monday, October 24, 2016 3:13 PM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

RAIN! Rain last week, and rain last night!

Now for you non-southwesterners, 0.31" and 0.08" of rain doesn't sound like much, but after 6 years of drought, it sounds like heaven.

But the reason why I'm posting is because ... I can't believe it... I saw a HAWK in the birdbath! A real live hawk, in my very sub-emphasis-on-URBAN landscape!

And, I'm still watering that tree. It's doing pretty well!

Hillary is a WAR CANDIDATE, and that's just what we need, right? More war?

G, THUGR, MAL4: Oh BTW, please define intelligence.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=60903&p=4#1
018100

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Monday, October 24, 2016 4:51 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

I've been told that there are over 550 bird species in So Cal. Though I think that a fair number must be transients.

The only hawk I'm really familiar with is the red-tail, and their tails are truly a distinct brownish-orange. Like the towhee, E sparrow, scrub jay, mourning dove, crow, acorn woodpecker, and mockingbird, they're seemingly EVERYwhere here. They supposedly do really well in urban landscapes which is why they're so commonly seen.

Though I was lucky enough once to see what I think was a Cooper's Hawk, identified by its small size and by its very long legs.

And YAY!!! for keeping the tree alive!

Let me just point out that the author left out vital relevant facts in the opinion piece. Doing that is known as cherry-picking. And whether you do that in the news, in discussion, in debate or in opinion, when you distort the facts, you've changed the nature of your communication into propaganda. But WE don't have any of THAT in the US, do we?!

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Monday, October 24, 2016 8:49 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

I just wanted to add - that you had a hawk IN YOUR YARD!, IN YOUR BIRDBATH! says something AWESOME about your yard!

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016 12:30 AM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

i take it you're in an area that's white, and rain is more a nuisance and less of a blessing?

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Tuesday, November 1, 2016 3:12 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Okie dokie, for all of you outdoor-types and naturalists.

I have another kind of critter in my yard (and maybe my house).... not so welcome as some of the others, and this kind BITES, damnit.

Whatever it is, is small. I don't notice the bites until 2-5 hours later, but once they start to itch I know I'm in for 2 sleepless nights and 3 days of misery. The bites are intensely itchy, and it seems as if I scratch them (unavoidable as I scratch them in my sleep, which is how I wake myself up) I spread whatever it is that's been injected into my skin and cause a 2" itchy welt. But, if I manage NOT to scratch, the bite has a distinct red dot in the middle, and once I scratch the red bump, it reveals an actual hole in my skin, which weeps serum for days.

And I've tried Chinese balm, benadryl gel, hydrocortisone and clobetasol cream, and oral benadryl, and the only thing that seems to help is oral benadryl because at 150 mg at least it knocks me out!

So, I know it's not regular mosquito bites bc I sure know what those are. Not fleas, not wasp or bee stings, not ants.

I've more-or-less narrowed it down to chiggers, no-see-ums (yes, there really is something called no-see-ums), or the new imported Asian tiger mosquito or yellow fever mosquito (Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti, respectively).

I think the narrow bore-hole in my skin is an important clue. Any thoughts???

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Monday, November 14, 2016 3:36 PM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
I've more-or-less narrowed it down to chiggers, no-see-ums (yes, there really is something called no-see-ums), or the new imported Asian tiger mosquito or yellow fever mosquito (Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti, respectively).

It's one of the two new (imported, illegal alien, invader) mosquitoes. I saw one biting me, and interrupted its blood-feed, but what I got was the same extremely itchy welt, albeit smaller than the others. I looked at it rather closely n didn't see the black-n-white stripes, so I believe it is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, but I seem to have an exaggerated allergic (histamine) response. Be on the lookout for it in your neighborhood! http://www.dailynews.com/health/20160907/zika-prone-mosquitoes-found-i
n-san-fernando-valley

Well, at least now I know!

But the reason why I'm posting isn't because of the mosquitoes or because of anything particularly new, but because I saw, in quick succession, two infrequent visitors in my garden: the blue jay and the Anna's hummingbird.

That blue-jay screech. It takes me back to my childhood: it's the same from coast-to-coast, and the streak of blue is so rewarding! And the Anna's hummingbird male, whose entire head is a bright tinfoil-shiny rose! What beautiful flashes of color!

I'm still watering THAT TREE. A few leaves are turning deep red; and soon the tree will be deep red, orange, and purple. And then, I can stop watering it so much, because it won't be evapotranspiring through so many leaves!

-----------

"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

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Monday, November 14, 2016 4:27 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

I'm glad you figured out the critter that's biting you!

YAY! for keeping the tree alive through the abysmally dry weather. And congratulations on seeing the birds coming to you 'CERTIFIED WILDLIFE HABITAT' yard. I'm sure it's a haven for them!

How did your beloved 'democratic' party fuck up so badly?

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Tuesday, November 15, 2016 6:17 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Dry and sunny, I hope?

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

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Sunday, November 27, 2016 4:40 PM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Finally, we're getting some rain too. Last weekend we got about 0.5" and this weekend we got 0.2". It doesn't sound like much but for us it's great.

Looking at El Nino, which is "traditionally" a time of rainy weather, our So Cal hardly got any. All of the rain went north ... central CA and up. THIS winter, a La Nina winter which is typically a dry time, we're getting a good start on our rainfall.

One of the thoughts I had about changing patterns was the presence of "The Blob" ... a very hot-water mass off the west coast of the USA. Except for hurricanes, rain occurs on the interfaces of hot and cold air. We depend on cold air coming down from Alaska to lift moist air up and wring out the moisture. But if the ocean is so terribly warm, cold air masses won't survive to make it this far south, so maybe El Nino will no longer be a time of rain, but a time of heat and humidity.

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

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Sunday, November 27, 2016 6:41 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

After persisting for two years (or was it three? I don't remember), 'The Blob' finally dissipated. The weather people afaik still don't know from whence it came, and where it went.

How did your beloved 'democratic' party fuck up so badly?

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Sunday, December 4, 2016 7:06 PM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

OMG! I think I saw a kestrel hunting across the street! It's now in our star pine!

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If I could write inflammatory commentary to scorch the eye brows and lashes off Trump, Signym or 1kiki, I would.- SECOND"

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Sunday, December 4, 2016 10:22 PM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Yes, it was definitely a kestrel, I played the birdcall and recognized it!

Also, I have a mouse in the house. Need to find a live trap and set it loose on the riverbed.

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If I could write inflammatory commentary to scorch the eye brows and lashes off Trump, Signym or 1kiki, I would.- SECOND"

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Sunday, December 4, 2016 11:06 PM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Please please please, send some rain this way!!!

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If I could write inflammatory commentary to scorch the eye brows and lashes off Trump, Signym or 1kiki, I would.- SECOND"

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Tuesday, December 6, 2016 12:19 AM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

I could go for snow ... and I deeply dislike snow.

Kitty brought in a baby rat today. Fortunately he killed it shortly afterwards, so it didn't end up lost, scampering around the house. 5 weeks, 2 rats, 3 mice. 1 rat dead, one mouse rescued, and the rest ... (I'm sure the house is cosier than outdoors).

How did your beloved 'democratic' party fuck up so badly?

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Friday, December 16, 2016 9:21 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

RAIN!

Rain, rain, rain! I imagine water seeping into the ground, flowing into streambeds, roots beginning to wake up, trees, shrubs, grasses, forbes ... all the mountains and foothills sighing a relieved sigh.

*kisses the falling rain, kisses the ground, dances the happy dance*

Please dear Lady, let this not be The Last significant rain event this season!

I see also that the drought-striken southeast, where all of those terrible fires were burning, has gotten significant moisture too. The land is smiling and we have been blessed again.

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If I could write inflammatory commentary to scorch the eye brows and lashes off Trump, Signym or 1kiki, I would.- SECOND"

Hillary knew all about the Electoral College when she ran for office. All of this after-the-fact bitching is still just an attempt to rewrite history. I guess you're all still in various stages of grief, including anger, denial, and bargaining, all rol

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Saturday, December 17, 2016 4:17 PM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

It sounds like the weather is often dreary and sometimes downright miserable where you are. I wish we could exchange weather every once in a while, just for ... yanno... a change of pace.

It's funny, but when we first moved here (from the Buffalo area) after a few months of relentless sunshine I kind of complained Doesn't it ever RAIN around here?

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If I could write inflammatory commentary to scorch the eye brows and lashes off Trump, Signym or 1kiki, I would.- SECOND"

You're suffering from the various stages of grief including bargaining, denial, and anger, all at once

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Sunday, December 18, 2016 11:20 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Then I hope wherever it is that you're living is cozy and warm.

How's your Christmas shaping up, Brenda?

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If I could write inflammatory commentary to scorch the eye brows and lashes off Trump, Signym or 1kiki, I would.- SECOND"

You're suffering from the various stages of grief including bargaining, denial, and anger, all at once

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Sunday, December 18, 2016 7:07 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

Hey Brenda -

I truly wish things were better. From personal experience I know it's hard to feel happy when you're cold. I wish I could do do something.

How did your beloved 'democratic' party fuck up so badly?

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Sunday, December 18, 2016 11:18 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

I would gladly take some!

I hope you have good holidays!

How did your beloved 'democratic' party fuck up so badly?

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Monday, December 19, 2016 6:29 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Hi Brenda,

I understand the insecurity of walking in the snow, sometimes it makes you feel like you're going to slip and fall, and your feet are always cold.

OOC what would make you feel cozy? A blanket? A jacket? A sweater?

What kind of landscape do you imagine you would enjoy? Deserts? Tropical beaches? Temperate forests, like where you are, but only in summer?

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If you aren't aware, Texans don't have much concern for the well-being of Yankees or Californians, even Yankee factory workers in Indiana "- SECOND

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Thursday, December 22, 2016 8:18 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

This past 24 hours of "chance of showers" has turned quite unexpectedly into a major rain event. From San Ysidro to Saugus, So Cal has gotten anywhere from 0.4 - 1.4 inches of rain, with most rains gages in the LA area reporting about 0.5 inches, and most rain gages in the San Diego area reporting almost 1 inch. YAY!

Because this wasn't expected, I didn't have my own little "rain gage" deployed, so I don't know how much our location got, but there's another event expected on Friday. We seem to be making good progress into our rainy season, now that "the Blob" (and the Ridiculously Resilient Ridge and Redux which was driving it) has dissipated. Here's hoping that this year is at least normal rainfall (unlike the previous six years).

All we need is twelve more significant rain events for that to happen! *fingers crossed*

And while the contiguous US is reporting about-normal to colder-than normal weather, with Arctic air swooping down the west coast and central-to-eastern USA ... if all of that cold air is down here, how is the Arctic faring?? Not surprisingly, the Arctic is having its lowest ice coverage ever for this time of year. At the time of season when meteorologists and earth scientists expect the fastest ice-build, there is a lot of open water. Energy and matter can never be created and destroyed, and once you trap heat in a system - you can push it around, but if you can't dissipate it - it goes into a lot of unexpected places (melted ice, deep ocean, earth's crust) but never disappears.

I've learned from watching the US Drought Monitor http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ that there is always drought somewhere. (The downside of the drought monitor is that it doesn't show when areas have a rain surplus, which creates a rather unrealistically negative picture). So FWIW: that drought in the southeast .... looks like rain is coming their way, again. Hurray for them too! If our luck holds, then by year's-end we might be at a point when there is no "exceptional" drought anywhere, which would be rare indeed.

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If you aren't aware, Texans don't have much concern for the well-being of Yankees or Californians, even Yankee factory workers in Indiana "- SECOND

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Friday, December 30, 2016 10:55 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

The last rain event, which was Dec 21-24, dropped about 1.75" in my backyard. That was a great Xmas gift!

It's anticipated to rain, on and off, for today and tomorrow and is sprinkling a little bit, even as I post. Not much rain is expected this round ... possibly up to a half inch (I have my "rain gage" out in the yard, just to see!) ... but there is a larger rain event anticipated, not this Sunday but the following Sunday.

Unlike the previous six(!) years, where the rainstorms got thinner and weaker before (usually) disappearing altogether at they attempted to break through the blocking high pressure/ warm air ridge, THIS year the ridiculously resilient ridge is gone. Now the storm fronts are gathering a little steam (literally) as they approach the coast, probably picking up moisture from The Blob, which- according to NOAA - has NOT disappeared entirely, although El Nino has. So we have relatively warm coastal waters lofting moisture into the approaching storm fronts: a good setup for normal rainfall.

If I sound obsessed with rainfall, that's because of the drought. And my fingers are crossed that we get more - we need it! Although we had 4 inches of rain so far this December, which makes it the wettest Dec since 2010, we need another three rounds of rain just to make it to average, and our rainy season barely extends into March.

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If you aren't aware, Texans don't have much concern for the well-being of Yankees or Californians, even Yankee factory workers in Indiana "- SECOND

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Sunday, January 1, 2017 8:03 PM

Uggggggg.... Water. I feel like the GD Wicked Witch of the West. My sump system will be the death of me, I know it.

Recently, we had a huge thaw, and my sump system was going off like crazy. Then it started to get loud. REALLY LOUD. I went into my nasty crawlspace and found that the seal on the check valve broke and was spraying not only on the plastic lining the floor and walls, but the joists for the first floor and the insulation as well.

I covered the whole thing with a tarp, bought a check valve, and was waiting for tomorrow to fix it when it's going to be fairly warm. Two days ago it was louder than ever, so I decided I had to fix it ASAP. To my horror, I realized that there was a "mudslide" in the well. The previous idiots who lived here installed a shower in the basement leading to the well, and rather than install a new polyresin well with proper measurements they just took a sledgehammer to the concrete wall.

I always thought this might be a problem, but it never was... until it was.

I thought for sure this was something I couldn't possibly fix myself. I thought the seal broke and I could just put in a new check valve. But the unit itself had moved about 4 inches, likely sliding all over the place with the "lubrication" of all of that mud introduced to the well. For the meantime, it was at least pumping out enough water to keep the basement from flooding again, but what could I possibly do to fix this???

I went out to my garage with a cup of coffee and had a few smokes while looking around at various odds and ends I had saved up over the years from various projects and what not. I wasn't looking for any permanent fix, but just a temporary band-aid to make it to warmer weather so I wasn't working in water that was nearly freezing.

Suddenly, as if a ray of light from Heaven illuminated it, I caught glimpse of a part of a dryer install kit left over from when I bought my dryer 5 years back. Separated by the seam and unrolled, it was just about 12"x12" and I thought it could possibly be PERFECT for what I needed.

Working in a dimly lit area with nothing but a flashlight, a few screwdrivers and a pair of tin-snips, I went to work. I'm sure a math genius like JO could have taken measurements of the awkward breaks in the well and could have come up with an exact design for our new aluminum wall, but I'm not that smart. This was going to be trial and error. This was going to be cold. This was going to be messy.....

A little snip here, a big snip there... over an hour putting it in and taking it back out and making minor adjustments to make it fit snug everywhere and we had a PERFECT new wall for the old well, with plenty of "lip" left on all sides to keep it from caving in.

I filled the vacancy left by the mudslide with 5 gallons worth of river rock and some mud in between and did my best to remove any residual mud out of the well by hand in the freezing cold water and then I tested it out. 3 full loads from the washing machine and it works like a charm. Didn't even need to install the new check valve.

What's even better is that there were small square holes at the top of the aluminium piece so I was able to snake the dehumidifier drain hose through it so I don't even need to use a brick to secure that into the well anymore.

I woke up the other morning thinking the worst and that I'd have to spend at least 1.5k to a plumber to re-haul my entire system. It ended up costing me nothing but a scrap piece of aluminum in my garage and about 2 hours work in total. Chances are, the integrity of the well will outlive me now.

Don't let anybody make you think you're dumb because you didn't go to college. At least half of the CEO's who've been bailed out with million dollar parachutes over the last decade never went to college. A few of them never even finished high school.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, January 2, 2017 4:59 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Well damn! Ingenuity and persistence pays off! Hats off to YOU, SIX!

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If you aren't aware, Texans don't have much concern for the well-being of Yankees or Californians, even Yankee factory workers in Indiana "- SECOND

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Thursday, January 5, 2017 1:24 PM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

I heard that there was a big warm front following this big cold front. So Brenda, I hope it will!

And we have yet MORE RAIN! This small storm follows a larger one about a week ago. In deference to the small cold and hungry animals, I've been very careful to toss out more seed, more peanuts, and to keep the hummingbird feeders full.

And this morning, since I had to stay home to make some phone calls, I was rewarded by seeing crows and a blue jay and squirrels coming in for the peanuts, and sparrows and mourning doves aiming for the seeds, and a black phoebe looking for ....? Bugs?

They are happy! So am I!

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If you aren't aware, Texans don't have much concern for the well-being of Yankees or Californians, even Yankee factory workers in Indiana "- SECOND

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Thursday, January 12, 2017 10:19 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

If you're happy with your upcoming weather Brenda, so am I!

Down here in CA ...

For the first time in 11 years the Yolo Bypass is flooded. The Yolo Bypass is a straight valley, 3 miles wile and 40 miles long, that is just to the west of a looped portion of the Sacto River. There is a passive weir at the top of the valley: if the Sacto River is above roughly 30 feet, it overflows into the Yolo Bypass. Further downstream, about midway through the loop and closer to west Sacramento, if the Sacto River and American River reach 28 feet and are expected to keep rising, up to 48 wooden flood gates are manually unlatched (with long pole-hooks) which allows further spillage into the Yolo bypass, keeping west Sacto dry.

Not only is the Yolo bypass an important farming area in the (dry) summer, it's an important breeding ground for Chinook salmon, a stopover point for migrating birds, a prime wetlands habitat full of wetland species, AND (most importantly for the area farmers) an important groundwater recharge basin. That mkaes filling the Yolo Bypass important.

The parade of storms which we've been getting .... some of them have hit us head-on, but many of them are merely the edges of much LARGER storms in central and northern CA.

Areas like the Yolo Byass should be everywhere in CA: the safest and most capacious place to store water is not behind a dam but in the ground. Here in So Cal, our groundwater is actively managed and there are recharge basins up and down the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo rivers. As part of our "water infrastructure" we (as a state) should be making MORE groundwater recharge areas .... up and down the LA River (for example) and up and down the other rivers in the central valley.

As rainy as it seems to have been, we are just at NORMAL for this time in our water-year. We still have another 4-5 inches of rainfall to go, just to be at average. This abnormal-seeming normal rainfall is a testament to just how dry the past six years have been.

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If you aren't aware, Texans don't have much concern for the well-being of Yankees or Californians, even Yankee factory workers in Indiana "- SECOND

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Friday, January 13, 2017 7:37 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Warmer weather sounds like GOOD weather for you, Brenda. I hope the ice melts soon!

Down here in So Cal, we got two storms back-to-back. The first one on Tuesday was kind of a blow-by, the second pretty much passed directly through. As of Thurs AM we had collected 2.0" of rain, but then I had to empty the "rain gage" to prevent it from overflowing. Just glancing out the window last night, it looks like we accumulated another 0.5" or so ... I'll check it in the AM. Then about six days of clear weather, and another storm or two coming through, if the forecast holds out.

This is such a reprieve. There was a huge tree die-off in the past three years, literally millions of trees dead due to drought, throughout the central and southern CA, and even in the Sierras. At least the survivors will be able to recoup and regroup.

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If you aren't aware, Texans don't have much concern for the well-being of Yankees or Californians, even Yankee factory workers in Indiana "- SECOND

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Friday, January 13, 2017 6:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Well damn! Ingenuity and persistence pays off! Hats off to YOU, SIX!

Thanks Sigs.

We've had a lot of rain since and it hasn't been a problem since the fix. Actually, it seems to have made things quite a bit better down there. I always just assumed I was going to have a musty smell in the basement because it's a tri-level house with a dirt crawlspace. It looks as though the ground inside the home doesn't get wet when the french drain system is able to work like it's supposed to and dump into a sealed well.

It's not "sealed" yet... I'm going to caulk it all up in the summer when it's bone dry. For now though, it seems to take care of a majority of that water as is.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Sunday, January 15, 2017 10:57 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

After the rain: sun. At least for several days. We've had to kind of weather that makes people wish they were here: mid-60's and sunny, white puffy clouds, clean air and a mild breeze. But that's OK folks, we pay for it in drought, smog, and hot summers and autumns (and winters) the rest of the time! If the forecast is to be believed, more rain is coming our way this weekend.

Oh, the measured total in my backyard for the previous two (Tue-Thurs) storms was 2.4". Just before the last two stormfronts I tossed out some plant food for the avocadoes, roses, camellias and azaleas. The plants will be very happy. It seems like it's raining all the time, but (hard to believe) we are barely above average for this time in the water-year (July to July). The plants blooming right now:

Groundcover sage. Yesterday about a dozen hardy honeybees came out to gather nectar, and that's where they landed. The bees love these plants; I don't. They turned into garden thugs, and are about a foot taller and a couple of feet wider than they're "suppose" to grow.

Red camellias. These were planted by the previous owner, and are almost small trees in their own right. The white and pink camellias will follow soon.

White azaleas. Again, planted by the previous owner. Breathtakingly pure white flowers. The pink azalea, which has soft-pink lilly-shaped flowers with deep pink speckles and is extravagant in its blossoms, will follow in May.

A few sporadic blooms from the Joseph's Coat climbing roses, beautiful fragrant sprays of medium-blue flowers from the California lilac (Ceanothus arboreus) and brave lavendar aster-type flowers from the beachside daisy (Erigeron glaucus) fill out the blossom list.

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If you aren't aware, Texans don't have much concern for the well-being of Yankees or Californians, even Yankee factory workers in Indiana "- SECOND

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Sunday, January 15, 2017 3:20 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

Despite the rain - which does an excellent job of washing PM2.5 out of the air - air quality is predicted to be only 'moderate', not 'good'.

How did your beloved 'democratic' party fuck up so badly?

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Tuesday, January 17, 2017 12:10 AM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

Rain. Blessed rain. I'm glad for you, Brenda.

How did your beloved 'democratic' party fuck up so badly?

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Wednesday, January 18, 2017 7:26 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Three more storms, heading squarely for southern CA.

IF the rain totals come up as predicted, we should see about three inches in the next week. If I've got my rainfall added up properly, that should bring us to within an inch or two of average, which is far, far better than the previous six years!

The United States Drought Monitor (see here for current) http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ has erased "exceptional" drought from all of CA except right where I live: in the Los Angeles area. With these storms, the last of the "exceptional" drought should be erased.

That's good news for CA wildlife! Reprieved! But to find a dark cloud behind the silver lining, one of the key wells in the LA area is down 50 feet.

-----

Say Brenda, the storms that are heading our way are cold, so how's the weather up there?

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If you aren't aware, Texans don't have much concern for the well-being of Yankees or Californians, even Yankee factory workers in Indiana "- SECOND

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Friday, January 20, 2017 6:55 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Hey Sig,

Weather is warming up some here. Was suppose to hit around 9C which is 48 degrees F. With rain the rest of this week.

I guess the cold air has slipped down here, and you got our warm air! But I'm not complaining!

The last storm dumped its predicted 1.25" into my "rain gage", the next storm is raining even as I post and predicted to bring 1.3", and the one following THAT is predicted to bring 3+" of rain to our area. I THINK that brings us almost up to normal, so even if the rain goddess shuts off the tap we'll at least be close to normal. Which is a helluva lot better than the past six years years!

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

"If you aren't aware, Texans don't have much concern for the well-being of Yankees or Californians, even Yankee factory workers in Indiana "- SECOND

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Monday, January 23, 2017 9:34 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

So the Tuesday-Wed storm brought 1.25" to my raingage. The Thursday-Friday storm brought 1.75". And the latest storm - the Saturday-Sunday-Monday storm brought 3.35" (I had to empty my unofficial rain gage late night because it was going to overflow.)

Here's hoping we get more rain in the (roughly) 1.5 months that we have left in our rainy season- it would be such a blessing! I hope to see lupines blooming everywhere, and I wonder if we will be treated again to a blizzard of Painted Lady butterflies, thanks to beneficial desert rainfall.

I'm glad I refreshed and refilled the hummingbird feeders. I didn't think they'd brave the rain, cold, and wind to feed, but they did! Did you know that hummers metabolism is so high they would starve to death overnight? So they don't sleep, per se, they actually go into a short hibernation- torpor - each night, just to conserve energy. I've been tossing out extra food so that the birds and squirrels will have more to go on. You should see the crows in my neighborhood: sleek and so shiny they're blue-black. That's because nobody on the house like chicken liver (except me) so guess who gets it...

In the meantime, I was just looking out the front window at the rain, and saw a little bird I've never seen before pecking avidly at the ground under by CA epilobium, It was a busy little bird, hop-hop-hopping! The best ID I can make (It refused to turn fully around) was either a white-crowned sparrow or a white-throated sparrow. Not rare, but just not ID'd earlier.

Hey Brenda, how is that patch of snow? Gone, I hope?

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

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Monday, January 23, 2017 9:38 AM

It's been a pretty great winter here. I keep the thermostat at around 57-58 degrees. I've only broke down and put it up to 60 when it gets below 10 degrees, which hasn't happened much at all. Hasn't snowed as much as usual either. Really a blessing after two back to back awful winters. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, January 23, 2017 9:59 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Yes, I gather from sis that the last two winters the polar air mass slipped over the Midwest and Northeast, and that (thanks to "lake effect" snow) they were both brutal.

I guess it's our turn! We don't get sub-zero temps, and even so, we're not such polar bears! Yeah, we have the heater on, even tho the temps don't dip below 50.

There's one good thing for extra-cold temperatures: They kill bugs. I was told that the various tree-beetle invasions are slowed down when the weather gets ultra-cold. I'm personally hoping that the Persea (avocado) mites - which came in on a batch of contaminated much - get whacked this year!

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"Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor"- William Blake

According to you GSTRING, if I discuss something I'm over-reacting. If I DON'T discuss something, I'm hiding.

You see? You're a troll. YOU don't want to discuss the subject, all you want to do is look for an excuse for personal attacks. So the reason why I'm NOT discussing this with you further is because (1) You've been demonstrated to be wrong about five ti

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Monday, January 23, 2017 11:34 AM