Sure, but if you have ever had a dog, that statement is pretty unremarkeable, that Dogs can have empathy. The reality is that someone at Emory University has finally proved it with science.
I can tell you empirically that when I'm down, my own Lettie will cling closer. That doesn't always have the desired effect because then she's in the Clumsy Moose Zone.
Basically science is able to tell that dogs are paying attention to your more subtle clues, and we've all heard the stories. Dogs that will sniff a specific spot and you find out later that there's an infection there. Dogs that are helpers that can tell when the person is about to have a seizure.
We have co-evolved for many years now, and Dogs are the first domesticated species. Just like living with anyone, we don't always get it right, but they're excellent judges of what goes on.
My own Lettie may be the Canine Ambassador to Snowbirds for Wilton Manors, but she's an amazingly good judge of character. She's better at it than I am. In fact, if my dog doesn't like you, chances are I won't either. She won't go near a drunk snowbird, or even a local, trust me on that one!
So if you would like the chance to see the discussion and have five minutes for the story, click on the video below and the next time that crazy dog person says that their pooch understands them, there is some basis for that.
One side note, of course they had to use a Border Collie or Mc Nab Cross ... Smartest of all dogs! Now cats on the other hand? Since I have allergies to cats, I'll just say I can't get close enough to tell how smart they are and leave it at that!
An Open Letter To My Sister, or Whatever Pops Into My Head at the Time...
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Intercity Disposal got it right on Bulk Trash Day
Last week we had the brush cleared for hurricane season. There was so much debris that work stopped as the head of the group working in the yard asked us if we thought that bulk trash would take the pile away. We thought it would and work continued.
By the time things were done we had a "Big American Sedan" worth of leaves and stems sitting in the parking space in front of the house on the swale. It was about as big as a Crown Vic Police Interceptor. Big.
So the weekend came and went, the leaves started to turn brown and we were looking forward to the pile going away.
When Bulk Trash Day came, I put a video camera in the front window because it can be an interesting process to watch them pick up all that "bulk".
If you ever have driven down the coast on I-95, you've seen the trucks. They're big open topped things with a claw on an arm that is used to pick the stuff up. The operator will direct this claw that looks like a beefy 55 Gallon Drum split down the middle on top of the debris, close the claw, pick up the handful, then drop it in the back of the truck.
In our case, he took 20 minutes to pick up the trash. Like I said there was a lot. Actually, he picked up about 80% of the trash then left.
I was wondering if I was going to end up picking the remaining trash put it in the regular trash can, one piece at a time. I'd then have to relocate that pile that went from a large car to around a 5 foot tall cube of leaves and stems.
Needless to say I wasn't looking forward to that task.
After a couple emails back and forth we were resigned to attack that mess later that night.
Perhaps we were hasty because all the sudden up popped the same driver from Intercity Disposal for try number two.
Why I say that the driver got it right was that he picked up all he could with the claw, then got out of the truck.
Picking up a rake, the driver then pulled all that remaining trash into a smaller pile and picked it up and placed it in the bin. I've never seen trash haulers take that sort of care in doing a job before. This was one for the record book.
Sure there are some smaller bits of refuse in the swale, but he did get almost all of the remains into the truck with that claw, then took a swig of water from a bottle, and left.
So I have to say that Wilton Manors is getting their money's worth with this particular contract.
By the time things were done we had a "Big American Sedan" worth of leaves and stems sitting in the parking space in front of the house on the swale. It was about as big as a Crown Vic Police Interceptor. Big.
So the weekend came and went, the leaves started to turn brown and we were looking forward to the pile going away.
When Bulk Trash Day came, I put a video camera in the front window because it can be an interesting process to watch them pick up all that "bulk".
If you ever have driven down the coast on I-95, you've seen the trucks. They're big open topped things with a claw on an arm that is used to pick the stuff up. The operator will direct this claw that looks like a beefy 55 Gallon Drum split down the middle on top of the debris, close the claw, pick up the handful, then drop it in the back of the truck.
In our case, he took 20 minutes to pick up the trash. Like I said there was a lot. Actually, he picked up about 80% of the trash then left.
I was wondering if I was going to end up picking the remaining trash put it in the regular trash can, one piece at a time. I'd then have to relocate that pile that went from a large car to around a 5 foot tall cube of leaves and stems.
Needless to say I wasn't looking forward to that task.
After a couple emails back and forth we were resigned to attack that mess later that night.
Perhaps we were hasty because all the sudden up popped the same driver from Intercity Disposal for try number two.
Why I say that the driver got it right was that he picked up all he could with the claw, then got out of the truck.
Picking up a rake, the driver then pulled all that remaining trash into a smaller pile and picked it up and placed it in the bin. I've never seen trash haulers take that sort of care in doing a job before. This was one for the record book.
Sure there are some smaller bits of refuse in the swale, but he did get almost all of the remains into the truck with that claw, then took a swig of water from a bottle, and left.
So I have to say that Wilton Manors is getting their money's worth with this particular contract.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Watching The Gazer
My dog, Lettie, is going to be 12 later this year. She's slowing but that doesn't mean she's stopped. Her personality is always changing and she's always alert. I've met dogs that were just doorstops or strongly willful. Mine seems to have a job, and I am it so while I'm watching her, she's watching me.
Lately I've been able to get up and walk out of the room while she's not paying attention. Her hearing is going, but not gone. Some days are better than others. I have been able to get up, walk out of the house, come back later and she's not moved from the spot. Other times, it's a game of hide and seek where she's doing a full house perimeter search to see where I have disappeared to.
Usually that happens late in the evening when I have gone to brush my teeth and she's being distracted.
Use the bathroom, close the door, and she's sitting outside staring at the door waiting for it to open.
I guess that's the definition of Faithful Sidekick because I wouldn't want to be hanging outside a bathroom door waiting on someone.
This habit of watching is somewhat extreme. If I'm in the kitchen cooking, she goes through distinct phases of "Let me watch". First she'll just tag along as you walk into the Kitchen and set out the food. That changes into "Let me have some while I watch". You tell her no, claim the kitchen and she'll walk out.
But wait, there's more!
You see, instead of going to the mat where she's more comfortable, I now become the Subject of the Gazer. Sticking around the corner is a black wet nose and two brown eyes. This will go on for as long as I am in the kitchen.
Nice to have a good friend, but remember that Dogs and boiling water or cooking sugar do not mix.
There is a trick that you can teach your dog, no matter what breed or age. It really isn't a trick, more of a Survival Trait. It's what we call "Claim Your Space". Being intensely social, dogs will try to be with you all the time, sometimes under foot. If you are the Pack Leader as you should be, your dog should accept being excluded from being quite so close by your claiming an area. In the case of Lettie, she's accepted that the door is my space so well that she won't go in the house until I go first.
To claim the space, simple step into it by putting yourself between you and the dog. Then gently nudge forward. The dog will give way and back up. When my dog had full hearing I would say "Back up" and wave my hand at her in an appropriate sign. Now she's good at realizing what that hand waggle means now that her hearing is a sometimes thing.
That doesn't stop the gazing, and I'm honored to have her that interested in the mundane actions I do throughout the day and evening, but it does keep her out of harms way and safe.
If your dog doesn't accept you as the pack leader, then you have a problem. You'll have one of those dogs that other walkers would cross the street to avoid or that you'll be dragging away from other dogs because you're uncomfortable with your own capability to control the dog.
After all, it's not a dumb animal, it could very well be a dumb human.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Canning 1, Pineapple 0
This week I decided to try out a new recipe. I got a wild idea and wanted to have some Pineapple Jam because there were still a few cans leftover from Hurricane Season last year, and we're only a few weeks away from the next one.
Why not make my own?
Never having made Jams and Jellies other than the Lemon Curd, I thought I'd have a try and see what the end results would be. The recipe I found was one that promised to make 9 pints of the stuff, so I figured I'd have plenty to give away. That means I'd have to can the stuff into Jelly Jars just like your favorite supermarket - or little old lady.
We've canned here before. We've made Pepper Relish, Spaghetti Sauce and a few other things that were sitting in the pantry. The nice thing about this is that while there's a LOT of effort in "Putting up Jars" of food, you'll have a better quality than you would if you had just went out and bought the food at the store.
I've had some pretty horrendous Spaghetti Sauce since Mom and my Sister stopped making the stuff back in the 90s.
There's a recipe on here that requires slicing Roma Tomatoes and roasting them, then pureeing and making the sauce. It's a Tomato Pie recipe from a restaurant in PA and it makes some of the best vegetarian sauce I have ever had. Put it on bread and you have tomato pie, add cheese and it's a better pizza than most although I have better sauce for pizza... gees, that Pizza thing again, don't get me started!
The Lemon Curd and Lime Curd is a predictably excellent recipe, but you really aren't supposed to can the stuff and store at room temp because it has egg in the recipe.
So of course, the hunt for Pineapple Jam began. Unfortunately with recipes connected with blogs, you have bits of information that get left out, others that are phrased poorly, and there's always "user error" that happens when the reader mentally drops a line out of the recipe and forgets to circle the coffee table counterclockwise with the proper runes cast in a spell.
A lot of things can go wrong.
In the case of making Jams and Jellies, there is that item that most people have seen but didn't know what it was. Pectin. Pectin is a processed dietary fiber that is used to make fruit syrups thicken up to the right consistency. It looks like a box of Jello, pours like sand and you're told to add it into the boiling fruit and sugar mixture.
Just stir until it melts in.
Wait, just re-read that last sentence. That's the problem. First off many web recipes are inexact. Mine here are overprecise because I am a touch typist and am wordy. I also take the time to make sure I have the thing perfect before I write it down. The recipe I had was a derived recipe from a someone else's recipe and wasn't terribly complete. That is also why I am not yet sharing a Pineapple Jam recipe. That recipe was just painful and nowhere near explained the process.
Eh, just toss the stuff in and let it cook down.
That didn't work. You see if there is too much liquid in the pot, it won't thicken. Think of Jelly and Jam as making a big Jello mold that isn't commercially prepared. Now have someone go fast and loose with the recipe.
Then when you're all done, pour it into the jars and can them.
Oh, while I was making all of this, I had to reach past the Canning Pot and stir.
Canning pot is a big thing. The size of a Lobster Pot, it has ridges in it to catch a metal grate onto which you set your jars. The whole thing is brought to a boil and then you leave the jars in there until you sterilize them. The lids and the rings are set in their own pot and boiled to sterilize.
Yes, glassware that is 212F and 100C. Better handle with care! But just wait! There's More! In this case, the More are the weird tools that were designed and perfected back in the 1900s or earlier to handle all that glassware. Pincers and Levers that are coated in a vinyl or rubber to give grip while you pick up your boiling glass jar out of the water and then pour the boiling water into the boiling pot thus avoiding a burn from everything except the steam that blew out when you get a gust out of the Air Conditioning. They look like something that Great Grandma borrowed from Great Grandpa out of the Barn so she didn't get burned making preserves for the cold Nebraska winter.
When you finish with the jars, and then fill them with the hot mix of food to be canned, then you have to reach into the other boiling pot for a lid using a magnetic wand, carry it across the kitchen dripping slowly cooling water on your shoe or your dog, and then set it onto the top of the jar. Wipe off the excess water and food, then put a ring onto it gently to semi seal the jar.
Then boil again for 5 to 10 minutes to create a vacuum seal. Remove from boiling water and allow to cool.
That whole process is why you can never get a pickle jar open without smacking it on the heel of your hand.
It works though, plenty of folks are still doing this because what you get when you open that jar six months later is some food that will be just as good as it was the day you "put up" the jars. It's just a lot of work.
After all of that, the Pineapple didn't gel quite right. I have around 5 pints of very loose jelly. I think it's going to end up as pineapple sorbet since the resulting witches' brew was very tasty but very runny or I may just pour it all back into the pot and boil it down until I get the right consistency and try again.
The Lemon Curd turned out excellent as usual, and yes, I did jar the stuff. Recently the USDA had said that it CAN be safe to can foods cooked with egg as long as the temperature is held at or above 180 for more than 10 minutes. After all, that is how you buy Lemon Curd in Whole Foods for $7 a jar.
Why not make my own?
Never having made Jams and Jellies other than the Lemon Curd, I thought I'd have a try and see what the end results would be. The recipe I found was one that promised to make 9 pints of the stuff, so I figured I'd have plenty to give away. That means I'd have to can the stuff into Jelly Jars just like your favorite supermarket - or little old lady.
We've canned here before. We've made Pepper Relish, Spaghetti Sauce and a few other things that were sitting in the pantry. The nice thing about this is that while there's a LOT of effort in "Putting up Jars" of food, you'll have a better quality than you would if you had just went out and bought the food at the store.
I've had some pretty horrendous Spaghetti Sauce since Mom and my Sister stopped making the stuff back in the 90s.
There's a recipe on here that requires slicing Roma Tomatoes and roasting them, then pureeing and making the sauce. It's a Tomato Pie recipe from a restaurant in PA and it makes some of the best vegetarian sauce I have ever had. Put it on bread and you have tomato pie, add cheese and it's a better pizza than most although I have better sauce for pizza... gees, that Pizza thing again, don't get me started!
The Lemon Curd and Lime Curd is a predictably excellent recipe, but you really aren't supposed to can the stuff and store at room temp because it has egg in the recipe.
So of course, the hunt for Pineapple Jam began. Unfortunately with recipes connected with blogs, you have bits of information that get left out, others that are phrased poorly, and there's always "user error" that happens when the reader mentally drops a line out of the recipe and forgets to circle the coffee table counterclockwise with the proper runes cast in a spell.
A lot of things can go wrong.
In the case of making Jams and Jellies, there is that item that most people have seen but didn't know what it was. Pectin. Pectin is a processed dietary fiber that is used to make fruit syrups thicken up to the right consistency. It looks like a box of Jello, pours like sand and you're told to add it into the boiling fruit and sugar mixture.
Just stir until it melts in.
Wait, just re-read that last sentence. That's the problem. First off many web recipes are inexact. Mine here are overprecise because I am a touch typist and am wordy. I also take the time to make sure I have the thing perfect before I write it down. The recipe I had was a derived recipe from a someone else's recipe and wasn't terribly complete. That is also why I am not yet sharing a Pineapple Jam recipe. That recipe was just painful and nowhere near explained the process.
Eh, just toss the stuff in and let it cook down.
That didn't work. You see if there is too much liquid in the pot, it won't thicken. Think of Jelly and Jam as making a big Jello mold that isn't commercially prepared. Now have someone go fast and loose with the recipe.
Then when you're all done, pour it into the jars and can them.
Oh, while I was making all of this, I had to reach past the Canning Pot and stir.
Canning pot is a big thing. The size of a Lobster Pot, it has ridges in it to catch a metal grate onto which you set your jars. The whole thing is brought to a boil and then you leave the jars in there until you sterilize them. The lids and the rings are set in their own pot and boiled to sterilize.
Yes, glassware that is 212F and 100C. Better handle with care! But just wait! There's More! In this case, the More are the weird tools that were designed and perfected back in the 1900s or earlier to handle all that glassware. Pincers and Levers that are coated in a vinyl or rubber to give grip while you pick up your boiling glass jar out of the water and then pour the boiling water into the boiling pot thus avoiding a burn from everything except the steam that blew out when you get a gust out of the Air Conditioning. They look like something that Great Grandma borrowed from Great Grandpa out of the Barn so she didn't get burned making preserves for the cold Nebraska winter.
When you finish with the jars, and then fill them with the hot mix of food to be canned, then you have to reach into the other boiling pot for a lid using a magnetic wand, carry it across the kitchen dripping slowly cooling water on your shoe or your dog, and then set it onto the top of the jar. Wipe off the excess water and food, then put a ring onto it gently to semi seal the jar.
Then boil again for 5 to 10 minutes to create a vacuum seal. Remove from boiling water and allow to cool.
That whole process is why you can never get a pickle jar open without smacking it on the heel of your hand.
It works though, plenty of folks are still doing this because what you get when you open that jar six months later is some food that will be just as good as it was the day you "put up" the jars. It's just a lot of work.
After all of that, the Pineapple didn't gel quite right. I have around 5 pints of very loose jelly. I think it's going to end up as pineapple sorbet since the resulting witches' brew was very tasty but very runny or I may just pour it all back into the pot and boil it down until I get the right consistency and try again.
The Lemon Curd turned out excellent as usual, and yes, I did jar the stuff. Recently the USDA had said that it CAN be safe to can foods cooked with egg as long as the temperature is held at or above 180 for more than 10 minutes. After all, that is how you buy Lemon Curd in Whole Foods for $7 a jar.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Redneck Humor
Diane, local "color" and story teller had sent me this joke earlier. She's got a lot of wonderful stories that I just won't put up on my sad little G Rated blog, but this one I liked. Kept it around for a while until just the right time to use it.
So enjoy a short bit of Redneck Humor
Three rednecks were working up on a cell phone tower: Cooter, Ronnie and Donnie. As they start their descent, Cooter slips, falls off the tower and is killed instantly.
As the ambulance takes the body away, Ronnie says, 'Well, shucks, someone should go and tell his wife.
Donnie says, 'OK, I'm pretty good at that sensitive stuff, I'll do it.' Two hours later, he comes back carrying a case of Budweiser.
Ronnie says, 'Where did you get that beer, Donnie?'
'Cooter's wife gave it to me,' Ronnie replies.
'That's unbelievable, you told the lady her husband was dead and she gave you beer?'
'Well, not exactly', Donnie says. 'When she answered the door, I said to her, "you must be Cooter's widow."
She said, 'You must be mistaken. I'm not a widow.'
Then I said, 'I'll bet you a case of Budweiser you are.'
Rednecks are good at sensitive stuff.
So enjoy a short bit of Redneck Humor
Three rednecks were working up on a cell phone tower: Cooter, Ronnie and Donnie. As they start their descent, Cooter slips, falls off the tower and is killed instantly.
As the ambulance takes the body away, Ronnie says, 'Well, shucks, someone should go and tell his wife.
Donnie says, 'OK, I'm pretty good at that sensitive stuff, I'll do it.' Two hours later, he comes back carrying a case of Budweiser.
Ronnie says, 'Where did you get that beer, Donnie?'
'Cooter's wife gave it to me,' Ronnie replies.
'That's unbelievable, you told the lady her husband was dead and she gave you beer?'
'Well, not exactly', Donnie says. 'When she answered the door, I said to her, "you must be Cooter's widow."
She said, 'You must be mistaken. I'm not a widow.'
Then I said, 'I'll bet you a case of Budweiser you are.'
Rednecks are good at sensitive stuff.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
How Smart Is Your Right Foot?
I don't know whether to thank Diane, Velma, Kevin, and the others that sent me this one. I just tried it and eventually it's right, it happened to me. Disturbing but right. So try it and see if you're "Wired Funny" like I am.
I bet you are!
HOW SMART IS YOUR RIGHT FOOT?
This is hysterical. You have to try this. It is absolutely true. I guess there are some things that the brain cannot handle.
You have to try this please, it takes 2 seconds. I could not believe this!!! It is from an orthopedic surgeon. This will boggle your mind and it will keep you trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't. It's pre-programmed in your brain!
1). Without anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY....) and while sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
2). Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand.
Your foot will change direction.
I told you so!!!
And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.
Send it to your friends to frustrate them too.
I bet you are!
This is hysterical. You have to try this. It is absolutely true. I guess there are some things that the brain cannot handle.
You have to try this please, it takes 2 seconds. I could not believe this!!! It is from an orthopedic surgeon. This will boggle your mind and it will keep you trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't. It's pre-programmed in your brain!
1). Without anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY....) and while sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
2). Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand.
Your foot will change direction.
I told you so!!!
And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.
Send it to your friends to frustrate them too.
Friday, May 4, 2012
UI and UX - Get Out Of My Facebook!
And that's about as technical as this article gets today, you can relax.
You are looking at what really gets me these days. If I see a banner here asking me to like them on Facebook, I'm thinking of the socially awkward kid in elementary school who tagged along whining at you to take them with you when you do some cool stuff. How about the "Extra Needy Girlfriend or Boyfriend" who is begging for you to come over and spend some time when you're out fighting fires or some such?
This is the modern web equivalent of me saying "Stuff it" I don't need you.
Yes, I meant "STFU" and since I keep my blog G Rated, I will allow you to define that acronym however you like.
You see, if I like this page and every page that I stumble across in the course of doing my daily research/entertainment/job hunting/shopping/ and so on, my Facebook page becomes a mire of inconsequential crap. I depend on my Facebook News Feed to be pertinent. It saves me from having to go to some of those websites and surf every single article to stay informed. I know I'm not alone here, many folks have started to use Facebook the same way. So why add all this junk?
My first impression of the page is now "Oh for crying out loud, not again". Or something stronger if it is the 43rd time I've been greeted by this kind of needy uselessness.
A Web Page, just like a blog, is what the owner wants it to be, and not the reader. You are the product, you are not the customer. You are typically being sold for your information. So being slapped in the face by a Facebook "Like me" whine is their way of roping you in for a little extra advertising face time on Facebook.
That's how it works.
My Second impression is to click on Adblock Plus and see if I can find the script to defeat it. Sometimes I can, other times I can't.
Usually I hit about 50 of these useless needy girlfriends (I'm A Guy, Ladies, Don't Get TOO Bent Out Of Shape, Just Mentally Remap it to Boyfriends or Lost Puppies, MmmKay?) in the course of a morning. I do a LOT of research on technology and software/web development in the course of a day. Getting slapped by www.pleaselikemeorIwillwhine.crap doesn't make me like you any more than finding another flaming bag of web garbage sitting on my virtual doorstep would.
A Facebook Like button is fine, completely repainting your page with a "lightbox" like you see above is a great way to get people to move on like I did. It's the modern equivalent of a web pop-under window now that everyone has that little box clicked in their setting of their favorite browser to stop pop-up and pop-under windows as a default. This one will be the next default, give it time.
So if you want to experience this stupidity for yourself, it was at this link on www.upworthy.com. I closed the page, I don't even know what viral information was there. Maybe after I switch to decaf... Nah, I just closed the window and I won't bother watching this supposedly important video as a result.
I Know I Am Not The Only One Out There Annoyed By This Garbage.
So folks, its a terrible idea to annoy your customers. It doesn't work in the real world. If that grocery store changed their piped in music to, say, Death Metal, a small percentage would love it and their sales would generally drop from all the sweet grannies who can't understand why they're playing growling in the frozen food aisle.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Controlled Chaos of the Annual Tree Trimming
Here in Wilton Manors, once a month, we have something called Bulk Trash Pickup Day.
Ours is coming up. They will pick up just about anything.
We also have Hurricane Season looming. Starting June 1, and lasting until November 30, we're told to trim our trees, shrubs, and other plants. Keep "loose things" tied down and watch the weather.
Today we're getting a jump on all that. We've got the tree trimmers by to clear out the gardens and to get the wildness of this semi tropical climate somewhat back under control.
I just watched a six foot in circumference fan of cut leaf Philodendron work its way out to the swale like some discarded umbrella. A trash can, which was the first of many, stuffed full of more dead palm fronds than I would try to cram into a can at one moment joined it. The swale will be a giant pile of discarded organic matter.
I'd love to compost but what would I do with all that "stuff".
It will all be piled up today and tomorrow. We won't have to worry about drunks parking on the swale this weekend because it will already be parked upon.
The nice thing is that once it's all said and done, I'll have a new garden, the same but different than before. I'll be able to go back into that garden and find some old treasures that were forgotten and transplant them into new places for future growth and greenery. My bamboo stand will be accessible for the first time since we planted it so my plans are to try to get some cuttings. If you have bamboo, you can propagate the stuff by division. Cut a healthy clump off the "mother" clump and set it in an irrigated spot. Its just grass with an attitude anyway.
I'll be looking for some greenery to bring into the house for decoration in a vase in all that debris, and there's a Philodendron leaf or three that will go into a vase for a couple weeks until it breeds some more pet mosquitoes for me to care for. After all, with two people, a dog, and a parrot, there's lots of food for the mosquito to dine on. Mmmm, yummy mosquito food!
Yes, tag, you're it - or rather I'm it, so I'll watch that water carefully and drop a couple aspirin and a couple copper pennies in to hope that it may just not turn into organic soup and a breeding ground.
I'm looking forward to it all, and of course for it all to be over with. Chaos can be restorative and welcome, but we are all better once we return to the calm of normal.
Whatever Normal Is...
Ours is coming up. They will pick up just about anything.
We also have Hurricane Season looming. Starting June 1, and lasting until November 30, we're told to trim our trees, shrubs, and other plants. Keep "loose things" tied down and watch the weather.
Today we're getting a jump on all that. We've got the tree trimmers by to clear out the gardens and to get the wildness of this semi tropical climate somewhat back under control.
I just watched a six foot in circumference fan of cut leaf Philodendron work its way out to the swale like some discarded umbrella. A trash can, which was the first of many, stuffed full of more dead palm fronds than I would try to cram into a can at one moment joined it. The swale will be a giant pile of discarded organic matter.
I'd love to compost but what would I do with all that "stuff".
It will all be piled up today and tomorrow. We won't have to worry about drunks parking on the swale this weekend because it will already be parked upon.
The nice thing is that once it's all said and done, I'll have a new garden, the same but different than before. I'll be able to go back into that garden and find some old treasures that were forgotten and transplant them into new places for future growth and greenery. My bamboo stand will be accessible for the first time since we planted it so my plans are to try to get some cuttings. If you have bamboo, you can propagate the stuff by division. Cut a healthy clump off the "mother" clump and set it in an irrigated spot. Its just grass with an attitude anyway.
I'll be looking for some greenery to bring into the house for decoration in a vase in all that debris, and there's a Philodendron leaf or three that will go into a vase for a couple weeks until it breeds some more pet mosquitoes for me to care for. After all, with two people, a dog, and a parrot, there's lots of food for the mosquito to dine on. Mmmm, yummy mosquito food!
Yes, tag, you're it - or rather I'm it, so I'll watch that water carefully and drop a couple aspirin and a couple copper pennies in to hope that it may just not turn into organic soup and a breeding ground.
I'm looking forward to it all, and of course for it all to be over with. Chaos can be restorative and welcome, but we are all better once we return to the calm of normal.
Whatever Normal Is...
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
A Cactus In A Shoe - Picture
Yes, that is indeed my old pair of sneakers.
Yes, that is a cactus growing in them.
In fact, I've got quite a lot of cactus here on the property. They're all in pots and we can't really figure out where to put them. They're all the "spineless" variety but don't let them lie to you, I have a spine in my right index finger I have to dig out from one of those "nonexistent" spines.
Between the two shoes is my pineapple plant. It seems to like it under the bougainvillea in the back yard.
Once the Cactus roots, I'll find a better spot for them, but for now, I've got two grey planters, Men's Size 11.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Same Old or Subtle New Wilton Manors
This Morning an article popped up on the BBC news site talking about how the world is covered by acres of dark grey asphalt and that it doesn't have to be that way. We all like having our cars to get somewhere, but it is too much of a good thing.
Shopping centers and malls have to pave a parking area large enough to allow everyone who wants a space to find a spot on the busiest day of the year. I can remember driving in large and long search patterns in my car at the King of Prussia plaza looking for a place to park before someone else grabs it and wasting a lot of gas in the process. Imagine this parking lot on Black Friday in November...
View Larger Map
I've also driven past many a shopping center and decided not to bother because it was too full. We're having that problem here on any given Thursday night.
Wilton Manors seems to be addressing that particular wrinkle in stages. It really is a small city, and you simply can't expect things to happen overnight. Some decisions are still in play, and that is the time to effect change. Incremental change is the best way to do things when there are many people involved, you simply can't demolish an entire business district and start with a rebuild, it is way too complex. You can not expect a city to simply say to its residents that it's time you all reach deep into your pockets, we want to build a parking lot and it's going to cost 4 Million. It's a quick fix that means you're unemployed next election. Business owners who failed to do due diligence when they set up shop in an area can't expect that sort of thing to happen.
Set zoning laws, and hope they work, but change them when a better idea comes along.
The article on Auntie BBC had brought up an interesting thought. Someone somewhere had a wild idea on how to make things a subtle bit better when you aren't using that parking lot. Plant as many trees as possible to shade the asphalt. Asphalt acts like a rechargeable battery for heat. It's darker than the environment typically, although exceptions exist. It receives sun for the day when something isn't parked over top of it, and warms. That heat gets radiated outwards and makes the world hotter, as well as your house if you live next to it. While that is great in a Northern climate, those car parks everywhere are helping to contribute to Global Warming. If you doubt me, go walk across a parking lot on a sunny August afternoon in Florida and prove me right.
Is it August yet? Would you like to walk across this lot in 95 degree Florida sunshine and heat?
View Larger Map
Simple solution, those trees join a coat of paint or a color added to the asphalt to allow the sun to be reflected back into the skies instead of storing the heat. Every degree counts.
It is the same principle of having a lighter colored roof in a warm climate, or a dark one in a snowy one. Passive solar heating or cooling where needed. Passive is much less of an impact on the environment than having to run a furnace or air conditioning to make things comfortable.
Another wild idea was to create a shade over the parking area created by a roof of solar panels. Sell the electricity back to the power company and contribute to the environment. Large enough roof and you have a lot of power, lower the cost of installation by government grants.
If you want to be Green, sometimes you have to think big and take little steps that may not seem important at first.
Sure, it's a wild idea, and they all take money, but when you're stepping back and looking at your existing city and your existing zoning laws, that's the time to take a good hard look at all of them. After all, there are some very tight and claustrophobia inducing sidewalks around this city and many others. Before a new building gets built, lets make sure it benefits those who are here and have to live with it, and that includes something as mundane as a parking lot.
If a Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a single step, each little step helps you achieve your goal.
Shopping centers and malls have to pave a parking area large enough to allow everyone who wants a space to find a spot on the busiest day of the year. I can remember driving in large and long search patterns in my car at the King of Prussia plaza looking for a place to park before someone else grabs it and wasting a lot of gas in the process. Imagine this parking lot on Black Friday in November...
View Larger Map
I've also driven past many a shopping center and decided not to bother because it was too full. We're having that problem here on any given Thursday night.
Wilton Manors seems to be addressing that particular wrinkle in stages. It really is a small city, and you simply can't expect things to happen overnight. Some decisions are still in play, and that is the time to effect change. Incremental change is the best way to do things when there are many people involved, you simply can't demolish an entire business district and start with a rebuild, it is way too complex. You can not expect a city to simply say to its residents that it's time you all reach deep into your pockets, we want to build a parking lot and it's going to cost 4 Million. It's a quick fix that means you're unemployed next election. Business owners who failed to do due diligence when they set up shop in an area can't expect that sort of thing to happen.
Set zoning laws, and hope they work, but change them when a better idea comes along.
The article on Auntie BBC had brought up an interesting thought. Someone somewhere had a wild idea on how to make things a subtle bit better when you aren't using that parking lot. Plant as many trees as possible to shade the asphalt. Asphalt acts like a rechargeable battery for heat. It's darker than the environment typically, although exceptions exist. It receives sun for the day when something isn't parked over top of it, and warms. That heat gets radiated outwards and makes the world hotter, as well as your house if you live next to it. While that is great in a Northern climate, those car parks everywhere are helping to contribute to Global Warming. If you doubt me, go walk across a parking lot on a sunny August afternoon in Florida and prove me right.
Is it August yet? Would you like to walk across this lot in 95 degree Florida sunshine and heat?
View Larger Map
Simple solution, those trees join a coat of paint or a color added to the asphalt to allow the sun to be reflected back into the skies instead of storing the heat. Every degree counts.
It is the same principle of having a lighter colored roof in a warm climate, or a dark one in a snowy one. Passive solar heating or cooling where needed. Passive is much less of an impact on the environment than having to run a furnace or air conditioning to make things comfortable.
Another wild idea was to create a shade over the parking area created by a roof of solar panels. Sell the electricity back to the power company and contribute to the environment. Large enough roof and you have a lot of power, lower the cost of installation by government grants.
If you want to be Green, sometimes you have to think big and take little steps that may not seem important at first.
Sure, it's a wild idea, and they all take money, but when you're stepping back and looking at your existing city and your existing zoning laws, that's the time to take a good hard look at all of them. After all, there are some very tight and claustrophobia inducing sidewalks around this city and many others. Before a new building gets built, lets make sure it benefits those who are here and have to live with it, and that includes something as mundane as a parking lot.
If a Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a single step, each little step helps you achieve your goal.
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