After Hours

Ask something
Discussion Locked

It's for the birds

0 helpful
24 replies

by ontheropes 2 views

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

http://tinyurl.com/2ncuv8

The link goes to a New York Times article about the Audubon Society. I used tinyurl because the link was 101 characters long.

I feed birds here. Usually just sunflower seeds and thistle seed during the warmer months. This year I don't have to fill the feeder as often as I used to and it's not as crowded with birds as it used to be either.

Has anyone else noticed something similar?

Do you feed the birds or other wildlife?

Do you read anything regarding conservation of any kind?

Do you practice any type of conservation or do you generate your fair share or more of every kind of waste everyday?

Are you wide-full-open throttle aimed at getting what you can, while you can and think along the lines of "screw everything and everybody who gets in my way,"?

I conserve energy, water, paper and recycle whatever I can. Do you?

Back to the bird thing:
I noticed years ago that there aren't as many bugs on the cars windshield or circling the streetlights/yard lights as there were when I was a kid, 37+ years ago or so. I wonder if there's a connection or if it's just my imagination.

I doubt that I "just imagine? it.

24 replies

by charliespencer

where the survey says Carolina Wrens are up but Loggerhead Shrikes are down.

I moved a couple of years ago and I haven't been able to determine trends at the new house yet. I went from a home in the middle of a cleared development to one on the edge of a small forest and several agricultural fields, so comparisons between the local environments are invalid. I have more species (over 25 in the backyard throughout the year) at the new location, but I haven't been there long enough to notice changes in the local population.

Pileated Woodpeckers rock, but Ruby-Throats rule.

by ontheropes

We have a feeder out for the Ruby-throats too. (I forgot to mention that.) One couple has a nest in my pear tree. It's the first year that I've seen hummingbirds actually nesting in the yard. I probably need to get out of the house more often because I feel like a proud papa.I'd like to see if I could feed hummingbirds by hand like a recent edition of "Birds and Blooms" showed.

Two nights ago I counted 17 Mourning Doves from one spot on my front porch. They crack me up too. They land and walk up to the feeder like they've got all day to get there.

I think of feeding the birds as something of a penance for me. When I was a kid I had a lot of anger for various reasons. I had a couple of BB guns that I shot so often that I could hit a thrown BB with my Daisy double-barrel BB gun. I shot a lot of birds back then too. Pointless... but I did it. Now I don't even hunt.

by ontheropes

I saw a monster hummingbird last week; not here but close to here. I have to look it up to see what kind it was but it was at least 5 if not 6 inches long. Huge!

by ontheropes

I just looked up the "largest hummingbird" in North America and it's the Magnificent Hummingbird and that's what we saw. It looked like a small blackbird on trail coffee/caffeine.

The references don't say that it's been observed where-in-hell we observed it so obviously I and the three other witnesses didn't observe it. Never happened. I'd lie about it to increase my everluvin' reputation. You betcha.

by mjd420nova

I live near a small lake in the center of the city and have noticed a large increase in water fowl, both mallards and Canada Geese. The smaller types, larks, BlueJays, scrub jays and robins have increased a little bit, hardly noticable. The feeder I use gets steady use, depending on the feed I use. I usually supply larger nuts in the summer months for the bigger birds and smaller grain types in the winter for the sparrows. The squirrels are as abundant as ever and seem to be getting smarter about how to get food. Hummingbirds and woodpeckers are the most prominent types around and I have noticed a big increase of the Peregine falcons here in the city and even more turkey buzzards and hawks in the outer edges and open fields.

by ontheropes

I think that they were set on a path to disappear at one point in time but enough people became aware of the situation via Ducks Unlimited and what have you that people working together put a stop to their disappearance. (That's a mouthful right there.) :)

I haven't seen many predatory birds locally. I keep hearing an owl but never see it. There are a dozen or so Turkey Buzzards that circle overhead, all day it seems like. One swooped on something in my neighbors yard about 100 feet from me yesterday. I didn't see what it was going after and never saw it fly back up. It just vanished behind the pine trees.

Our lone male chipmunk finally got himself a girlfriend after three years. Maybe now he'll be in a better mood and quit complaining so much.I feed the pair of 'em leftover dried corn from our cornstove.

We have a squirrel for the first time anyone can remember too, (over 20 years) but I haven't seen him lately.

Pheasants have made a big comeback too, if you ask me. I remember my Dad raising pheasants from when I was 5 or so. He'd release them when they were big enough. Said that there just weren't pheasants around like when he was younger. I've thought about raising pheasants like he did but I'm more of a slacker than he was.

by big ole jack

They crap all over the sidewalks, on cars, on awnings, balconies, patios, and even people. They also carry ticks and a nasty form of a microscopic mite that is responsible for the disease known as mange or scabbies. I simply don't understand the people who throw chunks of bread around to feed these flying vermin. The pigeons will eat themselves to death and then poop all over everything to make room for stuffing themselves again. My town has an ordinance in place against feeding pigeons, but there are too many "animal lovers" who knowingly violate the laws and feed them anyway. I bet these idiots don't own any cars because if they did, they'd know how hard it is to clean a car all covered in pigeon poop.

There are just way too many pigeons and I have good reason to believe that someone is purposely breeding them to crap all over the town. A redtailed hawk or peregrine falcon is a welcomed sight in my parts, as they are nature's pigeon population control.

by ontheropes

I know a lot of people that feel that way about pigeons. Same goes for seagulls too.

As far as other birds? One word. Berries.

by ontheropes

People feed 'em when the weather's nice but when it turns cold they don't. I thought of that once about 30 years ago. I went to the park armed with duck food in the Winter. Bad idea to hold onto it when there's a flock of hungry ducks around. Bad idea. I was mobbed by a buncha' ducks. I only did it the one time.

by ontheropes

Some of what we've seen at home or close (6 miles) to home.

Wood Ducks
Mallard Ducks
Canadian Geese
Ring-necked Pheasant
Quail
Redwing Blackbird
Blackbird
Goldfinch
Purple Finch
Northern Cardinal
Bluejay
Field Sparrow
Barn Swallow
Turkey Vulture
Great Blue Heron (Landed on the barn roof last year)
Scarlet Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Robin
Black-capped Chickadee
Snowbird
Redheaded Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
Magnificent Hummingbird-I called the University Zoology Bird department about this one.
Purple Martin
House Finch
Rosy Finch
Cerulean Warbler
Killdeer
Mourning (Morning) Doves
Red-tailed Hawk
Brown-headed Cowbird
Crow
Common Grackle
Nuthatch
Bluebird
Snowy Owl
Wild Turkey
American Bittern
Song Sparrow
New addition: American Bald Eagle

Edited: I had posted pictures for every bird before I read the fine print at the website where I got them. After reading I decided to remove the pix from this post. It was a just a practical exercise anyway.

by ontheropes

I don't care.

Last night I saw the owl. He launched himself from a tree in MY yard and swooped under the streetlight. After looking at my Sibleys reference I'm going to say that it was a Snowy owl which is, "uncommon to rare and irregular".

I had a clear view of the back of the owls wings and a Snowy owl is the only thing that looks close. Cool!

I also saw the squirrel yesterday.

It's weird but as soon as I say I never see anything I see it. It's like looking for a particular t-shirt or pair of pants. I'll tell my wife that "it" must have gotten thrown out and she'll go right to where I've been looking for the past 15 minutes and find it immediately. I hate that.

by av .

I've noticed the same thing here in NJ. I'm a member of the Audubon Society and have been an avid birder for the past 15 years.

I live in a rural part of NJ. When we moved here 15 years ago, there were hoards of Eastern bluebirds. After they started to develop the area about 5 years ago as the farms sold out, they have all but disappeared. There were herds of wild turkeys until about 2 years ago. I haven't seen a turkey here for over a year. I do not live in a development, I live in the woods. Its unusual, to say the least.

I'm no longer able to feed the deer because of local ordinances, but I still feed the birds. We used to have so many wood thrushes that the sound was like a 12 piece orchestra. Now over the past 2 years we have very few. Their habitat was destroyed by development. We still have 1 barn owl and a couple of Screech owls, but not nearly as many as a couple of years ago.

The most marked species loss is the bees. I don't know where they all went. A couple of years ago, they all but disappeared. I heard they think it is because of cell phone towers, but no one really knows for sure. We have a huge bush, not sure what it is, but it smells like freesia. Every flower on that bush used to have a bumble bee on it. All you could hear is the humming from the bees. Now there are just a handful of bumbles.

We own several acres of property and leave it mostly natural. I have to agree that over the last 2 years, I go through alot less bird food than I used to. I still do put out about 30 lbs. a week. Many of my new neighbors in the McMansions are absolutely anal about cutting down the habitat that the birds live in because they don't understand or don't care. Their attitude is just like you say, "screw everything and everybody." The McMansion crowd isn't cut out for the country. They just don't understand.

So, OTR, it isn't your imagination. Its a real thing thats happening and it isn't just where you live. I'm doing my small part to keep my land a great place for wildlife to live. If a tree falls in the woods, I leave it there. The Pileated woodpeckers love the bugs.

AV

by charliespencer

I believe there is a national problem with declining bee populations. Wild and domesticated populations are being affected by something. Should the decline continue, the long-term impact on agriculture and the food supply should be obvious.

I'm seeing more Eastern Bluebirds here in central SC. I've had a family nesting in my yard since I moved in three years ago. The area the house faces is open but isn't particularly large. There's maybe a quarter acre where several open backyards come together. There's slightly larger open area on the opposite side of my yard, and I keep meaning to put up a second house facing that direction. I've seen the fledglings in the yard every summer, along with young Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, and House Finches.

Pileateds are hoot (pun intended). I love to watch them hammering huge pieces of bark off old pines. The Congaree National Park near here is one of the suspected Ivory Billed habitats, but all sightings in the past fifty years have been Pileateds. Decades ago a state senator reported hearing an IBW and leveraged it into preserving large stretches of swampland.

by av .

It is very disturbing. I don't know if it has anything to do with cell towers. We don't have any where I live and the bees are still gone. I remember reading years ago about the African killer bees that were supposedly killing off the American bees, but basically, I'm seeing close to no bees at all. In NJ, there is a program to encourage people to raise bees. I'm thinking about it, but I'm not sure if I have the time to donate to it.

Eastern Bluebirds are really hard to attract. It sounds like you have the right environment to do it though. They like an open area. I tried it where I live, but there are too many trees. I ended up with someone's guinea pig that nested in my bluebird house. People tend to drop off stray animals that they don't want anymore because our property is woodsy.

We have lots of Cardinals and Gold Finches. We have Carolina Wrens too (they showed up about 2 years ago). They are the loudest birds in the woods, even though they are pretty small.

I love the Pileated Woodpeckers. They are grand birds and I can't believe how they can absolutely pulverize a huge dead tree down to sawdust. They sound like something out of the Amazon jungle. I wouldn't be surprised if they discovered more IBW's down in your neck of the woods. There has to be more of them. Pileateds are pretty rare in general I think.

I'm so happy that there are government programs to preserve the beautiful birds that are endangered species. Until I moved to the country 15 years ago, I never realized that they even existed.

AV

by ontheropes

I'm seeing less birds but more variety. We have turkeys within 3 miles of my house and have never had turkeys around as often until approximately 4 years ago. I haven't seen a large covey(?) of Quail since I was a kid. That doesn't mean they're not here but I haven't seen them and I find that a bit odd.

I had a bizarre encounter outdoors with a fuzzy bumblebee three weeks ago at night. I was bare-chested when I had one land on my arm and instead of sweeping/flicking it off I just let it be. It was sticking out/withdrawing it's stinger as if to show that it COULD sting me but I just let it walk around. It walked up to the base of my skull at the back of my head and I reached up and covered it with my right hand. (I can be really gentle.) All it did was buzz it's wings so I took my hand off and it walked back down to my bare left forearm.

I thought the entire episode so bizarre that I went to find my wife in the house who virtually freaked right the fark out as I'm extremely allergic to stings. A sting at the base of my skull so close to my brainstem may have killed me but who wants to live forever. I do, but that's beside the point.

I told my wife not to swipe at it, showed her that I could touch it and not get stung and she made me walk back out of the house with the 3/4" long fuzzy bumblebee still walking around on my forearm.

The bumblebee was on me for over an hour as I paced back and forth outside wondering what I should do. The BB walked up to the top of my head and seemed to enjoy my pacing. I eventually put my moccasins on and started to walk towards my neighbors house (I don't know why) and when I got close the bumblebee took off from the top of my head and flew into his yard. I guess it lost it's way and just needed a ride back home.

Now you KNOW I'm crazy but... That all REALLY happened and I have a great witness who is still ticked at me for trusting a "bug".

I think us people have a lot to learn and perhaps re-learn about nature and our connection to it. Sometimes I jokingly call myself Dr. Doolittle. I "do little" to harm my environment excellently. I have several more bumblebees in my yard ever since I've let my clover grow out and flower. I don't only feed the birds, squirrel and chipmunks I feed the bumblebees, especially after my lazy BB encounter.

I may not always agree with you AV but it sure is great to see that sometimes I do.


Edited for accuracy and grammar. It's a true story. My wife said the BB was on me for an hour but it was on me for at least a half an hour before she knew about it. Why would I make up a story like this? It's not like other weird things haven't happened to me.

by av .

I don't think I'd feel comfortable with a bumble on me. Thats pretty brave. I do think that they're really passive as far as bees go, from my experience. We used to have lots of them. I've been stung by honeybees, but never bumbles. They just seem interested in the flowers. What kind of cologne do you wear anyway? :^0

There's something so special about making a connection with nature. If you take the time to become part of their world, you can really become trusted by them and get to see and experience things that no one else ever will. They are so innocent, but its really like a leap of faith, if you know what I mean.

I had a great experience with wild turkeys. We used to have alot of them, but one hen always nested on our property. She actually paraded her eight little babies right past me as I was sitting in my yard. I mean like 2 yards away. She was so proud of them and turned around and looked at me as she was doing it. I was just in awe that she felt comfortable enough to do that.

I know we haven't always agreed on things, but sometimes we do. I think its great that you can take the time to explore nature and that you take care of it. So many people don't bother.

AV

by ontheropes

I can't recall them clearly enough to give a true account of what happened. :)

I probably shouldn't have told that BB story as it's pretty personal and was actually somewhat life altering for me. I've had a few of those kinds of events. I think that I told it in hopes that people who read it might see that maybe what they think they "know" isn't all that there is to know.

It's like your Turkey tale. THAT was TOO COOL!

There's a picture of my shack in last weeks yuk. You can see that there isn't a lot of natural habitat left. Sure, we're rural but city dwellers and McMansion-ites, (to use your word) don't really seem to know what natural and nature really is. My neighbors don't even know and there isn't a mansion within a couple of miles of here.

For instance, the family kitty-corner across the road from me have a lot of acreage that they lease out to big Agri-corp but they "live" on what I'm guessing is five acres or so.

They have a large home, a vegetable garden, sheep and finally got a horse. There is more screaming and hollering from the entire family over there then I've done in my entire life and I've been married 3 times before this marriage.

In other words, I think that they have the "stuff"; I just don't think they've got the "right stuff". It's my opinion and I'm allowed to have one. There's much more but I don't like to "trash" people behind their back (much) like some do. My human nature is HARD to overcome.

It probably looks like I'm major league bored by the length of this reply. I'm not. I'm just working on a coupla' cupsajoe and a few smokes and don't feel like jumping 'round TR or the Web today. My "talking" civilly to you is a new experience for me and I like it. I like talking about nature too.

Since we've last "met" here, prior to this discussion, I've become a real and vocal advocate for peace, freedom and a more natural, less wasteful lifestyle. I can get cranked up in real life too.

MY dream world is never going to happen in my lifetime. I know that. I suspect that yours isn't either. I'm not going to give up on the dream though. You probably won't either.

Raising awareness is what "it's" all about for me. Even at that I don't expect to succeed very far. My deeds will also be misinterpreted and appear at cross-purposes.

For instance, I still will kill raccoons if they get into my yard. Why? They killed my chickens and I'll never forget that. They were just doing what raccoon varmints will do and I'll be just doing what I do when raccoons get into my yard. Nature can be cruel. I can be deadly and quickly efficient. 'Nuff about that.

I was hoping that this discussion would draw more people to reply. That was a "long hope" I guess. It's another off-topic discussion that I hope folks just stumble into and read. TR is a great resource and has millions of members. I always hope that at least one or two people are going to read some of my drivel and it might tweak their life, even just a little bit. That's all I hope for when I talk to my neighbors and others too.

Going around like a crazy man with a $400.00 haircut isn't the answer. Neither is vacillating, finger pointing and riding on the backs of the fallen and slain of 9/11. Simple grass roots talk can make a difference for MY dream and I don't have to be a politician to do it.

What was I saying... Oh yeah.
I started this discussion with worries about the number of birds. I'm still worried. We used to have half a dozen hummingbirds at our feeder. This year I've seen two. Just two. The same couple of birds. Where'd the rest go? I don't know. Sure there are plenty of flowers right now. We have several patches planted just FOR hummingbirds but it's unusual not to see them at the feeder too.

Have you read about deformed frogs? That's a pretty wicked story too. I had a rain-barrel full of tree frog tadpoles that lived until they were close to all of them being frogs three years ago. It only took one rainstorm and the run-off from my barn roof killed hundreds of the weakest frogs/tadpoles. I don't think that more them 5 or 6 made it out alive and they only did that because I'd put a wooden ramp in there for them.

The farmers from big Agri-corp spray all kinds of deadly fluids on their Genetically Modified crops. That spray drifts on the breeze especially if the farmer is an idiot and keeps his spray heads three or four feet above the crop like one moron did. They paid my wife cash because they killed a lot of the plants in our yard. She knows "who" farms "what" and she will definitely give 'em a piece of her mind. I just try to keep up with her and hopefully stop her before she hurts somebody. People think I'm joking about that. I'm not. I try hard not to mess with her delicate sensibilities. Sometimes I do "step on her toes" and don't realize it until too late. Occasionally it sux to be me and I hate it when she's right about "stuff". I've got a lot to learn. (Hal's right about how to handle that. I just admit that I'm wrong and try to behave myself until the next time I do something stoopid. Then I repeat the cycle.)

Back on topic(?):

One of the surprising things about birds is that people don't, in general, pay any attention to them. It's like they think they've "evolved" into some higher order of human that doesn't need nature. So stoopid.

I see NASA is going to put a group of people into isolation for 17 months simulating a Mars expedition. I also see that the Russians are building a massive underground complex useful for, the media puts it, "surviving a nuclear war". We all know, or should know, that any underground facility that isn't a strict secret from other nations, (impossible), is vulnerable to nuclear penetrators so I don't expect to see another arms race. I think that those same types of facilities will be resistant to a short-lived pandemic or other threat, perhaps a meteor strike.>br>
Call me paranoid. Unfortunately I am. Why? I read a wide variety of news and not just from the major media outlets. (I know everything about Paris Hilton that I'll ever need to know.)

Did you know that we don't live in the Milky Way galaxy anymore? We don't, according to the latest astronomy news. One of the things that crack me up about astronomers is their lack of disclaimers. They'll show a picture of the "Milky Way" galaxy and our position in it and I think that a LOT of people believe that it's an actual picture of our galaxy. Sure. We've gone to the stars and far out beyond our (alleged) galaxy already folks. Get real.

If it's an actual picture of our galaxy then aliens are for real and they take snapshots of our galactic neighborhood just for kicks. And... they need to pay for my satellite bill. (Long story-nevermind)

If astronomy floats your boat do a Google search for some of the latest astronomical news. You might see that news on TV now that Paris Hilton is out of jail but... I doubt it. That would be too educational. Maybe Discovery channel or PBS will have something, if folks get funding and sponsors.

(Going on at length STILL. :) )

Have you read about sustainability issues? In other words, how many Earths would it take if everyone on Earth lived like us "civilized" people live? There aren't enough Earth's to go around for long. Educated and aware people know that so I'm assuming that you do. No further comment.

Have you read about "peak oil"? I have several thoughts on that issue. No further comment.

I've had too much time to think due to an injury suffered at work. I've tried to turn off my mind but it just keeps nagging me. I hate that.

Is it paranoia that makes me look for news and data or is it the news and data that makes me paranoid?

After much thought, professional analysis and referrals I believe it to be the latter.

That's NOT the answer I was looking for when I first asked the question.

I deal with news and information a piece at a time. It's somewhat unfortunate, (if you ask me) that I deal with it very quickly. Sometimes I even draw the "correct" conclusions and think I'm smart. Then I go and talk to my wife or daughter and find that they've known for years what I just figured out for myself. :0

What IS IT with women? :^0

I ought to teach my wife and daughter how to play poker before our next Vegas trip. I'm serious. :| :)

I gotta' go. Stuff to do and I'm the one who has to do it. See ya' 'round if not back here.

Peace.

Oscar

by av .

I think it was great that you shared your story about the bee because its very special to experience an encounter with nature like that. I'll always remember my experience with the turkey.

I didn't see the picture of your shack in last weeks yuk, but my "Tara" is a small cape cod house on about 4 1/2 acres of land. I'm the poor house on the block now because the McMansions have moved in and their big thing in life is a manicured lawn. They're afraid to live in the woods so their houses are lit up every night. It sounds like you have some real doozies for neighbors. Thats a shame. There isn't much you can do about it except wait for them to move.

We don't have too many raccoons here. They are cute, but they end up as road kill up here or something in the woods gets them. My hubby takes care of the squirrel population every now and then. I don't care as long as he does it when I'm not home.

I do have a funny raccoon story. One morning about 6am I heard something shuffling around in the garbage. It was a raccoon, laying in the recycling bin with a beer bottle in one hand and a piece of cherry pie in the other. I wish I had a camera. A couple of weeks later, he was road kill.

I feel pretty lucky to have what I have. It isn't perfect, but I could be in alot worse places. I like to count my blessings and be thankful for what I have.

You never know if a discussion will take off on TR or not. I think alot of people read them though even if they don't reply. Birds are kind of a special interest topic.

You definitely need to find out more about the Agri-Corp people. If their chemicals are killing your plants, they could affect you too. Let your wife go for it. Pesticides are bad news. Don't let them get away with it. If they paid your wife cash for killing your plants, they know they are doing something wrong. I'd be looking for a lawyer to put a stop to that.

I think today we are just bombarded with so much news and data, its information overload. Just reading some of the stuff causes me alot of anxiety. We live in a global society now, so every problem in the world is broadcast on the Internet or TV. I'm not sure if thats such a good thing because alot of it will never affect me one way or another. When it gets to be too much, I just take two steps back and go back to living in my own private Idaho.

Oscar, all I can say is men are from Mars and women are from Venus. All we can hope for is meeting in the middle.

AV

by ontheropes

Off-line for 20 hours. (Chewing nails-NOT.)

We were HAMMERED by a storm yesterday. (Ton of pictures, somewhere.) A 24? diameter limb busted off of a tree in the yard and narrowly missed taking out my pickup truck. As it is the only damage is one small dent. When the branch came down it took the electrical mast off the side of the house. I had great fun sticking that back up today. It was my first time. :D

Two of my neighbors came over to help clean the mess up. One brought his chain saw and cut what my son-in-law didn't get last night when we were just concerned about opening the driveway. We had to wait for the power company until late, last night. They had to kill the power because I had live lines draped over the back of my truck and wrapped around the branch. The limb itself looked odd as some of the 4-6 in. branches were twisted all the way around like a small vortex got a hold of them.

Between my two neighbors helping my sorry butt we had the place looking almost normal by 1100 hours today. I have enough wood from the branches, besides what's already accumulated, that our bonfire should be a doozy. I'm going to check the pile good for raccoons. (Insider-ish joke-sorry).

My neighbors are cool, they're just different from what you'd expect for rural folks. My neighbor to the west (Gene) said last night, ?Well. You said you wanted it natural. It doesn't get much more natural than this.? :^0

What a butthead. :^0

I ran a long extension cord over to another neighbor that still had power. Had to have SOME way to get my coffee/motivation brewed. That sounds good too. Break time. BRB :D
(It's brewing)

It was soooo quiet last night. The power line coming down at our house broke the ground line and somehow cause a surge for about 5 houses on this side of the road. My neighbor Gene said that he thought it was the second coming of Christ because all of his lights got so bright before he realized what was happening and killed his mains. :p
The neighbor just past him lost their computer and TV set to the surge. Why people don't buy a surge protector is beyond me.

Gene caused me to remember Neil and a little automobile accident he had a while back. :^0

(Neil, if you're reading this... that story STILL makes me laugh right out loud.)

Anyway, the surge blew out/melted the big switch at the top of the pole, shot flames and sparks 10-15 feet above it. (Ooohhh... purty sparklies) There was only one guy fixing it and they're not allowed to ?glove the mains? if no one else is with them.

(Coffee's done already. Love my Black and Decker single cup coffeemaker.) The power was out on my side of the road to the west. Everyone ?thanked? us for knocking out their power. It was no trouble. Really. (humble emoticon here.)

Regarding big Agri-corp, I don't say too much. I know why they do what they do. I don't care what someone does on their own property unless it affects my stuff. My wife got paid, end of story. It would be like a fart in a hurricane my saying something about big Agri-corp.. If a lawyer even worked free for me I'm not up to fighting multi-million/billion dollar Agri-corp businesses alone. Not gonna' happen. Hint: Buy certified organic!!!

My son-in-law Mike manages a big Agri-corp farm that has over 8,000 acres. That's not too big by some standards but it's a fairly large parcel for this area. Mike also doesn't allow his people to put their spray heads 3 to 4 feet above the crop. THAT'S stoopid and careless. The farmers have to spray deadly stuff. That just how it is, unless you're Amish. ?:| :D

Gotta go. Stuff to do.

This discussion is closed to new replies.