California

Creeping Charlie

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We’re in the California house this evening. When we got here, I did my usual garden check and took some pictures. This creeping charlie popped up in the whiskey barrel where one of our tropical philodendron plants used to be. The charlie seems to be doing OK in spite of having no attention for nearly three months. Click on the image to enlarge.

Going Home From The Vet

vet-hosp.jpgWe went to the County recycle center today to turn in aluminum cans. After that, we did some grocery shopping. We left the dogs in the fenced-in patio while we were doing errands. When we got home, we discovered to our horror that the little dogs had found some rat bait in a bucket on top of a small table. Somehow, they got up on the table and drug the package out. We’re not sure how much was left in the package, but it was sure all gone now.

We called the vet and they advised bringing the pets and the package of bait immediately to the animal hospital. To make a long story short, the vet induced both of them to vomit and then gave them an activated charcoal treatment to absorb any residual poison in their gastrointestinal tracts.

Bottom line, there is a 99% chance of them recovering. We have some vitamin K-1 tablets for them to take over the next month or so with some follow-up visits to our Arizona vet.

Chore Day

q-palm.jpgWhen we returned to our California house yesterday, I was greeted with several drooping fronds on the two queen palm trees out front. I never know what to expect when we get here, but there’s always several things to do.

So, after Verna’s annual eye exam today, I got the eighteen foot tree tool out of the garage and commenced sawing off the drooping fronds. I think there were about six fronds between the two trees that needed removal. The job took me over two hours including clean up.

The second chore I did was to go through all the junk mail our neighbor collected and shred anything with personally identifiable information and recycle the rest. We always request the USPS to hold all mail for this address, but given they are a government entity, you probably know how well that worked out. ?@&*%$! USPS.

Bay Bay’s First Trip To The Big House

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We brought the dogs to California today. This is Bay Bay’s first visit to California (that we know about). He was a good boy during the six-hour trip and likes the “big house” too. He and Cabela chased around and around the family room, the living room and the garage. They make good playmates when given enough room to roam.

A Moderate Shake in Virginia

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According to the shake map above (click to enlarge – sorry about the crappy quality, but this is the original resolution), Washington DC is about 80 miles northeast of the epicenter of the 5.8 magnitude quake. It surprised me to hear that the quake caused officials to evacuate the Capitol and other government buildings. According to the color code, the DC area would have experienced “weak” to “light” shaking and no damage to structures.

As a former resident of a very seismically active area, I can attest that most of us who experienced that amount of shaking would simply have said “Hmmm – a little temblor.” And would go on with whatever we were doing. Some of us nerdy types would go to the USGS Earthquakes website to see the epicenter and magnitude. Maybe even look at the shake map.

The New Hull Middle School

Years ago, my son Gerald attended classes at the J.H. Hull Middle School. Since 2007, the old school has been demolished and rebuilt. The finishing touches are just being applied. Bob took this panoramic image today after shopping. Click on the image to enlarge.

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