kw: local events, flowers, springtime
Yellow and orange crocuses began blooming the first week of February around here, almost a month early. The first purple crocuses showed up a couple days ago, and some early flowering trees are putting out their first blooms: One kind of flowering cherry, and quince. My pink dogwood looks like its buds are ready to pop, and the white one will surely bloom right after that. Tulip and daffodil leaves are up, but no flowers yet. Curiously, I don't see much sign of Forsythia blooms yet, though I have seen them bloom in February once or twice.
The first time we visited this area seventeen years ago was also an early Spring. We came in late March, and all the flowering trees were in full bloom, a spectacle usually reserved for the second or third week of April. That first day my wife turned to me and said, "I could live here." Of course, the following January we were under almost three feet of snow, and wondering if we'd been so lucky to move here after all.
This makes me wonder what this Summer will be like, and the Winter to follow. The Farmer's Almanac (4 month predictions free to registered folks) is predicting a rather mild March-July 1 season, with only one 90°+ heat wave in June. Lots milder than the past Summer. I guess I rather like La Niña, compared to El Niño. It also means I'd better save up for the extra heating bills of the opposite season, due in 1½ years, and an extra-hot cooling season to follow. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy the flowering season while I can!
Showing posts with label local events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label local events. Show all posts
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Saturday, November 05, 2011
B'day non-bash
kw: local events, birthdays
My birthday is in a few days, so my wife and I chose today to have a celebratory lunch. Hint: this one is mentioned in a Beatles song.
More than half the time, when we eat out, we go to a buffet, preferably a Chinese buffet. We get what we want, and don't have to contend with a menu. We live closer to Wilmington than to West Chester, and we almost never go into Philadelphia to eat; and while our favorite buffet in West Chester is China Grill, we decided to go the the newest one in Wilmington, called Hibachi Grill and Supreme Sushi Buffet. It is on Hwy 2, half a mile east of Hwy 7, and the nearest landmark is a Kohl's.
The sushi variety is the greatest I have seen. Uniquely (for the nonce) the ID cards note whether the fish, if there is fish, is raw or cooked. I seldom get raw fish (sashimi) sushi in America, but my wife usually prefers it. We both started with a plate of 8-10 pieces of sushi.
For those who might not know, sushi is a way of preparing a large variety of foods with sticky rice and seaweed. Some has fish, some different other meats or shellfish, but only a narrow range of fish varieties are served raw, those that history has shown to be mostly free of parasites. A sashimi chef is specially trained to spot parasites in the sliced fish and remove them. It isn't perfect; we have both had to be de-wormed before. Most sushi also contains vegetable items, and much is only vegetable. There is always sliced, fresh ginger and wasabi (Japanese horseradish sauce) available. I sometimes use wasabi, and usually a bit of soy sauce.
At the Hibachi Grill they have a hibachi chef, but we didn't partake of his services today. We just went around the buffet tables, of which there were four devoted to Chinese dishes and one to things Western kids are more likely to prefer, such as pizza and mac-n-cheese. There is also a table of fruits and similar items, and one of dessert items like small cakes. Finally, there is a freezer with eight varieties of ice cream for hand dipping.
If I recall right, I had sweet-n-sour whitefish, sauteed mushrooms, triple seafood delight (crab, squid and shrimp in butter sauce), a stuffed crab (this was only so-so), and pepper chicken. With the exception noted, they were excellent. I finished off with a little bowl of cookies-n-cream ice cream.
I used to go to buffet places intending to stuff myself silly. Now I go for a few tasty varieties, and it may take me many visits to sample everything that appeals to me. The number of bodies there that were significantly wider than mine (and I am a bit tubby) indicates that many people are still at the stuffing silly stage.
This newest Chinese Buffet restaurant raises the bar for its kin in the area, and the increase in coupons for its competitors shows how they are feeling the heat. For us, it made for a pleasant midday feast.
My birthday is in a few days, so my wife and I chose today to have a celebratory lunch. Hint: this one is mentioned in a Beatles song.
More than half the time, when we eat out, we go to a buffet, preferably a Chinese buffet. We get what we want, and don't have to contend with a menu. We live closer to Wilmington than to West Chester, and we almost never go into Philadelphia to eat; and while our favorite buffet in West Chester is China Grill, we decided to go the the newest one in Wilmington, called Hibachi Grill and Supreme Sushi Buffet. It is on Hwy 2, half a mile east of Hwy 7, and the nearest landmark is a Kohl's.
The sushi variety is the greatest I have seen. Uniquely (for the nonce) the ID cards note whether the fish, if there is fish, is raw or cooked. I seldom get raw fish (sashimi) sushi in America, but my wife usually prefers it. We both started with a plate of 8-10 pieces of sushi.
For those who might not know, sushi is a way of preparing a large variety of foods with sticky rice and seaweed. Some has fish, some different other meats or shellfish, but only a narrow range of fish varieties are served raw, those that history has shown to be mostly free of parasites. A sashimi chef is specially trained to spot parasites in the sliced fish and remove them. It isn't perfect; we have both had to be de-wormed before. Most sushi also contains vegetable items, and much is only vegetable. There is always sliced, fresh ginger and wasabi (Japanese horseradish sauce) available. I sometimes use wasabi, and usually a bit of soy sauce.
At the Hibachi Grill they have a hibachi chef, but we didn't partake of his services today. We just went around the buffet tables, of which there were four devoted to Chinese dishes and one to things Western kids are more likely to prefer, such as pizza and mac-n-cheese. There is also a table of fruits and similar items, and one of dessert items like small cakes. Finally, there is a freezer with eight varieties of ice cream for hand dipping.
If I recall right, I had sweet-n-sour whitefish, sauteed mushrooms, triple seafood delight (crab, squid and shrimp in butter sauce), a stuffed crab (this was only so-so), and pepper chicken. With the exception noted, they were excellent. I finished off with a little bowl of cookies-n-cream ice cream.
I used to go to buffet places intending to stuff myself silly. Now I go for a few tasty varieties, and it may take me many visits to sample everything that appeals to me. The number of bodies there that were significantly wider than mine (and I am a bit tubby) indicates that many people are still at the stuffing silly stage.
This newest Chinese Buffet restaurant raises the bar for its kin in the area, and the increase in coupons for its competitors shows how they are feeling the heat. For us, it made for a pleasant midday feast.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Two mice and counting
kw: local events, animals, pests
A week ago I caught a mouse in a glue trap, in the family room. It is a common place for them to hide once they get in through the garage. In the past, at most one mouse gets in each year. Sometimes, instead, one will stay in the garage and build a nest there, which we find quite a bit later.
This evening, there was a ruckus in the kitchen, and we saw our cat had trapped another mouse. It got loose long enough to run down the basement stairs, where it hid among some shoes and sandals piled on the lower landing. I went down and encouraged the cat, but it was clear she didn't know quite what to do. A cat that gets raised by a good mouser for a mother learns to dispatch them with a bite through the neck.
After watching the hide-and-seek for a little while, I noted where the mouse was, under the toe of a sandal. I punched down on the sandal, stunning the mouse, which I popped into a plastic bag and then into the freezer. Come trash day, mouse, bag and all, will be moved to the trash and disposed of.
It is a bit of a shame to kill a one-ounce mouse, but I've tried letting them alone in the past, many years ago, and they gradually take over. They are like Tribbles, only slower. They really do need to be exterminated once they get inside. A pity.
A week ago I caught a mouse in a glue trap, in the family room. It is a common place for them to hide once they get in through the garage. In the past, at most one mouse gets in each year. Sometimes, instead, one will stay in the garage and build a nest there, which we find quite a bit later.
This evening, there was a ruckus in the kitchen, and we saw our cat had trapped another mouse. It got loose long enough to run down the basement stairs, where it hid among some shoes and sandals piled on the lower landing. I went down and encouraged the cat, but it was clear she didn't know quite what to do. A cat that gets raised by a good mouser for a mother learns to dispatch them with a bite through the neck.
After watching the hide-and-seek for a little while, I noted where the mouse was, under the toe of a sandal. I punched down on the sandal, stunning the mouse, which I popped into a plastic bag and then into the freezer. Come trash day, mouse, bag and all, will be moved to the trash and disposed of.
It is a bit of a shame to kill a one-ounce mouse, but I've tried letting them alone in the past, many years ago, and they gradually take over. They are like Tribbles, only slower. They really do need to be exterminated once they get inside. A pity.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
When the rocks roll
kw: local events, earthquakes
It is just four hours since I felt my chair shake under me. I work on the ground floor, and from the Philly area the earthquake motion was rather subtle, or so I thought. Then I heard co-workers' voices as some of them left the building. From the third floor the motion was much more disturbing. Within a few minutes we had reports that the epicenter was between Richmond and Charlottesville, VA, and I knew it was rather a big one.
Big for the East Coast, anyway. An earthquake like this one would be considered small in California or anywhere around the Pacific Rim. But there is no active tectonic margin at this end of the continent. The faults that are still able to rupture are old and "sticky". However, we do need to remember that some of the largest earthquakes ever to hit North America were centered in Missouri.
A 5.8 or 5.9 is big enough to do damage near its center, even shift some buildings on their foundations a little. When I took earthquake geology oh, so many moons ago, we were told that the shaking near the epicenter of a 6.0 or 6.1 is as intense as it can get, and that larger and larger earthquakes just spread around the energy over larger areas. So as time goes on, I expect we'll hear at least a few stories of substantial damage from central Virginia.
And all this last few days my main worry has been Hurricane Irene!
It is just four hours since I felt my chair shake under me. I work on the ground floor, and from the Philly area the earthquake motion was rather subtle, or so I thought. Then I heard co-workers' voices as some of them left the building. From the third floor the motion was much more disturbing. Within a few minutes we had reports that the epicenter was between Richmond and Charlottesville, VA, and I knew it was rather a big one.
Big for the East Coast, anyway. An earthquake like this one would be considered small in California or anywhere around the Pacific Rim. But there is no active tectonic margin at this end of the continent. The faults that are still able to rupture are old and "sticky". However, we do need to remember that some of the largest earthquakes ever to hit North America were centered in Missouri.
A 5.8 or 5.9 is big enough to do damage near its center, even shift some buildings on their foundations a little. When I took earthquake geology oh, so many moons ago, we were told that the shaking near the epicenter of a 6.0 or 6.1 is as intense as it can get, and that larger and larger earthquakes just spread around the energy over larger areas. So as time goes on, I expect we'll hear at least a few stories of substantial damage from central Virginia.
And all this last few days my main worry has been Hurricane Irene!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Losing another day
kw: dentistry, local events
As I reported in A Lost Day, I had a temporary crown put on a tooth on the 9th. It has been sensitive ever since, more so than it ought. Finally, this morning I called the dentist to ask if there was something he could do. Usually it is a case of a lingering infection, which a round of antibiotics will take care of.
When I called, after I'd answered a couple of questions, the dentist asked me to come right in. He pulled off the crown and said, "Oho, what do we have here?" It was a first for him. Somehow, a seed had gotten wedged inside. The crown must have tipped at some point, but not come off.
Although my appointment to put on the permanent crown was more than a week away, he actually had it already. We discussed it and decided to put the permanent crown in and get it fitted, but use temporary cement, in case any further work might be needed.
He needed to clean off the tooth stub surface to put the crown back. I initially opted to let him do it without anesthetic, but it was pretty intense, so he tried to numb the tooth. As before, he had to inject pretty far back, and this time it didn't "take" properly. He even used a Ligmaject, a special injector that puts anesthetic right at the tooth's root, but some sensation remained. To save time, I told him it was "numb enough" and just gutted it out. He gave me four Advil before I left. He and I share a lot of trust in its efficacy.
I got home about midday and dozed away the rest of the day. The numbing has worn off and so has the Advil, and I have general soreness. We'll see if the tooth cools down over the next week. It ought to, and then a few weeks later I'll get the crown permanently cemented in.
Prior to age 25, I had lots of fillings put in, the silver amalgam kind. Some are now almost fifty years old, which is pretty impressive. But they have a finite lifetime, so I guess I have more of this kind of nonsense in my future.
As I reported in A Lost Day, I had a temporary crown put on a tooth on the 9th. It has been sensitive ever since, more so than it ought. Finally, this morning I called the dentist to ask if there was something he could do. Usually it is a case of a lingering infection, which a round of antibiotics will take care of.
When I called, after I'd answered a couple of questions, the dentist asked me to come right in. He pulled off the crown and said, "Oho, what do we have here?" It was a first for him. Somehow, a seed had gotten wedged inside. The crown must have tipped at some point, but not come off.
Although my appointment to put on the permanent crown was more than a week away, he actually had it already. We discussed it and decided to put the permanent crown in and get it fitted, but use temporary cement, in case any further work might be needed.
He needed to clean off the tooth stub surface to put the crown back. I initially opted to let him do it without anesthetic, but it was pretty intense, so he tried to numb the tooth. As before, he had to inject pretty far back, and this time it didn't "take" properly. He even used a Ligmaject, a special injector that puts anesthetic right at the tooth's root, but some sensation remained. To save time, I told him it was "numb enough" and just gutted it out. He gave me four Advil before I left. He and I share a lot of trust in its efficacy.
I got home about midday and dozed away the rest of the day. The numbing has worn off and so has the Advil, and I have general soreness. We'll see if the tooth cools down over the next week. It ought to, and then a few weeks later I'll get the crown permanently cemented in.
Prior to age 25, I had lots of fillings put in, the silver amalgam kind. Some are now almost fifty years old, which is pretty impressive. But they have a finite lifetime, so I guess I have more of this kind of nonsense in my future.
Monday, May 16, 2011
BA down, MA to go
kw: local events, passages
Just when it ought to be over, it isn't, quite. We've known our son was planning on graduate school for some time, now, but it hit home: Sunday was his graduation day, and the day he became officially a graduate, and a graduate student. What a day it turned out to be!
The Rutgers web site promised plenty of parking and seating for its first combined commencement ceremony in many years, to be held in the stadium. To our observation, there actually was plenty of seating, both for the 7,500 or so graduates who actually attended (of 12,000 eligible), and for the crowd, which filled the 20,000 seat stadium about 90%. But the parking situation was another matter.
We had been advised on one web page to park in one of the stadium lots, then drive to any departmental special event after the commencement. At another, it recommended parking near the last event we planned to attend. We initially decided on the former strategy. We live 90 minutes from the stadium, so we left at 7:30 AM for the 10:00 event, figuring we had sufficient time. Not so: We got onto Hwy 18 in New Brunswick just before 9:00, and hit a traffic jam with several miles to go. I foolishly bypassed the chance to exit at Hwy 27, and it took forty minutes to get to the next opportunity, which required jumping a median.
At that point, we switched strategies and drove into New Brunswick to park near the location where the Humanities Department would hold their afternoon convocation. This is the event at which our son would actually cross the stage (The morning event was mainly the keynote speech by author and professor (emeritus) Toni Morrison, plus the mass conferring of degrees). We caught a shuttle bus from the Student Center, which took us to the stadium. We were "only" half an hour late, and missed most of the student processional.
A memorable passage from the keynote address: "A century from now, or two or three, people may say, 'Was it really true that you had to go into debt, and work two or three jobs to pay it off, to obtain the education which is the wealth of your society?'"
After the keynote address, I texted our son, recommending that he walk or take a shuttle back to New Brunswick (only a mile), leaving his car where it was. He agreed. We returned by shuttle, and during the reception time before the afternoon convocation for the Humanities Department, got to see him briefly. The convocation went well; there were only about 400 students this time. However, photo opportunities were limited. Just as he was about to cross the stage, a row of students stood up and blocked our view. I held my camera above the crowd and shot wildly, and missed him entirely. I did get a photo of him when he obligingly came over where I could see him and posed with his diploma cover. Whew!
The rest of the afternoon was taken up with moving his possessions to a different house. What with making connection to the owner, and all the loading and unloading, it took us up till dinner time. We took him out to eat, returned him to his new home, and returned to our own home by about 10:00 pm. Now we have a preview of this time, next year, when he expects to get his Master's degree. At least we know to avoid Hwy 18 next time around!
Just when it ought to be over, it isn't, quite. We've known our son was planning on graduate school for some time, now, but it hit home: Sunday was his graduation day, and the day he became officially a graduate, and a graduate student. What a day it turned out to be!
The Rutgers web site promised plenty of parking and seating for its first combined commencement ceremony in many years, to be held in the stadium. To our observation, there actually was plenty of seating, both for the 7,500 or so graduates who actually attended (of 12,000 eligible), and for the crowd, which filled the 20,000 seat stadium about 90%. But the parking situation was another matter.
We had been advised on one web page to park in one of the stadium lots, then drive to any departmental special event after the commencement. At another, it recommended parking near the last event we planned to attend. We initially decided on the former strategy. We live 90 minutes from the stadium, so we left at 7:30 AM for the 10:00 event, figuring we had sufficient time. Not so: We got onto Hwy 18 in New Brunswick just before 9:00, and hit a traffic jam with several miles to go. I foolishly bypassed the chance to exit at Hwy 27, and it took forty minutes to get to the next opportunity, which required jumping a median.
At that point, we switched strategies and drove into New Brunswick to park near the location where the Humanities Department would hold their afternoon convocation. This is the event at which our son would actually cross the stage (The morning event was mainly the keynote speech by author and professor (emeritus) Toni Morrison, plus the mass conferring of degrees). We caught a shuttle bus from the Student Center, which took us to the stadium. We were "only" half an hour late, and missed most of the student processional.
A memorable passage from the keynote address: "A century from now, or two or three, people may say, 'Was it really true that you had to go into debt, and work two or three jobs to pay it off, to obtain the education which is the wealth of your society?'"
After the keynote address, I texted our son, recommending that he walk or take a shuttle back to New Brunswick (only a mile), leaving his car where it was. He agreed. We returned by shuttle, and during the reception time before the afternoon convocation for the Humanities Department, got to see him briefly. The convocation went well; there were only about 400 students this time. However, photo opportunities were limited. Just as he was about to cross the stage, a row of students stood up and blocked our view. I held my camera above the crowd and shot wildly, and missed him entirely. I did get a photo of him when he obligingly came over where I could see him and posed with his diploma cover. Whew!
The rest of the afternoon was taken up with moving his possessions to a different house. What with making connection to the owner, and all the loading and unloading, it took us up till dinner time. We took him out to eat, returned him to his new home, and returned to our own home by about 10:00 pm. Now we have a preview of this time, next year, when he expects to get his Master's degree. At least we know to avoid Hwy 18 next time around!
Monday, May 09, 2011
A lost day
kw: local events, dentistry
It probably happens to thousands of people every day. But when it happened to me, that is personal. I broke a tooth on Mother's Day, at a church lunch.
At first I thought that there was a piece of bone in the piece of pizza I was eating, but when I retrieved it, there was some silver filling material attached, and a quick swipe with my tongue confirmed that a big hunk was gone out of a molar. That ended lunch for me. Luckily, the break hadn't gone through into the nerve, so I had no pain.
In the morning (today), I went to the office early and called the dentist to see if I could get an appointment right away. The scheduler called back before 8AM and asked if I could come right in. I got there in record time. Two quite uncomfortable hours later, I had a temporary crown, and a numb face.
It turns out I have an extra-long jawbone and the nerve enters way, way back there, so the dentist had to use a scarily long needle to reach it. He did a fine job of it, but it took a while. He and his assistant were very good about keeping me from biting my cheek or tongue as we went through the various exercises of shaping what was left of the tooth into a crown base, and making various impressions.
I was barely able to speak afterward, but I did discuss with him that I'd noticed how every few months I'd have the dental floss break when cleaning that group of teeth. He said it is common for a crack to take a year or two to work its way through a tooth until a piece just about falls off. In this case, the crack started at the end of a large filling that was installed more than forty years ago, perhaps closer to fifty. Pretty good life out of a silver filling of that era. But I have a mouth full of them...
At the dentist's advice, I rounded up my things at the office and went home to sleep off the anesthetic. He predicted it would last until about 1PM. It actually took until 4PM. And I did sleep. I hope I can sleep tonight. I helped my wife cook dinner, which we just finished. That and getting this little blog post written is all that keeps the day from being a total loss!
It probably happens to thousands of people every day. But when it happened to me, that is personal. I broke a tooth on Mother's Day, at a church lunch.
At first I thought that there was a piece of bone in the piece of pizza I was eating, but when I retrieved it, there was some silver filling material attached, and a quick swipe with my tongue confirmed that a big hunk was gone out of a molar. That ended lunch for me. Luckily, the break hadn't gone through into the nerve, so I had no pain.
In the morning (today), I went to the office early and called the dentist to see if I could get an appointment right away. The scheduler called back before 8AM and asked if I could come right in. I got there in record time. Two quite uncomfortable hours later, I had a temporary crown, and a numb face.
It turns out I have an extra-long jawbone and the nerve enters way, way back there, so the dentist had to use a scarily long needle to reach it. He did a fine job of it, but it took a while. He and his assistant were very good about keeping me from biting my cheek or tongue as we went through the various exercises of shaping what was left of the tooth into a crown base, and making various impressions.
I was barely able to speak afterward, but I did discuss with him that I'd noticed how every few months I'd have the dental floss break when cleaning that group of teeth. He said it is common for a crack to take a year or two to work its way through a tooth until a piece just about falls off. In this case, the crack started at the end of a large filling that was installed more than forty years ago, perhaps closer to fifty. Pretty good life out of a silver filling of that era. But I have a mouth full of them...
At the dentist's advice, I rounded up my things at the office and went home to sleep off the anesthetic. He predicted it would last until about 1PM. It actually took until 4PM. And I did sleep. I hope I can sleep tonight. I helped my wife cook dinner, which we just finished. That and getting this little blog post written is all that keeps the day from being a total loss!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Cat stand saga part 2
kw: photographs, local events, constructions
In this post of March 19, I related the construction of a cat climbing post. Here is our kitty on one of the shelves near the top. She hasn't tried the topmost part yet, but I think it just a matter of time.
I can still smell the carpet adhesive a little, so it must seem pretty strong for her. Perhaps in another week or so the smell will dissipate. Meanwhile, she is investigating it from time to time, but her favorite watching spot is still the back of a couch from which she can see out a window. We haven't decided yet whether to rearrange the furniture so that this stand could be near a window.
In this post of March 19, I related the construction of a cat climbing post. Here is our kitty on one of the shelves near the top. She hasn't tried the topmost part yet, but I think it just a matter of time.I can still smell the carpet adhesive a little, so it must seem pretty strong for her. Perhaps in another week or so the smell will dissipate. Meanwhile, she is investigating it from time to time, but her favorite watching spot is still the back of a couch from which she can see out a window. We haven't decided yet whether to rearrange the furniture so that this stand could be near a window.
Monday, March 21, 2011
One more mechanical pet
kw: local events, anniversaries, clocks
I recently achieved a milestone at work, my 25-year service anniversary. Rather a surprise, that, because before joining this company I seldom worked anywhere more than five or six years. I may actually last long enough to retire.
One nice tradition is that the company gives folks gifts at every five-year milestone, and 25 is one of the better ones. The catalog they sent had quite a selection of jewelry, but I really didn't want a diamond tie clasp with the company logo (I wear a suit to weddings and funerals, and very rarely otherwise), or a ring. There was also a luggage set, and then there was a clock. I got a small carriage clock at 15 years, and it doesn't work well, so I was a bit leery. But this clock sounded nice, and it was mantel size. I looked at the Howard Miller web site and found what looked like the clock. The one shown was described as battery powered. I decided to choose the clock.
When it came (presented by my supervisor), it was clear that this is no battery powered clock. The winding holes give it away! (The third hole is just visible behind the hands.) I have five other windup clocks, and keep two of them running. Now I have six, and three are running. This one is a Westminster Chime, and we've so far decided to let it chime, though it has a Silent setting. The chimes are very gentle and beautiful. I have another Westminster Chime clock, not running because it needs a new mainspring, but I didn't have it running anyway because the chimes are quite brassy and were driving us nuts. Every fifteen minutes!
Here is a look at the works. The striking hammers are at the bottom. I do love a well made clockwork. When I was about seven my father gave me an old Baby Ben alarm clock, and invited me to take it apart. He said to be careful and keep all the parts. Then he said, "Why don't you see if you can get it back together?" I did, and I got it running again. That was a great feeling of accomplishment. Since that time, I have always had at least one windup clock running.
Although I grew up taking care of house cats and yard cats, I've come to realize that caring for a windup clock is also a little like having a pet. They need to be fed (wound up) regularly, and you have to clean them from time to time, though it is usually two or more years between the need to soak out the old lubricant and re-oil the bushings and jewels (two different kinds of oil). Dusting is needed more frequently. Also, a windup clock, even a good one like this one, needs to be carefully adjusted to keep good time, or you find yourself re-setting it every few days. I believe this one is capable of keeping time within a minute per month.
I don't expect to get as involved with clocks as my father did. He repaired old clocks as a hobby. At one time we had more than twenty running mantel clocks, and midnight was quite a noisy time! Particularly because while most just chimed the hour, a few were Westminster or Whittington Chime, and three were cuckoo clocks. You can hear different kinds of chimes here.
I am satisfied with just a few nice windup clocks. They are almost like pets, and I don't have to scoop up any litter.
I recently achieved a milestone at work, my 25-year service anniversary. Rather a surprise, that, because before joining this company I seldom worked anywhere more than five or six years. I may actually last long enough to retire.One nice tradition is that the company gives folks gifts at every five-year milestone, and 25 is one of the better ones. The catalog they sent had quite a selection of jewelry, but I really didn't want a diamond tie clasp with the company logo (I wear a suit to weddings and funerals, and very rarely otherwise), or a ring. There was also a luggage set, and then there was a clock. I got a small carriage clock at 15 years, and it doesn't work well, so I was a bit leery. But this clock sounded nice, and it was mantel size. I looked at the Howard Miller web site and found what looked like the clock. The one shown was described as battery powered. I decided to choose the clock.
When it came (presented by my supervisor), it was clear that this is no battery powered clock. The winding holes give it away! (The third hole is just visible behind the hands.) I have five other windup clocks, and keep two of them running. Now I have six, and three are running. This one is a Westminster Chime, and we've so far decided to let it chime, though it has a Silent setting. The chimes are very gentle and beautiful. I have another Westminster Chime clock, not running because it needs a new mainspring, but I didn't have it running anyway because the chimes are quite brassy and were driving us nuts. Every fifteen minutes!
Here is a look at the works. The striking hammers are at the bottom. I do love a well made clockwork. When I was about seven my father gave me an old Baby Ben alarm clock, and invited me to take it apart. He said to be careful and keep all the parts. Then he said, "Why don't you see if you can get it back together?" I did, and I got it running again. That was a great feeling of accomplishment. Since that time, I have always had at least one windup clock running.Although I grew up taking care of house cats and yard cats, I've come to realize that caring for a windup clock is also a little like having a pet. They need to be fed (wound up) regularly, and you have to clean them from time to time, though it is usually two or more years between the need to soak out the old lubricant and re-oil the bushings and jewels (two different kinds of oil). Dusting is needed more frequently. Also, a windup clock, even a good one like this one, needs to be carefully adjusted to keep good time, or you find yourself re-setting it every few days. I believe this one is capable of keeping time within a minute per month.
I don't expect to get as involved with clocks as my father did. He repaired old clocks as a hobby. At one time we had more than twenty running mantel clocks, and midnight was quite a noisy time! Particularly because while most just chimed the hour, a few were Westminster or Whittington Chime, and three were cuckoo clocks. You can hear different kinds of chimes here.
I am satisfied with just a few nice windup clocks. They are almost like pets, and I don't have to scoop up any litter.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Cat stand saga part 1
kw: photographs, local events, constructions
It started when we began looking for a climbing post for our cat Dora. Being thrifty, we looked online and read some reviews. We found one that had a design we liked, at a price less than $60, but it had mixed reviews. It seems the post is heavy cardboard, and it is held together with plastic fittings. Some folks found it too flimsy. But they did mention that Wal-Mart and K-Mart had it for around $40.
Well, we looked at three different Wal-Marts and a K-Mart, and none of them had it. Maybe it is a poor seller. Then my wife suggested I build one. In my workshop, we found enough remnants of old 2x4's to make a (nearly) 4x4 post about five feet tall, so I promised to get some plywood pieces at the Lowe's and some other fittings, and make one. We agreed on a design. Guess what? This morning I wound up spending $55 for the wood and fittings and carpeting and adhesive, and another $40 for a jig saw to make the inside cuts needed for the design to work.
This is the stand, almost ready for adding the carpeting. One more piece needs to be glued and clamped. So far there's six hours of labor in it, just since I got home with the materials. I reckon I could not afford to do this for a living! (unless I could sell these for about $500)
After all this, I sure hope the cat likes it. Maybe if I put catnip into the carpet adhesive...
It started when we began looking for a climbing post for our cat Dora. Being thrifty, we looked online and read some reviews. We found one that had a design we liked, at a price less than $60, but it had mixed reviews. It seems the post is heavy cardboard, and it is held together with plastic fittings. Some folks found it too flimsy. But they did mention that Wal-Mart and K-Mart had it for around $40.Well, we looked at three different Wal-Marts and a K-Mart, and none of them had it. Maybe it is a poor seller. Then my wife suggested I build one. In my workshop, we found enough remnants of old 2x4's to make a (nearly) 4x4 post about five feet tall, so I promised to get some plywood pieces at the Lowe's and some other fittings, and make one. We agreed on a design. Guess what? This morning I wound up spending $55 for the wood and fittings and carpeting and adhesive, and another $40 for a jig saw to make the inside cuts needed for the design to work.
This is the stand, almost ready for adding the carpeting. One more piece needs to be glued and clamped. So far there's six hours of labor in it, just since I got home with the materials. I reckon I could not afford to do this for a living! (unless I could sell these for about $500)
After all this, I sure hope the cat likes it. Maybe if I put catnip into the carpet adhesive...
Monday, March 07, 2011
Will the real Robin please stand up?
kw: local events, irritations
Let's see, is it Robin or Robyn; is it Blythe or Blyth?
A few dozen Facebook pages are attributed to Robin Blythe, and several to Robyn Blyth. Thousands of hits on Google and Bing return for any combination of these names. I suspect the one I am looking for is none of the above.
Over the past three years, I've received a phone call almost every week from a computer voice that begins by saying, "This is an important message for [pause] Robin [pause] Blythe. If you are [pause] Robin [pause] Blythe [pause] please press one now." The first time it happened, I hung up at that point. The tenth or so, I waited, and was asked, "If Robin Blythe [with pauses] does not live at this address, press two now." I pressed two, and a few clicks ensued, then a different computer voice, "Please hold, and someone will be with you shortly." I hung up. Thereafter, I've hung up by about the word "important".
Today, a person called, claimed to be named Mike, from a firm name I didn't catch, and asked if someone would be present so a process server could deliver papers for Robin Blythe. I made it clear that there was no such person at this number, nor at our address (which I did not state), nor had been for all the years we had lived here. He apologized for troubling me and hung up. Less than a minute later, another "Mike" called and began the same rigamarole. I cut him off with, "If you're after a Robin Blythe, there has never been one at this number." He apologized and hung up.
Is this the end of the matter? I suspect someone out there used an assumed name and number to "give information" after something like an auto collision. I wonder if the matter will ever be resolved.
Let's see, is it Robin or Robyn; is it Blythe or Blyth?
A few dozen Facebook pages are attributed to Robin Blythe, and several to Robyn Blyth. Thousands of hits on Google and Bing return for any combination of these names. I suspect the one I am looking for is none of the above.
Over the past three years, I've received a phone call almost every week from a computer voice that begins by saying, "This is an important message for [pause] Robin [pause] Blythe. If you are [pause] Robin [pause] Blythe [pause] please press one now." The first time it happened, I hung up at that point. The tenth or so, I waited, and was asked, "If Robin Blythe [with pauses] does not live at this address, press two now." I pressed two, and a few clicks ensued, then a different computer voice, "Please hold, and someone will be with you shortly." I hung up. Thereafter, I've hung up by about the word "important".
Today, a person called, claimed to be named Mike, from a firm name I didn't catch, and asked if someone would be present so a process server could deliver papers for Robin Blythe. I made it clear that there was no such person at this number, nor at our address (which I did not state), nor had been for all the years we had lived here. He apologized for troubling me and hung up. Less than a minute later, another "Mike" called and began the same rigamarole. I cut him off with, "If you're after a Robin Blythe, there has never been one at this number." He apologized and hung up.
Is this the end of the matter? I suspect someone out there used an assumed name and number to "give information" after something like an auto collision. I wonder if the matter will ever be resolved.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
The ice arrives - whew!
kw: local events, current events, weather phenomena, ice
Considering that an inch of ice has blanketed the Dallas area, that close to a meter of snow has hit Chicago, the half-centimeter of ice we got overnight, where I live south of Philadelphia, is a huge relief. This pic shows the dogwood tree in my back yard, taken at 5:30 this morning.
I came in to work early to avoid traffic on the road, but found that the roads were still warm enough to be wet rather than slick. Whew! The last time there was ice in this area that stuck to the roads was, I am told, the year before we moved here, in 1994.
The worst ice I've seen was in 1984 when I lived in South Dakota. There was an inch on almost everything. Tree branches that managed to stay on the trees looked like two-inch (5cm) silvery sausages. It was too slick to walk—I practically crawled to the car—but I drove anyway and of course got in a crash. At 10 mph I still did $1,000 damage to my car.
Today, the temperature is supposed to reach 40°F (4°C) or more, and as the rain continues, wash all the ice away. Now that it is pushing 6:30 I'd better get some work done.
Considering that an inch of ice has blanketed the Dallas area, that close to a meter of snow has hit Chicago, the half-centimeter of ice we got overnight, where I live south of Philadelphia, is a huge relief. This pic shows the dogwood tree in my back yard, taken at 5:30 this morning.I came in to work early to avoid traffic on the road, but found that the roads were still warm enough to be wet rather than slick. Whew! The last time there was ice in this area that stuck to the roads was, I am told, the year before we moved here, in 1994.
The worst ice I've seen was in 1984 when I lived in South Dakota. There was an inch on almost everything. Tree branches that managed to stay on the trees looked like two-inch (5cm) silvery sausages. It was too slick to walk—I practically crawled to the car—but I drove anyway and of course got in a crash. At 10 mph I still did $1,000 damage to my car.
Today, the temperature is supposed to reach 40°F (4°C) or more, and as the rain continues, wash all the ice away. Now that it is pushing 6:30 I'd better get some work done.
Sunday, December 05, 2010
A different recluse spider
kw: local events, spider bites, photographs
Two weeks ago my wife was talking to a friend and felt something on her ankle. She brushed it off and thought no more about it. Within a couple of hours she began to get redness, and then a blister, where she'd "felt something". We concluded that it was probably a spider bite. Later she saw an injured spider at the other end of the room and stomped it. I put it in a cup and took this picture. I didn't think to photograph the blister (but just wait...).
By morning the blister was more than 1cm long and almost a cm wide, and almost as high. It looked a lot like the larger blister caused by a Brown Recluse spider (the dreaded "fiddleback"), which I saw forty years ago when someone I knew then was bitten. That blister was half the size of a banana (10x3x1.5cm). Fortunately, the cytotoxic venom of this spider is not as strong. This appears to be a different species of Recluse spider, however, but I haven't yet found out which.
My wife saw her doctor later that day. The blister was drained and she got a shot of cortisone to reduce the reaction. It has been slow to heal, however. Cytotoxic spider venoms cause necropathy of the tissues, and there is no medicine for that.
This is how the now-dried blister looks at present. We used both Betadine and an antibiotic ointment on it, with protective band-aids over it, until just yesterday. I expect it will be several more days before the skin underneath heals and the dried blister sloughs off.
In the Wikipedia article Brown Recluse Spider, it is stated, "Despite rumors to the contrary, the brown recluse spider has not established itself in California..." This is nonsense. The fiddlebacks that I saw, the the bite that I witnessed, were in Alhambra, California in 1971. There were thousands of them living under the church I attended in Sierra Madre, and dozens living in the vines of a large stand of ivy on the fence next to my yard, where my friend was bitten. I am very familiar with Loxosceles reclusa.
The specimen pictured above is clearly not a fiddleback, and probably not even of genus Loxosceles, but I suspect it is of the same family, the Sicariidae. It has cytotoxic venom about 1/10 as toxic as the brown recluse, and with a very similar mode of tissue destruction.
Two weeks ago my wife was talking to a friend and felt something on her ankle. She brushed it off and thought no more about it. Within a couple of hours she began to get redness, and then a blister, where she'd "felt something". We concluded that it was probably a spider bite. Later she saw an injured spider at the other end of the room and stomped it. I put it in a cup and took this picture. I didn't think to photograph the blister (but just wait...).By morning the blister was more than 1cm long and almost a cm wide, and almost as high. It looked a lot like the larger blister caused by a Brown Recluse spider (the dreaded "fiddleback"), which I saw forty years ago when someone I knew then was bitten. That blister was half the size of a banana (10x3x1.5cm). Fortunately, the cytotoxic venom of this spider is not as strong. This appears to be a different species of Recluse spider, however, but I haven't yet found out which.
My wife saw her doctor later that day. The blister was drained and she got a shot of cortisone to reduce the reaction. It has been slow to heal, however. Cytotoxic spider venoms cause necropathy of the tissues, and there is no medicine for that.
This is how the now-dried blister looks at present. We used both Betadine and an antibiotic ointment on it, with protective band-aids over it, until just yesterday. I expect it will be several more days before the skin underneath heals and the dried blister sloughs off.In the Wikipedia article Brown Recluse Spider, it is stated, "Despite rumors to the contrary, the brown recluse spider has not established itself in California..." This is nonsense. The fiddlebacks that I saw, the the bite that I witnessed, were in Alhambra, California in 1971. There were thousands of them living under the church I attended in Sierra Madre, and dozens living in the vines of a large stand of ivy on the fence next to my yard, where my friend was bitten. I am very familiar with Loxosceles reclusa.
The specimen pictured above is clearly not a fiddleback, and probably not even of genus Loxosceles, but I suspect it is of the same family, the Sicariidae. It has cytotoxic venom about 1/10 as toxic as the brown recluse, and with a very similar mode of tissue destruction.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
The usual spread for an unusual crowd
kw: local events, holidays, thanksgiving day
Some years we have a big event on Thanksgiving Day and get together with a lot of people, and other years it is a more modest effort. This time, some friends asked us to help feed a bunch of students who were having a special conference over the weekend. They were all from China, and the event was sponsored at the church.
Here is the spread, rather modest as it is intended to feed about twenty people. Three families joined together. There was another table full of desserts. In addition to turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing, with gravy on the side of course, there were some interesting Asian dishes, including some crab wafers at upper left, two kinds of yam preparations at upper right, and a soybean concoction at lower right.
The local university has the odd policy of totally closing the dorms over the break, expecting that everyone will go home for the holidays. It doesn't take into account that some foreign students aren't going to return to China or India or elsewhere and have to make other arrangements locally. We kept a couple of the students for a night, trading them to other families after that.
Some years we have a big event on Thanksgiving Day and get together with a lot of people, and other years it is a more modest effort. This time, some friends asked us to help feed a bunch of students who were having a special conference over the weekend. They were all from China, and the event was sponsored at the church.Here is the spread, rather modest as it is intended to feed about twenty people. Three families joined together. There was another table full of desserts. In addition to turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing, with gravy on the side of course, there were some interesting Asian dishes, including some crab wafers at upper left, two kinds of yam preparations at upper right, and a soybean concoction at lower right.
The local university has the odd policy of totally closing the dorms over the break, expecting that everyone will go home for the holidays. It doesn't take into account that some foreign students aren't going to return to China or India or elsewhere and have to make other arrangements locally. We kept a couple of the students for a night, trading them to other families after that.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Healthier than the average horse
kw: local events, medical tests
Once every two years my wife and I take a set of the "Life Line Screening" tests. Our doctor recommends them as an adjunct to the tests he prescribes yearly. Today I took the morning off, and we went. In spite of the fact that I had a serious bout with cancer ten years ago, I am in very good health. The rundown:
Considering that my father is 88 and going strong, I suppose I need to prepare for living until about 90. No sense in retiring too soon and going broke in old age.
Once every two years my wife and I take a set of the "Life Line Screening" tests. Our doctor recommends them as an adjunct to the tests he prescribes yearly. Today I took the morning off, and we went. In spite of the fact that I had a serious bout with cancer ten years ago, I am in very good health. The rundown:
- Mini-EKG for atrial fibrillation: Negative. My heart is as steady as sunrise.
- Bone density scan of the heel bone: Almost too dense for the machine to get a reading. Translated, that means I have no trace of osteoporosis.
- Arm and leg cuff test for peripheral artery disease: All negative, no trace of problem.
- Ultrasound of carotid arteries: No trace of plaque, so negligible risk of stroke.
Considering that my father is 88 and going strong, I suppose I need to prepare for living until about 90. No sense in retiring too soon and going broke in old age.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The spade and the fork
kw: local events, gardening, folk songs
Yesterday and today were laboring days. We have a compost pile, and a smallish vegetable garden (~20 sq m), and both needed work. One thing we grow it tomatoes, and we favor a variety that can grow up a fence twice my height, and back to the ground, "Sweet 100", a cherry tomato variety. We also grow, typically, two or more other varieties that grow larger fruit, whatever is fungus resistant.
Side quibble: Many tomato growers aren't putting designations like VFNT on the tags any more. One has to know beforehand which variety is resistant, or try a variety and hope for a lucky break. It seems the varieties also change from year to year, because this year's Sweet 100 vines only survived a month after setting fruit, then were all dead of fungus infections. We had to rely on some volunteers from a grape tomato we grew last year for small-fruiting tomatoes in August and later.
We also grow other stuff, but this post is about the ending of the season. Some volunteer tomatoes grew so heavily that they pulled one fence half over. Saturday morning's task was to harvest the rest of the vegetables (in addition to tomatoes, we had sweet peppers and broccoli still growing. The cucumbers grew for only half the season, then collapsed. Probably another fungus), then fix the fences. We have rabbit fence four feet high (1.2 m) all around, except for a removable gate, and also the section on the North side is over ten feet high (3+ m), for climbing vines.
Then we tackled the compost pile. It is almost four feet wide (~1.1 m), more than six feet long (1.9 m), and was about 2.5 feet deep (0.7 m). It has been a-building for about six years, since the last time we harvested finished compost. Finished compost has a density about half that of water, so the harvest required moving about a ton of material. While clearing the garden, I'd uprooted and chopped all the plants, so I had quite a pile of plant matter set aside ready to restart the compost pile.
The upper part of the pile contained a lot of lawn clippings. I use a mulching mower most of the time, but I put some lawn clippings on the compost pile as a nitrogen source. The rest is fallen leaves and some of the kitchen garbage. Nothing goes down our garbage disposal (The only reason we have one is so the house can be sold some day). We had a tree removed three years ago, and a quarter of the pile was the shredded stump. I used a pitchfork to move the clippings and the shreds, and a shovel for the rest. As I worked on it, I remembered the old song, "Lavender's Green". Its first two verses go:
We put the freshest plant material on the bottom in the compost area, mixed the wood shreds and grass clippings, and put it on top. I'll put a couple of pounds of fertilizer on the garden and let the minerals spread through the winter. Now it's a hot shower (and maybe some liniment) for me. Glad that's done!
Yesterday and today were laboring days. We have a compost pile, and a smallish vegetable garden (~20 sq m), and both needed work. One thing we grow it tomatoes, and we favor a variety that can grow up a fence twice my height, and back to the ground, "Sweet 100", a cherry tomato variety. We also grow, typically, two or more other varieties that grow larger fruit, whatever is fungus resistant.
Side quibble: Many tomato growers aren't putting designations like VFNT on the tags any more. One has to know beforehand which variety is resistant, or try a variety and hope for a lucky break. It seems the varieties also change from year to year, because this year's Sweet 100 vines only survived a month after setting fruit, then were all dead of fungus infections. We had to rely on some volunteers from a grape tomato we grew last year for small-fruiting tomatoes in August and later.
We also grow other stuff, but this post is about the ending of the season. Some volunteer tomatoes grew so heavily that they pulled one fence half over. Saturday morning's task was to harvest the rest of the vegetables (in addition to tomatoes, we had sweet peppers and broccoli still growing. The cucumbers grew for only half the season, then collapsed. Probably another fungus), then fix the fences. We have rabbit fence four feet high (1.2 m) all around, except for a removable gate, and also the section on the North side is over ten feet high (3+ m), for climbing vines.
Then we tackled the compost pile. It is almost four feet wide (~1.1 m), more than six feet long (1.9 m), and was about 2.5 feet deep (0.7 m). It has been a-building for about six years, since the last time we harvested finished compost. Finished compost has a density about half that of water, so the harvest required moving about a ton of material. While clearing the garden, I'd uprooted and chopped all the plants, so I had quite a pile of plant matter set aside ready to restart the compost pile.
The upper part of the pile contained a lot of lawn clippings. I use a mulching mower most of the time, but I put some lawn clippings on the compost pile as a nitrogen source. The rest is fallen leaves and some of the kitchen garbage. Nothing goes down our garbage disposal (The only reason we have one is so the house can be sold some day). We had a tree removed three years ago, and a quarter of the pile was the shredded stump. I used a pitchfork to move the clippings and the shreds, and a shovel for the rest. As I worked on it, I remembered the old song, "Lavender's Green". Its first two verses go:
Lavender's green, dilly dilly, Lavender's blue.So I did both the spade work and the fork work, for this little task. Once I had the unfinished material forked off into a pile, I began moving the rest to the garden, using a wheel barrow. My wife did some of the spade work as well. Nightfall found us 3/4 done. This afternoon we finished. The entire garden is now about eight inches (20 cm) deep in loamy compost, and it is a sort of raised bed, compared to the past few years.
Angels above, dilly dilly, know I love you.
Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, Lavender's green.
When I am king, dilly dilly, you'll be my queen.
Call up the men, dilly dilly, set them to work,
Some with the spade, dilly dilly, some with the fork.
Some in the field, dilly dilly, some on the farm,
Whilst you and I, dilly dilly, keep ourselves warm.
We put the freshest plant material on the bottom in the compost area, mixed the wood shreds and grass clippings, and put it on top. I'll put a couple of pounds of fertilizer on the garden and let the minerals spread through the winter. Now it's a hot shower (and maybe some liniment) for me. Glad that's done!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
This mouse got away
kw: local events, animals
This is a glue-type mouse trap, which ought to show close to full size on your monitor. All the white stuff is pieces of dead pillbugs that got into it as a mouse fought its way free of the trap last night. There is an impression of a tiny foot, or a couple of toes, down and to the left of the center cluster of bug parts, and some hair in the area more to the right.
Yesterday afternoon, prompted by scratching noises within the walls of the family room, we put this trap near the access window to the crawl space under the family room. The rest of the house has a basement.
Today, when we looked in, we didn't see that trap! After looking about, we could see it about twelve feet away, on the other side of the crawl space. I went in and retrieved it (hard hat and knee pads). I've never known a mouse to get away from one of these before.
Stay tuned: we went to the hardware store and got a rat-size trap. I put a dollop of peanut butter in the center and put it back near the spot this one was originally put. By the way, when I catch a critter, I don't let it starve to death. I put it in the freezer overnight, and throw it away in the morning.
This is a glue-type mouse trap, which ought to show close to full size on your monitor. All the white stuff is pieces of dead pillbugs that got into it as a mouse fought its way free of the trap last night. There is an impression of a tiny foot, or a couple of toes, down and to the left of the center cluster of bug parts, and some hair in the area more to the right.Yesterday afternoon, prompted by scratching noises within the walls of the family room, we put this trap near the access window to the crawl space under the family room. The rest of the house has a basement.
Today, when we looked in, we didn't see that trap! After looking about, we could see it about twelve feet away, on the other side of the crawl space. I went in and retrieved it (hard hat and knee pads). I've never known a mouse to get away from one of these before.
Stay tuned: we went to the hardware store and got a rat-size trap. I put a dollop of peanut butter in the center and put it back near the spot this one was originally put. By the way, when I catch a critter, I don't let it starve to death. I put it in the freezer overnight, and throw it away in the morning.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Another half off the hedge
kw: observations, photographs, local events
Last year I pruned the hedge on the side that overhung the sidewalk. This is the opening image of that post. While we trim the hedge about monthly during the 5-month growing season here, pruning is a (thankfully) rare event. It is a huge amount of work. We pruned for shape when we moved in, because the hedge had been trimmed wrongly in the past, and the top was wider than the bottom. A hedge is supposed to be a little wider at the bottom.
A year has passed, the pruned side is recovering nicely (see below), so we decided to prune the other side. I remember asking a horticulturist how resilient Privet is, and being told I could cut it to the ground if I liked, and it would grow back. It is a remarkably robust plant.
Here is one view of today's work. I'm about a third done on this side, with seventy feet to go.
I don't have a sidewalk to guide me on this side, so I'm cutting to about half a meter from the roots. I checked beforehand, and the original planting was done quite well, so the plants are in a very straight line. I can also sight along the top from time to time to guide my progress.
Pruning is not done with a hedge trimmer. There is too much need to cut thicker branches that the trimmer can't manage. I'm using a hand "snap cutter" and when needed, a lopper. You can see in this image that branches are cut off close to the plane that I hope to establish for the new growth.
Just to the left of the middle of this image you can see that the hedge is nearly opaque, while the rest is rather transparent. The growth on the other side has begun to fill back in, but there is quite a ways to go.
I have the cuttings bundled and ready to haul off. I took my time, putting cuttings in piles with a bit of care, so it was simply a matter of tying them about amidships for carrying.
While I could have spent more time and gotten more of this done, I find that the hand surgery I had a couple of years ago pains me after a couple of hours, so I take that for a warning signal and leave work for another day. Tomorrow is supposed to be like today, so I'll be able to get more done then.
This is the opposite side of the hedge, the one that was cut last year. Compare with the first picture; it is recovering well. Though the angle is different, it is easy to see that the cut ends don't show amid the new foliage.
In another year, this side ought to be well filled in, and the side I am cutting this year will look about like this. A word to the wise, though: fences are lots easier to maintain than hedges. If you don't have a hedge, don't get one!
Last year I pruned the hedge on the side that overhung the sidewalk. This is the opening image of that post. While we trim the hedge about monthly during the 5-month growing season here, pruning is a (thankfully) rare event. It is a huge amount of work. We pruned for shape when we moved in, because the hedge had been trimmed wrongly in the past, and the top was wider than the bottom. A hedge is supposed to be a little wider at the bottom.A year has passed, the pruned side is recovering nicely (see below), so we decided to prune the other side. I remember asking a horticulturist how resilient Privet is, and being told I could cut it to the ground if I liked, and it would grow back. It is a remarkably robust plant.
Here is one view of today's work. I'm about a third done on this side, with seventy feet to go.I don't have a sidewalk to guide me on this side, so I'm cutting to about half a meter from the roots. I checked beforehand, and the original planting was done quite well, so the plants are in a very straight line. I can also sight along the top from time to time to guide my progress.
Pruning is not done with a hedge trimmer. There is too much need to cut thicker branches that the trimmer can't manage. I'm using a hand "snap cutter" and when needed, a lopper. You can see in this image that branches are cut off close to the plane that I hope to establish for the new growth.
Just to the left of the middle of this image you can see that the hedge is nearly opaque, while the rest is rather transparent. The growth on the other side has begun to fill back in, but there is quite a ways to go.I have the cuttings bundled and ready to haul off. I took my time, putting cuttings in piles with a bit of care, so it was simply a matter of tying them about amidships for carrying.
While I could have spent more time and gotten more of this done, I find that the hand surgery I had a couple of years ago pains me after a couple of hours, so I take that for a warning signal and leave work for another day. Tomorrow is supposed to be like today, so I'll be able to get more done then.
This is the opposite side of the hedge, the one that was cut last year. Compare with the first picture; it is recovering well. Though the angle is different, it is easy to see that the cut ends don't show amid the new foliage.In another year, this side ought to be well filled in, and the side I am cutting this year will look about like this. A word to the wise, though: fences are lots easier to maintain than hedges. If you don't have a hedge, don't get one!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Standing in
kw: local events, weddings
I had just one line: "On behalf of the family, I do." But then, I wasn't the star of the show, the bride was. In the version of the wedding ceremony I participated in today, the bride and groom don't say, "I do," they say, "I will," (in answer to "will you ... have and hold ... etc.?"). The bride's father is the one who says, "I do" when asked "Who gives this woman ... ?" or, in this case, the stand-in for the father.
A young couple obtained their wedding license and certificate in China just before moving to the US. But in China it is rare these days for anyone but the very rich to have much of a ceremony. The bride/wife really wanted a nice ceremony in a beautiful chapel, so a bunch of us arranged it. Today it came off, in a lovely Swedenborgian chapel in Wilmington, DE.
People came from several places, including the groom's Alma Mater in the Lehigh Valley. All together, there were some forty friends in attendance. There was a photographer and a videographer, so they'll have plenty of material to share with their relatives back in China.
I won't go into more detail here. Not only do I guard my own identity in this blog, I protect anyone who hasn't given me permission to name them or show their picture.
I had just one line: "On behalf of the family, I do." But then, I wasn't the star of the show, the bride was. In the version of the wedding ceremony I participated in today, the bride and groom don't say, "I do," they say, "I will," (in answer to "will you ... have and hold ... etc.?"). The bride's father is the one who says, "I do" when asked "Who gives this woman ... ?" or, in this case, the stand-in for the father.
A young couple obtained their wedding license and certificate in China just before moving to the US. But in China it is rare these days for anyone but the very rich to have much of a ceremony. The bride/wife really wanted a nice ceremony in a beautiful chapel, so a bunch of us arranged it. Today it came off, in a lovely Swedenborgian chapel in Wilmington, DE.
People came from several places, including the groom's Alma Mater in the Lehigh Valley. All together, there were some forty friends in attendance. There was a photographer and a videographer, so they'll have plenty of material to share with their relatives back in China.
I won't go into more detail here. Not only do I guard my own identity in this blog, I protect anyone who hasn't given me permission to name them or show their picture.
Friday, October 01, 2010
Brandywine at flood stage
kw: local events, flooding, photographs
I went to the Brandywine Creek near the DuPont Experimental Station today. The creek had just begun to recede, and was at flood stage. An awesome sight. Click on any picture for an 800x600 pixel version.
This is the view looking West from the Rising Sun Lane bridge toward Breck's Mill. The river is just lapping against the mill's parking lot, which gets a lot of business because it houses a post office. There were extra people there today, sightseers like myself looking for a convenient place to see the rushing river.
From that parking lot, this is the view of the larger mill building on the East side of the creek. Its lower storey was half submerged. The debris in the foreground, just beyond where I was standing, included plenty of stuff washed from people's yards: basketballs, flip-flops, lawn chairs, toys of all kinds, but was mostly branches and other plant litter.
Near the main building of Hagley Museum, the debris in and next to these sluice gates shows how water rushing off the hill behind had been several feet deep the night before. My wife tells me she awoke about 3am this morning (Friday morning) to the sound of really hard rain. I reckon that is about the time this debris was emplaced.
I went to the Brandywine Creek near the DuPont Experimental Station today. The creek had just begun to recede, and was at flood stage. An awesome sight. Click on any picture for an 800x600 pixel version.
This is the view looking West from the Rising Sun Lane bridge toward Breck's Mill. The river is just lapping against the mill's parking lot, which gets a lot of business because it houses a post office. There were extra people there today, sightseers like myself looking for a convenient place to see the rushing river.
From that parking lot, this is the view of the larger mill building on the East side of the creek. Its lower storey was half submerged. The debris in the foreground, just beyond where I was standing, included plenty of stuff washed from people's yards: basketballs, flip-flops, lawn chairs, toys of all kinds, but was mostly branches and other plant litter.
Near the main building of Hagley Museum, the debris in and next to these sluice gates shows how water rushing off the hill behind had been several feet deep the night before. My wife tells me she awoke about 3am this morning (Friday morning) to the sound of really hard rain. I reckon that is about the time this debris was emplaced.
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