Apropos of Nothing v. 2

Summer, it's a large apartment. 2 Bedrooms. And it was CRAMMED full of stuff. Ivy had a bit of a hoarding problem. Combine that with the fact that she was sick for years, and you've got an apartment full of not just stuff, but lots of trash as well. And there are only two of us working on it. We had help from two friends on the weekend, but they can't help during the week.

We did several trips to the thrift store in my truck today. We're doing another dump run tomorrow, and more trips to the thrift store. We hope to finish tomorrow, but it may actually take another day longer.

This has been hard work. Physically and emotionally. I'm so wiped out.

Rest and relax, Pony. You deserve a break.

Nice snake! I would let him live in my garden for sure!

I miss snakes.
I never hear frogs around here, never see toads, never hear grasshoppers or crickets. It's like Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" has arrived....
At least THIS part of BC seems unnaturally quiet, except for birds. But I wonder, if there are no insects except maybe mosquitoes right now, how long will I hear the birds? Has ANYONE else noticed this?

I have snake phobia and I shake with each encounter but I love the presence in my garden. I tells me my health of environment with each new friend.

I don't have many snakes, I see one or two a year. But I do have birds and I hear frogs regularly. I uncovered a little salamander the other day; that was exciting. I can't imagine that there are no insects - it's just getting colder and they may be retiring for the winter.

No sign of the snake this morning. I chose to work on the opposite side of the yard this morning just in case. Did find tons of baby slugs. Will pick up some cheap beer next time I go to the market and let those little buggers party!

Ah to die in a cheap bottle of beer, how sad. Mine get only the best, "Becks" I think the hops attracts the slug not the beer.

Yours is just a garden snake or garter snake. They can grow to about 18 inches long. They are totally harmless but good for chasing boys away.

Funny... Becks beer... should I get some pretzels and other bar fare to go with that? The hops may attract them..but they drown when they get drunk on the stuff!! If only the snake would eat the slugs & pull weeds , I might feel better about him hanging around

Willow..they may be good for chasing boys away..but it making me very stressed knowing that it out there...somewhere waiting to eat one of my frogs or worse yet to bite me.

My oldest brother chased me around with a snake and pinned me behind a gate and shoved the thing in my face when I was little...brothers are so special!

Well I can't say he wouldn't eat your smaller frogs, but he won't be aggressive and bite you.

When I was only about 8 an older boy stuffed a bull snake down the back of my shirt. It bit me many times until I got the 3 shirts off to get it out. I can still feel it twisting and jerking under my clothes with its fangs biting me. Not fun. Before that I loved snakes and caught big ones swimming in the river. Bull snakes get about 5' long in Michigan.

That is horrifying. What is it with boy children & their desire to harass the people around them?

Here's a happier thought, a propos of nothing, of course:

I traffic in Japanese things when possible so am bidding on a men's kimono that features "robsters," according to this eBay merchant. What exactly do you think he means? Hint: My first 2 guesses were wrong.

Lobsters.

Augh! How did you guess? I first thought "roosters," then "robbers."

But lobsters it is. I hope I win it.

I used to have Garter snakes all over this place years ago.........but I haven't seen one for 10 years at least. I have one frog if my ears haven't failed me. The first one in 5 years and I live on a natural stream.......scary!!!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but frogs aren't to be found near fast-moving water, are they? More like swamps, sloughs & cow ponds.

SK- I believe you are correct but this is an uncharted beginning of a stream and it runs fairly slow and years ago my yard was filled with the sounds of frogs. I can't explain it other than they must like the wetland environment. But I have no idea where I would plant pollywogs.

Aw, that's too bad; I can understand yer feeling of apprehension. Could you call a county extension agent & ask about any charted changes in the area?

SK good idea.........There are so many new homes being built around here in the last 30 years I can't help wondering if this has something to do with it. All on septic systems.

Yeah, I wish we would go back to the good old days of outhouses, myself.

Richmond is surrounded by wetlands. DH who grew up here said they used to catch frogs all the time when he was a kid. There are still some frogs around but far fewer than when he was a kid. When I talk about no insects though, it's not just this time of the year when it is getting cooler that I don't hear any. It's even in the warmest part of summer. At first I thought it was just being in this part of the continent and that I was used to Wisconsin where I grew up along the Mississippi River with its vast wildlife, incl. grasshoppers, cicadas, and crickets. But now I am not so sure that it is just another climate. I wish I knew. I am not used to going outside and hearing so little life. I am about 1/2 mile from marshlands. Sometimes I hear coyotes but never insects. We were thrilled this year to see actual honeybees. We hadn't seen any in two or three years.

SK, where exactly in OR is Rose Lodge? I love just the sound of that! (I want a "rose lodge"...sob!)

Ladyfire, it is on Highway 18 southwest of Portland as you head toward Lincoln City. About 7 miles off the coast. Actually, and comically, Rose Lodge is viewed as a tiny hamlet of drugheads & ne'er-do-wells. But I'm not even in Rose Lodge -- I'm 2 miles up a salmon stream, and I must say that my neighbors here seem pretty civilized.

Would you care to visit? I just finished setting up a guest room!

Maybe someday in the not so distant future, that would be nice. Since my nephew just moved to Portland we may be down that way a bit more often. We will let you know. Now I want a salmon stream, too! It's all so different than the Midwest, isn't it?

Oh gosh, yes. Although, now that I've had a couple of days all to myself here up on the mountain, I miss some people ...

I look every day for salmonz in that $^%# stream, but no luck so far. And no one can tell me when they start running up.

You should see salmon (silvers) running in that area in the end of sept and October. Due to the warm weather in OR this year you may not see them. The river flows need to be up for spawning. Some times after a period of increased rain.

Thanks to you guys that tried to help me ID my friend's tree in Oregon City. I have looked at the suggestions and am as confused as ever. I like Katye's ID of sambsorbufrax. I will get Judy to sniff the leaves and see if there is any chance that it is an ailanthus.
I was amazed at how many different kinds of ash trees there are and won't rule out that possibility. I know it would help in a big way to know if it was intentionally planted or just grew there.

Sharon, comparing the bark to pictures and watching the leaves and what they do through all seasons might help, too.

Did you post the picture on the ID forum? You might get some good ideas there.

Our salmon are back right now. Salmon days in Issaquah was last week.

http://salmondays.org/

Also, I just bought a couple of books from a really cool series, Images of America, by Arcadia publishing at http://www.arcadiapublishing.com.

I got history books on Issaquah and Snohomish to start with. Oh my gosh, I'm going to go broke. I want all the books - I could look at old pictures for hours . . . I recommend these for any of you who are history buffs out there.

I just had to rescue another sparrow from the woodstove. I think we need to do something about our chimney...

This was a saved Google search, so I'm sure you're not the only one who's had this issue. Of course, in my experience, once you start using it, you won't have problems . . .

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=keeping+birds+out+of+chimney&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

Yeah- our chimney is a round one with a cap on it already. I'm thinking there's a hole in the screen that needs repairing.

Hmmm. It's odd they're getting in there, but maybe you just have a much larger bird population than I do or there's something particularly interesting to them on your roof.

We've got birds up the wazoo here. Could be because of the feeders... hehe.

I saw a large red hummer today when I was working in the yard. He buzzed me then went and sat on the trellis. Also a flock of snowbirds bathing in the creek. But NO birds at the feeders. That has never happened.

I see that the juncos are back to my feeders this week, and the mourning doves are here also. Haven't had a lot of time here in the daylight, but at last it seems that the band-tailed pigeons have moved onward and my feeders will stay full for more than a half a day.

Only geese migrating south here. We have northern migration but no southern migrators except water birds.

I guess all the birds are at my place, engaged in the shrubbery.

I wish I could get berry eaters cause I have a million different berry covered bushes.

Okay - I like that collage even more than the Columbine collage. Cool!

Steve, do you live in a bit of an altitude? You would think you would certainly attract birds with that wondeful crop! I am always a bit disappointed when hiking in the higher altitudes that there is a distinct lack of birds.