California winter #2

We came from here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1059397/#new

very slow today


This message was edited Jan 6, 2010 4:42 PM

So, it is possible my cat Billy was attacked by a hawk or owl? He was 18 lbs. I have no idea what happened to him.
He wasn't the kind of cat to wander. :(

Or coyote?

I don't know!!!! I guess it's possible. I don't think I'll ever know. I just miss him.

I only let our kitty out on rainy days. LOL, he has fun thinking he is escaping, only to find that in order to go off the porch he must get drenched... The few dry days he has escaped the house he has not been able to get far before our small (44 #) shepherd mix lets us know, then helps us round him up. Scary for Fido. We are fenced and even dug under the flood control chain link to add wire and concrete. Only let small dogs out when gate is closed. I realize coyotes can get over fences and hawks could swoop down, but our not so Miniature Pinscher is such a bundle of energy she needs to get out and run. Though our 'small' dogs too big to be flown away and then native neighbor said "no problem, the predator birds just disembowel them on site!"

I read an article on coyotes several years back on how they were originally native to the Rocky Mountain area, but now they have spread to 49 states and Canada and in the NE have been know to breed with wolves. Maybe those are the ones who have attacked adults.

A belated Happy New Year to all in the California Forum. I've been 'out of pocket' due to being sick for 2 weeks, including 10 days in the hospital for pneumonia and chronic bronchitis. Didn't see that coming. I have never, ever smoked and here I am on 24/7 oxygen. Came home yesterday and condition of the house made me want to cry. Thought my 16 yr old would have at least put away the Christmas stuff (at least take the stockings down!), but no. No one vacuumed (5 house animals + 2 humans), crusty food dishes, oh my. Planned on fixing a sandwich when I got home and by bedtime I had cleaned kitchen countertops, loaded dishwasher, washing dishes, throwing out spoiled food, cleaning the 'new' used replacement washer & dryer (from SDG&E caused line burn-out), after hauling dirty clothes & linens to laundry room got 3 loads done, changing bed, cleaning bedroom ceiling fan, little dusting, vacumming bed and bathrooms, putting MY things away from hospital, and finally - making my lunch/dinner. And the best thing? My wonderful shower and clean hair. Sponge baths for 2 weeks just do not cut it!!! Whoa, 475 emails, but came to DG first! And learning to do all that dragging the oxygen tank around - on wheels. I feel like I went from 58 to 88 y.o. in a week. Old people need oxygen. Hopefully this is something I can work through and get clear of. I took pictures of the house when I got home and DD asked why. I said so I have pix of how I NEVER WANT TO SEE IT LOOK AGAIN!! DH & DD don't get it, they think it is not so bad. Besides DH has flu as of yesterday and needs care taking. I should probably have rested a little more, but I think it did me well as I was very stir crazy. Got used to NOT sleeping in hospital, so was awake at 3:30 today. Quiet time now, but ready to start filling Christmas deco boxes and rearranging furniture!! Stuff I had in fridge to go to compost pile is still in there waiting to get buried, but will try to find someone else to do that kind of dirty work for now. I want to see if my tomato plants and dwarf oranges are surviving. Nothing has been watered.....

You all have scored some yummy looking plants. I am looking forward to some freshness in the yard. Say, where is our El Nino?

Oh! Isn't it just awful to be sick?!! I'm so sorry. It just makes everything come to a roaring halt and everything goes on around us, including things that pile up waiting for you to get home...yuck.
Re: hawks, owls and miniature pinschers...our neighbor's got picked up by an owl. We know this because the dog went missing and was found in another neighbor's (several properties away) fenced in property directly beneath their owl box, apparently dropped from that height.
Years ago my best friend in Iowa, who did wildlife rescue and certainly should have known better, tried to tell me that coyotes were endangered. I had to laugh.
Yes, where's El Nino? I spent 4 hours watering yesterday and was hoping to save on water bills for awhile. I think we're going to see about using a Hydro Drill to put in a well...supposedly may get a small chance of a small amount of rain Tues. or Wed....yeah, sure....

Oh dear, pneumonia and bronchitis - that will take the starch out of you! So glad you are home again, Quiltygirl. Be careful not to do too much so you don't relapse.

Pooh...20% chance of rain...we'll never see it.

Glad you're back nome and mending, QG...you should "go on strike" like my mom used to do when the house was a mess and no one was pulling their weight. It works !

I finally discovered why that big hawk was frequenting my garden. Came home yesterday and found patches of goldish brown fur in several spots on the grass. Went to get my lawn mower out and lo and behold there was a disemboweled squirrel carcass...picked clean. Not a pretty sight.

Arnold Birdinator showed up today.

Oooh, that's a beaut. Nice photo, surf!

Thanks!

I had no idea gallardia ("Oranges and Lemons") would bloom in the middle of winter!

That's my favorite argryranthemum (marguerite--"Silver Lady") on the planet, blooming it's little heart out to the right, doing a good job of hiding my bare roses.

And I love the sagebrush-y (evergreen/gray) spikey form of the westringia (coast rosemary) "Wynabbie Gem" to the left, also hiding the bare roses. The little lavender blooms are a bonus.

Primula obconica just starting to bloom. These were SUPPOSED to be orange !

No ID Camellia from Lowes...(big surprise, huh ?)

Lowe's prices rarely include an accurate ID.

But at least you have one. My nearest 'cheap' garden plant source is 130 miles away.
I was looking at some Colorado Spruce trees yesterday, for a job. A 4 foot tall, 5 gallon was $106 (with tax) at the local garden center.

Astelia, from last Aug>

Hi, folks. I've been absent for some time and missin' you. It's been a difficult Holiday Season, on top of trying to put together a gift package for my demented mother. I wanted to try to challenge her memory losses with a genealogy "picture" for her to see. It was an arduous task, as I've only looked at these things before, not tried to put one together with the software available. What a mess I could make of things in just minutes, LOL. Well, she didn't see the mess and we had a good time talking about the events and people she could remember. Then . . . my deceased father's sister came to visit early last week and only after she left did I learn that mom didn't know what the relationship was, thinking she was an old friend rather than her sis-in-law. ROFL! I keep expecting that she will have lost her old defense skill of covering up for lapses of any sort in her dementia, learning here that clearly it's even more entrenched. Such a funny thing to see. Well, she's in great health otherwise, which is a blessing. And I had fun with her, nevertheless.

And on New Years Eve as I prepared to prepare (huh?) for a party and was going to feed the resident four-leggers, it became apparent that my 7 YO Standard Poodle, Ezio, was not well. I'll spare you the details, but a visit to the vet with him on the 2nd ultimately resulted in his death and both his 24X7 companion, 15YO Olivia, and I are just grief stricken. Ezio was her pathfinder, as she is blind now. And she is deaf. So to be alone all day long is likely more difficult for her grief management than for me. So we are struggling to keep ourselves together and loving each other.

I will likely lose her shortly and I was actually prepared for her passing, expecting his presence to help me. So Ezio's sudden crash and death is especially painful for me. And I will be left with the resident bossy kitty to push me around without anyone to help me contain her behavior once Olivia is gone, LOL.

Aaaanyway, know that I am visiting in the background with you, but here. I will be back, hopefully, shortly and throwing myself around again, hehehe.

Photo (very poor photo camera to do the job at the time) of Ezio and Olivia the first day he was here with us. Look at that pushy boy! Olivia had no choice but to give in to him.

Linda



This message was edited Jan 10, 2010 11:32 AM

I'm so sorry for your loss, Twincol. We had a standard poodle, Jake, for many years, that we acquired when he was 6 years old. I think many people don't appreciate what a smart breed they are. I still miss him and think about his sweet personality from time to time. He was so well-behaved, too. He was a good dog. What more can you say about a beloved pet? How much richer our lives are for their presence in ours.

We have an elderly golden retriever now who still has a lot of life left in him...but I'm not looking forward to that day...He's been a bit of a stinker from time to time, but in his old age, he's ripened to a gem of a pet. He's a good boy. He actually obeyed me the other day.

Hope you came through that shaker okay you had up there, Dale.

Jasper, that camellia of yours reminds me of some beautiful old double camellias that my mom had years ago. I've tried to grow them, but can't.

Sniff. I'm going to go have a good cry, now.

I'm so sorry..it is so very hard to lose animals and people that we love. I've not had another dog since losing my 13 year old best friend years ago. He was too special and, for me, there's simply not another that could compare.

So sorry for your loss and Olivia's, Linda.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, Linda. I also had a poodle (royal standard) that died when he was about 8 years old. Apparently his stomach twisted, got bloated, and exploded. He was such a good dog that he did not whine much when he must have been in such pain. We did not know what was happening to him. It is always sad when the loss is sudden. What was really sad was that the vet told us (when it was too late) that that was a common ailment for big-barreled dogs like poodles. If I had known that, I probably would have noticed the symptoms earlier.... So, if any of you have standard or larger sized poodles, be aware of this - there is an easy fix to attached the stomach so that it doesn't move. He was the only dog I have ever had, but I agree that poodles are one of the best breeds.

Ditto from here, Linda. Give Olivia hugs for us, too.

Thanks, guys 'n gals. It's been a difficult time for both of us, Olivia and me. We miss him greatly. He was an awesome Bozo and we loved him.

So, now . . . back to winter! I'll hang out.

Hugs to all,

Linda, Olivia and Diana, supervisor kitty

As long as you're aware that the CAT is supervisor, everything will be just fine !

Mike;
Do you think some people DON'T realize that?? HMMM hard to imagine.

Not in our house!!!

Nope, those BIG birdies are in charge at Kaperc's house!!!! lol

Well, the littlest one is actually the boss - as long as he keeps moving. LOL

Mine sure is noisy. I mean, she makes more noise than any barking dog I've ever had. And she does it inside, the brazen hussy . . . oops, pussy!

Linda and Olivia

How hard to lose a beloved pet Linda. My heart goes out to you. I've come to love standard black poodles as my best friend has had them as long as I've known her. What sweethearts they are. The funniest thing that her last one did was to grab the end of the toilet paper and race around the house dragging a trail of toilet paper behind her. She was quite a character. She also survived a bout with the torsion that Soilsandup's poodle had. It was an expensive surgery but she lived a lot more years after that.
((HUGS)))
Doss

I have a plaque in my yard that says.....This house is maintained for the convenience and comfort of the cats!! So true!!

Aaaaah, yes, more affectionately referred to in SP world as BLOAT. A preventive measure is the "gastropexy," which is a simple tacking of the stomach to the dog's abdomen or rib or . . . thus preventing the twisting of the stomach, which does not insure safety, only buys minutes, BTW. I have had each of my three SPs undergo this particular procedure and will always do so, as they are one of the deep chested breeds prone to the life-threatening medical crisis. I actually lost a 15YO English Springer Spaniel, my Taffy, to bloat, which in such elderly canines is generally thought to be caused by a blockage of some sort, rather than the torsion.

My Ezio actually succumbed to spleen cancer with metastasis to both of his lungs. This particular cancer can apparently arise and kill in a matter of only 1-2 months, without obvious symptoms of any sort. Typically, apparently, one won't know about the cancer until they have a metastasis as Ezio did, or the spleen has erupted and they are bleeding internally. The prognosis is generally grim, regardless what decision is made relative to surgery or chemo. But he was far too ill to put through any kind of treatment at all.

That story about the TP is hilarious, Doss! I would love to have seen that! I saw a friend's parrot do such a thing one time, but she kept the TP on a stand near the bird's cage to give it some game-playing. She'd keep it tied up unless she was there to insure safety, but it was a HOOT (did I really say that?) to watch!

Thanks to you all for your kindness.
Linda

We have a toy for the birds that holds a roll of adding machine tape, but I would love to see the dog running through the house with the TP! Makes me laugh just thinking about it.

Glad to see you back, Sis!

DaleTheGardener: just read this. Are you ok?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100112/ap_on_bi_ge/us_california_coast_earthquake

Wow!! I had heard but didn't realize it was that bad! My heart goes out to all.

Things are returning to near normal Sis. LOL Great grand son visiting for a couple of days, that's enough to brighten the day of anyone!!

Here is some info regarding our storms coming. This came as an email, sorry, no web link.

There is a good chance that over the next several weeks we may experience some significant periods of wind and rain. The notice below was forwarded by the US Geological Survey (USGS) about the predicted heavy storm that could possibly start this Sunday, January 17. According to the USGS, over the next 2-3 weeks we will experience severe weather across California more than any other period in recent memory. In some parts of Southern California, a whole season's worth of rain could fall over the course of 5-10 days. This is likely to be a rather memorable weather event.

Please read the following storm warning from the USGS:

Currently, a strong El Nino is reaching its peak in the Eastern Pacific, and now finally appears to be exerting an influence on our weather. The strong jet has been apparent for quite some time out over the open water, but the persistent block had prevented it from reaching the coast. Now that the block has dissolved completely, a 200+ kt jet is barreling towards us. Multiple large and powerful storm systems are expected to slam into CA from the west and northwest over the coming two weeks, all riding this extremely powerful jet stream directly into the state. The jet will itself provide tremendous dynamic lift, in addition to directing numerous disturbances right at the state and supplying them with an ample oceanic moisture source. The jet will be at quite a low latitude over much of the Pacific, so these storms will be quite cold, at least initially. Very heavy rainfall and strong to potentially very strong winds will impact the lower elevations beginning late Sunday and continuing through at least the following Sunday. This will be the case for the entire state, from (and south of) the Mexican border all the way up to Oregon. Above 3000-4000 feet, precipitation will be all snow, and since temperatures will be unusually cold for a precipitation event of this magnitude, a truly prodigious amount of snowfall is likely to occur in the mountains, possibly measured in the tens of feet in the Sierra after it's all said and done. But there's a big and rather threatening caveat to that (discussed below). Individual storm events are going to be hard to time for at least few more days, since this jet is just about as powerful as they come (on this planet, anyway). Between this Sunday and the following Sunday, expect categorical statewide rainfall totals in excess of 3-4 inches. That is likely to be a huge underestimate for most areas. Much of NorCal is likely to see 5-10 inches in the lowlands, with 10-20 inches in orographically-favored areas. Most of SoCal will see 3-6 inches at lower elevations, with perhaps triple that amount in favored areas.

This is where things get even more interesting, though. The models are virtually unanimous in "reloading" the powerful jet stream and forming an additional persistent kink 2000-3000 miles to our southwest after next Sunday. This is a truly ominous pattern, because it implies the potential for a strong Pineapple-type connection to develop. Indeed, the 12z GFS now shows copious warm rains falling between days 12 and 16 across the entire state. Normally, such as scenario out beyond day seven would be dubious at best. Since the models are in such truly remarkable agreement, however, and because of the extremely high potential impact of such an event, it's worth mentioning now. Since there will be a massive volume of freshly-fallen snow (even at relatively low elevations between 3000-5000 feet), even a moderately warm storm event would cause very serious flooding. This situation will have to be monitored closely. Even if the tropical connection does not develop, expected rains in the coming 7-10 days will likely be sufficient to cause flooding in and of themselves (even in spite of dry antecedent conditions).

In addition to very heavy precipitation, powerful winds may result from very steep pressure gradients associated with the large and deep low pressure centers expected to begin approaching the coast by early next week. Though it's not clear at the moment just how powerful these winds may be, there is certainly the potential for a widespread damaging wind event at some point, and the high Sierra peaks are likely to see gusts in the 100-200 mph range (since the 200kt jet at 200-300 mb will essentially run directly into the mountains at some point). The details of this will have to be hashed out as the event(s) draw closer.

Western Coastal and Marine Geology
U.S. Geological Survey
Pacific Science Center

Oh boy........thanks for that, QG.
edited to add...Is anyone close to us building an ark? We promise to not take up too much room...I have seven cats, do I have to leave 5?

This message was edited Jan 16, 2010 10:00 AM

Boy, we haven't seen the likes of this for a looooonnnng time.

DH is building a wall unit in the living room - I don't think that will do any good, Sherry. :-(

I'm going to have to search for that site - I've been trying to find a long range forecast for ages.

We just came back from Harbor Freight, tarps for the motorhomes. That's our traditional job around Thanksgiving, but other things got in the way this year. They seem to hold up for just about a year, well, maybe less, but we don't check them until we're expecting big rains. Once we get in the car, it's hard to make ourselves come back home and it's such a beautiful day, but......I guess we gotta get those tarps on. I'll go out and get some more stuff planted before the rains hit. Everybody batten down the hatches.....

Got some much-needed pruning done today, and found signs that spring's on its way: