Mother Nature 2 - Father Time 0

Mother Nature kicks sand in my face.
For the past five years, White-tailed deer have easily jumped the 5' chain-link fence surrounding my garden and orchard. Once inside, they feast on my apples, strawberries, rose bushes, and beans. In short, they leave me no choice but to purchase my produce at the local supermarket!

Father Time's devious plan
Following a neighbor's lead, I'm re-engineering my fence and raising the height to 10'. Yesterday I purchased the necessary materials (poles, wires, and fasteners) to increase the overall height and, simultaneously, create a hazard to low flying aircraft.

"Yes", I silently bragged to myself, "Only Olympic qualified deer will get in here now!"

The deer's devious plan
As I was attaching the first pole to the fence with industrial-strength u-bolts, I happened to look over at my neighbor's yard. Unbelievably, FIVE deer were resting in his yard, contentedly munching grass and watching me work!

OK, I've worked in front of an audience before but this was a bit much. Then as if to mock me, the largest deer looked right at me and, I swear, smiled at me!

I could hear him saying, "Bring it on old man. When you're done, we'll still jump over!" Now, to say I was shocked would be a masterpiece of understatement. On the other hand, I'm a calm deliberate person, so I did what any semi-intelligent person would do - I stuck my tongue out at him!

Father Time counter punches
After a little research on the Internet, I've discovered that once I've raised the height of the fence, I should attach 2' white streamers on the top wire every five feet along the entire length of the fence. For reasons known only to deer, this will absolutely keep them at bay. In the meantime, my home will look like a used car lot having a clearance sale.

Other than a few meaningless class-action law suits from neighbors, the next move is up the the deer.

This isn't over yet!
Once the fence is complete, I will share photos of the deer and the fence here on the blog. They will also be used in court as defense exhibits.

Father Time will prevail!

A Time To Blog

Where does the time go?
This blog must feel like an orphan. Unless I make a note on my "To Do" list, it gets lost in the shuffle. As it turns out, my retirement should be measured in mph's rather than days or months.

At any rate................what's new?

BackpackingMy trip to the Jefferson Wilderness is definitely on for late May or early June. As some of you may know, I obtained the GPS coordinates for several places used by our local university's atmospheric research team to record glacial activities on Mt Jefferson. By measuring the distance from these waypoints to the glacier's current position (using the GPS of course), along with the date and time of the measurement, a data base is being developed of the glacier's movements over extended periods of time. This will supplement their research into the development of a global warming model. Because of the limits of telemetry, and the remote locations, volunteers are needed to help fill in the gaps in their data base. Those who know me well, realize my middle name is "volunteer." The Army taught me nothing!

Fly Fishing
Guess what I'm doing when I'm not fooling around with glaciers? You're right - fishing in the lakes fed by the glacial runoff! A brand-new five-piece pack rod that weighs in at less than a pound - including foam carrying case, reel, line, and flies. Now I don't have to pay for my morning and evening brookies by toting an extra few pounds up the trail. Life is good.

Woodworking
Right now I'm reorganizing the shop to get rid of things I will never work on, building a proper storage rack for my inventory of wood, and setting up my machines differently to facilitate work flow. I hear you yawning. Moving on!

Hospice
Right now I have two of the greatest patients I have ever worked with - one a biker and the other a retired insurance person. So far, my Hospice experience has been unbelievably educational. I have learned more about other people's life styles and experiences than one could possibly imagine. Absolutely outstanding and right up there with some of the most stimulating interactions with humans I have ever experienced.

And last but not least - Volunteer "Boardism"
Maddening at times but rewarding in hindsight. I'm helping out a local DDR foster care organization with its finances and investments. Reminds me of why I got into that line of work in the first place. My internal hard drive is not maxed out either - that was a concern. In the words of Maxwell Smart - "and loving it!"

Miscellaneous Stuff
Almost forgot! Just remembered that someone has to do dishes, a little laundry, and fix dinner. Humbling but necessary.

Now you know why the blog has been orphaned. Sad but true and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Definition Of Awesome

OK. I've reflected, chosen my resolutions, and am ready to move on. Let me demonstrate.

A Video Is Worth One Hundred Words!

I could bore you with a flood of adjectives but this video does a much better job and ie entertaining to boot.



Now, is that "awesome" or what?

The defense rests!