November 5, 2021
Dear Everyone:
Query:
Where do they store all the Daylight we’ve been Saving all these
years; and how do I make a Withdrawal?
Yes, it’s that time
of the year, when we all “Fall Back” to Standard Time, except for the
citizens of the state of Arizona, who ignore the whole thing.
Seriously, Daylight
Saving Time actually lasts longer (approximately 32 weeks) than Standard
Time (about 20 weeks, give or take.)
Wouldn’t it make more sense to call the bigger chunk of the year
“Standard” and the rest of it something else?
Something like, “Longer Days’ Time”.
Except in Arizona, of course.
I’m just saying.
This is also the time
of year that I get into fights with the landscapers around here.
Each Tuesday, they come by with their gas-powered leaf blowers.
They are supposed to be blowing the leaves into piles that can
then be raked up into cloth-covered bundles to haul away.
But it’s so much
easier for them to blow the leaves under the fences and onto the patios
of the homeowners who happen to live in downstairs units.
We can complain to the latest company that “manages” our
community. And they can tell
the landscapers to cut it out.
But the word never gets all the way down the line to the guy with
the blower.
But I have an
electric leaf blower of my own.
So I just blow the leaves back out again.
One time last year, I actually got into a leaf-blowing duel with
one of the gardeners. As he
blew under the fence, I blew right out again.
His response was to turn up the velocity on his machine.
So I turned up the velocity on mine.
And we blew leaves back and forth under the fence until he
finally realized that he wasn’t going to win and began blowing
everything out into the parking area instead.
Score one for the
Homeowners.
Unfortunately, I’m
not as agile as I was a year ago.
So far, I’ve only been able to blow leaves under the fence after
gardener is long gone and can’t see how much I’ve undone his efforts.
We’ll see how it goes next week.
In other news…
Birds.
I have mentioned that
I put out a feeder for hummingbirds.
Someone already alerted me to the fact that my sugar-to-water
ratio was a little off; and I’ve corrected it.
Mr. Hummer seems quite satisfied and continues to drive away any
would-be claim-jumpers of the winged variety.
I also put up a
feeder that only feeds finches.
It consists of a tube of wire mesh that holds Nyjer seed.
Only small birds like finches can hang onto the mesh and get
their little beaks in to pull out the miniscule seeds.
Theoretically, this results in far less mess than larger birds
create with other grains and such.
Nevertheless, I’ve
been warned that “rodents of the un-cute variety” can still be attracted
to the seed. Another reason
for having a blower. I can
send all the itty-bitty husks out under the fence and into the general
landscaped area to become part of the overall mulch.
I do enjoy watching
the little birds. As long as
the mess stays under control, all will be well.
Love, as always,
Pete
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