Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back

[SoMuchTV]

10 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

...I made a deal with her: I'd eat this now if she promised NEVER to make it again. She must have remembered for a while that she made that deal - so long, in fact, the "recipe" was forgotten, so she did, indeed, never make it again. Score one for the kid!

But did you ever notice that if Mom doesn't like a particular food, it never even makes it to the grocery cart, much less the table?

I like the way you think, re: deal with mom. 

And regarding the second part - no duh!! I’m the mother now! 

[chessiegal]

There are birdfeeders designed to keep critters like chipmunks, in our case squirrels, from being able to get seed out of a feeder, We have one, and my husband still modified it to make it better. The squirrels now forage what's left on the deck. We have the feeder hanging on a support from a lattice wall on our back deck outside our bedroom, which has sliders onto the deck We put it there for, as my husband refers to her, your cat. She loves watching birds and squirrels, sometimes chattering at them. When I went to the store a few weeks ago, he asked me to get more bird seed. When I told him the birds would do fine, he replied it wasn't for the birds, it was for "your cat". He's not a cat person, and won't admit it, but has grown fond of this kitty that found us 6 years ago.

[ABay]

There are tube feeders just for gold finches. I have a long one in a free and the squirrels and other birds, except some sparrows and other finches, leave it alone. Cage feeders are effective against squirrels and probably chipmunks. I have one for seeds and one for peanut chips. They also keep the bigger birds out. For them and the cardinals, I have open feeders. Baffles on the poles also help.

[peacheslatour]

Also check out Duncraft. They have many specialty feeders.

[chessiegal]

Quote

I have a friend who had a wood plaque with a Peace sign followed by the word Peace in her front window. Her HOA said she had to remove it. What she told them can't be repeated in polite company. The sign remained in her window for many years until she moved.

Re: HOA discussion started from a GEICO commercial discussed in the hated commercials thread.

I mentioned the above peace sign plaque. I finally remembered why my friend's HOA told her she couldn't have this sign in her window. They prohibited political signs on properties or in windows. They told her it was a political statement. 🤣🤣🤣 She basically told them to put it where the sun don't shine.

[Prevailing Wind]

As a member of the board of an HOA, I have to say sometimes they enforce the rules a little too aggressively to prove that they DO enforce them for everyone...because there's always that one person who never follows ANY rules, makes it hard on everyone, and will sue if it's proven the rules are enforced lackadaisically and s/he's being targeted. 

We've got one like that, who stares down the Prez & his wife AND owns guns. He's a scary dude...and wants to be on the board. It's so hard to get people to volunteer to be on the board, yet every election, we have to make sure we have enough candidates that he won't get in by default. Very few people actually vote for him.

So if y'all are SO unhappy with your HOA, volunteer to be on the board; see what you can change for the better. Not all HOAs are from hell.

[mmecorday]

That's why I love living in the country. I could erect a bronze statue of Ethel Merman on my 1.15 acres of land and no one would care.

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Momma deer, and an incredibly small baby deer showed up this morning.  The fawn looked like Morris the cat on stilts.  Incredibly small, even for a fawn.  

Awwwww :). 

[Annber03]

Oh, yeah, you're right that they can do damage. My mom's car was banged up pretty good a few years ago after a deer ran into the road and into my mom's car. She had to wind up getting a new car. 

[isalicat]

Once upon a time I lived on the flanks of a dormant volcano and we had deer year round on our little acre - we referred to them as "rats with hooves" because they will eat every single vegetable and flowered plant that you value and then patiently wait for you to plant some more...

I recommend that super thin green mesh netting on poles over and around any vegies you really want to preserve from deer - they could break through it physically if they wanted to but for some reason they don't in my many years of experience growing tomatoes, etc. each summer. And then you don't need any other weird chemical repellant which is what I was trying to avoid.

[Bastet]

5 minutes ago, isalicat said:

I recommend that super thin green mesh netting on poles over and around any vegies you really want to preserve from deer

Just make sure the mesh has a tight weave; my parents put some mesh over their row of dwarf fruit trees one year, and were horrified the next morning to find several birds trapped in it (obviously, they immediately took it down).  The mesh wasn't a terribly wide weave, but turned out to be wide enough to pose a danger to birds.

[Prevailing Wind]

When I worked at a law firm in the billing department, the "intellectual property" department had a client trying to patent Lion Dung Mix... as a deer repellent. Even though our American deer don't know what a lion is, they smell "predator" when you spread their manure around and the deer stay away.  So...perhaps you can make a deal with the zoo?

 

[peacheslatour]

23 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

When I worked at a law firm in the billing department, the "intellectual property" department had a client trying to patent Lion Dung Mix... as a deer repellent. Even though our American deer don't know what a lion is, they smell "predator" when you spread their manure around and the deer stay away.  So...perhaps you can make a deal with the zoo?

 

Lol, I tried putting a few choice morsels from our cat's litter box around my gladiolas to keep the rabbits away. Did not work.

[isalicat]

On 6/7/2020 at 1:29 PM, peacheslatour said:

Lol, I tried putting a few choice morsels from our cat's litter box around my gladiolas to keep the rabbits away. Did not work.

Yes, bunnies! So cute until they are in *your* yard! And a grown wild rabbit is not likely to be challenged by a house cat (baby bunnies, on the other hand, seemed to be a prime treat each spring for my big tom cat when we lived in the wilds). Only things that work with rabbits are (a) most excellent and deep strong mesh fencing or (b) a super energetic doggie that spends his/her days outside keeping the rabbits in line 🙂

 

[Gramto6]

I have a feral cat that uses under my fir trees as his cat box. When I feed the birds I see all his deposits and they don't seem to drive anyone away. 

Edited June 11, 2020 by Gramto6

[nokat]

On Tuesday, June 02, 2020 at 8:24 AM, icemiser69 said:

I have my birdfeeders on a pole next to lilac bushes.  The color combination of the purple lilacs behind the bright yellow goldfinches is truly awesome.

I am so envious as I love lilacs. I have a California lilac which is not really the same, and our goldfinches are not that bright yellow. I do get a lot of sparrows and house finches.
 

[peacheslatour]

8 hours ago, nokat said:

I am so envious as I love lilacs. I have a California lilac which is not really the same, and our goldfinches are not that bright yellow. I do get a lot of sparrows and house finches.
 

Lately we've had an influx of robins, which I adore. The blue jays are bringing their fledge around, we feed them unsalted peanuts in the shell. Mama or papa blue jay were teaching Jr. the delicate art of picking the first nut out of the shell, placing it on the lilac branch and then getting the second nut and dropping the shell on the ground. Yesterday a crow came blasting out of nowhere and flew through the branches, scaring the crap out of the kid. The parent then started screeching at him like "you dummy, don't let that bastard push you around!"

[nokat]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Lately we've had an influx of robins, which I adore.

Robins are a sure sign of spring. For me it is the hummingbirds that nest in our tree. I was a little worried this year, but there they are! They have hovered so close to me I've wanted to say keep that beak away from my eyes. They have such tiny little nests and eggs.

I like the sparrow songs in the morning. I kind of got angry at the chipmunks when I saw them eating my rose buds.
 

[peacheslatour]

Just now, nokat said:

Robins are a sure sign of spring. For me it is the hummingbirds that nest in our tree. I was a little worried this year, but there they are! They have hovered so close to me I've wanted to say keep that beak away from my eyes. They have such tiny little nests and eggs.

I like the sparrow songs in the morning. I kind of got angry at the chipmunks when I saw them eating my rose buds.
 

Around here the hummingbirds are all year round. It's our own fault because we feed them. The ones on the east side of the mountains migrate to Mexico in the winter. How those tiny creatures fly the thousands of miles south I'll never know.

The damn rabbits ate all the buds off my Triliums. My late uncle had given me the plants before they moved to Florida. Broke my heart.

[friendperidot]

Years ago, I worked at a museum, it has a lovely restaurant with 10 - 12 ft ceilings and windows that go from floor to ceiling. One of the kitchen staff found a baby blue jay in the garden. He chewed food and fed the baby and then as it grew up he continued to feed it other food. That jay was the pet of the staff. He sat on one of the gardener's head while he cut grass. He flew onto the patio and landed on the tables looking for food. Startled a lot of the patrons. But in the very hot summer, he would fly up to those windows, spread his wings and paste himself to the window to cool off. That really startled patrons of the restaurant. 

[peacheslatour]

43 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

Years ago, I worked at a museum, it has a lovely restaurant with 10 - 12 ft ceilings and windows that go from floor to ceiling. One of the kitchen staff found a baby blue jay in the garden. He chewed food and fed the baby and then as it grew up he continued to feed it other food. That jay was the pet of the staff. He sat on one of the gardener's head while he cut grass. He flew onto the patio and landed on the tables looking for food. Startled a lot of the patrons. But in the very hot summer, he would fly up to those windows, spread his wings and paste himself to the window to cool off. That really startled patrons of the restaurant. 

When I first started feeding them, I didn't know much about them. I thought they were beautiful birds with unfortunate voices. But now i know they make a large variety of sounds. Trills, chirps, an almost purring sound in addition to their harsh, raspy cries.

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, nokat said:

Robins are a sure sign of spring.

We have Robins year-round in my part of Virginia.  Spring in my yard means Red-Winged Blackbirds, Catbirds and Chipping Sparrows, among others.  Bonus points if I get a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak passing through, but they just pass through on their way north and/or to higher elevations.

[nokat]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Around here the hummingbirds are all year round. It's our own fault because we feed them.

I don't have feeders, but plants that they feed from. I want to read more about plants that attract butterflies too. I love seeing hummingbirds and hearing that little bee buzz when I'm in the yard.

I've also had bee friendly plants. It made it a bit difficult to tend to the yard, even though they were not aggressive in any way. I'm thinking of building one of those bee friendly hives.
 

[nokat]

4 hours ago, Browncoat said:

We have Robins year-round in my part of Virginia.  Spring in my yard means Red-Winged Blackbirds, Catbirds and Chipping Sparrows, among others.  Bonus points if I get a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak passing through, but they just pass through on their way north and/or to higher elevations.

I have to hike to see Grosbeaks. I'm realizing I'm kind of a bird stalker. I have binoculars that I use to (gasp) bird watch. 
 

[Browncoat]

7 hours ago, nokat said:

I have to hike to see Grosbeaks. I'm realizing I'm kind of a bird stalker. I have binoculars that I use to (gasp) bird watch. 
 

I have to hike to see the Grosbeaks this time of year.  And a couple of years ago, I took a train to New York primarily to go to B&H Photo to buy a new set of binoculars. I had become unhappy with my old set. Both are used almost exclusively to look for birds.

[nokat]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

I have to hike to see the Grosbeaks this time of year.  And a couple of years ago, I took a train to New York primarily to go to B&H Photo to buy a new set of binoculars. I had become unhappy with my old set. Both are used almost exclusively to look for birds.

I'm envious that you got to visit B&H Photo! That's where my binoculars are from but I ordered from their website.  Of course now that their name was mentioned I'll be getting a catalog in the mail soon.
 

[Browncoat]

29 minutes ago, nokat said:

I'm envious that you got to visit B&H Photo! That's where my binoculars are from but I ordered from their website.  Of course now that their name was mentioned I'll be getting a catalog in the mail soon.
 

It is an amazing place.  I felt like a kid in a candy store.  

[Ashforth]

Long ago, when my little sister was a toddler, our mother took her out to the backyard for lunch. As Mom was feeding little a spoon of carrots, a blue jay swooped in to steal the carrots from the spoon. It shook Mom up! She thought it was an attack LOL.

Many years later, one of my cats was attacked by a blue jay on our apartment balcony. I guess there may have been a nest nearby. The bird pecked Desi on the top of his head and it ended up abcessing, creating a giant swelling on his forehead. The abcess burst while we were in an exam room waiting for the vet and the vet was pissed off that I had grabbed a tissue to wipe away the pus that was running down Desi's face. I'll never forget that jerk vet. Desi lived and thrived!

But I don't have a fondness for blue jays. They are imprinted on me as mean. Even though I know they're just birds being birds. And they are beautiful.

[nokat]

I was surprised to hear blue jays attacked. Barn and house swallows, I guess they just swoop and don't really do damage. I was however terrorized by a rooster as a toddler. 
 

[peacheslatour]

43 minutes ago, nokat said:

I was surprised to hear blue jays attacked. Barn and house swallows, I guess they just swoop and don't really do damage. I was however terrorized by a rooster as a toddler. 
 

So was my mom. She claimed it was because her older brother relentlessly teased the poor bird and made it mean. I can believe that, we had a neighbor whose kids tormented their Weimaraner until it became the scourge of the neighborhood.

[Browncoat]

Roosters are mean!  As are geese and swans.  I have been chased by all of those, and they won't back down, either.

Mockingbirds are also fierce defenders of their nests.

[peacheslatour]

7 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Roosters are mean!  As are geese and swans.  I have been chased by all of those, and they won't back down, either.

Mockingbirds are also fierce defenders of their nests.

For that matter so are hummingbirds. They are fierce as hell.

[Zahdii]

19 hours ago, nokat said:

Robins are a sure sign of spring. For me it is the hummingbirds that nest in our tree. I was a little worried this year, but there they are! They have hovered so close to me I've wanted to say keep that beak away from my eyes. They have such tiny little nests and eggs.
 

Pictures!  Please!

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Mockingbirds are also fierce defenders of their nests.

Several years ago, a mockingbird built her nest in the part of my orange tree that hangs over my driveway between the house and the garage.  Every time I went to and from my car, she dive-bombed me.  She only made contact once.

8 hours ago, Browncoat said:

As are geese and swans.

I've known two people who were attacked by geese, resulting in fairly significant injury.

[nokat]

5 hours ago, Zahdii said:

Pictures!  Please!

I'm not sure how to do that here, but thanks for asking.
 

[Bort]

12 hours ago, dleighg said:

I guess that I've got too much of libertarian streak (even though I'm a lifelong democrat) that I just don't care enough about what my neighbor does, or does not do, to want to be part of an HOA. "You're Not The Boss Of Me"!

I guess you’ve never had a neighbor who had a huge pile of dirt put in their yard to do “something” with, then never did anything with it and grass eventually grew over it. Or boarded up their windows for a hurricane, then never unboarded them. Or parked in their front yard. HOAs are good for keeping that stuff at bay.

[Ashforth]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

I guess you’ve never had a neighbor who had a huge pile of dirt put in their yard to do “something” with, then never did anything with it and grass eventually grew over it. Or boarded up their windows for a hurricane, then never unboarded them. Or parked in their front yard. HOAs are good for keeping that stuff at bay.

Don't forget the classic ratty old couch on the front porch!

[mmecorday]

Quote

We have Robins year-round in my part of Virginia.  Spring in my yard means Red-Winged Blackbirds, Catbirds and Chipping Sparrows, among others.  Bonus points if I get a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak passing through, but they just pass through on their way north and/or to higher elevations.

When our dear Doc passed away, my girlfriend and I decided to erect a bird feeder outside our kitchen window in his memory. One of our first visitors was a rose-breasted grosbeak. It's a pity the picture was taken through a screen.

[ABay]

I was so pleased to have a rose breasted grosbeak at one of my feeders for a few days this spring! The Orioles stayed around a little longer but are long gone now.

[Silver Raven]

We've always had so many stray cats wandering the neighborhood that it's been years since we've had birds other than crows.  Then last year the doves came back, and this year we have song birds.  A pair is building a nest in the awning over our front windows.

 

[Browncoat]

It could have been a cat.  Baby birds/fledglings are irresistible to cats, pop corning around as they do, and a well-fed cat would merely kill the birds and not eat them.

[mmecorday]

Blue jays also kill other birds. They're beautiful, but mean.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

22 hours ago, tres bien said:

I hate every ancestory.com commercial.  That includes everyone in them. Every commercial is worse than one before it.

I used Ancestry to trace my family tree. So my last name (not purrsalot) did not exist until my great, great . . . grandfather came to this country.  His history is known because he was hanged for killing his wife of 40+ years in a bizarre and brutal way.  At the time, when being hanged for a crime, the person was given a stick to hold onto.  They were supposed to drop it as a signal that they were ready.  He threw it at them and cursed them.  Think it would make a heart-warming story for an Ancestry commercial? 

On 6/15/2020 at 1:12 PM, icemiser69 said:

As long as it doesn't go to their heads.   The nicest people can turn into power hungry assholes.  They also can play favorites.

I wouldn't want to live in a neighborhood filled with Gladys Kravitz types, but I would want to live in a neighborhood where neighbors respected neighbors.  

 

I referred to myself as Gladys Kravitz the other day because I spend so much time sitting my the front window watching the street.  Between shelter in place and having gotten Covid, I have spent some quality time there.  

When I bought my house, the realtor told me there is a neighborhood association (not an HOA) as if it was a positive.  I almost didn't buy because of it. The NA is a bunch of gossiping busy bodies who cause much more harm than good.  My former neighbor used to call the man across the street Mrs. Kravitz because he was always in everyone's business and always got it wrong.  According to him, I own an estate in a very wealthy suburb.  When I heard this rumor, I asked, "Do I have ponies? I hope I have ponies!"

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

When I bought my house, the realtor told me there is a neighborhood association (not an HOA) as if it was a positive.  I almost didn't buy because of it.

Same here!  And those busybodies are even worse than I thought they'd be upon hearing about the existence of a "neighborhood association" - quite a few years ago, I heard from a city worker that they drive around every single day looking for things to complain to the city about (everything from overgrown weeds to construction), hoping it violates a municipal ordinance.

They learned early on to stop asking me to join.  (Same with the "neighborhood watch" organization.)

When I lived in a condo, we needed an HOA to deal with common areas and shared expenses, but we (nine units) had very few rules focused on uniformity and just some pretty basic ones dealing with discourteous behavior.  A single family home?  I wouldn't buy one of those within a development governed by an HOA if you sold it to me for $100. 

 

[peacheslatour]

19 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Same here!  And those busybodies are even worse than I thought they'd be upon hearing about the existence of a "neighborhood association" - quite a few years ago, I heard from a city worker that they drive around every single day looking for things to complain to the city about (everything from overgrown weeds to construction), hoping it violates a municipal ordinance.

They learned early on to stop asking me to join.  (Same with the "neighborhood watch" organization.)

When I lived in a condo, we needed an HOA to deal with common areas and shared expenses, but we (nine units) had very few rules focused on uniformity and just some pretty basic ones dealing with discourteous behavior.  A single family home?  I wouldn't buy one of those within a development governed by an HOA if you sold it to me for $100. 

 

You and me both, kitty cat!

[Gramto6]

33 minutes ago, Brookside said:

I just saw a Charmin ad where the baby bear scratches its bare (sic) bottom back and forth across a wooden chair.  How is this supposed to make me want me to buy its product rather than a flame thrower to sanitize the chair?

Incidentally, has anyone heard/read anything about Charmin donating in these times of Coronavirus?  All I see on their website is a pledge to keep their bottom (ha) line going:

 We’ve seen many questions and comments and know you’re concerned about finding our products in store or online.

We understand how frustrating this is, and want you to know we take our responsibility to our consumers very seriously. We are producing and shipping Charmin at record highs and working on getting it to retailers as fast as humanly possible so everyone can #EnjoyTheGo!

Thanks so much for your loyalty and patience. From our family to yours, please stay safe and remember to spare a square for your neighbor!

I am really pissed at a couple TP companies! Early in to this TP "shortage"  my normal favorite Cottonelle put out a 24 roll pack, I was delighted to bring one home only to find it was 1 ply and nothing like what I was used to. Later I found some Charmin extra large rolls red and blue that were actually pretty good. Last time I was out, I found a 12 roll pack of something called Charmin Strong, the bears were just brown. Package said 12=31, once home and I read the label...another single ply...better than Cottonelle single ply but no way equal to 31 rolls. My lesson was to really read the label, not just the price...it will work but I feel really taken advantage of. Shame on those companies for trying to make money off of this!

[Woopwoopkitty]

4 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

I am really pissed at a couple TP companies!

I have not experienced the TP shortage of 2020. I already had plenty before this all started.

My irritation is at the TP and paper towel companies with their mega mega rolls.  They are ridiculously huge now, paper towel rolls don’t even fit on my holder anymore unless I search for a cheap single roll.

But my TP outrage is at the way they have made the rolls so narrow while making the roll longer. The rolls are now an inch or more narrower than they used to be.  On my holder, the roll only goes across about 60% of the width.  I’m not fooled, the rolls are narrower and longer and each roll is now supposedly equal to 27 of the old ones.

I don’t at all blame the companies for the shortage, it’s not their fault humans are stupid and hoarding.  I like the commercials showing they are doing their best to catch up.

 

[Haleth]

Is anyone still having problems finding TP?  Our stores have an abundance since early on people filled every nook and cranny with hoarded packages.  Now the aisles are full of every brand and variety.  Still rare?  Anti bacterial wipes, peanut butter (specifically crunchy), and for some strange reason, graham crackers.

[Browncoat]

29 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Is anyone still having problems finding TP?  Our stores have an abundance since early on people filled every nook and cranny with hoarded packages.  Now the aisles are full of every brand and variety.  Still rare?  Anti bacterial wipes, peanut butter (specifically crunchy), and for some strange reason, graham crackers.

I've seen a lot of commercials about making s'mores.

[Suzn]

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

Is anyone still having problems finding TP?  Our stores have an abundance since early on people filled every nook and cranny with hoarded packages.  Now the aisles are full of every brand and variety.  Still rare?  Anti bacterial wipes, peanut butter (specifically crunchy), and for some strange reason, graham crackers.

My usual grocery store has plenty of TP, but mostly a brand I never heard of before and Charmin and Angel Soft.  It's similar for paper towels and I've had problems getting facial tissue - no Kleenex to be found.  No anti-bacterial wipes, no laundry sanitizer,  No Purell, just small amounts of unheard of brands.  OK on peanut butter.  Every shopping trip turns up something in short supply or unavailable.