Today We're Froze

To think it was 80 degrees just 3 days ago.  Next day the wind blew.  Yesterday the snow fell.  Today it's freezing the bejesus out of our plants.  Let's recap; wind blew, snow fell, winter is back and it's cold...

With the prediction of a hard freeze we didn't just lay on the floor doing the kicking and screaming tantrum thing.  We drained the irrigation lines, we hauled in potted plants, we covered what we couldn't move inside.  We were even creative in the covering arena as Ginger used the trash cans to cover the large pots that are too heavy to move.  If this cold spell doesn't get over itself pretty fast I'll have to buy more trash cans so we'll have a place for trash.

I hope the plants aren't put off by the social impact on their impressionable minds by being plunged into darkness by a smelly trash can.  I can hear the plant whining now... "Mommy, Mommy, it's dark in here and it smells tooooo."  Mommy Nature replies, "Shut up plant or I'll cover you with snow and burn you with freezing cold!"  Meekly the plant replies, "OK Mommy, I'll be quiet... but it does smell a little." 

Plants, you just can't make 'em happy.  The Lord knows we try.  But bust your buns day in and day out and all the plants do is complain... it's too dark... it's smelly in this trash can... there are bugs eating parts of me... ow, you stepped on me... you expect me to grow in THAT?... I'm thirsty... it just goes on and on and on.  I don't know how much longer we can keep this up.

Just the other day I had to give annual a good talking to.  That plant will never grow up to be like his brother perennial.  I swear annual is the runt of the litter and probably will only live to be a year old or so... just doesn't have what it takes to be like his big brother perennial.  And who gives you all the grief and costs you the most money?  Yep, it's annual every time.  If I had a nickle for every time annual whined about something I'd be a rich man today.  You don't hear much from perennial... that plant is a role model for the whole garden.

So where was I?  Oh yea, it froze last night.  The official forecast low temperature was shoot'n for 27 which would beat the record of 28 for this date and that record was set in 1909 as in 99 years ago today.  How 'bout that plant fans.  The big freeze didn't happen.  As I've said before, we call the weather man the designated liar.  The actual and now official low was 31.  As is usual, it was a bit warmer at our place as we live on a hill so the cold doesn't settle around our ankles it just slides on down the hill into the depths of the valley.  Our low temperature at Red Tail Ridge was a balmy 34. 

We aren't put out by the "unevent" as a hard freeze this late in the spring will devastate the local cherry, peach, apricot and pineapple crops. 

Maybe it will get down to 27 tonight so the designated liar can feel redeemed.  Nah!

Whoohoo

Today it Snow's

I was really being facetious when I suggested it might snow.   Well silly me.

Waking this morning to the sight of snow was a big surprise... not so much that it snowed but because the weatherman on TV predicted snow!  WOW... right once in a row!

The snow wasn't sticking to the rocks but the poor flowers and some of the new trees were not happy about this super wet spring snow.  The forecast for tomorrow morning is brrrr cold 27.  I'll be blowing out the sprinklers once again.  At least the wind has stopped... yep, I knew there was a pony in here somewhere.

Whoohoo

Today Blows!

It's another windy day in the Grand Valley.  In the video below I tired to catch the wind blowing the water around.  It doesn't show how hard the wind is actually blowing but if you close your eyes and watch the video, listen to the silence and imagine a wind storm blowing through an oasis in the desert while a herd of water buffalo stampede across the dunes you might, just might, get a feel for how hard the wind is blowing.

The wind is a precursor to the spring storm headed in from the Pacific coast. By Friday morning the low is forecast to be 27 degrees as it brrrr cold. The plants are going to be unhappy. Maybe we'll get snow!

Howdy! I'm from Dry Rock, Colorado

I am proud to report the number of fans of the Frog-Blog has doubled... I now have 2.  Both confirmed by comments.  I may actually have a 3rd fan but that person may have fat fingered this web address so I'll have to wait to see if they come back.  A one time read hardly counts as a fan.

Regardless of the number of fans, if it's 3 a majority of them have encouraged me to move on and leave poor Alejandro F. to deal with his privates business privately (for those of you from Lafayette, Colorado that means at least 2 fans want to move on).  I have taken their suggestions to heart and we are moving forward to other things.

Before I move to other topics that may just turn out to be interesting as well as exciting, leaving you with baited breath (frogs and toads love that smell) I've just one thing to say:

To quote our hero Alejandro F., "Howdy, I'm from Dry Rock, Colorado!"  I guess the radical hosectomy worked...

Lip~Lips... The Sign of Spring

There is no better sign of spring than when the lip-lips practically leap from the ground.  It is amazing how fast these colorful beauties appear and before you know it they are gone.  As the short lived lip-lip petals peel out from their buds it's like a call to the wind gods to crank-it-up.  When I was a youngster there used to be a saying about "March winds and April showers."  Where I'm living now that saying should read "March winds and April winds blow harder."  Each year some lip-lips lose their petals to the steely wind... a wind that would be called a gale or even a hurricane on the ocean shore.  So far the petals have hung on with only minor damage.  Since their days are numbered I thought I would share just a few pictures of the spring show-offs I call lip-lips.

Whoohoo!

Pot Trellis Replanted and Beautiful

I love it when a plan comes together.  When I built the pot trellis, my first and only so far, it was a complete success.  I introduced the pot trellis last year (click here to see that post).

 

 

We have also planted flowers, ground cover and various vines in the ground under the pot trellis.  The vines we hope will eventually grow and cover some of the yellow trellis but for some reason we have black thumbs when it comes to growing vines.  The flowers and ground cover will be a haven for this years batch of toads when they transition from legless toadlets to miniature clones of their parents.

I'm excited just thinking about it.

Stay tuned for some pictures of the lip-lips that are just beautiful too.

I hope my my friend Over-the-hill-Teri got around to building her pot trellis so we can compare.

Whoohoo!

Radical Hosectomy!Will it be the last of the season?

The "ectomy" to end all "ectomies" could have been the headline for this post.  The problem with doing that is one would then run the very real risk of having to eat their words of boast.  I'll tell you I like boast as good as the next guy but think the boasts taste better with butter or jam than with crow.

With luck, because skill obviously isn't present, Alejandro F. will once again have a dry rock to perch on while soaking in the rays before it's time for him to jump into action and fill the pond.  The latest "HOSEectomy" didn't last very long.  The hose split just like on previous occasions plus I'm getting a lot of practice in this arena.

I decided to give up on the F.S.P.M. and attack the problem using all the logic I could muster.  After a great deal of deliberation, forethought, circumspection and reflection I decided the hose had to go.  I believe if we keep messing with Alejandro F.'s SMAGSOT it too will wind up in the same trash bin as his BSTOT.

To this end I took the trek to the Lowe's Hosectomy Supply Store to find a replacement hose.  They didn't have what I wanted to I headed to Home Depot and they had just the thing, a black vinyl 3/8 ID hose and it was cheap too.  I bought it.

I'm happy to report this morning I performed the "radical hosectomy."  A new 10 foot length of hose, that is much more flexible than the previous tubing, has been implanted and clamped in place.  I believe the operation was a success since Alejandro F. didn't croak.

Of course it will take a few days of observation to confirm there are no leaks.

NICE JOB Dr. Watson!

Whoohoo...

Poor Alejandro F., He Lost His BSTOT!

It pains me to tell this story.

Our hero of the hour has again bared all for his third time on the now infamous "ECTOMY" table.  As reported a few days ago, Alejandro F. was once again leaking allover his rock.  It wasn't pretty to watch but bear in mind it wasn't his fault.  He couldn't control the way the hose was connected to his little sticky outie thingie. 

While I'm sure it bothered me much more than it bothered Alejandro F. I once again approached him from the rear to inspect the connection between his male part fitting into the female hose.  It didn't require an in-depth study to spot the problem.  The female hose part had split.  The hose had a slit right down the side allowing water to escape via that very same slit.

Since previous attempts to repair this problem using the tried and true "hosectomy" procedure, it was obvious that was not appropriate in this case.  Either Alejandro F.'s thingie was too big or the hose was too small. It's always something.  As mentioned in the previous post I was planning either a Modified Hosectomy or the much more drastic procedure, a Transplant.

After returning from the local Lowe's Hosectomy Supply Store with various couplings, reducers, brass fittings and various sized tubes I set about what I hoped was going to be the final and lasting repair to the now tender connection between Alejandro F.'s black stickie outie thingie (BSTOT) and the wayward hose that liked to split whenever the pressure was on.

After performing what has become the routine "hosectomy" I attached the various pieces and parts described above.  I slipped the new 1/2 inch hose over Alejandro F.'s BSTOT and slide the hose clamp into position.  I tightened the clamp.  And folks, this is the part I hate... this really hurts, Alejandro F.'s black male stickie outie thingie, his BSTOT I'm tell'n you, broke off his body?  OMG!  What have I done?  Just when I had invented a neat acronym.  Damn, I hate it when that happens.

Shown is the "ectomied" remains of Alejandro F.'s
BSTOT and the hose with split.

After having time to reflect, I realized that in one turn of the screwdriver I had moved from a modified hosectomy to a transplant.  I prefer to call it a circumcision or peritomy.  Heck, I didn't even know Alejandro F. was Jewish. 

Once his BSTOT was removed I then had a real Archimedes EUREKA moment.  The small greenish colored stickie outie thingie (SMAGSOT) that the BSTOT was glued to was exactly the right size of the hose prior to attaching all the various and sundry brass parts with reducers and couplings.

I set about removing all those recently assembled parts to restore the original hose to it's virgin state, so to speak.  Then I slipped the hose onto the SMAGSOT and it was a perfect fit.  Snug but not too tight... just the way I like it.

So Frog Blog Fans, once again I'm confident that Alejandro F. is repaired permanently and so far has performed his duties twice without leaking all over his rock.  It just doesn't get any better than this as I can now return my $8.80 purchase to Lowe's Hosectomy Supply Store for a full refund... oh yea, Alejandro is happy too.

Whoohoo!

A Couple of Old Friends Dropped In

It was May of 2009, as I recollect, when Daddy Duck and Mama Mallard first stopped by for a visit (posted here).  Their last visit, until now, was later in 2009 when I was cleaning out the skimmer pond, bent over and shoveling muck.  Just about the time I stood up was when they were about 10 feet from landing in Joe's Pond.  My sudden appearance scared the bejesus out of 'em and we never saw them again until just this morning.

They inspected the Bridge Pond, Joe's Pond and the Skimmer Pond before returning to the bridge pond for a refreshing bath and splash.  They took a leisurely swim around and then it was time to move on.

It was nice to renew an old aquantience... they were looking fit and ready for make'n more ducklings. 

If you recall (you have to read the blog to recall) it was this Mallard couple that prompted me to solve the age old question:  What came first, the duck or the egg.

Checking out the Skimmer Pond

Daddy Duck in Joe's Pond

Mama Mallard on Joe's Falls washing her feet (Warm hands, cold
heart, dirty feet, no sweetheart) ;-)

Just When You Thought It Was Safe

I am sorry to report that Alejandro F. hasn't seen the last of his "ectomies."  That's right ladies and gentlemen, the boy is leak'n all over his rock again.  For sure it isn't his fault but, none-the-less, that rock be very wet before Alejandro F. has just more than started his pond filling duties.

While I haven't decided on a specific remedy, it seems obvious that the basic hosectomy hasn't "cut it," so to speak.  I'm seriously considering a rather radical procedure this next time around. 

Can you say "transplant" boys and girls?  I'm thinking it's going to have to be something different than the twice tried hosectomy and the transplant was the first to come to mind.  Second thing on my mind is a modified hosectomy.

First the Modified Hosectomy (M.H.P.) idea:  This would be a procedure where I would take what I call a transition hose with a 1/2 inch inside diameter, insert that onto Alejandro F.'s sticky outie thing and then use a reducer to bridge the 1/2 inch diameter hose down to a 3/8 friendly connection which just happens to be the size of the plastic tubing. 

Of course the only issue I can think of that might be a show stopper for this procedure is the availability of the reducer.  I'm sure they make a size increaser from 3/8 to 1/2 inch but don't know if I can find a reducer from 1/2 inch to 3/8 inch.  You can be assured I will leave no stone unturned in my search for the reducer.

Now the Transplant Procedure idea:  The transplant procedure will require me to remove Alejandro F.'s sticky outie thing and a.) alter it to accept a 3/8 inch plastic tube or b.) replace it with a similar thingie that will work.  Not an elegant solution but one does not always know what options they will have to deliver an acceptable outcome.

I'll have to refer to the FSPM once again to see if the "modified hosectomy" is covered.  I expect I'll have to search the internet for a FSTPM (Frog Spitter Transplant Procedure Manual) if the M.H.P. reducer isn't available.

I'm currently on light duty as a result of some minor surgery to my hand so it will probably be a few days before anything of note happens.

Of course you can read about it in this very Frog Blog... soon. 

Whoohoo!

Proctologist vs. Urologist

In reference to the recent posts concerning Alejandro F.'s hosectomy; I've been told the type of doctor that takes care of prostate problems is a Urologist and not a Proctologist although I doubt if either would actually take on the disgusting job chronicled in these aforementioned posts.  I do believe the constructive criticism was accurate. 

I did take the time to re-educate myself on the area's of expertise in these areas of medicine.  Written in the sacred dictionary is the following:

Proctology:  The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders affecting the colon, rectum, and anus.

Urology: The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the urinary tract and urogenital system.

I guess the reason I got confused was the time I went to a Proctologist he put a thing called a sigmoidoscope right up there where the sun don't shine.  Then when I was at the Urologist I guess he couldn't find his sigmoidoscope so he just used his finger.  I can't imagine why I would get confused about who does what!  Heck, it's not like I can see what they're doing back there (thank my lucky stars).

So PLEASE accept my humble apology for using the wrong doctor to perform Alejandro F.'s hosectomy.  It wasn't intentional. 

Click for the: Proctologist Song         

By the way, the hosectomy and re-attachment procedure was a complete success.  Not a drop of water to be seen so far with 3 observation sessions to date.  I love it when a plan comes together.

De-hosed and Re-hosed

I was thinking that maybe Alejandro F. might appreciate a nickname.  Of course I'm anxious for input from my blog reader but just in case I don't get any suggestions I'll put forth one for consideration.  How does "Hoser" sound?

When I was a young and careless school kid calling someone Hoser could be considered a compliment or a put-down depending on who was saying it and the context the term referred.  Use your imagination if the use of the name doesn't just jump up and bit you in the... face.

Today was the hosectomy for Alejandro F.'s (aka Hoser) Andy Warhol moment.  There isn't a lot to say about the procedure as it is pretty straight forward.  Reminds me of when I went to the Samari Weight Loss Clinic and they asked, "How much you want lose?"  I told them and "WHACK," just like that I had lost 25 pounds... of course I've walked with a limp ever since.  Anyway, I studied the FSPM (Frog Spitter Proctologist's Manual) throughly until the wee hours of Saturday night.  I certainly don't want to this procedure to be required again as that would certainly cast dark shadows on the capabilities of the Frog Spitter Proctologist.

So with the following disclaimer I'll just present the pictures that are worth much more than a mere one-thousand words.

Disclaimer: Don't look Gertrude!  Oops, too late.

Prepped for surgery our patient rests peacefully in the
supine position.

The delicate portion of the hosectomy (in progress).

The hosectomy is almost complete.  Just the "stub" needs

to be removed and then re-hosing will commence.

Completely de-hosed Alejandro lies exposed.  Not to worry
though, he is not feeling a thing.

Just prior to the final step of re-hosing.  Note Alejandro

is now in the prone position so the hose will not be

kinked when rotated 180 degrees. 

The hosectomy and re-hosing procedures have now been
completed.  Once the sealant dries no one will be able to

tell that Alejandro has ever had a hosectomy.

With the hosectomy and re-hosing complete I can now turn my attentions to Easter Sunday.  I have hidden confetti eggs around the backyard in hopes that some kid will stop by to check if the Easter Bunny (still working... bong, bong, bong) left any eggs in our yard.  Wouldn't want to spoil anyones bunny beliefs.

The real fun about hiding Easter eggs is when you get old like my mind you can never find all of them.  Everyday is an Easter egg hunt.  Then of course there are the times I do find them all but just couldn't remember how many I hid.  Everyday is an Easter egg hunt.

Whoohoo!

Easter Hosectomy

Some might think it a terrible thing to do on Easter.  Of all the days one could select for a hosectomy, Easter could just possibly be the worst day of the year. 

I would have done it sooner but since my last post the rain as rained down.  The snow has snowed down.  The wind hasn't wound down... in fact we're still battling the tumble weeds that roll down the hill behind the subdivision.  It's been a "down" week... so to speak.

Easter will be the day for the hosectomy.  I just can't put it off any longer.  Probably the only thing that has kept the hose from rupture is I had to turn off the water to Alejandro F. for a few days because of freezing weather.

I have, however, secured some photos of Alejandro F.... well... take'n a leak.

Disclaimer: Once again viewer discretion is advised.  The following pictures are graphic and disgusting and contain pictures of Alejandro F.'s male part inserted into the soon to be ectomied female hose part.  Don't look at these pictures unless your a pervert.  If your a member of PETA you are forbidden to look at these graphic pictures.

Consider yourself warned!

If you look at the business end of Alejandro F. you will see water squirting out at odd
angles.  Note the wet stone and surrounding area... it isn't raining here folks.

Try to pull your eyes from Alejandro F.'s anatomy and take a look at the squirting water.  As you can clearly see
a hosectomy is definitely needed.  Plan B might be "depends" but I'm saving them for my near future!

This concludes the biology lesson for the day.  I will report back in this very blog the results of the hosectomy once I've had an opportunity to observe and see of any intervention is required (again!).

Whoohoo!

Alejandro F.'s Prostate is Making a Mess

As promised in the initial post about Alejandro F.'s prostate problem (click here to view) updates would be posted to this blog.  So here we are once again talking about that nasty prostate belonging to the once unknown spitter from Lowe's, Alejandro F.

I must apologize for taking so long to update everyone about this problem.  I know all of you have been on pins and needles.  While I take full responsibility for the delay I do have extenuating circumstances that were well within my physical control but apparently I wasn't up to the challenge mentally.

Of course I could blame the string algae but that seems so petty.  I'll just say if it wasn't for the string algae we would have been aware of Alejandro F.'s problem a lot sooner. 

Here is what happened:  Following Alejandro's hosectomy and reinsertion of the male receptacle into the female hose I didn't have an opportunity to actually see Alejandro doing what he was designed to do; that is, fill the pond. 

I was so enthused about being outside and the fair weather I decided I should also try to poison the string algae.  I wanted to do this before the spring pond creatures arrived because I hate poisoning the pond creatures.  So I blocked the overflow and pulled the plug on the pump.  After the water settled in each pond I added the carefully measured amount of Cutrine Algaecide to the bridge pond.  It wasn't until the next evening that I re-plugged the pump. 

Fast forward a couple of days.  The pond is starting to look like it's getting low in the water arena.  By the next day I'm sure there is something wrong with Alejandro F. 

I grabbed my kneeling pad and started to troubleshoot the lack of spit going into the pond.  I checked the hose and all connections to the valves... nothing.  Checked the breaker for the power... OK.  Then I checked the controller and saw that the display was blank!  I was sure the controller had died.  I decided to pull it out and order a new one and when I went to unplug it I found the problem... yep, it was unplugged.  Tsk, Tsk, Tsk 'ol Proctologist wannabe.  Ya know, sometimes it's the simplest things that slip under the radar.  I must have accidentally pulled the plug when I unplugged the pump.

So with Alejandro powered up I noticed that evening, while we were eating dinner, that he was working diligently at filling the pond... I didn't, however, look to see if he was leaking.... after all I was feed'n my face... a man has his priorities you know.

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that it was at least a couple of days later when I noticed that when Alejandro F. was "working" he was also leaving an even bigger puddle than he was prior to his initial hosectomy.

I can tell you the problem appears to be a severe case of holey hose where it connects to Alejandro F.'s sticky-outie hose inserter deal.  Must have used a little bit too much heat.

So as soon as I return from the Tea Party Rally tomorrow I'll get right on the hosectomy... unless it rains or I forget.

Stay tuned... You'll hear about it at this very blog.

First Alajandro F. and Now the Bio-falls

I guess the title of this post is not accurate cuz Alajandro hasn't been around long enough to unpack his bags and the bio-falls has been here for over 5 years. In any case, they do have something in common. It's "drip... drip... drip..."

Of course this isn't a prostate problem as everyone knows that bio-falls, like hoses, don't have prostates. What the bio-falls has is a leak! This isn't just a run of the mill leak one might find in the bathroom sink... this leak is invisible and camouflaged. A navy seal or an army delta-force commando couldn't be better camouflaged than my bio-fall leak. 

This leak was, in my opinion, one of the worst kind to have. It dripped about 4 or 5 drops a second from 3 locations and all this was taking place behind rocks over a gravel bed, thus there was no tale-tale sign of water. 3X4 drops per second equates to around 1,036,800 drip drops per day (I can't make up my mind if they are drips or drops). There are about 15,400 drops in a gallon of water. Do the math and you have a leak that has wasted a bunch of water over the past 5 years.

So how did you come to find this gusher incognito, he asked?

Now that was a very, very astute question if I do say so myself. The answer, as most of the things I write about, isn't one of those pithy types of answers. Here goes:

I bought a new spitter. 

Having a new spitter requires one to plumb pressurized water to the spitter to enable the spitter to spit.  The closest pressurized water to the location of the spitter was the bio-falls.

It was a simple task to dig down to the water pipe that runs between the bio-falls and the pump, tap into the PVC pipe and run a hose from the tap to the spitter.

I did just that.  I dug down exposing the 2 inch pipe, cut it in half and glued in the "T" splice.  I then realized in order to get the pipe into the top of the "T" I would have to lift it up about 2 inches.  That wasn't a big deal I thought, so I removed a couple of flat stones that were hiding the pipe, lifted it and smeared on the glue and popped it into the "T"... easy. 

Then I noticed one of the stones was loose.  I wiggled it like a kid with a loose tooth and it fell onto the ground and then the stones above it fell onto the ground and then I saw the water dripping.  My immediate reaction was to dismiss the possibility of a leak and reasoned (rationalized) the water was from the recent rain.

Bio-falls viewed from the back.  Showing sight of the cave-in and special
rock to stop the dreaded flood of over 1 million drops of water/day.

I went to lunch.

After lunch I brought the boss out to take a look at my discovery.  Her message was short and to the point.  She said, "Humph, it's a leak," and left me to figure out the rest.

The first thing I did was stop the water from leaking.  To that end you will notice a stone stuck into the right corner of the bio-falls.  It's purpose is to hold the liner in an upright position and thus not allow the water to drip over the edge.  I'm of the opinion that the bio-falls has settled a bit in this corner allowing the water to rise too close to the edge.

Having to admit that it was in fact a leak I then felt it was just prudent to remove some more stones from around the top of the bio-falls to insure there were no other surprises. Of course there were no other leaks but if I hadn't checked you can bet there would have been.  Grok?

I've found in my travels, my trials and tribulations, many of my life experiences that it's a lot easier to take things apart than to put them together.  I am now left with the task of re-camouflaging the bio-falls.  Armed with yucky pucky, gloves and the frontier spirit I will persevere and make things one again... even better than original!  You can take that to the bank.

I'll report the outcome of this project in future posts.

Look! Up In The Sky! It's a Bird...

I should change the name of my street to Swooping Hawk.  Yesterday was, for the birds in the yard, like sailing on a sailboat.  Long periods of lackadaisical repose followed by intense periods of activity sometimes bordering on panic... sometimes?

I was sitting at my computer but really day-dreaming as I stared out the window.  Then all of the birds (I mean every last one) took flight and were going helter skelter (did you know the Beatles did a song named Helter Skelter back in 1968?).  Then, just seconds behind the panic-stricken exodus came a hawk diving from aloft at high speed.  He was moving fast!  The hawk was headed toward the ground at about a 60 degree angle, swooping near the ground in what appeared to me as in pursuit of a target i.e. breakfast.  One might wonder how his wings stay attached with such speed and steep turns.

A theme I've repeated a number of times in this blog:  Things happen so fast if your not lucky to be looking in the right direction you will miss the whole thing.  This event happened in less than 2 seconds from beginning to when the hawk was out of sight.

About an hour later the birds had returned.  Suddenly the panic and helter skelter exodus began anew followed by the hawk diving toward either breakfast or dessert.  Again it was over in a few seconds.

Following lunch the hawk was observed swooping down with repetitive panic ensuing.  This time he was here long enough to circle a tree in hot pursuit of a small sparrow like bird.

We still have not observed any of the hawks actually taking any prey.  From my perspective it would appear Joe was better at bird catching than the hawks we've seen.  I believe the hawks make a lot more visits than we've see and their hunt must be successful at times or they wouldn't be around.

These birds are magnificent.

This is NOT a picture from my backyard but it sure is a cool picture.

Alejandro F. Appears to Have a Prostate Problem!

One wouldn't think a spitter would not even have a prostate!  For a resin spitter in the form of a frog I would have thought it impossible.  Thus I was just dumbfounded yesterday when I happened to observe Alejandro F. doing his noon time duty... topping-off the pond water level.  Drip... Drip... Drip...  The frog is leaking!

The good news is he only leaks when performing the duties of a spitter.  The bad news is: I had to call in the Frog Spitter Proctologist... that would be me**.  It isn't a glamorous job nor is it one that many would admit even having.  Since losing all self esteem during my 30 years with IBM I am not shy about admitting to this thankless, unpleasant job.

I suppose I should insert the overused disclaimer here:  This blog may contain subject matter that some viewers may find disgusting and thus very interesting.  Viewer discretion is advised.

So I removed the 3/8 inch hose that had been inserted in Alejandro F.'s rear.  I observed that this immediately stopped his prostate from... well, leaking.  My immediate thought was the 3/8 inch hose has a prostate problem but of course this was foolish as everyone knows hoses don't have prostates.

Upon close examination of the point of contact where the hose connects to Alejandro F.'s rear I determined the male part of the connection did not fit completely into the female part of the hose.  While it first appeared to be a tight connection once the flow through the hose got up to pressure it was obvious that once again a spitter was not handling the pressure appropriately (see the post on Alejandro T. exploding under pressure: here).

I referred to my FSPM (Frog Spitter Proctologist's Manual) and after considerable research determined a hosectomy was necessary.  I secured my utility knife and executed the "ectomy" on the hose by cutting off about an inch.  Then I needed to apply the output of a device to increase the molecular activity of the hose via an incremental increase in the ambient temperature on the bitter end of that very same hose, i.e. I broke out my heat gun and warmed the hose.

With the hose appropriately warmed it slipped easily over the male receptacle of Alejandro F.  Funny how things appropriately warmed will sometimes do that don't you think?

Of course it's a bit early to call the operation a success.  According to the FSPM a sufficient amount of time must be given for observation and, if necessary, intervention before the operation is deemed a success.

If any intervention is necessary you will be able to read about it in this very blog... whoohoo!

** Have you noticed every time you call yourself you get a busy signal... well almost.  I happen to have call waiting so when I call myself I click the button thingy and try to connect to myself but of course I'm not there because I was just put on hold when I clicked the button thingy.  Kinda one of those catch 22 deals.  Can you hear me now?

Alejandro F. replaces Alejandro T.

What a difference 5 days can make.  On Monday it was raining and then snowing and here it is Saturday, the sun is shinning and the thermometer is reading 60... more or less.  So being all enthused about a little warm weather we went to Lowe's to see if they were having a little spring in their garden department.  They weren't.... the 'ol fuddy-duddy's.  I did, however, spy a spitter sitting on a shelf in a corner where it obviously spent the winter.  I needed a spitter to replace Alejandro T (as in turtle) so without any delay I snatched the spitter.  Still being enthused about the warm weather I hooked the new guy up and without hesitation I turned

on the water and set the sprinkler controller to manual... lo and behold he spits. 

Well WhooHoo boys and girls... that's what was supposed to happen!

Our newest addition to the backyard has been named Alejandro F (can ya guess what the F stands for?).

Like Alejandro T, he will "spit" 3 times a day to keep the pond water level at the prescribed setting. 

Our first event of the 2010 season is in the books.  I hope it's an exciting year. 

Thanks for stopping by...

Rain Rain Went Away... Snow is Here Again Today

Just yesterday the last of the snow from early December finally melted.  This morning it was raining and now the temperature is dropping and the rain has turned to snow.

The tulips are emerging as are the daffodils.  Spring will trump winter... it's just a matter of when.

Here Spring... come on girl, come here....Hector Lives Again

January and it's freezing cold is history... at least for another 11 months or so. January is normally the coldest month of the year but this year that honor was bestowed on December. Not to say January wasn't cold; I'm just saying it was colder in December this season.

Every year about this time I get all antsy for spring. I'm tired of snow. I'm tired of cold. I've got a bit of cabin fever. Maybe a quick trip to Bolongo Bay in the Virgin Islands would bolster my spirits as I await spring. Gee, if I didn't have fantasies my life would be so boring!

The temperature today is currently at 42 degrees which is the warmest I've seen it so far this year. Since I can't stand being inside any longer I decided it was time to get Hector, our spitting frog, going after he froze to death in December. You can read about that here.

After he had frozen I closed the valve that allows water to his skinny lips.  I was hoping that by just turning on the water what ever was blocking the flow would be blown out or have melted.  No such luck... in fact, I found that the freezing water that was trapped in the plastic hose had caused pinholes to spontaneously appear.  It looked like one of those drip hoses.

What I had hoped would be a 10 minute project was becoming more like a 4 hour project.  Kinda like taking out the trash... maybe another time for that old story.  So off to the hardware store to secure 50 feet of tubing.  Five bucks and 1 hour later I'm home and ready to pull out the old holey hose and put in the new non-holey replacement.  NOT SO FAST Mr. Fixit!  The old hose is frozen in ice where the ground is shaded.  Get out the 20 pound persuader and have a serious discussion with this ice stuff.  It took about 90 minutes to get the old tubing out and the new in it's place.  WhooHoo!!!

I hooked up the tube and turned on the water!  Aw geez!  I guess I didn't get the new water tube properly inserted and water is squirting all over the place.  That included me!  Sure glad the temperature is in the 40's.   I turn the water off and fix that little oversight and clean the water from my glasses. 

ONE MORE TIME!  Water on.  Did Hector spit?  NO.. Nada... Nyet!  Water off.  The only thing I haven't replaced or seen water flowing was from Hector so I removed him from his pedestal and brought him inside for a serious examination.  This exam was conducted with a thin wire that I shoved down his throat.  I discovered a number of leaves stuck in his gullet and blocking the path between input to output.  This is probably why the whole system froze up in December.  Ya think?!?!?

After reinstalling Hector I turned on the water and once again all is right in the world of backyard ponds.

Hector as he was meant to be!

Ice Dams and Frozen Pipes

We've been in a warming trend for a number of days.  As a result of this "heat wave" the snow on the roof is melting and some of the things that were frozen now are not.  This is when you find the pipes that froze solid and broke.  You see, when they are frozen the water doesn't leak but once the solid ice transforms itself to a liquid it just pours all over the place.  I was reminded of this fact when I noticed a large pooling of water near one of the downspouts. 

The downspouts drain into a collection pipe that runs, underground, to the front yard.  This keeps the foundation from getting wet and then dry and then wet...  which is a bad thing because we have a lot of clay in our soil and it likes nothing better that to expand and contract with the wet/dry cycles.  That doesn't hurt the clay... it hurts the foundation.

So the pipe apparently got clogged with water/ice and then froze solid bursting the pipe.  I had visions of fixing it and replacing it with a pipe buried deeper but the ground is frozen solid starting about 2 inches deep.  What's a guy to do? 

Well, I removed the pipe from the downspout and created a small channel using a tarp and some 2X4's sending the water toward the French drain.  It's probably frozen too but at least it isn't close to the foundation.

I had finished the channel fix when I noticed water dripping from our soffit.  That isn't good.  I have now been introduced to "ice dams."  I've never had a issue with ice dams in all the years I've lived in Colorado.  Even when we had the great blizzard of 1983 (I think it was) I don't recall ice dams being a problem.  Now my dog fell out of the backyard despite the 6 foot fence we had... she just walked up the drift and fell into the neighbors yard... but no ice dams.  I'm thinking the great snow storm in early December is the cause of the ice dam.  We had lots of snow on the roof and with a little sun and mostly freezing temperatures the snow melts a little and then freezes thus the ice built up.  So I crawled up on my ladder and raked some of the snow off the roof.  I then cleaned what I could out of the gutters and finally scratched away enough ice (yes, it was damn ice) so it wouldn't get into the soffit.

Every place I've lived has always had strange weather every year... Grand Junction is no exception.

Over 32 Degrees

Finally the afternoon temperature rose above freezing... not a lot above freezing but the thermometer made the transition.  It has been 22 straight days below freezing.  Luckily January has not turned out to be its normal freezing month.  Well, yea, I guess it has been freezing but in years past it has been more freezing than this January.  Got that?

Unbelievable as it may seem we spotted a tree today that has buds swelling.  It was a willow tree.  I was amazed as I thought everything was still frozen solid even with a temperature above freezing but below 40.  Guess I need to get my thinker tuned up.. maybe it froze!

Looking ahead; it actually won't be that long before we start to experience the ever onward march of the seasons and winter begins to give way and then spring will be in the air.  I'm ready.

Welcome 2010

Now that 2009 is left to the history books we are faced with the new year.  2010 Anno Domini or Common era, also MMX.  This is the 10th year of the 3rd millennium or the 1st of the 2010's decade.  In Japan is is referred to as the "Year of the Tiger," while the UN calls it "International Year of Biodiversity," the International Maritime Organization has designated 2010 as the "Year of the Seafarer."  I call it the year I start getting social security payments... YES!

Whatever you call this new year, be it twenty ten or two thousand and ten it will only last for 365 days so you had better get busy if you want to make it memorable.

As I look out to the back yard I see the snow is still piled high (over a foot high) from the big storm of 4 or 5 weeks ago.  No doubt the record setting cold temperatures of December have contributed to the snows longevity.  Most mornings I arm myself with my big iron bar and break up the ice restricting the water flow over the water falls... particularly Humpty Dumpty Falls. The morning temperatures are still mostly in the single digits.  I laugh we we say something like, "I hope it warms up to at least 30 today!"

January is historically the coldest month for us.  Considering how December was I hope January doesn't meet expectations this year.

We're starting to get the gardening catalogs now and Ginger is making lists of seeds and flowers she wants to plant this spring.  I'm looking forward to the return of the Woodhouse's Toads and more toadlets.  I don't expect to see Joe or any of her relatives but they would be welcome if they were inclined to stop by for a swim or even if they moved in... so to speak.

While we wait for the snow to melt... Wait for longer days... Bask in the warmth of the sun through the window... I'll keep my eye on my new sundial as I await spring... it's just around the corner.  Can you hear those birds chirp'n?  Can you imagine the green buds on the trees?  Naw, me either... it too cold.

Bald Eagle Fly Over

I've seen them in zoo's.  I've seen them on TV.  I've seen hundreds of pictures of them.  Today I saw my first Bald Eagle in the wild... so to speak. 

I had filled the bird feeder and then started adding some water to the pond.  As I was standing around this huge bird was approaching at about 50 feet.  It looked just like the pictures.  It was very large and I was awestruck.  What a magnificent bird.  After he was gone I just stood there and then said to myself, "WOW."

Then I started telling folks about what I saw and it would appear I'm the only person in the whole world that hasn't seen a Bald Eagle in the wild.  Can't say that anymore.

Lots of New Visitors and Lots of Pond Ice

We have blue ones, black and white ones, yellow bellied, and yellow tailed and those birds are just the new ones who have never visited our yard before.... at least visited when we were watching.  Of course the permanent residents are here in abundance.  I have noticed that four or five Robin's have also been hang'n close which is unusual in that they usually only stop by for a drink and occasional bath.  I believe all this new activity is because we still have about a foot of snow on the ground and they can't get to their regular winter chow.   So I've been filling the feeder twice a day to help the circus stay hale and happy during this bird famine.

This morning the thermometer was showing -13 degrees.  This isn't a record for Grand Junction but is in the top five for all time low... got that?  Because of the cold the pond has been doing some strange things. 

Yesterday I topped up the water level.  This morning I looked out and the level was about 8 or 9 inches below full.  To put that another way, I could hear the pump suck'n air.  This is bad.  Very bad especially when pumps are in the $700 range.  So I rushed to the garage and got the hose, hooked it up and started filling the pond.  After about 15 minutes the water level was still low.  It appeared the level had not risen but maybe an inch or two at the most.  Where was all the water going?

I started looking for overflows or leaks when I discovered the bridge pond was getting water ON TOP OF THE ICE.  What's that about?  The water was coming over No Name Falls and the ice hole was there but overflowing.  I then realized the water flowing over Humpty Dumpty Falls was iced up restricting the flow thus causing a backup.  This was caused when the flow was diminished because of the low supply of water to the pump.  It's all related.

I got out my handy dandy 6 foot steel persuader and started to chip away at the ice on Humpty Dumpty Falls.  It was slow going as I couldn't get real close because of the snow.  I finally got the hose and just directed the flow to the falls and the warmer water coming from the hose melted enough ice to lower the water level in the Bridge Pond.

So now all is well with the pond.  As I write this the temperature is a balmy 15 degrees an increase of about 30 degrees from this morning.  Very unusual weather for this area.... of course everywhere I've ever lived people have always commented on the unusual weather.

If your getting confused by which falls is which and what pond is where you can see it all with a mouse click HERE to see pictures and descriptions... very neat.

As an aside; I was going to tell you about cannons and cannon balls and then explain about brass monkeys and stacking cannon balls on the monkeys and then the cold coming, the brass monkeys changing temperature causing the monkeys to warp like a cookie flat in an oven, and spilling the cannon balls... this of course has become known as "freezing the balls off a brass monkey."  I also found that the story isn't true so I just wrote about the cold and now I'm feeling obliged to share the story with you anyway.  FWIW Ha!

I also found the largest cannon ever built was in the late 17th century and named the Tsar Cannon.  It weighted 12 ton+ and had a bore caliber of 35 inches.  Now that was a cannon ball.  I wonder how they ever got it loaded into the cannon.

SNOW and More SNOW.... 15 to 18 inches of the stuff.

Snow has been forecast for the last few days.  It was supposed to arrive Monday, stick around thru Tuesday and be sunny on Wednesday.  As strange as it may sound the snow arrived Monday afternoon and it snowed the rest of the day just like the forcast predicted... amazing.  It snowed all night.  It snowed Tuesday until about noon and it was clear enough to see the sunset Tuesday evening. 

Before the snow the yard looked like this:                     Tuesday morning the yard looked like this:

I waded through the snow to feed the birds.  In fact, I fed the birds twice on Tuesday for no other reason than I felt sorry for the little guys as all their food sources were buried in over a foot of snow.  A Coopers Hawk came buy Tuesday afternoon and searched each tree for birds.  It spooked a couple out of the trees but didn't have any success in catching them although it tried.  Exciting to watch.

I also waded through the snow to shake the trees next to the fence before their branches split because of the snow piled on them.  By the fence the snow had drifted to about 3 feet.  Getting the snow off the branches was a good thing.... for the trees.

So now it's evening and the skies have cleared and it is supposed to stay that way until Friday when it supposed to snow again.  Because the skies are clear and the snow is on the ground the weather guru's say we will have a inversion where the cold air is trapped on the ground.... tonights low is forecast to be -3 degrees.  The high temperature on Wednesday is supposed to be a balmy 18... WhooHoo!

Our house is well insulated.  We have a good enough furnace.  We have plenty of blankets.  We have a gas fireplace in case the heater goes south or the power fails.  We have food in the cupboards.  We are ready.  Bring it on Ma Nature... I ain't scared.  It's just winter!

Brrrrr... Winter Has Arrived

For the past four or five days the morning low has been in the single digits.  On top of that the wind has been blowing.  I was surprised that one of the first casualties of the cold was Hector the spitting frog.  His stream of water got smaller and smaller and the ice build up from his nose down toward the pond was getting bigger and bigger until there was nothing coming out.  Hector quit being a spitter and started being the poster frog for this freezing weather.

I'm sure Hector will once again spit like a champ and probably before spring... we just need a few days of warmth to set things right.

In the mean time the birds continue to attract the raptors of our clime and this keeps everybirdy on their toes... so to speak.

Snow is forecast to start tomorrow (Sunday) evening and continue on and off for the better part of the coming week.  Once is starts snowing it usually warms some and I expect the single digit temperatures to abate for a while.  There is no doubt they will be back as January is the the coldest month for Grand Junction.

The pond water will continue to flow and the ice will become more than a foot thick in the bridge pond where the water moves the slowest.  It is truly a different look than what one pictures in their minds eye when a pond is introduced to a conversation.  Many people shut down their ponds for the winter but we prefer to keep it running and enjoy the different and sometime spectacular influence the winter season brings to the pond environment.

Coming Soon!

I used to have a sailboat named Coming Soon but of course this isn't the forum to talk about sailing.  I just wanted to post a quick blurb to let y'all know that the hawks have been actively patrolling my back yard and I haven't had to feed the birds since Sunday because they have not been hang'n around to chat it up with the hawks.

Don't give up on my BLOG.... it's just a slow time of year.

Turtle Explodes!!!

The turtle pictured to the right is no more. He was a good turtle and did his job well. His job was to fill the pond 3 times a day. Not all that demanding but something the turtle, named Alejandro, did every day when it wasn't freezing.

The story of his demise isn't all that long so I'm going to sate your curiosity.

On Monday evening we were watching the news when the weather man said we were going to have our first "hard freeze." Anyone who has ever lived in cold country and also has a sprinkler system will understand that this means you had best blow the water out of the system or come spring it will be squirting water all over the place. On top of that your anti-siphon thing-a-ma-jig (as in expensive) will probably break from the ice. Anyway, I had to blow out the sprinkler system.

I fired up the compressor and started in zone 1 and worked my way through all the zones. The last chore was to blow out the water line that fed the pond. I blew out the water in the line but wanted to blow out the lines leading to the turtle.

To shorten the story a bit I'll just leave it to say I guess a hundred pounds of air was a bit more than 'ol Al could handle.

The pictures left and below show all that remains of him.

With the water line full of air I opened the valve with the intent of letting the air blow out any water left in the line between the valve and Alejandro. As soon as I opened the valve there was an explosion. Not just a pop like a balloon but this turtle exploded!

BOOM!!

Lucky for me I was about 3 feet away from this, has been, turtle. I looked around to try and see what had happened and I saw the turtles head, internal hose and cute little tail dangling from the water line.

The largest piece of the turtle surviving is what you see in these pictures. I think most of him is now residing at the bottom of the skimmer pond. What I could find were a bunch pieces of the turtle no larger than about an inch.

I decided to do my own investigation as to why Alejandro blew up. It wasn't all that hard with his shell was out of the way. When the valve was opened the volume of air was such the green hose blew up like a balloon and 'ol Al wasn't up to working under pressure around 100 PSI.

So here's to Alejandro. His service now complete. He just couldn't handle the pressure.

R.I.P.

Coop Stopped By

Coop is actually a Cooper's Hawk. I discussed this marvelous bird last November in this post.  It isn't surprising that nothing has changed but I did get some pictures that I thought I would share. 

This picture (left) I selected because it shows the talons nicely.  The bird is just a marvel to watch.

My thought in providing the picture to the right was to show the contrast between Coop's breast and back.  If you look closely you will see the band near the base of his tail.  Actually there are two bands which is very helpful in identifying the bird.

With a wing spread of around 2 feet, which is rather small me thinks, it still radiates a powerful presence.

Take a few minutes and click on the link above and read about this awesome creature.

The Amazing Walking Stick... The Insect

I was taking out the trash after dinner the other evening and noticed the pictured insect on the window screen.  She (most are anyway so it's a good bet she is in fact a she) is 4 to 5 inches long and a nice light brown, almost a beige.  I was surprised to see her as I thought they only lived in tropical climes.

As usual in preparation to writing this post I checked out Walking Stick Insects on the Internet and found some very interesting facts about them, interesting to me anyway.

There are over 3000 different types of Walking Sticks know to exist.  They come in all sorts of colors, sizes and textures.  Some are plain like the young lady I found and some are hairy, some bumpy.  There has to be a Walking Stick that will appeal to most everyone.  The largest one was measured at 21 inches counting it's legs.

You don't have to worry about them taking a bite out of you as they only eat leaves with one exception.  The exception is when the Walking Sticks molt, they are known to consume the outgrown shell. The eat mostly at night and just hang around the trees and shrubs during the day. 

They aren't defenseless creatures either.  They will sacrifice a leg if necessary and grow a replacement in the next couple of molt cycles.  They also will regurgitate a foul smelling substance and if necessary spit it at the predator who dares to get too close.  I'm happy to report that I experienced none of this when taking it's picture.

Many folks take Walking Sticks as pets.  While interesting for a short time I would think one would tire of them fairly soon as they don't do much.  I suppose they would be good pets if you could teach them to roll over or shake hands.  There are many examples of "imported" creatures creating ecological havoc because they are imported.  Don't add to that problem and be prepared to dispose of the creature properly to protect our environment.

The most interesting thing about Walking Sticks is the female don't need a male to reproduce.  They will lay their eggs (actually they just let them drop to the ground) and when they hatch, up to 3 years later, they will all be females and identical to their mother (clones?).  The female does emit a pheromone to attract males but it sounds to me like that isn't necessary to make babies but the male is necessary to make male offspring.  The eggs have a very hard shell and the hatchling will emerge by opening the shell via a hing they create.

This is a very interesting insect.  I hope you may be inspired to find out more about them.