Saturday, August 27, 2011

Waiting For Irene

The storm has not hit us here in Maryland/DC as of 1pm.  We've put away everything that might blow around and attached long pipes to the downspouts to carry water away from the house. The motorcycle, lawn tractor, and garden furniture are all put away in sheds.  There is a new stick-built shed in the back with a drainage system that was just completed yesterday --- it will be interesting to see if it works under extreme conditions. The builder insists that it will, bu I have my doubts.  We also have a new bedroom in the house, with a new roomer in it.  It has a drainage system that ultimately relies on electricity to run a sump pump.  We've got our fingers crossed on that one, and will probably have to think about a backup generator in the future.   We are careful to trim or remove questionable trees on a regular basis, so we're hoping that no trees fall on the house or cars.  We've frozen a large quantity of ice to keep food cool in case power fails.  We've charged up our cellphones and Kindles and collected our candles and filled the cars with gas, with extra stored in a shed.  Now we'll just wait and see what happens :)

My understanding is that Florida is going to escape the worst this time and New York City is going to be slammed.  That an unusual reversal!!!

Be safe!!!

JC Leahy






Friday, August 19, 2011

What's Wrong with Yahoo Bookmarks ??!!

I have more than one Yahoo e-mail account and all of them are having the same problem with Bookmarks.  You can't add new bookmarks or move existing bookmarks to a category.  This problem occurs with both Internet Explorer and Firefox.  Is it time to transition away from Yahoo??!!  Does anyone know what's going on? 

JC Leahy

Friday, August 5, 2011

Taking Down the Bird Feeder

An E-Mail "Forward" from Nurse P. Cannon, Rockville, Maryland

I bought a bird feeder.  I hung
It on my back porch and filled
It with seed.  What a beauty of
A bird feeder it was, as I filled it
Lovingly with seed. Within a
Week we had hundreds of birds
Taking advantage of the
Continuous flow of free and
Easily accessible food.

But then the birds started
Building nests in the boards
Of the patio, above the table,
And next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was
Everywhere: on the patio tile,
The chairs, the table ..
Everywhere!

Then some of the birds
Turned mean. They would
Dive bomb me and try to
Peck me even though I had
Fed them out of my own
Pocket.

And others birds were
Boisterous and loud. They
Sat on the feeder and
Squawked and screamed at
All hours of the day and night
And demanded that I fill it
When it got low on food.

After a while, I couldn't even
Sit on my own back porch
Anymore.  So I took down the
Bird feeder and in three days
The birds were gone. I cleaned
Up their mess and took down
The many nests they had built
All over the patio.

Soon, the back yard was like
It used to be .... Quiet, serene....
And no one demanding their
Rights to a free meal.

Now let's see.
Our government gives out
Free food, subsidized housing,
Free medical care and free
Education, and allows anyone
Born here to be an automatic
Citizen.

Then the illegal's came by the
Tens of thousands.  Suddenly
Our taxes went up to pay for
Free services; small apartments
Are housing 5 families; you
Have to wait 6 hours to be seen
By an emergency room doctor;
Your child's second grade class is
Behind other schools because
Over half the class doesn't speak
English.

Corn Flakes now come in a
Bilingual box; I have to
'press one ' to hear my bank
Talk to me in English, and
People waving flags other
Than 'Old Glory' are
Squawking and screaming
In the streets, demanding
More rights and free liberties.

Just my opinion, but maybe
it's time for the government
To take down the bird feeder.

If you agree, pass it on; if not,
Just continue cleaning up the poop