The Good Banter Thread

[CountryEscape]

Haha, as long as the drum set goes home to his house, right, Lou?! My sister in law always bought the loudest most obnoxious gift for her sister's boys when they were little. The joke was finally that the mom said the toy had to stay at the aunt's house! Joke was on her. LOL
I don't mow when it's wet, unless 3 days of rain is predicted, and I have not been able to mow for a week. But, that's very unusual. I agree that mowing wet is awful for the blades. My grass is getting really thick, and I've had to pull the grass blower shield back to blow the grass out more, than in a wind-row. I usually sweep up the grass clippings, put them on my garden, best mulch there is for around tomato and pepper plants. BUT, since I sprayed Weed B Gone this spring, no way was I going to collect the clippings until they had been mowed at least 3 times. They have been mowed 4 times now, so I think it's safe once again to feed the grass to the horses or put on the garden.
I don't know about any fine for hitting a dog and not reporting it. As large at this mastiff was (120# at 9 months, and he just turned a year a month ago), I would guess that car has a dent in it. Supposedly the girl hit him on his rear end, probably broke his back. He got himself to the garage, but that was it. Poor guy. However, when I was there a week or so ago, I could NOT believe the car driving by did not hit him! They were going slow, that dog ran right out in FRONT of the car! Not chasing it, trying to stop it. He had a really bad habit of doing that, but ONLY when his family was outside. I knew then it was just a matter of time ... they did nothing to stop him either. Live and learn! Glad I don't live on a more traveled road like they do.

 

[Big Lou]

You know being a concerned neighbor is too much of a good thing can come back and bite you in the rear..

We have always held our single school nurse lady neighbor in high esteem. Over the course of our relandscaping I volunteered to pay for a new premium cedar property line fence between our homes. When she later said it needed to be especially modified on her side to be escape proof for the little dogs she plans on boarding on weekends I arranged to have two sections made "doggie escape proof". Total extra cost about $110. While those modifications were underway I noticed about three to four feet of dirt under her corner foundation had washed away. Yikes, that's serious I told her. She asked what needed to be done and how it could be prevented so I found out then told her. That was in early April. I owe the landscaping contractor for the mods (sidebar, he told me to pay him when he came to do the new extra landscaping work that he never showed up to do) and she owes me. In April neighbor lady gives Cathy a call and asks her if we could remind her about the foundation problem come May. Cathy politely told her the extra fence work was completed and the cost plus we would pay the fence guy which she thought that we were saying she didn't have to repay us. But the neighbor lady told Cathy she wanted to pay for the extra work. (That was fine with us!).

Next the neighbor man behind us tells me and the side neighbor lady that the extra work on the fence should have been included when I had the new fence built! So now after he stuck his noise into my business the neighbor lady has yet to and most probably will not pay me for the added "doggie escape proof" mods!

The mouth of May comes around so against Cathy's advice I call our lady neighbor and remind her about her serious foundation problem. She replies that she had forgotten all about it and wanted to know if I knew anyone who could do the work. (What the hell, I would be putting myself into the middle of serious foundation repair work.) Learning from my $110 lose I honestly answered "no". Of course I could have found someone but that's not the point. The point of all my rambling is that this lady could have - 1). Had the special doggie escape proof mods done. 2). Could have easily discovered her foundation was in peril by simply walking in her backyard, oh say, in the past year. 3). Taken my word that her foundation problem is a must repair now situation. 4). Located someone to correctect the foundation washout WHICH SHE STILL HAS NOT DONE!

As the sayings go "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink" and as my dear wife taught me that sometimes I take on others problems even when they don't seem to care. The end of this mess is we're sending a $110 check to the landscape contractor who, as you may already know, has not returned our calls for new work nor returned to repair mistakes he made in the warrantied irrigation system.

The sad truth is I am an upstanding neighbor and tradesmen customer yet in the end I feel like a schmuck. Oh, by the way, the new irrigation repairman will be here tomorrow and I'm looking for another landscaper to take on the new additional work. As for the lost $110 I'll simply go pick the currency from our blooming money tree.

( I don't have a clue as to the expression I should have on my face look )

Goodnight all.

 

[koiguy1969]

 

[Big Lou]

Sorry for whinning like a little kid last night. Was so pissed.

 

[callingcolleen1]

If the truth must be known, I hate grass, takes too much water, excessive fertilizer, and needs constant weeding. I would much rather see large natural areas be placed back under "natural restoration", instead of all the chemicals and constant cutting. If you cut the grass too short, it dies and weeds get a better chance to get rooted in. If you leave the grass till it is too long, lots of baby birds will be hiding in it by then, and will get run over and die a horrible death under the lawn mower. You can't win with grass, and we are obsessed with keeping it perfect, and that takes lots of deadly chemicals.

Here in Medicine Hat, I am very happy to see that the city does not use chemicals on the grass, and we get pretty yellow flowers in the early spring, and the leafs can be eaten by us humans and the pretty yellow flowers are a good source of pollen for bees in the very early spring. The city just mows the pretty yellow flowers down when they turn to grey ripe seeds that blow in the wind. In large open areas that the city USED to keep green deadly chemical grass picture perfect, that area is now under "Natural Restoration" and a sign is placed there to let the people know that the area is now back under "Natural Restoration".

Have you ever noticed on the open prairie, where the ground has not been broke, you will not see the pretty yellow flowers called Dandylions??? They do not grow on the natural uncut, unbroken prairie, they ONLY grow where the natural grass is cut or the ground is broken and tilled. Have you ever noticed how wonderful and beautiful the land is when it is truly natural? There is not rush to water, to cut the grass, or to obsess over every weed in sight.

The other day I was spoke to a lady at work who had lost her dad to cancer. Her dad was a farmer who used some chemical back in the day, and all the farmers used to use that chemical, now those farmers that used that chemical are all dead of the same stomach cancer...... that is what her doctor told her!!!

I only keep a small area of grass now in the front yard that can be maintained naturally, without too much work. in the back, my yard is natural, natural prairie vegatation is coming back. I won't allow my sweet Poppy or Bear to play on grass that is sprayed. I just keep it neat and tidy as best as I can. Two years ago, a big Burdock plant from the praire began to grow. Yes it is a natural plant that gets sticky burs that stick to the dogs fur, but it also flowers pretty purple flowers that every bee in town just loves! The leafs get big and do not get bugged by bugs! It really is a pretty plant, and when my friend who works in a garden centre came to see it, she just loved it! I had it all nice, and placed rocks and mulch all around the pretty plant. My garden centre friend asked me what it was, and remarked on how lovely it was, I then laughed my head off and told her it was a praire weed ..... but really there is NO SUCH thing as a WEED!! Any plant can become weedy....

 

[callingcolleen1]

Big Lou, it is OK to whine and get it off your chest. That is what the good banter thread is for I think? If it makes you feel better that is good, whether I agree or not is beside the point. It is good to get things off your chest and express yourself.... goodness knows I do it all the time!

 

[HTH]

Any plant deemed to be out of place is a weed. If you see a place for a plant in your yard it is not a weed.

An unbroken natural prairie can be quite beautiful. A lot of people in my town have stopped watering their lawns. It would be great to see them seeded to a more native mixture of plants. But for reasons of fire safety it might not be a good idea to let them get to dry. Let a few cows loose to keep it manageable LOL. Nothing is easy.

 

[CountryEscape]

I have lots of "natural" areas in my pasture. the cows and horses love it, and so do I. I, too, have let weeds grow. But, now the weed I thought was the source of energy for black swallowtail butterflies 2 years ago, has begun spreading vigorously in my yard and in my gardens. I have never again seen the caterpillars on it, so it must be a different weed that I let grow back. It is now eradicated whenever I see it, and it's VERY hard to get rid of. Must send tons of seeds out for more babies the following year. Had a huge area of them past my elm trees, but I think the weed b gone took care of them. I like having a nice green lawn, mow it high to help prevent weeds, but here, if I don't do something for the weeds on the 2 acres that I mow, they will take over. I'm all for naturalization, though, just not in my yard. Also, my wild flower garden went kaput this year. Will have to clear and reseed it, I guess.

 

[HTH]

When we were new here we let a ground cover grow that had a pretty little blue flower. Found out it was called goats head and makes these caltrop like spiky things that puncture shoes, tires etc. The plants are gone but we are still running into the caltrops. Man what a mistake

 

[addy1]

I have buttercups, clover, dandelions all grow in the back field. I cut the field off and on, just to keep the darn brambles and poison ivy from coming even more into the yard. With out cutting the field would be gone, pretty quickly to ivy, brambles, vines.

No chemicals used here, too many critters I protect.

We have a ton of flowering weeds, or flowers that grow wild, depends on how you look at them. They get to grow and be happy, No way I can control them.

 

[Big Lou]

North Texas has many, many beautiful wildflowers. The Dept of Transportation has wildflower seed sown in the wide grass expanses.

 

[sissy]

I think I found the best vet in the world .The vet even gives his home phone number and if you need help after the surgery ,he will come to your house .They care so much I was amazed .I took puddles at 7 am and picked him up at 4 pm after he was neutured and what an amazing office staff .45 dollars for that and 23 for all his shots including heartworm and parvo and his rabies shot .Plus pain medicine .

 

[addy1]

How neat Sissy! I am glad you found a good vet and affordable.

 

[sissy]

I could not believe it my self and the place was clean and tons of pics of pets .They were all so nice too and i was amazed when I went back they remembered my name and puddles had friends since there were 4 other chihuahua's there for the same thing.One is going to go up for adoption so I may be getting another one and he is a year old .His name is Paddy how cute is that name

 

[koiguy1969]

THIS IS KIND OF CLEVER... in case the item doesnt have a template with it.... especially if you arent real handy!!!