Fasting BG 2021

[skb]

Yeah Grammabear, unfortunately there is very little containment of these fires right now but they are putting a lot of effort into protecting the trees.  One fire is called the Windy fire and it is now over 85,000 acres and only 2% contained and threatens trees along the "Trail of 100 Giants" in the Sequoia National Forest but not in the park.  The other fire is the KNP complex which is two fires that joined and in in the Sequoia National Park  and is around 47,000 acres and only 8% contained so these fires will be burning for a long time.

I've been reading about those fires in the news here. 85000 acres is almost a city size fire. And this is an annual feature in California. From what I understand, and Wally do correct me if I am wrong, this has been an always ongoing phenomena, not related to global warming. I wonder how large tracts of forest have survived over the millennia.

[Grammabear]

103 this sunny morning.  64 deg F (79/50 deg)

The weather has been beautiful the past few days and slowly it is cooling off.  We had fresh green beans from the garden for supper last night, probably for the last time this season.

Soon my DH will begin digging up the flower bulbs that have to be 'wintered' over until next Spring when they can be replanted to grow outside once again.

[walkerwally1]

Yeah Grammabear, unfortunately there is very little containment of these fires right now but they are putting a lot of effort into protecting the trees.  One fire is called the Windy fire and it is now over 85,000 acres and only 2% contained and threatens trees along the "Trail of 100 Giants" in the Sequoia National Forest but not in the park.  The other fire is the KNP complex which is two fires that joined and in in the Sequoia National Park  and is around 47,000 acres and only 8% contained so these fires will be burning for a long time.

I've been reading about those fires in the news here. 85000 acres is almost a city size fire. And this is an annual feature in California. From what I understand, and Wally do correct me if I am wrong, this has been an always ongoing phenomena, not related to global warming. I wonder how large tracts of forest have survived over the millennia.

Yeah SKB, wildfires are a common thing in the Western USA and the big Sequoia trees have a natural resistance to fire and actually benefit from occasional fires cleaning out the area but the long drought has caused the fires intensity to be so great that they are not able to withstand it.  These fires and others in the West are much more difficult to control because of the really dry conditions which is probably an effect of global warming.

[walkerwally1]

95 this morning.  It is going to be a bit cooler today with a high around 88°.  Yesterday the smoke was the worst we have had and it was like a heavily overcast day that dimmed the sun.  Today it looks a lot better so maybe the direction has changed.

[bigskygal]

107 this cloudy, drizzly morning.

73° was the high yesterday, today's forecast is 57°/37° with periods of rain. Wish I could send it to CA...

Well, I got a surprise yesterday, a new little gray kitty popped up from under the deck! I had thought I saw it a few days ago but wasn't sure. So far looks like only one this time, thank goodness! Sadly my old guy has been absent for 3 days now, sadly I think he is a goner. And I have a new visitor a mama racoon has brought her baby over for two nights to feed on the left over cat food on the porch. That baby is sooooo cute!You cannot view this attachment.

[Grammabear]

107 this sunny morning.

We are going to have company for a few days.  My younger son and his two "pups" are coming for a short visit.  We enjoy watching the pups play together.

Barbara - The new kitty is a surprise.  I wonder how it gets along with the others in the area?  And a Momma Coon and her baby?  Wow...such excitement.

[walkerwally1]

81 this morning.  Cooler today and in the mid 80s for the next few days but the smoke is still around although not as bad as Monday.
Neat picture Barbara.  I'm kind of surprised that we never saw racoons when I lived up on the mountain but maybe the dogs kept them away. 

[bigskygal]

108 this partly cloudy morning.

53° was the high yesterday, today's forecast is 61°/34°.

Sounds like your in for a fun visit Kathy! Oh and I meant to mention that I haven't had a bloody nose since I started using the Ayr. Thanks for telling me about it!!

Yeah, Wally I expect the dogs kept the coons away from your other home. I was concerned about the mama coon and the kittens so did some research and apparently they get along fine. Night before last when the coons were here one kitten was sitting right there on the bench and couldn't have cared less.

Yesterday afternoon my old guy, Meow Kitty, came home. I think Mama is trying to drive him away. They got in a loud howling fest which I broke up by feeding them. He ate a whole can of food! He isn't here now but he usually comes around in the afternoon so not too worried yet.

Baby kitten is still too small to even get up the steps but the older kittens seem to accept it just fine down in the yard when they are adventuring.

[Grammabear]

103 this cloudy morning.  86/55 deg F.

All young animals are fun to watch.  Their energy levels are high and admirable.

Wonder how Momma Coon knew there was food on Barbara's deck?  Smart animal?

[walkerwally1]

82 this morning.  We are looking at temps in the mid 80s for a few days and that is where I like it.  Smoke is still here but not nearly as bad and it is mostly clear.
Yeah Grammabear, they are pretty smart and good at finding food anywhere.  When I lived in the San Gabriel Valley it was in the town but near the mountains and it was not unusual to see racoons in the neighborhood and they got into everything.  One time a neighbor caught one and put it in a portable cage to take it up in the mountains to release it  the next day.  The cage was held closed by a hasp that was secured with a hook.  He left the cage outside planning to take the coon to the mountains the next day but that morning when he went outside the coon had figured out how to open the cage and was gone. 

[bigskygal]

119 this blue sky morning.

59° was the high yesterday, today's forecast is 71°/41°. It was 29° when I got up this morning at 8:30, but it is warming up nicely.

Grammabear, Wally is right the racoons are very smart. Mama has been coming around for a while in the evenings to clean up the kitty food. She is now teaching her baby the good places to find food.

No Meow Kitty yesterday, but a second baby kitten popped up and they both made it up on the deck and started eating the dry food left in the bowls. I'm hoping 2 is all there is.

[skb]

One time a neighbor caught one and put it in a portable cage to take it up in the mountains to release it  the next day.  The cage was held closed by a hasp that was secured with a hook.  He left the cage outside planning to take the coon to the mountains the next day but that morning when he went outside the coon had figured out how to open the cage and was gone. 

Wow. That was pretty smart. I've seen a lot of wild animals do smart things. Monkeys are the most fun to watch. They have an intricate social structure and I can spend hours observing their behaviour within their clan. One afternoon I spent about 4 hours on a 'machan' waiting for a resident tiger to make an appearance at a water hole. Instead a large group of 'langoor' trotted in, soon followed by another group. After so many years, as I write this, I can visually recall their patterns of behaviour and their antics. Memorable. 

[Grammabear]

100 this sunny morning.

I enjoy reading the stories about animals that are more clever than we give them credit for.  A relative once had a horse that was kept in a stall that had a sliding bolt lock on the door.  He was kept in the stall at night time to keep him safe from wild animals outside.  He 'learned' how to release the lock to his stall and found the large bag of grain where he treated himself to extra oats.  Not good for him though as he got a horrible stomach ache from eating too much and the vet had to be called.  Even after all of that, he still tried unlocking the stall door.

[walkerwally1]

88 this morning.  Weather here continues to be nice with clear skies, no smoke  , and temps in the 80s.  It looks like we will start to see a cooler October and a little more like Fall.
Yeah, animals can be really surprising at how smart they are.  When I got married my wife had a cat and he was quite a character.  He somehow learned to open a door by jumping up and wrapping his arms around the doorknob and actually turning the knob and kicking the door jam with his back foot to open the door.  How in the world he figured that out I will never know and I wouldn't have believed it but I watched it as he did it.
He was also intrigued by the swirling of the water in the toilet when it was flushed and would jump up on top of the toilet tank and push the flush lever and watch the water.
How in the world did he figure out how to do that ?

[bigskygal]

128 this cloudy rainy morning. Don't know where that came from, but it is what it is.

65° was the high yesterday, today's forecast is 66°/39° with periods of rain.

Meow Kitty was back again yesterday and new kitten total is still 2, phew!

When I lived in the Sierras, DH and I used to feed the racoons mostly stale bread but some leftovers too occasionally. On the day DH passed away, 4-5 of them lined up along the driveway as the coroner wheeled him out to his van down on the street. It was touching to see. Not sure if they were paying respects or thinking they had scored a big snack!