Last week I had lunch with a friend who follows my blog. We were discussing the Oakland Press paper and she asked me what I knew about the editorial page selections. Specifically, she wondered about the letters to the editor and guest opinions.
Well, I am the wrong person to ask. I am not the editor, but I have asked the same question of editors in the past. I remember calling an editor and asking him how they decided which letters to print. I was told that they printed almost everything they got, within reason, since some folks would write all the time. I was also told that the fact that they printed a letter did not mean they agreed with it.
I found my friend's inquiry rather pertinent when I saw an editorial last week about culling deer. Anyone who reads my blogs knows how tired I am of the destruction they have caused in my yard. But the majority of letters to the editor seem to be from nature lovers who would likely abandon Michigan to allow all the wildlife to take over. The editorial pointed out the errors of their thinking and supported the control of deer.
There are certain syndicated writers on the op/ed page that I always read and others I only read when I want a good laugh at their inanity. Likewise with folks who write 'guest opinions'. I am sure that the paper cannot agree with everyone who writes in, but they provide the opportunity to folks to have their say.
One just has to hope that at some point the editors form an opinion and write an editorial so we see where they stand on the issues.
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Out for a stroll
Last Wednesday I left my home to head over to the library to pick up a book. As I started down the road, what do I see but a coyote out for a brisk walk at two in the afternoon.
I should mention that one of my big gripes when I was on the board of trustees was the levy of the safety path millage. The ballot issue only passed by two voters and I felt then, and still do now, that it should not have been levied without a very good majority. Furthermore, there is very little traffic on any of these paths considering the number of residents we have. And they are darned expensive to construct.
So, back to the coyote who obviously was using the path for its intended purpose. Hey, no risk of a motorist hitting him.
I have seen them before in the Township. One was standing and howling on my deck one night, apparently letting others know that this was his territory. No argument from me as he has killed several small annoying rodents and the like.
So, Mr. Coyote is hiking down the road. I thought I would grab a pic with my cell phone so I turned around and went back to where he was walking. I pulled into a subdivision and he and I made eye contact through the window. He just stood there glaring at me rather curiously. He was unbelievably mangy and looked like he had not eaten in awhile.
I should mention that one of my big gripes when I was on the board of trustees was the levy of the safety path millage. The ballot issue only passed by two voters and I felt then, and still do now, that it should not have been levied without a very good majority. Furthermore, there is very little traffic on any of these paths considering the number of residents we have. And they are darned expensive to construct.
So, back to the coyote who obviously was using the path for its intended purpose. Hey, no risk of a motorist hitting him.
I have seen them before in the Township. One was standing and howling on my deck one night, apparently letting others know that this was his territory. No argument from me as he has killed several small annoying rodents and the like.
So, Mr. Coyote is hiking down the road. I thought I would grab a pic with my cell phone so I turned around and went back to where he was walking. I pulled into a subdivision and he and I made eye contact through the window. He just stood there glaring at me rather curiously. He was unbelievably mangy and looked like he had not eaten in awhile.
Unfortunately, I had run out of the house and left the phone on the counter, so no pic. But I found this on the web and it is very similar to what I saw, though this guy looks much healthier.
"Bambi has to go" and she can take Mother Goose with her!
I just received the latest issue of National Wildlife Magazine. There on page 31 is a story titled 'Oh Deer!'. Oh, dear, indeed!
The National Park Service in Washington, D.C. is busy counting deer in Rock Creek Park. The November 2009 census showed 67 whitetails per square mile. Fort Washington National Park counted 200 deer per square mile. And at Gettysburg, they are shooting the deer, not reenacting battles. (Ahem, Rochester Hills).
Deer eat everything under four feet tall. They'd eat taller stuff, but they can't reach it. Shrubs and seedlings are rapidly disappearing in Rock Creek, with shrub cover down by 40%. This results in less habitat for smaller mammals and birds. Tree regeneration is being affected. But for the deer, it is a bonanza, and thanks to the food, they are now having twins, making the population increase even faster.
Rock Creek has a deer management plan to reduce the population to 15 to 20 deer per square mile using sharpshooters and euthanasia. Not everyone in the area is happy about the plan, but it was one local resident who said at a meeting, "Bambi, has to go".
So, I agree with the woman. And while we are at, let's get rid of Mother Goose too. Plant damage aside, I personally am tired of cleaning deer scat and goose droppings out of my yard. Yuck!
P.S. For those who say the deer were here first, I've lived in my home since 1972 and have only seen deer in the last ten years. I wonder if Mr. Big will be back this fall?
The National Park Service in Washington, D.C. is busy counting deer in Rock Creek Park. The November 2009 census showed 67 whitetails per square mile. Fort Washington National Park counted 200 deer per square mile. And at Gettysburg, they are shooting the deer, not reenacting battles. (Ahem, Rochester Hills).
Deer eat everything under four feet tall. They'd eat taller stuff, but they can't reach it. Shrubs and seedlings are rapidly disappearing in Rock Creek, with shrub cover down by 40%. This results in less habitat for smaller mammals and birds. Tree regeneration is being affected. But for the deer, it is a bonanza, and thanks to the food, they are now having twins, making the population increase even faster.
Rock Creek has a deer management plan to reduce the population to 15 to 20 deer per square mile using sharpshooters and euthanasia. Not everyone in the area is happy about the plan, but it was one local resident who said at a meeting, "Bambi, has to go".
So, I agree with the woman. And while we are at, let's get rid of Mother Goose too. Plant damage aside, I personally am tired of cleaning deer scat and goose droppings out of my yard. Yuck!
P.S. For those who say the deer were here first, I've lived in my home since 1972 and have only seen deer in the last ten years. I wonder if Mr. Big will be back this fall?
Oh, Give me a Home...
And I thought I had a problem with deer! HAH!
The rule in the park is to keep at least 75 feet away from the animals. Someone should have told this guy.
The shadow on the road is from out van going by. We saw lots of bull bison and also went to the Hayden Valley to see the female herd. August is mating month in Yellowstone.
Today at Costco I found Bison Burgers. We had them for lunch in Glacier. They didn't taste much different than hamburger.
Pet Peeves
My first job was for the JL Hudson Company in Downtown Detroit. The greatest part of my time there was spent working in the Bridal Salon on the 7th floor where all the fashionable designer labels were sold, attached to clothes I could not afford. Everyone who worked at Hudson's was required to wear company dictated dress clothes. That meant men and women were in black, dark brown, or navy suits with white blouses or shirts. No question who the employees were. Later, when I got transferred to the Pharmacy, I wore a white lab coat.
When I went to work in the Hospital, at both Detroit General and Hutzel, I wore a white uniform with white shoes. Every day. No exceptions.
After my years at home raising my children, I re-entered the work force and bought lots of new suits. I wore them every day. Most of the staff people at Town Hall dressed more casually. Rarely were clerical people seen in suits. And then they introduced 'casual day'. What the H---was that? Aren't these employees already in casual clothes?
Well, obviously not. Now we had blue jeans, flip-flops, shirts hanging out over our pants (or bermudas), etc. I asked one of my employees if they came dressed to clean out the basement. I hated these days. Sometimes it was downright embarrassing to be there.
Now, as if 'casual days' were not enough, we have 'Bring your pet to work day'. Imagine my chagrin when I was trying to talk to someone at the counter and dogs were barking up a storm. I could hardly hear myself think, let alone carry on a conversation.
I thought I had seen it all until I called and was told recently that it was 'Bring your child to work day'. As a stay-at-home mom for 11 years I can tell you right now that you cannot get a lot done during the day if you are watching your young child, unless you are parking them in front of a TV set.
So, all of this makes me wonder just how busy and over-worked these employees are if they have time to entertain their dogs and children at work. This is WORK, not doggie day-care. And these are my tax dollars being paid to employees to WORK, not baby-sit.
Nuf said.
When I went to work in the Hospital, at both Detroit General and Hutzel, I wore a white uniform with white shoes. Every day. No exceptions.
After my years at home raising my children, I re-entered the work force and bought lots of new suits. I wore them every day. Most of the staff people at Town Hall dressed more casually. Rarely were clerical people seen in suits. And then they introduced 'casual day'. What the H---was that? Aren't these employees already in casual clothes?
Well, obviously not. Now we had blue jeans, flip-flops, shirts hanging out over our pants (or bermudas), etc. I asked one of my employees if they came dressed to clean out the basement. I hated these days. Sometimes it was downright embarrassing to be there.
Now, as if 'casual days' were not enough, we have 'Bring your pet to work day'. Imagine my chagrin when I was trying to talk to someone at the counter and dogs were barking up a storm. I could hardly hear myself think, let alone carry on a conversation.
I thought I had seen it all until I called and was told recently that it was 'Bring your child to work day'. As a stay-at-home mom for 11 years I can tell you right now that you cannot get a lot done during the day if you are watching your young child, unless you are parking them in front of a TV set.
So, all of this makes me wonder just how busy and over-worked these employees are if they have time to entertain their dogs and children at work. This is WORK, not doggie day-care. And these are my tax dollars being paid to employees to WORK, not baby-sit.
Nuf said.
Getting to Know Jack
Yesterday was a very 'off' day for me. I injured my shoulder a year ago while cutting down a large bush in my yard. When traditional medicine could not ease the pain, I opted for the non-traditional (i.e. not covered by any medical insurance). It has been helping, but digging holes to transplant flowers finally caught up with me this spring and yesterday I opted for the prescription muscle relaxant to ease the pain.
If you have ever taken one, you may have had my experience of being completely 'zoned out'. I do not do well on any pain medication.
That being the case, I sat myself in front of the TV set and between naps and dozing off, I watched 'You Don't Know Jack'. (There are many people who think I don't know 'jack' about anything. So be it. I usually feel the same about them.)
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. But what I really got a kick out of was Jack trying to get rid of the geese at the Morris Lake house where he was living. He was using an air rifle to scare them away, but it didn't seem to be working. He had goose poop everywhere.
Last Friday I called Julie Oakes from the DNR to ask some questions about geese. I live on a private park in my subdivision. There is a branch of the Rouge River that flows through it. Once the spring rains are gone, it becomes nothing more than a muddy mess.
Early this spring four geese showed up. They were on top of the children's play structure and I think you can imagine what it looks like in that area. Thank goodness I have no young children playing over there.
I called Julie to get some tips on what can be done. She suggested that I go online and look for deterrents. I found a great light that comes on at night to disturb their sleep cycle. Problem: It costs $349.99. Plus shipping. And the area would need two of them.
She also suggested that the grass go uncut. Easy enough. Geese do not like tall grass. They like to eat well-mowed greenery. Online I found that a six-foot wide swath of uncut grass will keep them from your yard.
I am thinking of placing the deer netting that I used to cover my hydrangeas across the back lot. That would hopefully keep deer and geese away from the lot, at least from the park side.
I cannot imagine what a mess will be back there once the eggs hatch and all of them are grazing. YUCK!
If you Google 'nuisance geese' as Julie suggested, you will find lots of information.
If you have ever taken one, you may have had my experience of being completely 'zoned out'. I do not do well on any pain medication.
That being the case, I sat myself in front of the TV set and between naps and dozing off, I watched 'You Don't Know Jack'. (There are many people who think I don't know 'jack' about anything. So be it. I usually feel the same about them.)
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. But what I really got a kick out of was Jack trying to get rid of the geese at the Morris Lake house where he was living. He was using an air rifle to scare them away, but it didn't seem to be working. He had goose poop everywhere.
Last Friday I called Julie Oakes from the DNR to ask some questions about geese. I live on a private park in my subdivision. There is a branch of the Rouge River that flows through it. Once the spring rains are gone, it becomes nothing more than a muddy mess.
Early this spring four geese showed up. They were on top of the children's play structure and I think you can imagine what it looks like in that area. Thank goodness I have no young children playing over there.
I called Julie to get some tips on what can be done. She suggested that I go online and look for deterrents. I found a great light that comes on at night to disturb their sleep cycle. Problem: It costs $349.99. Plus shipping. And the area would need two of them.
She also suggested that the grass go uncut. Easy enough. Geese do not like tall grass. They like to eat well-mowed greenery. Online I found that a six-foot wide swath of uncut grass will keep them from your yard.
I am thinking of placing the deer netting that I used to cover my hydrangeas across the back lot. That would hopefully keep deer and geese away from the lot, at least from the park side.
I cannot imagine what a mess will be back there once the eggs hatch and all of them are grazing. YUCK!
If you Google 'nuisance geese' as Julie suggested, you will find lots of information.
Deer in the Headlights
Seems like the stories of the week are all about animals. Deer, coyotes, wild pigs. Enough already. First is was the store owner, 'sporting goods', I love it, who had four deer come crashing through his windows. Not the first time it has happened in this area. Check out the video:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/video/video-news/?media=8983079
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/video/video-news/?media=8983079
I have feared the same thing will happen to me at my home. See 'Mr. Buck Stops Here' in my back yard in November. The day before deer season started. Of course, you cannot shoot a firearm or hunt here, so he was safe. And determined to stay. As he stood fifteen feet away from me I told him to go, went inside for the camera, and he waited to strike a pose.
Several years ago I had a cocktail party and the deer provided rollicking in the snow entertainment for my guests. I can't tell you how much money I have spent trying to keep deer from eating everything in my yard. They have six acres of park just behind my house, but like the 'ambience' in my yard and my neighbors for dining out.
As for coyotes, they are welcome here as they have killed the miserable groundhogs that are determined to dig under my deck and right up to the foundation of the house. Another several hundred spent on removing them this year.
As for the wild pigs, I have not seen them. Thank God. Apparently, there was one running wild in Detroit last year.
Rabbits, chipmunks, red squirrels, gray squirrels, hawks. Just an everyday occurence around here. Welcome to suburbia. This place is a zoo.
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