REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

In the garden, and RAIN!!!!

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Tuesday, November 1, 2022 17:55
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VIEWED: 697645
PAGE 107 of 231

Saturday, September 12, 2020 10:36 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Well... If you're sure it's safe.

Fingers crossed for you.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Saturday, September 12, 2020 11:58 PM

BRENDA


It was very productive SIG. Always good to get recycling done then I can see what the next I need to is.

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 12:03 AM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
I've been wondering why sometimes the smoke lofts really high and creates grey and orange skies, and sometimes it's down here at ground level, where it's definitely hazy (can't see to the end of the street) and has a really, really strong smoke smell. According to the news last night, it has to do with the density of the smoke particles.



Environment Canada people have been talking about small particles in the smoke that has been blown up here. Which is why the air advisories for older people and those with lung problems.

Weather said it might clear up a bit tomorrow. I hope so as Vancouver just hit a dubious honour. Worst air quality in the world for Saturday.

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 2:44 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Well... If you're sure it's safe.

Fingers crossed for you.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

I'll let you know how it g....

KABOOM!!



Select to view spoiler:


Sorry. Just couldn't resist! I appreciate the concern.






-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 6:05 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Hey Signy ... while I'm virtually certain that pipe goes nowhere important (could your place ever have had a gas lamp?), the precaution principle where you take into account the magnitude of the problem should something go wrong I feel applies here. In other words, be very careful just in case b/c it would be a major disaster for you if the gas company was wrong.

Also, it's interesting that your gas line was replaced - apparently on the QT. We all received notification in my neighborhood, because they needed to access the meter to make the final connection, and they wanted no dogs in the yards. Now that I think about it, elsewhere in the country, the gas meters have transponders that are read essentially by radio from the street. I wonder of these new lines came with new high-tech meters. And hmmm . maybe I should have one of them new-fangled earthquake shut-off devices installed. They're essentially a ball that gets knocked off its perch onto the gas line inlet valve seat to the meter, blocking the flow. The new-fangled ones can be reset without opening the valve, using a magnetic lifting device to lift the ball off the shut-off valve and back onto its perch.

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 6:10 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Hey Brenda! Jeez but it's too bad about your bad air! I'm sure you're hearing to avoid doing anything physical outdoors as much as possible, and to stay indoors as much as possible.

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 1:10 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Well... If you're sure it's safe.

Fingers crossed for you.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

I'll let you know how it g....

KABOOM!!



Select to view spoiler:


Sorry. Just couldn't resist! I appreciate the concern.






-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK



Hehe.

I agree with Kiki on this one though.

As a matter of ROI, I would heavily weigh being inconvenienced slightly by digging into something that shouldn't be there on occasion as a much better outcome and not worth risking the potential of being blowed up. However small those odds are.


I've been told by two people when I moved in here that there is a large shutoff valve somewhere for my plumbing that was installed 20-30 years ago which would keep any sewage from backing up into my house when it floods. Once by a retiree who lived here since the 60's and recently passed away, and once by the guy who now runs the plumbing company who supposedly did the work back when his father was running things. There is no record of this work, and the guy who owns that company lives around here and looked all around and could find no such thing.


Granted, my story is about water, which is quite a bit less dangerous, but people just didn't tend to keep very good records about any of this, and I certainly wouldn't take the word of some employee of a company that wasn't there when any of the work was done and couldn't tell me exactly what and why that pipe is doing there.


But it's not as if any of you living there are He-Man and you're just going to expose a 2 foot section and rip the whole damn thing out of the ground.

Obviously, you've got a lot of digging ahead of you. If you're going to do it, just dig around the whole thing first and don't cut anything until you have the entirety of the pipe exposed. And hope that there aren't any connections made anywhere that bring it further underground and would keep you from pulling it up and out.

If that ends up being the case, and you can't find places where it is obviously cut-off and open ended and the whole thing can't just be lifted out, I would recommend you ask the gas guys to come out one final time to inspect it again once you've exposed everything and get the okay that it's safe to cut it and start removing it.

Really. Good luck.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 3:20 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


HEY SIGNY! READ THIS!

I hope I got your attention!

I can think of one way that pipe could not be a gas main to your house and still be a live line - and that's if there was a post-meter gas-burning item - like a gas lamp - which btw people have done and still do have installed.

If it was a gas-burning item, and if people had it removed by simply capping off the lamp end of the pipe - rather than, say, removing it and capping at the meter - that line could still be filled with pressurized gas.

Aside from being extra careful around that line, maybe you should call in a contractor licensed to work on gas lines, and have jawn look at to to see if it's a gas-type line, and/or unambiguously trace all the exit lines from your meter to their destination.

When it came to my 2!!! defunct gas mains buried on my property, I was absolutely sure that there was only one line exiting my meter, and that it only went 2 places - the hot water heater, and the clothes dryer. The lines all ran in the crawlspace and nothing dove into the dirt anywhere, so I absolutely knew where every bit of them went.

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 3:55 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
HEY SIGNY! READ THIS!

I hope I got your attention!

I can think of one way that pipe could not be a gas main to your house and still be a live line - and that's if there was a post-meter gas-burning item - like a gas lamp - which btw people have done and still do have installed.

If it was a gas-burning item, and if people had it removed by simply capping off the end of the pipe - rather than, say, removing it and capping at the meter - that line could still be filled with pressurized gas.

Aside from being extra careful around that line. maybe you should call in a contractor licensed to work on gas lines, and have jawn trace all the exit lines from your meter.

When it came to my 2!!! defunct gas lines buried on my property, I was absolutely sure that there was only one line exiting my meter, and that it only went 2 places - the hot water heater, and the clothes dryer. The lines all ran in the crawlspace and nothing dove into the dirt anywhere, so I absolutely knew where every bit of them ran.



The gas in the supply line coming to your house is at considerable pressure: at least 40 psi, maybe more. The gas METER isn't just a meter, it's also a reducing valve, which reduces the pressure to about 7 inches pressure of water (28 inches = 1 psi) ... considerably less than what's coming in your supply line. So gas appliances must be POST METER. Also, the gas company would never install a pre-meter "T" because that would allow the homeowner to use un-metered, and therefore unbilled, gas.

I have one supply line into the meter, which I have been told by two people is plastic and which I have confirmed has a plastic sleeve and a yellow locator wire sticking out at the meter end. That line runs from the curb, about 18" or so inside our property line, next to our neighbor's front lawn. Our meter is on the front corner of the house, where the foundation is closest to the incoming supply line.

I have two post-meter house ("building") lines both of which penetrate the foundation and presumably run under the house, away (at right angles to) the main supply line.

The pipe in question runs along the property line, pretty much where they marked the main supply line, but (a) It's an iron pipe, not plastic and (b) It's too shallow to be a gas supply line and (c) It has a PRE-METER "T" in it, which runs across the front yard, about 15' from the house. That pipe, which runs across the front yard and which was heaved up by big tree roots, is the one I want to dig up.

Even assuming that the gas company fucked up and laid a pipe too shallow, and even assuming that they "replaced" the pipe by shoving a plastic line thru it into the meter, because of that pre-meter "T" it's HIGHLY unlikely to be a gas supply line. And even if it was, they would never re-install a pre-meter "T" into a defunct leg, so even if that line was a supplyline (doubtful) that leg would have become defunct once a new supply line was inserted.

And finally ... the former irrigation system was all iron, as was the house plumbing. We repiped our house partly because all of the hose bibs and iron fittings in the yard were rusting in the ground and breaking, and (inconveniently) there was no separate shutoff for the irrigation system, so we had to shut off the main water supply in order to do yard repairs. We have all kinds of iron pipe in the ground in the backyard, so why not the front yard as well?

So, for a variety of reasons, I'm 99.5% confident that what I'm looking at is an irrigation pipe, not a gas line of any sort. But just tp be on the safe side, when we cut into the pipe (at the farthest end that I've unburied, just before it goes under the walkway to our front door) we'll make a cautious notch in the pipe first and check for gas before going any further.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 4:15 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Oh - I pretty much discounted it being a supply line. I'm just concerned it was a previous owner's retrofit to a now-removed item like a gas lamp. (That's considering all the other 'work' the previous owners did!) If I were doing what you're doing, I'd first make sure that I had a handy wrench on the gas meter to shut if off just in case, and I'd not be putting my face directly over the line while cutting it, just in case.

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 5:07 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Hey Brenda! Jeez but it's too bad about your bad air! I'm sure you're hearing to avoid doing anything physical outdoors as much as possible, and to stay indoors as much as possible.



I'm in today and all windows are closed as well. I'll get my walk in tomorrow but a lot of it will be in the local mall, so I limit my exposure.

I'll also be careful for the whole week as long as this goes on.

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 7:02 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


You know Brenda, maybe I'm wrong, but I don't recall you posting about going to the mall to walk until you moved into your new place. So, I think this counts as yet another reason to be happy you are where you are!

But you have an even better, and closer exercise opportunity - the stairs! (Assuming your knees can take it ...)

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 11:56 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
You know Brenda, maybe I'm wrong, but I don't recall you posting about going to the mall to walk until you moved into your new place. So, I think this counts as yet another reason to be happy you are where you are!

But you have an even better, and closer exercise opportunity - the stairs! (Assuming your knees can take it ...)



You know Kiki. I think you are right. It is another reason.

I've got a mess of paper that I shredded the end of last week that needs to go down to the recycling bins tomorrow. I'll do it after I get back and that will give me some extra exercise.

I try not to walk the stairs too much in this building. 10 flights is a lot and my knees don't like that much.

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Sunday, September 13, 2020 11:58 PM

BRENDA


Well, the smoke is now going to be going across country. Environment Canada says that it could reach as far as Quebec.

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Monday, September 14, 2020 3:58 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
You know Brenda, maybe I'm wrong, but I don't recall you posting about going to the mall to walk until you moved into your new place. So, I think this counts as yet another reason to be happy you are where you are!

But you have an even better, and closer exercise opportunity - the stairs! (Assuming your knees can take it ...)



You know Kiki. I think you are right. It is another reason.

I've got a mess of paper that I shredded the end of last week that needs to go down to the recycling bins tomorrow. I'll do it after I get back and that will give me some extra exercise.

I try not to walk the stairs too much in this building. 10 flights is a lot and my knees don't like that much.



Some people just walk down the stairs, which is good exercise too. Or you could just go up a couple of flights, exit the stairwell and take the elevator the rest of the way. You can't start exercising with a BANG! especially if you have bad joints. (It's like I tell dear daughter: muscle soreness is OK, but JOINT soreness is a whole 'nother thing! Don't mess up your joints!)

I like walking, too.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK

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Monday, September 14, 2020 4:02 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Oh - I pretty much discounted it being a supply line. I'm just concerned it was a previous owner's retrofit to a now-removed item like a gas lamp. (That's considering all the other 'work' the previous owners did!) If I were doing what you're doing, I'd first make sure that I had a handy wrench on the gas meter to shut if off just in case, and I'd not be putting my face directly over the line while cutting it, just in case.



Ready with a wrench at the meter.

OK!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK

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Monday, September 14, 2020 1:33 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
You know Brenda, maybe I'm wrong, but I don't recall you posting about going to the mall to walk until you moved into your new place. So, I think this counts as yet another reason to be happy you are where you are!

But you have an even better, and closer exercise opportunity - the stairs! (Assuming your knees can take it ...)



You know Kiki. I think you are right. It is another reason.

I've got a mess of paper that I shredded the end of last week that needs to go down to the recycling bins tomorrow. I'll do it after I get back and that will give me some extra exercise.

I try not to walk the stairs too much in this building. 10 flights is a lot and my knees don't like that much.



Some people just walk down the stairs, which is good exercise too. Or you could just go up a couple of flights, exit the stairwell and take the elevator the rest of the way. You can't start exercising with a BANG! especially if you have bad joints. (It's like I tell dear daughter: muscle soreness is OK, but JOINT soreness is a whole 'nother thing! Don't mess up your joints!)

I like walking, too.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK



True enough and with this all happening I just might do some of that later in the week. But I need a bit of groceries today. So outside it is. Just not picking up anything heavy.

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Monday, September 14, 2020 3:44 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Ready with a wrench at the meter.

OK!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK

Just be careful Signy !!! It'll probably be OK but there's potential for serious harm if it's not !! Also - since you have no sense of smell, listen extra hard for any sounds of gas escaping !! And maybe get a bucket of soapy water ready for testing.

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Monday, September 14, 2020 4:42 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.



‘Unpredictable’ Bobcat fire shifts and grows as local emergency is declared

More than 350 households in Arcadia and Sierra Madre remain under evacuation orders Monday as flames from the Bobcat fire creep toward San Gabriel Valley foothill communities.

The fire, which has grown to more than 36,000 acres since igniting Sept. 6, remains at 6% containment. The U.S. Forest Service said Monday there had been “significant western growth” toward Mt. Wilson and the Chantry Flat area in Santa Anita Canyon, marking a shift from last week’s northeastern expansion.

“Crews today will be focused on strengthening and improving the fire line between the south end of the fire and the foothills communities,” the Forest Service said. Nearly 900 firefighters have been assigned to combat the blaze.

Residents of Monrovia, Bradbury, Altadena, Duarte, Pasadena and parts of Sierra Madre remain under an evacuation notice and should be prepared to leave their homes if prompted.

In response to the fire, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Sunday signed a proclamation declaring a local emergency.

“Conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property arose as a result of the Bobcat Fire,” the proclamation said, adding that the fire “has created conditions that are or likely to be beyond the control of local resources and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions.”

The emergency declaration will help the county accelerate requests for financial resources and additional support for the area, said Helen Chavez, assistant director for the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management.

“We can procure things — items, supplies, personnel — much, much faster,” Chavez said. “A lot of the red tape is cut.”

The proclamation will be subject to a ratification vote at the Board of Supervisors’ regular meeting Tuesday, although Chavez said that was “largely a formality.”

It’s not just flames that have residents concerned. Smoke from the fire is contributing to poor air quality throughout the region, and smoke advisories have been extended through Monday in most of Los Angeles County and parts of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Altadena resident Kevin Lingenfelser described “a strong, burning, mesquite-like smell” that had lingered for several days.

“My primary concern is for our safety and our home,” Lingenfelser said. “We’ve lived [in La Vina, Altadena] since the community was built in 1998. I don’t want to go through what we had to with the Station fire of 2009, where we had to evacuate for several days.”

Although mandatory evacuation orders have not been issued in Altadena, Lingenfelser said he and his wife and two daughters had “packed just in case.”

The air quality forecast calls for moderate to unhealthful air in Los Angeles County, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and smoky air from the fire is so strong in parts of Eastern Los Angeles that Pasadena City College closed its campus Monday. The L.A. Zoo and the Los Angeles County Arboretum remain closed because of smoke as well.

Current air quality readings in Los Angeles are hovering in the 150-200 range, which is considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” according to EPA air monitoring site AirNow. The air quality index, or AQI, is reported on a scale of 0 to 500, with zero representing good air. Measurements higher than 301 are considered hazardous.

“I can definitely smell smoke this morning,” said Mike Bruckner, deputy city manager in Arcadia.

Bruckner said most residents had complied with Arcadia’s evacuation orders, and several others left voluntarily. He credited bulldozer lines and hand crews for helping keep the fire from making its way into the community, and said that the priority for the rest of the day would be “continuing to monitor the progression of the fire.”

Residents of the area received additional bad news Sunday when estimates for containment of the fire were pushed back by two weeks to Oct. 30.

Angeles National Forest spokesman Andrew Mitchell said the decision to push the date was based on the size of the fire, the amount of personnel available and “the unpredictability of this fire so far.”

Mitchell said wind gusts up to 15 mph were expected during the day, but he attributed much of the fire’s current growth to the dry vegetation fueling the blaze.

“It’s completely terrain-driven at this point in time,” Mitchell said.

A virtual public meeting with representatives from the fire has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday. The meeting will be held via Zoom and can be accessed on the Forest Service’s website.

People in need of immediate assistance can contact the local Red Cross via the Disaster Distress Hotline at (800) 675-5799, and residents should continue to monitor local alerts and be prepared to follow official orders.

“I always try to reiterate the fact that evacuation orders are serious,” Mitchell said. “Make sure to go.”

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-09-14/bobcat-fire-shifts
-and-grows-as-local-emergency-declared




Fortunately, it's not coming in my direction. So all I'm dealing with is the air quality, which has been dreadful.

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Monday, September 14, 2020 5:47 PM

BRENDA


The air wasn't too bad when I first went out as there was a good breeze then that went away. Can really smell smoke now depending on which direction you are in. :(

I'll find out when I watch the news later.

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Monday, September 14, 2020 5:48 PM

BRENDA


Shredded paper taken down and I will soon be finished with all the old paper that I had around. Yay! me.

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Monday, September 14, 2020 5:52 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


YAY YOU!! big big

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Monday, September 14, 2020 8:52 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


$100 worth of fascia is up, and I'm now ready to put up the gutters whenever my guy is.

Originally, after ordering, I thought I might have overbought quite a bit on the fascia trying to be conservative. I ended up with little over 2 feet of extra (5 pieces) with a total of around 79 feet installed, so I'm pretty pleased with myself there. Lots of intricate cuts on the ends that required me to make templates from the old aluminum (a brainstorm I came up with last night and paid dividends). I couldn't possibly have done a better job doing this today. Professional level stuff, and only factory cut edges showing anywhere.

Tomorrow I'm going to firm up my measurements for the order and get the quote from the gutter guy. I'm also going to get up on my ladder and cut down whatever branches and limbs I can get to before the gutters get installed, and then figure out my first move with sealing that foundation in.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, September 14, 2020 9:06 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

SIGNYM:
Ready with a wrench at the meter.
OK!

KIKI: Just be careful Signy !!! It'll probably be OK but there's potential for serious harm if it's not !! Also - since you have no sense of smell, listen extra hard for any sounds of gas escaping !! And maybe get a bucket of soapy water ready for testing.



Well, wrench was not necessary. Thanks to hubby and his sawzall, and dear daughter and her sense of smell, we removed about 20 ft of pipe today. The only thing that came out was water.

It did look like black pipe, but I guess somebody decided to use black pipe for irrigation? Anyway, there's at least another 80 ft buried here, there, and elsewhere. but I'm not going to go looking for it. If I hadn't have hit it with the shovel so many times, I wouldn't have bothered with this either.

Also had a LONG phone appointment with our lawyer today. I made a number of changes to our estate documents that had the lawyer tearing her hair out, and altho a lot of the changes were minor (for example, had the "exculpatory clause" entirely removed) I have much greater peace of mind because I feel all the i's were dotted and t's crossed. That way, if something is ever contested, our personal representative will have a leg to stand on in court.

So, yay! I'm looking forward to getting the draft for review!

BUT, our puppy-wuppy is acting kinda sick. Or at least weird about food. She bit into a baby lizard on our walk yesterday (at least, I THINK she did! I didn't actually see anything in her mouth.) and when we got home she threw up. So I gave her 1 50:50 mix of broth/water to make sure she was well-hydrated, and even since then she's been refusing people food. She's been eating her dry dog food, and she likes the smell of people food but won't eat it. I wonder if she has pancreatitis, or maybe the lizard had salmonella (like with red-eared slider turtles, it happens) or possible IF she ate the lizard maybe the lizard ate something that disagreed with her. But she seems to have her usual energy and interest, so I'll just keep an eye on her and make sure she's not losing weight.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK

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Monday, September 14, 2020 9:20 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Shredded paper taken down and I will soon be finished with all the old paper that I had around. Yay! me.

If only I could say the same!

Good on you, BRENDA!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK

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Monday, September 14, 2020 9:21 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
$100 worth of fascia is up, and I'm now ready to put up the gutters whenever my guy is.

Originally, after ordering, I thought I might have overbought quite a bit on the fascia trying to be conservative. I ended up with little over 2 feet of extra (5 pieces) with a total of around 79 feet installed, so I'm pretty pleased with myself there. Lots of intricate cuts on the ends that required me to make templates from the old aluminum (a brainstorm I came up with last night and paid dividends). I couldn't possibly have done a better job doing this today. Professional level stuff, and only factory cut edges showing anywhere.

Tomorrow I'm going to firm up my measurements for the order and get the quote from the gutter guy. I'm also going to get up on my ladder and cut down whatever branches and limbs I can get to before the gutters get installed, and then figure out my first move with sealing that foundation in.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

OMG your house is going to be a thing of beauty! Amazing progress, and lots of energy over there, SIX!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK

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Monday, September 14, 2020 9:44 PM

THG


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
$100 worth of fascia is up, and I'm now ready to put up the gutters whenever my guy is.

Originally, after ordering, I thought I might have overbought quite a bit on the fascia trying to be conservative. I ended up with little over 2 feet of extra (5 pieces) with a total of around 79 feet installed, so I'm pretty pleased with myself there. Lots of intricate cuts on the ends that required me to make templates from the old aluminum (a brainstorm I came up with last night and paid dividends). I couldn't possibly have done a better job doing this today. Professional level stuff, and only factory cut edges showing anywhere.

Tomorrow I'm going to firm up my measurements for the order and get the quote from the gutter guy. I'm also going to get up on my ladder and cut down whatever branches and limbs I can get to before the gutters get installed, and then figure out my first move with sealing that foundation in.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

OMG your house is going to be a thing of beauty! Amazing progress, and lots of energy over there, SIX!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK



Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I thought this was interesting

Quote:

7 Ways the Pandemic Has Changed How We Shop for Food


When the coronavirus hit, even the most enthusiastic cooks had to adjust to a new, more complicated relationship with their kitchens.

For the first time in a generation, Americans began spending more money at the supermarket than at places where someone else made the food. Grocers saw eight years of projected sales growth packed into one month. Shopping trends that were in their infancy were turbocharged.

The six-month shift has been a behavioral scientist’s dream. Shoppers began by building bomb-shelter pantries. Then came a nostalgia phase, with bowls of Lucky Charms and boxes of Little Debbies offering throwback comfort. Soon, days were defined by elaborate culinary stunts, sourdough starter and kombucha clubs.

Although kitchen fatigue is setting in for many, a new set of kitchen habits have been set.

“People are moving on to more complex cooking, and we don’t see that going away,” said Rodney McMullen, the chairman and chief executive of Kroger, where sales rose 30 percent at the onset of the pandemic, including big jumps in the pasta aisles, the beer and wine department and baking supplies, including a 600 percent jump in sales of yeast.

He and others in the business say the Covid-driven return to the kitchen could change grocery shopping forever.

“This is a pivotal time in our history,” said Anna Nagurney, a professor in the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts who studies supply chains. “Not all of what we’ve seen will stick, but a lot of it will.”

Here are seven ways the pandemic has already changed the way Americans shop for food:

1. Trips Are Fewer, Lists Are Better

The need to avoid infection has taught people how to get by on fewer trips to the store, and to make good shopping lists.

“People now go to the store with purpose,” said John Owen, the associate director for food and retail with Mintel, the market analysis group. “The number of trips went way down, and the size of the basket went way up in April. We have eased back on that, but not by much.”

Before the coronavirus, 19 percent of Americans shopped for food more than three times a week, according to a study by the management firm McKinsey & Company. That number had dropped to 10 percent by June.

“My typical grocery shopping before the pandemic was very much ‘I am going to decide today what I feel like making for dinner tonight, and stop on the way home and get what I need,’” said Lizzie Bowman, 39, a marketing director at American Public Media who lives in Minneapolis.

She has streamlined her shopping to once a week. “It’s more of a stock-up, but not a crazy kind of hoarding stock-up.”

She won’t go to stores that don’t set good health protocols, and leans into those that offer more local and regional food. Her regular rotation includes a food co-op, Trader Joe’s and the regional chain Lunds & Byerlys.

“It has made me a better planner and more aware of what I like to buy where,” she said. “I am so much more purposeful about where I choose to shop.”


2. Online Aisles Are Bustling

A year ago, 81 percent of shoppers surveyed by Gallup said they never turned to the internet for groceries. Online shopping was lolling at around 3 percent of all grocery sales, or about $1.2 billion, according to a survey by Brick Meets Click/Mercatus.

But in June, online grocery sales in the United States hit $7.2 billion.

“Even my parents are getting increasingly used to using their iPad,” said Mr. McMullen, 60, the Kroger chairman. “There are millions of people who have gotten used to cooking. They’ve found out they enjoyed it, and they’ve gotten used to tech and are understanding the benefits.”

The race for their dollars is on. In a challenge to Amazon Prime, Walmart last week announced a new $98-a-year subscription service that offers same-day delivery on 160,000 items. Instacart is more than doubling its work force, and new services like Rosie are popping up.

Curbside pickup, delivery’s sibling, has also exploded. Stores are converting parking lots to better handle traffic from shoppers who drive by to pick up orders. Companies including Kroger and Whole Foods Market are opening what are becoming known as “dark stores,’’ designed solely for picking up or delivering orders placed online.

Farmers have found their way onto the internet, too. Online orders are up more than 10 times over last year for farms that use Barn2Door, an e-commerce site for farmers, said James Maiocco, the site’s chief operating officer.

Roxanne Wyss and her work partner Kathy Moore, professional cooks in their 60s who live about 25 miles apart in the Kansas City area, are two unlikely converts to online food shopping. They met 38 years ago in the test kitchen at the Rival Company, which invented the Crock-Pot, and have been teaching and writing cookbooks together ever since.

With recipes for two cookbooks to test and no desire to risk infection, they began to shop online in the spring. Neither dreamed that it would be three and a half months until they stepped back into a supermarket.

They have found ways to work the angles online. Developing a texting relationship with whoever picks out their groceries helps assure they get the quality they expect. Some stores deliver more reliably than others. Curbside pickup lets them avoid the extra costs that come with delivery from services like Instacart.

Now they’re back in the store, where they enjoy browsing for new products and communing with other shoppers. And, of course, it’s always better to pick your own produce.

Still, they consider themselves permanent converts to online shopping. “If there is a surge in the virus, we will return to ordering everything online,” Mrs. Moore said. “And it will be wonderful to turn to online when the weather is treacherous.”


3. Orange Is the New Snack

Produce sales have been riding high since March, and are still up 11 percent from a year earlier, said Joe Watson, a vice president at the Produce Marketing Association. But one item is a real outlier: oranges.

In May, grocers sold 73 percent more oranges than during the same month in 2019. Even into July, sales remained 52 percent higher than a year before.

“Oranges were a surprise, but they are popular from an immunity standpoint,” Mr. Watson said. They also last longer than some other fruit, which matters when people are going to the store less often, he said.

Sales in the category that grocers call “natural products” were growing before the pandemic, but they blew up when it arrived. By mid-March, they were up 78 percent over the year before, according to the market research firm IRI.

“Consumers are very cognizant about doing what it takes to stay healthy,” said Shelley Balanko, a senior vice president at the Hartman Group, a consumer research company. “We think the trend is going to stick around because people just really can’t afford to get sick, on a variety of levels.”


4. Redrawing the Store

Pandemic shopping has ushered in wider aisles, new methods of sanitation and less-crowded stores. And shoppers want these changes to stay.

“It became clear to me pretty early on which stores were being thoughtful and which were not,” said Ms. Bowman, the Minneapolis shopper, who spent almost 10 years working in the marketing department of General Mills. “I look at everything. I am a real nerd in the grocery store, so store optics matter a lot to me.”

Health concerns have also accelerated the growth in payment apps and self-checkout. Walmart is testing a new system that replaces traditional checkout lines with an open plaza ringed by 34 terminals. Shoppers can scan their purchases, or wave down an employee to do the scanning for them.

Kroger intends to double down on customer choice, offering an array of options including self-checkout stations and an app that allows consumers to scan and pay as they shop, as well as traditional cashiers.

“The infrastructure of the grocery store will continue to improve, and service will continue to get better,” said John Owen, the associate director for food and retail at Mintel. “And it’s only a matter of time before stores will be much bigger to accommodate the increase in traffic.”

Still, some physical changes are fading. Publix, the 1,250-store chain based in Florida, recently ended its enforcement of one-way traffic in aisles, after customers complained.

5. Choices Are Shrinking

After decades in which American supermarkets expanded to offer a dizzying selection of products and brands, they are pulling back on variety.

There are no more free samples (a health risk) and fewer specialty promotions. Shoppers, intent on getting in and out quickly, are sticking to items they already know. Online shoppers, guided by algorithms and autofill, are less likely to make impulse purchases.

Grocers have found that they can still do a brisk business with fewer choices. Displays at the end of aisles are more likely to hold bulk packages of staples than new products looking to break into the market. Instead of offering both conventional and organic leeks, for example, a store may stock only the organic, Mr. Watson said. By reducing choices, stores can more easily surf the ups and downs of the supply chain, which are also limiting what’s available.

Shoppers are being more economical. Retailers report more interest in house brands. In a July study by the Food Industry Association, three in 10 shoppers said they were buying more store brands than before the pandemic, a quirk that grocery analysts say will likely become a habit, especially if the economy worsens.

Dried beans may be another economic indicator. They were the unexpected darling in the early days of pandemic shopping, lifted by the embrace of heirloom varieties and recipe-sharing on Instagram. Normally, sales drop in the summer, but not this year.

“We are still seeing a surprisingly strong demand for dried beans,” said Vince Hayward, a member of the third generation to lead the Camellia brand, whose red kidney beans are the staple of the New Orleans table. He likes to think that demand is steady because people fell in love with beans, but he realizes that economic insecurity could be driving sales.

“I feel like we’ve experienced the earthquake, and now the tsunami’s on the way,” he said.

6. The Freezer Is Hot

Frozen food is another surprise breakout. Sales initially jumped by 94 percent in March from a year earlier, according to the American Frozen Food Institute. That initial rush abated, but even in August, sales remained up almost 18 percent. Costco, whose sales are up 15 percent over August a year ago, attributes some of the growth to strong frozen food sales.

Initially, shoppers were loading their freezers in what some in the grocery business politely refer to as “the initial pantry filling.” For some consumers, frozen fruit and vegetables became a less expensive and more reliable alternative to fresh. And then there was a simple reality: Some days it is just easier to pull a meal from the freezer.

Once shoppers started exploring the freezer case, they found tastier new options.

“Frozen had a lot of momentum coming into the pandemic,” said Mr. Owen from Mintel. “A lot of the growth is coming from small brands that have healthier, clean labels or vegetarian lines. People are discovering that product quality and taste has improved.”

7. ‘Local’ Is a Bigger Lure

The fragility of the supply chain, concerns over health and safety and an appreciation of community have buoyed the movement toward food that is raised or produced locally.

Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Wyss both began ordering deliveries of eggs and milk from a local dairy, and they split a quarter of beef. There are waiting lists for community-supported agriculture subscriptions. Struggling restaurants have turned into provisioners. Grocers are teaming up with chefs to sell meal kits. Locally grown produce is selling out quickly.

It’s all part of a greater awareness about healthy eating, food waste and climate change, as well as a desire to keep money in the neighborhood.

“I’ll be damned if I’m buying a pear from Australia right now,” said Sean Gullette, 52, a filmmaker, writer and actor who feeds his family of four mostly from Foodtown, an independently run store across the street from his home in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, that is part of a three-state grocery cooperative.

During the difficult, early days of the pandemic, Mr. Gullette watched the store staff scramble to find creative ways to get staples like bread on the shelves and deliver groceries to people who couldn’t get to the store.

He had already been friendly with the family that owns it, but now he sees them in a new light.

“I love my Foodtown brothers,” he said. “You realize what a crucial link of the chain these guys are. There are a bunch of people creating this thing that we are deeply dependent on for something so intimate, for what we put in our bodies. It has completely changed how I think about grocery shopping.”



-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK



T

Stupid people don't know they're stupid, and they certainly don't realize how obvious it is to others.

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Monday, September 14, 2020 10:49 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
OMG your house is going to be a thing of beauty! Amazing progress, and lots of energy over there, SIX!



I still haven't even touched the porch yet.

Going to have to wait on that till next year. Getting too late now, but it's still wrapped up good and not getting wet until I can get proper windows and a good door on it.

Already have most of what I need to rehab the 1st floor except for new flooring for the kitchen and probably some primer for the walls and paint for the cabinets and some new shiny hardware for them.



Glad you didn't blow up with the pipe project.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, September 14, 2020 11:27 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
YAY YOU!! big big



This is big. It was sooo much.

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Monday, September 14, 2020 11:29 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Shredded paper taken down and I will soon be finished with all the old paper that I had around. Yay! me.

If only I could say the same!

Good on you, BRENDA!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK



I'm sure you will SIG. It just takes time is all. Now, I have the time and the ability to deal with it.

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Monday, September 14, 2020 11:36 PM

BRENDA


Fun time in my province over the weekend.

I apologize for saying the smoke I smelt today was coming up from the US. Turns out it was coming from the river that my city sits beside. Part of a wooden pier burned last night. News said that the fire started at 8pm Sunday night. It's still smoldering but the rain we're getting now hopefully will help a little bit but the fire department has to bring some heavy equipment to get at what is burning below ground.

Also someone AGAIN damaged the Sea to Sky gondala ride up at Squamish. Cut the cable again. Got lucky again too as they did it at 4AM Sunday morning. The ride owner had upped their security too after reopening in February on Valentine's Day. And people just got back to work after the lockdown.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020 6:58 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Fun time in my province over the weekend.

I apologize for saying the smoke I smelt today was coming up from the US. Turns out it was coming from the river that my city sits beside. Part of a wooden pier burned last night. News said that the fire started at 8pm Sunday night. It's still smoldering but the rain we're getting now hopefully will help a little bit but the fire department has to bring some heavy equipment to get at what is burning below ground.

Also someone AGAIN damaged the Sea to Sky gondala ride up at Squamish. Cut the cable again. Got lucky again too as they did it at 4AM Sunday morning. The ride owner had upped their security too after reopening in February on Valentine's Day. And people just got back to work after the lockdown.



No need to apologize, Brenda. No offense taken.



Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020 7:03 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Finally pulled the trigger on a MASSIVE step ladder. Same one they have at my local store, but since I had no way of getting it home without calling in a favor or renting a truck I just ordered it online. It's $45 cheaper to have it shipped to my house. Crazy.

It's 6 feet taller than the one that I've got, so with that and my 14ft pole I shouldn't have too many problems removing the branches and limbs far enough away from the house so I don't have to worry about raccoons again. I probably was already able to do that, but since a few of these actually extend above my roof fairly high, now's the time to do it before the gutters are installed.

Excited.





Not exactly sure where I'm going to store it though. I did a great job clearing out the garage and only having things in there I need, but a 50lb giant ladder was not part of that equation. I might have to have it blocking up my work bench for a while until I figure something out.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020 10:50 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.



Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Well, wrench was not necessary. Thanks to hubby and his sawzall, and dear daughter and her sense of smell, we removed about 20 ft of pipe today. The only thing that came out was water.

It did look like black pipe, but I guess somebody decided to use black pipe for irrigation? Anyway, there's at least another 80 ft buried here, there, and elsewhere. but I'm not going to go looking for it. If I hadn't have hit it with the shovel so many times, I wouldn't have bothered with this either.

I'm very relieved !!! And congratulations on clearing out that obstructive piece of pipe!
Quote:

Also had a LONG phone appointment with our lawyer today. I made a number of changes to our estate documents that had the lawyer tearing her hair out, and altho a lot of the changes were minor (for example, had the "exculpatory clause" entirely removed) I have much greater peace of mind because I feel all the i's were dotted and t's crossed. That way, if something is ever contested, our personal representative will have a leg to stand on in court.

So, yay! I'm looking forward to getting the draft for review!

I admire your focus and ability!
Quote:

BUT, our puppy-wuppy is acting kinda sick. Or at least weird about food. She bit into a baby lizard on our walk yesterday (at least, I THINK she did! I didn't actually see anything in her mouth.) and when we got home she threw up. So I gave her 1 50:50 mix of broth/water to make sure she was well-hydrated, and even since then she's been refusing people food. She's been eating her dry dog food, and she likes the smell of people food but won't eat it. I wonder if she has pancreatitis, or maybe the lizard had salmonella (like with red-eared slider turtles, it happens) or possible IF she ate the lizard maybe the lizard ate something that disagreed with her. But she seems to have her usual energy and interest, so I'll just keep an eye on her and make sure she's not losing weight.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

#WEARAMASK

I hope puppy-wuppy gets better soon. My kitty seems to be lethargic and threw up twice yesterday. Tho he's hungry as well.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020 10:56 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Fun time in my province over the weekend.

I apologize for saying the smoke I smelt today was coming up from the US.

No problemo!
Quote:

Turns out it was coming from the river that my city sits beside. Part of a wooden pier burned last night. News said that the fire started at 8pm Sunday night. It's still smoldering but the rain we're getting now hopefully will help a little bit but the fire department has to bring some heavy equipment to get at what is burning below ground.
Interesting.
Quote:

Also someone AGAIN damaged the Sea to Sky gondala ride up at Squamish. Cut the cable again. Got lucky again too as they did it at 4AM Sunday morning. The ride owner had upped their security too after reopening in February on Valentine's Day. And people just got back to work after the lockdown.
That really does seem to be a target for serious mischief. It's too bad but I think the owner's going to have to invest a lot in even more security.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020 12:18 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


How the Bobcat fire grew into a unique menace that’s evading firefighters


More than a week after the Bobcat fire ignited in the rugged terrain of the Angeles National Forest, it has emerged as an unusual menace that has evaded fire crews and threatened local communities — despite burning no homes and causing no injuries.

The fire has contributed to days of terrible air quality in Los Angeles, with residents reporting “mesquite-like” smells and a “powdery layer of haze” amid smoke advisories from the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

It also has managed to outwit firefighters, even in the absence of powerful Santa Ana winds that failed to materialize as predicted last week. Instead, officials say, the Bobcat fire’s power lies in two factors: its location and an inadequate supply of firefighters.

But climate experts warn there are larger factors at play.

“This fire was man-made on many levels,” said Bill Patzert, a climatologist who spent several decades at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge.

Record heat, population growth, fossil fuels and other factors related to climate change have contributed not only to the state’s unprecedented fire season, Patzert said, but also to the particular challenges of the Bobcat fire.

“It took decades to build this disaster,” Patzert said. “This didn’t come out of nowhere.”

By Monday night, the fire had burned more than 38,000 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service, and the containment level dropped from 6% to 3%.

“It has been evasive,” Angeles National Forest spokesman Andrew Mitchell said Monday. “Where we’re trying to catch it, it’s still jumping out a bit.”

Containment estimates for the blaze have been pushed back by two weeks, to Oct. 30, much to the disappointment of residents in the nearby foothill communities. Parts of Pasadena, Altadena, Monrovia, Bradbury and Duarte have been contending with evacuation notices for more than a week, while some neighborhoods in Arcadia and Sierra Madre were ordered to evacuate Sunday when winds shifted.

“It’s completely terrain-driven at this point,” Mitchell said. “The area where the fire is situated hasn’t burned in 60, 70 years.”

That decades-long buildup of dried vegetation can act as fuel for a hungry fire.

“Here’s the ecological bottom line,” fire ecologist Richard Minnich said. “The more burns in a given area, the smaller and more manageable fires will be in the future.”

The blaze has also changed direction several times. Last week, it appeared to be moving deeper into the northeastern portion of the forest. On Monday, it was creeping south and west again, toward Mt. Wilson and the Chantry Flat area in Santa Anita Canyon.

One area of deep concern is the 116-year-old Mt. Wilson Observatory.

“While we hope the Observatory makes it through relatively unscathed, the battle could go either way,” Sam Hale, chairman of the Mount Wilson Institute Board of Trustees, wrote Monday. “We cherish the historic telescopes on the mountain that revolutionized humanity’s understanding of the Cosmos and hope they will be safe.”

David Cendejas, superintendent of the complex that houses 18 of the observatory’s astronomical wonders, watched as flurries of ash fell like snow Monday afternoon. He and several other staffers spent the morning introducing more than three dozen firefighters to the emergency systems and backup electric generators strategically located on the property, which is perched on a 5,710-foot mountain shaded by pines and oak forests.

They included a water tank connected to a high-pressure pump built in 1970 and last used when the observatory was rescued from the snarling flames of the Station fire in 2009 after a firefight that lasted five days and four nights.

As billowing columns of smoke turned the sky orange and gray Monday afternoon, firefighters in 12 engines were girding for the arrival of the flames, which would trigger a screeching blare from large horns on the observatory’s gleaming white dome.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Capt. Keith Stires with the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. “We are committed here.”

Beyond the worried neighborhoods and beloved observatories, the Bobcat fire is threatening the Cogswell Dam, which along with San Gabriel Reservoirs in the San Gabriel Mountains above Azusa is providing water for firefighters. On Monday afternoon, flames also were approaching the Santa Anita Dam, less than a mile above Arcadia.

“We’re approaching winter storm season, and that infrastructure is critical to protect downstream communities from potential flooding,” said Kerjon Lee, a spokesman for the agency.



The Bobcat fire is one of more than two dozen blazes burning in California, and resources are stretched thin. Although nearly 900 personnel have been assigned to the fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, officials say it isn’t enough.

“The amount of personnel we have is very low for this size of fire,” Mitchell said. “And we’re spread thin throughout the state.”

Patzert said that although fire has always been part of the natural ecology of California, mass migration to the West Coast led to the development of areas that might otherwise have been less populous. (The state’s population has nearly quadrupled since 1950, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.)

“We’ve moved into areas where classically, we never built, because they were burn zones,” Patzert said. “When you create this great megalopolis of 20 million people [in Southern California], you create your own heat.”

Last month proved to be the state’s hottest August on record, and temperatures have spiked even higher in September.

“We were set up for fire up and down the entire state,” Patzert said. “Northern California had a dry winter, and these heat waves in August really set us up. It just dried everything out.”

Conditions were so ripe for ignition that six of the largest fires on record in California are burning right now.

And although the Bobcat fire has not yet claimed a structure or a life, many Angelenos, faced with another day of hazardous air, are beginning to despair.

“It’s a boxed-in feeling,” said Carole J. McCoy, an artist who lives in North Hollywood. “Not being able to go outside, because I have asthma and allergies, takes away the one thing that was a sense of freedom and peace.”

McCoy was one of many L.A. residents who relied on time outdoors as a respite from stay-at-home orders issued amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But coronavirus, too, has proved no match for the fire: Smoke was so strong in parts of eastern L.A. that three coronavirus testing sites — the Pomona Fairplex, the San Gabriel Valley airport and Panorama City — will be closed Tuesday because of unhealthy air.

“You could make a list of factors here that all came together,” Patzert said of the myriad explanations for the Bobcat fire. “Some call it a perfect storm, but I call it a perfect disaster.”






https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-09-15/elusive-bobcat-fir
e-became-a-dangerous-menace-without-burning-any-homes

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020 1:50 PM

BRENDA


Out for my walk. I'll catch ya'll later.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020 5:54 PM

BRENDA


I was coming back from my walk today and felt something warm on my face so I looked up into the sky and the sun is back. It's hazy but there it was. Just a big beautiful ball of light.

Also there is blue sky now. Yay!

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020 5:58 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Fun time in my province over the weekend.

I apologize for saying the smoke I smelt today was coming up from the US. Turns out it was coming from the river that my city sits beside. Part of a wooden pier burned last night. News said that the fire started at 8pm Sunday night. It's still smoldering but the rain we're getting now hopefully will help a little bit but the fire department has to bring some heavy equipment to get at what is burning below ground.

Also someone AGAIN damaged the Sea to Sky gondala ride up at Squamish. Cut the cable again. Got lucky again too as they did it at 4AM Sunday morning. The ride owner had upped their security too after reopening in February on Valentine's Day. And people just got back to work after the lockdown.



No need to apologize, Brenda. No offense taken.



Do Right, Be Right. :)



Just the Canadian in me coming out Jack. First thing we think of is to apologize when we put a foot in it or something else.

Reflex.

Same thing happens in stores. 2 people trying to go the same way will each say sorry to the other then put out a hand for the other to go first. This whole encounter can last a couple of minutes until someone decides to actually continue walking.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020 6:09 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Fun time in my province over the weekend.

I apologize for saying the smoke I smelt today was coming up from the US.

No problemo!
Quote:

Turns out it was coming from the river that my city sits beside. Part of a wooden pier burned last night. News said that the fire started at 8pm Sunday night. It's still smoldering but the rain we're getting now hopefully will help a little bit but the fire department has to bring some heavy equipment to get at what is burning below ground.
Interesting.
Quote:

Also someone AGAIN damaged the Sea to Sky gondala ride up at Squamish. Cut the cable again. Got lucky again too as they did it at 4AM Sunday morning. The ride owner had upped their security too after reopening in February on Valentine's Day. And people just got back to work after the lockdown.

That really does seem to be a target for serious mischief. It's too bad but I think the owner's going to have to invest a lot in even more security.



Thanks. Like I said to Jack. Just my Canadian showing.

Like I said it is a wooden pier so the pylons and some of the structure that is under the sand and asphalt is still smoldering. To get at that they need earth movers and such. They'll be working on it today.

Weird thing about the ride is that its been in operation for over 40years and just in the last year and now has anything happened. The owner put up cameras around it so hopefully the preps were caught on film. That will definitely make it easier for the RCMP. Though they don't seem to be trying to hurt anyone as I've said this has all happened in the wee hours of the morning. So, don't know what is going on. Now, people are out of work again until it is fixed AGAIN.

Again sorry for doing my post this way but I didn't want to make a mess of it.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020 6:10 PM

BRENDA


Hey SIG. I hope puppy-wuppy feels better too and your cat as well KIKI.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2020 2:38 AM

BRENDA


Got rain here tonight. Must have started after 7pm my time. Hope that helps with tomorrow. Just have to see.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2020 12:04 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Hey SIG. I hope puppy-wuppy feels better too and your cat as well KIKI.

THANKS! and Einstein thanks you, too.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2020 12:06 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Got rain here tonight. Must have started after 7pm my time. Hope that helps with tomorrow. Just have to see.

Oh blessèd rain. Please send some to NoCal if you can - and if there's some to spare, to SoCal too. It'd be much appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2020 1:28 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Hey SIG. I hope puppy-wuppy feels better too and your cat as well KIKI.

THANKS! and Einstein thanks you, too.



He is welcome. Interesting name for a cat.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2020 1:29 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Got rain here tonight. Must have started after 7pm my time. Hope that helps with tomorrow. Just have to see.

Oh blessèd rain. Please send some to NoCal if you can - and if there's some to spare, to SoCal too. It'd be much appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.



Washington State got it too. I would love to send it all down the west coast while keeping a chunk of it for BC. I've never been so glad to see rain in all my life.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2020 1:31 PM

BRENDA


Out for my walk in a bit. Got a couple of errands to get done. Taking my umbrella as a precaution. Hood on my jacket is gone as the zipper broke when I washed it.

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Thursday, September 17, 2020 1:35 PM

BRENDA


Out for my walk in a bit.

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Thursday, September 17, 2020 3:55 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.




Evacuation warnings for Antelope Valley as Bobcat fire expands

As the fire swelled to over 50,000 acres, some people in the southern Antelope Valley are being told to be ready to leave their homes.



Fortunately, it's not moving toward me.

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Thursday, September 17, 2020 6:30 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:


Evacuation warnings for Antelope Valley as Bobcat fire expands

As the fire swelled to over 50,000 acres, some people in the southern Antelope Valley are being told to be ready to leave their homes.



Fortunately, it's not moving toward me.



Glad it's not moving towards you KIKI.

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