The Old Folks Home

[ChickenCanoe]

Thanks for that.
I've always loved LRB
It's often time for a change.
However it is apropos.
It was almost 80 yesterday and down to freezing tonight.

I have a video somewhere of when I hired an old fisherman to take my family out into pirate's bay (Bahia de Banderas) to go snorkeling at the Marietas Islands.
http://pinlovely.com/hidden-beach-marieta-islands-coast-puerto-vallarta-mexico/
By law you're not really allowed to step out on the beach there but you can snorkel.
On the way out, a huge pod of dolphins joined us. There were so many and the video shows my daughter hanging off the front of the boat just inches from the dolphins leaping and swimming with us. It was so rare that the old sea worn skiff captain was as excited as we were. There were hundreds of them around us. We were all screaming with joy.
Some day, I'll have to learn how to download video and post them here.

 

[Wisher1000]

Apropos to absolutely nothing, I've had this song playing in my head all day. Could certainly be worse!!

Thanks, Bunny, I just had myself a five minute vacation sitting right here at my desk! Very relaxing and refreshing.

 

[bamadude]

Canoe ur childhood fishing hole sounds great. My pond is almost 1 acre. I recently restocked catfish and bream. Gonna stock bass in may. Alot of those species of fish u mentioned are pretty rare in these parts

 

[Wisher1000]

Bamadude, I have three boys that would LOVE to wet a line in your pond! We believe in catch and release, and maybe we could bring some hatching eggs..................

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Canoe ur childhood fishing hole sounds great. My pond is almost 1 acre. I recently restocked catfish and bream. Gonna stock bass in may. Alot of those species of fish u mentioned are pretty rare in these parts

Yeah, we're kind of crossover here between south and north (mason/Dixon line) So we can have species from both climes. I stocked rainbow trout as well but they didn't make it due to summer thermocline and no fresh water flowing in.
However, you have a pond now and I don't. So be happy.

 

[CanuckBock]

Daughter just posted.

"Listen here Sapa, I love you, but I'm going to need you to clear up your fog a bit tomorrow so I can appreciate all you have to offer. Thanks in advance." — at Sapa, Vietnam.

<<TWO PHOTOS>>​

Gardening.
It's supposed to be 33 here tonight. At night, it usually drops about 3 degrees lower at my house than at the airport (about 8 miles away) where they take the temperature.
Fingers crossed for the apricot tree in full bloom, and the other fruit buds swelling as we speak.

Both those photos of your daughter's are totally frameable...incredible...the last one is a classic black and white composition--so magical! Very artistic eye.

Can you not somehow cover the blossoms on the apricots? I know, hardly doable since you don't have that picker thing no mores. Sigh. This is the reason why tomatoes are disastrous here...all it takes is one night where it drops past freezing and game over. Tomatoes go in a greenhouse or why bother...and in the greenhouse, I see temps of 110 and 120 F...yeh...the fans were going 24/7, we draped a darkening tarp over the roof to keep the heat down a bit, and I go about hosing down the gravel inside. Tropical jungle in there.

Latest load of new snow as of April 1st.
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Snow left off the roof of one of the chicken coops...piled up just a smidgen lower than the beginning of where the roof starts...covered my pathway in...I was pouty about it too.

Glad the roof is clear but really?? This is my pathway and I am thinking downhill skis will be the footwear of choice...moguls even?

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See Foamy way way off in the distance of the first snow dump pic?

Bombs away...it does scare you too-- "Ah WHOOMP!" Now if chooks were out (ha ha ha--yeh right!), could get buried...heck, me and a dog could wind up well preserved under that roof load!

So now the next fear is how fast does this snowload melt happen? Are we talking flooding or?

Cripers, some are saying weather is warming up to 14C (57F) next week...after the snow began to slide off on April 1st, I got to continuing to worry about how quickly it was gonna warm up. Needs less extremes! Want more moderate and slow transitions...we have had freezing weather one day in spring and then right into fire season the next day as in 32C (90F)! That is just stoopid!

Not big dragonflies, those three DOTS are copters in the skies...the Chants were all inquisitive about the whole event!​

Last year May 21st, it was like a scene from M*A*S*H with three water bomber helicopters dosing some flames cross the road from us on the next quarter. Dry Dry and HOT! And we had lots of snow too, but not as much this winter. Might see water bombers FILLING UP in the pastures instead this year...har har...eek!

How old is he?
I don't eat cake.
Beer is my one vice that crosses my lips. Well maybe the soy sauce on the sushi - too much sodium - only because I eat so much of it. Kinda defeats the purpose of sushi.
I kid my wife that she planned her trip to be gone before my Bday. Really we planned it together so she could have 2 full weeks there and still be on the same flights and my daughter's return.
The night before she leaves, the wife and I are meeting my son and his girlfriend where they both work for some http://www.katiespizzacafe.com/ famous pizza.
He just started cooking there after he quit an airport Mariott hotel where he wasn't getting enough hours. He had been kitchen manager at http://www.llywelynspub.com/ busiest store.
When he got a scholarship a few weeks ago to Maryville U for an actuarial science program starting in the fall, he said his plan was that he had exactly one more year to be a cook.
He and I are spending my birthday at the newly opened http://www.stlballparkvillage.com/ to celebrate Bday and the home opener of the 2014 world series champion Cardinals.

Well at least you like to eat your grains in beverage form (hee hee) and not in cake flour.

Rick is a year older than you will be on Monday. But all that said, you are only as old as you feel.

Some days he is like a sixteen year old boy with a new license. Yesterday after waiting quite a time (hate the pull system of inventory...ordered them Valentines Day for me Sweety Pie and the company had one in stock and then because he wanted three, had to wait for them to MAKE the other two before shipping three here)...the three chrome wheel covers came in yesterday.

Well there was just NO stopping him trying the one over the spare on the small trailer. Yup, I figured for sure he'd bust something, himself or the cover...still too cold out to be messing outside but well, we all know boys and their toys. Get outta the way, eh?

The blue is a removable coating to protect my favourite colour--the chrome.




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He also got word his 1928 one ton Chev wooden wheels have been completed...my my my...they sure look spiffy nestled into those powder coated green felloes! Gonna be some spring a ding dong...new round stuff on a whole assortment of vehicles...yee haw!

And good, you have major nice plans for Monday...sounds like you are going to be having a real good fun time. Was not sure if your son was close by and what a nice father/son time you will have. Good...good food, good fun and sounds like wonderful entertainment in a baseball game! Luv you have a bird for your team mascot! "GO Cardies!" <-- Not sure if that's the right cheer, am useless as a fan...I never watch sports, only use to be a player...never a spectator!


Rick has a bunch of fish too for our widdle pond...nothing as spectacular as you guys though with your very monster sized water features! Really neat to imagine fishing and never having to leave home...

I could fish too but well, I think it would be no contest to get all these SUCKER LIPS to bite on bait. More like slimy pets than proper fish. Couple are huge too, more than a meal on the BQ but I don't think I could stand eating a pet.

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One Butterfly Koi we moved here with, so it is 17 years old and still giving it. That's the oldtimer fish (orange and black) on the far bottom right.

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The fish all winter vacation in a stock tank in the garage as the 450 gal stock tank freezes solid each winter.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[bamadude]

Bamadude, I have three boys that would LOVE to wet a line in your pond!  We believe in catch and release, and maybe we could bring some hatching eggs..................

anytime. We practice catch and release into hot grease or on a hot grill. I wont be able to get an incubator until may. We bought a rental property and ran into alot of unseen hurdles while fixing it up. We cant really afford to buy an incubator until we start getting rental income flowing in. I have a tenant moving in may 1st. Anytime after that will be fine. Oh and i may need advice on which incubator will suit me and my budget

 

[CanuckBock]

I'm sorry, Dragonfly! Make yourself a jamb-up, professional resume and start getting it out there! I wouldn't wait too long, though. If you start looking while it is not urgent that you get a job, you can afford to be more selective. Also, prospective employers don't like extended leave from employment on a resume. They think it means you really don't want to work. Good luck!

Absolutely Wisher! The other thing that is OK for an absence in employment is "went back to school." Self-improvement, sense of self worth and investing IN yourself. A great way to climb up the corporate ladder...started in the "mail room" and working your way up. There are a ton of "unemployed and never been working" persons, that have educational credentials but never worked a day of employment in their lives; lived in their parent's basement because they never wanted to work in positions BENEATH their vision of success. HA! My kid worked at the local grocery store during high school, then at London Drugs in the evenings while he attended Tech School & still making the honour roll every year. He worked and got educated at the same time...now he is doing nicely for himself...gets called a "keener" at work but phhht...I love keeners!

I started the employment journey even before high school ended; pumping gas, cleaning salmon at a cannery, and waiting tables!

I will always remember what a friend's mother would say. She was a single mother back when it was way less common and a lot more difficult to get work (kept getting told the promotions and raises were for MEN...men who supported families--agh!). What this hard working lady said (even drove highway truck...Trucker Lady!), "the more physically harder the work, the less they pay."

It is hauntingly true.

I remember this to be the case in far FAR too many instances. Bodies wear out, joints and backs and labour; all bring hurting in what should be our golden years. I remember going thru pairs of white nursing shoes (yeh, people in the restaurant would look shocked as this moose of a person lumbered over to their table in white hoofed footwear--I serve you food & keep your cup full of coffee, get over the get up!)...rubbed the rubber soles off on that industrial restaurant carpet. I worked hard for minimum wage and a few tips. Was fun, yes, and always managed to have some jingle in my pocket, paid the rent, got deals on meals there at half price, and was able to afford to buy smokes...but to think of me doing that now...??? Oh heavens...I'd be exhausted and wore right out if I was just the Hostess (with the Mostest)!

I remember those days well and I now tip 20% and more because those people are there working their tushes off so I can be SERVED. I remember and respect their work for wages...it was HARD WORK of real worth. So people can enjoy a good meal with good service.

The service industry is also a cycle you can get roped into and never get out of. I see no difference in my years waiting tables compared to my years counting beans past the pay was better and the physical work, far less. Time to work smarter for better returns. We have so many hours for wages IN us in a lifetime...I say hedge the bets to get a higher hourly wage so when you do retire, you have more $ to enjoy.


Off the dome of my old noggin, some job tips fer you Dragonfly if you like...not sure where you are seeking employment but I worked for two provincial governments, winning several fly to them secondments, and volunteered with the Feds for income tax. Interviewed by headhunters and on down...IQ tests and personality ones and "how many hairs on your head you had!"

Good book, "Knock 'Em Dead" by Martin Yate. Has help for when interviewers ask you bizarre questions like "to tell me a story," to more normal ones like "where do you see yourself in five year's time." Even how to deal with illegal questions and the whole kitten kabootle.

Your resume's only job is to get you the interview...your only point of an interview is to get noticed in a nice way and hired! Your offer of the job meeting is where you negotiate your salary with perks and set up the next scheduled review of your performance where you will expect another raise because you are such an asset to the company...

See if your previous employer will write you a nice reference letter...if you do take more schooling, get a reference letter (if your marks are good!) from your Prof.

What I am hearing now is that people FAKE degrees (can't imagine doing that...I got my transcripts on the wall behind me...PROOF!), people are cheating like no tomorrow on exams (nobody cares to even confront them on it!), and there are bazillion e-mailed resumes for jobs. Hard to stand out from the pack as a good hire.

You can get noticed in nice way by printing off your resume (hold on to copies of your letter of references...bring them to the interview if asked OR after the interview and you WANT the job, you can make contact again to thank them about the interview and enclose scans of the references--all about getting noticed and remembered in a good way, not nag them but rise to the top of the pile). You get all nicely dressed up (I have THREE outfits reserved for the job interview process, more on that) and hand deliver the resume...use nice paper (water marked linen is fab!), nice envelope and you get to CHECK out the place in person--see the layout, do the people there look content, do you like the atmosphere...see yourself working there? Do a bit of sleuthing of the company...history, knowing their company motto and what products or services they supply--how many employees, etc. Show interest in them, so they show interest in you.

Outfits...I only ever wear these for the job hoopla process. Always fresh and clean in the closet ready to don for the armed to hunt bear job processes.

1 - Navy suit jacket and longish skirt with crisp white ironed shirt under...NO pattern...maybe Aunt Horror wore houndstooth or paisley all the time AND beat the Interviewer with a clothes hanger? Always flesh tone nylons with sensible matching nice quality flat shoes to match in colour--leave the stiletto heels at home for your dates.
2- Maybe a black or a brown toned suit (pending what colours you look good in)--jacket and below knee skirts, again no pattern and maybe a cream shirt long sleeves (always--formal with long sleeves, never casual, you might have to take the jackets off to do a typing or computer test).
3- Another suit coat of whatever colour you look good in and a matching set of slacks. Very business like but the slacks are a good choice if you make the cut and are off to the testing round of things. Again you can throw on one of the long sleeved shirts under--same cut you like but in a different colour and it changes the whole look, dress up with a silk scarf if you like, always no patterns. Always sensible good shoes so you are not fidgeting or uncomfy. Have a pair of shoes you drive in and keep the shoes you wear inside the meeting nice and perfect.

NO gum, no smoking, bring a subtle breath mint and brush your teeth and your tongue! Ordering spaghetti or salad if it is a lunch meeting can be disastrous and no dangly earrings. Avoid perfumes or overly scented soaps...you want to be clean but not SMELLY! Conservative in everything...if you got tattoos, cover them up...the corporate world don't smile upon your Harley Hog Sow banners...not that I would expect you to think it fine to show up with an egg white and glued Mohawk...unless you are applying for work in a tattoo parlour or the Angels saloon to sling beers! Then sure, dress for success there.

Basic hygiene in order--no overly RED lipstick, 6 inch red hot nails polish, big hair, etc. Goes without saying, Do NOT drink the night prior or day of...you are going to be nervous and if you care about the job, the interviewer will know you are going to be nervous because, well you WANT the job.

Arrive early, pack spare nylons or at least clear polish to stop the run, turn off your cel phone when you arrive, bring a lint brush (dogs always make me in a navy suit look like snow storm happened) and Kleenex (If your nose never runs, it will there) and any medication if you say have allergies (can be in the vehicle and you can always excuse yourself), don't need to have an attack AT the interview--might blow the job opening but better to be that than dead or in the hospital...you can put a bit of talcum powder in a sealed baggie in the pocket of your jacket to dry your hands on if you get sweaty, warm your hands up because you will probably have to shake a few hands (not kiss any babies tho), if you did not know the exact location of the job interview, make a round to find it so you are NOT late. Use the bathroom some place prior to the interview...gas station or whathaveyou and put some bottled water in the vehicle for after the interview...some offer you coffee or tea, I usually go for water in case you need to re-freshen when answering the stream of questions...Oh yes, bring a pen that works and a spare and a note pad. I need to write down the questions and review my answers...it looks and is professional to be taking notes and being composed during the interview. Remember you can always ask them politely to repeat the question and think of your answers before you speak.

Take a deep breathe, SMILE and go get them Tigress!

That's it for me now...ask me if you have any more questions I obviously overlooked.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[pollo randy]

I have chicks a day old and one in particular is very aggressive button the others feet he even pulls them off balance. Has anyone ever seen this before or no what's going on? The brews is Rhode island reds

 

[ronott1]

I have chicks a day old and one in particular is very aggressive button the others feet he even pulls them off balance. Has anyone ever seen this before or no what's going on? The brews is Rhode island reds

If the chick is not drawing blood, it is likely pecking order stuff. They do start that very early sometimes. If there is blood, you need to separate the injured one and use blue kote to hide the wound.

That does not often happen with chicks as young as yours!