Dang Deer

Back in South Carolina we had some bird feeders out. But we had to worry about the wildlife getting to the seeds. We had a squirrel proof feeder that, at least, one squirrel figured out how to defeat. I finally figured a way to keep the squirrel out, but keeping a local raccoon out was much harder. You can read about the battles here.

Here in Klamath Falls we have seen very few gray squirrels, our yard and immediate neighbors don’t have any nut bearing trees, so none have discovered the bird feeders. We did see one raccoon cross the street at dawn a week or so ago, but it wasn’t the problem.

About three weeks ago the two bird feeders that are out front (one ours and the other the neighbor’s) were getting emptied out practically overnight about every 3rd or 4th day. At first we thought maybe a flock of birds were showing up and just gorging themselves. But then one day the neighbor’s bird feeder was laying empty on the ground and while ours was still hanging, it was empty as well and one side had the spring-loaded perch broken off.

I filled them both up again and the next morning they were completely empty. It had snowed lightly overnight and there was a half inch of accumulation on the ground and in that snow were a set of deer tracks leading right up to the bird feeders. Aha! A clue. One real reliable way to keep deer out of a birdfeeder is to place it high enough that they can’t reach it, about 8 feet up, this is not really an option I wanted to take.

The other one sure way is to take the darn thing down every evening and put it back up every morning. This is the way I have chosen to go. I go out early 4 days a week to get the local newspaper anyway… To help me not forget to do this1 I have downloaded an app that allows me to set an alarm for sunrise and sunset.

Well, That Was A Nice Surprise

A month ago I wrote about the 2020 Moss Motoring Challenge and how it was the last one and it looked like we finished out of the money. In today’s mail was an envelope from Moss Motors and inside was a $50 gift certificate.

Wow, that was not expected, but thank you very much. I guess because it was the last year of hosting this event they were extra generous with prizes. In spite of COVID-19 there were 6 people who scored 304 points, only missing the five points each for visiting the Moss warehouses. Also probably because of the pandemic there were quite a few who signed up (looks like about 200 total) and nearly half scored no points at all.

I have already spent the prize money on some new silicon wiper blades. When I drove the Miata to the a doctor’s appointment back in January it started to sprinkle on the way back and when I turned on the wipers they squealed like a stuck pig. Needless to say, on the short drive home, they were used sparingly.

I Haven’t Posted Anything In A Week

Miss me? I was busy binging seasons 4 & 5 of The Expanse whenever I had some computer time. I watched the first 3 seasons when they were first released. I started season 4, Watched episode 1 and part of 2, before stopping with our move into our own new universe.

Promptly forgot about it until season 5 started last December. But when I heard they were going to start experimenting with a weekly release of episodes, decided to wait until they dropped them all. That way I could binge all of them at once.

I may rewatch all five seasons from the beginning this coming December to coincide with release of the sixth and supposed final season, we’ll see.

Masks

This has sitting in my drafts folder since October which was right after I bought some face masks online (the Mark III.) I was going to write a little review and compare it to the first masks used to keep us from breathing in virus particles, but never got around to it. Now, having just bought some more from someplace else, I thought now was the time to write about something that has basically become daily wear.

Mark I Mask

Mark I – We made these in house not long after it was recommended that folks wear face coverings as a prevention device. Three layers. The two outside are of old pillowcase with a center section of dish towel. We had some 1/4″ elastic that I cut in half lengthwise for ear loops. Worked out OK, but they were loose fitting and non-adjustable. We made just two, one for me and one for her. This one is mine because it had a B written with Sharpie on it.

Mark II Mask

Mark II – Donna found someone locally that was making them in their home on Facebook. They were $5 each and made of a couple layers of some sort of cotton material. But, you could get them in all sorts of patterns. The patterns were mostly aimed at women and children. They were sized that way also, as mine were a bit small for my face. And the closest we could get for men was Star Wars themed! The ear loop elastic was narrower than ours and were adjustable by retying the knot in a different spot which made them a bit more comfortable, we bought two each.

Mark III Mask

Mark III – I found these from an Instagram ad in my feed. These folks, Bows-N-Ties, are a in San Francisco and had a bountiful selection of patterns aimed as business folks (you could even get matching ties to go with the mask.) They were their 1st generation masks of two layers of cotton for $7.50 each. Again we bought 2 each. The ear loops were easily adjustable and more comfortable than the others. These were supposed to be anti-fog for us glasses wearers, while better than our first two masks, metal wire didn’t hold up through several washes. It was easier to just take off our glasses when wearing them. While bigger than the homemade masks, these were still a bit small for me.

Mark IV Mask

Mark IV – From another Instagram ad, this is my most recent purchase. This is a company in Kansas that make the self-proclaimed World’s Best Undershirt, Mr. Davis. They are $12 each, but the second one was 1/2 off, so in essence they are $9 a piece. I bought two. These have nice adjustable ear loops and a flexible nose bridge that seems to work better than the Mark III (we’ll see how it holds up.) There is also a built in filter pocket and flexible ends for sealing at the cheek area. The big draw though was it came in three sizes. I bought the large and it fits my whole face, from top of nose to under the bearded chin.

Happy Miata Day

Happy Miata Day

The Miata came out of the garage this afternoon and because it saw its shadow, I’m afraid we are in for 6 more weeks of winter.

Of course, if it is as wintery as it has been so far, it ain’t going to be too bad for the next month and a half. So far this winter we have had a day of 3″, another of 1″ and a couple of dustings. They have called for 2-4 inches of snow for the last 2 days and nothing has materialized.

Watch, now that I have mentioned it I have jinxed it and we’ll wake up tomorrow to a foot of the white stuff.