The Wandering Minstrel

I called our landscaper today to ask what we should do to try and recover from the javelina debacle. His advice was to cover the trees until we get past the freezing temperatures over the next couple of months. The Better Half had some old bedsheets she was going to retire, so we covered the trees and secured them with a few clothespins.

Clickable image courtesy of TBH

After winter he says to prune the trees to eliminate any frost damage to the tips of the branches. At that time, we have to decide whether a fence will be necessary after the new growth starts. We don’t really want to erect a fence so maybe we can dust the area with javelina repellent.

We’re still learning . . .

Now that the weather is starting to cool off, we’re going to be using our spa again. High temperatures in August and early September ranged from 102° to 112°. Today, it was only 92°, so we decided to crank up the spa and take a dip.

Unfortunately, the water temperature was a little too cool for comfortable dipping. We decided to postpone until tomorrow when the heater will have the water up to temperature.

I turned on the air control valve and shot the short video above to demonstrate the spa in full jet and bubbles mode. Click > to play video. If you don’t want the audio, click the speaker button on the right end of the control bar to mute.

I reckon that we were only five and a half hours past the solstice on the first day of summer when I took this photo of the time and temperature atomic clock on our patio. At 3:46 PM, or so, the temperature hit just on the slightly high side of 107° here in Wickenburg, Arizona. I’d say summer is off to a good start in our town.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The Better Half and I are used to the warm temperatures; we used to own a time-share in Palm Desert, California and were the only one of the four families in the group that stayed there during the summers. We rather enjoy the desert temperatures and, in fact, we spent most of the afternoon on the patio reading and enjoying the back yard.

Regardless of our tolerance for the warm temperatures, we are looking forward to having the new spa installed later this month or early in July. A nice dip in the water (without the heater or bubbles) seems like it will be refreshing.

I don’t usually post flora and fauna pix, but today, The Better Half caught this nice (clickable) photo of one of the cardinals that are frequently seen in our back yard on his way from the mesquite tree to the seed block that she hangs near the patio. We have seen at least two pairs of cardinals contending for the goodies that The Better Half hangs out for most takers. We shoo the greedy cowbirds away to leave the munchings to pretty birds like this.

Temperatures have cooled off the last couple of days and today we had several thunderstorm cells pass close but we only had a trace of rain. I can see the rainfall in the distance looking south in this (clickable) image and saw what appeared to be heavy rainfall in the mountains to the northeast a little earlier today.

The forecast is for a 60 percent chance of more rain tonight but, looking at the NWS radar (inset), I don’t see much precipitation coming. There is still time for some nocturnal storms to develop though. At any rate, we’re all battened down here and sipping on a cold one.

The Better Half noticed this palm tree in old downtown with a parasitic prickly pear cactus growing out of the side. Clickable image.

We awakened to a warm day today. The Santa Ana winds brought the temperatures up to about 82° at our California home. It seemed like a good day for an outdoor barbecue, so we prepared baked potatoes, baked acorn squash, baked salmon steak and a grilled New York strip steak all cooked on the outdoor grill.

Clickable image: Surf ‘n’ Turf outdoor cooking.

Whether you hunt or not, California gun owners and enthusiasts should get involved in this issue. The phony environmental assholes don’t want to save any freaking critters - they want to prohibit guns. Period. What really tweaks me is that hunters and sportsmen are probably better stewards of the environment than either CBD or the Sierra Club.

Via the NRA/ILA:

Hunting Threatened In Mojave National Preserve

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), in concert with the Sierra Club and other anti-hunting organizations, has filed a petition with the California Fish and Game Commission to ban most hunting in the Mojave National Preserve, including rabbit and varmint hunting. What hunting remains (resident game birds, deer, and bighorn sheep) would be restricted. The “Petition for Rulemaking Regarding Hunting in the Mojave National Preserve” blames hunters for the declining population of the desert tortoise, a threatened species under the state’s Endangered Species Act. CBD filed a similar petition in 2003, but the Commission did not act on it. The Commission will likely consider the CBD’s petition next week and could schedule a hearing on it early next year.

The petition contains the flimsiest of evidence that hunting in the Preserve is the cause or even a contributing factor of the decline in the tortoise population. Contrarily, statistics confirm that vehicular traffic and increased tourism within the designated critical habitat of the tortoise have increased substantially since 1994 when the Preserve was established. Those activities are believed to be the leading causes of tortoise mortality. Further, there is sufficient research to suggest that predation by ravens and coyotes is also taking its toll on this protected species. The objective of the petition is not to protect and enhance the tortoise population; rather it is an attempt by this coalition of anti-hunting organizations to permanently ban hunting from the Mojave National Preserve. CBD was behind the ban imposed on the use of lead ammunition for hunting big game within the range of the California condor. Earlier this year, CBD attempted unsuccessfully to extend that ban to all game species.

Please take a few minutes to write a letter requesting that the Commission deny the petition and address and mail it to:

John Carlson, Jr., Executive Director

California Fish and Game Commission

1416 Ninth Street, Room 1320

Sacramento, CA 95814

fgc@fgc.ca.gov

Hunters are continually being harassed with restrictions on hunting and access to hunting areas for reasons not based on science. Please do not let CBD impose their pseudo science on those who hunt in the Mojave National Preserve.

Californians interested in stopping the thinly veiled attempts at gun grabbing, should either write a letter or email the link above.