I take my feeders in at night during bear active season, my neighboring landowner who lives in the Minneapolis suburbs has a bear proof pole set up by his picnic table area next to my property.
My experience, as well as neighbors, is that bears will destroy any feeders they can reach. Some mature males will mark their territories by knocking down bird nest boxes on poles and clawing and breaking off tops of young conifers. So deterrence is the best option, let them do their own hunting-gathering where they are part of the natural cycle.
I'm mainly with Larry on this one Randy. We must appreciate that bears were were roaming about long before man snatched away most of their territory. Man has no real predators so our populations have grown exponentially. We are the problem, not the animals. If any wild animal finds and easy food source it will return again and again. Before you know it, it will be bringing its kids too. Taking in your bird feeders before dark is the simplest solution. I do applaud you for having bird feeders though. 😊
You have a good friend that lives in Niagara Falls Ken? Presumably a dog. What breed? 😁
You know the best way to keep the Buffalo Bills out of your back yard? Hold the Super Bowl there.
Niagara Falls is a wonderous site to behold. We like the view best from the Canadian side. The funny thing is, though it is only an hour away, we tend only to go there when we have company that has never seen the falls.
My, we have strayed from the original topic of an unwinnable Sea Towers game haven't we? No complaints, most interesting conversations evolve.
I heard that the Hawkeyes appear very regularly at the Super Bowl Randy ........... selling the programmes. 😃
I smiled at your tale about visiting Niagara Falls. My partner Liz and I used to travel to the most remote parts of Scotland in our RV visiting old castles etc., mainly ruins. It occurred to us one day that there is a wealth of them in Aberdeenshire that we'd not visited, and were within easy driving distance. We soon put that right. Familiarity breeds contempt. ☺️ (We subsequently moved down to Fife).
It's a moot point whether or not deviating off the original topic would make us deviants. 😏 (That's the gun loaded for you Ken). 😋
We took a tour of Ireland back in '13. What a beautiful place. We touched castle stones that were laid six hundred years ago. Such rich history. We met a family there that we are still in contact with today.
Speaking of Scotland, we always attend the "gathering of the clans" at a local festival here. They have traditional games and of course many pipe bands. I like bagpipes. Unfortunately I could not carry a tune in a deuce and a half.
Richard, I knew you were going to give me shit about that sentence but I was expecting something along the lines of "Your friend living in Niagara Falls must be all wet!"
Probably the oldest castle we visited in Scotland was Castle Sween, dating from the 11th century. We have been inside several Pictish Brochs here that date from about 100BC. On Orkney we went to several Viking buildings etc. that date from the 8th or 9th century. Scara Brae is a fascinating stone built settlement there that is over 5500 years old, older than the Pyramids. We walked right around it a few times.
The most spectacular Highland Games meeting is at Bellabeg in Aberdeenshire. It is preceded by the march of the Lonach Men. They march for up to 17 miles across the district, stopping for a wee dram at numerous places en route, before returning to the village to open the games. It's unforgettable. YouTube has a lot of footage.
We didn't get to the Blarney Stone. The first castle we saw was King John's Castle. That was our first encounter with a tidal river as well. The Cliffs of Moher, Giants Causeway, fascinating.
I spent 23 days in the Royal Victoria Hospital. So our 13 day tour concluded after only three days, in Belfast. After that we took a bus, in the dark, to Dublin and flew home.
We'd like to go back, we met some folks from Scotland at Disney in Fla., It'd be a hoot to look them up.
Randy, like Richard will tell you, I'm a nosy sonuvabitch, so why were you in the hospital for 23 days? It's bad enough to go to the hospital at home, let alone while you were on vacation!
Randy, Many of the men who take part in that march are over 70. Even 12 miles would take 3 hours, plus the breaks in between. Some may even partake of a wee dram too many. Some may be obliged to get into the cart for a rest. Any who do would certainly want to rejoin on foot as they make their triumphant return to the village so that the games can commence. That was some hangover you had. 23 days! Outstanding. 😊
Larry suggested I get a Trail Camera some time ago. Attaching a still from this morning. It's a Blackbird ..... oops ...... that may not be politically correct these days. It's a photo of a female of colour. 😃
Not a State Secret. I developed blood clots in both lungs. On the third day of our tour I was taken by ambulance to the RVH, which by all accounts saved my life. It started with a backache in the morning and by our evening meal my choices were either eat or breathe, but not both. Odd thing is, at the Cliffs of Moher the day prior, I hustled to the top of the steps two at a time.
You are correct about being hospitalized in a foreign country as opposed to home. Before being released there was debate about giving me a "fit to fly" certification. My response was for them to place a row boat on the Irish coast, I'll figure it out from there.
Interesting story Randy. (Ken is a hospital worker you know? Specialises in bed-pans by all accounts). 😃 You incident poses more questions though. Obviously your age could contribute dramatically to your health condition. Was this your first issue of that nature? Are you or have you previously been a smoker? What opinion did you have of the UK NHS, and did your travel insurance foot the bill? It is completely free to UK citizens. Importantly, are you okay now?
The organisers of the Bellabeg Highland Gathering have had an enquiry from the Cliffs of Mohar people. They want advice regarding buying a horse and cart. They wanted to know what the upkeep of the horse is per annum, and also how many body-bags the cart could hold. Apparently they have had some people attempting suicide by running up the steps two at a time.
You do this for free? Some folks are trying to eke out a living being funny, Richard.
A doctor on this side decided to delve into the problem as I have had superficial phlebitis in the calves, prior. After drawing roughly five gallons of blood for testing it was determined that I have Protein C Deficiency and am genetically predisposed to blood clots. So i am now on a lifetime course of blood thinners, namely Xarelto. Not a smoker and having just retired as a Drill Instructor, you might say I was in satisfactory good shape.
What opinion of the UK NHS? They more than likely are the reason I am pecking at the keyboard today. I was also a volunteer firefighter and EMT, here. So my background in the U.S. medical procedures is better than average. The procedures I saw in the UK are far different than here. There, the ambulance crew remains with the patient until they are admitted. Sometimes in the rig, right through triage. Here we dump and run, get right back into service once the patient is in the ER
My first encounter with my medical team was somewhat bizarre. I honestly thought, when they first came into the room, that they were an errant High School field trip. They were so young. Later we found out that after receiving their training the doctors usually move on to other practices where they can actually make money. I asked one doctor, just prior to my discharge, what the bill would be for my stay had I not had insurance. The price was right around $4000. 23 days for $4000.
The most important part of this saga, aside from me not being dead, is that while in the RVH we met a family that had a son there with heart problems. This family adopted my wife, a total stranger. Took her to visit the sights, invited her into their home. They bought her a cell phone and brought food to her hotel room. My wife was totally alone, thousands of miles from home. She had no idea what would happen to me. This family were our guardian angels. Eight years later, I still tear at the compassion that this family bestowed upon us. They could have sniffed and walked away never giving a second thought to us. We are eternally grateful to this family in Belfast.
Laughter makes the world go round Randy ...... that and too many hot-dogs. There is a joke in practically everything if you are predisposed to look. I don't make fun of everything though. I once said something nice about Donald Trump, namely that most of his life is now behind him.
You have certainly been through the hoop health-wise despite having been super-fit. I'd not heard of your condition but I expect very few people have. But as my old father used to say, it would be a pity if we died healthy. I was surprised on hearing how ambulance crews operate in the US. British ones will wait outside hospital doors until their precious cargo is admitted and frequently follow their patients practically into operating theatres. They brief the doctors regarding what treatments etc that they have administered. Being in an ambulance here means that patients have two highly trained crew at their disposal and a plethora of medical equipment ready to be used in the event of an emergency. No financial motivation whatsoever here.
I chuckled at your first encounter with the medical team. Many of our large hospitals are teaching hospitals, and have university buildings attached. I was very fortunate to have been living near one in Aberdeen when I became seriously ill with what was diagnosed as Myelodysplasia, allegedly incurable. For several years I was spending two or three days every week as an in-patient. Doctor's rounds every day entailed a Consultant going from bed to bed with a squad of student doctors. It was interesting to hear the conversations between them and also to be asked lots of questions by them they were learning their chosen profession. I became such a part of the fixtures and fittings that I was often asked to arrive early for my admission so that youngsters could examine me in a private room and try to diagnose my illness from the answers I gave to their questions. They knew it was Haematological but nothing else. They knew a lot. Volunteering to allow students to practice sticking needles into my veins was less entertaining. How are they supposed to learn otherwise? An army of them were constantly on the move. They'd spend a few weeks in one department and then move to totally different ones. The remainder of each day is spent in lecture rooms. They train like this for five years and finally become qualified G.P's.
I am happy at how we treat non-Brits if they get ill here. Had you been uninsured you would still have received exactly the same treatment, and have gone home with your $4000 bill. A large number of those never get paid. We have to shrug it off. People deliberately arrive here to get free hospital treatment. I shudder to think how much your 23 days would have cost you back home.
Billy Connolly informed us that the Irish and the Scots are the same race, adding that the latter was a mentally ill Irish tribe in search of worse weather. I am not even slightly surprised that that Irish family took your wife under their wing and treated her like a member of the family. As the song lyric says, "If you can help somebody as you go along, then your living shall not be in vain" My father always reminded us that, "It's no lost that a friend gets".
Not in my case. Although my serious drinking days are behind me, I always tended to buy more drinks than I drank myself. I was forever buying people drinks.
Comments
D.E.E.R. Drunk Every Evening Randy?
This little guy was at our bird feeder in the front yard. Roughly 40 feet from the house.
Looks like you could be quite near Larry. Bears and deer visit him too. He's in Minnesota. You?
I take my feeders in at night during bear active season, my neighboring landowner who lives in the Minneapolis suburbs has a bear proof pole set up by his picnic table area next to my property.
Sadly. New York, about an hour south of Buffalo.
The bear has only visited twice. He's gotta eat. too.
My experience, as well as neighbors, is that bears will destroy any feeders they can reach. Some mature males will mark their territories by knocking down bird nest boxes on poles and clawing and breaking off tops of young conifers. So deterrence is the best option, let them do their own hunting-gathering where they are part of the natural cycle.
Randy, I have a good friend that lives in Niagara Falls. So, are you a Bills fan?
I'm mainly with Larry on this one Randy. We must appreciate that bears were were roaming about long before man snatched away most of their territory. Man has no real predators so our populations have grown exponentially. We are the problem, not the animals. If any wild animal finds and easy food source it will return again and again. Before you know it, it will be bringing its kids too. Taking in your bird feeders before dark is the simplest solution. I do applaud you for having bird feeders though. 😊
You have a good friend that lives in Niagara Falls Ken? Presumably a dog. What breed? 😁
You know the best way to keep the Buffalo Bills out of your back yard? Hold the Super Bowl there.
Niagara Falls is a wonderous site to behold. We like the view best from the Canadian side. The funny thing is, though it is only an hour away, we tend only to go there when we have company that has never seen the falls.
My, we have strayed from the original topic of an unwinnable Sea Towers game haven't we? No complaints, most interesting conversations evolve.
I heard that the Hawkeyes appear very regularly at the Super Bowl Randy ........... selling the programmes. 😃
I smiled at your tale about visiting Niagara Falls. My partner Liz and I used to travel to the most remote parts of Scotland in our RV visiting old castles etc., mainly ruins. It occurred to us one day that there is a wealth of them in Aberdeenshire that we'd not visited, and were within easy driving distance. We soon put that right. Familiarity breeds contempt. ☺️ (We subsequently moved down to Fife).
It's a moot point whether or not deviating off the original topic would make us deviants. 😏 (That's the gun loaded for you Ken). 😋
We took a tour of Ireland back in '13. What a beautiful place. We touched castle stones that were laid six hundred years ago. Such rich history. We met a family there that we are still in contact with today.
Speaking of Scotland, we always attend the "gathering of the clans" at a local festival here. They have traditional games and of course many pipe bands. I like bagpipes. Unfortunately I could not carry a tune in a deuce and a half.
Richard, I knew you were going to give me shit about that sentence but I was expecting something along the lines of "Your friend living in Niagara Falls must be all wet!"
Was it the Blarney Stone by any chance Randy?
Probably the oldest castle we visited in Scotland was Castle Sween, dating from the 11th century. We have been inside several Pictish Brochs here that date from about 100BC. On Orkney we went to several Viking buildings etc. that date from the 8th or 9th century. Scara Brae is a fascinating stone built settlement there that is over 5500 years old, older than the Pyramids. We walked right around it a few times.
The most spectacular Highland Games meeting is at Bellabeg in Aberdeenshire. It is preceded by the march of the Lonach Men. They march for up to 17 miles across the district, stopping for a wee dram at numerous places en route, before returning to the village to open the games. It's unforgettable. YouTube has a lot of footage.
We didn't get to the Blarney Stone. The first castle we saw was King John's Castle. That was our first encounter with a tidal river as well. The Cliffs of Moher, Giants Causeway, fascinating.
I spent 23 days in the Royal Victoria Hospital. So our 13 day tour concluded after only three days, in Belfast. After that we took a bus, in the dark, to Dublin and flew home.
We'd like to go back, we met some folks from Scotland at Disney in Fla., It'd be a hoot to look them up.
I forgot to ask, what is the significance of the horse and cart at the end of the video?
Randy, like Richard will tell you, I'm a nosy sonuvabitch, so why were you in the hospital for 23 days? It's bad enough to go to the hospital at home, let alone while you were on vacation!
Randy, Many of the men who take part in that march are over 70. Even 12 miles would take 3 hours, plus the breaks in between. Some may even partake of a wee dram too many. Some may be obliged to get into the cart for a rest. Any who do would certainly want to rejoin on foot as they make their triumphant return to the village so that the games can commence. That was some hangover you had. 23 days! Outstanding. 😊
Larry suggested I get a Trail Camera some time ago. Attaching a still from this morning. It's a Blackbird ..... oops ...... that may not be politically correct these days. It's a photo of a female of colour. 😃
Not a State Secret. I developed blood clots in both lungs. On the third day of our tour I was taken by ambulance to the RVH, which by all accounts saved my life. It started with a backache in the morning and by our evening meal my choices were either eat or breathe, but not both. Odd thing is, at the Cliffs of Moher the day prior, I hustled to the top of the steps two at a time.
You are correct about being hospitalized in a foreign country as opposed to home. Before being released there was debate about giving me a "fit to fly" certification. My response was for them to place a row boat on the Irish coast, I'll figure it out from there.
I thought that is for what the cart was intended, but wanted confirmation. Happy to see it was empty.
Interesting story Randy. (Ken is a hospital worker you know? Specialises in bed-pans by all accounts). 😃 You incident poses more questions though. Obviously your age could contribute dramatically to your health condition. Was this your first issue of that nature? Are you or have you previously been a smoker? What opinion did you have of the UK NHS, and did your travel insurance foot the bill? It is completely free to UK citizens. Importantly, are you okay now?
The organisers of the Bellabeg Highland Gathering have had an enquiry from the Cliffs of Mohar people. They want advice regarding buying a horse and cart. They wanted to know what the upkeep of the horse is per annum, and also how many body-bags the cart could hold. Apparently they have had some people attempting suicide by running up the steps two at a time.
You do this for free? Some folks are trying to eke out a living being funny, Richard.
A doctor on this side decided to delve into the problem as I have had superficial phlebitis in the calves, prior. After drawing roughly five gallons of blood for testing it was determined that I have Protein C Deficiency and am genetically predisposed to blood clots. So i am now on a lifetime course of blood thinners, namely Xarelto. Not a smoker and having just retired as a Drill Instructor, you might say I was in satisfactory good shape.
What opinion of the UK NHS? They more than likely are the reason I am pecking at the keyboard today. I was also a volunteer firefighter and EMT, here. So my background in the U.S. medical procedures is better than average. The procedures I saw in the UK are far different than here. There, the ambulance crew remains with the patient until they are admitted. Sometimes in the rig, right through triage. Here we dump and run, get right back into service once the patient is in the ER
My first encounter with my medical team was somewhat bizarre. I honestly thought, when they first came into the room, that they were an errant High School field trip. They were so young. Later we found out that after receiving their training the doctors usually move on to other practices where they can actually make money. I asked one doctor, just prior to my discharge, what the bill would be for my stay had I not had insurance. The price was right around $4000. 23 days for $4000.
The most important part of this saga, aside from me not being dead, is that while in the RVH we met a family that had a son there with heart problems. This family adopted my wife, a total stranger. Took her to visit the sights, invited her into their home. They bought her a cell phone and brought food to her hotel room. My wife was totally alone, thousands of miles from home. She had no idea what would happen to me. This family were our guardian angels. Eight years later, I still tear at the compassion that this family bestowed upon us. They could have sniffed and walked away never giving a second thought to us. We are eternally grateful to this family in Belfast.
"You do this for free? Some folks are trying to eke out a living being funny, Richard."
Don't encourage him, Randy, it just gets worse!
Laughter makes the world go round Randy ...... that and too many hot-dogs. There is a joke in practically everything if you are predisposed to look. I don't make fun of everything though. I once said something nice about Donald Trump, namely that most of his life is now behind him.
You have certainly been through the hoop health-wise despite having been super-fit. I'd not heard of your condition but I expect very few people have. But as my old father used to say, it would be a pity if we died healthy. I was surprised on hearing how ambulance crews operate in the US. British ones will wait outside hospital doors until their precious cargo is admitted and frequently follow their patients practically into operating theatres. They brief the doctors regarding what treatments etc that they have administered. Being in an ambulance here means that patients have two highly trained crew at their disposal and a plethora of medical equipment ready to be used in the event of an emergency. No financial motivation whatsoever here.
I chuckled at your first encounter with the medical team. Many of our large hospitals are teaching hospitals, and have university buildings attached. I was very fortunate to have been living near one in Aberdeen when I became seriously ill with what was diagnosed as Myelodysplasia, allegedly incurable. For several years I was spending two or three days every week as an in-patient. Doctor's rounds every day entailed a Consultant going from bed to bed with a squad of student doctors. It was interesting to hear the conversations between them and also to be asked lots of questions by them they were learning their chosen profession. I became such a part of the fixtures and fittings that I was often asked to arrive early for my admission so that youngsters could examine me in a private room and try to diagnose my illness from the answers I gave to their questions. They knew it was Haematological but nothing else. They knew a lot. Volunteering to allow students to practice sticking needles into my veins was less entertaining. How are they supposed to learn otherwise? An army of them were constantly on the move. They'd spend a few weeks in one department and then move to totally different ones. The remainder of each day is spent in lecture rooms. They train like this for five years and finally become qualified G.P's.
I am happy at how we treat non-Brits if they get ill here. Had you been uninsured you would still have received exactly the same treatment, and have gone home with your $4000 bill. A large number of those never get paid. We have to shrug it off. People deliberately arrive here to get free hospital treatment. I shudder to think how much your 23 days would have cost you back home.
Billy Connolly informed us that the Irish and the Scots are the same race, adding that the latter was a mentally ill Irish tribe in search of worse weather. I am not even slightly surprised that that Irish family took your wife under their wing and treated her like a member of the family. As the song lyric says, "If you can help somebody as you go along, then your living shall not be in vain" My father always reminded us that, "It's no lost that a friend gets".
A fellow I worked with used to say he was half Irish, half Scot. He liked the drink but preferred someone else pay for it. Sound right?
Not in my case. Although my serious drinking days are behind me, I always tended to buy more drinks than I drank myself. I was forever buying people drinks.
I hope you've not deserted us have you Randy? 😥
Busy weekend. No snow this coming week (except maybe Tuesday). Hopefully I can get back in the shop, no plowing!