One more FUCKING thing goes wrong, and I swear.....

Post #170,963 by Nightowl 8/25/04 4:28:16 PM Reply	One more FUCKING thing goes wrong, and I swear..... I am having an extremely BAD day and just want to vent here. Feel free to respond or ignore it, either way. First, I made a half-assed failed attempt at humor (I am NOT good at humor) in PA, and upset a special friend of mine. Attempts to calm him down didn't do shit, really, and then another member spoke up and upset him even more, so he quit. So now two members are upset, one left, one's simmering, and I am not going after the one who left and dragging him back, I'm past that phase. I apologized and did all I fucking could, and he threw me by joking about the same issue first, so I joked back and WHAM.... I was hurting him. Then, while still dealing with that glorious fucked-up mess, my mom calls me and tells me that some relative told my dad she didn't receive something I was supposed to have sent her. So my dad yells shit at my mom because of it. So I'm about to dig into the family paperwork and prove I have a letter from said relative having RECEIVED the item, when the doorbell rings... And now the FUCKING POLICE ARE AT MY DOOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Turns out someone complained about my feeding my birds outside. They apparently had a rat problem, and decided the rats were coming from my house because they were attracted to the seeds on the ground. This neighbor is full of shit, whoever they are. I took the policeman out back and showed him the area. I showed him how I had learned to hunt for rat holes, and explained how the one time we DID have rats, we exterminated them ASAP. I told him I do sprinkle some seeds on the ground because the Cardinals prefer it there, but I would agree not to sprinkle it on the ground anymore, if he chose. I also demonstrated to him, (by having him push it) that simply pushing the feeder caused seeds to fall out on the ground. And I further explained to him that I clean up the seed areas WEEKLY. I sweep, rake and scoop the hulls and all leftover seeds in a dustpan into the yard waste can. I explained the only time I don't clean it weekly is if it rains too much, because I can't put soggy seeds in the can and have them sit for a week, they mold. He seemed quite happy with my explanations, and didn't really think I had that much "seed on the ground", and just told me he was making a courtesy call, to hopefully keep the health department from investigating it. I told him he could send them if he wanted, I'd tell them the same things, I WATCH for pests and I exterminate them. I asked if it was against the law to feed the birds, and he said no. I said I have no idea where all the pigeons come from, I thought they all liked living in cities. All I could think was, the Police are here because I feed the fucking BIRDS? He left, I was shook up, but ok, I guess, then I called said relative with the problem and straightened that all out, called my mom and explained that was settled, and then when I thought I could relax and calm down.... A TORNADO WATCH got posted for our area!!! So I gather things to run them downstairs so I have something to do if we get hit with a bad storm, and now Im' trying to calm down.... FUCKING ASS MESSED UP DAY..... I won't ask if it can get any fucking worse, cause it keeps doing it. Nightowl >8# "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #170,965 by deSitter 8/25/04 4:38:52 PM Reply	Sankt Ludwiger Wasserverr\ufffdckt Syndrom! Sinnesgefahr! Nicht trinken! Nur massenlose Sonnigfreude! -drl
Post #170,967 by ChrisR 8/25/04 4:47:22 PM Reply	Babblefish Sank Ludwiger (probably St. Louis) water-crazy syndrome! Sense danger! Do not drink! Only measureless sunny joy! Speaking of languages, picked up a teach yourself Latin book yesterday, in my perpetual quest for filling my brain with pointless knowledge. :-)
Post #170,968 by Nightowl 8/25/04 4:53:59 PM Reply	Thanks for the interpretation Chris I haven't had any water today so far, unless you count ice. ;) Nightowl >8# "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #170,969 by deSitter 8/25/04 4:58:05 PM Reply	Eisgefahr! Gefriertes Wasserstoffoxid! -drl
Post #170,970 by Nightowl 8/25/04 5:05:49 PM Reply	Re: Eisgefahr! Gefriertes Wasserstoffoxid! Interpretation: Ice danger! Freezing width unit hydrogen oxide! Heehehe, I can use babelfish too. :) Nightowl >8# "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #170,971 by Nightowl 8/25/04 5:09:11 PM Reply	One problem with this theory though None of the people in my group who are upset are from St. Louis. The relative wasn't from St. Louis. so maybe it only applies to the neighbor? Or maybe the police? Nightowl >8# "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #170,973 by deSitter 8/25/04 5:20:55 PM Reply	Das Wasser ist all, was der Fall ist So sagte der ber\ufffdhmte Philosoph Ludwig Wasserstein. Dann sagte er: "Ring ring ring ring ring, Bananaphon!" -drl
Post #170,974 by Nightowl 8/25/04 5:26:02 PM Reply	Hehehe You all keep mentioning that Banana phone, and I'll have to get mine and scan it. ;) Nightowl >8# "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #171,070 by Nightowl 8/26/04 3:06:09 PM Reply	Update Talked to the police today, and I'm not in trouble for feeding the birds. They concluded the rat probably didn't come from here since I was so alert and watching for signs of such. It was also only one rat. Apparently the neighbor is putting out traps and caught one. Anyway, I'm still allowed to feed the birds, just can't sprinkle any on the ground for the cardinals for awhile... Ah well. Such a fucking big deal over nothing that was my fault. Nightowl >8# "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #171,072 by ChrisR 8/26/04 3:12:33 PM Reply	You are responsible for the infestation... ...of aerial vagabonds that possess wings. The skies are no longer safe. Or haven't you ever watched Hitchcock?
Post #171,074 by Nightowl 8/26/04 3:13:51 PM Reply	Hehehe I try not to, Hitchcock gives me nightmares, mostly! Besides, the birds all stay here most of the time. :) Nightowl >8# "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #171,075 by ChrisR 8/26/04 3:20:38 PM Reply	They are just strategizing... ...waiting for a quiet moment. Best to keep feeding them, though, as to not let on. Would be more than willing to hunt and eat the multitude of dove that surface in my backyard, but my neighbors also have the nasty habit of becoming informants to the local authority. Wonders whether there's such a thing as a silencer for a 12 gauge shotgun?
Post #171,076 by boxley 8/26/04 3:22:43 PM Reply	netting, works good These miserable swine, having nothing but illusions to live on, marshmallows for the soul in place of good meat, will now stoop to any disgusting level to prevent even those miserable morsels from vanishing into thin air. The country is being destroyed by these stupid, vicious right-wing fanatics, the spiritual brothers of the brownshirts and redstars, collectivists and authoritarians all, who would not know freedom if it bit them on the ass, who spend all their time trying to stamp, bludgeon, and eviscerate the very idea of the individual's right to his own private world. DRL questions, help? [link\|mailto:pappas@catholic.org\|email pappas at catholic.org]
Post #171,077 by Nightowl 8/26/04 3:23:08 PM Reply	Re: They are just strategizing... Maybe so, but they're awfully polite. The doves and pigeons line up on my roof and the overhead wires and wait patiently for me to fill the feeder. :) And the cardinals and sparrows wait on the fence. Only rude ones are the grackles. ;) I like all birdies, wouldn't ever shoot any. Nightowl >8# "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #171,170 by a6l6e6x 8/27/04 12:12:09 AM Reply	Do you also have a bird bath? I have a full service bird stop myself. Birdbath, bird feeder, and hummingbird feeder. The birdbath needs to be brushed out and refilled every other day or so. It is used by all kinds of birds including some larger ones like mourning doves and robins. The bird feeder is of the type that closes if a large bird gets on it. Really that was to keep the fucking [link\|http://web.birdbarrier.com/BirdBarrier/Site%20Pages/Grackle_id.htm\|grackles] away. They used to empty a bird feeder in a day. The visitors are mostly cardinals, house finches, chickadees, and titmice. Squirrels and chipmunks pick at the droppings. Alex "If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words." -- Philip K. Dick, US science fiction writer
Post #171,172 by Nightowl 8/27/04 12:20:03 AM Reply	No, I don't have one But on really hot days I put a shallow pan of cool water out there and they go crazy taking baths in it. I have a huge feeder and the grackles can't clear it in a day, but they can with help from everyone else. :) I like the grackles, I just wish they would play nicer with the sparrows. However, the sparrows learned a trick, I love it. They wait till there are several grackles on the feeder at once, and then 5 or 6 of them swarm at the feeder all at the same time, it startles the grackles, they mostly lose their grip and fly off, and the sparrows eat till the grackles regroup. ;) Nightowl >8# "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #171,173 by deSitter 8/27/04 12:23:45 AM Reply	Re: Do you also have a bird bath? Hummingbirds are extremely annoying once the novelty of a bird the size of your finger wears off. They are gluttons and fight each other constantly. When they aren't swilling food (rare) they sit and wait for their co-hummers to appear, then run them off. They buzz the cats and even me on occasion. I took a half-hearted swipe at one with a flyswatter. Of all birds I like the sparrows and the chickadees the best. The sparrows have good manners and the chickadees are extremely cute. Cardinals make an enormous mess, and are too uppity to eat bird food off the deck. The sparrows clean up after them. -drl
Post #171,175 by a6l6e6x 8/27/04 12:37:44 AM Reply	Re: Hummingbirds. I know what you mean about the territorial fights by the feeder. The silly feeder has four perches by the pseudo flowers. I have never seen more than one bird on the feeder. Not even a male/female pair. Big contrast with cardinals where you will see a male/female pair on the feeder and indeed the male passing a sunflower seed to the female. Our hummingbird feeder is about a foot from the kitchen window and they will occasionally hover and peer into the window. That's cute. Alex "If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words." -- Philip K. Dick, US science fiction writer
Post #171,178 by Nightowl 8/27/04 12:46:29 AM 8/27/04 12:47:11 AM Reply	Re: Hummingbirds. John can't stand hummingbirds, and has never told me why. Maybe they attacked him or scared him as a child? Who knows. My cardinals seem to be less picky. They love to eat seeds off my patio and off the ground below the feeder. I can't put them on the patio for awhile, hmmmm unless, what if I put them in the shallow tray, and put them there, think they would eat them? Then I could clean up the mess easier, and Health Dept wouldn't come complain. Nightowl >8# Edit: Oh, and DeSitter, my absolute faves are the Black-Capped Chickadees. They are so cute and so fast! "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer Edited by Nightowl Aug. 27, 2004, 12:47:11 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #171,269 by jb4 8/27/04 1:28:00 PM Reply	Re: Cardinals The cardinals here eat right out of the feeder...I don't know what's wrong with yours (mebbe its the St. Louis water?) But of course our cardinals would have better manners... they're [image\|http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/mlb/images/team_logos/50x50/chc.gif\|\|Cubs\|\|] fans! ;-\ufffd jb4 shrub\ufffdbish (Am., from shrub* + rubbish, after the derisive name for America's 43 president; 2003) n. 1. a form of nonsensical political doubletalk wherein the speaker attempts to defend the indefensible by lying, obfuscation, or otherwise misstating the facts; GIBBERISH. 2. any of a collection of utterances from America's putative 43rd president. cf.* BULLSHIT
Post #171,276 by Nightowl 8/27/04 1:41:53 PM Reply	Re: Cardinals (new thread) Created as new thread #171275 titled [link\|/forums/render/content/show?contentid=171275\|Re: Cardinals] "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #171,179 by deSitter 8/27/04 12:48:12 AM Reply	Re: Hummingbirds. The cardinals do show specie-al spirit. I saw six (!) on the porch the other day, happily taking turns knocking all the seed out of the big feeder. They land like a 747 on a bike path and take off at full throttle. The deck under the feeder is constantly covered with seeds. Their cousins the purple finches are not quite as clumsy, and are even more bound to each other. The sparrows are very tame, unafraid of people or cats. The cats in turn seem to take no interest at all in them, even though the sparrows never show any stealth or wariness. -drl
Post #171,180 by Meerkat 8/27/04 12:51:53 AM 8/27/04 7:12:14 PM Reply	It's all Bats, Currawongs and Magpies 'round my place. Despite living in a street almost completely full of units/flats/apartments, there's a thriving population of flying things around, helped no doubt by a seldom-broken canopy of trees lining the footpaths, and no overhead wiring. Also, one positive about living in a street full of flats is there almost complete lack of cats/dogs wandering the neighbourhood - probably another reason for the flourishing birdlife. My parents' place in the outer suburbs is close to the bush and has a great selection of birds. They have a bird feeder and a birdbath, though it would be more accurate to call it a bird/ [link\|http://www.alkirna.com.au/images/brush-tailed%20possum.jpg\|possum]/[link\|http://www.geocities.com/liveattentively/antechinus.jpg\|antechinus]/cat feeder. They receive regular visits from [link\|http://www.birds-nest.com/birds/cockatoo.gif\|Sulphur-crested Cockatoos], [link\|http://teachingtreasures.com.au/Photo%20Gallery/magpie.htm\|Magpies], [link\|http://www.geocities.com/liveattentively/currawong.jpg\|Currawongs], [link\|http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~don/images/Birds/Butcher%20Bird1,%20large.jpg\|Butcher Birds], [link\|http://www.micktravels.com/australia/great_barrier_reef/120-kookaburra.jpg\|Kookaburras], and [link\|http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/img/lorikeet.jpg\|Rainbow Lorikeets]. The Lorikeets are the coolest as they're more than happy to sit and eat out of your hand. Uninteresting fact: I've only ever seen 1 Cockatoo that didn't hold its food in its left foot whilst eating. Edit: Linked to some pictures, fixed some typos. Two out of three people wonder where the other one is. Edited by Meerkat Aug. 27, 2004, 07:12:14 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #171,403 by Nightowl 8/27/04 7:17:10 PM Reply	Colorful birds! Thanks for the pictures! I also have a stuffed Butcher Bird, a Stuffed Sulfur Crested Cockatoo, 2 stuffed Lorikeets and 2 stuffed Kookaburras! Hmmm need a stuffed magpie and a stuffed Currawong! Nightowl >8# "A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -- Robert Hughes, Australian Art Critic, Writer
Post #171,219 by ben_tilly 8/27/04 11:12:05 AM Reply	Hummingbirds hate mornings Hummingbirds do not sleep. They hibernate. Coming out of sleep is a dangerous proposition for them. If they did not store enough energy the day before, they can't bring their body temperature back up and they will die. And I'm very literal with that "the day before". They can't afford to carry around excess energy. One day with insufficient food is enough to starve a hummingbird to death! Cheers, Ben To deny the indirect purchaser, who in this case is the ultimate purchaser, the right to seek relief from unlawful conduct, would essentially remove the word consumer from the Consumer Protection Act - [link\|http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=1246&Page=1&pagePos=20\|Nebraska Supreme Court]
Post #171,267 by jb4 8/27/04 1:22:18 PM Reply	If you were good... ...you could use a (silenced) pistol. After all, pigeons aren't afraid of people; you could probably walk right up to one and "pop a cap" into it. jb4 shrub\ufffdbish (Am., from shrub* + rubbish, after the derisive name for America's 43 president; 2003) n. 1. a form of nonsensical political doubletalk wherein the speaker attempts to defend the indefensible by lying, obfuscation, or otherwise misstating the facts; GIBBERISH. 2. any of a collection of utterances from America's putative 43rd president. cf.* BULLSHIT
Post #171,314 by deSitter 8/27/04 2:33:25 PM Reply	ROFL Mother flockers! -drl

Welcome to IWETHEY!