Calhouns Can(n)ons

Adios, Mike!

On the next to the last posting comment section, regular commenter, Mike Green, is bidding buh-bye. Mike, (one of the few people to actually sign on and add his sane, sweet, often funny, sensible comments while posting his real name, instead of hiding behind some anonymouse persona) and his wife are going to "become vagabonds," for a "2 year meander across America, Canada and Mexico." They'll be renting their house out (so if you live near Mike, keep an eye on the place!) so they'll have a place to return to in a few years.

Maybe by that time most of the Hideous Sewer Wars will be over and while the streets will all be torn up and dust everywhere, life will be returning to "normal." Maybe.

Meantime, Bon Voyage, Mike. Do let us all know if you set up a blogsite to keep us informed about your rambles.

O.K. Bee Count

Been trying to spend as much time as I can in Kifani's Corner of my yard (koff-koff with all the sour smoke smell drifting down from Big Sur. State's burning, a taste of our future. Not good). And while out there, I've noticed about two or three bumblebees having a wonderful time rambling around on the lavender spears and tumbling about in the mallow blooms.

BUT so far this summer, I've counted maybe three honey bees doing the same. Scientists and beekeepers are all alarmed (and rightly so) with colony collapse, an as-yet unknown malady that's killing off the bees. This is truly an alarming problem since so much of the earth's plants depend on bees.

I've seen bee hives now out along the farms out on Los Osos Valley Road, but unlike a few years ago, there are almost no bees poking around in my yard.

So, Dear & Gentle Reader, let's have your bee reports. How's you garden doing, bee wise?

O.K. Trigger, Blow Into The Mouthpiece

Finally, racehorses will now be tested for steroids and other drugs. Well, sort of. Right now it's voluntary. Big Brown's stable has stepped forward to declare that their horses will run clean.

Notes the L.A. Times (6/24/08) "Whether other owners come forward and take a similar stance might not matter. The NTRA [National Thoroughbred Racing Association] and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium are pushing the 38 racing states to adopt a model rule that would ban all but four steroids considered theraputic in nature.

"Under the model rule, which could be in place in each of the states by the end of the year, horses that are administered one of the four approved steroids -- including stanozolol--would be prohibited from racing for 30 days. Once they return to the track, they must test under the allowable threshold for the drug or the trainer and owner would be subject to penalties and fines.

"If they're not going to do it properly, it's going to be imposed upon them," said California Horse Racing Board chairman Robert Shapiro. "I applaud anybody who can see the writing on the wall."

Of course, when it comes to Big $$$$$$, the writing on the wall usually gets so erased or covered over with loopholes, there ends up little or no wall, let along any writing on it.

So, we'll see.

Better To Move To France Than Change Your Internet
Provider

Oy, France is looking good right now. Been weeks since getting a re-done, updated computer and a new provider, and I'm still spending endless hours futzing with the new email program, still have to fully complete my address book, am still pulling my hair out over a program that's downright snotty -- follow its prompts to set up something, click all the proper boxes only to have it suddenly claim absolute ignornance of all that went before -- "Nuh-huh, I don't know anything about "categories," what are you talking about, don't look at me, Nuh, huh."

Or just gets balky and goes "Pfffttttt, ain't gonna, doan hafta, I'm busy go away."

Saw a card once with an enraged duck attacking a computer and keyboard with a sledge hammer. Open up the card and it said, simply, "To start, hit any key."

Right.

Where's mah ax?