Carving Cleanup!

Our condo has a balcony looking out over the gulf. This has become my carving area when it's warm enough. There's quite a bit of wind that comes in off the gulf, so the wood chips might have become a problem. I did not want them blowing off the balcony into/onto other folks balconies, or anywhere for that matter. We also eat our lunch on the balcony too. One day the wind blew some potato chip crumbs off the table onto the deck. I noticed that as soon as we went inside, some sparrows flew in and took away the potato chip crumbs.



Light bulb goes off inside head! I wonder if the sparrows would swoop in and take away the wood chips too. This I had to try. I felt guilty watching the sparrows flock in and in quite a frenzy remove the wood chips, thinking they were food. The sparrows did this for several days, then must have figured out what was happening. Now, if I leave just a few chips they'll clean them up for me. But not a big mess.

The Strangest So Far!

This is not quilting or carving! But it was the strangest happening that I've seen on vacation in Florida - so far. While sitting on the balcony of the condo carving, my wife said yesh there's a traffic jam of strollers coming down the bike path. I looked up and said, "look! it's synchronized strollers". Just then they all pulled a right hand turn off the bike path and parked the strollers against the fence. They commenced to pull out bungee cords and hook them on to the fence. Next, on the count, they started arm exercises. After about 5 minutes they packed up and off they went down the bike path.
15 minutes later they came back. This time they started jumping jacks. Before I could grab the camera they were back at the bungee cords. Like I said; the strangest so far. I got three weeks to go, so I'm sure this will be topped.

I Nominate Self for Friends of Dogs Award!

I should be nominating myself for an award. It's been two weeks in Florida at the beach, and I have not been the cause of one little yappy-crappy dogs disappearance. Although I have fantasized about ways to deal with the problem. Oh! you say "what problem"? Here's a few:

1. The vast number of little dogs,
2. The large number of little dogs lacking in training.
3. Dogs pooping everywhere and people leaning over picking up poop.
4. The pervasive smell of dog urine and poop, all the time and everywhere.
5. People don't pick up poop in the dark.
6. Lazy , illiterate people walk their little dogs after dark.

You get the idea...

In my mind I am working out the design details of a system to perhaps begin to control the little dog situation. I am working up plans for a paintball gun that shoots "snausages" laced with a sleeping drug. The "snausages" would be for the little dogs. I'm working on something for the little dog owners.

Mans Best Friend - A Rant!

Florida when there's two feet of snow on the ground at home up north is fine. As a matter fact it's so fine that I think thousands of small dog owners from the north bring their small dogs down so the dogs can relieve themselves without getting frost bite of their privates. But that's a problem. Not the frost bite; all the small dogs in Florida. We are at a fantastic condo on the beach in Florida. It is very nice, but at times it's like staying at a kennel on the beach.
From this point on in this posting it is not my intent to upset responsible dog owners; but to pose questions and make some observations. The irresponsible dog owners are a different thing altogether. May they slip, fall, and land face first in a pile of fresh warm dog poop.


I feel so out of place here without at least one little lap (or is that yap dog).
There's a walking/bike path that runs along the beach (right in front of our balcony), that is very well used. If my observations are correct, I think you must have at least one dog on a leash, preferably a very small dog to use the bike/walk way. I don't know if the people are walking these dogs, or it's the other way around. You don't ever see any kids around, so I'm thinking that the dogs are a replacement for kids and/or grand kids. It's either that or there is a place near where you can rent small yappy dogs. I have also come to the conclusion that a lot of the folks with these dogs are illiterate and deaf. They're deaf to the yapping/barking that occurs every time one of the dogs sees another dog. And with the day long parade of dogs on the walk/bike way it's constant. And I say these folks are illiterate because they cannot read. Well manicured lawns of grass and plants are difficult to maintain, so they're lots of signs that say: "Keep off the grass" and "No walking on the grass". I guess this does not apply to people with dogs. At least I haven't noticed any dog owners/walkers going behind a tree to relieve themselves. Which brings me to the observation and question of the constant sniffing between dogs on a walk. It's sniff then relieve themselves, sniff and relieve themselves. When I take a walk with my wife I don't sniff every woman we pass. What gives a dog that right. Maybe if I relieved myself on every shrub and tree I'd have the right to sniff the ladies we encounter on our walk.

Nobody complains, because everybody has at least one dog with them. I tip my hat to those dog owners who have trained their dogs well. I thank those dog owners who have left their dogs at home.

Carving in Florida!

Wife says I have to fill the pot on the table with wood chips. This is the result of one days worth of whittlin.