The programming project that’s been dominating my time and my life should wrap up this weekend. In fact, this is the do-or-die weekend. I’m supposed to run my big-fix program before Monday. Everyone from the president of IT on down is waiting for results, so if I fail, I’m failing on a big stage.
It’s a bit stressful, but I also tend to thrive under this kind of pressure. Years ago, an agent who signed me in Los Angeles told me he liked to work with standup comedians and retired athletes, and that the two share some personality traits. As someone nearly devoid of natural athletic ability, my reaction was something like, “Uh … huh? What are you talking about?”
“Think about it,” he said. “You both have to perform in a high-pressure situation in front of a live audience. Doesn’t matter if you’re tired, doesn’t matter what kind of mood you’re in, doesn’t matter how good you were last time out. When it’s game time, you have to get out there and do the job. There’s no re-shoot and no second take. It’s the personality type who wants the ball when it matters.”
So yeah, I kind of wanted the ball when this one came around. Hope I don’t fumble.
Anyway, I expect life to return to normal on Monday, which means I won’t be an absent blogger anymore.
In the meantime, I thought I’d share the view from our kitchen window this morning:
Deer come down from the hills now and then and and nose around the tree line, but usually the dogs bark and scare them away. The dogs happened to be snoozing in the sun room when I took these pictures. We counted eight deer in all. It was a pleasing, relaxing sight to take in before heading upstairs to put my program through some final tests before running it.
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It’s a “pleasing, relaxing sight to take in” until they obliterate the garden, and then the ornamentals.
If you design your ultimate fencing plan to allow the dogs to patrol, but not harass the domestic critters, that should do the trick.
That’s part of the long-range plan.
So now you will get working on the childrens book/DVD? Looking forward to it.
I’ve been working on it little by little, but at the end of a 12-hour day of coding, it’s not easy to switch gears in the brain.
Best of luck with your programming project Tom! And with an apple tree in my backyard with a house in a no-hunting zone your photos are a familiar sight for me (except for the bare ground, still languishing with 3 feet of snow here in Maine).
Thank you, Cary. Our snow just melted away Thursday. I haven’t decided if I’m relieved or disappointed.
Deer can devastate a vegetable garden, though in my experience what they love best is rosebushes. The thorns might as well not be there. I’ve seen plans for relatively cheap deer fences on line, though. Meanwhile enjoy the view.
There’s nothing in the garden for them to eat this early in the year, but we will definitely be looking at some kind of protective fencing in the spring. I don’t want Chareva doing all that work just to feed the local critter population.
It’s a “pleasing, relaxing sight to take in” until they obliterate the garden, and then the ornamentals.
If you design your ultimate fencing plan to allow the dogs to patrol, but not harass the domestic critters, that should do the trick.
That’s part of the long-range plan.
So now you will get working on the childrens book/DVD? Looking forward to it.
I’ve been working on it little by little, but at the end of a 12-hour day of coding, it’s not easy to switch gears in the brain.
Best of luck with your programming project Tom! And with an apple tree in my backyard with a house in a no-hunting zone your photos are a familiar sight for me (except for the bare ground, still languishing with 3 feet of snow here in Maine).
Thank you, Cary. Our snow just melted away Thursday. I haven’t decided if I’m relieved or disappointed.
Deer can devastate a vegetable garden, though in my experience what they love best is rosebushes. The thorns might as well not be there. I’ve seen plans for relatively cheap deer fences on line, though. Meanwhile enjoy the view.
There’s nothing in the garden for them to eat this early in the year, but we will definitely be looking at some kind of protective fencing in the spring. I don’t want Chareva doing all that work just to feed the local critter population.
“And now, the end is near”
. . . . .
“Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.”
From The King of Memphis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS8R8fcC_OY .
It March 1, Spring also in Dublin, Ireland
Sláinte mhaith,
LeonRover
Cheers to your health as well.
“And now, the end is near”
. . . . .
“Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.”
From The King of Memphis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS8R8fcC_OY .
It March 1, Spring also in Dublin, Ireland
Sláinte mhaith,
LeonRover
Cheers to your health as well.
“… I thought I’d share the view from our kitchen window this morning…”
Shoot!
Shoot!
SHOOT!
Heh-heh … not until hunting season comes around again and I’m ready to take down a buck.
“… I thought I’d share the view from our kitchen window this morning…”
Shoot!
Shoot!
SHOOT!
Heh-heh … not until hunting season comes around again and I’m ready to take down a buck.
Dinner! Dinner is just across the fence! Just kidding, I saw your ‘not until hunting season’ reply. But that IS what I thought.
Oh believe me, the thought crossed my mind.
I swear that one deer with the raised leg is pissing on your bushes!! LOL
Kind of looked like that, didn’t it?
Dinner! Dinner is just across the fence! Just kidding, I saw your ‘not until hunting season’ reply. But that IS what I thought.
Oh believe me, the thought crossed my mind.
I swear that one deer with the raised leg is pissing on your bushes!! LOL
Kind of looked like that, didn’t it?
I live in Hollywood, do let me know when you’re performing there. Thanks.
Don’t wait for a buck. You’re hunting for the freezer, not the living room wall, no?
One less thing to cut around during field dressing.
Cheers
(P.S. – we got 9 inches of snow in Spfld this weekend)
Shows what I know. I thought hunters were supposed to wait for bucks.
We’ve got ice and snow due to hit on Wednesday. More winter fun.
My parent’s live near a gully and we saw deer relatively often. It was always fascinating to look out the window and watch them graze before they took off back down the street towards the gully. Good times.
Good luck with your project. I’m sure you’ll do great. 🙂
I live in Hollywood, do let me know when you’re performing there. Thanks.
If you’re feeling ambitious, there’s always the chicken moat.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/garden-pest-control-zmaz88mjzgoe.aspx
Plus, you’ll have a moat full of tiny feathered dinosaurs!
A moat? Only if Chareva starts calling me “Sir Thomas” and agrees to wear a chastity belt when I leave for a programming crusade.
Don’t wait for a buck. You’re hunting for the freezer, not the living room wall, no?
One less thing to cut around during field dressing.
Cheers
(P.S. – we got 9 inches of snow in Spfld this weekend)
Shows what I know. I thought hunters were supposed to wait for bucks.
We’ve got ice and snow due to hit on Wednesday. More winter fun.
My parent’s live near a gully and we saw deer relatively often. It was always fascinating to look out the window and watch them graze before they took off back down the street towards the gully. Good times.
Good luck with your project. I’m sure you’ll do great. 🙂
If you’re feeling ambitious, there’s always the chicken moat.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/garden-pest-control-zmaz88mjzgoe.aspx
Plus, you’ll have a moat full of tiny feathered dinosaurs!
A moat? Only if Chareva starts calling me “Sir Thomas” and agrees to wear a chastity belt when I leave for a programming crusade.
If you’re going to fence, you’ll need to run “double-fence” for deer. Deer can pretty easily jump up to an 8′ fence, but they need a clear landing zone.
A double fence eliminates that. Yes, it’s twice the work, but it’s also more than twice as effective. Double fence line with about 4′ in between the two fences.
Good advice, thanks. Yes, it’s more work, but Chareva certainly doesn’t want all her work on the garden to go to waste.
If you’re going to fence, you’ll need to run “double-fence” for deer. Deer can pretty easily jump up to an 8′ fence, but they need a clear landing zone.
A double fence eliminates that. Yes, it’s twice the work, but it’s also more than twice as effective. Double fence line with about 4′ in between the two fences.
Good advice, thanks. Yes, it’s more work, but Chareva certainly doesn’t want all her work on the garden to go to waste.
Seems even deer and sheep will eat birds/bones to get minerals. There are said to be some videos showing this as well, but I have not tried to watch them. If you notice any of this behavior, please let us know and hopefully get a video.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0825_030825_carnivorousdeer.html
If I spot a deer munching on bones, I’ll grab the camera.
Seems even deer and sheep will eat birds/bones to get minerals. There are said to be some videos showing this as well, but I have not tried to watch them. If you notice any of this behavior, please let us know and hopefully get a video.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0825_030825_carnivorousdeer.html
If I spot a deer munching on bones, I’ll grab the camera.