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3180. concerned - 7/25/2005 4:23:34 PM Btw, I had a couple of encounters with wildlife this weekend that I certainly didn't expect. The first one was Saturday when I was moving dirt in my back . I noticed a pig rooting around in the forest near me. It then wandered onto my back yard. It was a gray low slung creature, probably fifty pounds. I was a little disconcerted that it did not appear to be at all afraid of me since when I ran the wheelbarrow within six feet of it, it appeared to start getting its hackles up. IAC, this pig was in my front or back yard for a good half hour before wandering off. At first I thought it might be somebody's escaped pet, but it didn't seem to be particularly sociable. Not sure how such a creature gets by with the coyotes and large dogs running loose. I wonder if I should call the local animal control people. Pigs are not the most desirable creatures running loose, from what I understand.
The second wildlife encounter occurred this weekend when I was visiting my sister with a large hornet's nest that had been constructed on one of her porch lights. This thing was larger than a football. I knocked most of it off the porch light with a mini-rake. Talk about your proverbial mad hornets! They were swarming for a good long time after that. 3181. judithathome - 7/25/2005 5:23:16 PM Leave it to you to stir up a hornet's nest! ;-) 3182. concerned - 7/25/2005 10:10:15 PM Update:
I called the county animal control department, and learned the piggie I had a close encounter with is one of those Vietnamese potbellied pigs named 'Porkchop' that has escaped from its owner. Apparently somebody else sighted it today and the animal control personnel are hoping to trap 'Porkchop' and return it to its owner soon. 3183. Macnas - 7/26/2005 9:45:08 AM Pigs generally have little to fear from coyotes and dogs. They are clever and can be very aggressive. I remember the neighbours farm held some pigs, and the only thing worse than a bull on the loose was a boar.
That brings back some memories. When I was a boy you would see sows grazing along the roadside sometimes. They would eat most things but loved buttercups and primroses and the like. Like good dogs they would never stray far from the gate, and were wise to the ways of motor vehicles. Very interesting creatures are pigs.
3184. PelleNilsson - 8/1/2005 8:36:30 PM After the rain - 8 PM
After the rain - 8.20 PM
 3185. wonkers2 - 8/1/2005 9:36:35 PM As I recall pigs are more intelligent than cows, horses or goats. 3186. thoughtful - 8/1/2005 10:34:12 PM Perhaps for the 'not so good' part of life...while on vacation, the home we plan to tear down so we can build a new one, was broken into by kids. Fortunately, they made a mess but didn't steal or severely damage anything. However, we fear that now that they've found this 'party house' they'll be back and more courageous the next time.
We re-battened the hatches on the place, but they'll still break in if they want to.
I'm seriously considering a home security system for the place...a motion/infrared detector set up with a system that will call us at home if it detects motion. That way we can call the cops and hopefully nab them in the act. IMO that's the only way to stop the problem.
If any of you have any knowledge/suggestions in this area, it would be most appreciated! 3187. arkymalarky - 8/1/2005 11:16:15 PM We've had that problem in the Colorado cabin in the past, but not recently. The neighbors who live there year round have done a great job of keeping an eye out for the place, and we keep the driveway blocked when we're not there. 3188. thoughtful - 8/2/2005 2:32:41 PM Thanks Arky, we've contacted the neighbors and asked them to keep an eye out, but the house isn't very close to others. We've put the truck in the one barway which will make it harder for people to get in, but the property is large with a lot of frontage. And kids will be kids.
Sigh. 3189. thoughtful - 8/8/2005 5:28:16 PM our tomatoes have finally started to ripen
went to visit a friend on the beach and brough fruit with dip with us...dip was excellent....8oz cream cheese blended with 1/4 pineapple juice, 1/4 lt corn syrup, 1/4 honey.
Came out good
3190. arkymalarky - 8/8/2005 6:19:13 PM Oooh, I'll try that for a potluck we're having at work next week. I'm always at a loss for something quick and good to bring. 3191. judithathome - 8/8/2005 7:48:23 PM You can make a great fruit dip by adding brown sugar to sour cream, too. 3192. thoughtful - 8/8/2005 7:52:08 PM ooops sorry....each of those 1/4 ingredients should be 1/4 cup...juice, syrup and honey.
We had quite a bit left over after we finished our fruit so the host was going to save the rest of the dip and serve it on french toast in the a.m. yum.
brown sugar to sour cream sounds good too.
3193. judithathome - 8/9/2005 12:06:05 AM It IS...very much so.
My chef friend, who used to be Maitre'D at the Russian Tea Room, makes a great fruit dip with softened cream cheese, sour cream, maple syrup, and honey. 3194. thoughtful - 8/9/2005 1:37:56 PM I was thinking maple syrup and cream cheese would be really good...esp with some chopped walnuts mixed in too. 3195. thoughtful - 8/11/2005 4:17:39 PM Anyone into hungarian cooking? I'm having friends over who are Hungarian by background and I'm thinking of making a chicken paprikash and a wilted cucumber salad with dill and sour cream. Any suggestions for what else I should serve with the meal? Any dessert ideas? 3196. PelleNilsson - 8/19/2005 8:07:09 PM There was an article in the IHT a couple of day ago about American and European vacation rules. The author writes:
Have Europeans reached a vacation saturation point?
After two decades of demanding more time off, will they now focus on making more money and working longer hours?
So far, there is little evidence to suggest this. Europeans have a long way to go to catch up with Americans, who on average work about 350 more hours a year than Germans ...
This illustrates the stark contrast between American and European attitudes to taking time off. Let me try to paraphrase the above as if written by a European journalist.
Have Americans reached a consumerism saturation point?
After decades of increasing working hours, will they now focus on more leisure time and less work?
So far, there is little evidence to suggest this. Americans have a long way to go to catch up with Europeans, who on average work about 350 less hours a year than Americans ...
3197. The Summer Woman - 8/21/2005 7:07:09 PM I've always wondered if Europeans are more efficient workers. it seems to me that the more hours people work, the more tired they become, and the less efficient they are. Which creates a vicious cycle. 3198. wonkers2 - 8/22/2005 3:48:56 AM I think that labor economists would say that any effect on worker productivity due to working excessive hours would occurr at much higher levels of hours than currently worked in the U.S. or Europe. That is not to say that the U.S. practice of working more hours is superior. I think the practice of shutting the plant down for a one-month vacation for everyone in the summer is preferable to the U.S. custom of basing paid vacation entitlement on length of service. The need for and benefit from a vacation is independent of length of service with a particular employer. 3199. Macnas - 8/22/2005 8:18:24 AM It's a wonder how we've managed to turn a few bob at all eh?
But it's good to see the U.S. is hard at work, the munitions industry in particular must be going, well, a bomb at the moment.
I cannot comment on many European models, hoilday habits differ from country to country, a fact not pointed out by the article, for whose writer Europe consists of 3 or 4 countries in the middle somewhere.
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