tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225231242024-03-13T12:20:48.218-07:00Wild FictionNot always wild, not always fiction.Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.comBlogger417125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-52277002298192974502021-11-12T09:18:00.002-07:002021-11-12T09:21:20.101-07:00Circle of Life Mousetrap Pit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXzOj2P_P4iN7-K8i5AlJMGepDgAgG1itm1AkseVgU4tnDKG6NKyVon-WN2r8DJ-mNpEIBbEW8L37QQXnSrGsakEuPrMXRsH4QPCrtfTVwNGL6wZpLyMRlbmqSkgf71UoB_cp/s1200/rat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXzOj2P_P4iN7-K8i5AlJMGepDgAgG1itm1AkseVgU4tnDKG6NKyVon-WN2r8DJ-mNpEIBbEW8L37QQXnSrGsakEuPrMXRsH4QPCrtfTVwNGL6wZpLyMRlbmqSkgf71UoB_cp/w640-h480/rat.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I've been trying to invent a better mousetrap for a long time and I think that I've come up with a few that are possibly patentable.</p><p>For me, the ultimate mousetrap will have these features:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Terminate the rodent.</li><li>Eject the dead rodent from the trap into an area where a natural predator will take it away.</li><li>Reset itself.</li><li>Work for months at a time without human intervention.</li><li>Be effective.</li></ul><div>With that in mind I've come up with this (invented?) as one of my designs.</div><div><br /></div><div>I live in Arizona in the desert southwest of north America. The predators listed in this article of those commonly found in this part of the world. Where you live some of them will be different.</div><div><br /></div><div>The trap is a pit that's a half drum about 3 to 6 feet wide and around 3 feet deep. Simply put, when a rodent falls into this drum it is unable to climb out because it has smooth walls. From a practical perspective I would imagine that a modified plastic water collection tank might be used as a starting point to create this. The color of the pit should be light.</div><div><br /></div><div>The pit would be installed outside. Either completely above ground or semi-submerged or submerged into the ground. Because it's outside then drainage from the pit needs to be considered and installed. This could be as simple as tiny drainage holes poked into the bottom of the pit and would prevent the pit from flooding when it rains.</div><div><br /></div><div>Around the edge of the pit you place walk-the-plank style mousetraps. These are mousetraps that entice the rodent forward and uses their weight to trigger a pivot mechanism to drop them into the pit. If the rim of the pit is above the ground you will need a ramp to facilitate the rodent reaching this point.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rodents that fall into the pit will be alive and running around in there but unable to get out. The walk-the-plank style traps are usually self-resetting so several rodents can be dropped into the pit at the same time.</div><div><br /></div><div>If the tank is light in color then there will be a distinct contrast making the rodents highly visible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Predators are now able to remove the rodents from the pit. This would have happened in nature anyway except it wouldn't have been as easy for the predators to find their prey.</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Birds of Prey</h4><div><br /></div><div>Eagles, hawks and owls would be the primary birds-of-prey that would be interested in this. It would be pretty easy for them to pick the rodents out of this pit.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Canines and Felines</h3><div><br /></div><div>Domesticated dogs and cats (including feral cats) as well as bobcats, mountain lion and coyotes are all potential rodent removers. Easy for them to get in and out of the pit.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Reptiles</h3><div><br /></div><div>Snakes are the only reptiles that I would imagine that you'd see in this pit. I'm guessing that Gila Monsters are potential predators but these are pretty rare. If the external ingress to the pit has a high wall then this may eliminate reptiles.</div><div><br /></div><div>Snakes may get stuck in the pit and not able to get out. There are a couple of thoughts about this. The snake spends a good portion of its life in the pit because it has a constant supply of food entering the pit. A human (using a long snake pole) lifts the snake out of the pit and releases it.</div><div><br /></div><p></p>Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-56055660874985316032015-08-22T09:48:00.001-07:002015-09-20T08:25:59.287-07:00Tuscan Cantaloupe Experiment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Location: Scottsdale, AZ<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date: 8/22/2015</h4>
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Yesterday evening I had a delicious Tuscan Cantaloupe. I saved around 50 seeds from it and dried them overnight.<br />
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Today I pulled back the mulch in the orchard and laid a 7 foot 1/4 inch soaker tube attached to the orchard irrigation. It will get about 20 minutes of water each morning. I scattered the seeds evenly along the length of soaker hose.<br />
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The seeds have a few inches of mulch on top of them. I also gave the mulch a good initial soak with the garden hose after I put it back. <br />
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Date: 8/26/2015</h4>
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It's been 4 days since I put the seeds down. Today I noticed the first signs that they germinated. I'm guessing that the stem must be a few inches long because they were buried under a few inches of mulch. I counted 21 in total.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date: 8/27/2015</h4>
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Five days after planting the germination count is 53.<br />
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Date: 8/28/2015</h4>
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Six days after planting the germination count is 94. I guess that my estimate of 50 seeds wasn't very accurate.<br />
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Date 8/28/2015</h4>
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Eight days after planting. Germination count is 124. That doesn't include 5 to 10 that appears to have collapsed from heat exhaustion. I've thrown a shade cloth over the plants to protect them at this stage. We're still experiencing 110F days and they are tiny and not able to handle this heat.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date 9/14/15</h4>
They've done really well over the last couple of weeks under the shade cloth which I've just removed. The leaves are large and the plants are growing quickly. Will allow them full sun now.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date 9/19/15</h4>
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Noticed first flowers. About 20% of the leaves have been eaten by the desert cottontails. I'm hoping that as the leaves become more mature and prickly that they'll be less palatable to the rabbits and will be left alone. Theory is that the young succulent leaves are what they wanted.<br />
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Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-63325353548050801452015-08-22T07:46:00.000-07:002015-09-20T08:24:18.723-07:00HVAC Condenser Irrigation Experiment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date: 7/25/2015</h4>
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Week 0: I'm trying this experiment: I've just put some squash, gem and pumpkin
seeds under a few inches of mulch and resting on the soil. I've taken a
pool backwash hose (because I had some) and am redirecting the a/c
condensation run-off to that patch.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date: 8/2/2015</h4>
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Week 1: Came back from vacation yesterday and noticed that 6 of the 10 seeds
have germinated and pushed through the inches of mulch and are looking
healthy. The trick (IMO) is to immediately go on a 1 week vacation after
planting. The experiment is to keep the plants permanently wet/damp
from the A/C drip pipe.<br />
Some other notes about this: My wife
planted the same seeds in a nearby vegetable patch 3 weeks ago and they
are around the same size as mine are after a week. The key differences:<br />
Hers: High quality soil, watered once a day for 10 minutes at 6am using city water, no mulch.<br />
Mine: Placed on top of regular dirt (i.e. not "planted"), a few inches
of mulch on top of it, permanently wet/damp with distilled water from
a/c external drip pipe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmTuk-GjBGQVRI08lLsv1vIHLlNcFPfbLgmPehqwCM1Bo6yeNN9FQ-PLM0KBMYmU71SvF9oT-c9koBZdC-BDfUjxFUzl3XPymZrv68YU74IJiiVAQOj9gZQFC-OhRfsd76Zao/s1600/drip-week-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmTuk-GjBGQVRI08lLsv1vIHLlNcFPfbLgmPehqwCM1Bo6yeNN9FQ-PLM0KBMYmU71SvF9oT-c9koBZdC-BDfUjxFUzl3XPymZrv68YU74IJiiVAQOj9gZQFC-OhRfsd76Zao/s640/drip-week-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date: 8/8/2015</h4>
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<span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text0:0">Week 2: It's been 2 weeks since I "planted" the 10 seeds and here is the latest update.</span><br data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text1:0" /><br data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text3:0" /><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text4:0">Week 0: Planted</span></span><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><br data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text1:0" /><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text2:0">Week 1: 6 germinated, inches high.</span><br data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text3:0" /><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text4:0">Week
2: 7 germinated: 3/3 squash, 2/3 white pumpkin, 2/4 gem squash. At
least doubled if not tripled in size since Week #1 update.</span><br data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text5:0" /><br data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text7:0" /><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text8:0">Other
notes. On the other side of the house I have another a/c drip line. The
water in that one I'm catching in a bucket. This means that I can
measure the amount of water being produced by the a/c units and can
assume that this one varies at the same rate. The amount of water coming
out the unit on the other side is around 3 gallons a day right now but
earlier in the week it was probably half of that. As you would expect
the amount of water produced is directly related to the humidity and
with this extra humidity over the last couple of days we have extra
water. This is the inverse of what I think we need. i.e. when the air is
dryer I'm guessing the plants will transpire more and need more water
which is when the a/c run-off will produce less. Just thinking out aloud
here...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".x.1:5:1:$comment10153686464762176_10153701684207176:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text8:0"> Date: 8/15/2015</span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
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Week 3: Looking healthy. Not showing any signs of over-watering yet that I can see.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIY3Hlr7r8_zJL-fINGBclPKN-ZE4Vm3Mq_zdroWK0pitCi3ythrBJi0LAb6zyHTIF4HgJ2x7qHWdaw2WibkbSSlXWQ6U9ezLlSYWsCeFdxWlrJvX2INm5VOz4TsYXXYdKhOU/s1600/2015-08-15+11.09.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIY3Hlr7r8_zJL-fINGBclPKN-ZE4Vm3Mq_zdroWK0pitCi3ythrBJi0LAb6zyHTIF4HgJ2x7qHWdaw2WibkbSSlXWQ6U9ezLlSYWsCeFdxWlrJvX2INm5VOz4TsYXXYdKhOU/s640/2015-08-15+11.09.55.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date: 8/22/15</h4>
<br />
Week 4: Heat has been brutal over the last couple of weeks with highs of 115F and no rain for 2 weeks. Because the leaves are now so big the plants wither and droop during the afternoon. In the early morning they look the healthiest as in this photo.<br />
<br />
They are now standing 12 inches from the soil. Because they're tangled together in a growing mass I haven't been able to work out if there are still 7 plants growing here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXddA4LaCrW4J6fTPcZbn3fsuIQijcEu92V6AtR44ENcxW8-pYQmnNIG8xg5iYa31Jv0RldZxmCz6VXQiba2_rUP364ytnxxQnK6iTbgOoUuDROR38qqGi7qcBEGwPR3UvDB2C/s1600/2015-08-22+07.50.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXddA4LaCrW4J6fTPcZbn3fsuIQijcEu92V6AtR44ENcxW8-pYQmnNIG8xg5iYa31Jv0RldZxmCz6VXQiba2_rUP364ytnxxQnK6iTbgOoUuDROR38qqGi7qcBEGwPR3UvDB2C/s640/2015-08-22+07.50.09.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Date 8/29/15 8am</h4>
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Week 5: I now have a plastic garden chair that I keep to the south-west of these plants. This provides some shade during the afternoons. Because of the size of the leaves there is severe wilting in the afternoon. In the evenings and mornings the leaves have fully recovered. The afternoon wilting is not because of a lack of water but rather the ability for the plants to pull the water up through their stems during the hot periods of extreme transpiration.</div>
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Today I measured the plants. I should have started doing this earlier in the experiment to measure growth rate. Height (off mulch) is 12 inches and average diameter is 20 inches. I also added the time of day to the sub-heading. Because of the wilting it's important to take the measurements at around the same time of day and preferably in the morning.</div>
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Date 8/29/15 2:30pm</h4>
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Here's another photo of the plants taken 6.5 hours after the one above. The temperature has risen from around 85F (29C) at 8am in the morning to 110F (43C) at 2:30pm. Those wilted leaves will recover this evening.</div>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date 9/14/15</h4>
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Week 7. Not looking that healthy right now. I've been away for the last week so not sure if it's the sun or over-watering. It rained overnight. Plants have started to crawl horizontally now.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date 9/19/15</h4>
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Week 8. Very little progress. Still looking heat-stressed. The extreme heats have started to abate. Highs are now under 100F. In theory they should be getting less water as the A/C units should be running less with the drop in temperatures.<br />
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Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-84629468636984794662015-08-15T19:32:00.001-07:002015-09-04T03:50:16.018-07:00Pineapple Mango<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<u>Date: 8/14/2015</u></h4>
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What: Pineapple Mango <br />
Acquired: 8/13/2015<br />
From: AZRFG<br />
Planted: 8/14/2015 <br />
Orientation: 9 feet from east side of house.<br />
Tree height: 3 feet.<br />
Trunk diameter: 0.5 inches above and below graft.<br />
Location: North East corner of 101, Scottsdale, AZ (Hayden/Thunderbird)<br />
Water: Drip irrigation around 8am daily during summer months.<br />
Soil: Native soil, no amendments. Original soil around root ball kept intact when planted.<br />
Mulch: Thin layer of wood chips around base of tree with a deeper cone of chips surrounding that.<br />
Measure stick: The measure stick shown in the photo is 8 feet long with 2 foot striped markers.<br />
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<u><b>Date 8/17/2015</b></u><br />
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Added 60% shade cloth to provide some protection against the sun and heat we're currently experiencing.<br />
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<u><b>Date 8/21/2015</b></u><br />
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Swapped out the regular water emitter for a 1/4" soaker ring around the base of the tree. Diameter of the soaker ring is fairly small (around 10") and only a few inches wider than the original root ball. The soaker ring lies on top of the ground and is then covered with around a foot of mulch. In doing so I saw that the mulch around the base of the trees was already starting to turn a healthy black.<br />
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<u><b>Date 8/23/2015</b></u><br />
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Looks like there's new growth at the top of the mango. Grabbing this image to see how it changes over time. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrt-sG-Yvmee6NqShTjvNLqpSUeuQoAohJoJIBclkcZmD5X4QAIhqq6ImiexRy7rRTJJMHp9rRgdsVlZZ5b5z7M57q6gIfm3N_YCeVh9XSPmrsMR6H4_RG8O7Ju5O-A4NrMfQ/s1600/2015-08-23+10.41.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrt-sG-Yvmee6NqShTjvNLqpSUeuQoAohJoJIBclkcZmD5X4QAIhqq6ImiexRy7rRTJJMHp9rRgdsVlZZ5b5z7M57q6gIfm3N_YCeVh9XSPmrsMR6H4_RG8O7Ju5O-A4NrMfQ/s640/2015-08-23+10.41.16.jpg" width="636" /></a></div>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date 8/28/2015</h4>
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Observed:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>3 New shoots can now be seen on the mango. Two at the top as per the previous logs photo and a new one lower down.</li>
</ul>
Action:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Sprinkled 4 handfuls of used (Starbucks) coffee grounds around the based of the tree.</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Date 9/3/2015</h4>
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Switched out the flimsy/flexible plastic/rebar poles for 8' wood stakes and extended the shade cloth another foot south.<br />
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Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-40979908040586436432015-03-01T10:00:00.000-07:002015-03-01T11:29:39.912-07:00How hard is your water?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been trying to work out why there's so much calcium build up in the drain in my shower. I posted a question to Stack Exchange: <a href="http://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/61211/how-can-i-remove-calcium-deposits-from-a-drain" target="_blank">How can I remove calcium from a drain?</a> and that lead to the suggestion that I get a water softener which I already have so I questioned if it was working: <a href="http://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/61249/how-do-i-measure-how-hard-my-water-is" target="_blank">How do I measure how hard my water is?</a><br />
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I found this YouTube video which seems to have a simple test of adding Castile soap to water samples:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/zQjIr_jgqtE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zQjIr_jgqtE?feature=player_embedded" width="500"></iframe></div>
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It turned out that my industrious wife also had a sample of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castile_soap" target="_blank">Castile soap</a> - which I'd never heard of before.<br />
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Using 3 sources for the water:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Kirkland (Costco) purified water</li>
<li>GE SmartWater filter</li>
<li>Tap water</li>
</ul>
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The GE SmartWater filter and the tap water both go through our water softener.<br />
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The results:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJcRZIny7llDibWnnE4nevVZk_GYlJz6hf80eHgWsUegAFKTvYAiQS4URQGa504Y6TOzO9fYvhQjKGll29O3rZVEd8kYNbhWufAg8KKZ83ePfsNWcJBov-Wkt0hXgEbXDxOvO/s1600/2015-03-01+09.33.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJcRZIny7llDibWnnE4nevVZk_GYlJz6hf80eHgWsUegAFKTvYAiQS4URQGa504Y6TOzO9fYvhQjKGll29O3rZVEd8kYNbhWufAg8KKZ83ePfsNWcJBov-Wkt0hXgEbXDxOvO/s1600/2015-03-01+09.33.08.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now according to the test in the YouTube video I would have expected the Kirkland purified drinking water to have the least concentration of minerals. However it turns out that it has the highest.<br />
<br />
It looks like the water from the faucet isn't as soft as it should be so I now question if the water softener is working.<br />
<br />
I've always been skeptical about how well these in-house water filters work and am pleasantly surprised that according to this test it's working extremely well.<br />
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<b>Update #1</b>: Just noticed that the Kirkland botteled water has "with minerals added for taste" on the label so I guess that it's intentionally not soft. When I initially read "purified drinking water" I missed that.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-27899456135867273402015-02-11T16:44:00.001-07:002015-05-13T10:47:11.979-07:00Five Star Passenger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Alaska-737-4QB-YVR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Alaska-737-4QB-YVR.jpg" height="403" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.uber.com/invite/guye40" target="_blank">Uber</a> have come up with a fantastic system to proactively use the star ratings we give to our service provider. If an Uber driver doesn’t maintain an average 4.6 star rating then <a href="http://www.quora.com/Whats-the-convention-for-rating-an-Uber-driver">they will be deactivated</a>. As a passenger this means that you have a powerful responsibility to provide accurate feedback for your driver if you’re not going to give them 5 stars as their livelihood depends on your rating. To date I’ve given all my drivers 5 stars except for one who I gave 4 stars because he couldn’t find me or direct me to him and it took 15 minutes for us to connect.
<br />
<br />
Today I learned that customers also have a star rating and the driver assigns stars to how you were as a passenger. I have no idea what they base this on. Your conversation? There’s not that much to go on… My driver told me that when the ride popped up on his screen it showed him that I am a 5 star customer at Uber. I have arrived!
<br />
<br />
On an Alaska Airlines flight from Phoenix to Seattle today I sat between two delightful people. One is a Flight EMT for the DoD and the other is a mother of four. It occurred to me that after a flight the airline should send you the same request that Uber does which is to rate your fellow passengers on a scale of 1 to 5.
<br />
<br />
Using that information the airlines could seat all the 1 star problem passengers next to each other so that they can be miserable and unpleasant to each other together. The 5 star passengers (yes of course I’d be one of them) would then also be seated together to have polite, reserved conversation about the weather at your destination.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-76975745067663122702015-01-11T09:33:00.001-07:002015-01-11T09:33:25.970-07:00Arctic Star White Nectarine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpswUs26nvIN3zD2mL83EnSIvnLIYkpHVcob2wYLX70n1OdbiGJzfTzNz9X9GhygQwKF-O24fZVCUYi8IDeOuqDD1rw2eKpT3GZjalabk-pzdz1FVphrNdpiV_2q_DY4gX5sQ/s1600/arctic-star-nectarine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpswUs26nvIN3zD2mL83EnSIvnLIYkpHVcob2wYLX70n1OdbiGJzfTzNz9X9GhygQwKF-O24fZVCUYi8IDeOuqDD1rw2eKpT3GZjalabk-pzdz1FVphrNdpiV_2q_DY4gX5sQ/s1600/arctic-star-nectarine.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
This Arctic Star White Nectarine (height 67") went into the orchard on 7/Dec/2014. From the marketing blurb:<br />
<br />
Harvest Dates: June 8 to June 25 (approximate for Hickman, CA)<br />Developed by Zaiger Genetics. U.S. Plant Patent No. 9332.<br /><br />Earliest to ripen of the low acid, super-sweet white nectarines. Rave reviews in trial tastings. Beautiful dark red skin, snow white semi-freestone flesh.<br />
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<br /></div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-16006244729268993602014-09-30T12:16:00.001-07:002014-09-30T12:16:23.836-07:00Pluot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRETqIgf2XxUKxgOaJtNvSoZ-HCjDZX8wKRnJkdaJWYypLT7Bu4na0EQHwuvUQypQycXweLnosuV-cpEslt5Tm-MfurGbUqZG1cKOB3iCJQLNbY8O5LVXDyHLRb6d1GhA3N95w/s1600/2014-09-30+10.10.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRETqIgf2XxUKxgOaJtNvSoZ-HCjDZX8wKRnJkdaJWYypLT7Bu4na0EQHwuvUQypQycXweLnosuV-cpEslt5Tm-MfurGbUqZG1cKOB3iCJQLNbY8O5LVXDyHLRb6d1GhA3N95w/s1600/2014-09-30+10.10.25.jpg" height="640" width="338" /></a></div>
This is a pluot tree that I planted on 5 March 2014. It has three varieties of pluot on it:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Supreme</li>
<li>Queen</li>
<li>Dapple Dandy</li>
</ul>
It flowered and some fruit set. Only one of the pluots survived and it grew to the size of a ping pong ball and then one day mysteriously disappeared so I never got to try it.<br />
<br />
A pluot is a hybrid between a plumb and an apricot. An aprium is also a hybrid between a plumb and an apricot. The difference is that a pluot has more plumb than apricot and an aprium more apricot than plumb. </div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-81157508507643128372014-09-30T12:12:00.001-07:002014-09-30T12:12:25.097-07:00Beaumont Pink Guava<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Uqh2mxVCWdfTlzCcweUdtgP5Fh5k0-lgu8AFYTUYLq5gAcn_HuO_ZgDldikZsYKT7oEeyd3Fz_iU18xAOzN9xQ7pZHLWC9cputAgn4wAEgvmWgYsg5rHMzAu2BZslS-Aqrey/s1600/2014-09-30+10.10.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Uqh2mxVCWdfTlzCcweUdtgP5Fh5k0-lgu8AFYTUYLq5gAcn_HuO_ZgDldikZsYKT7oEeyd3Fz_iU18xAOzN9xQ7pZHLWC9cputAgn4wAEgvmWgYsg5rHMzAu2BZslS-Aqrey/s1600/2014-09-30+10.10.14.jpg" height="560" width="640" /></a> </div>
<br />
This is a Beaumont Pink Guava that I planted on 5 March 2014. Since then it's flowered twice but no signs of any fruit.<br />
<br />
I think that the reason that it's looking so healthy is that it's spent most of the summer in the shade of a lemon tree so hasn't suffered the direct harsh sunlight.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-30815478344235693122014-09-30T12:09:00.001-07:002014-09-30T12:09:15.829-07:00Sugar Cane Jujube<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqzRtnFvwR92IE0AEmFkGidE_VPYOpjNqNioAIYbc2LjuYaN3-Od65XZa5_XKWJEsnkX_mJriR-pzn-0rlzKxMo8N41zhC20azJrhurhAvykfajgstNit0HEMjzSmK3_tt0BI/s1600/2014-09-30+10.10.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqzRtnFvwR92IE0AEmFkGidE_VPYOpjNqNioAIYbc2LjuYaN3-Od65XZa5_XKWJEsnkX_mJriR-pzn-0rlzKxMo8N41zhC20azJrhurhAvykfajgstNit0HEMjzSmK3_tt0BI/s1600/2014-09-30+10.10.35.jpg" height="640" width="292" /></a></div>
I planted this Sugar Can Jujube on 5 March 2014. At that time it was a
bare root "stick" with nothing on it. It's done a remarkable job of
growing branches and today (30 September 2014) has a single fruit on it.<br />
<br />
It seems to be doing well even though it's been getting way more water than it should be because of its proximity to the grass that's getting watered. </div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-12977863216802608372014-09-30T11:56:00.002-07:002014-09-30T11:56:22.105-07:00Lamb Hass Avocado<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBnmA8Qdpm1WnYBeEVSM8JR-h7HSPfl6YZFVin40enAM8zRyX9sR_EXjLrsp3Vk7abY169phLx4fTSDLcK1psVY2KNt1XNS7H1aWmqSf4ay80xIjoXrZlzMJJG0Av9DCw-OSp/s1600/2014-09-30+10.08.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBnmA8Qdpm1WnYBeEVSM8JR-h7HSPfl6YZFVin40enAM8zRyX9sR_EXjLrsp3Vk7abY169phLx4fTSDLcK1psVY2KNt1XNS7H1aWmqSf4ay80xIjoXrZlzMJJG0Av9DCw-OSp/s1600/2014-09-30+10.08.41.jpg" height="640" width="386" /></a></div>
On 26 October 2013 we planted this 15 gallon Lamb Hass Avocado.<br />
<br />
I strategically selected a spot under the mesquite trees to provide it with morning sun and afternoon shade. This seems to have worked relatively well except that the Arizona sun still gave it a beating for a couple of months. A sunscreen would have probably been wise for those months. The leaves appeared to burn and died off. Luckily there's been new growth which seems to be keeping it healthy.<br />
<br />
The tree flowered profusely and fruit set on it in the spring. Only one avocado survived and it grew to the size of a large grape before shrivelling and dying.<br />
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The desert cotton tails (I think it's them) appear to have nibbled at the trunk and one of the branches which isn't good.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-48922501457145084752014-09-30T11:22:00.002-07:002014-09-30T11:23:11.315-07:00Seedless Kishu Mandarin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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At the beginning of March 2014 this Seedless Kishu Mandarin went into the orchard. Out of all the citrus trees it is doing the best as it flowered and the fruit set and we now (30 September 2014) have around 30 mandarins on it which should be ready to eat soon.<br />
<br />
The label describes it as early maturing variety from China. Popular in specialty markets and landscapes. Excellent container specimen.<br />
<br />
Season: November to April<br />
<br />
Tree: Small size with round shape.<br />
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Fruit: Very small. Light yellowish-orange rind. Easy to peel, seedless, mildly sweet.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-37010758800921300292014-09-30T11:17:00.000-07:002014-09-30T11:17:06.002-07:00Grapes - Black Monukka, Flame, Thompson, Himrod<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKk_KF95WZaqFlg9rpoCt-7iC2uMZ6vCVqkcRTZeCjJ2rZ9cQItlbPQV-lqrm4M_143tsDJ2Vc5AR0SuIfPRtq5YjzwnVsbkS3Od9M4_dyeq4P5TtpB21HSe6RMarKWyi2O2ZI/s1600/2014-09-30+10.07.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKk_KF95WZaqFlg9rpoCt-7iC2uMZ6vCVqkcRTZeCjJ2rZ9cQItlbPQV-lqrm4M_143tsDJ2Vc5AR0SuIfPRtq5YjzwnVsbkS3Od9M4_dyeq4P5TtpB21HSe6RMarKWyi2O2ZI/s1600/2014-09-30+10.07.11.jpg" height="316" width="400" /></a></div>
In March 2014 we bought 4 seedless grape vines. Black Monukka, Flame, Thompson, and Himrod.<br />
<br />
This photo shows one of them which is doing a good job of winding through the fence and will hopefully create a grapevine fence along our front yard.<br />
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Two of the vines produced bunches of grapes over the summer but they were quickly eaten by birds or insects. We may net the vines next summer.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-70952456513168300192014-09-30T11:12:00.002-07:002014-09-30T11:12:54.798-07:00Indian Curry Leaf<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is our Indian Curry Leaf tree. We got it in October 2013 and it was only about 5 inches tall.<br />
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For the first few months it was under severe strain as the humans wouldn't head my advice and leave it alone. They kept on pulling off its leaves and using them in their cooking.<br />
<br />
Luckily the tree survived and today (30 September 2014) about a year later it stands at 33 inches tall and has two branches.<br />
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I expect it to lose its leaves over the winter but to regain everything in the summer. Last winter we covered it at night to help it survive.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-65608691251896524502014-09-30T10:56:00.001-07:002014-09-30T10:56:39.213-07:00Cara Cara Pink Naval Orange<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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New tree in the orchard as of 18 September 2014 is the Cara Cara Pink Navel Orange from Willits & Newcomb Nursery via Costco. Described as having a distinct reddish-pink color the fruit is a medium size with a deep orange rind. The taste is much like the Washington navel orange. Fruit ripens mid-November into early March. The tree has a compact growth habit and may occasionally produce variegated leaves. Some limbs may bear normal orange colored fruit.<br />
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The tree is currently 38 inches tall.<br />
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At the time of writing this the tree has been in the ground for 12 days and there are already several new green shoots on it up to 2 inches long.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-49513021074644843622014-03-13T13:49:00.000-07:002014-03-13T13:49:04.334-07:00Top trick for travelers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've just tried this and it works
amazingly well. (Remember that this blog isn't called Wild Fiction for
nothing.) I flew to a conference in San Francisco this week and since I
was flying on Southwest I opted for the early online check in for an
extra $12 which meant that I got priority boarding. <br />
<br />
I put on a fat suit (uninflated) and then piled baggy clothing on
top of it. While in the waiting area I inflated the suit and tripled my
size. I was enormous. It turned out that I had to actually let some of
the air out once on the plane as I couldn't quite fit down the aisle.
They thought I was farting when they heard it.<br />
<br />I got myself seated near the front and everyone looked at me in
disgust as they came past. Nobody sat next to me and at takeoff I farted
out the rest of the air and returned to a baggy cloth wearing
manipulative evil traveler.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-89050172662985346212014-02-11T19:36:00.003-07:002014-02-11T19:36:28.728-07:00Trader Joe's Excellent Service<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today my wife went shopping at Trader Joe's. When she checked out she told the cashier that she didn't want her shopping double bagged. As she got back to the car a handle on the bag broke and the bag fell and a glass bottle of grape seed oil broke and covered the rest of the food in broken glass and oil. My wife took the oil drenched receipt back to the store and told them what had happened. She said that it was completely her fault for turning down the offer to double bag and that she was going to get another bottle of oil.<br />
<br />
They wouldn't hear of it. Instead one of them came out to help her clean up the mess in the parking lot and another took her receipt and went shopping with it and filled a new bag (this time no arguments from my wife on double bagging) with her groceries and brought them out to her - no extra charge. <br />
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Isn't that incredible customer service? </div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-15489483742897677122014-01-30T22:03:00.002-07:002014-09-30T11:59:53.285-07:00Arkansas Black and Grimes Golden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last Saturday (25 January 2014) I attended a grafting "class" at <a href="http://www.azrfg.org/" target="_blank">Arizona Rare Fruit Growers</a> and grafted my first tree.<br />
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My father-in-law was with me and he grafted the one on the left. That one is an Arkansas Black. I grafted the one on the right which is a Grimes Golden. The AZ fruit growers association had been on an excursion to a place east of Phoenix just west of Miami called Top of the World where there are a bunch of apple orchards which were originally grown to feed the miners during the boom days. They took a bunch of scions from there and these are two of them.<br />
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If they are successful then this is what I believe the Grimes Golden will look like:<br />
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And this will be the Arkansas Black:<br />
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Here are some notes from Joe Sabol CRFG Board member, ex president, and leader of a California program:<br />
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Congratulations! Your new apple tree is happy to have a home. Take care of it and it will live to be 50 or 100 years old!<br />
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You have a grafted apple tree, grafted to a root that is a “semi-dwarf” rootstock. Your tree will never grow to be 30 or 40 feet tall. This is good news! You can easily keep this tree at 8 or 10 or 12 feet tall! No worries! <br />
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Remove the green or white tape by June 1 this year. Remove all new growth and shoots from below the graft location after you are sure your scion is growing and well connected. Then, do not let any shoots grow from the rootstock. Remove all but the strongest bud growing from the top (scion) and then tie this shoot to a stake. It will become your tree trunk!<br />
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Plant the tree in a sunny location, the more morning sun, the better. A well drained location is best. You may even wish to plant it on a mound. Water it often when the weather is warm this first summer. If you cannot plant it in your yard by June 1 this year, you must move it to a 5 gallon container on June 1 or it will quickly become "pot bound" in that gallon can! Fertilize this young tree with care. Some of our CRFG members water their tree with "Miracle Grow" at half strength, every time they water during the spring and early summer! It will go dormant as winter approaches and all of the leaves will fall.<br />
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This first winter, you may prune the top of the tree off. Yes, cut that single shoot so it is only 18 to 24 inches tall. This will force the side buds to shoot out in the next spring and begin to build the main scaffold/framework for a nice tree. Most back yard apple trees are destined to be in the shape of a vase… with 3 to 5 main branches coming from the single trunk. Do not let your tree have more than 5 main branches at this point.<br />
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If you planted your apple against a wall, you may wish to train the tree to be flat, more of a fan shape or even "espalier" the tree! The good news is that apples respond to training. They will quickly adapt to any shape you wish or need.<br />
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We want the tree to work hard on building a strong foundation for the future in these early years so, we only let the tree have one or two apples the second year. Remember, it takes 55 leaves to make enough sugar to have that big apple taste just right! So, thin the apples to leave only the biggest one the second year.<br />
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Finally, if your main scaffold branches try to grow straight to the sky, you may want to pull them down gently, and over time, have these branches grow at more of an angle, even horizontal for the first few feet!<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
30 September 2014 Update</h3>
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This is the Grimes Delicious, the one that my father-in-law grafted. The one that I grafted did not take so there is not Arkansas Black.<br />
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The Grimes Delicious is doing well and I've been following the instructions to cut away all but the strongest bud and soon I'll lop off the top to make it grown like a vase.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-86957856718635065452014-01-06T21:44:00.000-07:002014-01-06T22:02:22.361-07:00Jean Claude Van Damme vs Chuck Norris Split<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you haven't seen Jean Claude Van Damme's (JCVD) Volvo advert then I suggest you take a look at it.<br />
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And in case you were thinking of trying that note the warning at the end of the video that points out that this was done by professionals on a closed circuit.<br />
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Now take a look at Chuck Norris' response.<br />
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Note that Chuck's stunt does not carry any warnings about professionals or a closed circuit so feel free to try this one at home. I guess this stunt was easier because they were going forward unlike the JCVD stunt which was going backwards.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-15071378343673315102013-11-07T23:38:00.002-07:002013-11-07T23:39:13.097-07:00Make it a Great Speech<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I attended Ryan Avery's Make it a Great Speech this evening. Here are my notes from the speech.<br />
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Three Items:<br />
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1. Simple<br />
2. Impactful<br />
3. Relatable<br />
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<b>1. Simple always wins</b>. i.e. keep the speech simple.<br />
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Intro should always tie back to conclusion.<br />
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Body should be three stories that all match the same theme.<br />
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You can't be the hero of your own story. Someone teaches you something.<br />
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In each of the three stories there should always be a constant object, place or person. In the Trust is a Must speech the constant was the bunny slippers.<br />
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Write your speech like a poem instead of by paragraph. When writing your speech create a new line for each pause you want to take. Write it like a poem. It will be much easier to remember the text and also remember when to pause.<br />
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Number one sense that links us is smell. Can you smell your speech? Use a different colored highlighter for each of the five senses and read through the speech and highlight where each sense is used in the speech.<br />
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Drop the prop. Let the audience create an image in their own in their own minds, you don't need to take props onto the stage.<br />
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Active voice vs passive voice. Tell them what is happening. Leave "was" out of the speech. Use active voice.<br />
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Book coming out: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071831045/wildfiction-20" target="_blank">Speaker, Leader, Champion by Ryan Avery</a><br />
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<b>2. Make it impactful.</b> Look for opportunities and not excuses.<br />
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Video all your speeches.<br />
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Never give a speech again, only send a message from the heart.<br />
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Simon Sinek's golden circle<br />
Why, how, what<br />
Why do you want to do something?<br />
How will you do it?<br />
What will you do to change the world?<br />
This is the right order to ask these questions. Find your why and the rest will follow. Most people go in the opposite direction which is 1. What 2. How 3. Why<br />
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Chelsea's blog: <a href="http://thenewwifestyle.com/">http://thenewwifestyle.com/</a><br />
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Ryan's blog: <a href="http://www.howtobeaspeaker.com/">http://www.howtobeaspeaker.com/</a><br />
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You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great - Zig Ziglar<br />
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Make an impact on yourself first. Setup visualization stations all over the house. Not about assuming to be champion but training to be it. Ryan had his name as the 2012 world champion written in prominent places like on the white board and a print out in a binder at work so he was always seeing it.<br />
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Triangle of success. Reduce what you are doing to focus on the one item you want to succeed at. Top says success and bottom says focus. Need to reduce doing too much and focus on one thing.<br />
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<b>3. Make it relatable.</b><br />
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Never tell a joke again, tell a failure.<br />
The best way to be relatable is to use your family. Using anything else could be offensive to someone.<br />
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Dress to relate. Dress appropriately for the audience.<br />
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PRACTICE<br />
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How you practice is how you will play. i.e. practice every speech like you're giving the final one on stage.<br />
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Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-65271504022830450752013-10-13T09:24:00.003-07:002014-09-30T11:46:15.814-07:00Banana Update October 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our banana has already started to have babies and it's only been in the orchard for 4 months. You can see a small one at the base here and there's another peeking out from behind.<br />
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The banana now stands at 5 feet tall. That's 60 inches. It was 18 inches tall when I planted it 4.5 months ago: <a href="http://blog.wildfiction.com/2013/06/goldfinger-banana.html" target="_blank">Goldfinger Banana</a><br />
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What you see around the base of the banana is our first batch of compost that has been brewing in our <a href="http://blog.wildfiction.com/2013/06/composting.html" target="_blank">compost barrel</a> since 14 June 2013.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
30 September 2014 Update</h3>
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In the 12 months since the last update on the banana 2 more babies have sprouted and we now have 5 strong stems all of equal size creating the banana palm "grove" that you see.<br />
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They are doing a great job at propagating but very little in the vertical direction and we still haven't seen a bunch of bananas from it yet.<br />
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Something that I learned is that once a banana palm flowers and produces its fruit then that stem is done and you can cut it down. It's just like a flower.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-21632282129237173542013-10-13T09:14:00.002-07:002014-09-30T11:06:24.543-07:00Moro Blood Orange<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We have a new tree in our orchard as of 10/10/2013. A Moro Blood Orange.<br />
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It currently stands at exactly 3 feet tall and comes from Willits & Newcomb Citrus Nursery. We bought it from Costco about 2 weeks ago.<br />
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Costco are clever. They know how blazingly hot Arizona gets so they only sell their citrus trees in the fall. The last one that we bought was a <a href="http://blog.wildfiction.com/2013/06/semi-dwarf-navel-orange.html" target="_blank">Navel Orange</a> from them around a year ago, also in the fall.<br />
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The blurb on the ticket on this orange tree reads: This Italian variety is the earliest ripening blood orange. Medium size fruit has reddish-orange rind and deep burgundy flesh. Juicy fruit has rich orange-raspberry flavor, a distinctive aroma and few seeds. Fruit ripens December to April. Medium size tree produces fruit in clusters near the outside of the tree. An attractive ornamental.<br />
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Care instructions: Water regularly during first growing season to establish a deep, healthy root system. Do not over-water! Feed monthly during growing season with a citrus fertilizer. Remove all growth below bud union.<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
30 September 2014 Update</h2>
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The blood orange produce great flowers in the spring and lots of small fruit but none of it set. Over the last few weeks of milder weather and rain it has started growing rapidly but more outwards than up with is great.<br />
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Strangely it seems to have shrunk and is now 5 inches shorter at 31 inches.</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-88035912747542217102013-10-01T13:48:00.001-07:002013-10-01T13:53:34.617-07:00Big Travel - Toastmaster Speech #10<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Mister Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters and guests. Today I want to inspire you to do Big Travel. I define Big Travel as anything beyond a vacation, usually six weeks or more. Typically between three and six months. Let me describe a couple of days during one of my travels.<br /><br />It was already mid-morning when we started hiking up Tajumulco Volcano. At 13,845 feet it’s the tallest point in Guatemala and Central America. Remember that Mexico is not part of Central America.<br />
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<br />We had set off at 4am that morning and had to catch three different busses to get to the base of the extinct volcano. I could still smell the chickens I had to share a seat with on the last bus and I was sure that one of their small fluffy feathers was stuck in my throat. Of course, it could have been the altitude and dry air. We hiked all day with few breaks and heavy packs. There was no water on the trail which meant we had to carry two days worth of water. The sun was setting as we reached a hollow just below the summit where we camped. During the night a fierce wind descended on us and our tent collapsed. We were too exhausted to put it back up.<br /><br />The next morning we picked up our scattered belongings and left them in the camp while we hiked into the crater of the extinct volcano. It was beautiful and haunting at the same time. We were standing on a white sand beach with scattered black lava rock around us.<br /><br />One of our team members has been suffering from altitude sickness ever since we got near the summit. He hasn’t been doing well so we’re carrying most of his pack and helping him. Luckily we only have half our water left and we are now hiking downhill. Once we drop a thousand feet off the summit the soroche, as the locals call it, that he’s suffering from, evaporates like water droplets on a hot stove and he’s able to pull his weight again.<br /><br />When we get to the road we had to wait a few hours for the only bus that day that comes by there. It’s already packed and it looks like there’s standing room only and even then I can’t see where we’re going to fit. The conductor convinces us that there’s plenty of space and throws our packs on the roof. He pushed my travel companions towards the back of the bus and the ushered me to the front. There was no room there. The seat next to the driver that was made for two already had three people on it. He pointed to a two inch sliver on the edge of the seat. My only option to balance on this edge with my knees against the drivers seat and one leg on each side of the gear stick.<br /><br />When the driver had the bus in first or third gear my right leg was pinned against the dashboard but it worked. The first time he tried to change the bus into fourth gear I screamed like a girl. The angle that I was sitting at didn’t allow for me and the gearstick to coexists in that position.<br /><br />The experience was amazing. None of them were as valuable or as enriching as the people that I met along the way. Everywhere I went I experienced acts of kindness and philanthropy. Most of it was in countries where they had no money. The times that I felt most rewarded were when I could give back during my travels. Spending time in an Orphanage playing with the kids.<br /><br />Before you commence on Big Travel think carefully about what you want to get out of it or what you want to give of yourself. Make sure that you have an objective and have a plan to achieve that on your travels.<br />
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<br /><br />I want to be completely transparent with you. Not everyday will be a barrel of laughs. It might be two o’clock in the morning and you’re holding onto the steering wheel of a yacht in the pouring rain and a flying fish hits you in the face. The flying fish drops down inside your oilskins and starts fibrillating against your stomach and slips into your pants. You have no choice but to disrobe and turn the storm into a freezing shower. You know that this is just part of the journey and at the end will be a crystal clear bay where you’ll spend each morning swimming with dolphins and a friendly manta ray.<br /><br />The most difficult part of Big Travel is not the traveling itself. It’s the getting away from where you are now. Most of us are either employed or run our own business. In either case getting away for more than 6 weeks is very difficult. If you’re employed then usually, your only option is to do this between jobs. If you’re self employed then you have to plan this months or even years ahead to make sure that someone is covering your business and your clients.<br /><br />A lot of people have a notion that you need to travel around the world. Airlines capitalize on that and they will sell you an around the world ticket. It’s valid for 1 year and you can usually change dates and flights on each segment at no charge so long as you continue in the same direction. I did this the first time I circumnavigated the world and can unequivocally say that it’s the wrong thing to do. The reason is that you end up doing too much traveling and not spending enough time in one place.<br /><br />From my experience, you should pick a country or region and dedicate three to six months there and then return home and go back to work. Three to six months is long enough to get to know the country, culture and language and still allow you to come back to work with current up-to-date knowledge and reenter the workforce.<br /><br />I leave you with the challenge. Find the time, plan for the time. Go and do Big Travel.<br />
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Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-18002358398397387682013-09-12T18:21:00.000-07:002013-09-12T18:29:28.035-07:00Left is Right - Toastmasters Humorous Competition 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a speech that I gave in the Toastmasters Humorous Speech competition. I did it twice on 8/20/2013 and 9/9/2013 and placed second on both occasions. The video below is from the second competition at Showtime Toastmasters.</div>
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Bang [shout and clap hands together], the 747 touched down at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport 2nd October 2005. My wife and I had arrived as immigrants in the United States of America.<br />
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Madam contest chair, fellow toastmaster and guests.<br />
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In Britain and other commonwealth countries we drive on the left and the steering wheel is on the right. A lot of people think that the first challenge we face as immigrants is learning to drive on the right. It’s not. It’s finding the steering wheel. Getting out of the habit of going around the right of the car is a tough one to break and after you open the door and notice that there’s no steering wheel you shut it, walk around to the driver’s side and get in. On a bad day would climb into the passenger seat and shut the door before I noticed that the steering wheel was missing. Depending on how athletic I felt I would either climb over the console or get out and walk around.<br />
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On one occasion I looked up from this misstep and noticed a couple of police officers watching me. Is it illegal to climb over the console? I had no idea. I opened the glove box and rummaged through the papers in there. Grabbing a handful of papers I got out and smiled at the officers “found them,” and walked around to the drivers side.<br />
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They followed me for about a mile before the lights came on. Those lights are as bright as the sun. How someone could ever use the excuse that they didn’t notice the lights is beyond me.<br />
“Sir, I need to see your Driver’s License and Registration.”<br />
This guy had a gun and handcuffs on his belt and his partner was standing next to him with his thumbs hooked into his belt like John Wayne; about to draw a six-shooter and riddle the car with bullets.<br />
“Sir you’re going to have to get an Arizona drivers license within the next 7 days.”<br />
In Britain the police don’t have guns. I was terrified and would have done anything he told me to do. Later that day I had my Arizona drivers license.<br />
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The biggest driving challenge when switching from the left to the right is the left turn. Your instinct is to immediately turn onto the left of the road. Most of the time I did this at traffic lights where the oncoming traffic was stationary.<br />
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Seeing all the cars facing me brought me to a screeching halt and a western style standoff. The other drivers would be staring at me waiting to see what my next move was. How can I possibly recover gracefully from this.<br />
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I remember a passenger in one of the cars pointing at me [mouth some words turning head from left to center] ...damn Brits.<br />
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We spent most of our first few weeks in Phoenix getting lost. In many respects that was fun and we got to see parts of Phoenix we may never have seen. At one point we came across a giant building with a big sign outside it that read The Candy Store.<br />
“Do you see the size of that candy store? Only in America would a candy store be that big,” my wife said.<br />
“We have to take a look at that, though strange that they have a silhouette of a woman above the front door and no windows. This country still doesn’t make sense to me,” was my reply.<br />
“We have to pay to go into a candy store? These must be very special candies in this store. Perhaps part of it is a museum and and there’s candy that’s only on display that you can’t touch.”<br />
Oh my Gosh, the sales assistants are topless.<br />
“Darling, I think we’re in a strip club,” my wife said.<br />
“Act cool, pretend we knew that,” was my reply<br />
A lady walked up to us, “Would you like anything to drink?”<br />
Me: “blabbering for a few seconds.” We had to get out of there. I turned straight into the oncoming traffic. Luckily the local drivers expect that type of driving from people leaving that [air quotes] store.<br />
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Since our arrival in America my wife and I have produced two new American citizens; I have a daughter and a son. A couple of weeks ago we were driving past the Candy Store and my daughter pipes up from the back. “Daddy, I like candy. I’m going to work at that shop one day.”<br />
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The shock of that statement made me swerve into the oncoming traffic. I've done that so often that it was an easy recovery.<br />
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America and Americans, I’d like to thank you for tolerating my mistakes, my misunderstandings, and my misdirections. I leave you with the following thought. If you see someone driving on the left side of the road remember that it might be right for them; or they've just come out of The Candy Store.<br />
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Madam Contest Chair.</div>
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Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22523124.post-36729519114254414152013-09-03T08:44:00.000-07:002013-09-03T13:09:31.728-07:00Happiness - Toastmaster Speech #9<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happiness and productivity. How can we achieve both every day?<br />
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Madam Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters and guests. The answer is simple. Daily Exercise.<br />
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When you exercise, a protein called BDNF, Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor, is release to protect yourself and your brain from stress. This acts like a reset switch on the memory neurons. At the same time, another chemical, also to fight stress, called endorphin is released to the brain. These endorphins minimize the discomfort of exercise, block the feeling of pain and give you a feeling of euphoria. These two chemicals have the same addictive behavior as morphine, heroine and nicotine except that they're good for you. They lead to a sense of calm which makes you happy and productive.<br />
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When I think of exercise I think of serious exercise. I think of keeping my heart rate over 120 beats per minute for one to two hours. And I think that I need to do this around three times a week. This is very wrong. The mental benefits of exercise are:<br />
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1. Gained in the first 20 minutes of exercise and,<br />
2. It needs to be done daily.<br />
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A study at Penn State University found that to be more productive and happier you must have worked out on that particular day. If you work out regularly you will be more productive and happier than someone who is sedentary but not as happy and productive as someone who has worked out on that day.<br />
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Convincing you that exercise if good for you both physically and mentally is an easy sell. What's not so easy is convincing you to go out and do it. If the first thing that you do when you wake up is to exercise for around 20 minutes and you do this every day then you can stop listening. I have nothing more but admiration for you.<br />
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To get us to exercise first thing in the morning we need three things:<br />
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1. Motivation<br />
2. Ability<br />
3. Trigger<br />
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There's an inverse relationship between motivation and ability. If motivation is high then your ability to do something can be low and you'll still achieve it. Conversely, if motivation is low then it has to be super easy to do something in order to achieve it. It's important to note that even if motivation is high that motivation may not always be there which means that it's important that you make doing exercise as easy as possible. Motivation may disappear once you've achieved your goal.<br />
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You also have to have a trigger in place that will change your behavior. I read about someone who puts their workout clothes on top of their alarm clock so they have to pick up those clothes before switching off the alarm. This is their trigger to do exercise.<br />
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For me my trigger is also my alarm clock and my exercise is to swim. I set my alarm clock an hour earlier at 6am and as soon as it goes off I pick up my swimming goggles and swim-watch, switch off the house alarm and get into the pool and start swimming.<br />
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If you take up my challenge to exercise first thing in the morning every day then I suggest that you think about starting small and then start even smaller. The most important thing you can do right now is not just the exercise but the formation of a life long habit. When I decided to swim in the morning I was thinking of doing half an hour each morning and after discovering this advice I cut it right back to 5 minutes. After a couple of days of that I started to ignore my countdown timer when it beeped at me to stop and kept on going because I knew I didn't have to. Since then I've been increasing it and I'm now swimming around half a mile in about twenty minutes each morning.<br />
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We all have challenges when it comes to executing. One of my challenges is that I sometimes have my kids rattling the pool gate asking to be let in while I'm swimming. They heard the door open and now know what I do in the mornings. When this happens it becomes a game and they take turns at hanging on my shoulders as I continue to swim and we all have fun.<br />
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I leave you with a challenge to do a tiny bit of exercise each morning. Start off small. One star jump or one push-up.<br />
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Finally, you need to reward yourself after each workout. By reward, I
don't mean a doughnut. Walk up to the mirror and lift your fists up and tell yourself how awesome you are. <br />
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Remember that modifying your behavior to make this a lifelong habit is the most important goal. Feel free to email me if you need inspiration or if you want to brainstorm some ideas. Good luck!</div>
Guy Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02574435376236977220noreply@blogger.com0