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Once my boyfriend told his aunt that we cut down the apple tree in our yard just to see her reaction. I thought she was going to cry.

I haven't ever intentionally killed anything except spiders and ants. It's ok to kill them though... we had a festival of ant powder near our back door last week where I lifted a plant pot and an entire colony took great offence. Mr S was leaping around cackling and firing ant power, screeching 'don't let them get in the house!'. I'm guessing you guys can empathise.

my father once accidentally trod on a frog on a paving stone in the back garden. He broke it's back, and was devastated. my mother tried to 'revive' it by putting it in the pond, where of course it sank and died because it could no longer swim.

I remember being particularly appalled when my mother got so fed up with slugs eating her plants that she went out and found a slug, and poured salt on it. I didn't witness it but my brother said it was basically horrific. The slug kind of dissolved in front of them, and my mum had a glazed look of glee in her eyes.

Mr. S trod on a slug the other day and the combined angle of tread and force involved caused the slug's innards to shoot out of its head.

As far a severe weather goes, we're all about winters up here. How long did the pond stay frozen or how much snow did we get. When we get a big dump here no one makes it into work. You'd think it's because they can't get there, wrong. They all went to the ski hill and called in sick. It's just excepted because we are a ski town. There is a blue flashing light that sits on top of the big hotel on mainsteet and when it snows on the ski hill it is turned on. I love walking to my truck at 2 am on a friday night after the bars close and looking up and seeing the blue light. I am always excited because I know tomorrow will be a good day. It's momments like that when I know why I accept lower pay to live here.

As far as killing things, the biggest thing for me would be a muskrat with my car, but I'm the exception. Everyone else around here would be able to claim a moose, elk, or a bear. My dad doesn't hunt, so I guess I never got into it. I've got no problem with it, it's just not something I've invested money and time into doing. Other things on my list, frogs, turtles, birds, squirrels, rabbits, skunks, and numerous insects. Some of them I feel some remorse for now, others were just in places they didn't need to be.

Nothingman wrote:others were just in places they didn't need to be.

In general, my rule is "stay outta my house and you live." Or, as they said in Weird Science, "You can go in peace or you can stay and die."

I usually don't pay much attention to severe weather warnings. I guess it's a bad habit after living in a tornado ridden state. after a while it becomes a cry wolf kind of situation. however, there appears to be a huge hurricane headed this way. hmmm....I know it's horrible to wish this, but I hope it turns west and doesn't hit Georgia. I'm like so not in the mood for an evacuation!

Nothingman wrote:As far a severe weather goes, we're all about winters up here. How long did the pond stay frozen or how much snow did we get. When we get a big dump here no one makes it into work. You'd think it's because they can't get there, wrong. They all went to the ski hill and called in sick. It's just excepted because we are a ski town. There is a blue flashing light that sits on top of the big hotel on mainsteet and when it snows on the ski hill it is turned on. I love walking to my truck at 2 am on a friday night after the bars close and looking up and seeing the blue light. I am always excited because I know tomorrow will be a good day. It's momments like that when I know why I accept lower pay to live here.

That sounds like such heaven. Growing up in tornado alley you hear about some truly devastating storms, but I'd never been close to one until a couple of months ago when this really severe windstorm hit in the midst of rain. I thought it was going to snap the big oak just beyond my balcony. What really scared me was the way the sky looked, and the sound in the winds. Oh, if only it had been snow...

Um...I always kill spiders. Don't like them. I always try to avoid killing little ants, actually moving them out of my sink before turning on the water.

emmie wrote:I usually don't pay much attention to severe weather warnings. I guess it's a bad habit after living in a tornado ridden state. after a while it becomes a cry wolf kind of situation. however, there appears to be a huge hurricane headed this way. hmmm....I know it's horrible to wish this, but I hope it turns west and doesn't hit Georgia. I'm like so not in the mood for an evacuation!

Having lived through a Force 3 Hurricane I can tell you its not the most pleasant experience one can have. I was in Houston in '83 when Hurricane "Alicia" came through. Interesting though, Houston is an hour inland so there was no storm surge to speak of. We did lose power for 15 hours. The Hurrican Eye was creepy. Wind blowing hard, trees bending back and forth and then...silence for a couple of minutes until the other wall of the storm hit.

As for tornadoes, Ohio has seen plenty. Nothing recently bad, but the early 70s were horrible. Xenia, Ohio got hit pretty hard in 1974 by a Force 5 Tornado. Being in Vegas now I can say that I will not miss being in the middle of Tornado season.

-LanceMan

Weird day in Vegas...

And that in itself is saying something.

We got thunderstorms this afternoon. Whenever it rains, really rains in Vegas the town collectively seems to stop. At my office everybody stopped what they were doing and just watched the rain fall. As the rain became heavy appointments were cancelled and freeways ground to a halt.

Everyone acted like they had never seen rain before. Since no one expects, no one really prepares for it either. No one has umbrellas at the ready, most scratch their heads and wonder which closet they may have placed it in. Maybe with the winter clothes?

If I get sufficently motivated this weekend I will put some more pictures up on my website of rainy days in Vegas.

-LanceMan

lance wrote:Weird day in Vegas...

And that in itself is saying something.

We got thunderstorms this afternoon. Whenever it rains, really rains in Vegas the town collectively seems to stop. At my office everybody stopped what they were doing and just watched the rain fall. As the rain became heavy appointments were cancelled and freeways ground to a halt.

Everyone acted like they had never seen rain before. Since no one expects, no one really prepares for it either. No one has umbrellas at the ready, most scratch their heads and wonder which closet they may have placed it in. Maybe with the winter clothes?

If I get sufficently motivated this weekend I will put some more pictures up on my website of rainy days in Vegas.

-LanceMan

LOL! it's funny that something so normal as rain can stop a city that's not used to it. but I guess that's what the south is like when it snows.

and yeah, Georgia missed most of the hurricane. we got a lot of rain and wind though. the wind was pretty creepy when it wasn't raining. like at any moment my apartment was simply going to blow away....

This has been an extremely busy tropical season. Another hurricane is bearing down on Florida. My electricity went out for two days when Frances came calling. All of my cold food went bad. I'm having a hard time finding D Cell batteries for my boom box and flashlight. Hopefully, I'll be able to find some this weekend. Personally, I've been very lucky. No harm has come to my family. <knock wood>

TomSpeed wrote:This has been an extremely busy tropical season. Another hurricane is bearing down on Florida. My electricity went out for two days when Frances came calling. All of my cold food went bad. I'm having a hard time finding D Cell batteries for my boom box and flashlight. Hopefully, I'll be able to find some this weekend. Personally, I've been very lucky. No harm has come to my family. <knock wood>

Emmie and TomSpeed,

I am keeping my fingers crossed that Ivan will pass you by.

-LanceMan

Hmmm, granted if Ivan misses you all, it may coming knocking at my relavites door in Houston. Put it this way, I hope Ivan weakens to a tropical depression causing noone anything worse than a strong rain storm.

Latest high-res pic of Ivan The Terrible

I know some people on the Gulf too. They're pretty much used to the 'canes by now, but it's still in the back of my mind...

Wow,

'Been meaning to post on this for a while. The past couple of weeks Vegas has gotten hammered by rain. As an area that has been known for flash floods one might naively think that flood control has been figured out by now, but alas no.

Unlike some areas on the coasts where the water will eventually get to the sea, there is simply no place for the water to go. At one point three major streets were closed in southern Vegas. I worked several days in southern Vegas/Henderson. On my way home I used a VW Bug as my pace car. If the Bug managed to clear the intersection than I figured I was probably okay.

The drought is not over here. However, Vegas main water source is Lake Meade which has dropped tremendously over the past five years. Well Lake Meade is up by 100 feet (Source: KNPR).



-LanceMan

Have you guys been following this?

Gak!

I've been through a Category 3 Hurricane but that paled compared to this. They are actually evacuating the New Orleans.

I heard that the refugees in the Superdome and heading for the Astrodome.

I did actually see the Astros play there back in the day. Fun place to visit I am not certain I'd want to live there. On the plus side it is airconditioned.

Thoughts and prayers are with those trying to pick up the pieces.

-LanceMan

I was thinking about this too. It is awful for the people of New Orleans and surrounding areas. I hope the death toll is not high, although I fear it might be.

I heard on the radio this morning the same thing: they are moving people to the Astrodome. Estimates are 20,000 people will have to be temporarily cared for there, until who knows when.

I have also heard stories of looting, but more worryingly, that the water in NO is now a big toxic mess due to gasoline and other toxic chemicals that have leaked into it. It is just terrible.