Rain gauge report Sept - Dec. 2006

It rained all day yesterday, Sept. 4, as evidenced by my rain gauge today showing 1.55 inches. Last weekend (Aug. 27-28) we had .15 on Sunday and .35 on Monday according to my gauge.

Monday, 9-11-06 -- we did get some rain. I checked the gauge on Tuesday morning and it showed 0.4, so just under a half inch yesterday.

Sunday, 9-17-06 -- a gully washer this afternoon! We got 1.3" here.

Tuesday, 10-10-06 --- 2.2"

Saturday, 10-14 through Monday 10-16 -- when I checked the rain gauge on Tuesday it read 1.5"

Sunday, Dec. 24 -- a drizzly day but I did not measure.

Friday, 12-29-06 -- WOW! we got 3.7" and luckily had no actual tornado although we were under a tornado warning.

Comcast to Road Runner -- using Mozilla Thunderbird

Are you a Comcast customer moving to Road Runner? Do you use Mozilla Thunderbird for your email? If so, here are some tips.

First, you do NOT go through the Activation Wizard process if you wish to use Thunderbird. Road Runner supports Outlook and Outlook Express so that is what it will look for and that is not what you need. Road Runner is actually already in place now as your Internet provider so you are already receiving the Internet through them instead of Comcast. So you do not need to make any changes regarding that.

To set up the Thunderbird email you go into your Thunderbird email and then just add one or more new accounts. Not hard and you will still have access to all your old email and address book. Your old accounts will still be included in the list of email accounts. You just change some settings and then you can delete all the duplicate mail that will show up. Road Runner has apparently been holding a duplicate copy of all the Comcast email in your new account until you retrieve it, so you have not missed anything -- but you will get duplicates dating from around Nov. 15 (or late Oct. in some cases).

Here are the steps:
Find your new Road Runner address. It is the same as your Comcast address except it has the ending @tx.rr.com

Open Thunderbird and set up a new account as follows.

Tools - Account Settings and choose the "Add Account" button at the lower left. Go through the process. Change the POP Mail Server name to
pop-server.tx.rr.com

On that same page you should uncheck the box that makes mail go into a Global Inbox to be stored in a local folder. Unchecking it will give your new email address a separate listing in your list of accounts. If you don't do that at this point you can reach the same menu from Server Settings - Advanced and check the button that says "Inbox for this server's account." However if you do it after you have restarted the email you will probably receive all your new mail under "Local" and then have to move it (but you can just drag it over).

At the Tools - Account Settings - Server Settings - Server Settings area add a check mark to the boxes that say "check for new messages at startup" and "automatically download new messages." Indicate how often to check for new messages and how long to leave messages on the server.

To finish you then go to
Tools - Account Settings, then look in the menu at the left and choose "Outgoing Server (SMTP)" which is at the very bottom of the list, even below "Local Folders." Choose "edit" and change the previous setting to smtp-server.tx.rr.com If you have multiple accounts you will probably only need to do this on the first account because it seems to carry over to the others.

Also go into the "Copies & Folders" section under your new account. Change the settings there so that copies and drafts of the messages you write in that account will go into a folder under your new account name.

To delete most of the duplicates that will come in, click on one message. Then move to one further along. Hold down the shift key and click again. It should highlight a long list of emails you can then delete with one stroke.

If something is not working right, look at one of the pre-existing accounts and examine its settings and make your new one match.

As far as style of writing, if you prefer that your reply type above the incoming text you can go to Composition & Addressing and make that choice under "Composition."

Be sure to alert your friends and family about your address change. Also, if you post to any listservs they will not recognize your new address, so you will need to make those changes. You will receive but probably not be able to post from your new account without updating. Comcast will continue to forward email for "one year" so I assume in October or Novemberof 2007 that will expire.

If you need help I recommend the online chat service available at http://help.rr.com It was speedy and resolved my question while I was still on hold on the telephone.

More details from their support for migrating customers
http://help.rr.com/HMSFaqs/e_migration.aspx
"Each customer receives 10 MB of storage space per e-mail account. If you have more then 10 MB of e-mail stored on the Road Runner server, you will receive a notification that you have exceeded the size limit. Any new e-mail sent to that account may be returned to the sender. Any messages that have been stored on the Road Runner server for more then 60 days will be automatically deleted. Check your e-mail setting to ensure that you are removing your incoming e-mail from our server and downloading the messages directly to your computer."

Once you are confident you are receiving your email and are still getting duplicates via the Comcast address you can go to Tools - Account Settings - Server Settings to change the settings on your Comcast address. Uncheck the boxes that instruct it to check for new messages and download them. Then they will no longer move onto your computer.

You can check your Road Runner email online at http://webmail.tx.rr.com/webedge

Time to vote!

Be sure to vote! Early voting can be done at any county location. Close ones are the Euless Public Library, Northeast Subcourthouse and Hurst Recreation Center. See the links to locate more polling places, see a sample ballot and study the League of Women Voters Guide.

Momma Duck spotted at Boys Ranch

A couple of us walk twice a week and we have seen Momma Duck at the Boys Ranch lake. She is sometimes alone, sometimes with others. Seems fine. Today we think we saw her swimming in the lake. So I doubt we'll see more ducklings this year.

Ducklings find new home

Thanks to a neighbor, this year's crop of ducklings will not meet the same fate as most of last year's. They have moved to a ranch to live on a pond! On July 24th they were rounded up and taken to their new home. Unfortunately Momma Duck flew away, eluding capture, so she is not with them, but they were getting to be big and self-sufficient. These photos were taken on July 11, and they were already good at moving through the grass to find food and finding cool places to rest. So we wish them all the best in their new home. The next question is, will there be another brood or has Momma had enough for this year?

Baby Ducklings Arrive!

Momma Duck has hatched a new brood. Early reports said 15 and more to come, but have you tried to count ducklings? Very difficult. Count stands at 12.

Sulphur Branch review

Thursday night, June 15 at 6pm the City Council will be hearing a report on the Sulphur Branch project (aka "The Creek"). You might want to attend so you will be aware of upcoming developments relating to neighborhood drainage issues.

Announcing the birth!

Today new ducklings were spotted! Current count is about 15 with more eggs unhatched. Pictures to come, but see a couple of new links I've added to the right -- a site with great Muscovy life cycle photos and a great resource called Live Ducks that answers all kinds of questions.

Voluntary Water Restrictions

We have been under voluntary water restrictions for a while. Now there is actually a "Stage 1" voluntary watering schedule (every 5 days) based on your address. The ordinance indicates if we move to Stage 2 the restrictions would become mandatory.

Momma Duck has a nest!

A nest has been sighted! Around May 7 I noticed that we were only seeing 1 duck, not the mom, but I never found a nest. Now I'm wondering if that is when she began to sit on the nest. We only saw her once a week for a while after that. So if that is indeed when she started, I calculate a hatching around the weekend of June 10. That is 2 or 3 weeks later than last time.

White Nose Duck dead

Sorry to report that White Nose has passed away. He was found in a backyard and the cause of death could not be determined. We are very sorry and will miss him.

Muscovy Duck photos

I found a wonderful site that records the early days in the life of a Muscovy duck. She shot photos of the nest, eggs and a hatching baby. Her duck experience was different -- the mom walked the ducklings to the lake the first day. In the second link she records the growth of a single drake, Omega.

http://www.zonianlady.com/muscovy_n-e/muscovy_n-e.html

The photos of the Muscovy duckling who became the drake Omega are especially neat because they are dated. The final photo shows him with his mom, his own mate and babies of both his mom and mate!
http://www.zonianlady.com/omega/omega.html

Duck Update

Momma Duck was gone for about a week, or at least I only spotted the two guys for about a week. However, yesterday she appeared in our tree and then headed to the water bowl. They are all three enjoying the sprinkler system this morning. So I don't have any idea now if she is sitting on a nest -- if so, she took a long break. It was Memorial Day weekend I first saw them last year, and it takes about 35 days to hatch the eggs, so no telling.

Great Turnout at the Neighborhood Party!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Neighborhood Party this Saturday 8am - 10am

I hope all of you saw the first note about the party for residents of the south end of Shady Brook neighborhood. Now it is this coming weekend, and we will hope for great weather!

It will be a brunch, 8am to 10am on Saturday, May 6, in the Shady Brook Court cul de sac. Our alternate rain date is May 20. Plan to bring a breakfast food to share and your own chairs. We'll provide coffee and orange juice, plus plates, etc. The cul de sac will be blocked off with barricades we have arranged to borrow from the city. The neighbors on the Court have already graciously given permission to have it blocked that day. If you want more information, contact me via the link over in the right hand column or see the phone numbers on the reminder notice we'll be distributing Tuesday morning.

Election includes Bond Propositions

Don't be surprised when you go to vote and discover there are bond issues to vote on. Proposition 1 has to do with authorizing funds to work on Tarrant County roads, highways and bridges. Prop 2 authorizes funds for county jails, and Prop 3 is for county and district court buildings. Proposition 4 is for a County Juvenile Justice Facility and Prop 5 provides funding for the County Medical Examiner and Crime Lab Facilities.

Details on Upcoming Elections - Candidate Forums and Early Voting

The following dates are related to the upcoming Bedford Elections:

Thursday, April 27th
League of Women Voters Candidate Forum
7 pm Bedford Mayorial & City Council candidates
8 pm HEB School Board Candidates
Where: Senior Citizen's Center at the Boy's Ranch

Early Voting Starts Monday, May 1st
Bedford Residents may vote at the Bedford Library as well as other designated Tarrant County locations. Check the following website http://www.tarrantcounty.com/eVote/site/default.asp for other locations. Early Voting times are as follows:

May 1 - 5
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
May 6
Saturday
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
May 7
Sunday
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
May 8 - 9
Monday and Tuesday
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Election Day Saturday, May 13th
Pat May Center
7 a. m. to 7 p. m.

Zoning Change Denied

A great showing by Shady Brook residents at the Council meeting last night. Many attended and 4 residents spoke, each bringing up a different reason for leaving the zoning the way it is instead of allowing heavy commercial. Reasons include neighborhood compatibility, chemical danger to the creek, flooding danger both from the creek and because the parking lot serves as a natural drainage area for the church parking lot, parking and traffic concerns.

The company may still move in there, but if so, they would need to operate within the requirements of the existing zoning and their trucks will not be parked there every evening and all weekend. We do not know how this affects the sign he proposes - a billboard-sized 50 foot, 250 sq foot sign.

As one neighbor told the City Council -- just because someone asks you don't have to approve it -- "You CAN say NO!" And thankfully, they did.

Proposed rezoning to allow heavy commercial/pest control

Please attend City Council this coming Tuesday night, April 11.

They will be discussing and hearing two items of immediate interest to the residents of the south end of Shady Brook. During a public hearing citizens are invited to express concerns, so please come and plan to speak!

1. At the 7pm Council meeting the first item on New Business is a Public Hearing and First Reading of a proposed ordinance to turn the old Balfour's Jeweler office into an exterminating company! From a nice clean office to one that might release chemicals into the creek if there is a flood!
What they are requesting is a rezoning to heavy commercial. The company indicates they will have too many vehicles for the lot so they will use the church parking lot for overflow -- what a sight as folks enter our neighborhood!

2. At 6pm at the work session Council will hear a staff report on the Sulpher Branch Watershed Study -- ie, a report on the creek just to our west. You would not be able to speak to this but would get a first hand report.

The meetings will be held in Council Chambers at City Hall, 2000 Forest Ridge Drive.

May 13 Elections and April Primary Runoffs

Before the local elections in May, we now have an opportunity to vote in runoffs from the Primary. Voting is April 3 - 7 from 7am to 7pm at the Northeast Subcourthouse, Euless Public Library or Hurst Recreation Center. Primary Runoff Voting Day is April 11 and that day you will need to go to St. Timothy Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Forest Ridge north of the Boys Ranch. But if you have not voted in a primary you could still sign a petition for Kinky Friedman or Carol Keeton Strayhorn - just be sure to participate! Think of what your forefathers did to ensure you could do this! Think of all those people braving scary things to get a chance to vote in other countries! We have it so easy.

The next local election is May 13 to elect the Mayor and 2 City Council members. Voting that day will be at the Pat May Center. You can early vote every day May 1 - 9 (even Sunday!) at a number of Tarrant County locations. See the city website under "Elections" for times and a list of polling places.

Neighborhood Party! May 6, 2006

Plan now to come to the southern Shady Brook neighborhood party! It will be a brunch, 8am to 10am on Saturday, May 6, in the Shady Brook Court cul de sac. Our alternate rain date is May 20. Plan to bring a breakfast food to share and your own chairs. We'll provide coffee and orange juice, plus plates, etc. The cul de sac will be blocked off with barricades we'll borrow from the city. The neighbors on the Court have already graciously given permission to have it blocked that day. If you want more information, contact me via the link over in the right hand column.

Don't be alarmed by the Formosan termites scare

The scare about Formosan termites destroying your house due to New Orleans-originated mulch is not as bad as it sounds. The mulching process generally is destructive to the termites plus industry standards and a quarantine should provide protection if you buy from a reputable source. Railroad ties are a more likely problem. This termite has been in Tarrant County since 1995.

Here is an excellent "set the story straight" article from Texas A&M thanks to NeilSperry.com which includes treatment information should you spot one of the yellow orange-headed soldiers.

Here is the Snopes.com explanation. with additional links. Snopes.com is a good place to check any time you get an urgent, scary email.

3-9-08 www.wfaa.com has a story about this and reports "Texans wondering whether a bug is a Formosan termite should put it in alcohol and call either the agriculture department at 1-800-835-5832 or their local extension agent."

Primary Voting - Precinct 3200

Early voting has now closed (oops, my source was wrong, it closes Friday, March 3). See the links to the League of Women Voters and Tarrant County eVote over to the right to find out more about candidates.

The primary elections will be on Tuesday, March 7. The polling place for both primaries in Precinct 3200 is St. Timothy Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 3001 Forest Ridge, Mapsco 39Y, and my understanding is you need to go there to vote (7am to 7pm).

If you wish to sign an independent candidate's petition you must not vote in a primary. Look them up on the web to determine where you can sign.

Here are your relevant numbers:
U.S. Representative: 24
State Senator: 12
State Representative: 0092
State Board of Education:11
County Commissioner: 03
Justice of the Peace: 03
County Constable: 03
Tarrant County College: 02
Precinct:3200
City: 02
ISD: 916

Weird Weather Week

We have surely had a variety of weather this February! I show a high of 84-85 on Thursday the 16th. Then that weekend was icy. We've had fog this week and now, finally, rain! Last night at supper time the news reported about .5" at DFW, but it continued to rain softly all night (and thunder!). Now our rain gauge at 10am today reads 3.5" (but that includes yesterday's total). The ducks are loving it!

Update 2-25-06, 6pm: checked the rain gauge one last time after the rain stopped and found another 0.4 inch. So over the two days we had 3.9" of rain!

Update 3-9-06, 8am: well, the big storm we were expecting passed us by, leaving the ground wet looking but no measurable moisture in the rain gauge!

Rooftop Ducks

The ducks enjoy preening on a neighborhood roof.

Local rain gauge reports

I keep a rain gauge in the backyard and enjoy checking it. Haven't had an opportunity to do that in so long, I am happy to report the recent results. The total usually corresponds closely with what is reported at DFW. Here are my recent totals:
Sunday, Jan. 22 -- .6"
Saturday, Jan. 28 -- 1.6"
Friday, Feb. 3 -- .05" This one is confusing. I was not able to check the gauge until Sunday afternoon so it is possible some water evaporated. It certainly seemed like more than less than a tenth of an inch. I understand that DFW reported .25"

Duck Math - addition and subtraction

Have you noticed the number of ducks keeps changing day to day? Momma goes, Momma returns. One day we were down to one guy! But since then I've seen all 3. They cross the street on "foot" or by flying. One was recently dawdling as he walked across, but when brother just decided to fly across, the dawdler leapt up and followed. About a week ago I was returning around 5pm from the direction of the library and suddenly noticed a huge bird flying towards me on Bedford Road. It was a flying Muscovy, heavy on the white. When I parked at home I saw that Momma Duck was not there, so it could have been her navigating the street like a flying car.