Category Archives: Neely’s Canyon

The missing bird feeder

Posted on May 9, 2022 | Comments Off on The missing bird feeder

Noticed it this morning. It was up too high to be hand-stolen by anyone but a seven-footer. So probably a squirrel. They are plenty aggressive little buggers at Neely’s Canyon. How they got over the greased pole, though, to boost the feeder’s hanging wire off the pole’s hook, I do not understand. Cannot see the feeder on the ground, either. Think it would take two cooperating to carry it away. That’s frightening organization.

Looking now at a squirrel-proof, motorized bird feeder that spins and whips the offender off the perch. Appropriately called “The Yankee Flipper.” It also doubles the hanging wire into a small circle over the hook which would seem to make it harder to get off. Alas, it’s $150. Marked down. It was $170. I can’t imagine paying so much, even to get revenge on the squirrels.

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Posted in Birds Watching, Mini-Rancho, Neely's Canyon

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Panic freeze

Posted on January 19, 2022 | Comments Off on Panic freeze

Now that the weather liars have forecast freezes with possible precipitation on Thursday and Friday nights, some people at Neely’s Canyon are panicking. Thinking back to last February. When water lines all over town froze up and burst such that they flooded when thawed out.

And then were denied water altogether until the pipes were fixed over a week or more. But that takes a hard freeze. Not just hitting the low twenties and bouncing back up but staying there for two or three hours. We’ll see if that happens. But we will comply with dripping faucets on outside walls. Just in case.

UPDATE: Indeed, Friday morning was down to 27 where it stayed for several hours. Not sure that’s really a hard freeze, but time will tell. Hard freezes kill a lot of our bugs, including scorpions. Saturday morning supposed to be even colder, with a possible low of 24.

MORE: Friday morning it fell to 26 and 27 where it again stayed for several hours. Ought to have minimum of bugs this year as a result.

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Posted in Neely's Canyon, Obsessions

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Merry Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2021 | Comments Off on Merry Christmas

A very merry, merry to the observers of this day. It’s a sunny 78 in Austin with more warm weather to come until New Years. The climate hysterics will claim it’s global warming but we’ve had warm Christmases before, and besides, our human-gathered temperature records only go back about 170 years. Enjoy.

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Posted in History, Neely's Canyon, Weather/Climate

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LEDs

Posted on June 29, 2021 | Comments Off on LEDs

Had our pals at Ace Electric switch out our faltering kitchen fluorescents for LEDs. It’s brighter than daylight in there now. Takes a little getting adjusted to.

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Posted in Mini-Rancho, Neely's Canyon

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Austin’s almost daily shootings

Posted on April 6, 2021 | 2 comments

They started last summer, after the city council had defunded the police to the tune of about 150 million. Since then we’ve seen almost daily shootings and stabbings. Pretty generally in the usual places of trouble: East and North Austin. Thankfully not near where we are, at Neely’s Canyon in Northwest Hills. Not yet.

Via PJMedia

UPDATE: Austin cops leaving the force.

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Posted in Guns, Neely's Canyon

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Now the washer doesn’t work

Posted on March 1, 2021 | Comments Off on Now the washer doesn’t work

Joining the dishwasher and the kitchen sink faucets. And no word from the plumber. Time to find another one if we can. Start with Lowes, where I bought the washer. And the dishwasher, as it happens.

UPDATE: Washer repair coming today! Dishwasher and kitchen sink water pressure repair possibly this week.

MORE: Washer fixed but still waiting on water pressure repair two weeks later. One company told us they have 500 orders for service with just six plumbers.

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Posted in Mini-Rancho, Neely's Canyon

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Waiting for the plumber

Posted on February 23, 2021 | Comments Off on Waiting for the plumber

Outfit said Saturday they’d get back to schedule me on Monday or Tuesday. Didn’t hear from them on Monday and, as of noon, no word on Tuesday either. Meanwhile we have no water pressure in the kitchen, including the dishwasher.

UPDATE: Contacted them on Wednesday. Learned longtime association counts for nothing. We’ve been prioritized behind people with no water or burst pipes. Next week possible they said.

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Posted in Mini-Rancho, Neely's Canyon

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