Category Archives: Rancho Roly Poly

Dandy rain

Posted on September 22, 2009 | Comments Off on Dandy rain

Radio says we’ve had almost three inches since it began with the passage of a cold front overnight. Indeed, Mr. B. and I saw it running in the neighborhood gutters and ponding in the yards as I drove him to school this morning. Forecast shows more to come. We sure need it, and it’ll lower the temp nicely on this, the first day of fall. Was starting to get hot again.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Removing labels from 2-liter soda bottles

Posted on September 19, 2009 | Comments Off on Removing labels from 2-liter soda bottles

Mr. B.’s fourth grade teacher wants empty 2-liter soda bottles for a classroom ecology study. Being a classroom parent, I didn’t stop at one Coke Zero bottle for Mr. B. but have plunged on to get more. The only hassle is the label. Most of it can be cut off, but it always leaves some where the glue is.

The glue comes off easy enough with WD-40, something I discovered years ago trying to get dried glue off fiberglass. But the label residue itself, ugh, what a pain. Scrape, scrape. Mrs. Charm suggested immersing the bottle in hot, soapy water. I even left it soaking overnight. Didn’t work.

This fellow managed it with slightly-cooled boiling water poured into the bottle. I may have to try it, though it sounds like a great way to ruin, or at least deform, the bottle’s thin plastic. If there’s a surefire trick here, I have yet to find it. Anybody have any suggestions?

UPDATE:  Have noticed several visits from folks seeking info on this subject. Therefore will add that I wound up doing in the neighborhood of twelve bottles and this process works best: cut off the label and spray the label residue with WD-40. Let it soak a while and then use a razor blade in a holder to scrape it off. Corner of the blade works best. Once the label is off, spray more on the glue, wait a bit and then wipe it off. Wash and dry the bottle to get the WD-40 off. 

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Mrs. Charm, Rancho Roly Poly

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Decimals

Posted on September 17, 2009 | Comments Off on Decimals

I figured when Mr. B. starts on algebra, either in late middle school or early high school, that my ability to help him with his homework would be at an end. I never understood it and have happily ignored it ever since.

Then Mrs Charm and I got into a mild dispute the other night trying to correct his math homework on decimals. We realized that neither of us was entirely comfortable with fourth grade math, nevermind the harder versions to come.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Mrs. Charm, Rancho Roly Poly

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Big rain

Posted on September 4, 2009 | Comments Off on Big rain

Finally departing west on the radar after coming in from the east about half an hour ago. Ponding all over the Back Forty, and out front. Really poured. Looks like at least an inch. Good show. We needed that.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Lord Ganesh

Posted on August 31, 2009 | Comments Off on Lord Ganesh

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One of Mr. B.’s best buddies is back from his annual family trip to see the in-laws his grandparents in India. So we’ll thank the Hindu remover of obstacles and hope we can have a little bit of that rub off on us.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles, Texana

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Rain expected

Posted on August 31, 2009 | Comments Off on Rain expected

It’s not on the local or national forecasts yet, but Accuweather’s Joe Bastardi is predicting moisture coming into Texas this week from Jimena, the major hurricane (sustained winds of 145 mph!) the NHC is predicting to whack Baja California tomorrow night:

"The low level center may never fully come up, and peel away, but abundant mid and upper level moisture should come a calling."

Thanks, Joe, we’ll take it! This sort of thing has happened before, but it’s been a while.

UPDATE: By late Monday, Joe is still sticking to his forecast for us, but it’s not explained. Meanwhile, Accuweather’s Frank Strait sort of disagrees, saying we have only a slight chance of some storms by Friday. Deep South Texas he notes is already getting storms from Jimena, but, as for us in Central Texas, we’ll just have to wait and see.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, South of the Border, Weather/Climate

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Kid’s got my number

Posted on August 27, 2009 | Comments Off on Kid’s got my number

Mr. B.’s homework assignment spiral notebook has a spot on the first page for his parents’ phone numbers. He dutifully wrote in Mrs. Charm’s office phone. For Dad he put the home landline number and wrote under it: "Never answers the phone, so don’t bother."

Smart kid. Wish the sales callers would get the message, but they continue to call and I continue to ignore them. We’ve debated getting rid of the landline but are keeping it for the older relatives who don’t have cell phones.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Mrs. Charm, Rancho Roly Poly

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