'Tis the Season for Christmas Concerts!
It has been a while since I've written - perhaps because starting in November the life of someone involved in choral and/or classical music tends to get nuts... Many extra rehearsals for holiday music, etc.
As I was thinking about it, I did want to take a moment to mention on this blog that there is a great chorus that is based in Wauwatosa, the Milwaukee Choristers, that will be holding its Christmas concerts next weekend on Friday and Saturday evenings.
ALL IS NOT EQUAL
A knowledgeable and experienced arborist knows that all tree pruning is not equal. The arborist assesses each tree individually and then decides what type of pruning the tree is in need of. Crown cleaning, crown thinning, crown raising, crown restoration, deadwood pruning and training pruning are nationally accepted standards of tree pruning developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The standards are extensive and involved. They are there to protect the consumer. At Wachtel Tree Science our knowledgeable and experienced Certified Arborists will help you benefit from these standards and assist you in determining what type of pruning your trees will need.
The different types of tree pruning are:
The Trouble With Labs
And I'm not talking about scary lab results you receive after a doctor visit. No siree. I'm talking about Labrador retrievers and the people that own them. Especially if the people are crazy enough to have more than one Lab dog.
In fact, I think that in the veterinary profession Lab owners occupy a revered status as clients. Welcome to book appointments at a moment's notice we Lab owners are treated with deference and respect. This is because over and above our routine veterinary care we're bound to show-up, unannounced, at any time of year with a sprain, strain, laceration, dangerous ingestion, parasitic infestation, ear infection, or the simple diarrhea as a consequence of some disgusting thing the dog found in the woods and gleefully scarfed. Throw-in an auto-immune disorder or a canine angular limb deformity you will quickly get the idea that Lab owners have likely floated many a clinic and possibly a few boats. We are insufferable lovers of the breed and our credit is good. We are the frequent fliers of veterinary practices.
Early season observations on boys basketball...
The prep basketball scene is upon us and I thought I would share some observations with you.
Getting the point - I have four point guards who are leading their team in scoring so far this year...Reed Timmer of New Berlin Eisenhower (27.6), Nate Moore of Wauwatosa Eaat (22.0), Ryan McBride of Brookfield East (17.7) and Riley LaChance of Brookfield Central, who had a career-high 32 points in a 66-64 loss to top-ranked Germantown in the Lancers' opener on Saturday.
Electrical Fire in the Bungalow
At about 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 28, our house had an electrical fire. It was the first house fire I'd ever experienced. Hopefully, it will be the last.
Friday Morning Music
I've always loved this folksong.
Turn-up the volume for this cover of the late 1950s tune - Long Black Veil.
Deer Camp 2012
Thursday, November 15th
Saint Peter stood at the Pearly Gates of Heaven as three men stood in line waiting to enter.
What’s Your Rate of Return?
There is a way to increase your rate of return in today’s economy! Invest in your trees to guarantee a strong rate of return on your tree capital investment and enhance property value.
Friday Morning Music
Crank-up the volume on your workstation PC for this toe-tapping classic.
The Grateful Dead and Sugar Magnolia!
First do no harm - a call for a culture of kindness
Our flags are at half-staff and our hearts are broken.
Leave No Tragedy Unexploited
After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in a society where the only people allowed guns are the police and the military.
-William S. Burroughs
Snow Hunting
Anybody that tells you winter bow hunting isn't any fun doesn't know what they're talking about.
It probably helps that I'm one of the rare types that actually relishes the thought of being outdoors in the cold and snow.
Merry Christmas
The staff here at Gas Pains wants to wish all 82 of our readers a very, merry Christmas.
While we don't celebrate Hanuakkah or Kwanzaa - happy those too!
FUN TREE FACTS
Record-setting Trees
- One of the tallest soft wood trees is the General Sherman, a giant redwood sequoia of California. General Sherman is about 275 ft or 84 m high with a girth of 25 ft or 8 m.
- The 236 ft or 72 m high Ada Tree of Australia has a 50 ft or 15.4 m girth and a root system that takes up more than an acre.
- The world's tallest tree is a coast redwood in California, measuring more than 360 ft or 110 m.
- The world's oldest trees are 4,600 year old Bristlecone pines in the USA.
Trees and the Environment
- Trees renew our air supply by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.
- The amount of oxygen produced by an acre of trees per year equals the amount consumed by 18 people annually. One tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year.
- One acre of trees removes up to 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide each year.
- Shade trees can make buildings up to 20 degrees cooler in the summer.
- Trees lower air temperature by evaporating water in their leaves.
- Tree roots stabilize soil and prevent erosion.
- Trees improve water quality by slowing and filtering rain water, as well as protecting aquifers and watersheds.
- The cottonwood tree seed is the seed that stays in flight the longest. The tiny seed is surrounded by ultra-light, white fluff hairs that can carry it on the air for several days.
Friday Morning Music
It's the start of the last weekend of 2012. If you like Uncle Tupelo. You're also going to like this number from Son Volt.
Tear Stained Eye...
Choosing not to put fear first
The bustling season has settled into a soft couch with a fuzzy throw at my house, and she has substituted Pandora Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Station for National Public Radio. There are no terrible voiced prophets spewing frogs of doom, warning about the lack of brakes on the truck they are driving, gas pedal down, to the fiscal cliff.
Still, my thoughts keep turning to slain Wauwatosa police officer Jennifer Sebena, to the slaughter of innocent children and their teachers before that, to all the terrible things that happen near and far. To all the stories we hear that support our false impression that terrible things happen more than non-terrible things, that the only way to keep them at bay is with guns. Stories that make us forget that most of the terrible things that happen to us are things like cancer and lost love, things guns can't control.
Prank or Legit?
For the last several months or so we local bloggers on the Tosa homepage have been battling a bad case of the crud. All you have to do is read the comments.
Yes, just like a pernicious case of jock itch or athlete's foot all you have to do is share your credit card with the sweaty, slave laborer from Putian City, Fujian Provincial Network Of Unicom and he will send my friend Christine McLaughlin a Sinful short_t-shirt_woman $16 direct from http://www.famalegoods.net/
