[Gathnet] Various happenings

[Jonathan Gathman]

Well, Gathnetters, finally something fun to write about.

   Our current washer and dryer were left to us by the owners of the 
house we bought in 1990.  I suspect they were about 5 years old then. 
Nothing fancy... just "Montgomery Wards", but honestly they've lasted a 
long time, longer than I expected.  While they continue to work, it 
isn't pretty, as you have to use a pair of pliers where the knobs broke, 
etc.  It only periodically leaves itself full of water, and hasn't 
leaked a whole lot.  Still, "Monkey Wards" itself has gone by the 
wayside before this washer and dryer.

   However, this last week, Jacqui tossed in some bathroom rugs, which 
quickly got out of balance and the washer started shaking itself apart 
on the spin cycle.  I rebalanced it, but it was too late, it started 
making sounds.  Sounds like the sound of pulling legal tender from your 
wallet, or the sound of checks being written.  I'm not saying that the 
bathroom rugs were a clever ploy by Jacqui, because I'd offered to 
replace them earlier, but she, bless her heart, is loathe to spend money 
frivolously, and thus has used the washer to death.

   Well, we've been expecting this, so Jacqui did have some ideas.  What 
was shown as a best value, and energy saver in several different sources 
pointed to a washer from "Fisher & Peckel".  I had never heard of this 
brand, and it turns out to be from New Zealand... quite popular in 
Europe, I understand.  I liked it's design, which is "Direct Drive", 
meaning there's no belts or transmissions.  It arrives Tuesday.  I'm 
curious whether anyone else has heard of "Fisher and Peckel".

   Also this week, the rains revealed that, once again, the gutters were 
clogged (even though I cleaned them in the fall).  So I got up there and 
cleaned them out.  While I was at it, I decided to clean out the 
Greckles nest that I saw being started on the other side of the bay 
window, and attempt to block future attempts at nesting with wire mesh. 
  After all, I'd seen the Greckles were back this spring, though I'd 
cleaned out their nest before... many times before.

   The problem is, it's very inaccessible, to humans anyway, being two 
floors up, and next to the bay window.  The Greckles manage to slip 
under a 2x8 brace block, which is only and 1 1/2 or maybe two, and build 
the nest behind that.  I was surprised that the occupants were gone, as 
I thought they hadn't really had time to hatch and raise their nestlings 
to flight age, but I was pleased, because I don't like the idea of 
killing nestlings by hand, nor of being pecked.

   So I'm up on the ladder, and there's only to stretch way out, and 
push my hand way up under the eave, and grab a few wisps of nest at a 
time, and start dragging it out.  A stick to poke helped a bit too, and, 
after a long and somewhat yucky time (nest poop stinks), I got most of 
it out.  However, though very dark in comparison with the bright 
sunlight, I can poke my face up close to the gutter and see that there's 
a lot of loose stuff, and something I couldn't get out with a stick, 
even with poking.  So, since I'd already had the hose out to clean the 
gutters, I decided to hose it out.

   So here I am, two floors up, leaning over the side of the ladder 
(though I had the top pushed up where it couldn't slide), and I was busy 
shoving the hose up and under this board.  Sure enough, I can see 
bracken, and bird droppings come rinsing out, and several sticks. 
Suddenly, there was a very large stick that came rushing out, which then 
  came up and over the gutter into my face.  Only the stick had eyes, 
and a white bottom, and a tongue poking out.  Two stories up on a 
ladder, I have a snake about a foot away from my face.  Certainly the 
last thing I expected.

   Now I had worked in construction, and many of the guys thought it was 
a point of pride to use foul language whenever possible. In fact, when 
they found out I tried never to use that kind of language, the language 
was often doubled or trebled.  Still, even though I never made it a 
habit of speaking that way, it crept into my head, and it was years 
before I could avoid any sort of foul words while surprised or angry. 
However, by God's grace, it's been a quite while since such words had 
crossed my lips.  But one of them sure slipped by today.  It was one of 
the final two words heard on every Aircraft voice recorder right before 
impact...

   I was severely glad that I was not so surprised as to have let go of 
my grip on either the ladder or my hose.  Having swung my face as far 
away from the gutter as possible, I composed myself a moment, then 
started aiming the hose at the snake, who then dropped into the gutter 
(where I couldn't see him).  I "pursued" him with the hose as I best I 
could, hoping he'd decide it wasn't a good idea to use me a ladder.  He 
came up on the other side of the gutter, and with some spray on my part, 
slithered over, and fell down into grape vines and, after composing 
herself briefly after his fall and the hideous experience he had just 
had (probably shocked at the ugly face on the other side of the gutter), 
slipped down, and slithered off into the grass.

   I was able to see that it was a black snake, and given the sudden 
taper to the tail, it was probably female (so I was glad she wasn't 
apparently hurt I like having them in the woods to eat mice and things). 
  She was only about 3 feet long, so reasonably young.  I have no idea 
how a snake would be able to get up there, and can only postulate that 
it saw or smelled the birds, and went up the downspout.

   Of course, it was quite clear why the Greckles were no longer there, 
and actually, the snake did me a great favor as he probably ate the eggs 
or fledglings and possibly the parents (there's no way to easily escape 
that nest).  So there's a greater chance that with her cleaning out the 
nest, that I won't have those Greckles back next year... certainly not 
this season.  So, thanked God that I had not been bitten (though it 
wouldn't have been poisonous), and that I didn't fall from the surprise. 
  I finished my plan, which was to seal off the area with wire mesh 
(this procedure helped in another part of the house to discourage 
nesting), and gleefully plotted to whom I relate this little tale... or 
was it tail...

   Have a great week!
-- 
Jonathan Gathman
"Think, Speak and Do Well"
Urquhart Family Crest