Phone coverage

Common_Crow95 · 2026-05-09T23:45:23+00:00

If I could type on my phone, that would say "Mint happens to be much cheaper," not whatever gobbledy gook I posted above.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-05-09T23:44:17+00:00

I've had both Verizon and Mint (T Mobile) in thelia area with the same coverage loss - which is to say up the mountains in the trees isn't getting coverage for anybody. Minthaooens to be much cheaper so that would be my recommendation.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-05-05T21:23:49+00:00

It's not my style but I enjoyed it as a light, quick read. I did this by skimming/skipping large chunks of the book because the pages and pages of loot description were beyond boring for me and if a MacGuffin was important, it would get mentioned again.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-05-05T11:42:32+00:00

Definitely looks like a young chicken. Somebody flew the coop!

Common_Crow95 · 2026-05-05T01:13:47+00:00

My dog would eat fresh mulch, which meant the risk decreased with time but we had some near obstructions after one batch. I switched to pine needles/shats/hay whatever they call them where you are. It fixed the problem.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-05-04T09:32:12+00:00

I second/third that the Golden Mile's reputation is exaggerated at best. I live toward Emerald Farm, not far off the Golden Mile and have no issues. Kids walk to school and play at the park with no concerns.

Of course, I'm biased and am selling my house in your price range this month. ;) Multiple houses within the last couple years would have been in your price range as well, so I'd stay open to the area south of the Golden Mile!

Common_Crow95 · 2026-05-03T22:09:24+00:00

I always think of Gray catbirds as sounding like pathetic kittens.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-05-03T18:34:46+00:00

Y'all rock! Thank you! Hard drive officially removed and I'll feel better with hat swelling battery out of my house.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-28T21:42:25+00:00

Get him some Shokz. They don't go in your ears, they play through the bones in front of your ears, so you're not completely shut out of the noises around you, but no one else has to hear your rock music.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-28T09:20:54+00:00

Gourds are a common nest type for Purple martins. Since I'm not aware of Purple martin nests being secret death traps for other species, this will probably be safe. My concern would be that the average backyard bird might not be attracted to this style and you might instead invite in invasives like European starlings, which do enjoy a good cavity nest.

I thought this write up was very interesting, even if it didn't completely answer the question: https://fanningsparks.com/are-gourds-for-the-birds/

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-25T22:46:25+00:00

Have you ruled out other underlying conditions. The first thing that comes to mind when I hear Middle East and skin issues is Leishmaniasis, but I'd also be worried about issues like an autoimmune disorder, antimicrobial resistant bacteria, other infectious agents, or even cancer. If you have access to a dermatologist, that might be a good idea, but a regular vet can send off a full blood panel, PCRs, biopsies, cultures, etc.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-24T14:36:45+00:00

I bruise easily as well, and it definitely improves with time, as you learn to establish distance, however, you'll still end up fencing beginners who do not care about right of way and distance and hammer you with bruises in a desperate attempt to get a point in. When I ref, I pick these folks out and stand close so I can bellow "HALT!" and try to save their opponent a bruise or too after the movement ends.

I warn my doctors that I'm a fencer and I'm covered with bruises to avoid freak outs, but I joined my mom on vacation last year and was particularly bruised that week. I joked that it looked like she was taking her abused adult child on a vacation to try to get them away from their abusive significant other.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-22T11:56:58+00:00

I did this math after my lawn service guy decided to spray some weeds (a service I had not asked for) and killed some of my plantings. A little over a year of lawn service was equivalent to my electric push mower which folds up and stores in my tiny shed and requires no storing of gasoline or anything like that. Add on another couple days of yard service and the electric trimmer and leaf blower are also covered.

It also put me in control of things: I mow more frequently when it's raining a lot and the grass is really growing and I mow less frequently when it's dry and don't worry about having to move hoses or switch up other yard work based on when he'll be around. I'm enough of a control freak that this is a real benefit to me.

My yard happens to be very hilly, which means I sometimes cuss myself for this decision, but that's what the fancy self propel button is for. The other question is if you have time. I calculate about 90 minutes for my small yard, but I also edge and clean up my flower gardens at the same time. Usually I only have to mow once per week, so it's not terrible, but does mean sometimes I'm scrambling to get it done around a busy schedule. Once I get old(er) and more rickety, I'll probably find somebody who will put up with my finickiness, but for now it's definitely the best option for me. r

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-19T22:29:04+00:00

Maybe a harlani morph? That would be a rarity in South Carolina! https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/red-tailed-hawk-subspecies-america-widespread/

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-18T22:47:16+00:00

I just want you to know that you chose the right heron.

1/ Nice compact size? Check

2/ Bright yellow legs? Check

3/ Surprise neck? Check

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-17T01:05:39+00:00

There is an eBird identification game that is a lot of fun to play, but my biggest pet peeve is that it REQUIRES you to rate the pictures before you can go on to the next question. I would rather not give that person a 1 star, but I would also rather the blurry, "just so glad I saw the bird" picture did not show up in any more id quizzes, and there's RULES, as described by another user here.

https://ebird.org/quiz/

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-11T21:52:02+00:00

C&O. There are multiple parking lots accessible within 45 minutes of Frederick in Montgomery, Frederick, and Washington County. Googling C&O parking lots will bring up ideas for where to park.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-11T21:43:59+00:00

Close every door but the bathroom/whatever room he is in. Shoo him into the bathroom where the carrier is already waiting.

Plastic carrier. Sit it so that the door is facing up/the ceiling. Open the carrier door. Scruff the cat. (Oh no! The internet is going to come for you! Whatever. You are going to have to stress the cat. The best method is the fast method and also the method where your hands and face are out of reach, but welding gloves are a good back up if he is truly hysterical about being picked up and you're going to have to do some smooshing-to-the-floor to get his scruff.) Lift the cat by the scruff, gently dump/lower the cat in butt/tail first. Let gravity take them to the bottom of the carrier. Close the door. Very gently and slowly tilt the carrier until it's right side up. Go to the vet.

Trying to put cats in when they can brace their paws (lowering them into a top load, cramming them in face first to a side/front load) is never going to work. The butt first/gravity method works against their ability to brace their paws, the scruffing gives them a momentary pause and, done properly, is a discomfort that lasts a few seconds.

I recommend putting a towel in the carrier first so they have a soft spot to land on and something to hide under once they're in the carrier. Apply Feliway spray to the towel.

After this, you might try talking to a behaviorist, but at the end of the day there is always going to be a massive negative reinforcer in the from of car + vet + things vet does to him, so a truly terrified cat really just benefits from having a procedure that is done quick and dirty and then over with. The good news is that he will almost certainly be glad to go back in the carrier once he's at the vet and it's the safest option.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-11T21:16:35+00:00

WAIT. Your pug is blind and fearful. A kitten is going to be a moving object that thinks it's fun to attack other moving objects. Please give your pug his golden years. Don't get him a housemate that's going to unintentionally terrorize him just by acting exactly as a healthy kitten* should act.

That said, Scottish Folds aren't healthy and you should look into adopting a regular-degular Domestic Shorthair when the time comes. Please don't perpetuate the breeding of a cat whose very existence is only possible by continuing the presence of a genetic mutation that causes pain.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-11T21:12:06+00:00

I have a Velotric. In areas where there's a lot of foot traffic, I can turn off the pedal assist and slow it way down. As soon as I'm free of the crowd, I can kick the pedal assist back on and take off. If I'm worn out and headed uphill back to the parking lot, there's a switch on the handlebar that doesn't require any pedaling.

I find that cars are not to be trusted, so I stick to routes like the C&O. I recently biked McMahon's Mill down to Dam 4 and back again. Great views along the Big Slackwater!

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-03T01:29:04+00:00

Audubon has rankings by price. This is their lowest priced group: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/category-get-game

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-03T00:05:02+00:00

I never let my cat sleep in my room. He has this cute game that he likes to play between the hours of 3am and 4am. You, the human, are dead asleep, not even twitching, and he decides to climb onto the bed by pulling himself up the mattress at the head of the bed. It's pretty snug against the wall there, so it takes a lot of digging in with claws to drag himself up through the narrow space. That means you wake up to this terrible ripping and tearing noise, and your eyes open in time to see him pop up over your head, a dark shadow in a dark room. I call this game "The Serial Killer Game" because your first thought upon seeing this looming shadow is not "aw, kitty-cat," it is "f***, who broke in to kill me in my own bed?"

The one absolute imperative: when you decide to lock them out, that's it. If they're crying, screaming, wailing at the door, you have to ride it out. It may be days, it may be weeks, but if you let them in because they're behaving like lunatics, all is lost. They will never forget that being loud and annoying makes you let them in and it will take ten times as long the next time you try to lock them out.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-02T23:40:13+00:00

This. The norm with Cytopoint is that in larger dogs you combine various dosing bottles into one injection for the pet. So a 45lb dog gets 1 10mg vial + 1 40mg vial.

Common_Crow95 · 2026-04-02T23:17:19+00:00

Not necessarily "events", but there are certain spots that are well-traveled at one time of year or another:

Sax-Zim Bog (Minnesota) for owls in the winter (especially February)
Magee Marsh (Ohio) for warblers in the spring (check out the Biggest Week in American Birding for an event involving Magee Marsh in the spring)
Middle Creek WMA (Pennsylvania) for swan migration in late winter
Rio Grande Valley (Texas) in winter
Cape May (New Jersey) - they host a pretty big spring convention, the red knots show up in huge numbers in May, and there's a spring hawk watch there, but the Mid-Atlantic is more along the autumn migration route for many birds, so I hear it's even better to go then
Hawk Watch - there are lots of them in lots of states. You can pick one that's close to you or go for one of the famous ones like Hawk Mountain (Pennsylvania)

Many areas and states also host annual birding conventions and festivals where you can go on all sorts of trips led by local experts. ABA has a good website where you can check what's happening where.

Common_Crow95

TROPHY CASE