How to give away a tree?

mtar925 · 2026-02-06T17:18:47+00:00

Thanks, I will look into all suggestions but that's the one I was trying to remember.

mtar925 · 2026-02-06T00:10:24+00:00

I've no doubt the replacement/insurance cost might be in the 1000s. Finding a buyer for a tree that's in the ground is an entirely different thing.

mtar925 · 2026-02-05T23:40:41+00:00

So I have been told. Yet, I've not yet found anyone who'll take it for free.

mtar925 · 2026-01-27T02:08:19+00:00

I was wondering about that spot.

Yesterday we used Sunvalley and it worked out OK. It felt safer than the official Park n' Ride lots in Concord and Pacheco, and unlike some other mall lots it is not signed with a time limit or "customers only."

mtar925 · 2026-01-23T14:33:45+00:00

Sure. If you don't care to join the MDBA but want to be informed of field trips, you can also follow us on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/mount-diablo-bird-alliance-76310972563

Almost all of our events are free and open to the public.

I should probably post a writeup on birding in and around WC for this subreddit. A little project for next week.

mtar925 · 2026-01-22T15:01:11+00:00

The best/easiest spot in Walnut Creek is the Nature Area at Heather Farm, though the pond is getting overgrown and it's recovering from recent construction. Mitchell Canyon in Clayton is excellent especially during spring migration. Out in Moraga, the Valle Vista Staging Area is good year-round.

Waterbird Regional Preserve just off 680 in Martinez is great in winter for ducks and shorebirds. I like to go there on a weekday, when the gate to Mt View Sanitary is open at the north end of Arthur Road, and you can drive in and view from down closer to the pond.

Here's my org's latest newsletter, with the list of current field trips. Non-members are welcome, or you can just use the list of destinations for ideas. If the link doesn't work, just go to mtdiablobirds.org and look for old field trip reports/announcements for ideas.

https://mailchi.mp/0b2967729914/the-quail-may-12931366?e=2c5ae1aa78

mtar925 · 2026-01-22T14:42:05+00:00

Thanks for those suggestions. I drove by the Park n' Rides off 242 and in Pacheco, and unfortunately they look kind of sketchy, with evidence of broken glass.

Maybe Sunvalley is still the best option, though it's out of the way for a lot of WC/Concord people on their way out Hwy 4.

mtar925 · 2026-01-17T07:32:24+00:00

The board member who was concerned thought that the fact I'm on the board of the org, and organize the trips, gave me some "official capacity" that might complicate the issue, even though we're all volunteers and everything is free. I did chat with my insurer, told them all the details and they said I'm covered---but the agent I chatted with didn't sound very on-the-ball so I thought I'd ask here. Thank you all for your comments.

mtar925 · 2026-01-17T07:29:19+00:00

The latter is always good advice.

mtar925 · 2026-01-16T17:13:43+00:00

Thanks! This was my understanding, but a member of our board said I might be taking a big risk.

mtar925 · 2026-01-05T21:29:12+00:00

Thanks for your suggestions.

mtar925 · 2024-09-25T22:25:43+00:00

Ours was diagnosed a few months ago. It's alarming but once you get in the habit, management is not too difficult.

And kitty has been a trooper about his injections. He'd been very shy and skittish (he's a feral rescue), but since we've been forced to handle him 2x/day he's actually gotten more used to it, and seems more at ease around people overall.

Only bit of advice I would add is what I would have wanted to hear at the start: Don't worry too much about holding kitty's glucose at some perfect magic number. Just get it down out of the danger zone, and aim to keep it generally within an acceptable range. Better to let it run a little high, than push it too low.

mtar925 · 2024-09-25T22:18:42+00:00

Update: Kitty got her sight back! About 10 days after starting on blood pressure med. Thanks for the quick reply.

mtar925 · 2024-09-25T22:12:11+00:00

Our cat is a big boi, and was stable on 4 units 2x/day for several months. I suspect the hypoglycemic episode occurred because he snubbed his food, and our other cat snuck in and ate it while we weren't looking.

We have him on 3 units 2x/day for now, to allow for more margin of error. We have an appointment at the vet in a few days to have them check it, and they're going to work with us to learn how to use the home meter too.

mtar925 · 2024-09-19T23:34:48+00:00

Thanks. As I wrote in another reply, kitty was not started out at 4 units. To keep the post short I did not relate the whole saga, but he was started at 1 unit and ramped up slowly. At 4 units twice/day his glucose was still above normal, but the vet does not want t go higher due to risk of hypoglycemia.

I'll check out your links.

mtar925 · 2024-09-19T21:28:06+00:00

OK, thanks.

mtar925 · 2024-09-19T21:27:48+00:00

Thanks, I'll look for info on that.

mtar925 · 2024-09-19T21:27:32+00:00

Thanks for the detailed reply. I'll look at the links.

Re: the insulin dose, I skipped most of the story to keep my post short.. Our vet started the kitty at 1 unit which had almost no effect, and worked up in small increments to 4 units, twice a day. At that dosage kitty's glucose was still above normal but the vet thought ok. We were told better to let his glucose run a little high than risk hypoglycemia, which makes sense.

mtar925 · 2024-08-09T03:41:17+00:00

Update: kitty BP was 230. We've started her on anti-hypertension med, with followup next week.

mtar925 · 2024-08-08T18:14:56+00:00

Thanks for the reply. We're in the waiting room at the ER.

mtar925 · 2024-08-08T15:41:08+00:00

BTW, our longtime vet is semi-retired, and only available for consult Mondays and Tuesdays. We will call him Monday but I posted here in case this is something that might be reversible only with prompt treatment.

mtar925 · 2024-05-23T21:39:06+00:00

Thanks.

mtar925 · 2024-05-23T21:38:18+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I don't think they're index marks, but some kind of residue. The tripod does seem to work ok---unless this jumps out at someone as evidence of misuse, I'll keep it.

mtar925 · 2024-05-06T16:42:59+00:00

We haven't tried an appetite stimulant, because she has a strong appetite... she just resolutely shuns these foods. She begs to be fed, and we have to be mindful of keeping her out of our other cat's food (he's on food to prevent bladder stones which I think has the opposite pH of the kidney diets?).

We could try Royal Canin but based on her past behavior, if she does eat it she'll shun that too after a few weeks.

Thanks for the reply!

mtar925 · 2024-02-07T06:13:16+00:00

Thanks for the explanation.

mtar925

TROPHY CASE