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Did you happen to catch the news today? I know times are hard right now but these young men could have caused some serious problems. A community doesn’t spend $2,000 for a 200 foot section of guard rail, unless it’s needed.

Suspects Arrested In Guard Rail Theft

Sonora, CA– Tuolumne County Sheriff’s authorities arrested two men early
this morning suspected of stealing a portion of a guard rail.

According to Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jeff Wilson, a report was made
Monday regarding a 200 foot section of guard rail valued at approximately $2000
missing from Shawmut Road.

After the Sheriff’s Department conducted an investigation this week, Deputy
Paul Speers discovered two men this morning at around 2 am, near the section of
the missing rail. He also noticed another section of rail had been unbolted from
its posts and was laying on the ground. Speers says he had checked the area
earlier and knew the rail was still on its posts at that time. [continue reading...]

I had heard that people were stripping copper wiring and copper plumbing, out of their houses before the bank foreclosure. Would you be surprised to learn that this case is not all that unusual? For instance in Augusta, GA.

Metal thefts bring renewed scrutiny

Sheriff’s Investigator Kendall Brown can legally question anyone waiting in line to recycle their metal. But on a recent morning Brown was biding his time, patiently scanning the scrapyard crowd through the tinted windows of his silver Impala.

“You have to read the person, watch what people are loading,” said Brown, who coordinates the newly resurrected CSRA Metal Theft Task Force. The task force is a holdover from 2008, when a spike in theft followed a jump in the prices of precious metals.

More than 20 law enforcement agencies and civilian businesses have joined forces to share their information on what’s been stolen and who’s responsible. Richmond County is the hub of the task force because of its six scrapyards; by default, almost all the stolen goods eventually trickle through here. [continue reading...]

In San Diego investigators got a call from a local recycler who got suspicious after five  people brought in a bunch of caps to recycle.

Fire Hydrant Theft Ring Busted

Escondido police officers arrested five people for stealing brass caps  off hundreds of fire hydrants around the city. On Friday, police got a call from a North County recycler that a group of people were trying to sell more than 80 hydrant caps. [Source:  Thieves Tamper with Hydrants | NBC San Diego]

The San Ramon Express News reports:

 Thousands worth of copper stolen from PG&E facility

Approximately $2,000 worth of copper wire was stolen from the PG&E Testing Facility on Crow Canyon Road last week, according to police reports. [continue reading...]

Other unusual items being stolen for recycling include:

• Lodi flooded with sprinkler head thefts
• WINCHESTER: Arrest made in attempted theft of brass water pumps
• Man charged with theft of air conditioners

All this was found doing a quick search for the terms, “theft recycle.” I can only imagine just how huge this problem has become. I guess what this all means is business and homeowners will need to make a bee-line to the recycling center, if they hope to retrieve their stolen items before they are crushed beyond recognition.

On the other side of the coin, many others are using these tough times to their own advantage by going dumpster diving, an activity we used partake of when I was a child. Did you know that people throw away tons of perfectly usable items, simply because they are unwanted? Over the years I have liberated many supposedly unwanted items doomed to end up in the garbage heap.

Of course, it wasn’t as acceptable of a practice back in the early 70′s as it is today. We were always afraid one of our friends would see us and make fun, but that didn’t stop us from going out again the following weekend. Apparently, some communities have laws against dumpster diving.

Dumpster diving yields hidden treasures

Yoder’s best finds include roller skates, records, clothing and furniture. However, according to the City of Lawrence, Yoder obtained these “treasures” illegally.

A city code prohibits unauthorized individuals from going through or removing other people’s trash. Since January 2010, city officials prosecuted six people for unlawfully removing trash.

“Some people feel very strongly against others going through their trash because they consider it an invasion of privacy,” Lawrence communications manager Megan Gilliland said. “It is their understanding that the city will dispose of their trash without others going through it.” [continue reading...]

You should check with your local officials before dumpster diving, unless you want to risk being arrested.

Communities talk a good story about being “GREEN” but how many really are? The state of California is discouraging people from shopping online (a green thing to do), so back in the car they go, shopping for bargains. Children here are rounded up for truancy, why not encourage them to school online?

Our landfills are getting full but hey, let’s pass laws preventing people from saving items destined for the landfill. What kind of sense does it all make? Are we going to be good stewards or not? We really need to stop and think about what kind of world we are leaving to our children and begin making better use of our resources.

Well, that’s my opinion anyway. Any thoughts on the topic?

A trip to Modesto yesterday brought us the newest member of our family. She is a tiny little Russian Blue mix that hasn’t been weened yet, so we are going to have an interesting week.

We had decided to just look around and see what was available at the pet shops and animal shelters. I had no idea that any animal that leaves the shelter must be spayed or neutered, and while I understand the reasoning behind this, it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I believe that fixing an animal forever changes it’s personality and lifestyle. I probably have stronger feelings than most on this topic since I was “fixed” at the tender age of 18.

The animal shelter in Modesto is a new facility but it sure smelled terrible in there, with no readily apparent reason for the horrific aroma. I was informed that the kittens must be 2 pounds before they can be spayed or neutered and for most kittens, that means they must be at least 4 months old before they can be adopted. Well, is it any wonder they put so many animals down each year? At 4-months of age, they aren’t normally quite as cute as they are when most people take home a kitten at around 8 weeks of age.

We had made our decision to wait and explore other avenues, when fate stepped up and threw us a curve ball into our plans. Just as we were piling back into the ‘Beca to head back to Twain Harte, I spotted a small group of people standing just off to the side of where we were parked. One young lady was holding a tiny little gray kitten, with big round eyes, who was hissing and obviously not happy.

Someone in the group explained that the shelter had closed and they wouldn’t accept the kitten (nevermind that I had just walked out the door and they were in the process of adopting out a puppy). The doors weren’t even locked. Since the shelter wouldn’t accept the tiny creature, the small group had gathered, trying to figure out what to do with the poor kitten, when I walked up to the group. I picked up the kitten. They were concerned that the kitten would get away from me, and thought that it was a feral kitten. I was concerned that it had been injured the way that it was laying there immobilized. (Not once the first hour we had her did she move her neck.)

I spoke with my husband about the kitten. It was obvious that she was terrified and would require a great deal of love and care but we decided to give it a try. She barely moved at first, but she seemed to gain comfort from cuddling inside my fuzzy jacket I had bunched up on my lap. We made several stops for supplies on the way home and made several attempts to feed her. We managed to get her to drink some water and a little milk replacement formula, though she wouldn’t touch any of the solid food – wet or dry.

She keep attempting to suckle on my coat and the fuzzy blanket we gave her. I’m just so thankful that she will drink from a dish. We bought a couple bottles – just in case. If anyone in Twain Harte has a momma cat that might be willing to let her nurse, please let me know. She appears to be doing well, but as we all know — momma’s milk is best.

She has finally warmed up to us and has spent a little time playing, exploring, eating and what she does best at this point — sleep. She is a darling little kitten that needs a lot of love and kindness – I know she’s finally found her home.

Related Links:

• Tuolumne County Adoptable Cats
• Stanislaus County Adoptable Cats
• Calaveras County Pet Adoption
• Kitten Care (Home at Last Animal Rescue)

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for our family. With the loss of our beloved feline companion and the death of a beautiful buck in our yard, along with a few other setbacks, our entire family seems to be walking around in a stupor. It can be difficult to pick up the pieces and move on after a loss.

I’ve been enjoying our birds — what a terrific distraction from lifes troubles and cares. I’ve added a couple more hummingbird feeders, bringing the total to 5. I noticed yesterday we have quite a few young ones visiting the feeders. I’ve spaced them apart so that the hummers have better access — as you probably know, they simply love to fight and competition at the feeder can be fierce.

During the winter months, the larger hummingbird feeders are preferred since they don’t have to be refilled so often but during the summer months, I use the smaller feeders (and only fill the larger ones partially), between the ants and the heat, it works out better to clean and refill them more often.

Bird Snack Recipe

I made a nice peanut butter mixture for the birds. I used 1 cup of peanut butter added to 1 cup of millet, mixed in a couple tablespoons of molasses and 1/4 cup of rolled oats. I managed to scoop it into the suet feeder. The birds gobbled it up. We now have a wide variety of birds visiting the feeders daily.

The new green metal bird house has turned out to be a wise purchase. Not only has it held up well, but the squirrels can’t get to the black oil sunflower seeds. The hood closes up if anything heavy attempts to get at the seed.

I stopped tossing peanuts out for the Stellar Jays in a location near the bird feeders since they bully the smaller birds and won’t allow them to eat. Also, the jays are forced to stand on the side of the feeder in order to get at the seeds because they are too big for them.  By tossing the peanuts in another direction it keeps them away from the feeders, so the smaller grosbeak, nuthatches and other little birds can still eat.

The new bird house holds a lot of black oil sunflower seeds, so I don’t have to refill it quite so often — even so, they can empty it entirely in about 4-days. I hope they slow down soon, at the rate they are eating it up, I’m not certain how much longer we can afford to keep this up but it is such a joy to step out onto the deck in the predawn hours and hear the birds melodious sounds breaking the early morning silence.

Weather Report

This entire past week the weather has been unseasonably cool for this time of year. The high for the past two days has been in the low 70′s. Vacationers will want to remember to bring along a spare jacket or two, as the evening and overnight temperatures can dip down quite low. It’s currently 62.

Deer Update

I am pleased to report that along with a couple of does, who regularly stop by to eat a few weeds from our yard and grab a drink of water, I finally had a young buck come by for a short visit during the early pre-dawn hours on Sunday morning. I was afraid this buck might have come to harm as well. He is such a beautiful creature. It’s a joy to watch him wander through the woods so graceful and alert. We appear to have had a bumper crop of does this year but bucks don’t seem to be nearly as numerous.

When you are driving here in the mountains, please remember to slow down and watch for wildlife. You might be amazed at what you will see, if you are looking. Have you seen a red fox lately? A bobcat? How about a chocolate brown bear? They are beautiful creatures too.