Contact Xcel with your power flucuation problems

In regard to my previous blog, another neighbor suggests:
I just talked to a full-service agent at Xcel, andshe recommends that everyone who has noticedrecent fluctuations in electric service shouldphone so that they can understand the magnitudeof the problem and the region affected. She saysthat the number to call is 1-800-895-1999, andselect "outage". If you don't get through to areal person, just select nothing and after about6 prompts, it will ring a real person. Ask thatperson for a full-service agent.We also suspect that we may have had damage tosome of our electrical equipment, even though itwas connected to a UPS (that has been frequentlycycling on-and-off the last few days).

Lighting Caused Power Blips

In a message dated 5/31/2007 9:10:37 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time, savitar@mric.net writes:
Has anyone been experiencing electrical service fluctuations lately? We've been have several episodes of flickering lights, and the computer UPS battery backup systems clicking & coming on. I don't know if it's surges or momentary loss of power. I'm wondering if it's our service only, or if others nearby have experienced anything similar. It's happening at different times of the day, and even when we are not using much electricity.
I read someplace that one Mt. Evans, which is actually visible from my location on Lazy Z, is world famous for the number of lightning strikes it gets.

A lighting storm some distance away can still effect our power here because of the way that the power lines run as they distribute power.

The moral of the story here is that the lighting around here is intense enough that it interferes with our electricity. However, you may just want to check that a recent storm did not blow a tree against the power line to your house. I've had that happen too.

I have included a picture above of the relative number of lighting stikes in Colorado over a 6 year period. I have called out Mt Evans. Boulder County is the rectangle above it with the ragged left edge and a notch half way along its southern boarder. We're just one County away from Mt. Evans.
P.S. Welcome to the joys of living "way out there" at the end of the line, so to speak.

702-835-1108 Harassment

If you are reading this, it probably means only one thing. You've been getting harassing phone calls from 702-835-1108. The caller ID says "CyberneticSyste" There is a Cybernetic Systems in Henderson, Nevada.

If you call the (702) 835-1108 number, there is a recording with an unbelievalble story about this being a "toll free testing service" for Service Bureau Networks. This is of course, different from what the caller ID claims. BUT if you Google that number you get an earful about a disreputable company, Telespammer

Service Bureau Networks seems to also be known as Telseven according to the posts. There are claims on the forum that people have been charged just for calling numbers associated with Telseven.

Don't bother talking to the voice that says "wrong number." It is just a recording. You can tell because there is no hang up sound. Also the timing and intonation is exactly identical each time.

We've been getting 6 or 7 of these annoying phone calls a day for the last 3 days.

Please EMAIL ME at
702harassment@gmail.com and let me know that you've been getting them too. I'm trying to figure out what the scam is.

If there is enough interest, a class action lawsuit might be in order, as well as complaints to the FTC and FCC Those links go directly to the complaint proceedures, so have fun.

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Special note to the heartless scum behind this harassment: It's not good for your mental health to annoy a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert. That's putting it nicely.

You'll find yourself with thousands of dollars of legal bills in short order. Harassing me and other people who contact me can get VERY expensive very quickly.

Trust me, you really don't want to go there.

Don't say you've not been warned. Please CONTACT ME if you wish to nip your punishing legal expenses in the bud.

Bear, Part II

There have been four bear sightings in the last 12 hours here on Lazy Z.

I'm bringing in the hummingbird feeder.

This is what happened last year.







Case Study

Last Frost of the Season?

It snowed yesterday and then it looked like it was going to freeze last night.

It was a good thing that I took in the house plants that did not seem to have the good sense to come in on their own.

It made it down to 28 F last night.

However, in a conversation with a hummingbird this morning by the hummingbird feader, I found out that this should be the last frost.

But I'm keeping in the house plants for another night, just in case.

The Elk Are Back... Again

I just saw a group of about 8 bull elk grazing their way through the snowy yard.

The Red Baron Won

I saw the red tailed hawk (I call him the Red Baron) resting in a tree by the house today. It looks like he won his territorial right to hunt here.

The two ravens that where harassing him last week where nowhere to be found.

My Buddies the Elk

Two male elk just came through the yard. They both had fuzzy, half formed antlers.

They left behind a large, well formed pile of scat. This is different then in winter. At that time of the year they leave tight little oval pellets.

Dogfight over Lazy Z

There's been a fierce battle ragging in the air over this end of Lazy Z for the last few days.

Its the red(baron) tailed hawk against the dark raven. They soar and dive. Sometimes, you can hear the screaming feathers of the raven as he goes into a power dive. The raven also makes crowing sounds, but the hawk only occasionally lets loose with a peep.

I think the hawk is winning, but not be much. They are pretty evenly matched.

Last year, the hawk must have won, because I saw and heard him all summer.

Grow Your Own Goji Berries

We're doing a experiment around here where we are seeing if Goji Berries, which originated in the Himalayas. We've been reading all kinds of great things about them, so we have some seeds sprouting right now. We even have one plant so tiny that you almost need a magnifying glass to see it.

You can read more at How to Grow Goji Berries

Growing Goji Berries

I've been studying a lot about a super nutritionous berry that became popular because of the promotional effort of a MLM company.
Turns out it really is a most remakable berry, with even more nutritional power than blueberries.

Goji berries, also sometimes called wolfberries look like oblong, red raisins. They're not very sweet, but the have a flavor that you an quickly get used to. This happens naturally once you digest a handful and your body gives you a enthusiatic thumbs up once it's had a chance to analyze what's in them.

I've also tried the goji juice concentrate

Anyway, here's a bit more about these berries. See Goji Juice Extract
http://gojiconcentrate.googlepages.com/home

It all sounds so good that I'm going to try to grow some, although it'll take years to get any fruit from them.

Our Roadless Wonder - The PUMA way

John Carter, a neighbor up here, had this observation:

*****
The U in PUMA does mean unique.
http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/may/04/scientists-measuring-roadless-areas-by-volume/

http://dailycamera.com/videos/2007/may/03/26/

The first link is to a story in the Daily Camera. The second is acomputer-generated video prepared by USGS scientists. The idea is that theydraw pyramids based on the distance from roads. The video spans 60 years,showing the Colorado Front Range from 1937 to 1997. When you watch thevideo, the pyramids all over the map erode away, as new roads are built. Ifyou look just below and a bit to the left of the green "B" in Boulder, thereis one three-sided pyramid that endures. That's the triangle formed byMagnolia and 119.

It's one reason that I love Magnolia, it has been preserved (the "P").
John, ~ the chart guyJohn Carder,
CMTTopline Investment Graphics
Where your chart dreams come true!
www.topline-charts.com or www.chartguy.com
PO Box 2340Boulder, CO 80306-2340 USA
800.347.0157 (toll-free in the USA)
303.440.0147 (fax)