Update

Friday's astronomy page will post information about Comet Ison. This sun grazer will appear in the predawn hours next month. Get ready for the show.
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/18jan_cometison/

Fleas, Fleas, Fleas

I've had it with the fleas on my Dottie. The hot weather has literally made them multiply till she was scratching herself to death. Enter the veterinarian--yes I tried the "cheaper" over the counter flea collars and squeeze on drops. They did nothing.

Luckily the Vectra 3D the vet provided really works. It breaks the pocket book at $20 per month (three vials in the box). Since I've applied it, Dotty is in heaven. No scratching, no itching, and even when she goes outside, she doesn't pick up more fleas. They don't like the stuff.

A lesson in chemistry has kept me going.  The three active ingredients:

Permethrin

Pyriproxifen

Dinotefuran

 . . . take care of juveniles, repell adults, and block a flea's normal neurotransmiters. In other words, it kills them dead. Pay attention to warnings. Cats have died when given dog meds.

Our horse feed shop Kahoots, where I get my hay, sells Frontline and Advantage II. Both items are equally expensive and have active ingredients similar to Vectra 3D.

This link offers you a chemistry lesson. I looked up each ingredient independently online.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=521

Since the primary method of attacks on fleas is cleanliness, it behooves anyone with a flea problem to vacuum, wash bedding (especially the dog's) and follow up with a topical spray that kills eggs and larvae which have dropped off of the dog to the rug where they grow. The important ingredient here is methaprene which kills the eggs and larvae. BioSpot has it.

Hopefully the weather will change. Hundred degree temperatures increase infestations and Moorpark hit that record today. Fleas don't like cold. Below seventy degrees,, they hop away leaving behind their eggs for the next heat spell.

Good luck  with your research.

I still wonder if horse pucky would chase fleas away. My dog loves to roll in those little green apples, and I haven't seen any fleas on my horse . . .yet

A writer who doesn’t post is no writer at all. Vacations are no excuse to put down the pen, I mean ipad. Vacations stops offer access to the internet, be it Starbucks, a chosen hotel/motel, or the library. Here are vacation photos. Locations include Washington State, Oregon, and Northern California.

The vacation began the 5^th of July

Traveling with Baby Austin

Camping All the Way

Naval Museum, Washington

Birthdays in Silverdale

And Sacramento

With lots of fun in between

Look Familiar?

Covered Bridge and Swinging Bridges of Oregon

And Sundial Bridge, Redding

What a Vacation. Let's do it again.

Today is the feast of St. John Vianney.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Vianney

Also known as the Cure of Ars, this simple parish priest was so successful in converting hardened sinners that people from all over the known  world would come to the little town of Ars, France just to go to confession. As a result, St. John spent upwards of 16 hours a day in the confessional. He has been designated as patron of all priests. Here are a few words taken from his catechetical instructions:

St. John Vianney

"It is the glorious duty of man to pray and to love. If you pray and love, that is where happiness lies. Prayer is nothing else but union with God. When one has a heart that is pure and united with God, he is given a kind of serenity and sweetness that fills him with light. In this intimate union, God and the soul are fused together like two bits of wax that no one can ever pull apart.  This union of God with a tiny creature is a lovely thing. It is a happiness beyond understanding."

Vacation Time

I won't write about glitches. Every vacation has them and it's no use getting upset. Everything's replaceable but life itself, and we are healthy, happy, and here in Washington with Walter. We saw some interesting sights along the way. The rolling forests of Oregon and Washington are to die for. Too bad that when you're flying by at 55mph, you just can't catch a good view. We did get a little of Portland.

And of course Dad, with little Austin in arms so he could be the ultimate grandpa. Taken at Walter's house, it shows how relaxed he is after the long drive north.

The clan is always busy. Prior to vacation we attended Terry's graduation. She is now a BS.

Flowers

A super happy couple

The graduate

Celebrating with a special sister

Augustine Grass Front Yard

There's a plus to gophers. They do a marvelous job of aerating the soil. The piles of loose dirt they leave behind are great for planting new grass.
Still, who needs holes and tunnels that collapse under your feet as you walk across the yard? That's why gophers don't belong on the manicured ranchette.
We are now four gophers down but probably have ten more to wipe out. Our little black box trap (Viktor) is doing its job. Yes, it's cruel. Yes it kills 'em dead. And--Yes, the holes are slowly disappearing. Sooner or later, all the gophers will go away. We hope.
Uphill, we're using the loose tunneled ground to plant more Augustine grass. Gophers seem not to like the stuff. Maybe it has a funny taste? Or maybe it has a too thick packed root system? Only once did a little hole open in our Augustine lawn, but it quickly disappeared. The gophers just didn't want to stay there. They prefer the dry hard as rock dirt area full of prickly dandelion type weeds.
The trap has now been duly moved to the horse area.

The smart weeds are up again. They are particularly virulent because we gave them water. The real problem, though is the gophers. Just yesterday they took down our avocado tree. It was already five feet tall with a three inch trunk and in full leaf. Like beavers, the animal underground managed to sever the tree at the root. Duh. Off we went to purchase a gopher trap, not the cheap wire ones. We got the heavy duty black box. Yes, it worked! One gopher down, and probably ten more to go. There are holes all over the yard.
Of course no photos of the deceased are available. The beast is in the trash can already.

Pocket Gophers