Peter A. Klein's Blog, page 12

The Ramifications of the Epidemic of Bad Behavior

Since the United States “reopened” after the coronavirus lockdowns, many people’s behavior has been disgusting. It seems that the guilty persons feel that because they were not allowed to do many things they wanted to do, they are now allowed to do whatever they want to do regardless of the consequences.

I have been unable to understand their reasoning. Perhaps this is because there is no reasoning. These unthinking fools are just doing what they want without considering the consequences. There are consequences!

Native Milkweed for the Western Monarch Butterflies

There are several erroneous ideas floating around concerning Monarch butterflies. First, all Monarch butterflies are the same, and second, all milkweed is the same. Both are very wrong.

Monarch butterflies west of the Rocky Mountains are different than those east of the Rockies. The eastern Monarch are ones that migrate long distances to and from Central America. The California, or more accurately the Western Monarch, tends to stay in coastal areas from San Diego to Washington State. If you live along the west coast, why move?

On the Road Again –Unexpected Experiences While Traveling

I have enjoyed traveling since I was a child. I remember taking the train, the Valley Daylight, with my mom, from Berkeley to Los Angeles. The most memorable moment was watching as the train crossed over the track we had just traveled on the Tehachapi Loop. I also remember flying home from Washington, DC with my mom and stepfather.

There have been a few trips that didn’t go so well. There was the time I waited for about three hours in the Austin airport for our plane to be fixed. During that wait, I got to talking with another passenger who said, “The best time for a plane to have a problem is on the ground.” The day got better instantly.

On the Road Again – Behave Yourself While Flying Or Pay the Price

Incidents of rude, foolish, and dangerous behavior on airplanes have gone sky high this year. (Yes the pun was intended.) It seems that eighteen months or so, of not traveling has damaged many passengers’ brains.

The latest incident I have heard is a 13-year-old boy who was flying from Maui to Los Angeles with his mother. He tried to kick out the window next to him. He was duct taped to his seat, the plane returned to Hawaii, and the boy was arrested when the plane landed.

On the Road Again – Finally Canada Is Open to Americans

As of August 9, 2021, Canada is allowing Americans into Canada. You need to be fully vaccinated, have proof of your vaccination, and have had a COVID test within 72 hours of crossing into Canada.

On the flip side, Canadiens will not be allowed into the United States for another two weeks. Canadian vaccination rate is higher than that of the United States. Go figure!

Reducing Your Water Usage During the Drought of 2021 and Beyond

With wildfires spreading rapidly across thirteen states due to the severe drought, all of us in the western United States need to do what we can to limit our water usage. Some of these tips many of you have heard before, but hey bear repeating.

Let’s start with the landscaping. The most drastic thing you can do, is also one of the biggest water savers. Get rid of your lawn! Grass requires a lot of water. I have a neighbor who had a luxurious lawn. It was the best looking yard in the area. A few years ago the lawn was removed and replaced with more drought tolerant ground cover and other features and plants that required little or no water. Still the nicest yard in the area.

Preparing Your Home and Yourself before You Travel

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, we recently took a road trip to the Bay Area. We returned home on Saturday. On Monday we had a bit of a problem with the toilets and a little back up in a shower.

After getting the sewer pipe checked out, we found that there was a bit of a toilet paper clog near one of the toilets. We also found that there are a few things to consider when leaving home for a trip.

On the Road Again – On an Actual Road Trip

Just returned from an actual road trip. It was great visiting family that we have not seen in 20 months, thanks to COVID. Here are a few observations of the trip from San Diego to the Bay Area and back.

I will start with the worst part of the trip. We goofed on planning. Instead of driving the last leg of the trip on a Saturday, we should have picked almost any other day! It took about two hours to drive from the CA-73 and I-5 merge to Encinitas, only 49 miles. Terrible!

On the Road Again – Do You Have Everything You Need?

In a previous blog, I mentioned the things that I felt were important to pack on your trips, or at least on my trips. I also mentioned that I have a packing list (Excel spreadsheet) on my computer. I make a copy of the blank packing list for each trip, rename it, and complete it for that trip.

In October, I found a packing list for a Viking cruise that is 323 rows long (Excel spreadsheet). That, at least for me, is a bit excessive. Mine is two columns that fits on an 8 ½ by 11-inch sheet of paper. There are 80 items on my list. The longer list details every item the couple was planning to take on a long trip.

On the Road Again – You Can’t See It All

It does not matter where you go nor how you get there. you can’t see it all. You do not have enough time, there are too many things to see, and you do not know all the places of interest in each locale.

Whoever is doing the driving will see the least because they must concentrate on the driving not the sights and sounds of the area surrounding the road. My sister and I have been to Yellowstone National Park, but neither of our significant others have. We are working on planning a trip there.