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Staff Report on May 21, 2014
Saving rain, saving owls

By Pauline Tom

Rain! Glorious rain. Over a period of two days at the beginning of last week, some rain gauges in Mountain City filled to five inches. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

 It wasn’t enough to float a boat, like the Halloween 2013 deluge. Brian Wilson, city councilman, sought to find any Mountain Cityians with flood damage, and found none.

 Jeff Radke drove past after midnight as I stood on our front porch watching, with aid of bright lightening, the torrents of water flow past our house, instead of toward the house. Jeff designed our rainwater drainage landscaping.

 Holly Cass says, “Ditto”. Their home, the one on Live Oak Court that wins the Christmas Décor Grand Prize each year, has a history of flooding. Their beaten down grass the next morning showed a clear channel.

 It was enough to fill rain barrels. I thought our 420-gallons was great. Penny Moulder reported 5,000 (five thousand!) gallons over on Poplar near Cedar. She and Jerry installed two 2,500-gallon “rain barrels” last summer to top off their pool and keep their garden watered during Stage 3 water restrictions.

 

 • • •

 

From over on Cedar near Maple, in the home with dachshund décor, Diane Krejci reports that Lucy likes to float in her boat during the “Dog Days” of summer.

 If you do not know Diane, you might have heard of her in news coverage of the Buda Wiener Dog Races. She’s famous for proposing the races to the Buda Lion’s Club years ago.

Diane and her husband, Joe, found a baby screech owl at the corner of Cedar and Poplar. Mockingbirds possibly had a nest somewhere near there and were dive bombing the baby owl. His eyes had been pecked and were matted together. Hayley at the Austin Wildlife Rescue took him to the center to treat his eyes.

Hayley is willing to meet Mountain Cityians in Buda, where she lives, to transport injured wildlife. Reach her through the AWR office, 472-9453. The transfer requires paperwork.

It was because the little owl was injured that it needed intervention. Normally, when a baby bird is on the ground, the parents know exactly where it is and they will tend to it. Sometimes it may need to be moved to a nearby bush, from harm’s way. Many babies become orphans because humans try to intervene.

 

• • •

 

On up Cedar towards Pin Oak, congratulations to Abbey and Wayne Hutchison’s son, Stuart. On May 10th, he graduated from the University of Houston Law School (after graduating with a degree in Honors Mathematics from UT). Stuart will now attend the UT McCombs School of Business to pursue a Masters Degree. He was awarded a Fellowship and named “The University of Texas Business Analytics Distinguished Student.” You know they’re proud!

 

• • •

 

Wow! Look what happened. Tidbits flowing in pretty much filled this column! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

There’s no room to tell you what KissMe caught in the backyard this past week.

Please flood me with tidbits. ptom5678@gmail.com (Subject: TIDBIT) or 512 268 5678. Thanks! Love, Pauline

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