By Pauline Tom
Can you imagine an organization selecting Mountain City’s (tiny) Old City Hall as a venue?
(Who knows of a smaller City Hall in Texas? Not I.)
Hays/Caldwell Amateur Radio Club invites residents (and outsiders) to drop in during their participation on the National Field Day, between 1 p.m. Saturday, June 25 and 1 p.m. Sunday, June 26.
You’ll witness an actual training exercise to prepare for disasters, both natural and man-made. The nationwide annual event trains operators to set up their equipment in field locations using auxiliary power to test the efficiency of the operators and the equipment in remote locations.
The Amateur Radio Club asks that you introduce yourself upon arrival.
In Mountain City, it’s possible to witness a doe give birth. And, it’s quite common to find a spot where a doe leaves her fawn while she forages, between feedings.
A doe selected Donna Helm’s backyard as a safe spot for her baby for several days last week. Donna took a photo that shows just how well that doe hid her fawn.
A hidden spot is a fawn’s top defense against predators, like our Great White Hunter with Big Red Spots. So far this year, no close calls for a fawn or for KissMe.
During our ten days in Houston with Ron’s mom (94), our city’s streets became noticeably more “white.” And, loose aggregate got squashed into the surface. Lanes where the four trash pickup services do not travel have not changed.
To my eyes, those heavy trucks are serving a purpose – for now. The City Council knows the trucks will cause damage in time. And, multiple trash pickup services means trash cans are at the curb most days, picked up by large trucks.
If you are on the City’s email distribution (available through a process on www.mountaincitytx.com), word came to you that the Council voted in the June meeting to begin the bid process to move to one provider throughout Mountain City. The transition target date is January 1, 2017.
The filing period for City elections starts June 23rd and runs through August 22nd. See details on the City message boards near city’s entrances. Open Positions include Mayor, Alderman (Phillip Taylor), and Alderman (Ray Patterson).
A reader sent a photo of a “bug” with many legs, asking for the identification. Websurfing brought me to a chart with the differences between a centipede and millipede. Centipede: long antennae, one pair of legs per body segment, fast runners, and, can bite. Millepede: short antennae, two pairs of legs per body segment, except for the first three which have one pair each, slow walkers, and do not bite.
Texas redhead centipedes are Texas-sized, one of the world’s largest. They can grow to 5.9 inches. They eat arthropods. I wonder if they eat scorpions
I always wonder if I’ll have tidbits for this column. Please send to ptom5678@gmail.com (subject: Tidbit) or 512.268.5678 Thanks! Love, Pauline
