Water Bottles, Cats and Dogs

For several months we have been pestered with cats and dogs coming to our front lawn and doing their thing.  Every morning we have to go out and clean the residues left by these pets.  We have even stand guard by the living room window trying to detect the intruders before they pollute the lawn, but somehow they seem to evade us.

We has purchased several commercial products that supposedly will chase these pesky animals away, but no joy.  They still come every day to defecate on our lawn.  This might sound silly, and it probably is, but it worked.  About a week ago, our gardener told us that if we place water bottles on the lawn, the cats and dogs would go away.  We tried it and miraculously it worked.  The residues are gone and the bad smell of the lawn is gone.

According to Carmelo, our gardener, when the animals see their faces reflected and magnified on the bottles, they feel frightened and go away.  I know this doesn’t sound scientific but so far it seems to do the trick.  I took several black and white pictures of the water bottles  on our front lawn just to capture our experiment and share it with our readers.

In this day and age of tablets, smartphones, computers, GPS,  Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, iPads and what have you; frightening cats and dogs with water bottles is a bit silly and outdated.  But I can’t help being a traditionalist with old tricks in the bag.

Snapshot of water bottles in our front lawn used by my wife to chase away cats and dogs from doing their physiological needs in our premises. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Please don’t do this at home, your neighbors might think you’re losing your marbles.  Good Day.

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The Man and the Rooster

Snapshot of a man petting his rooster at the English Pier in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Street Signs in Panama

Snapshot of a sign of a restaurant at El Dorado called Woods and Charcoal. Obviously their main dish is barbecued meat. I like the combination of colors. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Sign of a place where they sell pets for the family. The animal on the left of the picture is an iguana. Wikipedia defines this animal as a large herbivorous tropical American arboreal lizard with a spiny crest along the back; used in Central America and South America as human food. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Iguanas are highly sought out in Panama, specially in the countryside for their delicious meat.  People who eat them say they have a taste similar to chicken.  I stay away from eating iguanas.  Besides not being very attractive, I feel they are similar to snakes.  I’m all for a barbecue steak anytime.  Good Day.

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Joke: The Loquacious Parrot

A lady is walking down the street to work and sees a parrot in a pet store. She stops to admire the bird. The parrot says to her, “Hey lady, you are really ugly.”

Well, the lady is furious! She storms past the store to her work.

On the way home she saw the same parrot in the window and the parrot upon seeing her says, “Hey lady, you are really ugly.”

She was incredibly ticked now. The next day on the way to work she saw the same parrot and once again it said, “Hey lady, you are really ugly.”

The lady was so furious that she stormed into the store and threatened to sue the store and have the bird killed. The store manager apologized profusely and promised the bird wouldn’t say it again.

When the lady walked past the store after work the parrot said to her, “Hey lady.”

She paused and said, “Yes?”

The bird said, “You know.”

Source:  Miss Cellania

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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Cartoons: Sushi Bar

(Credit: Miss Cellania.com)

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Joke: My Church

Johnny’s Mother looked out the window and noticed him “playing church” with their cat.

He had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work. A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back to the open window.  She saw Johnny baptizing the cat in a tub of water.

She called out, “Johnny, stop that! The cat is afraid of water!”

Johnny looked up at her and said, “But mom, he should have thought about that before joining my church.”

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Photograph of the Day: Are You Talking to Me?

(Credit: Pixdaus.com)

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Photograph of the Day: Hairs

(Credit: Pizdaus: The House of Pics We Like)

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Photograph: Furry Bonds

Credit: Pizdaus, The house of Pics We Like

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My Love Affair For 29 Years

I love my Florsheim shoes pretty much the same way some people love their pets. The older they get, the most affection they get from me. This love affair goes back a long time.

I saw a Florsheim shoe for the first time when I traveled to New York in October of 1980. I was being promoted to Sales Supervisor of marine fuels and lubes by Texaco and had to spend 15 days in New York and 15 days in London and Brighton to shape me up. It was be best experience in my life.  But that’s another story.

In New York, I was staying at the Roosevelt Hotel; the same hotel where famous musician Guy Lombardo played for thirty years.  On a cold Sunday afternoon, I decided to go out and explore the city.  It was time to meet the beast face to face.  I went window shopping at Manhattan’s famous Fifth Avenue.

The windows displays were gorgeous.  It was October and the stores were getting ready to make the big killing in December.  In one of those windows I spotted the most beautiful shoes I’ve ever seen.  I couldn’t resist the temptation of taking a closer look.  Only to look I said, since my budget was extremely limited and I was in foreign lands.  When I exited the store, my Net Worth had decreased by $50.  Plastic money helped me out—Visa.

Since then, I’ve been completely faithful to Florsheim shoes.  Not even once have I faltered in my love affair with this leather product.  Even as we speak, I have four pairs of Florsheim shoes.   They are the only ones I have.    Here they are:

Photograph of the original shoes I purchased in New York in 1980. They have been with me for just about 29 years. The same number of years I've been married to my wife.

This is a Kenmoor 17109 Florsheim shoe.    The Kenmoor classic long wing tip brogue dress shoe has either a heritage calfskin leather or pebble grain cashmere calf leather upper, and is fully leather lined. This shoe features a double leather sole with Goodyear Welt construction for exceptional durability. The Kenmoor is also part of the Florsheim Imperial line, which represents only the finest leathers and craftsmanship.  It has a price tag of $225.  Ouch!

Photograph of another pair of Kenmoor 1709 Florsheim shoes. These are newer shoes, but I can't remember when I bought them. They have been repaired twice and look like new, as you can see.

Photograph of a pair of FLS Berkley Penny ST 30253 Florsheim shoes. These shoes are so soft on your feet, they compete with tennis shoes. They are made in China. They haven't been to the shoe repair shop yet.

Photograph of my new classic Berkley Florsheim shoes in Burgundy color. I have used them only a couple of times. I love its casual style.

The Berkley beef-roll penny loafer is made with a genuine hand sewn moccasin construction, and features a leather upper and a durable leather sole.  This is a classic Florsheim shoe and sells for $90 which is not a bad deal.

Well guys, these are my babies.  They are so durable I’m sure they will outlive me.

Before I close the post, I know the photographs above suck.  The tungsten lamp light above the shoes was too strong, which gave the pictures a bluish tint.  I apologize for that; but as you know, I’m still learning the ropes in photography.  I promise to keep on studying.  Good Day.

Edit: With the colaboration of my friend Michael Moor, a professional photographer, I replaced the previous photographs with new ones enhanced by Michael.  I wish to thank him for his assistance and support in making Lingua Franca a better blog.

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