20K

I take my dog for a walk every morning.  He spends 99% of his time, nose to the ground.  At least a third of that time, he seems to have his nose in something else.  Yeah, I exaggerate but, I simply can not believe that amount of STUFF he has to STOP and SNIFF!

Recently, I found it necessary to contact our City's HOA about a completely different matter.  I met with my contact at Monte Vista Park which is the park my dog takes most of his walks.  The doggie bag dispensers were empty and he radioed to the office that they needed to be refilled.   There are at least three at this park.  More than half of them are within feet of a trash can.  My contact tells me that they recently changed the style of bags and dispensers and that they are less costly than the previous style.  They STILL cost the city TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS a YEAR! 

Normally they are well maintained.  Always full.  My contact stated that some people take fist fulls.  I, my self take two at a time.  But, my dog proceeds to use both on each walk.  

So, IF these dispensers ARE everywhere and they ARE, WHY oh WHY is there so much STUFF for my dog to SNIFF???  WHY can't pet owners be responsible?

Which brings up another matter.  When my contact arrived, he had to excuse himself to first inform a lady there with her dog and "chuck-it"

that DOGS MUST BE LEASHED AT ALL TIMES.  This message is posted at every baggie dispenser AND several other places in the park.  This lady had arrived just before my contact with her child, the dog and a "chuck-it".  I knew that she was going to let the dog run loose in the open and unfenced park.  I only hoped that my contact would show up while she was still there.  She dropped the dog's leash.  She did not remove it from the dog.  I guess that in her mind "the dog was still on its leash".  REALLY??  Leashed means.  YOU are in control of your dog and the leash in IN your HAND.
My contact says that this park ranks number 3 in the parks in our City for people breaking the leash LAW.  Yes, folks, it is THE LAW to both have the dog (and/or CAT) on a leash and controlled at ALL TIMES and well and cleaning up after said pet.

The City spends 20K per year to help people with the "pick up after".  Please, DO the right thing and pick up you dog's DOO! 

Secret Outlast® Completely Clean Clear Gel allows me to Tackle EVERYthing

Today I am blogging about: Secret Outlast^® Completely Clean Clear Gel allows me to tackle everything without worrying about odor or wetness.  It even protects for up to 48 hours



I have been participating in BzzAgent for several month now.  I get to test FREE products.  FOR REAL.  This time I was sent some coupons and a FULL SIZE package of the new Outlast Completely Clean Clear Gel. 

I currently use the Secret line so that was not new, What IS new is that it IS REALLY completely CLEAR!  NO white marks!
I wear mostly dark (purple) tops and not having to worry about white marks on dark fabric is great.

For those of you who come here for the Waymark, try this Secret when you are out looking for the physical Waymarks outdoors!  You can be confident that your fellow Waymarkers will never see you sweat!

There are two scented versions.  I would lean towards the lavender.  The OUTLAST is the one that goes for the 48 hours. Great for the Waymark marathons. OR better yet the sister activity, Geocaching.  Power caching in the desert will no longer be a concern.  Just wake up at 3 in the morning, use you Secret OUTLAST and cache away!  No need to stop for anything!  OK, maybe the regular pit-stops and for food.  But, SECRET OUTLAST will most likely OUTLAST you!  No Odor No White Marks!

I really like SECRET OUTLAST CLEAN CLEAR GEL.

One outta Five

During FIFA World Sup, Munzee is doing a special icon of the FIFA soccer (futbol) called COPA DO MUNZA,  704 of them are bouncing in "existing" "active" regular Munzees on six hour "timers",   They remain on one Munzee until they are captured (or the timer runs out) then they bounce off to another.  When captured, a total of 23 points are split randomly between the one who owns the Munzee and the one who captures it.
So far I have captured six. Never getting more than 10 points.  I have also had issues with half of the FIFA balls that are near me being on Munzees that are actually unscannable or completely missing. Frustrating to say the least.   OH! the 704 and the 23 are supposed to be significant of something but, I am not sure what.  23 is the number of players on each team roster. 

Today, one pops up rather close to my house.  It happened to be in an area that I KNOW most of the Munzee are either gone or removed.  My daughter tells me to go for it anyway.  It turns out that it is in the set that are on the TRAIL not the streets so there was hope.  Still, these Munzee were deployed at least two years ago and I didn't have much hope. 

The easiest, fastest way to this part of the trail is to park in a residential neighborhood and go up a slope (or the concrete downdrains).  I drove over and parked.  Tried the Downdrain.  It is extra wide and rather slick so, I opt for the dirt slope.  Soon enough I was on the Bell View Trail within feet of the first of five Munzees that I figured I would try to find as they were near the one with the FIFA ball.  First one was to have been on the trail sign... um, NOPE! That's great.   Following my phone's target for the one I need to get...  Small tree  At the center there is nothing.  I widen my search after all, I am also a Geocacher and seldom are the coordinates "DEAD ON".   AH-HA - there it is.  Fingers crossed that weather has not damaged it beyond scanning.  Click the scan button.  "DING!"  The happy sound of a successful scan AND 9 points for the FIFA ball too.  Actually the message was something like "GOOOOOOOOOOAAL!!!! you captured 9 points on the Copa Do Munzo.... " something like that.   My phone was reading a bit off for the center of the location circle but, I GOT IT!   I proceed on up the trail. 

Ah the sound of Phainopepla in the trees.  It is Summertime in the Chaparral. What IS a phainopepla? Follow that link to know more.  But, in short, the male is a shiny black bird with a crest on its head.  Like a cardinal but, black!  The female is charcoal grey. Both have red eyes.  They eat insects and Mistletoe berries.  They live HERE during the summer.   They are one of my favorite birds.  I continued to hear them the entire time I was on the trail.

Next, is a Munzee called "Tree again"  I search in a wide circle and find nothing.  I add (deploy) a Munzee  A bigger tree, between that and the one where I scored the GOOOOOOAAL.  There are little biting flies everywhere today. Annoying! Still, I want to find another Munzee out here.  Tree trail - Again the target circle must be off.  I found nothing.  I try for one more.  There was room to deploy another new one "baby oak" between it and "Tree trail".  Bell trail tree gave me nothing.  I wonder if any of the four that I DID not find are really there.  They shouldn't be difficult if they were like "Small tree".

I head back down the trail confirming that my new ones show up where they should. (on my phone anyway).  Enjoying the breeze and the sounds of the phainopepla and the other birds.  Happy that at least the one Munzee that I actually came for WAS there and scannable.

GOOOOOOOAAL!!!!
These specials will continue through July 13th, the end of World Cup.

School is nearly Over for the 2013-2014 Year

The days fly by and once again it has been far too long since I have added anything here.  I have a new follower!  She discovered me one morning while I was trying to be stealthy while hunting a Munzee.  She sees me and says "Are you Geocaching?"   Um, well, no, not exactly and what was it that gave me away?  the GPS?  Me walking along a Cart Return rack with my hand gliding along the bottom edge as if I was searching for "a container"? What ever it was she had me.  I explained to her that I was doing something similar, Munzee.  Another Munzer and her kids had just FILLED the Target parking lot with a ton of new Munzees and I was trying to find one.  Turns out this lady is not only a Geocacher but, also neighbor to my Girl Scout friend!  TOO funny and such a small world.  I went to my friend's house the next day and see the very same vehicle that had "muggled" me at Target.  (Thanks for following me, we need to get together and geocache/munzee all together - three of us). 

Ah, school and the title of this entry.
True it is nearly over for one more year.  I am looking forward to another Summer with my daughter.  But, I fear this year she will be much more busy with Drivers Ed and friends.  This year went very fast! 

I found a few new sites to follow and to participate in.  one is  BzzAgent  .  I was searching for a coupon for a NEW, WONKA product called "Peel-A-Pop".  Absolutely, "WONKA" ~you can even eat the peel~  Little Ice-Cream pops of vanilla wrapped in either banana or grape flavored gummy "peels" that are of course, edible!  
I did not find the coupon but, found BzzAgent instead.  
I hope it is like something that I used to participate in.

Long ago, I was part of something called WOM or Word Of Mouth.  It was a fun community of people who wrote little reviews on everything from music to restaurants to places to take the family and pretty much everything in between.   We were awarded in random monthly drawings.  It was fun but, sadly came to an end.  Seems that some discovered ways to stack the points in their favor. 

My daughter and I have been monitoring our 11 Bluebird Nesting boxes since March.  We have had four successful boxes with each fledging three or four chicks apiece.  One box near group areas 2 and 3 in O'Neill had a group of outdoor/home schoolers watching the entire process.  From the nest just after Easter, to the eggs, to the newly hatched chicks to bigger chicks, to watching them ready to fledge (popping their heads out of the box) to the empty nest. It was fun to watch the little kids faces as they came up one by one each week to see the nesting box and its progress.   Two of our boxes have Ash-Throat Fly Catchers.  They are later in nesting than the Bluebirds and each box has four eggs as of last Monday.

Our Geocaching is going very slowly.  Too much homework and not enough free time.  I do find time to deploy and cap (capture) at least one Munzee a day.  Even if it is alone.  
Right now during World Cup, there are special Munzee icons (FIFA Balls) bouncing from Munzee to Munzee (704 balls world-wide).  They have a timed life of 6 hours at each location so, if noone captures them in that time they bounce off to another Munzee.  At least THREE of them have been near us but, the Munzee that they were to have been "on" is actually GONE!    I have been able to grab 5 of the FIFA icons and from two I earned 10 points!  Each one has 23 points to be randomly split between the capturer and the owner of the Munzee!  
Supposedly, 704 and 23 MEAN something significant if the world of FIFA World Cup.  I think I get the 23.  There are 23 players on each squad or team roster.  There are 32 Counties.  If you take the 32 and multiply it by 23, you get 736.  If you subtract 32 from that, you get 704.  But, why?? 

That's it for now,
Random wanderings from tissa1020
oh, and RIP Casey Kasem
“Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”  Casey Kasem
April 27, 1932-June 15. 2014

RFL RSM 2014

This year Relay was early.  Moved up from July to avoid the heat?  And what do we get but, REALLY warm California Spring weather!  

Anyway, It was fun.  Honoring and remembering those had and have cancer.  My team Rancho Viejo School, was amazing as always.  At least a half dozen of the kids walked a marathon in HONOR of Kabrina a classmate we lost almost two years ago to leukemia.  I was 4.2 miles short.  If I'd stayed the night, I could have done it too.   

Anyone who wants to donate still can through my Relay Donation Page Relay For Life of Rancho Santa Margarita (Team Rancho Viejo School)   The link will last for a few months, maybe until August 2014.  I am very proud of one of our team members.  She raised nearly $1,000 !!!  

My family and I have added Munzee to our list of activities.  It goes hand-in-hand with Geocaching and Waymarking as many geocaches have Munzees near them.  I went to Central park on Friday, the day before Relay to look around.  I wanted to know how early they set up.  I was there around 9am on Friday.  I stopped at three benches on the far side of the course.  I added a Munzee.  RFL 2014 for Kabrina   If you click the "notes" tab, there is more: "a bench between two others. Foxhound & I have participated in Relay For Life for about 6 or 7 years. This year will mark the 2nd that we have done without Kabrina. She was the reason for our team "Rancho viejo School". This bench is along the (back side) loop that the relay follows.."

The new corner median at Buena Suerte and La Miranda was complete so the road was open but, the sidewalk in the park was still taped off with yellow tape.  Two guys from SAMLARC were there and I asked "what about Relay?" They told me that "no problem theses guys will have it done, they are fast"  Then I asked them about a co-worker and bluebirds.  I had not seen any at Central Park, yet.  And I know there are no nesting boxes there.  I showed them a picture of one of the boxes we have and Monte Vista Park.  

I told them about Easter Grass.  

They had to catch up to the other "inspection" people they were with.   

I continued around the course.  

Just as I cleared the Hockey Rink, on the grass under the palm trees, was the brightest BLUE male bluebird!  I stopped.  I watched.  He flew straight up to the base of where the fronds had been cut and ducked into a little gap there!  A NATURAL Cavity!!! I placed another Munzee.  BLUEBIRD TREE    

It turns out there is also a connection to Bluebirds with Kabrina.  At her house there had never been bluebirds til after she passed away.  Now, her mom sees them in the yard.  Karina is watching over them,  She is watching over all of us for/at Relay!

My daughter and I came to Relay on Saturday at about noon.  We'd been to our monthly Bluebird Club Meeting.  We'd found and placed some Munzees between the meeting and Relay.  We walked through out the day.  We did the Luminari Lap. 

A very special and emotion lap at about 9pm (the halfway mark)  The entire path is lined with Luminaries dedicated to loved ones. 

  

We walked until about 11pm then went home while others stayed through the night.  

I returned the next morning at 6am.  I was joined by some of the members of the team.  It was about 7:30am on the far side near Kabrina's Bench when we saw a bright yellow bird with a red head.  I pointed it out to the two others I was walking with.  A Western Tanager!  I was too slow with my phone/camera and he flew up into the trees.  I walked several more laps in hopes of seeing him again.  But, he was hiding in the trees.  

Another Relay in the books.  

Doggie Doo Stations

We went to Tahoe/Nevada for our Spring Break.  We have recently begun playing Munzee.  Similar to Geocaching because you need a "smart phone" with GPS capabilities OR a GPS with the Munzee APP loaded onto it.  What do these two things have to do with each other?

Well, In our home neighborhood, I have been deploying Munzees on the MANY "Doggie Doo" Stations (those boxes either metal or plastic that are full of baggies to use for the disposal of your pets' "stuff").  I am still (not sure why) amazed by the amount of "stuff" that is EVERYWHERE, despite the fact that these stations are EVERYWHERE too.  Even in Nevada!  I deployed a Munzee or two or three in Nevada at these stations because, just like here at home, there is Doggie stuff sometimes just yards away from these stations. 

I am getting more and more annoyed by people who can't pick up after their pets.  A lady in my neighborhood started yelling at ME when I had the baggie ON MY HAND, waiting for my dog to finish... REALLY?  Why can't she do that to the people who WALK AWAY??  Like who ever it was that left a "present" on our lawn.  Romeo found it.  Romeo sniffed it. Romeo has to sniff every single pile that he encounters.  This makes walking him take an eternity and sometimes he gets so involved with the sniffing that he forgets why WE are walking and promptly pesters me for another "out" as soon as we are home and his leash is taken off.

AND that brings me to another thing...
LEASH LAWS -- they are for ALL DOGS not just mine.

Waymark Visited, Again

sigh...

once again I have not blogged since we received the alert that our Waymark (to this blog) had been visited.

Nothing much new. 

Bluebird season again.  Someone in our club already has chicks in at least TWO of her boxes and we only have five eggs on one box.   Oh well, maybe next year.

I finally have an instrument that can play the Munzee game.  AND we are in a clan,  We started on March 23rd and are level 14 as of today.

Going to Tahoe soon and hope to roll Munzee into the Geocaching we will do there.  There are also Waymarks and Letterboxes but, I fear that I am the only one who cares about them.

The next to last LOTR geocache published yesterday and none of my family even wants to go look.  (I am not sure that I want to go alone for it).

Everyone else is happy to be playing their video games.  Which reminds me, Foxhound finally got me to play some Fable III.  I made it to my second achievement.  At least in this game there is a "trail" to follow.  Still I just do not get these kinds of games.  I want to go outdoors.  Only my dog wants to join me but, he can't go with me all the time.  He LOVES sniffing EVERYthing.  This makes it nearly impossible for me to do anything but let him sniff.  At least it is a slow pace (usually) so I can take in all the scenery.  Listen to the birds.  Watch the birds.  Stuff like that.

I wish I could remember to blog more.
Until next time our Waymark Blog is visited...
 

Brownies+ Hiker & Letterboxing Badges = FUN!

Once again I have gone far to long without posting a blog.  I just get lost in other things, always.  Even the last time a Waymarker posted that they had visited our Waymark (this blog) I failed to post something new.


Today however, I helped a Brownie Troop with TWO badges. Yes, we NEED stinkin' badges!   We work on Hiker and Letterboxing.  Why? because most letterboxes require hiking so, I blended the two together.  All the troop needs to do is place a letterbox of their own and they have completed BOTH badges.  It is funny that the letterboxing badge touches more on the compass than the Hiker.  No matter, following the letterbox clues and the trail markers was much more fun!

On Friday I went to O'Neill and set out at least a dozen trail markers made from stones and sticks. They were all still in place for today.  I printed out little cards for the girls with about seven different marks to identify.  We talked about Leave No Trace (they have a card with the seven principals that I made for them too) We learned how to put "Red Fred In the Shed" and found North and where we were on the map.  We made little stamps for letterboxing.  We solved two puzzles to learn about common codes used in letterboxing.  Some of the girls were really quick and solving the things in their heads and saying the words with just one or two letters written down!  We followed the trail marks (THAT was probably the highlight - except for the letterbox itself).  We learned about Poison Oak (a danger trail sign was at one place where the stuff grows along the trail) and Snags (the Wait for Directions sign was placed in front of one so we could stop and talk about them and Acorn wood peckers and cavity nesting birds) and how to follow clues to the letterbox.  

It was a FUN afternoon ~all in just over TWO HOURS! 

Short little  blog but, I am tired. Thirteen Brownies is a lot of energy ~ a lot of FUN energy!