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Fireworks Revisited
Jun. 19th, 2021 04:24 amI had hoped that with pandemic restrictions being lifted, and people therefore not feeling as confined and in need of excitement, that there would be fewer fireworks this year...particularly since we are in another drought and the danger of starting a massive fire is high. Sadly, that appears not to be the case. The fireworks started up a couple weeks ago, and they have been sounding off sporadically nearly every night, starting around 8:30-9pm and sometimes going as late as nearly midnight. Every time a firework goes off, even if it's several blocks away, my border collie goes into a panic and it takes 30-60 minutes to calm him down again. In the meantime, he tries to climb every piece of furniture I own, particularly my bathroom vanity (he has already broken the soap dish by knocking it on the floor) and my computer desk, where he tries to hide behind the monitor. Not to mention my bed. It's not pleasant to have a panicking 50-pound dog stepping on one's face in the middle of the night.
Needless to say, I'm not getting a lot of sleep.
Work is going well enough. International travel hasn't picked up much yet. In fact, with restrictions on travelers from India, it has actually decreased. On the bright side, one of our new handlers has been scheduled to attend training to get his dog starting next month. We're hoping the others will be assigned to classes before too long, although that brings up another problem. Namely, vehicles. We placed an order over a year ago for new vehicles to cover the new handlers, but we haven't gotten any yet. With vehicle manufacturing shortages, plus staffing issues at the facility designated for installing the K9 containment systems and heat alarms, we'll be lucky if we get any new vehicles before 2022.
My garden is ramping up production. I'm currently being deluged by passion fruit. Unfortunately, my apricot tree is diseased and appears to be a lost cause. I've decided to cut it down so it won't spread anything to my other stone fruit trees. I haven't made up my mind yet what I will plant to replace it.
Needless to say, I'm not getting a lot of sleep.
Work is going well enough. International travel hasn't picked up much yet. In fact, with restrictions on travelers from India, it has actually decreased. On the bright side, one of our new handlers has been scheduled to attend training to get his dog starting next month. We're hoping the others will be assigned to classes before too long, although that brings up another problem. Namely, vehicles. We placed an order over a year ago for new vehicles to cover the new handlers, but we haven't gotten any yet. With vehicle manufacturing shortages, plus staffing issues at the facility designated for installing the K9 containment systems and heat alarms, we'll be lucky if we get any new vehicles before 2022.
My garden is ramping up production. I'm currently being deluged by passion fruit. Unfortunately, my apricot tree is diseased and appears to be a lost cause. I've decided to cut it down so it won't spread anything to my other stone fruit trees. I haven't made up my mind yet what I will plant to replace it.
