Whatever happend to....

[T.G.]

I remember when Orange County actually had tons of orange groves.

When I was a kid, I used to catch lizards.  Mostly blue bellies (swifts). I'd feed them meal worms and insects.  I'd keep them for a while and then let them go.   I'd also catch frogs, newts, and turtles (the pacific turtle is a freshwater turtle native to California).  I did all this while living in Orange County.  Now a days, I don't think kids do this stuff any more.  Most of the habitat is gone. 

Lots of animals I used to see frequently are gone.  I'd see snakes every now and then.  Owls were a frequent sight.  Sure, you might see one every now and then now - but back in the day, I'd see them all the time.  Again, all in the OC.  I still see the occasional alligator lizard (another lizard I caught as a kid), but it seems like as the OC has grown (and LA county too), lots of wildlife disappeared.

So,why am I bringing this up?  

I haven't seen a blue jay in my neighborhood in a couple years and they used to be everywhere.  We used to have one that would come visit us when we would be doing some gardening.  He'd hop around us, waiting for us to turn up grubs or worms and he'd snatch them up. He'd even take peanuts from our hands.  I could be sitting on a stool and he'd walk right between my feet. 

I hadn't even noticed they were gone until my wife mentioned it.  I really don't think I've seen one in a couple years.  Doesn't make any sense.

I'm wondering what else has disappeared?

Edited May 19, 2021 by True Grich

[Tank]

2 hours ago, True Grich said:

I haven't seen a blue jay in my neighborhood in a couple years and they used to be everywhere. 

reports are they all migrated to ontario, canada. i'm told you can see some in dunedin, florida these days, too.

[St1ck]

What ever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV.

[T.G.]

17 minutes ago, Tank said:

reports are they all migrated to ontario, canada. i'm told you can see some in dunedin, florida these days, too.

Took me a moment to realize you were kidding...

[T.G.]

Whatever happened to saying "you're welcome" when someone thanks you, instead of "No problem?"
 

[Tank]

18 minutes ago, True Grich said:

Took me a moment to realize you were kidding...

no problem . . .

[Jason]

3 hours ago, True Grich said:

 

I'm wondering what else has disappeared?

Angels baseball that was fun to watch 

[Redondo]

2 hours ago, st1ckboy said:

What ever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV.

The Helms man

Brought donuts and bread to the neighborhoods

 

 

 

 

[St1ck]

39 minutes ago, Redondo said:

The Helms man

Brought donuts and bread to the neighborhoods

 

 

 

 

Everywhere you look, everywhere you go

[Redondo]

29 minutes ago, st1ckboy said:

Everywhere you look, everywhere you go

I believe you're a little young to know about those 

1960's is when I remember them

Edited May 20, 2021 by Redondo

[St1ck]

34 minutes ago, Redondo said:

I believe you're a little young to know about those 

1960's is when I remember them

When you're lost out there and you're all alone. A light is waiting to carry you home.

[Redondo]

41 minutes ago, st1ckboy said:

When you're lost out there and you're all alone. A light is waiting to carry you home.

I once was lost, but now am found

Was blind, but now I see

[Lou]

5 hours ago, st1ckboy said:

What ever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV.

I still watch TV in the evening.

[St1ck]

6 minutes ago, Lou said:

I still watch TV in the evening.

Everywhere you look, everywhere you go.
There's a heart, a hand to hold onto.

[Tank]

7 hours ago, Redondo said:

The Helms man

Brought donuts and bread to the neighborhoods

 

 

 

 

I bought probably 95% of all of my baseball cards from the helms truck in our neighborhood.

[Slegnaac]

The crows have probably chased all the Blue Jays away.  Or at least they have filled the void when the Jays left.

My neighborhood had the Helms wagon.  Loved the warm twists or Chocolate donuts.  My wife's neighborhood had the step van.

 

Edited May 21, 2021 by Slegnaac

[Slegnaac]

[Blarg]

Someone brought a Helms truck to the monthly Via Verde car show. Unfortunately it didn't have any bread or pastries. 

 

[failos]

Overpopulation happened

[failos]

On 5/19/2021 at 2:37 PM, Tank said:

reports are they all migrated to ontario, canada. i'm told you can see some in dunedin, florida these days, too.

They’re in CO too. They can actually be really vicious

 

edit: oh I just got your joke lol wow

Edited May 21, 2021 by failos

[Lou]

4 minutes ago, failos said:

They’re in CO too. They can actually be really vicious

 

edit: oh I just got your joke lol wow

[failos]

5 minutes ago, Lou said:

I’ve been awake since 5 working…give me a break 

[tdawg87]

There's been a theory over the last few years that the bug population is dwindling significantly, and it's a terrible sign for humans.

It's based on bugs hitting your windshield/grill while driving. I remember as a kid going on road trips with my family and the windshield and grill were just covered in bugs. Especially at night. 

Now, you go on a road trip and how many bugs hit your windshield? Is your grill absolutely covered in the things? I'm sure some will say yes but this is a thing that a lot of people have pointed out. 

The counter argument is that cars have been made more aerodynamic, and the shape makes it difficult for bugs to fly into it, so that's the reason for the lack of bug guts.

It's an interesting topic. There's no shortage of bugs when standing outside. Flies, mosquitoes, fucking ticks. But if the bug population is truly dwindling, that could spell doom for our planet.

Also fireflies. Used to see dozens of them out at night. Now, I might see one and it's a notable sight because it's so rare.

[Lou]

When was the last time you went on a road trip?

[tdawg87]

Just now, Lou said:

When was the last time you went on a road trip?

In early March I drove to Pennsylvania. 7 hour drive one way.