Finn's Universal Blog |
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| Posted by: LakeWorthFinn, 7:14 AM GMT on October 10, 2012 | +2 |
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I'm an internationally published author, weather fan and nature lover. Found WU in 2005, have made wonderful friends here and learned a LOT! ♥ WU
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79 °F
Mostly Cloudy
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Lantana
Lantana, FL
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| Elevation: | 16 ft |
| Temperature: | 79.8 °F |
| Dew Point: | 70.4 °F |
| Humidity: | 73% |
| Wind: | 4.0 mph from the ESE |
| Wind Gust: | 4.0 mph |
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Updated: 7:07 PM EDT on May 18, 2013
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Page: 1 — Blog Index
I have free ebooks to give away to my WU-friends all over the world. They range from Pulitzer Prize winners, NY Times best sellers and internationally published great works to newcomers that Libboo has deemed worthy of a good read. I'm reading as much as time permits, as there are many that are fabulous reads. If you don't have a Kindle, Nook, Ipad or other ebook reader, you can download them on your computer and read them in PDF-file form during a rainy day when you have no good books to entertain you or while blob-watching. My eyesight is so bad I can't read the small text on hubby's Kindle, but I always have one book open to read on my laptop.
Don't be shy to get them, they are free and all you need to do is sign up at Libboo just like on Amazon and enjoy ;-)
Here's the list, you can click the title to see if you like it, pick your choice(s) and click "Get it HERE". I TRY TO UPDATE DAILY AND REPLACE THE ONES REDEEMED WITH FRESH NEW FREEBIE CODES :)
Revolutionaries - (sorry, all copies are redeemed) History & Biography > American History (Author is a Pulitzer Price winner)
My book Kun Lun (I'm in good company - lol) - Get it HERE Spiritual Philosophy & Religion > Novels
TELEGRAPH HILL - (sorry, all copies are redeemed) (An awesome story, will keep you on the edge - just superb!)
Crossing Places - (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Crime & Mystery > Fiction (Read and liked it a lot)
Infinity Squad - (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Science Fiction & Fantasy > Action & Adventure (hubby read and liked)
Working From Home - (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Comedy > Fiction (Great author and book, fun read)
Chocrotes and the World Without Question - Amazon's #1 hot new Children's book, author is a member of WU! (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Children > Short Stories (A must have for all parents... reading it right now, cause I'm a kid at heart:)
Don't Look Back (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Gumshoe Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for mystery/thriller
The Museum of Sudden Disappearances (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Thriller > Fiction
Love at First Bite (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Food & Drink > Recipes (for Twilight Saga fans sand their chef parents)
The Long Shadows (sorry, all copies are redeemed) History & Biography > Diaries & Journals
The First Secret of Edwin Hoff (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Adventure > Fiction (Batman-meets Bourne-type thriller)
The Museum of Sudden Disappearances (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Thriller > Fiction
The Long Shadows (sorry, all copies are redeemed) History & Biography: The story of Jake Erlich
Wisdom in the Age of Twitter (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Memoirs & Reporting > Non-Fiction (Humorous and light-hearted guide to better thinking in today's chaos)
Whatever it Takes (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Nonfiction > Social Science (A dispatch from inside the most daring and potentially transformative social experiment of our time)
The Heart and the Fist - (sorry, all copies are redeemed) (NY Times Best Seller. Read it, liked it:)
Backyard Banzai Chicken Warriors (sorry, all copies are redeemed) (Children > Fiction)
Daughters of the Witching Hill (Sorry, all copies are redeemed) Fiction > Historical Fiction
Neveah (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Science Fiction & Fantasy > Action & Adventure
Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Food & Drink > Recipes (for Harry Potter fans and their chef parents)
Throw Them All Out (sorry, all copies are redeemed) (Nonfiction > Politics)
Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Crime & Mystery > Fiction
Match Day (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Romance > Fiction
What Came From The Stars - (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Children > Fantasy
Project Looking Glass (sorry, all copies are redeemed)> Science Fiction & Fantasy > Action & Adventure
The Watchers (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Adventure > Fiction
The Intern (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Romance > Fiction
Pariah (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Science Fiction & Fantasy > Action & Adventure
The Maid - (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Fiction > Historical Fiction
Our Eyes Met Over Cantaloupe (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Romance > Fiction
Georg[i]e (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Romance > Fiction
Tumblers (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Fiction > Literary Fiction
Cracks in the Shell (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Crime & Mystery > Fiction
A Funny Thing Happend on the Way to the Club - (sorry, all copies are redeemed)Comedy > Short Stories
Panorama City (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Fiction > Literary Fiction
How Children Succeed (sorry, all copies are redeemed) Nonfiction > Social Science
If any of the links doesn't work, let me know and I'll fix it :)
Anybody else having problems?
Last weeks freebies were all redeemed, but I don't know by who, so can't ask them what could be the cause of Aubie's case.
I just clicked all the book links, which give info about the books, and they work. Then I clicked the Get it HERE-link and it contains the code to redeem the freebie.
Please WU-mail if you're having difficulties and I'll WU-mail you the coupon for the book/books you want.
I have some free books left to give away (see comment #1.)
Yesterday one was redeemed half way across the planet from India :)))
WoW! Thank you to all my buzzers, I love you guys!
Been raining so much that we have not had to water the lawn since June!
Temps are niiiiice, in the high 70s F :)
Congrats on the Barnes & Nobel deal!
Got soaked here pretty good yesterday as well, looked like you were gonna get it too. Think you got a bit more than us. This morning, woke up to rain on what was "supposed to be" a cool, sunny morning. Coming down pretty good right now so we might catch up with your 3.85 before the day is done.
Oh, well...the mowing might have to wait a couple more days.
Do you (or anybody else) know how to get rid of snakes? Is there anything that repels/eats/kills them? I have a severe snake phobia and NEED HELP!!! Please don't assure me they are harmless unless poisonous... I WILL DIE OF A HEART ATTACK ANY DAY NOW!
I get what you are saying, I don't mind "nice" snakes at all, but I've been startled by them plenty of times. There is a delay between the time the optical or tactile processors yell SNAKE and the time you cognitive functions register "relax...good snake".
Okay, so...hawks, owls, other birds of prey. Chickens, pigs, cats, (I've had to pull Angie's cat off of black snakes a few times), my dad had a couple dogs that enjoyed hunting snakes, mine have always tended to ignore non venomous ones. Of course, you don't want to risk the family pet taking on a venomous snake.
Might help to try to figure out what is attracting them. For me it's easy...I live in the woods and on a lake. Snakes are part of the package.
Don't know much about repelling them. You might start here.
I enjoy watching the "good" snakes and kill any water moccasin or or coral snakes that come around. That is very rare but happens.
I understand an sympathize though. I don't care if somebody's pet tarantula is not gonna hurt me, I don't want a spider crawling on me!
Good luck!
PS. Just had a thought. Don't know about your neighborhood, but with all the rain lately, a lot of lowlands are flooded. Could be that your snakes were simply seeking higher ground and may go away on their own after a while.
Where are the snakes?
There are snakes everywhere in FL and I live in the woods too, with canals all around, so part of the package :( I'll try cats. Chicken would be in a fenced coop due to dogs and other wild creatures, so no help there. In Finland they get rid of snakes with good old little hedgehogs and I'd love to buy a hundred dozen, but afraid dogs will accidentally step on one.
Maybe I'll just go to a fobia-shrink!
Good question.
I'd be careful about some of the "home-brew" solutions since I know you have pets. Mothballs, for instance, are toxic to pets and kids. I don't remember ever being tempted to eat one as a child and I doubt my dog would be interested, but I wouldn't put it past the goofy cat to bat one around and bite it.
What you need to do kinda depends on where they are at. They love wood piles, stacks of cement blocks, and the like. If they are a problem a garden area then you might try a trap. (don't try relocating a poisonous snake, call animal control to come get it)
If they are on/under a deck a repellent might help, but I can't vouch for one...never used them.
And, like I said, if this is a new problem, they might recede with the rain waters.
In the meantime, stomp your feet and clap your hands as you walk around the yard. The neighbors will think you are a little touched, but the snakes will get out of your way!
Rob, I have used moth balls here in FL as we don't have kids and dogs won't go near them, they probably have kept most snakes away. But now we have well water so no moth balls there. And its an acre of land.
Sheperd, I don't know where they live (they are big black non-poisonous kind). I just saw a BIG one the day we went to see the house. Neighbors and previous tenants say they are everywhere because lots of canals around there and the house being far away from "civilization".
I'm meeting a gardener guy tomorrow at the house, he may be able to find where they live and get rid of them. Then we'll take Rob's advice with that repellent (my husband has already ordered it online).
I feel so powerless with such a severe phobia, it's ruining my life. And shrinks are so darn expensive. I have not enjoyed gardening ever since I moved from Finland to FL in 2005. We've lived in 4 different homes and they all had snakes in the yards every once in a while.
Hopefully we can get them out, then follow Rob's advice, get cats and I'm thinking of adopting a new dog that would be known to have special "skills"...
My Qigong Master said tonight that dogs feel my fear and will protect me. My dog Max saw me years ago being scared by a lizard and ever since, they are THE enemy and he kills them wherever he sees them. Hopefully he'll do the same with snakes.
And if worse comes to worse, I'll just forget about a veggie garden and chicken coop, stay inside or on the patio deck and write lots of books. Problem solved till I can afford therapy.
The house is nice :) I'll try to remember get photos tomorrow.
Rob has great advice on this one. Cat does excellent. Chickens maybe ate a few babies but not so much help. They stay up when we aren't out there or they would be ate. Had a few snakes try to eat them..even big blacky. He'll sleep in my Jasmine in the afternoons right outside the bay window. Creepy. I like to garden & water in tall thick rubber, reinforced boots. Clapping is good. The water moccasins won't run off easily. Killed a whole family last year. One kept climbing all threatening on my garden gate when it would see me.
Maybe the garden guy can get them. Some people are really good at finding them. Let us know & can't wait to see pics!
Welcome to Florida.
:)
Cats it is. We'll adopt a couple of babies, because Max chases all cats. I think he would be ok with babies.
I'm even thinking of a rescue burro! It could run around the yard and thomp thomp a lot.
Namaste Sheperd, so kind of you to help with good advice. I don't know what to do now, because our dogs have always been loose with a doggie door to go out at night and when we're working.
Was at the house today, gardener will do his best. I talked with neighbors, very discouraging :( They said the black ones are everywhere and just smiled when I said I'll get snake repellent. They also said storms bring water moccasins every now and then (Isaac did) and those WILL come after you. Black ones will bite if you step on them. How can I ever tell the difference if I can't even look at pictures to compare them? And even if I did know the difference, I may be dead of a heart attack before they either run away or attack. Oh man...
Hoping Sandy will stay far away from our coast...
The National Weather Service in Miami has issued a Wind
Advisory... which is in effect until 8 PM EDT Friday.
* Timing... today through Friday evening.
* Winds... north to northwest winds of 30 to 35 mph with gusts up
to 50 mph.
* Impacts... loose items can get blown around along with a few
trees getting uprooted. There could also be some power outages.
High profile vehicles can also get blown around especially on
overpasses and bridges.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A Wind Advisory means that sustained winds of at least 30 mph
with gusts to near 40 mph are expected. Winds this strong can
make driving difficult... especially for high profile vehicles.
Use extra caution. Make sure to secure loose objects as they can
be blown around by winds this strong.
... Winds...
winds will increase today with gusts to 30 to 40 mph, highest over Metro
areas of Southeast Florida as showers move rapidly through the area.
Winds are expected to increase even more late tonight and especially
on Friday as Hurricane Sandy makes its closest approach. Gusts of
40 to 50 mph are expected on Friday, highest over the Metro areas
of Southeast Florida. A Wind Advisory is in effect for Metro
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
The latest forecast is for maximum sustained winds to remain below
tropical storm force. At this time... remain calm and stay informed.
Huge avocados flying around, gotta go get them before ants do...
... Wind Advisory now in effect until 8 PM EDT this evening... * timing... today.
* Winds... northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts in excess of 40 mph.
* Impacts... loose items can get blown around along with a few trees getting uprooted. There could also be some power outages. High profile vehicles can also get blown around especially on overpasses and bridges.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A Wind Advisory means that sustained winds of at least 30 mph or frequent gusts in excess of 35 mph are expected. Winds this strong can make driving difficult... especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution. Make sure to secure loose objects as they can be blown around by winds this strong.
Is it over yet?
You have beautiful avacado gifts from earthsky.
Please stay safe everybody on Sandy's path and heed the warnings. This is a monster storm, a once in a lifetime event.
My family in NY & VT are prepared, stocked up and hunkered down.
A candle is lit at Finn's house.
A sprinkle of joy for my heavy heart watching Sandy.
How is OBug? Where is she going next? Hope not anywhere NE.
They closed all public transportation in the NYC area - subways, buses, and commuter trains, so everyone is home today and maybe tomorrow. Path now is projected to be further west, just skimming CT and NYC, as it goes north through NJ and Pennsylvania, so we're on the NE quadrant. Water is surging "as we speak". The Esplanade (down at the tip of Manhattan where I've ridden bikes several times) is under water and it's supposed to surge worse tonight. Yikes.
Was going to ask about BIL in CT but caught your post on Skye's blog. Glad they are okay. Hope things return to normal for them soon.
I voted for the first time since I became a citizen almost 2 years ago. It's truly a privilege to have the right to vote, hopefully everybody is able to get to the polls and vote.
Having a pizza party with hubby & dau and will watch the results as long as we can stay up :) Wonderful to live in FREE COUNTRY. I have lived under a dictatorship in Spain and that was a shock to a Finn, accustomed to living in the country, which was the second in the world to give women the voting rights (1st country was New Zealand!)
I feel proud to be an American and for many things we are and have, like the video below... sniff...
Thanks for the link!
We're having the best weather of the year, low 80 during the day and mid 70's at night.
Ahhhh.... :)
All good here.
Last night we were surprised by a sudden downpour too, just enough to water the lawn :) Wonderful weather continues...
Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving, full of love and laughter.
Ha det bra!
(((HUGS)))
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