Everyone is my friend until they prove otherwise.
Kasey tends to scare off the wildlife when I walk with her, but yesterday towards the end she got tired and was just walking instead of ranging back and forth in wide swaths, so this brave little bird didn’t flee and hung out while I got a few shots with a 70-300 mm lens.
The lens I used is below, remember that I have a cropped sensor APS-C camera, so at 300 mm I effectively get 450mm which is great for shots like the one you see here.
When Kasey and I walk we often stop to talk to neighbors when we see them working in their yards. Usually the conversation revolves around the weather, dogs, or how badly the Chiefs are doing. However since the beginning of 2012 when the new waste management contracts went into place for Lenexa the most common complaint is about having to use paper bags for leaves and yard waste. Since we are at the last weekly pickups before the reduced or zero pickup Winter season, I thought I’d better share some information.
So I dug into the reasons why they are needed, and here’s the best explanation in a video:
As you can see this is a far better way to compost than any home composting operation, and it ultimately saves space and extends the life of the Johnson County Landfill. You can also get some of the great compost for free if you need it for your yard or garden.
I think one of the reasons people complain about the paper bags is the cost of them compared to plastic. I expect that those costs will drop over time as more outlets make the bags “loss leaders” to bring in customers and to advertise. After tons more of them are sold in bulk the initial capital investments for the bag manufacturing gear will get fully paid for and depreciated, and the price wars on them will really start; but until we get there I recommend that you just wait for sales of the 25 packs and buy 2-3 bundles then.
Another reason is that they are a bit harder to manage & fill than plastic but if you don’t overfill them, and use a collapsible hoop funnel then things get much easier. I highly recommend using one of these:
There is some seasonality to how much they will pick up, and it also varies between services.
Below are the schedules:
Spring through early Fall, March through September:
Late Fall, October and November:
Winter: December, January, February:
The amount of bags and the Winter 3rd full week pickups are reasons why you see folks who have large trees and lots of yard waste using Deffenbaugh instead of Superior; just to be clear it only applies within the City of Lenexa, most other places Deffenbaugh does not pick up at all during Winter months.
One last word on leaves: I’ve seen some neighbors try to cheat by dumping leaves into the creek, and that’s totally wrong — it causes high potassium and low Oxygen, which can kill the fingerling fish and small fry in these creeks. Rotting piles of leaves are also sources for molds, slimes, germs, fungi, and other allergens that neighborhood kids and pets will end up playing in, and it’s also against city regulations. Putting your leaves in culverts and creeks and can clog storm drains downstream which can in turn flood houses. (This I know well because I helped clean out the flooded basement of a friend at the bottom of Noland road a few years back, I left with a broken thumb after slipping on the muddy stairs but we got the job done.) So please have a thought for your neighbors and don’t put those leaves in the street drains or creeks.
*bundles of sticks and branches must be shorter than 4′ and weigh less than 50 lbs. Bundles count as one bag.
My wife and I got tired of Kasey rocketing downstairs and trying to run through the screen door & either ripping it, or knocking it out of the tracks. So we ordered a plastic snap together dog door. We had to modify it because the snaps didn’t fit together well, and kept coming undone — I drilled through the plastic on both sides where the snaps were, and we sewed it on with weed whacker line. It’s been in place three years now and it’s doing fine.
Even without the kit however, you can see how it would be easy to make one of these with leather, wood, or plastic strips, and some fishing or weed whacker line.
Kasey’s hair gets pretty wild after a few dashes through the weeds.
Kasey during our last snowstorm, she loves the stuff and is already beginning to miss the snow that’s melted the past few days. My back is now ok so I’m back to walking after spate of getting too industrious while shoveling snow.
When it’s time to play Kasey is not shy about letting you know — she grabs a toy and comes over and puts her chin on your knee until you get up to chase her up and down stairs and around the house a few times. Click on the thumbnail if you want to see the large size.
Kasey went for a ride to the bank today, this is how she looked once she figured out that the drive up teller passes out dog biscuits.
Kasey just got in from playing in the snow, now she wants to help with the laundry.
It’s been a while since a Kasey photo, so here’s one for all of her fans.