Loose strings

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

Let’s mop some stuff up.

OK, everybody. You can relax now. The rabbit moved when I dropped mothballs into his warren under The Hamptons. I had given up hope when I couldn’t find mothballs at Home Depot or Shelly’s True Value Hardware, but I finally got some at K-Mart. The bunny was gone by the next morning. That is, he was gone unless they actually poisoned him, and the smell just hasn’t made it into my back yard yet.

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As I mentioned in my piece for the summer guide last week, “Two-wheeled summer,” I took the advanced riders course through Silverstate Motorcycle Academy in Fernley. My instructors, Al and Teri were a kick, and I’d recommend anyone who’s buying a motorcycle, scooter or moped above 50 c.c.s to take the course and get your motorcycle endorsement on your driver’s license.

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Let’s talk quickly about lawns and conserving water. Everybody knows we’re on the two-days-a-week thing, right? I planted grass on a small piece of ground to the side of my house last weekend. It’s seed, so the law allows me to get the lawn established before I go to the twice-a-week thing. Right now, to keep the mulch wet, I’m watering two times a day for two minutes each time. That’s 28 minutes a week. When the lawn comes in, and I’m forced to “water deeply,” my four-inch pop-ups will irrigate three times a day, twice a week, to the point of run-off. I’ll estimate that’s 15 minutes each time. That’s 90 minutes a week. Where’s the conservation?

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I went to Las Vegas last Friday for a friend’s party. We spent most of the evening under the Fremont Street Experience’s giant TV screen. I was whelmed. Do you think they watch the SuperBowl on that thing?