Mr. Toy's Mental Notes

I was just taking a look at the statistics for my website. I was viewing the search phrases people used this month to find my pages. I see that on a day in September someone was looking for " Charlie Brown playground, Monterey CA" Close. Very close. I assume they found the correct name once they got here . Tags: Monterey , Dennis the Menace playground

I'm not a sports fan, but I do enjoy watching a game of Giants Baseball. I haven't followed Barry Bonds' career like some have, but I have become a fan. I haven't followed the controversy surrounding him all that much. After all, every successful person seems to be controversial in some way. But something doesn't seem right. As far as my limited understanding could tell, he is still a productive player. He stated his desire to remain a Giant. He drew crowds to the ballpark in what was otherwise a miserable season. For this he got fired. I don't get it. What really galled me was seeing all of the warm fuzzy tributes in tonight's game, Barry's last at home. We watched Giants owner Peter Magowan shed crocodile tears as he watched the "Thank You Barry" scoreboard video at the end of the game. Somehow the thanks seemed as insincere as the tears. You don't fire a guy you appreciate. They say that's just business, that is was time for Barry

I know, I've been AWOL again. Too many weird things going on in my life these days to keep up with a journal on a regular basis. I don't think I have any regular readers, anyway, so its probably no big deal. But I did find a topic important enough to get me writing a bit. Its that blasted light brown apple moth, also known as LBAM. For those of you who aren't in the know, let me explain. According to California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA, another acronym!), LBAM is an invasive pest that is going to eat every tree, bush, and head of lettuce in Monterey County if it isn't stopped. OK, I'm exaggerating. They say the damages could potentially be in the millions of dollars, but I'm not convinced they're not exaggerating, either. Maybe, maybe not. In an attempt to eradicate the moth, the California Department of Food and Agriculture decided to spray Marina, Seaside, Monterey, Pacific Grove and most of Pebble Beach with a pheromone. A pheromone i