You might want to try putting something over the cats to keep them safe from those dratted wasps, grrr! You can make a "protective pouch" that ties around the limb out of netting or something that will "breathe". Just make it long enough so that the cat can feed and still pupate. It won't keep the ants out, but will protect them from the wasps. I bought some cheap netting from the fabric store and loosely stitch the ends together to form a pouch and thread string thru the end to make a draw string type closure for the pouch and tie it onto the branch. Good luck! Mechelle

Thanks everyone! Now the fun begins. Digging starts today. It is a race against winter. Babies are definately exciting. My wife has not been feeling well at all, which is not fun. It also leaves me with a ton on my plate. I get a 2.5 yr old to take care, trying to keep the house decent, we just started a new year of school and my class is almost double what it was last year, and now I am building a house. I think I can see the hair turning gray daily. We are pretty far north of the moonlight fire (75 miles), but are feeling the effects smoke wise. Yesterday was a lot better than the last three days. It was like it was overcast, but you could taste the smoke. kats - it is amazing the power the FD can have. Our fire board hired a chief 2 yrs ago that had been fired from his last three chief's jobs. Smart huh! His practices pretty much halted growth. He made regulations that were much stricter than county code, such as needing 20ft wide driveways, super high flow looped hydrants, paved drives, ect. He also tried to implement a mello-roos district. The board backed him the whole way. It was ugly but we fought it and won. We now have a new chief and a reeling board (who will most likely be recalled). thanks again for the encouragement. I had some family and friends who have not made it up here request a video tour of our property. I now just need to edit it small enough to get it online. I will share when I am finished.

Hi Val, Sorry I'm late to the party, but congrats on your job offer and the fact that the govt guy wants to try to hold on to you! I've recently been unemployed for 5 months, and I'm a single mother as well, and it was torture. Worries about insurance, and would I find a position before unemployment ran out, etc. So I can truly understand your fear. My take on your situation would be to stick with the small company, precisely for what you said...it won't end in a year, and put you back in this position. Plus this guy has been interested in hiring you for years, so I'd say that he can see your potential in his company, and that's a good position to be starting from. I've worked for huge corporations and small start-ups. They each have their pluses and minuses...I've actually preferred the smaller sized companies, because in my experience it's been much more personal, and understanding regarding personal stuff. Currently I'm in a job that is paying me a fraction of my previous salary, and it's not a perfect situation (boring, alot of fresh out of college people who know EVERYTHING), but it is a job for which I am thankful. I have just taken a part time job as well, to make up for the financial difference, and I'm happy for that too. I see this as a stepping stone situation, until the economy straightens out...so if the small company isn't perfect, it's good enough to get you to the next phase. Good luck!!!

Glad your whale watch actually found some whales! Our winter breaks on Maui coincide with Whale Season in Hawaii -- best viewed from Maui and Big Island of Hawaii. Whales migrate from Alaska to warmer waters to calve -- and to mate. There are astounding breaches by bulls competing to impress the cows. Using binoculars, I can see a lot of 'showboating' from our condo's lanai. Last Christmas we took our son and his family on a morning whale watch out of Maalaea harbor. We were fortunate to have a calm day, with a sea like glass. The bay is a favorite 'nursery' for whales, and we were only out five minutes before seeing a cow, her newborn calf, and an accompanying 'auntie'. (Auntie cows aid with the babies and help keep too-eager bulls at bay.) Later, we were still in the water watching a pod of dolphins when a young bull came alongside the boat and then went under us to the other side. We could almost scratch his back! I don't expect to experience that again. (By law, boats must keep a good distance from whales, but a pilot can only cut engines and wait when a whale decides to approach.)