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2005OUTLOOK and completed all but five of her starts while also pitching a shutout against conference-foe San Di- ego. "We've been guiding Jennifer along, and she will become a bigger factor for us this season," Fresh off a season in which the Sacramento State Ferguson, who was a first team all-PCSC selec- Strahan said. "If we are going to be successful this softball squad won 32 games (the most since 1997), tion after compiling a 16-11 record and a 1.58 year, I really need her to play a prominent role in placed a school-record seven players on the all- ERA, will be the ace of the pitching staff this sea- the starting rotation." Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC) team and son, according to Strahan. Sophomore Jennifer narrowly missed an at-large berth into the NCAA Fryou and/or junior college transfer Nikki Cinque Cinque begins her Sacramento State career as Regionals, the Hornets embark upon the 2005 sea- will be called upon to fill the No. 2 starter in the a junior after an unbelievably effective career at son with high expectations and hopes for the rotation. Fryou had seven complete games in 12 Sacramento City College. A 5-6 right-hander from program's first NCAA postseason appearance since starts for the Hornets last season while Cinque was Sacramento, Cinque earned numerous honors as 1995. an NFCA All-American, California Community a sophomore (including All-America honors from Sacramento State, which has increased its num- College Pitcher of the Year, and conference pitcher both the NFCA and Easton) after finishing the year ber of wins each of the last four years, returns 13 of the year at Sacramento City College. 25-1 with three perfect games and a state-best 0.30 players (including seven starters) from last season's Another key to the season will be the Hornets' ERA. Cinque, who was named Sacramento City team which finished 32-28 overall and 10-10 (tied ability to stay injury free, a problem that has plagued College Female Athlete of the Year, led the Pan- for third place) in the PCSC. Among the returners the program during the latter stages of each of the thers to a 44-2 overall record and a state champi- are five seniors (Erin Coyne, Brianne Ferguson, last two years. In fact, the Hornets were at or near onship. Amy Hillel, Lesley Mayhorn and Jessica Rojo) who the top of the conference standings with two weeks "Nikki was all-everything at the junior college will each start, and be looked upon to help nurture to play in both 2003 and 2004, but stumbled due level, and could factor in heavily for us," Strahan a talented crop of seven newcomers. to a variety of injuries to some of the team's top said. "She has all the tools, has a great demeanor One of the more exciting pieces of information players, including a freak injury to Ferguson's pitch- on the mound, and is all business on the field." to come from the offseason was the PCSC receiving ing hand last season. an automatic qualifier for NCAA postseason play. "We've been right there (at the top of the confer- The Catchers In just its third year of existence, the six-team PCSC ence standings) over the last couple of years, but Entering her fourth season with the program, is now assured of getting at least one squad into have been very unlucky," Strahan said. "We suf- Coyne has been a mainstay at the catcher position the NCAA Regionals, as the team with the best con- fered some key injuries down the stretch that were during each of her first three seasons, and will serve ference record at the end of the season will get an pivotal and knocked the foundation from under- in the same capacity in 2005. She has started a automatic bid. neath us." combined 161 games in three years, and has re- "I'm very excited that our conference now has Not only do the Hornets enter their third year in sponded with a .298 career batting average with the automatic qualifier," Sacramento State head the PCSC, the team also enters the third season at 20 doubles, 68 RBIs, a .377 slugging percentage coach Kathy Strahan said. "We can now go to the its beautifully renovated home facility (Shea Sta- and a .353 on-base percentage. postseason one of two ways with the AQ or an at- dium). The stadium project, which was completed Coyne is a two-time all-PCSC selection (first team large berth. We were on the bubble last year and prior to the 2003 season and featured more than in 2003, second team in 2004) and is already tied I'm hoping we can be in the mix again this sea- $500,000 worth of improvements, has generated for fourth in program history in RBIs. Last season, son." new levels of excitement at Sacramento State soft- the San Diego native led the Hornets in numerous Should Sacramento State reach the NCAA ball games. offensive categories, including RBIs (22), total bases Regionals, the team would have to accomplish the feat while playing the toughest schedule in Strahan's The Pitchers (66), slugging percentage (.402) and doubles 13-year tenure with the program. The Hornets' 2005 The clear-cut leader of this year's pitching staff is (nine). In addition, she tallied a team-best .995 field- schedule features nine teams that reached the Ferguson. A 5-7 right-hander from Ceres, Calif., ing percentage from behind the plate while throw- NCAA Regionals (including three that advanced to Ferguson has made a name for herself in the Sac- ing out 14 of 31 runners attempting to steal a base. the College World Series), seven teams that finished ramento State record books over the past two sea- "Erin has really carried this team on her back the season in the top 25, and six schools from the sons. Last year, her 16 wins and nine shutouts were offensively and has delivered so many times for us softball powerhouse Pacific-10 Conference. the most by a Hornet since the 1999 season. in clutch situations," Strahan said. "The team al- "I'm looking forward to the challenge our sched- In 23 starts, Ferguson tallied 20 complete games most leans on her too much to always come through ule presents, and our players are excited about the and limited opponents to just a .227 batting aver- for us with the bat." opportunity," Strahan said. "We get a free swing age. Over a stretch of 11 appearances between Backing up Coyne will be junior Joanna O'Neill. at some of the top-ranked teams in the nation, and March 19-April 10 of last season, the transfer from A left-handed catcher, the Elk Grove, Calif., native I'm confident our players will be up to the chal- San Jose State allowed just one earned run in 71.0 started 20 games behind the plate last season while lenge." innings (0.10 ERA) and won eight-straight decisions hitting .333 with runners in scoring position and The biggest key to the success of this season, over that span. .364 with runners on base. according to Strahan, will be the team's ability to "Brianne will be an anchor for this team and "Joanna has developed well for us over the compensate for the loss of pitcher Nicole someone we will lean upon heavily to give us solid years," Strahan said. "She had a terrific sopho- Deatherage. The ace of the Hornets' staff each of pitching performances," Strahan said. "I know she more year defensively and I'm looking for her to 2 the last three years, Deatherage was an all-West will keep us in a position to win ball games, and become more of a factor on offense this season." Region and all-PCSC selection last year after post- I'm hopeful she can become a 20-game winner this ing 13 victories, seven shutouts and a 0.96 ERA. year." First Base "Nicole led the pitching staff in a number of cat- Fryou returns to the mix after a freshman season The battle for the starting nod at first base is be- egories and did an incredible job," Strahan said. in which the Aromas, Calif., native made 15 ap- tween newcomers Danielle Ackland and Teri Ann "She reached the top of her game last year, and pearances (3-5, 2.93 ERA) and pitched in 67.0 Caoagan. Sophomore Amy Jo McKenzie, who her shoes will be tough to fill." innings. The 5-6 right-hander stuck out 44 batters started 38 games at designated player last year for the Hornets as a freshman, could also get time at at shortstop in her freshman season," Strahan said. A team co-captain this season, Mayhorn was a first base. "Judging from the fall season, she will be up to the second team all-PCSC selection in 2004 after ap- A junior who bats and throws left-handed, task. She has unbelievable instincts and great game pearing in all but one game, including 57 starts in Ackland begins her first season with the Hornets sense." left field. The San Jose, Calif., native led the team after spending each of the last two seasons at Backing up Tompkins will be junior college trans- in stolen bases (nine) and outfield assists (six) while Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif. The tallest player fer Gloria Toledo. A 5-7 junior from Fremont, Ca- hitting .270 during the conference season. on the team at 5-9, Ackland was a Junior College lif., Toledo was an all-state and first team all-league "Lesley leads by example and she has been a All-American and first team all-state last season after selection last season at West Valley Junior College steady force in left field," Strahan said. "She will hitting .412 with a .640 slugging percentage and in Saratoga, Calif. be a nice hitter for us in the No. 2 spot of the lineup a .500 on-base percentage. "Gloria is a very talented and athletic player because she can do so many things with the bat. "Danielle had impressive numbers at the junior who can hit with power," Strahan said. "She was She can hit with power and is a great bunter." college level and can hit with power," Strahan said. huge for West Valley JC during the playoffs and Winkler has been an all-PCSC selection during "I'm hoping she can adjust to Div. I pitching quickly state championships, and we're hoping she can do her first two years with the program and has posted and become a major factor for us at first base." that on the Div. I level as well." a .313 career batting average during that time. Caoagan, who is one of four Hornet walk-ons, The team's leadoff hitter, Winkler started 58 games was a pleasant surprise for the Hornets during the Third Base in center field last year while leading the Hornets in fall and will compete for a starting position despite One of the top defensive players on the Hornets' batting average (.295), at-bats (183), runs (26) and being a freshman. Caoagan (pronounced Kuh- roster, Hillel is back for her fourth season with the hits (54). As a freshman, she was an all-West Re- WAH-gun), who hails from Salinas' Notre Dame program. Hillel, who started at shortstop during her gion selection after hitting .330 with 40 runs, 84 High School, led the Spirits to three league cham- freshman season (2002), second base during her total bases, seven triples and seven outfield assists. pionships and a Central Coast Section champion- sophomore season (2003) and third base last year, "Lindy is a great all-around player who is a huge ship (2002-04). will start at the hot corner again in 2005. A 5-3 part of our success," Strahan said. "She can get on "In the fall, Teri Ann really stepped up and made senior from El Dorado Hills, Calif., Hillel started 43 base and lead the offense, she can drive in runs, some big plays," Strahan said. "She will battle for games at third base last year and finished second and she can manufacture runs with her speed. I've a starting spot at first base, and very few walk-on on the team with 120 assists. been toying with the idea of hitting her in the No. 3 players have ever done that during my coaching Hillel currently ranks sixth in Sacramento State spot of the lineup this season." career. She has that special something about her Div. I history (1990-pres.) with 324 career assists. Dawson was playing very well in the fall accord- that I'm glad she has brought to our program." Offensively, Hillel, who has batted from the right ing to Strahan, before a bout with appendicitis took McKenzie appeared in 43 games last season for side of the plate during her first three years with the her out of the lineup for five weeks. One of the fast- the Hornets and tallied eight extra-base hits, tied program, will switch to the left side in 2005. est players on the team, Dawson was inserted into for the third-highest mark on the team. She hit her "Defensively, I don't think there is a better third a game 19 times last year as a pinch runner, scor- first collegiate home run in a 1-0 victory over UC baseman in the country," Strahan said of Hillel. "She ing on seven of those occasions. Davis. A knee injury suffered prior to her freshman has great instincts and reads the ball off the bat "There is no player of her stature (5-0) with a season has limited some of her mobility at first base, better than anybody. bigger heart," Strahan said. "She wants to play so making her a key candidate again for the desig- "Amy has reworked herself offensively during badly, and was battling for a starting spot in right nated player position in 2005. the offseason. She is now hitting from the left side field before her injury. If healthy, she will help us a of the plate and will become more of a factor with ton in the spring." Second Base the bat." Johnson, a 5-5 native of Seaside, Calif., comes After starting 51 games at second base last sea- Backing up Hillel for the second-straight year will to Sacramento State after serving as team captain son in her second year with the program, Rojo will be junior Britany Crine. A 5-3 native of Anaheim, of the volleyball, soccer and softball teams at control the position again in 2005. A team co-cap- Calif., Crine played in 22 games last season, in- Monterey High School. Johnson was an all-league tain, Rojo batted in the No. 3 spot of the lineup in a cluding 17 starts at third base. Crine, who commit- and all-county selection as a senior after hitting a team-high 24 games last season while finishing the ted just two errors all season long, has started at league-leading .416. year tied for second on the Hornets with 14 RBIs. least 17 games at third base during both her fresh- "Hilary is the fastest player on the team and will "Jessica stepped up last season and helped us a man and sophomore seasons. have plenty of opportunities to play this year," ton," Strahan said. "She really found her game and "Britany gives us great depth at third base, and Strahan said. "If she doesn't start a game in the contributed greatly during her junior season, and I feel very comfortable giving Amy (Hillel) a rest outfield, she will probably be the first player off the I'm looking for her to have a fantastic year for us in from time to time," Strahan said. "When I put Britany bench in pinch running situations." 2005." into the game, I know she can hold her own against Williams, 5-6 native of Stockton, Calif., gradu- anybody at third base." ated this past year from Lodi High School. A three- Shortstop Sophomore Gaby Barragan can play any num- time all-league and all-area selection, Williams was One of three positions that could be manned by ber of infield positions, including third base. A walk- named all-state and league MVP as a junior at a freshman this season, the starting shortstop job on to the program last season, Barragan appeared Stockton's Brookside Christian High School after has been given to freshman Amy Tompkins. A 5-3 in two games as a freshman. leading the area with a .667 batting average and middle infielder from Salinas, Calif., Tompkins was 32 runs. a first team all-league and all-county selection by Outfield "Kayla has a Lindy Winkler-type blend of speed both the Salinas Californian and the Monterey Bay Two starting outfield spots are locked down as and power," Strahan said. "She can play any of Herald during her final three seasons at Notre Dame Mayhorn will start in left field and junior Lindy the outfield positions, and she can hit with power, 3 High School. One of the more athletic players on Winkler will start in center for their third-consecu- drag bunt, slap bunt or hit to all fields." this year's team, Tompkins was a member of three tive seasons. Right field is up for grabs as sopho- Sophomore walk-on Katie Rhoe will provide Central Coast Section title teams in 2004 (volley- more Ashley Dawson, and freshmen Hilary depth in outfield as the Concord, Calif., native ap- ball, basketball and softball). Johnson and Kayla Williams battle for the starting peared in six games during her first intercollegiate "Amy will be a freshman phenom and will start nod. season in 2004. KathySTRAHAN Head Coach/339-319-2/13th Season/Michigan State, '79 Highly regarded head coach Kathy Strahan begins her 13th season at Sacramento State while guiding the team into its third season in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference. Strahan's coaching tenure with the Hornets has spanned three conferences as she guided the team from the Western Athletic Conference (1993-96) to the Big West Conference (1997-02), and now the PCSC. An accomplished program builder with an unmatched reputation for academic excellence and integrity in her softball programs, Strahan was named head coach at Sacramento State in June of 1992. By guiding the Hor nets to a position among the NCAA's elite programs throughout her Sacramento State career, Strahan has strengthened her already-impressive credentials among the top Division I coaches. In October of 2003, the Sacramento State softball program was ranked 40th by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in the USA Today/NFCA All-Time Top 50 The Strahan File poll. Under Strahan's guidance, the Hornets have improved their win total each of the last four years, including 32 Coaching Experience victories in 2004, the most for the program since the 1997 season. Last year marked the eighth season that Sacra- Sacramento State mento State has finished with a record above .500 since Strahan took over the program in 1993. Head Coach (1993-pres.) A 21-year veteran of major college softball, Strahan has compiled a 586-564-3 (.510) career record. Her 586 San Jose State victories are good for 28th all-time on the NCAA list among active head coaches with at least five years of Div. I Head Coach (1986-92) experience. The Lansing, Mich., native captured Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in her first season at Cal State Dominguez Hills Sacramento State. Her efforts led the Hornets to a berth in the NCAA Championships in 1993, the first postseason bid Head Coach (1984-85) for any program in Sacramento State Div. I history to an NCAA Championship event. Two years later, Strahan guided Santa Monica C.C. the 1995 squad to a 40-15 record and a No. 8 ranking in the final polls. During that same year, the Hornets hosted Assistant Coach (1983) a regional for the first time in the Div. I era and finished tops in the nation with a 0.76 team ERA. Housatonic C.C. Consistent with her commitment to challenge and growth, she has taken a leading role in establishing major regu- Assistant Coach (1982) lar-season tournaments at both San Jose State and Sacramento State. In its 13th year, the Capital Classic, hosted by Sacramento State, features a field of 13 teams this season, including six that advanced to the NCAA Regionals in Michigan State 2004 (Cal, Illinois, Iowa, Long Island, Northwestern and Oregon State). The National Invitational Softball Tournament Assistant Coach (1980-81) also earned a national reputation during her tenure at San Jose State. Playing Experience Before coming to Sacramento State, Strahan turned dor- Raybestos Brakettes (ASA) mant programs into national powers at Cal State 1977-80 Dominguez Hills (1984-85) and San Jose State (1986- 92). In the process, her teams and players regularly U.S. Pan American Team captured individual and team academic honors. 1979 An honors graduate twice herself, Strahan boasts U.S. World Championships an established reputation for well-coached teams and 1978 academic excellence. While coaching competitive pro- Michigan State grams at the upper levels of Division I play, Strahan has con- sistently recruited and produced outstanding student-athletes. 1973-76 A league-best 13 Sacramento State players were named Miscellaneous to the PCSC Commissioner's Honor Roll last season and Bachelor's Degree ten members of the 2005 Hornet squad have 3.0 grade Michigan State (1979) point averages or better. The softball team has traditionally posted some of Master's Degree the highest cumulative grade point averages in the Michigan State (1982) 20-sport Sacramento State athletic program since Hometown Strahan's arrival. In seven of the previous eight Lansing, Mich. years, at least one of her players has earned NFCA Honors and Awards All-America Scholar-Athlete honors including Nicole Deatherage in 2003. At San Jose State, four Western Athletic Conference Spartans were named to the 1991 All-America Coach of the Year (1993) Scholar-Athlete team, including outfielder Jenny Cook, 4 Big West Conference who posted the highest grade point average of any San co-Coach of the Year (1989) Jose State athlete in 1990-91. Michigan Amateur Softball In addition to academic honors, Strahan's athletes have Assoc. Hall of Fame (1995) thrived on the field. At Sacramento State, Strahan coached Susie Bugliarello to three All-America selections from 1995- Great Lansing Sports 97, and Tami Blunt to an All-America selection in 1993. Hall of Fame (2001) Bugliarello pitched for Italy at both the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. Former Hornet Katie Cichy was drafted in 1999 by the Durham Dragons of the Women's Professional Softball League in the third round (15th overall pick). In December of 2003, Deatherage was drafted by the Sacramento Sunbirds of the National Pro Fastpitch Draft. Overall Record Outfielder Gina Givogri, a WAC all-league selection in 1994 and 1995, was named to the 586-564-3 (21 yrs.) United States Pan American Team that traveled to Guatemala in December of 1994. Strahan Record at Sacramento State herself was a member of the 1979 gold medal-winning United States Pan-American Team. The 1989 Big West Conference co-Coach of the Year, Strahan posted a 201-187-1 record 339-319-2 (12 yrs.) in seven years (1986-92) at San Jose State. In that time, Strahan recorded just two losing seasons. Under her direction, the Spartans arrived on the national scene in 1990, finishing 34-28 and earning the program's first-ever NCAA postseason berth. San Jose State also made its Coaching Ledger first-ever appearance in the national top 20, earning the 11th spot and remaining in the top 20 all season long. Strahan's 1989 team, which won a school-record 36 games, broke or tied Head Coaching Career Record: 52 other school records during the season. Year ....... School ...................................... Record In 1992, the Spartans finished 33-24 and advanced to the NCAA West Regional. San Jose 1984 ...... Cal State Dominguez Hills ............ 10-34 State climbed as high as ninth that year, finishing 13th in the final NCAA poll, duplicating the 1985 ...... Cal State Dominguez Hills ............ 36-24 team's 1991 national finish after a 32-24-1 season. Her Spartan teams won 30 or more 1986 ...... San Jose State ............................. 22-21 games in each of her last four seasons and won 20 or more each season of her seven-year 1987 ...... San Jose State ............................. 20-35 tenure at San Jose State. 1988 ...... San Jose State ............................. 24-29 Strahan began her head coaching career at Cal State Dominguez Hills in 1984. After a 1989 ...... San Jose State ............................. 36-26 10-34 season, she led the Toros to a 36-24 record and national rankings as high as sixth 1990 ...... San Jose State ............................. 34-28 during the 1985 season. 1991 ...... San Jose State ......................... 32-24-1 Prior to her stint at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Strahan spent four years as an assistant 1992 ...... San Jose State ............................. 33-24 coach at Santa Monica Community College (1983), Housatonic Community College (1982) 1993 ...... Sacramento State ........................ 36-21 and Michigan State (1980-81). 1994 ...... Sacramento State .................... 25-30-1 Strahan was a shortstop for the Raybestos Brakettes of Stratford, Conn., the Amateur Soft- 1995 ...... Sacramento State ........................ 40-15 ball Association (ASA) national champions in 1977, 1996 ...... Sacramento State ........................ 32-26 '78 and '80. She was also a member of the United States' gold-medal winning team at the 1979 Pan 1997 ...... Sacramento State .................... 32-24-1 American games, while also playing with the 1978 1998 ...... Sacramento State ........................ 25-23 U.S. World Championships team. 1999 ...... Sacramento State ........................ 27-26 A standout softball and basketball player at 2000 ...... Sacramento State ........................ 25-30 Michigan State, she was a member of the 1976 2001 ...... Sacramento State ........................ 17-37 Michigan State AIAW national championship team. 2002 ...... Sacramento State ........................ 18-33 Strahan was inducted into the Michigan Amateur Soft- 2003 ...... Sacramento State ........................ 30-26 ball Association's Hall of Fame in 1995. Six years 2004 ...... Sacramento State ........................ 32-28 later, in 2001, Strahan was inducted into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame. Total CS Dominguez Hills (2 years) ............... 46-58 Strahan served on the NCAA Regional Softball Com- Total San Jose State (7 years) ............... 201-187-1 mittee for five seasons and the USA Today Softball Poll Total Sacramento State (12 years) ........ 339-319-2 ranking committee. She was also a member of the Pacific Region softball committee and the NCAA Career Totals (21 years) ...................... 586-564-3 certification committee. Strahan earned her bachelor's Strahan (Sacramento State) vs. the PCSC: (1979) and master's (1982) degrees School ..................................................... Record from Michigan State in physical edu- Loyola Marymount .......................................... 2-9 cation, graduating with honors both Portland State ................................................. 8-4 times. In addition, she authored a 224- Saint Mary's ................................................. 23-2 page book entitled, Coaching Girls San Diego ...................................................... 7-1 Softball, detailing how to coach Santa Clara ................................................ 15-13 softball to girls ages 7-13. Kathy Strahan's Career Milestone Victories 5 100 ............................. Mar. 26, 1988 ....................................... vs. Utah State, 8-0 (National Invitational Tournament, San Jose, Calif.) 200 ............................. Apr. 13, 1991 ............................................................................. vs. UC Santa Barbara, 3-2 (San Jose, Calif.) 300 ............................. Mar. 25, 1994 ....................................... vs. Connecticut, 10-8 (Capital Classic Tournament, Sacramento, Calif.) 400 ............................. Mar. 22, 1997 ..................................... vs. San Jose State, 4-0 (Capital Classic Tournament, Sacramento, Calif.) 500 ............................. Mar. 31, 2001 ..................................................................... at UC Santa Barbara, 1-0 (Santa Barbara, Calif.) AmandaGARCEAU Assistant Coach/Fourth Season/Tennessee, '01 Amanda Garceau enters her fourth season with the Hornets after starring locally at Rio Linda High School and Sacramento City College, and finally the University of Tennessee. A Junior College All-American and an all- conference selection at Tennessee, Garceau will work with the outfielders while serving as first base coach, assisting in recruiting and working with the hitters. Garceau spent the 2001 season as an assistant at Tennessee under head coach Jim Beitia. Prior to that, the Rio Linda, Calif., native played two years for the Volunteers (1999-00) and Sacramento City College (1997-98). While at Tennessee, Garceau combined for a .353 career batting average, 16 home runs and 91 RBIs. Garceau, who didn't miss a start at third base during her two-year career (a span of 134 games) with the Volunteers, was an all-Southeastern Conference selection as a junior after hitting .376 with nine home runs. Among Tennessee career leaders, she ranks in the top 10 in 11 offensive categories including third in slugging percentage (.551), fifth in home runs, sixth in batting average and doubles (32), ninth in RBIs, and 10th in on-base percentage (.411). As a sophomore at Sacramento City in 1998, she was a first team Junior College All-American while also being honored as the Northern California Community College Player of the Year and the Bay Valley Conference MVP. That year, she compiled a .429 batting average with 18 doubles and 73 RBIs while striking out just three times in 170 at-bats. A 1996 graduate of Rio Linda HS, Garceau was a three-time all-league selection while leading the Knights to a pair of Capital Valley Conference championships in 1995 and 1996. Garceau graduated from Tennessee in the spring of 2001 with a degree in psychology. Garceau and her husband, Jack, currently reside in Plumas Lake, Calif. LoriMEIXNER Assistant Coach/First Season/Sacramento State, '02 After spending four years playing for the Sacramento State softball team (1999-02), Lori Meixner joins the Hornet coaching staff for the 2005 season. A team captain and all-conference selection during her playing career, Meixner will serve as the bench coach while working with the infielders. She will also assist wtih the recruiting process. Meixner had been the lead instructor at Kelly Jackson's All-American Softball School in West Sacramento, Calif., since August of 2003. She also spent time as the head varsity coach at Center High School (Antelope, Calif.) the past two years (2003-04). Current Sacramento State sophomore Amy Jo McKenzie played for Meixner during the 2003 season at Center. Meixner, who was a four-year starter for the Hornets from 1999-2002, is the program leader in career fielding assists (495). The Petaluma, Calif., native appeared in 196 games (including 190 starts) at second base, shortstop and third base during her four-year tenure as a student-athlete at Sacramento State. In the Sacramento State career Div. I record book, Meixner still ranks first in assists, fifth in walks, tied for eighth in RBIs, ninth in doubles and 10th in at-bats. A team captain during her senior year with the Hornets, Meixner earned all-Big West Conference honors in 2001 and started all but one game during her junior and senior seasons. Meixner, who resides in Sacramento, graduated from Sacramento State in the fall of 2002 with a degree in communication studies. 6 Amy Walter Dr. Gloria Solomon Heather Swanson Lois Mattice Ryan Bjork Volunteer Assistant Sport Psychology Consultant Athletic Trainer Head Athletic Trainer Softball SID Numerical Roster Roster Breakdown No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. B/T Hometown/Previous School By Position 1 Amy Tompkins 2B/SS 5-3 Fr. R/R Salinas, Calif./Notre Dame HS Pitchers (3) – Nikki Cinque, 2 Lesley Mayhorn OF/C 5-3 Sr. R/R San Jose, Calif./Oak Grove HS Brianne Ferguson, Jennifer Fryou Catchers (3) – Erin Coyne, 3 Lindy Winkler OF 5-6 Jr. L/R San Andreas, Calif./Calaveras HS Lesley Mayhorn, Joanna O'Neill 4 Amy Hillel IF 5-3 Sr. L/R El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge HS Infielders (10) – Danielle Ackland, 5 Britany Crine 3B 5-3 Jr. R/R Anaheim, Calif./Canyon HS Gaby Barragan, Teri Ann Caoagan, 6 Ashley Dawson OF 5-0 So. L/R Monterey, Calif./Monterey HS Nikki Cinque, Britany Crine, Amy Hillel, 7 Hilary Johnson OF 5-5 Fr. L/R Seaside, Calif./Monterey HS Amy Jo McKenzie, Jessica Rojo, 8 Jennifer Fryou P 5-6 So. R/R Aromas, Calif./North Monterey County HS Gloria Toledo, Amy Tompkins 10 Kayla Williams OF 5-6 Fr. L/R Stockton, Calif./Lodi HS Outfielders (8) – Ashley Dawson, 11 Gloria Toledo SS 5-7 Jr. R/R Fremont, Calif./West Valley JC Hilary Johnson, Lesley Mayhorn, Amy Jo McKenzie, Joanna O'Neill, 12 Nikki Cinque P/IF 5-6 Jr. R/R Sacramento, Calif./Sacramento City JC Katie Rhoe, Kayla Williams, Lindy Winkler 13 Joanna O'Neill C/OF 5-5 Jr. L/L Elk Grove, Calif./Sheldon HS 14 Brianne Ferguson P 5-7 Sr. R/R Ceres, Calif./San Jose State By Class 15 Katie Rhoe OF 5-4 So. L/R Concord, Calif./Concord HS Seniors (5) – Erin Coyne, 16 Jessica Rojo 2B 5-4 Sr. L/R Templeton, Calif./Western Illinois Brianne Ferguson, Amy Hillel, 19 Teri Ann Caoagan 1B/3B 5-8 Fr. R/R Salinas, Calif./Notre Dame HS Lesley Mayhorn, Jessica Rojo 20 Amy Jo McKenzie IB/OF 5-8 So. R/R Elverta, Calif./Center HS Juniors (6) – Danielle Ackland, 21 Gaby Barragan IF 5-7 So. R/R Sylmar, Calif./Montclair Prep HS Nikki Cinque, Britany Crine, 22 Danielle Ackland 1B 5-9 Jr. L/L Yorba Linda, Calif./Cerritos JC Joanna O'Neill, Gloria Toledo, Lindy Winkler 23 Erin Coyne C 5-7 Sr. R/R San Diego, Calif./Helix HS Sophomores (5) – Gaby Barragan, Ashley Dawson, Jennifer Fryou, Head Coach: Kathy Strahan (13th Season) Amy Jo McKenzie, Katie Rhoe Assistant Coaches: Amanda Garceau, Lori Meixner Freshmen (4) – Teri Ann Caoagan, Volunteer Assistant: Amy Walter Hilary Johnson, Amy Tompkins, Kayla Williams Alphabetical Roster By Height 5-0 (1) – Ashley Dawson 5-3 (4) – Britany Crine, Amy Hillel No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. B/T Hometown/Previous School Lesley Mayhorn, Amy Tompkins 22 Danielle Ackland 1B 5-9 Jr. L/L Yorba Linda, Calif./Cerritos JC 5-4 (2) – Katie Rhoe, Jessica Rojo 21 Gaby Barragan IF 5-7 So. R/R Sylmar, Calif./Montclair Prep HS 5-5 (2) – Hilary Johnson, Joanna O'Neill 19 Teri Ann Caoagan 1B/3B 5-8 Fr. R/R Salinas, Calif./Notre Dame HS 5-6 (4) – Nikki Cinque, Jennifer Fryou, 12 Nikki Cinque P/IF 5-6 Jr. R/R Sacramento, Calif./Sacramento City JC Kayla Williams, Lindy Winkler 23 Erin Coyne C 5-7 Sr. R/R San Diego, Calif./Helix HS 5-7 (4) – Gaby Barragan, Erin Coyne, Brianne Ferguson, Gloria Toledo 5 Britany Crine 3B 5-3 Jr. R/R Anaheim, Calif./Canyon HS 5-8 (2) – Teri Ann Caoagan, 6 Ashley Dawson OF 5-0 So. L/R Monterey, Calif./Monterey HS Amy Jo McKenzie 14 Brianne Ferguson P 5-7 Sr. R/R Ceres, Calif./San Jose State 5-9 (1) – Danielle Ackland 8 Jennifer Fryou P 5-6 So. R/R Aromas, Calif./North Monterey County HS 4 Amy Hillel IF 5-3 Sr. L/R El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge HS Pronunciations 7 Hilary Johnson OF 5-5 Fr. L/R Seaside, Calif./Monterey HS Danielle Ackland – ACK-lund 2 Lesley Mayhorn OF/C 5-3 Sr. R/R San Jose, Calif./Oak Grove HS Gaby Barragan – Gabby BARE-uh-gen 20 Amy Jo McKenzie IB/OF 5-8 So. R/R Elverta, Calif./Center HS Teri Ann Caoagan – Kuh-WAH-gun 13 Joanna O'Neill C/OF 5-5 Jr. L/L Elk Grove, Calif./Sheldon HS Nikki Cinque – SING-que Jennifer Fryou – FREE-oh 15 Katie Rhoe OF 5-4 So. L/R Concord, Calif./Concord HS 7 Amy Hillel – HILL-ell 16 Jessica Rojo 2B 5-4 Sr. L/R Templeton, Calif./Western Illinois Katie Rhoe – ROW 11 Gloria Toledo SS 5-7 Jr. R/R Fremont, Calif./West Valley JC Jessica Rojo – ROW-hoe 1 Amy Tompkins 2B/SS 5-3 Fr. R/R Salinas, Calif./Notre Dame HS Kayla Williams – KAY-luh 10 Kayla Williams OF 5-6 Fr. L/R Stockton, Calif./Lodi HS Lindy Winkler – LIND-ee WINK-ler 3 Lindy Winkler OF 5-6 Jr. L/R San Andreas, Calif./Calaveras HS
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When To DIY vs. When To Hire It Out
We get the whole "to DIY or not to DIY, that is the question" question a lot, so we thought this might be a great way to crack open our brains in a nice rambling and meaty post that hopefully makes sense of our thought process to you guys. And who better to demonstrate than our purty new french doors that lead out to the deck? Surprise! I'll pause while you burst out into enthusiastic applause.
We'll be back tomorrow with more before & after photos and details on why we went for a french door, what the screen situation is now, and how they look open/closed/from the outside as soon as we're done painting them (most doors just come primed and not painted) – but here are the rest of the details on how they came to be. We knew from our home inspection when we bought our house that the sliders that led out to the balcony to nowhere (which we later converted to a deck) would need to be completely replaced.
Not only did they get stuck and have a screen that no longer worked, they didn't even have a lock (we used one of those bars on the floor along with installing one of our alarm sensors right on the door so it was always armed).
They were also super rotten and waaay past their prime. Ick.
So the good news is that when we put an offer on our house, we accounted for replacement doors being something that we'd have to purchase (and assumed they'd be around 1-2K, just in case there was any rot around the framing or they were a non-standard size that we'd have to special order). And now that the deck is all built and furnished…
… we decided it was the right time to replace them (since we're actually going in and out of those swear-inducing broken doors all the time). But with so much extra behind the scenes book stuff going on (early promotion, scheduling chats, planning presentations and talks for the road, etc) along with doubling up on extra projects to share while we're away (and the usual Clara & Burger chaos), it just came down to pricing things out and deciding whether it was smarter for our family to hire it out or DIY it.
First we hit up a bunch of secondhand/thrift/architectural salvage places like the Habitat or Humanity ReStore and a local spot called Caravati's to see if we could find a secondhand french door that would fit our opening. The only issue is that we didn't want it to have any mullions, so it would look like the laundry room door that leads to our carport to keep things consistent (although we do have plans to ORB the old brass handle on that guy, we love the clean lines and that giant pane of glass).
But alas, we came up empty since it was such a specific size and style. So next we got three quotes from a few different vendors (they all included both the door and the installation) which came in at:
- $1200 total (from a large window & door chain)
- $3200 total (from a local door & window specialist)
- $730 total (from Home Depot)
- $830 total (from Lowe's – but they didn't have the exact door style that we wanted)
Those were all for a pretty comparable door except for the much pricier one (that was sort of the Cadillac of door companies, which doesn't make sense for our house/neighborhood). Oh and of course each company takes jabs at their competition during their little pitch, but the remaining three companies all had extremely similar ratings, eco benefits (like low-e glass), manufacturing standards, hardware options, consumer feedback, etc – so it was a pretty straight-forward comparison.
And out of those four places, if we wanted to install them ourselves it would have cost:
- This vendor didn't allow anyone to DIY it for their warranty to work
- This vendor didn't allow anyone to DIY it for their warranty to work
- It would be around $350 without installation (so we'd save $380)
- It would be around $450 without installation (so we'd save $380, but not have the door style we wanted)
Do you guys see where we're going? As we learned more about each option, Home Depot slowly inched ahead as the best fit for us. Why?
- The total cost (with delivery and installation) was the most affordable for an extremely comparable product – and actually was a lot lower than we initially estimated that it would cost to remedy the door situation when we bought our house
- The door was exactly the same style (and maker, actually!) as the door that we already have in our laundry room. So we know that we like it and after almost two years of living with that one we don't have any complaints.
Next we had to decide whether we'd rather save $380 and haul it/install it ourselves or leave it to a pro would could bang it out while we worked away on all the other things on our fat little to-do list (basement stuff, hall bathroom stuff, sunroom stuff, playroom stuff, guest bathroom stuff, carport stuff, etc). It wasn't an easy decision, but in the end we realized that with all of the extra things on our plates right now, it would probably mean a few days without the door being completely installed/secure if we tried to do it ourselves (since we'd only have a few hours a day in the late evening to work on it). So we concluded that it was just best to use a bit of the budget that we had already counted on spending towards fixing this issue when we bought the house and have it installed.
After lots of jobs that we've taken on ourselves, it might sound weird to have someone install a french door (ex: we've built our own a deck along with a patio, renovated our entire kitchen, added a built-in desk to our office, rebuilt our entire first house's bathroom from the studs, etc), but the best way I can explain it is that:
… you just know in your gut what you want to tackle and what's worth it to you. And that answer is different for everyone.
One person might hire out an entire bathroom reno and it's completely the right choice for their family, while someone else might literally build their own house (seriously, we know people who have even poured the foundation themselves). In the end, I think our general percentage is that we prefer to DIY around 90% of the home projects that we tackle, but we still love hiring a pro for things like knocking out load bearing walls, major electrical or plumbing upgrades, and even smaller things like installing an exterior slider if:
- it's a planned expense that we've already built into the budget or saved up for
- it's something we have zero interest/excitement about tackling ourselves (which is usually pretty rare)
- life is just too crazy for us to take it on ourselves, even if we wanted to give it a go
And if we're being honest it probably comes down to that middle bullet. If we're psyched to tackle it ourselves we usually do (saving our pennies until we can, and making time for it if we're psyched about it). And if there are a million other ways we'd rather spend our time and the money is sitting there at the ready since it's a long-planned expense, we might just hire a pro to get 'er done. Sort of like how we were happy to hire someone to re-roof our first house, especially after hearing from a bunch of our buddies who told horror stories and said they would never re-roof a house again for as long as they lived.
In the end it took the door installation guy, who originally said it would be "two hours tops" a total of five hours and a trip back and forth to the hardware store thanks to some unforeseen complications once he got in there and saw what he was working with. Thank goodness for the flat installation fee!
And thank goodness it wasn't us trying to make things work, because we're pretty sure if the big strong guy who installs about twenty doors a week has a bunch of hiccups and it ends up taking more than twice as long as he thought, it might have just been the job that killed us. And then our headstone would look like this:
In the end… the new doors are 100% worth it and we're so happy they're here.
Update: Due to a few folks asking how the whole Home Depot door ordering process worked, here's a little rundown: you do a rough measurement, go to the store with that and look at options, then you pay $35 for them to come out and measure again and make sure what you want will work, and that $35 goes towards the installation fee (so it's not extra). They called a few days after coming out to measure things to install, so it was all pretty simple.
What about you guys? What percentage of things do you like to DIY? Is there anything you just won't do yourself? We know super savvy contractors who still refuse certain jobs (one hates mudding and sanding drywall since it's so messy, so he's happy to hire that out while another hates all things electrical and always pays someone else to do it). It's so funny what certain people love and loathe…
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424 Comments
They new door is beautiful!
We ran into this when planning our bathroom remodel. We had never done a large scale DIY project like this but I'd we're pretty happy with how things are turning out!
What a surprise! I really like their simplicity and the big panes of glass. I'm sure they let your new deck be the focus.
The new doors look great – and I don't blame you two for hiring the job out. My dad replaced the door to the deck and it took FOREVER (it didn't help that his assistants were his 80 year old dad and his 19 year old daughter haha).
Love how the new doors open up the space. I prefer french doors over sliding one any day.
I just finished up my fall mantle. Saw the raven on your precious fall decor posts and fell in love. Thank you !
My husband will DIY lots, including building gates, installing windows, drywall, trim, crown molding… BUT… we didn't DIY our carpet installation in the den. There are somethings that just would take us more time and tears than are necessary.
We just needed to get that room done, because the baby started crawling and pulling up (and falling… on a lovely lush carpet!) a few weeks later!
I didn't even realize it was your house in the first pic. Love the new doors! I grew up with french doors to our backyard, and I like them so much more than sliding doors (I'm always afraid I'll slide them too hard and break them).
Wow, what a difference. We are just about to replace two sliders ourselves and I was looking at a 15 lite french door from Lowes because we have oriole style windows with grids in the top but those big open panes with the chunky trim looks fantastic! Would you moind sharing which style/model you selected from Home Depot?
P.S. I was lamenting to my husband that you were in D.C. and didn't even stop by. He interrupted me and said, "you do know you don't really KNOW that couple right?!" Does that man understand nothing about blogging!
Wow it makes a huge difference!
Great to see your thought process on how you decide whether to tackle on a project or not.
The look beautiful and well worth the time saving since you have so much going on!
What a beautiful update! At our house, everything is DIY… 100%. The goal for our future house is to build it from the ground up!
Yesterday when our dishwasher overflowed ALL OVER OUR KITCHEN FLOOR, I was (for like the only time, ever) thankful that we are renters and that we could just call our maintenance guys to take care of it so we didn't have to hire it out or try to DIY!
Good topic. I think it depends on the DIYer.
For me it's about time away from family, time spent in the basement working vs cost savings. Since I'm an engineer, I'm a little more comfortable doing some "contractor only" work that most DIYers won't touch. But at the end of the day, I'd rather spend time with my wife and daughter. So, I CAN drywall and spackle my basement when we finish it, but it's going to take like 40 hours, maybe I'll contract out the mudding portion, etc.
This is what my husband has to do now too. He grow up in construction but now it's more important to spend time with his little girl (sometimes me too). It's tough on him, he knows we could save money but kids grow up quickly and you only get one shot with them.
Those doors look 100% better!
Right now, we're not really in a position to have much hired out. The budget's tight, so if we want it done, we have to study up and do it ourselves.
That being said, we will have the intense plumbing and electrical done by pros when we gut the bathroom this winter. Not taking any chances there!
This is how my husband feels about anything plumbing related. He's very handy in many things, including electricity. But, plumbing involved? Call someone.
Oh, those French doors are gorgeous!
My family is totally DIY (my mum has limits but my engineer stepdad likes to do everything himself even if it takes years and never gets finished!), but my brother and I have both ended up with partners from families who are much more likely to hire it out (for various reasons). It's funny to see how coming from different backgrounds really changes your attitude to things!
I think my brother and I assume we'll do stuff ourselves (with the help of family) unless it's too, too hard – even if it takes forever, whereas our partners just want to get stuff done professionally and quickly. I think in the end it's all about balance, and it's good to have the two viewpoints represented!
When we took our living room down to the studs we knew we were going to hire out the drywall installation. It's messy and you need certain tools and it was just easier to have someone else come in and get it hung and mudded and sanded. Then we did all the trimwork ourselves and painting of course. It was money well spent!
I DIY'd my butt of last weekend!
Re-grouted and sealed the shower stall and fixed a broken toilet. I'm pretty sure I saved at least $400 by doing it myself.
If I can find all of the right information and tools/supplies to do a job and I'm reasonably confident that I can do a decent job I always choose the DIY option.
they look amazing! imagine on those nice breezy cool, warm spring, summer mornings, you can open the doors, and just loll around the house, enjoying the weather!
beautiful! We dont DIY anything electrical (I mean, Im fine with replacing light fixtures on my own, but anything more than that is out).
I really love the look of that new door, great choice!
Wow, the change is a.maz.ing. Who knew a door could do that? I used to do MUCH more DIY stuff, mostly because I had no money and was brave enough to have a go at it. Now that I am older and have a teensy bit more money to spend, it is soooooooeasy to make a call and have someone come and do things. I do still like to paint walls myself, and I will be sad when the day comes when I am no longer able/interested to go at it on my own. I am already getting yelled at by family members to get the heck off of my ladder!
French doors (and a wall around them–we want to divide our master bedroom into two spaces for a nursery short term/office or sitting room or whatever long term) is the very thing we just decided not to tackle ourselves, too. I wonder if Home Depot will put up a wall along with installing doors…we're having trouble getting our contractor of choice to fit us into his schedule, and we have a baby-imposed time limit restricting us here….your doors look great!
I'm glad you guys hired this one out for the reasons you listed, rather than let some crazy DIY pride get in the way of what was a reasonable decision to just get the project completed. The doors look great!
Preach!! Sometimes you gotta just ask for help! Thanks for the honesty. I will DIY anything, but I always hire movers because I hate moving so much. I call it a sanity tax. I was thinking- now that you are going on tour it seems like a good time to get your floors refinished. Have you thought about that at all or are those still a ways off?
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How much will 14 ounces of bourbon raise the overall alcohol content of my brew? I think i'm just having a brain fart. My beer is estimated 6.5% alcohol. Thanks
If the bourbon is 80 proof (40% ABV) and it is diluted into 5 gallons of beer then:
(40% ABV * 14 oz) / (5 gallons * 128 oz per gallon + 14 oz) = 0.9% added ABV.
The 2nd edition is now available: Brewing Engineering Woodland Brewing Research Blog Applied Science for Better Beer.


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CLC nursing students volunteer for disaster training
Members of the Associate Degree Nursing Club at Central Lakes College recently participated in two voluntary training activities.
Thirty-four students signed up for a recent Saturday of disaster training from the American Red Cross with trainer Janice Springer of the St. Cloud office in the Lecture Hall on the Brainerd campus.
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bunnymacMay 4, 2014
HI all, I purchased a pussy willow tree a couple years ago, this is its 2nd spring and it has not produced any of the fuzzy catkins, now I have learned that the male produces them? when we bought the tree, it had them so I know this must be the male, my question is, do I need the female as well to produce the catkins? should I be pruning ony a certan time of year? thanks for any help! :)


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In Stock
Color: Pearl
Size: 5
All of your friends will be in envy of your K2 Mink Snowboard Boots! Like all of the products that come from K2, these boots meet the constantly growing needs of riders everywhere. They are easily adjustable in the tongue and heel sections to provide incredible versatility across the entire range. With a tough and rugged reinforced toe cap and metal lace hooks, it is clear that every detail combines to make the K2 Mink a real contender!


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|Property type
|Minimum Stay
Designed by local architect, Jim Barlow, this home offers a wonderful location for a group or family retreat. There is approximately 3700 square feet of living space plus generous outside deck space to enjoy. The proximity to the base village of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort makes this home a wonderful ski retreat.
The Village House offers a nice size entry and adjacent laundry/mud room with plenty of ski storage. The first bedroom you come to is a great kid's room and has two sets of twin bunk beds. There is an adjoining private ½ bath. The second bedroom is very spacious and has two double beds plus a private ½ bath. Two more bedrooms are located across the hall. Each has a queen bed and a private full bath. Furnishings throughout this home are inviting and comfortable. The outdoor Jacuzzi is located on this level and accessed by a back door in the hall between bedrooms.
Upstairs leads you to the main living space. The kitchen is centrally located and has custom cabinetry, tile countertops, hardwood floors, and a pass through feature to the living/dining area. Barstool seating for 4 is available here. The dining room is nearby and has seating for 14 around a beautiful, rustic wood table. Adjacent to the kitchen and dining room is a powder room and a small game room or reading area that also has an outside deck.
A huge rock fireplace sits invitingly between the dining room and the living room. The living and dining area have high vaulted ceilings and plenty of windows to enjoy those mountain views. The living room is equipped with a television, VCR and stereo. There is a wonderful deck outside this level, with an outside stairway leading down to the Jacuzzi level. The Master Bedroom is located on this level and offers a king bed and a large walk-in closet. The Master Bath is spacious and includes a Jacuzzi bath, separate shower with dual showerheads and a heated towel rack.
Keywords: House
Great rental five minutes from Jackson Hole!


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***You Have To Read This***
Just couldn't help myself
Had to repost this
Here's the question asked
"I just received my first Nepenthes Ventrata plant (photo's below) and the pitchers have no fluid in them. What can I do so they don't get all dried out?"
Here's one of the replies
fill them 1/4" of distilled water, no minerals, and be sure to empty them a couple times a week and refill. They only partially digest insects they capture (and a healthy pitcher captures a good deal!), thus they need to be empty of the contents and refreshed. This process helps in the plants "digestion"
Mind Blowing Isn't It
I would LOL but it's not funny
I know I kind of jumped the gun & went off on the poster
Although I really didn't mean to
Did PM them + publicly apologized in the form for doing so
Found out that that's what they were told to do by the person who they got their plant form / God knows why ??? (which was wrongly IDed / Sold to them as)
But Honestly You Have To Admit that "be sure to empty them (the pitcher) a couple times a week" & refill them with Water
Is REALLY BAD ADVICE
Was Just Trying To Save Some Plamts / Neps if I could
I find the "bad" information going around about carnivorous plants to be some of the worst out there. It's hard to understand why common sense wouldn't prevail, or someone wouldn't think to ask, "but why?"
Seriously, a lot of new growers come here 1st for information/help about their first, new, carnivore. This is a problem in the fact that there really aren't many experienced growers here to help, most of us/them are at other forums. So we've not noobs giving advice to noobs for the most part. What can you do but jump in when you can and correct people.
I rarely come here or post much (had another username years ago,) but clearly you three (dethcheez, tommyr, and hunterkiller03) are some of the very few knowledgeable growers that still come here, and have been growing for years. You put up with some of the worst posts I've ever seen from either children or adults who cannot possibly fathom how to "google" an answer to the most basic of questions. I don't know how you do it without a lot of smacking your heads against a wall!?!?! You have 1000x more patience than I. Please continue to stick around, you're clearly needed. Thanks for reading guys...carry on!
Thanks for your comments. Actually my patience level is really low. If I am too aggravated at a post I will just not answer it. I find that's the best way to deal with things sometimes.
I SO wish people would use Google more to search for answers and READ a lot of the links. There is a TON of info out there if people would just take the little time to LOOK. I don't mind helping people at all but some of the questions are SO BASIC that the answers are out there to be easily found.
I welcome ALL newcomers here of coarse! BUT, please do some googling FIRST if you have questions, you can (MOST of the time) find your answer there.
Agreed. This may be the least intimidating forum for CPs out there, so you get a lot of people who have the "I can't internet, how did I even get here?" problem. Without a sidebar that you could list FAQs or being able to "sticky" a post at the top asking people to do a basic websearch 1st (seems like common sense, but apparently people need to be asked to do something for themselves,) you all are doomed to perpetually repeat yourself. Or maybe just start giving people the old "Here Let Me Google That For You," page for their really basic questions? Ie. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=tropical+pitcher+plant+care
Heh heh...love that site, but then again I'm not the most tolerant person ever.
I don't mind helping people out if I can
I know I've asked my share of questions
My main concern was that, that info was given to someone who was looking for help & the fear that someone who was doing their research & trying to look up info would read it & think they needed to empty out the pitcher a couple times a week & refill them with water
I've been growing Neps for around 10 years now & I have to say that, that has to be hands down the dumbest advice I've ever heard by far
And here's an other good one
Ran across this ad on Craigslist
\*Stapelia Variegata "Actually Gigantea & Not Variegata", rare Carnivorous succulent import from South Africa. Plant looks like dusted jagged mountain peeks, then the huge star shaped paper sheer flowers emerge, and eat flies, and other insects! Natural pest control
Yeah / LOL


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Police recover suitcases stolen from Pat Burns' widow after funeral
The public outcry over the heartless theft of hockey treasures from NHL coach Pat Burns' car after his funeral has produced results.
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MONTREAL—A Good Samaritan has provided Montreal police with a break in their investigation of the heartbreaking theft from Pat Burns, returning suitcases stolen from the popular NHL coach within hours of his funeral.
The suitcases, along with 30 autographed hockey jerseys that were destined for a charity auction, were among the items pilfered when thieves smashed into Burns' Volkswagen SUV after his funeral on Monday.
Const. Yannick Paradis says the man found the suitcases on Thursday not far from the crime scene, an outdoor parking lot in Old Montreal.
"Inside the two suitcases there were several items that belonged to Mr. Pat Burns," Paradis said. Some items belonging to Burns' widow were also in the bags.
"At this point, the 30 jerseys of the different NHL teams are still missing as well as the watch and other items."
Police have determined the man was not involved in the robbery.
Paradis said he did not have more details about the man or the circumstances surrounding the recovery, saying the investigation is still ongoing.
The missing team sweaters were to be auctioned to raise money for an arena to be named after Burns.
Robin Burns, who gave a eulogy at his cousin's funeral, had only just learned about the recovery when contacted.
"I think it was just discarded," Burns said of the luggage. "It was probably useless to whoever wanted it. It's just a lot of Pat's old clothes."
Burns did appreciate that someone returned the suitcases.
"I think that was great of a citizen to do that. I think it was super."
Paradis said police are hopeful more property will be recovered because the public has been steadily calling their tipline with leads.
Montreal police have circulated the list of stolen property to other forces, including the RCMP.
Forensic tests done on the vandalized car included fingerprinting.
"We're expecting to find the rest of the stuff," Paradis said, noting that all leads are being checked and the public is encouraged to keep phoning.
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Bird and Little Bird has a very
nice photo tutorial showing you
how to make this unique
accordion book that will
help inspire little ones to
document their stories!
Janice VanCleave's Food and Nutrition for Every Kid: Easy Activities That Make Learning Science Fun
Kathleen Krull: Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought)
Monica Kulling: Listen Up!: Alexander Graham Bell's Talking Machine
Ellen Jackson: The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth
« August 2009 | Main | October 2009 »
Martha Stewart Living (COR): Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts for Kids: 175 Projects for Kids of All Ages to Create, Build, Design, Explore, and Share
Margaret Bloom: Making Peg Dolls and More: Toys That Spin, Fly and Bring Sweet Dreams (Crafts and Family Activities)
Jean Van't Hul: The Artful Parent: Simple Ways to Fill Your Family's Life with Art and Creativity--Includes over 60 Art Projects for Children Ages 1 to 8
Susan Schwake: Art Lab for Kids: 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media-For Budding Artists of All Ages
Amie Plumley: Sewing School: 21 Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make
Marie Hablitzel: Draw Write Now, Book 1: On the Farm-Kids and Critters-Storybook Characters


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Pictures of Louisville Area Plant Swap
marciagayeJune 21, 2012
Here are the few I took. Hope they load O.K.
good photos! glad you got Tina and Alan-
good photos! glad you got Tina and Alan-
thanks for posting--
btw, I am planning to go on a garden tour the evening of July 4th with Perinnials Plus club- if anyone is interested, let me know- it's here in Lou, off Shelbyville Rd


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An FCC decision dedicating spectrum to medical wireless monitoring devices will allow clinicians to monitor patients in or outside hospitals. Existing Medical Body Area Networks would allow for the use of home fetal telemetry devices, so that high-risk pregnant women would not have to be hospitalized and hooked up to fetal monitors.
View Full Article in:American Medical News (free content)
Published in Briefs:


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A rock breaking method includes drilling a hole in rock, filling the hole with water, inserting a short barrel of a rock breaking tool into the hole entrance, covering the tool with a recoil restraining mat, and discharging a cartridge down the barrel.
1. A method of breaking up rock, comprising the steps of;
substantially filing a hole in a rock with a liquid;
inserting a barrel of a rock breaking tool into the hole, the barrel having an open distal end and the tool being operable to discharge a cartridge from a firing chamber down the barrel;
positioning a blast absorbing mat over the tool to retain it substantially in position in the hole during discharge of the cartridge; and
discharging the cartridge down the barrel to cause an impulsive energy shock in the liquid to break up the rock.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the rock breaking tool has a barrel exterior tapered towards a discharge end and the barrel is seated in the hole with the hole periphery in contact around the firing chamber end of the barrel.
3. A method according to claim 1 in which the mat is placed on transverse protrusions on the rock breaking tool.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 055,427, filed May 28, 1987 U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,900.
This INVENTION relates to a barrel for use in a rock breaking tool, and a method of using such a tool.
This type of rock breaking tool utilises a firing chamber to discharge a cartridge into the barrel. The tool is used by inserting the barrel into a pre-drilled holding rock which is filled with water prior to firing. On discharging the tool into the hole, the expansion of gases from the firing causes water pressure in the form of a shock wave, which splits and cracks up the rock.
Rock breaking tools of this type known to the applicant have an extended barrel which is located in the length of the pre-drilled hole, with the tip of the barrel having a radially expandable seal. This seal expands by reason of lateral openings in the barrel directing discharge gases against the inner radial surface of the seal, and the expanding seal grips the surrounding rock to hold the tool within the hole sufficiently long for the discharge shock to break up the rocks. Without such a device for holding the tool within the hole, the tool is inclined to shoot out under blow back forces and the energy intended for breaking up the rock, is to a large extend lost.
The barrel of this type of tool has lateral discharge outlets along its length to allow lateral impulsive discharge forces to operate on the rock surrounding the hole. The tip, itself apart from the lateral discharge outlets for expanding the seal, is closed off.
The above rock breaking tool and method of using it also requires that a fairly long hole be drilled to accommodate the length of the barrel and the lateral discharge outlet. This hole must also be fairly accurately dimensioned and not be of too wide a diameter, since this can also serve to disperse and waste the energy shock. The hole must also be relatively water-tight and the longer the hole that is drilled, the greater is the change of a leakage.
It is the object of this invention to provide an alternative barrel for use with a rock breaking tool, and a method of breaking rock with it that will at least alleviate the abovementioned difficulties.
In accordance with this invention there is provided a method of breaking up rock including drilling a hole in the rock, substantially filling the hole with water, and inserting a barrel of a rock breaking tool into the hole, the tool being operable to discharge a cartridge from a firing chamber down the barrel, and, discharging the cartridge down the barrel to cause an impulsive energy shock in the water to break up the rock. The barrel used is short so as to be inserted in the entrance portion only of the hole, and a blast absorbing mat is located over the tool to retain it substantially in position in the hole during discharge.
A feature of the method provides for a rock breaking tool to be is used which has its barrel exterior tapered towards the discharge end and for the barrel to be secured in the hole with the hole periphery in contact around the firing chamber end of the barrel.
Further the mat may be provided with a central opening with reinforced periphery, and is placed to have the firing chamber end of the tool protruding through the mat hole, leaving the hole periphery resting on transverse handles provided on the tool.
In accordance with a different aspect of the invention, there is provided a barrel adapted for use in a rock breaking tool, which tool is operable by insertion of its barrel into a water filled pre-drilled hole in rock to be broken up, and discharge of a cartridge down the barrel into the hole, said barrel comprising a tubular barrel member being connectible at one end to a firing chamber, and extending a short distance from this firing chamber end to the opposite discharge end where substantially the sole discharge outlet is located, the barrel length allowing it to be inserted only part way into the water filled rock hole in use.
An important feature of the invention provides for the barrel exterior to taper down towards the discharge end by an amount arranged to facilitate insertion of the barrel in a hole drilled in rock by standard drill bit size, and to leave the firing chamber end of the barrel in contact with the periphery of the hole in operative location.
The invention extends to a rock braking tool fitted with a barrel as above defined, and to rock breaking apparatus comprising such a rock breaking tool and a blast absorbing mat locatable over the rock breaking tool in use and arranged to prevent the tool being blown back out of a hole during discharge of the tool.
The invention also includes a mat having a central opening with reinforced periphery adapted for locating over a rock breaking tool with transverse handles, with the tool protruding partly through the hole and the periphery of the mat resting on the handles, and the reinforcing being adpted to prevent the periphery of the mat opening from expanding on discharge of the tool, and so allowing the tool to blow back through the central opening.
Preferably the mat reinforcing is wire, and the mat is woven of strip rubber-dash type vehicle tire material, being approximately 2.3 m2 in area. The mat may be square and measure 1.5 m�1.5 m, and approximately 15 mm thick.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross-section through a barrel according to the invention located in a rock hole; and,
FIG. 2 is an isometric illustrative view of a blasting mat according to the invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, a barrel (1) for a rock breaking tool is tubular, having an end (2) which is diametrically rebated and threaded at (3) in order to be screw-fitted to a firing chamber (4). The opposite discharge end (5) of the barrel carries the sole discharge outlet (6) of the barrel opening with runs axially through the barrel. The barrel exterior is tapered down smoothly from the firing chamber end (2) to the discharge end (5).
In use, the barrel, operatively connected to a firing chamber (4) to form a tool (7), is inserted in a pre-drilled rock hole (8) is drilled to a diameter which will allow the barrel (1) to close off the entrance (9) of the hole when the barrel is inserted, and preferably this closing off will occur when the barrel rests in the hole with the periphery of the hole entrance at the firing chamber end of the barrel. The majority of the length of the barrel should thus be inserted in the hole.
The taper of the barrel is arranged to allow easy but relatively close fitting insertion of the inserted barrel length in a hole having a diameter within tolerances to be expected from drilling with a standard size drill bit.
It has been found in practice that a taper from an outside diameter of 38 mm to 34 mm end to end over a barrel shaft length of 140 mm is suitable for a 36 mm drill bit drilling a 38 mm hole.
Since the barrel has no gripping mechanism, an additional restraining means is provided, to prevent a tool fitted with the barrel from blowing back out of the hole on discharge.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a mat (10) is shown which is of square configuration, having sides of approximately 1.5�1.5 meters in length. The mat is of woven rubber tire strip material, and of approximately 15 millimeters thickness. It has a central opening (11) which is round and has wire reinforcing around it to restrict its expandability.
In use, the mat is located over a rock breaking tool (12), with the upper firing chamber portion (13) of the tool protruding through the hole and the periphery of the hole resting on transverse handles (14) of the tool. It has been found in practice that the mat serves to contain the blow back forces to good effect.
Variations may be made to the above embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the extent of taper on the barrel will depend on the size of the tool and the hole which is to be drilled, and the dimensions and shape of the mat may vary widely. The mat may also be round, but this is not a convenient shape for folding and carrying.
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Need help with a freestanding handrail
We have family members who have had hip replacement surgery, or who need hip replacement surgery, or who've had a "bad" hip replacement surgery, and we have one friend who has had numerous back surgeries related to a work injury.
They are wobbly, and we want to install a metal, freestanding handrail--if it's possible--so people can enter and exit our home, and also go out and enjoy the patio, and we want to provide extra stability for going up/down steps. There are 3 steps into/out of our home, and there are no walls to anchor anything. Everything is concrete in these areas.
I've googled and googled and found nothing about how to install a freestanding handrail. We are pretty good at the DIY stuff, and always use the right tools too. I know we'll have to anchor this "porch" rail into the steps for stability and installation, but I cannot find how to do it. Years ago, my sister had some "wrought-iron"-type handrails installed on the front and back of her home, much like what we want to do, but she lives 2 hours away so I cannot contract with the person who installed these.
I'm thinking if we can find the "pre-fab" steel/iron railing (where do you find this stuff?), and learn how to install it, we can do it.
Any help you can give would be appreciated.
We have gone through several good (and bad) hip replacements so I understand the problem.
The design challenge is anchoring the railing to the concrete in such a way that it can safely handle the load of someone really trusting it. It would be a very bad thing for the railing to fail and cause additional injury to someone recovering from hip replacement surgery.
I think that you are describing a railing that will be sort of like an inverted U with unequal legs. The bottom of each leg will need to be attached to the concrete. Because the only point of attachment is the base of the legs there will be significant forces acting on the anchors. Could you find any other point of attachment near the top of the railing, maybe where the railing meets the house?
You can attach the railing to the concrete in several ways. The anchor detail will depend on what you have to work with, a picture would help. One possibility is to drill the concrete and insert lead anchors that will allow you to bolt the flanges at the base of railing to the concrete. However, you do not want to drill holes too close the edge of the concrete.
Unless you can weld (and trust your welding) I suggest having the railing fabricated at local shop (look up metal fabrication in the yellow pages). This is a very simple job and any fab or welding shop will be able to do it.


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Is it too late to sow bermudagrass seed
I am wondering if its too late in the season to put down some Bermuda seed this week? I bought the seed earlier this season with the intention of getting it down about two months ago,but other issues forced me to put it off.Would like to use this seed to improve stand of grass in my front yard(previously seeded) and I don't want to sit on 100 pounds of seed trying to go the "dormant" seeding route.Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Posted by texas-weed 7A (My Page) on
Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 18:40
Bit to late. Is the area prepared yet? Fall will be early this year.
Interested in signs of an early fall. hard to imagine with this 100 degree heat we are having now but I do see baby acorns starting early on some of my oak trees. Your comment peeked my interest and I could not find anything online about signs of an early fall. Please educate we with some of your wisdom.
Will post info on how it fares over the next few months.I can definitely say it is super hot here ...as if making up for over a month of rain every day kinda hot. Out in the back yard today spraying using the riding mower and lost 10lbs of sweat.The area I put the seed in is being irrigated 4x a day for 8min over the three zones 1000 1245 1500 and 1830.Been home all day so I came up with this by monitoring moisture throughout day in seed bed.
Gotcha,on that neilaz, I should explain that im not working from hopeless stand just had areas from where crabgrass was killed that weren't filling in fast enough for my liking. It is truly amazing to see how quick grass is recovering from the double scalping it got last week.I guess the truth of it is that I had a "good" excuse to buy a better variety of seed to try and improve the "asthetics".
Posted by texas-weed 7A (My Page) on Mon, Aug 5, 13 at 23:13
Sooo,am I crazy or are these seedlings im seeing in the thin areas???
No you are not crazy. that is Bermuda seedlings. It takes 7 to 10 days to germinate, so at 8 days you should see signs of life.
Now the race is on to the first frost.
Crossing my fingers and hoping for success!
Ok so 2 week point is tomorrow and seedlings are looking good ...along with great spreading from grass already there. The Bad...weeds germinating like crazy because of the daily light watering for the seedlings.Would now be a good time to decrease frequency of water and go a little longer??
More rain ,almost an entire weeks worth ,ground is fairly well saturated .The seedlings seem to be OK but it seems that the existing grass is still spreading at a good rate to help cover the bare areas. Seems that maybe i should have been more patient and just let it do its thing,especially seeing the crabgrass explosion Im dealing with now! Photo is from area that was almost totally bare when thread was started.
Posted by lou_midlothian_tx z8 DFW, Tx (My Page) on Mon, Aug 19, 13 at 19:29
I wonder if seaweed spray would help against light frost?
Yes cut back on watering frequency and water more deeply but it looks like you're getting plenty of rain?
Have you fertilized?
Irrigation been off since 8/12 we are getting quite a lot of rain every day for a week. fertilizer went down 8/13 while i was getting a light drizzle before the daily soaking.
Posted by lou_midlothian_tx z8 DFW, Tx (My Page) on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 8:23
Your grass should grow a lot as long as weather stays warm for a few weeks. When does your area get first freeze of the year?
I wouldnt normally expect to see grass go dormant before November if last few years are any indication at all. Last year it didnt happen until around first week in December.Historically I would bet on the middle of November before looking for a light/medium freeze.
As a follow-up of sorts to anyone looking to improve density and fill in of bare areas I would have to say that if there is a fairly strong stand available it is probably better route to strictly follow good care practices and allow present plants to spread into affected areas.Just from my experience the last few weeks the runners are filling in much faster than expected and will probably adversely affect seedlings for a while by limiting sunlight . Second, the aeration done previously followed by a long period of daily rains have given weeds(especially crabgrass) a new lease on life;I have easily spent 4hours every day for the past three weeks pulling weeds with no shortage of candidates.
My seed is at the 41 day mark and all seems well, fertilized it today and its been cut at one inch about 8 times in the past 24 days or so . Spread out 150 lbs. of alfalfa pellets 4 days ago onto the area hoping to improve soil structure and augment fertilizer just a little bit. The best price I'm finding on the alfalfa is about $20.00 per bag, so I'm wondering where are you guys buying yours ?Also wondering about hog "finishing feed" 13% crude protein, would the grains in that or cracked corn be ok to use? I can get 50lb bags of those for $13.00 .


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Crucial M500 SSD Promises 960GB For $600 144
from the please-send-three dept.
We've improved Slashdot's video section; now you can view our video interviews, product close-ups and site visits with all the usual Slashdot options to comment, share, etc. No more walled garden! It's a work in progress -- we hope you'll check it out (Learn more about the recent updates).
Seems like this kind of drive is best suited for read only focused applications. Depending on what you're doing you could write 72TB pretty quickly on a 1TB drive.
While it's nice to see SSD capacities increasing, the real metric is the cost per gigabyte, which is still nowhere near conventional harddrives. A good number of us have massive multimedia collections; It's still cost-prohibitive to store all of it on SSDs. And at least for the short-term, a primary drive over 200GB isn't really something most users need. A select few, perhaps, but not many. This may be something more useful in the enterprise, but then... looking at the specs, it seems it wouldn't survive very long in a database server.
Of course SLC is still around, for people like you who fail to realize that a disk with almost 10 times the capacity but 1/10th the per block endurance is just as reliable if the bigger capacity isn't used, thanks to wear leveling, and probably much faster due to parallel access to more chips.
Computers can figure out all kinds of problems, except the things in the world that just don't add up.


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5 Reasons to Get Excited About B-Mets Opening Day
I'm very excited about Opening Day with the defending Eastern League champion-winning Binghamton Mets, April 16th in downtown Binghamton. After the winter we all experienced, it seems like everyone I talk to seems to be more than ready to spend quality time outdoors, and taking in some great baseball games this year. Are YOU ready?


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I have seen this xxx times; I was at one of the first showings in LA county during wwii. A great flick.
Greer was outstandung.
We loved this movie; my husband remembered hearing from his parents how much they loved this movie, so he wanted to see it too.Published 21 days ago by Tamara I Carr
I've rates this five stars ever since I first saw it in the 1940's, just wanted to get a better copy. Still as touching and inspiring as ever.Published 22 days ago by pirkko Dyer
A touching movie - Greer Garson and a great supporting cast make this one to watch many times.Published 1 month ago by Violinlady
I have seen this movie and it is a favorite. One of the best movies about the perseverance and bravery of the British people when they stood alone against the Nazis. Read morePublished 1 month ago by Marie Eriksen
Had to give up my VHS copy of this oldie but goodie - its now in my movie library. Love Green Garson and anything she's in.Published 1 month ago by Susan E. Cascio