IA IA - Elizabeth Collins, 8, & Lyric Cook, 10, Evansdale, 13 July 2012 - #14

[GrainneDhu]

Off-topic question for sure, but why do people water their lawns during the hot part of the day? I have wondered this question for years. Seems it would just evaporate.

Maybe because that's when the lawn waterer will be awake in order to keep changing the sprinkler position?

 

[cindersoot]

Slightly ot but here is an article in todays Australian news site regarding the meth trade.

Scary stuff...

http://www.news.com.au/national/a-walk-through-missouris-valley-of-meth/story-fndo4eg9-1226447816706

I know, this meth is ruining people. I heard it's so addictive and they say one hit and thats it.

 

[palaminodee]

I need an extra set of ears, see post #232...just so I do not miss anything
thanks

 

[artzypantz]

Well, it's that or let the lawn go dormant.

I chose to let my lawn go dormant. It didn't need mowing from late May/early June until a couple days ago, after we had a half inch of rain. The grass never bothers me but my poor daylilies started to looking fried. I didn't feel bad enough about them to water them, though; daylilies are tough and they will come back.

I know people who really want their lawns to look good and for them, paying the price for watering is worth it.

Water prices in Iowa are generally not that high because we don't have drought the way Texas and the southwest has drought. What we have is more of a moderate rain climate with occasional periods of dryness. Water restrictions are almost always due to lack of treatment plant capacity rather than an actual lack of water.

Normally i would agree somewhat with this statement, BUT its not this way this time. We are 21 inches behind in rain. River bottoms are showing with barely any water sitting in the middle that have NEVER been bare or showing in my 44 years of life in the same place. We Are In A Serious Drought & its NOT due to the water treatment plants lack of capacity. It is serious in several areas and several states.
MOO
ArtzyPantz

 

[Bootsctr]

Slightly ot but here is an article in todays Australian news site regarding the meth trade.

Scary stuff...

http://www.news.com.au/national/a-walk-through-missouris-valley-of-meth/story-fndo4eg9-1226447816706

A frightening quote -

Caleb once left his own six-year-old daughter in the shower and wandered off to score meth and never came back. When he was selling, he remembers his disgust at himself, and his customers, who would leave their small children with him, a stranger, while they went to the bathroom to shoot up.

NOT bashing the family but it is a fact some have fallen prey to this evil drug...the possibilities of harm to a user's children are very, very high.

Edit - why hasn't anyone banned/controlled cold meds...you can't even buy them here without ID and a good looking over/grilling by the chemist.

:moo:

This is an excellent article. Thank you. I have severe allergies. I take Allegra D. Used to have to have a Rx, but now it is sold over-the-counter. However, they are not on the shelf. They are behind the pharmacy counter and you have to ask for them and show your driver's license. They also limit how much you can buy. I pay a pretty price for just ten pills. They now have a generic that is a little cheaper but the quantity is the same.

 

[SapphireSteel]

Re watering - I live in the driest state of the driest continent of the world and we are well used to droughts, water conservation and the like.

I used to work for govt and we would constantly get complaints about watering occuring in the middle of the day, as tax payers think its wasteful.

It makes all the difference HOW you water. Govt watering is done at root level, and gives a thorough slow soaking. No burnt leaves (if the water doesn't touch the leaves) and the root system develops at a much deeper level if you water long and slow...which in turn makes the plant stronger, and more able to survive a drought in the future. It makes exactly zero difference what time of day it is.

If your environment is hot and dry, you don't have to worry about mildew.

The worst thing you can do is stand there and spray with a hose, which is why we mostly have watering systems to deliver the water straight to the soil.

There is a heck of a lot of artificial turf and native plantings around because green grass just doesn't suit our climate.

Hope this helps the watering debate.

 

[SapphireSteel]

This is an excellent article. Thank you. I have severe allergies. I take Allegra D. Used to have to have a Rx, but now it is sold over-the-counter. However, they are not on the shelf. They are behind the pharmacy counter and you have to ask for them and show your driver's license. They also limit how much you can buy. I pay a pretty price for just ten pills. They now have a generic that is a little cheaper but the quantity is the same.

I have migraines and pretty much just have to settle for aspirin because

1. my doctors will not prescribe "drugs of addiction" and
2. the chemist makes you feel like a damn criminal if you ask for something stronger.

It makes me so angry that a few druggies have ruined my access to decent medication.

:maddening:

 

[Wishbone]

Re watering - I live in the driest state of the driest continent of the world and we are well used to droughts, water conservation and the like.

I used to work for govt and we would constantly get complaints about watering occuring in the middle of the day, as tax payers think its wasteful.

It makes all the difference HOW you water. Govt watering is done at root level, and gives a thorough slow soaking. No burnt leaves (if the water doesn't touch the leaves) and the root system develops at a much deeper level if you water long and slow...which in turn makes the plant stronger, and more able to survive a drought in the future. It makes exactly zero difference what time of day it is.

If your environment is hot and dry, you don't have to worry about mildew.

The worst think you can do is stand there and spray with a hose, which is why we mostly have watering systems to deliver the water straight to the soil.

There is a heck of a lot of artificial turf and native plantings around because green grass just doesn't suit our climate.

Hope this helps the watering debate.

I was talking about watering your average yard that has grass. blades of grass. normally its watered by sprinkler, shrubs would be different. Not sure about Iowa, but Texas gets hot and humid even when its in a drought so we usually water in the morning.

 

[Bootsctr]

[/B][/COLOR]

Normally i would agree somewhat with this statement, BUT its not this way this time. We are 21 inches behind in rain. River bottoms are showing with barely any water sitting in the middle that have NEVER been bare or showing in my 44 years of life in the same place. We Are In A Serious Drought & its NOT due to the water treatment plants lack of capacity. It is serious in several areas and several states.
MOO
ArtzyPantz

I think that is why they are sending a rover to Mars.... they are desperately looking for water! :ufo:

 

[Simp]

I just want to add, I truly feel TG saw the bikes in the path. I also am feeling the girls were probably not in danger at this point. Oh how I feel terrible for TG. If I would have been TG and I saw those bikes and learned latter of E & L I would be just miserable. Poor fella!!! I will add him to my prayers. Can you imagine his questions?? What if?? What if?? What if????

 

[SapphireSteel]

I was talking about watering your average yard that has grass. blades of grass. normally its watered by sprinkler, shrubs would be different. Not sure about Iowa, but Texas gets hot and humid even when its in a drought so we usually water in the morning.

Grass would generally be watered in the early evening here...but we don't know Mr C's plants, his watering ideas, his watering system even?

I do not find it unusual that an elderley retiree in a small quiet town would spend most of his time in his front yard, at all.

 

[MotherOcean]

It makes me so angry that a few druggies have ruined my access to decent medication.

:maddening:

For real. I remember when they took the old Alka-Seltzer for Colds off the shelves. My BIL stockpiled a half a pantry of it. That was the best stuff ever.

 

[nikb]

Maybe I am just too sensitive because I think they are BOTH innocent little girls, but for Heather to say that (assuming it WAS her) it just sounds like she was saying that none of this would have happened had it not been for that bad Lyric.

<snipped for space, although the whole post was great!>

It's more of a general feeling I got from some of the statements in articles and even some well-meaning posts I have read here. Sort of like it is a foregone conclusion that Lyric might have been less 'innocent' than her cousin, but we really don't know this to be true.
<snipped>

Someone's probably found the original statement by now but if not I'll see if it's in those links I reposted recently. I am almost sure that it was.

Quoting from an earlier post here by tlcox - the whole post is well worth reading over and over again, but I'll pull out the stuff that seems applicable here:
IA IA - Elizabeth Collins, 8, and Lyric Cook, 10, Evansdale, 13 July 2012 - #10 - Page 43 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

Some of the snippets were:
Drew described his daughter as "very girly, but she's also rugged and likes to explore." [this would be Elizabeth]

Lyric is a rambunctious girl who likes to be the boss, those who know her say.

Elizabeth was home-schooled in second grade. The next year she attended Poyner Elementary School in Evansdale, part of the Waterloo school district.

So she was in 3rd grade.. I can't find what grade Lyric was in at the time but I assume at age 10 it had to be 4th or 5th.

The only reason I'd think Lyric's less 'innocent' (by which I mean 'young and innocent') is that she's a little older, a grade or maybe two grades ahead of Elizabeth, and therefore exposed to older kids. I know I lost a LOT of 'young and innocent' going from the younger elementary grades to the older ones. I believe Lyric also went to public school while Elizabeth was homeschooled until recently, so I have to think Elizabeth wasn't exposed to as much of the stuff kids talk about at school.

I think Lyric's probably a little less 'innocent' but it's just from growing up and being a little older, IMO. It sounds like both girls are pretty adventurous but overall good girls. And like you said NO ONE deserves whatever has happened to them, regardless.

All MOO...

 

[SapphireSteel]

I just want to add, I truly feel TG saw the bikes in the path. I also am feeling the girls were probably not in danger at this point. Oh how I feel terrible for TG. If I would have been TG and I saw those bikes and learned latter of E & L I would be just miserable. Poor fella!!! I will add him to my prayers. Can you imagine his questions?? What if?? What if?? What if????

He must feel pretty terrible.

I too trust TG's bike sighting and feel that the girls may have been just metres away when he went past.

:moo:

 

[Wishbone]

I have migraines and pretty much just have to settle for aspirin because

1. my doctors will not prescribe "drugs of addiction" and
2. the chemist makes you feel like a damn criminal if you ask for something stronger.

It makes me so angry that a few druggies have ruined my access to decent medication.

:maddening:

I now feel like a criminal when I sign for a decongestant I have used for 50 years. Something wrong with this picture.

 

[Wishbone]

Grass would generally be watered in the early evening here...but we don't know Mr C's plants, his watering ideas, his watering system even?

I do not find it unusual that an elderley retiree in a small quiet town would spend most of his time in his front yard, at all.

I guess I expect people to be like me, which is wrong. But when there is a drought I cut back just because........

 

[otto]

I have to admit that I too have questions about the sighting of the girls by the couple that waters their lawn from noon until 3 and also sees the girls riding by every night. If he waters as faithfully as it seems, he must have the most beautiful lawn on the block. I'm trying to figure out exactly which property belongs to the couple, but can't seem to find any properties on Lake Avenue that belong to someone with that last name.

 

[Considering]

I'd like to know how the Carpenters afford to water their lawn for three hours. I don't water mine and our last water bill was $126!

 

[CoeTrawk]

Thank you for your insights. Regarding the "blind curve", is it at the gate?

"The area where the bikes were found is fenced on both sides, and it is right where maintenance gate is. It is a spot that looks to me like a trap," Morrissey said. "Somebody could have just come along right then or followed them down. It would have been the worst spot to be in."

http://www.newstimes.com/news/artic...issing-Iowa-cousins-3715079.php#ixzz23HcleQlS

Is the maintenence gate the single gate that separates bike path from woods or the double gate that separates bike path from lake and "jetty" or whatever? Both gates are in the north fence, and thus within "fenced on both sides" region. The westernmost curve, that I don't consider "blind" as such, though TG might, is near the single gate. The curve I thought IS blind is east of the end of the northern fence, but isn't THAT far from the double fenced area, nor is it far from the single gate either. Certainly near enough to have someone move the bikes from curve to gate. The double gate is not that close to any curve.

I seriously wish we could get clarification on where TG saw the bikes, as well as which gate the bikes were found by.

 

[Considering]

Their address is probably in the white pages, Otto. Maybe they are renting.