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Friday, July 27, 2012

Orange African Marigolds at 59 Inches

I love marigolds! I live in Florida and have a lot of direct sunlight. Marigolds are great blooming plants that are pretty reliable and love the full sunlight.

In March 2012, I planted a tray of yellow marigolds throughout my front flower bed. Then, I put 4 of the yellow marigolds in a large pot. It seemed like the next day that I received a promotion in the mail that included a package of marigold seeds. I added those to the middle of the circular flower pot, amongst the already blooming yellow marigolds.

yellow marigolds blooming and orange marigolds emerging
Yellow Marigolds Blooming Heartily
Orange African Marigolds from Seed Just Erupting in the Center
Jacksonville, Florida : April 5, 2012
On April 5, 2012 I noticed that the orange African marigolds were beginning to emerge through the soil. If you look in the middle of the above picture, you can see little seedlings peeking through the soil.

Fast forward to July 27, 2012 and here are the orange African marigolds which were planted from seed. The bloom first started to open perhaps two days ago.

orange marigolds at 39 inches
Orange African Marigolds at 39 Inches
Jacksonville, Florida : July 27, 2012
I was consulting the online almanac to determine the average size of marigolds. I learned there are some 50 species of marigold! That's amazing. It seems that most marigolds that we see are from three different species. One of those happens to be the Tagetes erecta which are reportedly the tallest of all marigolds coming in at three to five feet. The Tagetes erecta are sometimes referred to as African or American marigolds. Well, I'm pretty sure that I planted Tagetes erecta or African marigold seeds!

The online almanac provides a pretty comprehensive care and maintenance guide for the marigolds. I learned that I should have separated those seedlings when they were 2 inches tall. Marigolds not only love direct sunlight, but a fertile soil that is well-drained. In that pot I have a bottom area of sandy soil for drainage and added potting soil to the top portion.

Well, it's pretty amazing to see orange marigolds at 39 inches! I guess I never expected such a "large" plant from seeds. At first, I thought perhaps I was growing a tomato plant! How about that? Are you ready to try growing African Marigolds? Gosh, 200 seeds are just $1.85! Let me know if you've tried growing African Marigolds from seed. I'd love to see your pictures!

UPDATE:  Growth Alert! It is the "power of ten" - 10 inches!
Jacksonville, Florida October 17, 2012 - My Orange African Marigolds have grown even more! On October 17, 2012 I measured them once again.. They now have grown another 10 inches and are 59 inches tall!
Orange and Yellow African Marigolds at 59 Inches
Orange and Yellow African Marigolds at 59 Inches
Photographed at 10:30am on October 17, 2012

Jacksonville, Florida September 23, 2012 - My Orange African Marigolds have grown a bit! On September 23, 2012 I measured them. They now have grown another 10 inches and are 49 inches tall!

Orange and Yellow African Marigolds at 49 Inches
Orange and Yellow African Marigolds at 49 Inches
Photographed at 4:20pm on September 23, 2012

Jacksonville, Florida July 27, 2012 - My Orange African Marigolds have surely grown from those little seeds! On July 27, 2012 I measured them. They are officially 39 inches tall!

Not only do I have pretty spectacular Orange African Marigolds, but I now have Yellow African Marigolds mixed in! You can also see the regular Yellow Marigolds to the right. I think it is pretty incredible how these flowering beauties grew from little seeds. At 39 inches, I added a growing brace to stabilize the growing plant and keep it erect.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Confederate Star Jasmine

What a beautifully fragrant plant is the Confederate Star Jasmine! Some refer to it as simply Confederate Jasmine or Star Jasmine. When I purchased my flowering jasmine from Lowe's, the plant tag carried the full name of Confederate Star Jasmine.

I planted the Confederate Star Jasmine last October and found that I had to cover it perhaps 3 or 4 times to protect it from the cold weather. Luckily, our weather in Jacksonville, Florida doesn't get cold enough that often to want to freeze it.

Confederate Star Jasmine
I added a white trellis to accent the tiny white blooms. And, you can see my additional handiwork on the wrought iron bench and stone pavers patio project! This is the bench that I rescued from the middle of the backyard. It was embedded with sand and had never been graced with a coat of paint. Some 10 coats of white paint freshened this wrought iron bench up like new!

By the way, do you notice something interesting in that picture? Look closely! You can see "it" on the upper left back of the bench. There is a family of adorable little reptilian lizards living around the back and front of my house. This one loves to hang out on the wrought iron bench. I think I will name him Ferdinand!

Confederate Star Jasmine April 2014
Confederate Star Jasmine April 2014

Confederate Star Jasmine has an interesting other name of Trader's Compass. It is reported that this name comes "from an old Uzbekistan saying that it pointed traders in the right direction -- if they were of good character." --That's Trachelospermum jasminoides according to Wikipedia!

Why not consider growing a jasmine plant in your garden? I hope that you are able to experience the delicious fragrant blossom of the jasmine plant. It is like a bit of heaven on earth!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Peter Pan Agapanthus

Such a beautiful blue funnel-shaped bloom captivates the Peter Pan Aganpanthus. The beautiful presentation of the blue delicate blooms atop the slender green stem of foliage is truly like art! I can well imagine that Claude Monet was mesmerized by the beauty of the Peter Pan Aganpanthus when he painted "Water Lilies and Agapanthus."

After having 3 large multiple water oaks removed from my backyard, I was presented with a challenge. What flowers do I now add to this vast open space? I had my heart set on sunny sunflowers but was unable to find any locally. Since we are into the heat of summer, sunflowers would struggle to survive. So, my next choice was the Peter Pan Agapanthus!

Peter Pan Agapanthus - Agapanthus africanus Peter Pan
Here is a sneak peek at the two Peter Pan Agapanthus which I planted next to my patio pavers project.

Planting: It is recommended that you dig a hole twice the width of the pot. For me, this was a bit of a challenge as the soil is saturated with the root bed from the removed water oaks. Next, you want to set your root ball into the middle of the hole so that it matches up even with the ground. I opted to add some nutritious planting soil around the root ball and then covered over the area with the ground soil. I patted down around the plant and then watered to wet the soil around the plants. I've not yet added mulch as I have plenty of that spread throughout the rest of the yard from the ground stumps of the removed water oaks.

Care and Maintenance: Watering should be semi-moist. Fertilize monthly. Prune by dividing in the Spring or Fall. Spacing should be 12 to 18 inches. Mine are about 18 inches apart. Growth rate is considered medium. Average size is 12 to 18 inches in height and width. I believe mine are already the top of the average scale! These are pretty cold hardy and should weather 20 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why not decorate the inside of your home with Agapanthus? I've found a few decorative designer items which caught my eye! I'm thinking of securing a complete set of the Agapanthus placemats, coasters, and mugs! Bring the Agapanthus inside!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Bugged by Bed Bugs

Are you bugged by bed bugs? Knock wood, thus far I have had no such encounter. After hearing a story on the local evening news about bed bugs, I found myself today researching them further.

We've all heard much about the common bed bug invading the bedding in many hotels worldwide. Have you ever wondered where all those bed bugs come from? I do!

Reading up on bed bugs according to Wikipedia, I learned something that I didn't know about bed bugs. Take a closer look at this picture:

Traumatic Insemination of a Bed Bug
Can you see the male bed bug? The female bed bug is flat on her back, whilst the male bed bug is mating with the female by piercing her abdomen. Ouch, me thinks! I do think that is a traumatic method for insemination; yes?

Something else that is rather interesting about that picture is that it is found in Wikimedia Commons to support the article on bed bugs. Furthermore, that very "image was selected as picture of the day on the English Wikipedia for June 4, 2010." How about that? Did you realize that the English Wikipedia had pictures of the day? I didn't!

Another interesting find on this topic is Bed Bugs and Book Bags Educator Training. The University of Florida/IFAS Duval County Extension offers free bed bug training for educators.

Last, but not least! According to that recent news story, our pets are supposedly bringing in the bed bugs! You see, normally bed bugs prey on humans when no other prey are available. Now they are feeding on our pets! What opportunists! It's as though our cats are dipped in chocolate, making them irresistible to bed bugs. An opportunity for a plug for a 14k Rose Gold Brown Diamond Cat Pendant. A cat dipped in chocolate. Something that is very enticing to me!

Some dogs have been trained to detect the presence of bed bugs. Would you believe they emit an odor of rotting raspberries? And, the bed bug does have some natural predators including ants, centipedes, cockroaches, the masked hunter, mites, and spiders. Ah, a sincere opportunity for more undesirable pests!

Gosh, I don't know about you, but I am seriously bugged by the idea of bed bugs crawling into bed with me. I was really hoping for something or somebody else.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Happy 12 Year Anniversary on eBay

Time tends to fly in the internet world. I completely forgot that on July 15, 2012, I celebrated 12 years on eBay. Can you imagine that? When I first began selling online, it was twelve years ago. I ultimately qualified to be a powerseller before I stopped selling on eBay and ventured on to Overstock then iOffer and finally eCrater.

So, it was today that I received a very nice email from eBay. At first, I thought it might be a phishing attempt as I haven't been all that active on eBay lately. Checking out the email, it appeared to be for real. Here's a peek at that email message!

Congratulations! It's your 12-year eBay anniversary!

Thank you John Donahue for this thoughtful gesture! Too many times when you operate in the online world of various sites, you don't get thanked appropriately. So, it is nice to get a personal thank you email from such a powerhouse of an ecommerce site.

It was suggested that I download and print my eBay Community Member Anniversary Certificate and display it proudly. They said, "You've earned it!" Ah, isn't that the nicest gesture!  OK, folks! I am now proudly displaying my certificate for all to see.

Happy Anniversary! eBay Community Member Anniversary Certificate

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Periodontal Disease and Gum Issues

Periodontal Disease and gum issues affect more of the population than you might imagine. Do you have regular dental checkups? Gum issues can easily impact 50% of the population. Left unchecked, gingivitis can lead to periodontal disease which left unchecked can lead to health issues, loss of bone, and tooth loss.

The other day, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek post about Whoopi Goldberg. It was a fun exercise to take the ABC TV personality quiz about which cohost of The View fit my personality. When I learned it was Whoopi Goldberg, I was surprised at the irony of this personality match. You see, I had earlier in the morning learned that Whoopi also has faced serious gum issues with periodontal disease!

Periodontal disease. Gum issues. Over half the population reportedly has gum or gingivitis issues. Not taking care of those gum issues can lead to serious periodontal disease, other related health issues and tooth loss. So, back to Whoopi Goldberg and The View. I was looking at other dentists who participate locally in the VantageOne Dental Plan. I was comparison shopping for dental care and came upon a Whoopi Goldberg video in which she is talking about her swollen face and periodontal disease.

The new dentist has me down for treatment on July 24, 2012. And, the visit is projected to be both painful to my gums and painful to my pocketbook!

Visit #1 Charges:
D4342.2 Perio Scale/Root Plan 1-3 teeth $179.00
D4999.5 Soft Tissue Curettage $65.00
D4342.2 Perio Scale/Root Plan 1-3 teeth $179.00
D4999.5 Soft Tissue Curettage $65.00
D4342.4 Perio Scale/Root Plan 1-3 teeth $224.00
D4999.5 Soft Tissue Curettage $65.00
Non-discounted charges Total: $777.00

Visit #2 Charges:
D4910 Periodontal Therapy $122.00

When the financial gal shared these expected charges with me, I was heard to say something like "What the hell?" She replied, "What do you mean?" I said, "Holy smokes those are expensive charges for one visit?" The VantageOne Dental Plan was presented to me. For an annual premium of $48.00, I could get 25% off these treatment charges. Joining the plan reduced my first visit charges to $582.25. Holy smokes folks! They are breaking my payments up into 3 consecutive monthly payments of $194.08!

Recommended minimal daily dental treatment includes these three times per day:

I guess the good news in all of this is that I do have a fabulous set of teeth and a great smile with no real teeth issues, like cavities. I don't want to lose those fabulous teeth and find that I have an artificial smile one day. Now that the research is looking more closely at gum issues and overall health, it makes more sense than you might imagine to take care of your teeth and gums! No longer is it enough to brush and floss twice or three times a day! You need to visit a dentist regularly. I know that, but for the sake of money, I skipped going to the dentist and now I am seriously going to have to pay for it!

"What the hell?" Ah, Whoopi Goldberg! At least I am in the company of a quirky woman. "Play that funky music white boy!"

Friday, July 13, 2012

I am most like Whoopi Goldberg

I am Whoopi Goldberg? Now ain't that just something? What I mean by that is I just took the ABC's The View personality quiz, "What co-host are you most like?" Answer: JaguarJulie is most like The View cohost Whoopi Goldberg!

JaguarJulie is most like The View cohost Whoopi Goldberg!

According to that nifty quiz, my quirky personality is described as:
You're funny and blunt and every once in a blue moon, you lapse into a Valley Girl accent and you're not sure why. Among your friends, you keep things on topic -- you're a leader. You're very laid back, but if something rubs you the wrong way, you're not afraid to ask "What the hell?!"
"What the hell?!" I'm telling you, this is quite interesting that I would get Whoopi Goldberg because it was just this very morning that I was up bright and early Googling to learn more about dental care. I hadn't been to a dentist in a little over two years. Since I didn't have dental insurance and couldn't afford my normal dentist, I stopped getting my cleanings. I went yesterday to a brand new dentist. Holy Smokes folks! I have serious dental issues.

Segway to a very important topic folks! Periodontal disease. Gum issues. Catch my new blog post, Periodontal Disease and Gum Issues! Ah, Whoopi Goldberg! At least I am in the company of a quirky woman. "Play that funky music white boy!"

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Greatness not Meanness

In the July-August 2012 AARP Bulletin, Pulitzer Prize winning editor, Jim Toedtman, writes:
John Adams could just as easily have been talking about today when he wrote in 1776 of his fears that the Continental Congress' decisions would be dictated "by noise, not sense; by meanness, not greatness; by ignorance, not learning; by contracted hearts, not large souls."

His conclusion is as appropriate today as it was then: "There must be decency and respect and veneration introduced for persons of authority of every rank or we are undone. In a popular government, this is our only way."
Will our leaders today be able to rise above all the noise and put aside the meanness to achieve something great? To reach a meaningful commonality of political compromise for the good of the people?

Don't we really want the kind of leaders who can instill pride in the people? Leaders who can foster a sense of agreement that will benefit all parties? Can those leaders, as Jim Toedtman states, "rediscover that proven formula of sense, greatness and learning?"

I am all for peaceful coexistence and meaningful compromises for the good of all. And, I definitely put myself on the side of "greatness not meanness."

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Thanks Google for Blogger

I love Google! Thanks Google for Blogger! I have learned to appreciate and love blogging thanks all to the power of Google. I would love to work for or with Google in almost any capacity, well except cleaning the toilets. I draw the line on cleaning toilet seats. Do you know how many germs you can pick up on a toilet seat? Listen up; I'd camp out in a tent [with air-conditioning] to get a job at Google. Hello Google people? Hire me please. I am JaguarJulie and I would love to work for or with Google in almost any capacity. Please Google!

I am a Google blogger known as Jaguar Julie Blog On since 2004! This here blog, folks! For the most part, I'm known verbally as a 'woman of few words.' But, you get me passionate about something or really riled up, well I can then become pretty prolific when it comes to the 'written word.' I'm kind of feeling pretty riled up today ... you might have noticed that? Actually the riling up has been building since about March 2012.

Blogging? Why, what a good thing it is to blog and write authentically and creatively on your blog. It's a good thing to talk about other people's content on your blog too ... provided you don't plagiarize them or steal their content and make it look like it is your content! You know?

My very first blog post was on December 22, 2004, inspired by a Microsoft Live Meeting sponsored webinar entitled "Blogging For Business" presented by Jim Coudal of Coudal Partners and Anil Dash of Six Apart. I got the message about blogging online being a good thing!

"It's the Big "T" -- Take time out for blogging you all." I said that! By the way, I picked that pretty picture of very colourful pencils because that's what I think of blogging. Blogging should be compelling and colourful and inviting.

So, are you blogging? Why not leave me a comment about your blog as a comment on this blog post. There was a time when people left blog comments. I miss them. I miss my blog peeps!

UPDATE: It is 2019 and I have been dealing with a host of content scrapers who stole my copyrighted images and content and are indexed on Google ... many times with stolen content above the original content! Google HELP ... help to fix this. Do not rank content scrapers.

Water Oaks of Jacksonville Florida

Have you heard of the water oak? The water oak is also known as spotted oak or possum oak and grows in sandy soils. In Jacksonville, Florida you can find a lot of water oaks. The life of a water oak can be 60 to 80 years.
silversmith lane water oak falls on van
Silversmith Lane Water Oak on Van

When a water oak decides "it is done living," its death can be rather sudden! That was the case with the large water oak on Silversmith Lane in Jacksonville, Florida. We had no warning! That water oak just up and died; i.e., it totally uprooted itself. On August 13, 2009, my then hubby had to deal with the uprooted water oak that landed on his tenant's van. Thankfully nobody was hurt. Check out that water oak in my Flickr album, Water Oak Tree is No More!

Perhaps because of that untimely experience with a water oak, I was not feeling so secure about the 3 multiple large water oaks in my backyard.

jaguarjulie water oaks in backyard
Water Oaks in my Backyard Before
Jacksonville, Florida was seriously spared, or dodged a big bullet, when Tropical Storm Beryl hit us as a TS and not a hurricane. Those winds were still mighty strong and were whipping around the water oaks outside my bedroom window. I had difficulty sleeping for a couple of nights.

Next, along came Tropical Storm Debby! While the winds weren't as strong as TS Beryl, the rains were heavier and more constant, causing a lot of flooding for people. I made the decision really after TS Beryl to have the water oaks taken out before they fell on the house. Because TS Debby had just hit us, the tree company was backed up with work and couldn't get to me until July 6th.

Camden and Son showed up at 8am on Friday, July 6th. It was a 10-hour full day working on those 3 water oaks. Originally, we planned on them taking out the 2 multiple water oaks. The third was added to the project that day.

jaguarjulie water oak stumps remain
Only the Water Oak Stumps Remain

It was pretty amazing to watch Josh, John and Tony work whilst the two gals cleaned up. Josh is the climber and John is his trainee. Those guys have it down to a science. It was impressive to see and hear those trees hit the ground and land as expected. I've never observed such a major tree job as this.

I am awaiting a visit from the stump grinder later this week. You can plainly see that one large water oak remains. This water oak is located on the fault line of the drainage ditch that drains into a creek that drains ultimately into the river. Behind that are major power lines. If that water oak elects to fall towards the ditch, I'm not sure it won't take out the power lines. Now, if that water oak opts to fall the other way, well that's me and my house! I will be saying a few prayers so that it isn't a replay of the Silversmith Lane Water Oak.

If you live in the Jacksonville, Florida area and need a good referral for tree people, I recommend Camden and Son. You can give Diane Camden a call at 904-434-4030 or 904-346-5424. Be sure to tell Diane that JaguarJulie referred you!

How to Celebrate a Senior Birthday

happy birthday jaguarjulie from tagsforkids
Happy Birthday JaguarJulie
from Steve Thompson aka tagsforkids
How do seniors celebrate their birthday? Hmmm? Well, seniors tend to be old-fashioned type of people. Hey! Who are you calling old-fashioned?

"If the shoe fits, wear it!" they say.

It was two years ago, on July 9, 2010, that I actually filed for divorce and had the ex served with papers on the morning of my birthday.

I don't regret the filing,
But I do regret the timing!

One year later. On July 9, 2011, I was new into my home on the street that floods thanks to a clogged storm water drain. My next door neighbor reached out to me and took me to dinner for that birthday. For that particular warm act of kindness, I am eternally grateful to THAT neighbor!

So, July 9, 2012, was marking two years since the filing. "I must do something novel today," I mumbled. Up at the crack of dawn to work on my Squidoo lenses [call me crazy please]. Next, I headed out to my local HomeGoods store to sniff the scented candles. After my high, I headed over to Longhorn Steakhouse and had a delicious lobster and crab soup with a spicy peppered steak salad. I really wanted to order Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, but couldn't find it on the menu!

After lunch, I opted to take in a movie; ah, Magic Mike starring Channing Tatum. How to celebrate a senior birthday? Well, if you are a sharp senior gal such as myself, you might want to have Channing Tatum dance for YOU! My oh my ... mighty fine. Trust me, Matthew McConaughey had nothing over on Channing Tatum! Good thing I didn't need to adjust my pacemaker.

Once the magic ended, I headed out of the theater and over to my local Lowe's to buy me a sunflower plant. Would you believe that there were NO sunflowers to be had? I'll be checking back next week for sunflowers as I now have a rather sunny backyard thanks to the removal of 3 large water oak.

So, back home to work on my Squidoo lenses [call me crazy please]. "My dear, you are CRAZY!"

We [me, myself and I] were heading into the evening. I'd received no viable date offers from PlentyofFish, so I jumped in the roadster and headed over to Outback. Keeping in the spirit of Magic Mike, I was blessed with a most handsome young waiter by the name of Devon. "How old are you?" I asked. Twenty-two! Ah 22.

I wasn't really all that hungry so I asked if there was a lobster appetizer. I had a steamed lobster tail, some bread, and a skinny girl margarita. The lobster and margarita were delicious. Pretty soon I heard dessert coming. For my birthday, I got some tasty ice cream in chocolate sauce and a fine rendition of "Happy Birthday to you!"

And, that folks is precisely how you too can celebrate a senior birthday! Why not take yourselves out?

P.S. Did I tell you that Channing Tatum is looking mighty fine in the Magic Mike Movie. Oh and I will be imagining THOSE men at work in my backyard!

630 City of Jacksonville Service Request

How do you get help from the City of Jacksonville COJ? Well, if you have a valid service request or complaint, you can either call the city at 904-630-CITY or you can file online at 630city.coj.net. On Monday, July 2, 2012, I filed an online service request with the COJ. I tried calling first, but got a recorded message that the wait times were longer than usual.

storm water drain in side yard
Storm water drain in my side yard
I had wondered about the hole in the ground that had standing water. The previous owner never mentioned that the two storm water drains in the street in front of my home were draining to this location in my side yard. The location of this drain was rather camouflaged by overgrowth that concealed its location. As I worked to clear the brush from my side yard, this drain began to stick out like a sore thumb.

Along came Tropical Storm Debby. Not only was I concerned about the winds bringing down the large water oaks in my yard, but I was worried about this drain! Jacksonville was hammered with more rains than we could reasonably handle.

storm water drain creates a pond
Storm water drain creates a pond
Our street had water on both sides that began to touch in the middle of the street. The two storm water drains were trying to drain that water. However, that water was moving from the flooded street to my side yard in the back! This street has been flooding for years; every time it rains, the street isn't draining. And, I am sure that none of the neighbors realized that the cause of the street flooding is a clogged storm water drain in my side yard!

I don't believe the neighbors across the street, in particular, realized that the storm water drain has an outlet in my side yard! Those neighbors began to drain their swimming pool into the already filled street water the night of the heavy rains. They were feeding their pool water directly into the one storm water drain. And, that was not the first time!

Hello! I was on the telephone with my next door neighbor, the night of the heavy TS Debby rains, as we watched the pond rising higher and higher. I captured this photo of the storm water drained pond the day after when the pond had begun to recede from its high point.

On July 2, 2010, I filed my online service request before 11am. You can probably guess how surprised I was to see three city workers walking through my backyard in the early morning of July 3rd! I never expected such quick response to an online service request to the City of Jacksonville. I walked, with the three workers, over to the storm water drain and I explained how high the pond had been the night of the heavy TS Debby rains. One of the leaning trees had a swing on it that was just about touching the ground. The pond water caused the tree to lean further into the yard.

The men did a bit of digging around the storm water drain to help to get the water to flow. They mentioned that perhaps prison workers might be used to trench out the drainage area so that it wouldn't back up into a pond effect. I told them about the neighbors draining their pool during TS Debby; I guess you're not supposed to do that when the storm drains are overworked? Also, another neighbor has been using the storm water drain in the street for pouring down grease and other cooking fluids and waste; like a garbage can. You can see grease on the water in the street storm water drain! Their kids have been washing their paint down that same storm water drain. Oh my! I believe those are code violations.

The city workers promised to come back with some fill dirt for the erosion at the neighbor's fence next to the storm drain. Since we were going into a holiday, I wasn't sure when those workers would return. On Friday, July 6th, the workers were back with a truck of fill dirt. That was a busy day as I had a tree company taking down 3 large water oaks in my backyard.

I've now got an additional online service request for mosquito control for all that standing water; and yet another online service request for a big tree that is on the fault line in the back drainage ditch that ultimately drains this pond into the creek that feeds finally to the river.

tree on fault line of drainage ditch
Large tree on fault line of drainage ditch
On July 6th, when the tree company was working on the other side of my yard, I asked them to look at this tree that is on the fault line of the drainage ditch. With the heavy TS Debby rains, the creek filled up into the drainage ditch so much that you could see it rising from my back door. The one side of this large tree has washed away soil exposing its roots. Because the base of the tree doesn't have much support into the ditch, I've been told that a good wind could well bring that tree down onto my house. I am asking the COJ to take a look at the situation with this tree and remove the tree for me; along with that leaning tree next to it. I'd also hope they can help me out in the pond area with two more trees leaning seriously into my yard.

SUGGESTION: It would seem to make some sense that the storm water drain be "moved" from my side yard. If it is piped directly back through the yard to the drainage ditch out back, the water will not form a pond there. Ultimately, the waters are supposedly draining West and then back East into the creek in the drainage ditch. Why not trench in a pipe and send the storm water directly into the creek rather than my side yard? Hey, I'm not an engineer, but I think that would be a better fix than bringing out prison workers to dig out the marshy area for a better water flow. Oh, I hope we get mosquito control to spray!!!

How do you get help from the City of Jacksonville COJ? Well, if you have a valid service request or complaint, you can either call the city at 904-630-CITY or you can file online at 630city.coj.net.