That's Life

Lois Richter
  • 5.0 (1)
  • News
  • Updated Monthly

Lois Richter’s format for That’s Life is mostly interviews. Recurring topics include Davis activities and groups; work and life choices; philosophy and theory; plus birding, cooking, art, and other passions. Lois occasionally breaks into music — from ballads to the slack key sounds of Hawaii to golden oldies rock 'n' roll — but mostly there is just talk. To suggest a topic for discussion or a person to interview, text Lois or leave a message in the comments here. Lois seldom (but occasionally) updates her other website. Check it out at https://BirdingWithLois.global

  1. Sep 2

    Replay of Corky Quirk: "Bats in your Belfry ... I mean Bypass" from 6/8/17 TL

    Yolo Basin Foundation's bat expert Corky Quirk know a LOT about the "Bats in our Bypass"! And she freely shared her knowledge and fascinating stories about this non-rodent population.  Yep. That's right. Bats are NOT rodents!  Even though the German word for them (fledermaus) literally means 'flying mouse', they aren't.  Corky says that about half the mammal species in the world are rodent species, and about half of the rest of the mammal are BATS!  Lots and lots of species of BATS -- few of which live in or near Davis.  Most of the bats living inside the causeway bridge are Mexican Free-tail Bats which are each about the size of my thumb.  With their wings folded closely, they roost in the one-inch-wide expansion cracks under the concrete of the road. They cling to the concrete and huddle together like a huge very long puppy-pile.  Sleeping in the day, one can see them streaming out just after sunset all along the 3 miles of causeway between Davis and Sacramento as they head out to feed.  Lots of bats. Lots and LOTS of bats!! Over 250,000 bats!!! (Lois' note: I don't think I have enough exclamation points to express my amazement at some of the things I learned today.  Instead, I'll just invite you to listen in to this fast-paced fact-filled BATmania episode.) By the way. Did you know that baby bats are called pups and are left vercroed to the concrete while their mothers go out and eat?  Yep. A purely puppy puppy-pile of bat pups.

  2. Jul 29

    Replay of That's John McNerney, Talkin' Turkey

    Davis employs a wildlife biologist named John McNerney to oversee all things natural in the City.  John  has been on the show several times (all archived for your listening pleasure!). This time our discussion focussed on the turkeys and other 'wild' animals in the City and what people should or should NOT do in their interactions.  Although I hope you will listen to this entire episode; here's the main point Lois got from it -- DO NOT leave out food where the rats, turkeys, squirrels, skunks, opposums, or other animals can get to it.  That includes remnants of cat and dog food, as well as intentionally feeding them. Wild animals that become 'habituated' to people can cause problems.  Ah, you might say, but what about the little birds?        If you want to feed the finches, try hanging a seed feeder up high (and cleaning the ground below it); to attract little songbirds, let your yard have lots of leafy bushes and don't use pesticides; leaving leaves where they fall under bushes attracts the ground feeders; and offering a BIRD BATH near a bush outside your window lets you enjoy whoever is in your yard.        Lois says: The easiest thing is to put out a hummingbird feeder.  [This is a commitment though. We DO have hummingbirds that live here year-round, so if you put up a feeder it's best to keep it going all the time.]  To be safe, one should bring in the feeder, empty it, clean it, and re-fill with sterilized sugar-water once a week (twice a week if we get over 90°). Don't wait until you can 'see' something growing in it.  The first things to grow in there will have no color and yet are producing toxins that can harm a hummer. Fill your feeder with 1:4 sugar-water (1/4 cup sugar for each 1 cup water) that you have boiled (we microwave ours) and let cool. DO NOT USE FOOD COLORING in the water; it is not useful to them and apparently can harm the birds.  (If you REALLY want something red, paint a bit on the outside of your feeder.)         If you have questions about anything on this show, you can leave a comment on the archive page at: https://kdrt.org/audio/thats-john-mcnerney-talkin-turkey

  3. Jul 22

    2026-07-21: Replay of That's Beth Post, Hawaiian Cultural Ambassador (10/25/2018)

    KDRT's Hawaiian expert Beth Post is today's guest. Her radio show "Na Mele O Hawaii" is one of the most popular on this station!  And the story of how it came to be and what changes it has made in her family's is fascinating. Beth first became involved with KDRT when a  friend started the "Road Scholar" show about home-schooling and needed a back up. Beth and her daughter started helping out and eventually doing it all on their own.  After a few years, the kids got older and that show was no longer of as much interest.  Beth's daughter went on to school and Beth -- having gotten a taste of sharing on the radio -- was left on her own.  When she approached Jeff about having a new music show, his first question was: "So what kind of music do you plan to play?"  Since there was already a great classical show and several of other genres, Beth had to think hard about what she could offer that was different. Ah-HAH!  She had enough Hawaiian music CDs to do 10 half-hour shows.  Which was enough time to see if this thing would really fly. But Beth, being Beth, would not be satisfied just playing a song and announcing the title.  No.  She wanted to give more info about each song and artist -- background  for the people and origins of the songs.  "And how do you pronounce that?"  So she started researching, began to learn Hawaiian language, and launched her new show.   But that research turned out to not effect just the show.  As she learned more about Hawaii, she fell in love with the culture as well as the music.  Fast forward to now ... She and her family  have been making the journay to a week-long immersion camp in Maui for years; she says her values have shifted for the better; and now she hosts visiting Hawaiian artists, produces music videos on DCTV, and is widely regarded as a local Hawaiian music expert.  She is also organizing 'house concerts' for guest performers from the islands.   A good friend and an interesting chat.  Hope you will join us.

  4. Jul 15

    2026-07-14: Replay of That's "Scratchboarding" with Ann Ranlett (9/13/2018)

    Ann Ranlett is an artist.  A SCRATCHBOARD artist.  What's that, you say?  Listen to today's show and find out!  Lois found Ann while researching a 'drawing' to be donated to the Friends of Art for their auction at the Yolo County Fair.  (Anyone know a local artist named "H. Friend" who was been making things in 1972?)  Once Lois figuring out this was not a drawing, but actually a scratchboard; she tried to find a gathering place of such folks to see if anyone know more about artist Friend.  Although she ddi find the group, alas, no one knew that artist. But during those communications, Lois discovered that Ann Ranlett lived in northern California and was willing to come and be interviewed!  Which brings us to this show. If you want to follow along during Ann's description of how scratchboarding is done, look at  http://www.annran.com/website/gallery/scratchboard/lucy-the-goose-steps/ where Ann has posted, step-by-step, the process she used to make Lucy's portrait.   THANKS!

  5. Jul 7

    Replay of What is Friendship?: a discussion with friends (6/14/2018)

    Three of Lois' friends -- Leanne Friedman, Marilee Eusebio, and Autumn Labbe-Renault -- joined her to talk about friendship and friendliness.

  6. Jul 1

    June 30, 2026: Replay of Reese Rowland, Stormwater Pollution Prevention (01/25/18)

    Reese Rowland from the City of Davis spoke about his work on Stormwater Pollution Prevention.  Do you know where your water comes from and where it goes? Listen to today's show and find out!

  7. Apr 28

    Replay of Lois Richter on slack key music, birds, and life (16 Feb 2017)

    Jeff Peterson's CD "Slack Key Travels" Bird behaviors (info via Lois).

  8. Apr 7

    Replay of Bats, bats, and more bats -- with Corky Quirk (4/5/18)

    Corky's back!  To talk to us about bats, bats, and more bats!  -- primarily the Mexican Free-tail Bat which is so plentiful under the I-80 freeway at the causeway.  Size, shape, habit -- all the things that one can know about these insect-devouring friends -- that's what Corky Quirk has for us today.  And then there are the mysteries that scientists still haven't learns.  The crack in the attached image is less than 2 inches wide.

See All (38)

About

Lois Richter’s format for That’s Life is mostly interviews. Recurring topics include Davis activities and groups; work and life choices; philosophy and theory; plus birding, cooking, art, and other passions. Lois occasionally breaks into music — from ballads to the slack key sounds of Hawaii to golden oldies rock 'n' roll — but mostly there is just talk. To suggest a topic for discussion or a person to interview, text Lois or leave a message in the comments here. Lois seldom (but occasionally) updates her other website. Check it out at https://BirdingWithLois.global

Information

  • Creator
    Lois Richter
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
  • Show Website
    That's Life