The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

Category: Oddities

Who’d’a thunk it?

  • Funnel Weaver Spider Season

    Two Funnel Weaver spiders spun their webs across diagonal corners of the garden tool rack and appear to be peacefully sharing the bounty attracted by nearby lights.

    The one on the left vanishes instantly into its funnel, deep inside the corner post, nearly every time we step onto the patio:

    Funnel Weaver spider - tool rack left
    Funnel Weaver spider – tool rack left

    The other spider worked around a stick emerging from its refuge:

    Funnel Weaver spider - tool rack right
    Funnel Weaver spider – tool rack right

    But it’s doing all right:

    Funnel Weaver spider - tool rack right - detail
    Funnel Weaver spider – tool rack right – detail

    Their less adventurous compadres build webs on the plaintains festooning what might be called our lawn, making me feel awful while mowing in these months. I hope the mower’s vibrations drive them deep into the grass before it roars overhead, but I’ll never know.

  • Tailfins!

    They don’t make tail fins like this any more:

    Cadillac Fleetwood tail fins
    Cadillac Fleetwood tail fins

    It’s a 1962 Cadillac Fleetwood encountered on a walk around the block.

    Those are a mere shadow of their former selves, though, as per Wikipedia’s photo of a 59 Caddy:

    By Christer Johansson – Own work (File produced by Christer Johansson), CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=931973

    Nothing exceeds like excess!

  • Hawk vs. Praying Mantis

    A young Coopers Hawk swooped across the yard, landed on a branch, and proceeded to dismantle something yummy, scattering little bits on the driveway below. One piece fluttered down like a feather, but, after the hawk flew off, we found this:

    Praying Mantis - wing
    Praying Mantis – wing

    It wasn’t a feather, it was an entire wing!

    A few feet away, we found another:

    Praying Mantis - wing parts
    Praying Mantis – wing parts

    Not that there was any doubt, but these parts clinched the identification:

    Praying Mantis - foreleg and wing parts
    Praying Mantis – foreleg and wing parts

    Some days earlier, we admired eight Praying Mantises on the decorative grasses and bushes out front. Perhaps it was this one:

    Praying Mantis - brown wing covers - in grass
    Praying Mantis – brown wing covers – in grass

    Or this one, a few feet away:

    Praying Mantis - brown wing covers - on bush
    Praying Mantis – brown wing covers – on bush

    We don’t know what, if any, the difference between brown and green wing covers might indicate. Age? Gender? Attitude? Skill level?

    It’s a food chain out there!

  • Walnut Husk Fly Damage

    A recent Amazon purchase of three 3 lb bags of walnuts from a known-good seller arrived with many damaged nuts:

    Damaged walnuts - detail
    Damaged walnuts – detail

    The damage matches what I read about Walnut Husk Fly infestations: shriveled kernels and terrible taste.

    In round numbers, I found 8 oz of damaged nuts in each 3 lb bag, enough to ruin the entire batch. The seller immediately refunded the purchase price for all three bags, so there’s that.

    It’s definitely not one of the counterfeit products plaguing Amazon, but I wonder why that lot didn’t fail incoming inspection.

    I’m loathe to buy more walnuts for a while, though.

    Memo to Self: Always inspect incoming purchases, even from reputable sellers!

  • Monthly Image: Praying Mantis vs. Monarch Butterfly

    The Butterfly Bush in front of the house attracts all kinds of insects, including Monarch Butterflies (shown here on the Goldenrod planted in the garden):

    Monarch on Goldenrod - left
    Monarch on Goldenrod – left

    This year, the bush also attracted a Praying Mantis:

    Praying Mantis in Butterfly Bush - 2019-09-05
    Praying Mantis in Butterfly Bush – 2019-09-05

    Then lunchtime happened:

    Praying Mantis vs Monarch - 2019-09-11
    Praying Mantis vs Monarch – 2019-09-11

    A closer look:

    Praying Mantis vs Monarch - detail - 2019-09-11
    Praying Mantis vs Monarch – detail – 2019-09-11

    Now, if that isn’t enough nightmare fuel for you, find some in your own neighborhood.

  • Rail Trail Tree Clearing

    Trees along the Dutchess Rail Trail fall over for no obvious reason and sometimes block the path:

    DCRT Fallen Tree - 1 - 2019-08-29
    DCRT Fallen Tree – 1 – 2019-08-29

    But my tool hand is strong:

    DCRT Fallen Tree - 2 - 2019-08-29
    DCRT Fallen Tree – 2 – 2019-08-29

    The DPW folks can haul off the trunk, as it’s more than I can move.

  • Floor Sweepings from eBay

    Ordered 100 stainless steel M3 washers from a “US Seller”, received this:

    M3 stainless steel washers - short count
    M3 stainless steel washers – short count

    Yeah, it looked a bit short to me, too.

    The chopped and bent washers in the upper right corner suggest the seller got floor sweepings from his source, which is about what you’d expect for a bottom-dollar vendor.

    The seller refunded half, which wasn’t particularly generous, but I wasn’t ready to go to the mat for two bucks.