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.
Other creatures in our world
Judging from the squirrel tracks on both sides of the scuffle, the squirrel lived to tell the tale:
I think the squirrel came in from the right, the hawk stooped from a pine tree on the left and missed the catch, whereupon the squirrel departed leftward as fast as its little paws could go.
Surely a hair-raising encounter!
A Red Fox came trotting around the garden on the day before Christmas, then nosed up to the back of the house:
Presumably, it was in search of a snack. We wish it good hunting.
A few hours later, the fox walked quickly across the back yard with half a dozen turkey toms close behind, perhaps urging it away from their hens. Everybody remained calm and collected, knowing their roles in this particular play.
FWIW, Marist College fields Red Foxes athletic teams. The women’s teams are Lady Red Foxes, as “vixen” carries entirely inappropriate connotations.
We hung a pine-cone wreath beside the back door (a.k.a. the only door we use), replacing a Welcome sign painted on a slate tile. Of course, the tile had long provided a sheltered spot against the house siding:
Reports from the garden suggest Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs aren’t as damaging as they once were, perhaps because something has developed a taste for them.
We hope whatever it might be eats well this year.
I spotted a defunct paper wasp (or, more likely, a hornet) nest on a lawn under a tree:
Call it basketball sized, large enough to raise plenty of wasps:
I vastly prefer encountering those critters after their season is over …
The rodents around here have great trouble with outdoor bowls, but this trio ended in a deep six gallon bucket next to the garage workbench:
Even though mice don’t seem like cuddly creatures, they ended their days snuggled together; we’ll just ignore the cannibalism thing.
Heck of a way to go, even for rodents. I renewed the steel wool blocking a gap in the garage door.
Our Compact Edition of the OED doesn’t get much use these days, but Mary needed a magnifier for a class on quilt judging and the OED has one that seemed just about right:
The magnifier comes in a removable box fitted neatly into the drawer, revealing a surprise underneath:
A detail view:
It’s a plastic ant from a bag in the Kiddie Surplus box my Shop Assistant grew up with and a pleasant reminder of long-ago days, carefully placed where only I’d ever see it.
Of course, it’s still there …
A decorative snail emerged from within a large garden lettuce:
It seemed interested in its new surroundings:
And eventually set off on an adventure:
We returned it to the Great Outdoors, far from the garden goodies, and wished it well.
Sometimes, having eyes mounted on stalks would be advantageous, but I’m unwilling to give up opposable thumbs to get ’em.
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 