Posted on 04/01/2025 6:11:07 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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I had a dual temperature glue gun (60 watts on high) that the feed mechanism failed in, so I converted it to a “hot nail” punch. B4 that I used to use a soldering iron whose tip got worn AND locked in, but, that was too hot and many of the plastics made some nasty fumes.
Whatever did I do with that glue gun punch, anyway? I cut “pots” (and funnels) out of 2 qt. Diet Sundrop bottles, and have been drilling them out...
Small rattlesnakes, anyway. When I was about 17(?), my Dad and I came across a timber rattler every bit of 5’ long. It had been hit on a road and very badly injured - just mashed about halfway down, guts hanging out... My Dad said he’d normally let it go (this was inside a State Forest, well away from campgrounds, etc.), but this was a case of a “mercy” killing needed.
I’m a bit surprised he didn’t try to bring the dead snake home to try for supper, but, IMO Mom would have revolted. The snapping turtle the prior summer, still trying to move after being 3/4 butchered, was bad enough...
Anyway, “my” ~3 ft. Kingsnake doesn’t grow big enough to take on a 5 ft. rattler. The rattler’s immature kids would be a different story, though.
The idea is to NOT have mice and rats, which get into feed for the chickens @ night. So, the attraction for the rodents is already there, but, I’m not sure how big a snake has to be for the chickens to not attack it.
Sounding pretty good!
OMG. That looks (and reads) “totally decadent”. :-)
My top 5 are
Salmon
Salmon
Salmon
Grouper
All store bought unfortunately except a few charter trips in Lake Michigan. Big hauls. Salmon and lake trout which is also very good.
I love the new twist for topping a cobbler——chocolate chip cookie dough.
Glad you liked it, too.
Oops that was only 4. Could add red snapper.
*** OMG. That looks (and reads) “totally decadent”. :-)***
^^^This is why I skipped over it as soon as I got a few words in. Totally decadent.
My top five? Anything fresh.
When I go back to Florida, I go for grouper, red snapper, and maybe flounder.
If I can get my hands on fresh rainbow trout, and once in a blue moon I can, then it’s one of my favorites. Make it pecan crusted and bake it in the oven. Heavenly. Ain’t nothing better. More about rainbow trout later.
And then salmon. We have a butcher who gets Faroe Island Salmon flown in 3 times a week, so it’s always fresh there. Pay a pretty price, but I’ll do it. Fresh is my big thing.
After hard times were over, my Dad would go meet the fishermen, and very often got his hands on their catch. I got spoiled on fresh seafood at that point. I was in high school by then.
Ok, back to the rainbow trout. When I was a kid, we took long summer vacations (tent camping across the US). One year, ok several years, we drove from Florida to wherever. Sometimes to Canada, Québec, and Prince Edward Island. Another time to Fairbanks, Alaska, and all through Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon Territory. I’ve been to the Tetons several times, and it was one of my favorite places. I remember fishing with Dad and my brothers and sisters for Rainbow Trout there. Luckily they were more skilled than I was. I was still pretty young, but it was fun.
Those trips were adversity wrapped up in adventure. We saw many beautiful vistas, but we got there crammed like sardines in a station wagon. There were 8 of us: two parents, and six kids with a 12 year span between oldest and youngest. Tent camping across the US, and these were not nylon tents, they were canvas. Upon pain of death did you touch the side of a tent during a rain storm.
This was all from earliest years (I can remember being 3 years old as one my earliest memories), and every summer until I was 16 and begged, literally begged, not to have to go away for 3-4 weeks. I promised the moon. All the chores. All the work. (We had a family business.) Please don’t make me go back in that station wagon and sleep in a sleeping bag in a tent for weeks on end. The trip relaxed my father, but by the time I was a teenager, I was begging to stay home. Mom must’ve talked sense into Dad, as he relented. Thank you, Mama!
Decadent and.......... decidedly delicious.
No doubt! It’s got to be amazing!!
Choc chip cherry cobbler looks great.
Will try it!
Thanks
😋
Yes fresh is best for sure.
Heh, I won’t disagree much on Lake Trout! When I was a teen and my maternal Grandpa’s legs were getting to where he couldn’t hike far, etc., instead of a fishing trip nearly to Hudson Bay, we (myself, my next oldest brother, my Dad, and Grandpa), took a trip by car all the way around Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, staying as close to the shorelines as practical, except for jogs to other “sights”, a couple of the campgrounds on smaller lakes, etc. It took us about a week. We’d stop at these little fish markets, some barely more than shacks. I don’t recall eating salmon, but DO remember lake trout, smoked and not, walleye...
I’m just “ok” on salmon served in fillets, but my wife makes a couple different “Filipino” fish soups substituting salmon, and it works very well there. Mmmm...
We did the charter trips out of Grand Haven. Yes up north is great for fish. In Leland we always went to Carlsons the market there known for its smoked whitefish and salmon. We took a trip to the UP once and driving in the middle of nowhere we saw a sign on a fence post with the name of the farm and an arrow, under which it said “quiescently smoked whitefish”.Of course we had to go. Beautiful old farmhouse with a closed in large front porch converted into a real store, cold cases for the fish. It was awesome.
I have a glue gun - that’s a great idea for adding drainage to plastic. Thanks!
Got the jacks and jack stands out and rotated the tires on our '09 Outback. Need to get driver's side front alignment checked - the wear pattern is favoring the inside portion of the tread (more wear). The other 3 tires look better / are holding up nicely.
The "separated" Orange Jubilee tomato plants from the 4" (Menards) pots (now in 2L soda bottle "pots") are all looking good. Yay! I prolly should take the 2 biggest (including the one already flowering) outside to harden them. I've been keeping some plants "in" in not so much due to frost worries as cool weather slowing them down. But, it looks like we are past that. I need to get some of the plants have been "out" in the ground, but, this week looks rainy. Today is dry and 20 deg. warmer than yesterday (87 deg. forecast!) but mostly tied up (other plans already set.)
Almost all my other "separations" are looking good too. Even the 2 weaker lettuce plants look better - I think the mostly cool weather helped them. Hopefully this warm week won't ruin that effort.
I picked up this light @ Menards:
https://www.menards.com/main/p-1642874298745568.htm?utm_campaign=18A_AO-2025&utm_content=11-Rebate-Sale&utm_source=flyer&utm_medium=flyer_network
The heat sinking looks good (considerable) and gets warm immediately after turn-on - a sign the heat transfer from the LEDs is good. IMO, the 20k lumens is over-rated, but, this thing is still pretty bright. I may give lettuce in the basement another try. However, I'm not sure if the cost of the electricity in warm weather is "worth it". (Warming things up when it's cold is a "better plan", I think...) :-)
I'm investigating another 20k lumen light too - that one's brighter and dis-assemblable" but has (possibly correctable) heat sinking "inadequacies". It could be "interesting". Will get into discussion of that one later.
Wally World had fairly decent looking $27 hooded windbreakers on clearance for $5. They look at least partially rain repellent. Fit is generous: I picked up a "medium" for regular wear, and a "large" to throw over heavier clothing on cold wet days. My old hooded windbreaker just became "work outside clothes". :-)
Aldi has a fairly decent 4-way hose splitter with good looking flow-through (largish ball valves) for $10. I can't make one that cheap, so, I picked one up. Supposedly has a 5 year warranty. We shall see...
Aleene's "Super Fabric Adhesive" appears to be the same stuff as "Shoe Goop" ("Plumber's Goop", etc.) which appears to be the same stuff as "Through The Roof" roof repair adhesive....
"Spring Valley" "Fish, Flax, and Borage Oil" vitamins disappeared from Wal Mart for a little while, and are now back as "Spring Valley" "Triple Omega" vitamins. Same bottle, same quantity, same ingredients (I think), pretty close to same price...
Replaced dining room light switch (was becoming intermittent - 60+ y/o switch). Then climbed up to pull down and clean the fixture -- that was a bigger project!
Went up to Mom's and mowed. Half done - at least the front looks better now. (That, including the trip, took most of a day.)
Fought this computer for a few hours. I won't detail that. Seems ok now.
One of the roosters tore through the poultry netting separating him from another rooster. That wasn't good, but both seem to have survived despite some serious bloodshed... Put up stronger material. :-(
Sorted a bunch of my socks. How did I ever get so many unmatched sock half-pairs? Where are the missing? :-(
My 2x 6.5 lb. bags of "Triple Phosphate" came in. A bit got distributed last Friday. This seems to be a nutrient that takes a while for plants to use, so, I hope it's not too late for the already flower-budding Iris? But, mainly I got it for the veggie plants. :-)
Springtime in Misery... 4”+ rainfall at my house over the past ten days. We’ve officially reached the ‘mow the grass twice a week if it’s not raining again’ stage of spring.
Stopped by the nursery yesterday and bought my pepper plants. It’s too muddy to put them in the ground, and we’re not completely safe yet from frost, so they will hang out in the greenhouse until conditions improve.
We had fried morels and fresh asparagus with our breakfast yesterday. I’m done stomping the woods until the chanterelles come in August.
Thanks for the reminder on the Morels. We should have at lest SOME by the end of the month. We’ve got rain/bad storms coming overnight and with the 78 degrees today, they should be popping up in our woods, too. :)
So, I waited to post today - I’m in a really cr@ppy mood and I’ll explain in a bit. ;)
First of all, or Surprise Party for Benny went really well, yesterday. Close to 50 people showed up for his award ceremony. Benny is the original founder of our Bear Hunters Club and Beau put him in for a Lifetime Achievement Award. Benny is well into his 80’s and has every conceivable ‘Old Guy Ailment’ wrong with him - we put this together in a weeks time because time is of the essence where Benny is concerned!
Anyhow, he was very pleased and happy and SEEMED to get the gist of what was going on. His dear brother cares for him, so he was explaining things as we went along.
Food was fantastic - so many good Wisconsin Cooks, and my burgers were a big hit - none left over - hot dogs, either - but the kids gobbled those up.
The setting was at the farm of one of our hunting friends. They have a large garage that we used for the food, and could have needed it if the weather was bad, but the day was perfect - sunny and breezy, in the 60’s. They have a beautiful setting with two ponds at the front of the property, lots of domestic and wild ducks and the kids had great fun pestering the ducks and playing around the edges of the ponds. Someone brought their new Plott Hound puppy, so he made the rounds and got a LOT of ‘socialization.’
It was great to see everyone, and after all this time I’m finally remembering everyone’s names, and they seem to remember me, though I am usually ‘behind the scenes’ as I just raise the dogs they use for hunting. I got to see one of the pups (I called her ‘Joker’ but her name now is ‘Sugar’) and she is just as sweet as she always was - though she likes to bark too much, so she was sporting her no-bark collar. ;)
So, the reason I’m in a bad mood is that we’re having water well pump issues. Beau and I kept hearing a funny noise - but each if us thought the other was just running a fan or it was the dehumidifier in the basement. Turns out we have a leak somewhere between the wellhead and the house. We still have water, we’re just shutting if off most of the day and overnight. So, this entails hauling out 300’ of hosepipe to get to the pump to see what’s what. Ugh! HOPEFULLY, the leak isn’t that far down, so we don’t have to haul all that pipe up out of the ground! No soppy spots in the yard as far as we can see/feel - and we looked! Beau is super-handy so I’m sure he can fix it - it’s just one more problem that no one ever needs.
So HAPPY I stashed 10 gallons of water in milk jugs. I’ve learned that I can make it through a day on 3 gallons for ‘flushing, brushing and taking a Bird Bath’ at the end of the day! Always have water stashed if you have a well. Well pumps will seemingly work for-ever - but when they don’t they DON’T - all of a sudden!
And then I cut my right index finger on a newly sharpened knife this morning. I’m still bleeding a bit, but it’s not big enough for stitches. Typing has broken it open again - time for a fresh wrap!
Tonight we are in for some bad storms, but most is SUPPOSED to go north of us. Large hail, rain, bad winds, tornadoes - the whole mixed bag. Double UGH!
I’m taking a jug of water with me and I’m going to bed early tonight, LOL!
Thanks for listening! :)
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