Posted on 05/01/2026 6:24:57 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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I have a similar “project” for an old fishing rod of my Dad’s: Mice had chewed a good size chunk out of the cork handle. :-(
I’ve had vague suggestions of mixing ground cork with some sort of adhesive, but, which adhesive? It needs to cure 100% water / sweat / repellent, etc., resistant. It also must not shrink when drying / curing, although I suppose one could oversize the “mold”, and then sand later, if the filler is sandable. Clear silicone cement, once cured, tends to collect dust and such, so, that’s not great, although possibly the paintable variety would do better? Plain old Bondo (hahaha - I accidentally mistyped that as “Bondi”!) likely would work if appearance is not critical, but, again, I’d allow for some shrinkage and then sand, whittle, etc., once fully cured. I’ve used an adhesive called “Vulchem Max” for a variety of projects needing an adhesive / filler that cures tough and rubbery - again, there, appearance goes by the wayside, and you’d have to have a good mold. A mold could be 3D printed, I suppose, but, then again, there would then also be the possibility of 3D printing right over / on top of the original part, I would think. However, I don’t believe I know anyone with a 3D printer handy.
Oversize the repair and use Plastic Wood, then sand?? Maybe... I’d generally stay away from water base wood filler,.
Polypropylene(?) plastic file folder material sort of wrapped around the handle might function as a sort of mold if the handle is basically a piece of dowel rod, but it’d leave a seam or seams that could be sanded off. I think the polypropylene would be inert, with most filler materials, but, best to test out first. PP sheet material will tend to block off air exposure — a consideration, also.
Extra high density foam gap filler might even work, but it might warp a weak mold lacking “exits” to “relieve” the expanding foam. Does it stick tenaciously to polypropylene? Dunno...
This is all off the top of my head — I’ll bet there’s better info. and vids on You Tube.
This is reminding me I need to get my “Coolpeno” plant in a nice pot!!
Speaking of fishing, the evening of Memorial Day was nicely productive. More on that, later... :-)
French Scrambled Eggs / with sour cream
Elevates the simple egg to gastronomic perfection.
INGS serve 4: 5 eggs 1/2 c dairy sour cream s/p 2 tbl ea butter, chp green onion Paprika/Parsley garnish
Method: Beat eggs, sour cream, s/p just to blend...no more. Saute onion tender in melted butter. Pour in egg mixture; cook done on low heat. As portions thicken, turn eggs w/ spatula; do not stir and do not overcook. Serve garnished w/ paprika and parsley.
All good advice thanks. You mentioned “Oversize the repair and use Plastic Wood, then sand?? “ That’s kind of what I am thinking . I actually bought a small can of this a couple of years ago and figured I’d better do something. Its a nice hatchet and worth sacing,
https://www.walmart.com/ip/DAP-Plastic-Wood-Pine-Wood-Filler-4-oz/22134667?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101318846&selectedOfferId=93CD2C68275C3A80B33BCD6676398BA8&conditionGroupCode=1&adid=2222222222793CD2C68275C3A80B33BCD6676398BA8_14069003552_202077872&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42423897272&wl4=pla-2449037643288&wl5=9017451&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=737394919&wl11=online&wl12=93CD2C68275C3A80B33BCD6676398BA8&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=202077872&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIrWmBL34jjoi6ZnT_tJDbrkj&gclid=CjwKCAjwrNrQBhBjEiwAoR4VO7uVKxXVo00fNXdA-VJb1MQcW-VMG3bb20UXC1fsEVBJm1WlkJ0PBxoCDTYQAvD_BwE
About the cork, I would consider ground cork mixed with clear gorilla glue. It would have to be the clear as the brown expands like crazy.
And I would use lots of cork and the smallest amount of glue possible.
Well, looky here! Wisconsin has it’s own ‘Project Pawpaw’ promoting your favorite fruit! :)
What is a Pawpaw?
North America’s largest native fruit is becoming more common in Wisconsin.
No, we’re not referring to anyone’s grandpa — and there’s no connection to animal feet or left-handed baseball pitchers, either. We’re talking about North America’s largest native fruit, the one referenced in the Appalachian folk song “Way Down Yonder in the Pawpaw Patch” and (perhaps most famously) in “The Bare Necessities” from Disney’s 1967 movie “The Jungle Book.”
Pawpaws come from a small tree native to much of the South and Midwest in the United States. Weighing about a pound, they have creamy, yellow flesh and a flavor that’s often described as a combination of mango, pineapple and banana. They can be eaten raw, used to make ice cream or, like bananas, incorporated into baked goods.
Finding one isn’t easy, though. Pawpaws are not sold in grocery stores because they’re fragile and spoil quickly. Since Dane County is at the northern edge of the historical range for wild pawpaws, the plant is rare here.
“There’s a lot of hype right now around pawpaws because of their rarity and the fact that they seem quite exotic,” says David Stevens, curator of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum’s Longenecker Horticultural Garden. “Here is what appears to be a tropical fruit that can grow in temperate climates, so everybody wants to taste one.”
The Arboretum has more than 20 of its own pawpaw trees, the oldest of which were planted in 1974. Most are wild varieties, and the rest are cultivars. “They are thriving,” Stevens says. Olbrich Botanical Gardens has some pawpaws, too, but neither the Arboretum nor Olbrich make their pawpaws available for picking and eating.
As the climate warms, pawpaws are able to flourish farther north than in the past, and breeders are hard at work developing more cold-hardy cultivars. Project Pawpaw, a program started in 2021 by UW–Madison alum Adam D’Angelo, planted 1,000 trees on land leased from the Savanna Institute in Spring Green last year. It’ll be five to six years before the research orchard — which aims to breed trees that produce pawpaws with a longer shelf life — produces fruit.
For now, the ripest chance to try a fresh pawpaw in Madison is Reynolds Food & Herb Garden by Reynolds Park on East Mifflin Street, which has a few pawpaw trees alongside other fruit trees. For those who are willing to make the drive, Paw Paw, Illinois, hosts an annual Pawpaw Festival in September.
Wisconsinites can also consider growing their own. “It’s a lot easier than it sounds,” says Matthew Ledger, who lives in Green County and has grown pawpaws since 2012. He buys seeds from orchards and finds the trees to be low maintenance.
Whether you buy a fresh pawpaw or grow a tree yourself, you may have a reaction like Ledger’s when you take your first bite: “Wow, what a strange anomaly to exist in nature — and for that to exist in the Midwest is just so special.”
Growing Strong
The seedlings at Project Pawpaw’s Spring Green orchard were 12 to 18 inches tall when planted in May 2025. By fall, the tallest had reached a height of 54 inches. One of the goals of the orchard is to find trees that are especially cold-hardy — the lowest temp recorded in Spring Green this winter was minus 23 degrees Fahrenheit.
We are at 5.99 inches of rain for the month. This is 2.5+ inches above normal. We had a big T-storm earlier this morning with downpours. I hope the plants I set out didn’t drown. Right now, there is some sun, filtered by the clouds, before the next storm(s) come in. Hopefully, the pepper plants won’t get sunburned.
We are over 7” ahead for April. I just checked the upcoming week and it’s all in the 80’s with no rain in sight.
The first cutting of alfalfa happened yesterday and today Junior Farmer Ryan is ‘fluffing’ it up. It’s drying quickly. Should be able to bail within days, so that’s good. Also means the possibility of four cuttings this season.
My Broccoli isn’t all that happy with the heat, but I’ve been watering everything every morning and evening too, if needed. 87 today, hottest of the week, but in the high 70’s tomorrow. Not much wind, but no humidity, which I appreciate. I’ve filled the outside water dishes for the dogs and Ithaca a few times already, today. Puppy Grover has been running around with Arikara, but I see that he’s ‘melted’ in the shade of the porch for now, LOL!
‘Goof Off Day’ with my BFFs tomorrow. We had to cancel our shopping trip due to flooding last month from all that rain. Got my clothes organized and the only thing I need are a few pretty tops in summer weights and colors for upcoming summer events. FOUR Graduation parties this season and a baby shower - so far!
Beau got the offer on the 47 Black Walnut trees he and Junior Farmer Ryan took down; $34K! Tomorrow he has another guy coming to make an offer, so he will choose between them. That will get his 6x vehicle paid off with some left over to cover hunting travel this year. Two trips to Canada, one to Alaska and one to Colorado/Wyoming. He’s worked hard and deserves his fun. ;)
Noted - I was not aware of the expansion of the brown version!
Our weather forecast is warm and humid with a real oddity for us - several days in a row upcoming with a breeze out of the east or northeast. Usually, with that sort of wind, we’d be cool, and the wind would only stay easterly for a couple days.
The plants should like it though, esp. if we can manage a little rain, too. :-)
“Coolapeno”, that is!!!
So, on Memorial Day evening, we took a bit of a detour. I e-mailed the below (except the exact spot we fished) to the fisheries biologist for “Devils Kitchen Lake”, which we manage to get to once or twice a year, most years:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi, Luke!
The evening of May 25, wifey and I fished @ Devils Kitchen from 6-9 pm ( >>location deleted<< ). Results were excellent, but, one was quite unexpected. In ascending order:
We caught 6 Bluegill under 5” long, and the most vivid color ~ 3” Longear Sunfish that you’d ever hope to see. I kept the two smallest BG for bass / catfish bait.
Keeping us company for a while was a friendly copper-bellied water snake, just over 3’ long, I think. I got a great look at it from about 3 feet away when it raised up a bit to scan US: Very dark grey dorsal coloration, vivid copper color underside with little dark “fingers” of the grey extending a bit into the underside near the snake’s head. I believe these are pretty rare, and I didn’t even think their range extended this far west in Southern Illinois.
I caught a single Largemouth Bass ~ 11-1/2” long. The only surprise was that we didn’t catch one or two more, but, we never seem to catch as many bass at DKL as the Lake Profile suggests. The ledges, even near weeds, may not be the best spot?
I caught 1x Channel Catfish, maybe around 3 lbs, on a 2” garden worm.. Nice fish, real fun on a Bluegill rod(!), and I hope IDNR continues to put CC in DKL — they are GREAT eating out of this water.
We caught 3x Black Bullheads, ranging from about 2 lbs. to the biggest at a whopping 4 lbs. 10 oz. (I put that one on a good precision scale when we got home!) Dang, is that likely to be close to a lake record? This one was hooked on an approx. 3+ inch live Bluegill caught earlier, maybe 10 ft. away from where the Bullhead was hooked.) We’ll see how these cook up, out of this water.
I’m thinking that biggest bullhead has to be several years old, so (mercury concern), I’ll probably eat it myself. At 70 y/o, I’m not hugely worried about mercury when it comes to my own self, any more, as long as I’m not eating fish more than once or twice a week..
All the catfish were caught in almost exactly the same spot: There must be some particular structure down there, in (roughly) 7-8 ft. of water, that they like.
So, great outing, except I was hoping for a few more eater Bluegill, but the catfish more than make up for it (except for my wife - she likes Bluegill). I’m thinking most of the Bluegill over 7” are on the beds now, not swimming off the ledges?
Thanks!
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We have an older friend, ex Navy sailor, who really likes catfish, but can’t get out to fish much, any more, so, a little over half, cleaned and frozen, goes to him. :-)
Just in the last day or so I decided I will sell some. I still have 9 or 10 small containers of frozen pulp. Excellent on top of some vanilla ice cream. The mason bees have made the difference.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Pie
Chocolate crumb crust, creamy peanut butter truffle filling.
Ing Crust 1 ¼ c cookie crumbs ¼ c sugar ¼ c butter. Filling 8 oz bar cr/cheese, 1 c ea creamy p/butter, sugar 1 tbl unsalted butter, 1 tsp vanilla 1 c h/cream. Grated chocolate, chp peanuts, cookie crumbs.
Directions Combine 1 1/4 c cookie crumbs, 1/4 c ea sugar, butter; press into 9" pie plate. Bake 375 deg 10 min. Cool on wire rack. Filling: beat smooth cr/cheese, p/butter, 1 c sugar, 1 tbl butter, vanilla. Fold in h/cream, whipped. Garnish w/ chp peanuts, shaved chocolate, cookie crumbs. Chill several hours.
“The mason bees have made the difference.”
Have you ever seen them hatch? I had some Mama Mason Bees building and laying eggs in the south side of my house, near the kitchen porch. They seemed to love the field stone foundation that has a slight over-lap of siding over it; they built in there.
My fear is that they built somewhere that is too blazingly HOT (south facing, all day sun) and their Baby Bees may not hatch?
Anyhow, I only knew about Mason Bees due to you. I knew they were harmless and useful, so I let them ‘bee’ when they were building late summer/fall last year.
You are the Pawpaw Queen, for sure! :) I hope you can find a market for them. Know anyone that sells at Market in your town? I’ll bet they’d be thrilled to have them. The flavor sounds magical. :)
We Yankees enjoy the Simple Things in life, for sure! Mason Bees and Pawpaws, LOL!
*Scribbles on Grocery List* Buy Sour Cream! :)
I LOVE scrambled eggs. I am very creative with them, using up any veg or meat on hand for our Brunch. Never thought of adding sour cream.
Oh, HELLO! :)
Poor Beau - the Camp Cook at Bear Camp is a swell guy (well into his 80’s) and since no one ELSE wants the job, he does all of the cooking. You get your Scrambled Eggs as DRY as your toast, LOL!
When I’m too feeble to garden anymore, I KNOW I’ll be moving Up North for the Summers to be Camp Cook. That’s a good 20 years out, but I’m already planning my escape/excuses, LOL!
Back to Scrambled Eggs...The Spice House has an awesome spice blend designed by Lisa Steele of ‘Fresh Eggs Daily’ cookbook and website. I use it in scrambles and on omelettes. Also nice in Deviled Eggs, or just sprinkled on top.
https://www.thespicehouse.com/products/devilish-dill-lisa-steeles-egg-seasoning
P.S. All this wet-Spring-long, I prayed for a HOT & DRY growing season.
I am getting it in spades - and my tomatoes and peppers aren’t all in the ground, yet!
Last year (as I continually kvetched about) was just too darn wet!
This year might be a ‘recovery year’ so I can get caught up on canning.
And then, I’ll kvetch about THAT, LOL!
Yes I have seen them hatch. I put the houses in the barn for the winter in a big drawstring bag I made out of - some fine shiny gauze fabric, like wedding stuff. Don’t recall the name. Then I go down in the spring maybe late March and take the houses out and hang them. One year I was late and lots of bees in the bag but moving slow. They all survived. If your bees are going in the same hole every year they are obviously hatching otherwise they would run out of room. Houses are pretty cheap like 10 or 12 dollars. Meijers has them. The are s docile it is fun to get close while they are all going in and out.
*Scribbles on Grocery List* Buy Sour Cream! :) I LOVE scrambled eggs. I am very creative,
using up any veg or meat on hand for our Brunch. Never thought of adding sour cream.
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