Toadfish Monastery

 
If I had a nickel for every incredibly stupid thing I've seen a tourist do out in my woods, including to/with animals, to/with plants and to/with inanimate objects, I'd probably be richer that anyone you've ever met. Every year they put their snowmobiles through the ice on the lakes, crash their ATV's into each other, get bitten/mauled by every species of critter that slithers, crawls, swims, walks or flies, fall off places they have no business being, eat things they shouldn't even touch, drop trees on their cars, houses and family members... they drive me to distraction. They think because there are no traffic lights, it must be the wild wild west, and anything goes (except common sense). Pardon my raving, but it's spring, and I just had my first day in the field this year, and discovered group one of my annual raft of new violations (coupla biggies already), so out-of-staters are on my "stuff that I'd scrape off my shoe outdoors if I stepped in it" list.

Quote from: nefyuBB on May 26, 2009, 10:27:14 PM
A pearl tha furst !

Actually, that's my actual mom's actual birthday.

1.  Why do we spare animals slow horrible death but not humans?  How can anyone think that this is OK? (faith arguments excluded).
Because people love their animals much more intensely than they love other humans, and more significantly, they empathize with animals. People spend their whole lives carving out their own space where other people aren't allowed, both physically (my house, my yard, my car, my cubicle) and mentally (my ideas, my memories, my secrets). This isolates us, in both directions -- you have your "stuff" that you won't tell me, and I keep my thoughts about you and your stuff to myself to maintain "decorum". If I allow myself to care enough about you to advocate for your euthanasia, others hearing about it have to address the possibility of facing a similar situation, and that's too uncomfortable. It's easier for them to ignore your pain (and mine) than to accept the possibility that they will have to make a similar choice some day, so the option is legislated away. Because animals are assigned a lower value by society, it's easier to conceal the pain one goes through in deciding to euthanize a pet, and easier for others to ignore it. This allows the isolation booths of individuals to remain inviolate.

2.  Why do animals relatives have no say?
They do, but only in those cases where humans have not separated them, and the humans in question care enough to look for the input from them. Even when looked for by a sensitive, caring human, it's not easy to find, or even to be sure the relative understands waht's going on. When Devil Kitty suddenly threw a blood clot (saddle thrombus) and lost use of his back legs, with accompanying extreme pain, we had to decide very quickly between unpleasant options. His sister, Little One, knew something was wrong, but in the half hour before we were ready to leave for the emergency vet (2AM, isn't it always the way), we were not able to get any sense that she knew how serious things were. We had to euthanize Devil, and it took Little One a few days to figure out that her brother wasn't going to come back, and a few weeks to stop looking for him. I wish cats could talk.

3.  Which country will get the most medals at the 2012 Olympics and which the most in which individual event and how much will this cost Londoners?
Probably the USA will get the most overall. I have no idea who is good in which event so I'll guess that swimmer, Phelps, will win the most. It will end up costing Londoners way more than it's worth, and they'll be stuck with a bunch of lovely shiny new sports facilities that no one will use.

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1. What is your favorite musical instrument, and why?

2. What accomplishment are you most proud of in your life so far?

3. Have you ever experienced anything that you would classify as paranormal?

My birthday is the same as the man who was president when I was born. October 14, just like Ike. Apparently I'm a year older than Bart, though knowing myself as well as I do, I'd never believe it.

Cool adventure, Bruder, but fairly risky. Don't trust 'em, they don't think like we do. On the other hand, I would probably have done the exact same thing, only more nervously.

Not too unusual, moose will do the auntie thing on occasion. It is unusual to see the male with the calves, though. if you do come across a cow with a calf, be sure not to get between them, the mother can get very protective no matter your intentions. I think I have a photo in here somewhere of a group, two mothers with two calves - I'll try to remember to dig it up tonight. I have to go to the dump right now though....

I grew some eggplants back about two decades ago. I don't remember there being anything difficult or complicated about it - planted the seeds according to the instructions on the package (oops, pkt), watered, weeded as normal for anything else, then picked the ripe ones and parmesanned 'em. I do remember difficulties with some of the other stuff I was growing in that era, so I'm assuming that lack of PITA memories about the eggplant equals easy growing. Sorry I don't have anything from this century for you...

Quote from: Bruder Cuzzen on May 22, 2009, 01:07:24 AM
He looks like a young-un , I find the young ones to be relatively tame .
Deep in Algonquin Park me and me mateys managed to get close enough to pull their tails , they just ignored us and continued to forage .
They were beautiful healthy looking specimens .

We figured he was a second-season adult. Getting close to them is potentially non-lethal if they're not with a calf (unusual for a male, but I've seen it) and it's not in the rutting season, but I'd generally recommend against it regardless. They are mucho plenty lots of big, and can get twelve kinds of nasty if they want to. On the other hand, they literally can't see past their own noses, and they aren't particularly clever. I've been within 50 feet or less of adult moose many times, and I've been nervous every time. They can run WAY faster than a people, especially when the people is me.

Fishlessness.

Actually, I discovered it yesterday, while reading through a permit application for reconstruction of a dam on a remote pond. Fishlessness is a characteristic evaluated by a wetlands delineator while certifying the status of an IUD* as Not a Vernal Pool, a Vernal Pool, or a Significant Vernal Pool. It's a checkoff box on the state's official field evaluation form, with a space for elaboration.


*That's Isolated Upland Depression, for any reprobates that might stumble on this thread.

Please add me to the heap. Hopefully my email won't be changing any time in the next 20 years or so.

Or perhaps floats toward water.

I'm gushingly impressed by Chatty's actions. I haven't snooped around enough to know if I'm on the same continent as her, but I'm fairly sure we're on the same planet, and her presence makes it feel a little nicer somehow. I think I'm going to like it here at least as much as over at venganza.

Time to turn back into a turtle.

Quote from: Scriblerus the Philosophe on May 21, 2009, 08:12:11 AM
Hi! I don't remember you, but that doesn't mean you haven't been here before!  Perhaps you could visit the thread called I'm here now. Use this to tell everyone you are here! even if I am wrong?

I done done it, post #610 (fascinating reading, I'm sure )(Thanks for noticing, Griffin)

Quote from: Scriblerus the Philosophe on May 21, 2009, 08:12:11 AM
... dumb TV shows, like My Name is Earl

Hey! My name is Erle! [Stooges]Who sez I'm dumb?[/Stooges]

Quote from: pieces o nine on May 20, 2009, 05:43:24 AM
This house has a heated koi pond in the front lawn.
.....
This is something I will enjoy seeing brought back to condition, although it's going to be an expensive, time-consuming, and disgusting process. I'll be reading back info here for tips and may ask for expert help in the process. Will post pics when there is something photogenic to post.

Oh yeah -- it is my understanding that deer come to the yard every night in the fall, drinking from the koi pond. Aside from having to rake up the deer 'manouevers' that might make some nice photos as well!

Hi, Pieces!
Wow, that's so cool to have a pond like that - we have an ideal area to put a water garden/waterfall/stream/pond combination, but no money to do it with . Some day, maybe. I can't wait to see pics of your pond and deer. We've had three moose in our yard since moving here eight years ago, but never managed to get pictures of them - though I see plenty of deer and moose at work. These guys were behind a camp I was inspecting.

And this guy was right beside the office - about fifteen feet from the building.

We completely gave up on TV several years ago - probably around ten or twelve. I'm convinced it rots your brain. We get a lot more done around the house without it, and I get news/weather/sports when I want them via the internet. And we don't have a cable bill - TV doesn't work up here without cable or satellite hookup. Every now and then I end up at my brother's house with the tube on (maybe twice a year), and it freaks me out. The stuff that's on these days would have gotten stations closed down when I was a kid.

Aria