Or at least that's what I think this is. He's stopped in on our tree a couple of times now, and today I was able snap a few pictures.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Louise
Louise hopped into our lives a few days after Christmas a short eight years ago. You don't think of rabbits as having much of a personality, but she would have changed your mind. She approached the cats to try to get them to play. She loved it when it was time to go back into her cage and she could lead you around the house. And she never feared the dogs.
The evening before last she didn't eat her supper. She also didn't eat overnight or in the morning. Kim and I were able to get some food mixed with water into her, but she took a turn for the worse, becoming lethargic by early afternoon. We took her to the emergency vet, where she passed on her own. It was sudden and it was a shock. And we miss her.
The evening before last she didn't eat her supper. She also didn't eat overnight or in the morning. Kim and I were able to get some food mixed with water into her, but she took a turn for the worse, becoming lethargic by early afternoon. We took her to the emergency vet, where she passed on her own. It was sudden and it was a shock. And we miss her.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Weed Like a Man!
I hate weeds. I hate weeding. And I don't care for chemical weed killers. What's the solution? A blowtorch, or course. Or by another name The Red Dragon Propane Weed Burner
I opted for the bottom of the line model, with a mere 500,000 btu capcity. I just couldn't justify the Jet Torch kit. From the above linked website:
If you want something more like a flame thrower for hard to reach areas or heavy brush, check out our Jet Torches. Jet Torches require a vapor withdrawal cylinder (we recommend no less than a 100lb. cylinder)..
In the photo, I am laying waste to the weeds growing along our sidewalk. You may notice that there is absolutely no lawn in the background. Two and a half years ago, our front lawn was so overtaken by perennial morning glories (aka cinch weed) that we decided to cover the whole thing with landscaping cloth and mulch. Last year we put in a few trees and gardens.
But, this being Oregon, with wet and mild winters, the weeds started growing anywhere they could. In the past I've tried both boiling water and steam from a steam cleaner on the weeds, but those methods were too time consuming. So today, I decided it was time weed like a man!
The results are promising, with the above ground portions of the weeds singed and wilted. I'm sure some of the larger and robust of the weeds will resprout, but when they do, I will be there, ready to once again weed like a man!
Should you decide to weed like a man yourself, be sure to heed the warnings included with the instructions. Among these warnings:
Avoid desirable lawn and garden plants as the torch does not distinguish between desirable and undesirable growth.
Do not apply flame to cyliders to check for leaks or to increase gas pressure
I opted for the bottom of the line model, with a mere 500,000 btu capcity. I just couldn't justify the Jet Torch kit. From the above linked website:
If you want something more like a flame thrower for hard to reach areas or heavy brush, check out our Jet Torches. Jet Torches require a vapor withdrawal cylinder (we recommend no less than a 100lb. cylinder)..
In the photo, I am laying waste to the weeds growing along our sidewalk. You may notice that there is absolutely no lawn in the background. Two and a half years ago, our front lawn was so overtaken by perennial morning glories (aka cinch weed) that we decided to cover the whole thing with landscaping cloth and mulch. Last year we put in a few trees and gardens.
But, this being Oregon, with wet and mild winters, the weeds started growing anywhere they could. In the past I've tried both boiling water and steam from a steam cleaner on the weeds, but those methods were too time consuming. So today, I decided it was time weed like a man!
The results are promising, with the above ground portions of the weeds singed and wilted. I'm sure some of the larger and robust of the weeds will resprout, but when they do, I will be there, ready to once again weed like a man!
Should you decide to weed like a man yourself, be sure to heed the warnings included with the instructions. Among these warnings:
Avoid desirable lawn and garden plants as the torch does not distinguish between desirable and undesirable growth.
Do not apply flame to cyliders to check for leaks or to increase gas pressure
My Year of Pottery
Somehow, a year has passed since I left my job at NASDAQ and decided to strike out on my own as a potter and writer. I have concentrated on the pottery for most of that year. The hope has been that I can generate enough income working half to 3/4 time at pottery so that I wouldn't have to make money off the writing. I'll just say that so far I haven't reached that income goal.
But what I have done is conceived of and refined a unique product line and placed them into a few coastal galleries. The product line, as you can see, is hanging jellyfish sculptures. I've come up with 3 basic varieties: indoor sculptures, wind chimes, and hanging lamps.
The bell is simply a hand-thrown pot with a shaped edge. The tentacles for indoor sculptures and lamps are extruded, and hand-shaped clay. The wind chime tentacles are hand-shaped, brushed aluminum rods. The tentacles hang from wire hooks inside the jellyfish bell. The tentacles can be removed from the hooks for shipping. Believe it or not, finding the best way to hang the tentacles took me over a year. I finally hit on the hook idea and worked it out in October of last year, several days before I did my first show.
For those interested, the clay body I'm using is Laguna Cone 5 Bmix. The white glaze is Laguna Colonial White. I put either Laguna Royal Blue or Blackberry over the white for color accents. If you'd like to see more, you can check my website The Haystack Studio.
But what I have done is conceived of and refined a unique product line and placed them into a few coastal galleries. The product line, as you can see, is hanging jellyfish sculptures. I've come up with 3 basic varieties: indoor sculptures, wind chimes, and hanging lamps.
The bell is simply a hand-thrown pot with a shaped edge. The tentacles for indoor sculptures and lamps are extruded, and hand-shaped clay. The wind chime tentacles are hand-shaped, brushed aluminum rods. The tentacles hang from wire hooks inside the jellyfish bell. The tentacles can be removed from the hooks for shipping. Believe it or not, finding the best way to hang the tentacles took me over a year. I finally hit on the hook idea and worked it out in October of last year, several days before I did my first show.
For those interested, the clay body I'm using is Laguna Cone 5 Bmix. The white glaze is Laguna Colonial White. I put either Laguna Royal Blue or Blackberry over the white for color accents. If you'd like to see more, you can check my website The Haystack Studio.
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