Inspector number 9, hard at work. I was working on this bookself yesterday, and Albert was checking my work.
Checking the load bearing capacity.
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Inspector number 9, hard at work. I was working on this bookself yesterday, and Albert was checking my work.
Checking the load bearing capacity.
Luna and I usually stick to the old logging roads on our property, but in order to see some of the orchids, we’ve had to do a bit of climbling.
Memento mori, Brushtail possum.
Most of Australia’s marsupial mammals are nocturnal, or, at the very least, shy about being seen in the daytime. This book is a great way to find out who has been running around our place at night.
A pair of Welcome Swallows used the a gap in the top of one of our water tanks to get sips of water to make mud for their nest. The water is several feet down from the top, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Keres, you are so inspiring! Did you study animals in college? How much is self-taught? My daughter is a lot like you. She’s only 13, but she knows so much more than I do. I often show her you posts and your wiki’s. You’ve become a icon around here. :>)
Lest this post get all hero worship, here’s a funny pic of my kittens.
Just give them a box and they will sleep all day.
I started my University studies (in 1981) as a Biology major, and ended it over a decade later with a degree in Fine Arts. There were several side trails into Women’s Studies, Anthropology, and Semiotics and Linguistics. I’ve also taken a lot of classes at Community Colleges exploring many different interests, including horsemanship, welding, and ASL.
But most of the flora and fauna stuff is self-taught. I just find the things around me interesting and do the research – a process that has gotten infinitely easier since the proliferation of the internets. Also, I’ve indulged my interests by having had at least one of most every domestic animal (dog, cat, parrot, goat, sheep, donkey, chicken, duck, goose, rat, mice, alpaca, iguana [I’m sure I’ve forgotten someone]) – which has given me lots of practical knowledge.
And I’m a big nerd.
Oh, to be a cat.
LOL….That sounds familiar. I did a double major in Anthro and Sociology, and I minored in French. I took a lot of linguistics and my senior thesis was in Semiotics.
I always insisted that specialization was for cowards. :>)
While I have watched my fair share of the Nature Chanel, it is my kid who is absolutely devoted to animal studies, and I learn a lot from her. She thanks you too for a look at a otherwise underreported fauna.
And you are the bestest nerd in the whole world and we are so lucky that you grace us with your exquisite nerdiness here at BT. 😉
I love the pic of Albert on the shelf.
Aw shucks.
Imogen says ‘this nerd is brought to you by her long-suffering partner’. :p
I have sympathy for Imogen but I would have much more if she would let you finish your wiki bird page. 🙂
All I can say Andi, is ha! You may admire the nerd, but you know not the particular ways of this nerd.
I‘m not stopping her doing anything, it’s more that Keres’ modus operandi is to have 18 half-finished projects on the go at once. The list I can make off the top of my head is:
finishing the bathroom renovations
finishing the fencing
finishing the guttering and piping for our water supply
her wonderful wiki pages
repairing the small metal shed
making Luna a harness and small cart to pull (this has involved the purchase of an old wetsuit and a wheelchair that’s also sitting in our shed)
fixing the second hand exercise bike she got from a garage sale for just $2 that has a broken fan (all because I foolishly said out loud that perhaps an exercise bike would be useful or some such)
there’s the small calico bags she bought – 100 of them for just $20 that she picked up at the tip shop, thinking she could screen print something onto them and give them to our neighbor who sells the vegetables
then there’s her spinning wheel that’s just missing one little spring which she bought but didn’t quite get around to fixing so we lost it; and the alpaca fleece or two sitting around waiting to be carded and spun – of course all the alpacas are getting shorn this coming week, so our fleece supply is about to at least double….
what were you saying again? 😉
In this way, I know it is love, and also that I’m supremely glad we bought a place with lots of sheds!
our generous supply of old corks because Keres intends to make cork matts with them – there’s the ones she collected in haphazard containers all over the house from our own wine, and then there’s the two shopping bags full she got from the (you guessed it) tip shop.
Am I up to 18 yet?
it must be love, love love…..[and it is]
Sorry, I’m trying really hard to keep a serious look on my face instead of grinning but it just isn’t working.
And I’m sure it’s love.
All I’m sayin’ is it ain’t me standing in the way of you and the completed Tasmanian birds wiki page.
You can nag her of course. It works really well
I don’t know what she’s talking about.
Besides, everyone knows you have to acquire things as they come available, even if they have to sit in a shed for years. Otherwise you pay a premium to buy them right when you need them. It’s perfectly logical.
in my tank
nalbar
Nifty picture! If you like seeing other reef aquariums, you might enjoy visiting this site. There are only a couple of tank photos on the front page but there are plenty in the archives.
What a lovely tank you have. I’ve always wanted a reef aquarium. I’ve only had salt water once, when I was young. Mostly I’ve kept fresh water, or brackish. We’ve put our tanks in storage for the time being, but I keep thinking of setting one up again, especially now that the weather has warmed up and we wouldn’t have to heat it.
Speaking of coral reefs, we’re planning our next holiday (in a year or so) to the Great Barrier Reef!
Bud says hello!
Also, just uploaded the pictures from our Día de los Muertos altar over at my blog. Hope you’re having a good Friday/Saturday, keres!
I lovely Altar.
It’s good to see Bud, as always. I’m sure he’s enjoying the cooler weather.
still flirting with 90 degrees here, so the wait continues for the cool weather. he’s doing well, though, as long as his naps remain uninterrupted 🙂
Ugh, sorry to hear that it’s still so hot. Doggy naps are sacrosanct, whatever the weather.
We’re having a cool-ish day here. Rain was predicted, which we still need, but it looks like a little drizzle this afternoon is the best we’ll get.
Three of our orchids have finished up for the year (two of the Greenhoods and the Leopard), but another one, Musk Stegostylis, is just starting to bloom. We saw two with open flowers yesterday, and there are hundreds more with buds still waiting to open. I’ll try to get a photo posted later today. They are similar to the Pink Fingers, but white fingered, with a beautiful frilled pink-edged curled tongue inside the hood. And supposedly musky smelling – hence the name.
That is a stunning picture. Perfectly formed and perfectly delicate.
Thanks. The flowers are so small (about half-an-inch wide) it’s partly a matter of luck to get a good focus.
ImageShack seems to have lost the above photo, so I’ve re-uploaded it.
I just looked it up again. It used to be called Musky Caladenia, but got re-classified as Stegostyla gracilis.
I put some carrots – that had grown too woody to eat – into one of the buckets we use to feed the Alpacas. Albert figured it was all for him.
So how far did he get? 😉
Not very. Without any lower incisors he can’t “snip” off a bite of something big. He’s learned to work food back to his side teeth, for chewing, but we have to tear his greens up into small pieces for him.
Too much wet food (i.e. fresh greens) gives him the runs. So, he’s only allowed a small amount of fresh veggies each day – and all the Lucerne hay pellets he can eat.
He’s also very fond of baked goods, and was mugging me (by leaping on the couch and climbing into my lap) for some banana bread we had for dessert last night. If he can smell something he likes, he’s not at all shy about begging.
I thought this photo did a good job of showing the variety of colors in the Waxlip orchid, Glossodia Major. They run from pure white (I’ve found two so far) through pale lavender all the way to a pure purple, with the occasional magenta tinged one.
I’m really enjoying all the orchids pictures you’ve been taking. In fact, I love living spring vicariously through the incredible variety of plantlife.
And I’ve been enjoying your Fall colors. We only have one deciduous tree here (Nothofagus gunnii, and yes that’s my photo), and it only lives at altitude, so you have to drive up into the mountains if you want to get the show.
It was a weird fall here since it was so dry and so warm. A lot of the leaves came off early and then the turning was very late (the beeches and oaks are just now starting to turn). But by being out in the woods so often, I up my chances in finding some nice patch of color in a nice patch of light.
Hi keres.
Inspector 9 appears to be busy except when he’s eating. I wonder where he gets time to sleep.
Albert is the original Power Napper. He’s active through out the day (and night – which is why he has his own bedroom), but naps after every small expenditure of effort.
Does anyone have any information about adopting pets through a pet rescue foundation? I am potentially in a situation with my dog that is very confusing and would appreciate a private email if there is anyone with expertise who can help me.
Thanks!