Hang in there

Getting ready to do some robotic arm control. 

Best Smoothie Ever

I just had one of the best smoothies I've ever had, and that includes anything I've gotten from Jamba Juice or other similar smoothie chains.

Recipe:

• 2 aging, black-speckled bananas. Cut the mushy brown end off the oldest one.

• 2 handfuls of green but browning grapes.

• 10 or so slightly shriveling strawberries left over from a birthday party.

• 1 cup of watermelon that's been sitting in the fridge for a few days.

• What the heck, throw in a cup of cooked rice left over from dinner.  No one's going to eat it otherwise.

 Blend together. No additional water or other liquid necessary.  Drink.

Best. Smoothie.  Ever.

Owl House

I should have taken more pictures while building it, but I finally finished the owl house that I started on the day Alex was born.  We hung it in a palm tree out back, and now all that's left to do is wait.

The hope is that an owl will move in and wreak havoc among the local ground squirrel and mice/rat population.  If it decides to snack on our neighbor's rooster that starts crowing at 2:30 am, so much the better.

Interior. The half-divider blocking the door is to prevent larger animals from reaching in to the nest.

Getting it up the palm tree was far harder than building the nest itself.

Finally in place.  Availability posted on Craigslist.

Wedding!

One of my younger sisters got married a week ago in the San Diego Temple, an amazingly beautiful building.  We had a reception on the beach afterwards, then transitioned to a pool and hot tub at the hotel where several of the out-of-town visitors were staying.  Following are a handful of pictures from the events.

Kites are always fun, especially on a windy day at the beach.

The chilly ocean water briefly outweighed the social stigma of a pink-accented wetsuit.

The hot tub started out with a reasonable number of people...

And grew...

And grew.  How many people can we fit in at once?  How many are we ALLOWED to fit in?

Oops.

Amusingly, the old guy at the furthest right of the hot tub wasn't part of our party, but he seemed to enjoy the activity and never left. 

Bump in the Night

As a rational, scientific person, I spent large portions of my life convincing myself that there's no such thing as bogeymen, monsters, or things that go bump in the night.  Then I go outside late at night with a dim, flickering flashlight, hunting snails in the garden, and find my beliefs put to the test.

The rustling trees and scudding clouds hide the moon.  The tall grass hides any number of venomous, toothy creatures, not to mention ax murderers.  I make a mental note to mow more frequently.

I spot a snail or two.  They make daring breaks for freedom, passing pillbugs left and right, but it's no use.  They're captured and pay the ultimate penalty for trespassing. 

Then something moves.

It's not a snail--the shadow is too huge and grotesque.  I swing my flashlight and find myself face to face with the largest spider I've ever seen outside of the zoo.  So this is why no rabbits have been bothering our garden--they've probably all been eaten by this spider.  I know exactly what he's thinking as he stares at me with his multiple beady eyes.  "Yeah, he's big, but think of the meal.  I bet I could take him."

I calmly determine that the garden is likely snail-free.  Might as well head back inside.  I straighten up, take a deep breath of fresh evening air, and stroll into the house.

The next morning KLa looks out the window.  "What happened to the garden?  There's a giant hole in the fence and something trampled an entire row of beans."

"Snails," I say.  "I must have missed one."

To Kill a Mockingbird

Every time I read "To Kill a Mockingbird" I am boggled by how good the book is.  Every aspect of it: character, voice, plot, timing.  It's a masterpiece, and far and away my favorite book.  It's simultaneously a inspiration to get back into writing and a discouragement when I see how far my writing skills have to go.

I read it every year or so.  I started reading it again this evening, and I was only able to set it aside in the wee hours of the morning to go to bed because I had reached a mildly depressing point.  I read it for the first time when I was in college, and I'm glad I didn't read it earlier because I don't think I would have appreciated it.  As it is, I have no doubt that if and when I become a published author, Harper Lee will be a clear inspiration in my work.

Berkey water filter extension

Child's parents visited for the week before Christmas.  Like us, they have a Berkey water filter. 

However, it has a shortcoming.  When the fluoride filters are installed to the base of the top receptacle, they go so deep into the bottom receptacle that the water will only fill up a few inches of the bottom receptacle.

Child's mother suggested a solution.  If the top receptacle could be lifted higher, it would allow more water to collect in the bottom receptacle.

While at Home Depot on a different errand, I noticed a duct that seemed like it would perfectly fit the bill.  

Master Flow 8 inch Starting Collar Take Off - Snap Together

Worm gear clamp. Two 4" diameter = one 8" diameter

 A quick call to Child confirmed that the diameters were the same, so I bought it, along with two four-inch-diameter worm gear clamps that I could attach together to make one eight-inch-diameter worm gear clamp.  It worked great.

Final product:

Room Cleaning

I'm about to clean my office.

I know, readers are recoiling in shock.  "Drek, clean his office?  The Mayan's must have been three days off from their end-of-the-world prediction!"

Yeah, yeah.  It needs it, though.  Child's parents have been visiting, so she and I have been sleeping on an air mattress in my office, which added to the already-hefty clutter and reduced my in-room mobility and therefore my already-low motivation to put things away properly.

But this time I have a plan!

For each item, I'm going to analyze it, determine if it has a proper location, and create one if not (rather than tossing it into a corner). 

In addition, I'm going to compromise with my lazy tendencies and find a least-effort approach to keeping the room tidy in the future.  Larger trashcan, more hangers, open box to catch once-worn teeshirts that are too clean to throw in the laundry basket but too time-consuming to fold (I said I was lazy).

Tithing

In our church, members pay 1/10 of their "increase" (defined however the individual members choose to define that) as tithing.  As clerk of the local ward, I occasionally see the amounts people pay as tithing. 

I have two primary reactions.  The first is when I see a large amount of tithing:  "Wow, s/he makes that much money and still pays tithing?  I'm impressed at his/her dedication!"

The second is when I see a small amount of tithing: "Wow, s/he is on that tight of a budget and still pays tithing?  I'm impressed at his/her dedication!"

In short, paying any tithing is a manifestation of faith, whether you give of your wealth or give a widow's mite.  There's no dollar limit, high or low, to the Lord's blessings.