Wiley Coyote

Unlike wintertime coyotes sporting their prime winter coats the summertime coyotes around here look a bit scrawnier; like their cartoon brother.

 

 

Two-Step

What next; the samba?

From one camera at the same location there are dancing fawns and a turkey doing the turkey-trot.

 

The Pantry Warrior Strikes Again!

Before we left on vacation 10 days ago Jill took a big box of tomatoes to the local food pantry. I picked an additional flat of greenish ones to ripen in the garage while we were away.  Following more than a week  of neglect today I picked everything you see.  

Consider those beautiful San Marzano tomatoes at the top of the frame.

 

Those were not grown in the rich volcanic soil found in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius; rather they did rather well in the crappy clay and rocky soil found on the peninsula. Those two plants from Sully’s Greenhouse are tomato factories!

 

Anyway, when you have tomatoes in abundance and have just returned from holiday you scour your pantry and freezers and whip-together a batch of Autumn Shrimp Sausage Tomato Stew; a household favorite of ours.

 

Raising a toast to Sam Sifton or Melissa Clark - I forget specifically. 

 

Pretty good chow if you can get it….

Northern Lights

In spite of all it's shortcomings one of the redeeming virtues of Facebook is its Groups.  Whether it is smoked meats, brick oven cooking, hunting and fishing, history, sports or your high school class the Groups deliver good stuff regularly.  Last evening a couple of alerts crossed the screen of my hand-held device and outdoors I went.  It was a good time to look north to the Big Dipper.  

 

Northern Lights, people.

 

Got myself outside for a dose of the Aurora Borealis.

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's corona.

As a consequence of a strong geomagnetic storm that occurred over the weekend last evening was a terrific opportunity to view the aurora borealis - the northern lights - in Canada and northern United States.

We might get some more tonight.

Meanwhile, I suggest you do two things.  If you have a Facebook account or access to the interweb join some northern lights groups and sign-up for alerts for your geolocation.  Secondly, use your device.  While the northern lights may be visible to the naked eye your device will bring them to life.  The extended exposure and built-in filters will bring to life wavelengths not visible to the naked eye.  Same for the use of a photo-editing tool which will allow you to manipulate aperture, exposure and other elements after the fact.

Fingers-crossed for clear skies. 

Does It Glow In The Dark?

In the nuclear-obsessed 1940s, when atomic energy symbolized progress and modernity, one cereal company decided to ride the wave—though not in the safest way. In 1947, Kix cereal launched a daring promotion: for just 15 cents and a cereal box top, children could receive the Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb Ring.

The ring wasn’t just a toy. It contained a tiny sample of polonium-210, a radioactive isotope (substance), within a spinthariscope, allowing users to observe flashes of light caused by alpha particles. The ring featured a “magic viewing chamber” with a zinc sulfide screen that glowed when struck by alpha particles emitted by the polonium.  As long as it wasn’t inhaled or ingested, it was considered “safe” but polonium-210 is one of the most toxic substances known to science.

The ring's design also featured a red plastic tail fin that served as a secret message compartment. These rings are now considered collector's items and museum curiosities, representing a unique aspect of the post-WWII fascination with the atomic age. 

While advertised as "perfectly safe" at the time, the inclusion of radioactive material in a children's toy would not be permitted under modern safety standards. Despite the risks, few raised concerns at the time. Atomic fascination had taken hold of the public imagination, often at the expense of safety. Today, the ring is a bizarre museum relic—an eerie reminder of an era when radiation was marketed as a wonder, and no one questioned giving it to kids.
 

Newtonian Physics

 

Newton's First Law of Motion - also known as the Law of Inertia - states that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same directions unless acted-upon by an unbalanced force. 

 

Late Summer Blooms

From our walk there is this. 

Prairie Dock - Silphium terebinthinaceum.  Also commonly called rosin weed.  It is a sunflower-like plant it can grow to a height of 9 feet. With a 14 foot tap root it is exceedingly drought-resistant and can flourish for decades. 

The plant gets the name rosin weed because it produces a sweet-smelling resin when injured. While Prairie Rosin weed is the correct name for this specific plant, there are other plants called rosin weed that are different species within the same genus, Silphium. 

It is just now beginning to come on-line and pollinators are attracted to it as it blooms for more than a month. Birds love the seeds.

When we planted our prairie 20 years ago this species was not in the seed mix.  Like several other species it has found its way here and established itself on its own.

Bonus!