Pottery Barn

 During the nesting season there are wasps that hail from the the family Sphecidae or Crabronidae who construct their nests from mud. They are known as Mud Daubers.

Most are long and slender and it is the female who builds the nest.  Unlike insect sociopaths such as yellow jacket hornets mud daubers leave you alone unless you really provoke them.  Stings are rare.

Mud daubers are parasitoids.  As they construct the nest they capture and paralyze another insect which is placed into a single cell of the nest.  They lay one egg with the paralyzed prey and seal it up the cavity.  When the egg hatches the wasp larvae consumes the soft parts of the prey insect, pupates with the remains and emerges from this gruesome insect breeding pottery barn as an adult. 

You can find these mud nests is the strangest of places.

Found this in the spray paint section of a shelf in the machine shed.....

 

And So It Begins

The calm before the storm.....

 

Wile E. Coyote

This local apex predator hasn't been shy about showing-up on the trail cameras.

 

Mostly (but not always) after dark.

Thankfully, none of them is carrying dynamite with him..... 

 

Pre Rut

There are a number of locations on our property where you can predict the arrival of a deer scrape almost to the day. Last Saturday doggo and I were out hunting ringnecks when we decided to check several of those spots for any activity.

Sure 'nuff, and right on time, at the bottom of this photo (arrow) is a recently started scrape.  At the top of the photo is a horizontal branch of an oak tree just to the left of the photo frame.  This is called a licking branch.  Licking branches are located directly above a scrape. 

If you encounter a whiff of deer pee redolent in the autumn air look carefully beneath any shoulder height tree branches close by.  You may locate a bare patch of dirt in the turf that is trampled with deer hoof prints.  This is called a scrape. 

Bucks create scrapes by using their hoofs to dig at the ground. Once the soil is stirred up, they urinate on the scrape.  Bucks don’t pee the way we do.  We try to keep it off of us.  Bucks actually try to pee on their own hind legs.  The object is to hit their tarsal glands in an effort to leave their scent on the scrape.  Every deer has its own unique bouquet and the tarsal glands hold concentrated amounts of that spoor.  About the licking branch - a tree branch will hang above the cleared out soil. Bucks will rub their forehead glands on it and will also lick it with their tongue. 

The earliest of scrapes that begin to appear in October are few and far between and used principally to communicate as bucks begin to leave their bachelor groups and stake-out their territory.  It is akin to posting a no trespassing sign on a property line. 

Scrapes serve much the same function in the whitetail world as a mailbox post or a fire hydrant does for dogs.  Scrapes are meant to show dominance over a territory but are normally used by more than one buck.   

Very soon the scrape will be used to communicate breeding readiness. 

The Taco Revolution

  

1978 - With food prep performed on-site at each location, Taco Bell was a lot 'fresher' than nowadays.

The Enchirito is the trademarked name of Taco Bell's menu item of the Tex-Mex food similar to an enchilada. It is composed of a flour tortilla filled with seasoned ground beef taco meat, beans, diced onions, cheddar cheese, and "red sauce".

I don't know which I miss more.  The enchirito or the black olives....

Political Violence Is Unrighteous

Reflecting-upon the first three years of the Trump administration I can say I did just fine.  The economy was humming-along and after retiring as a member of the ownership class the markets were solid.  There was Trumpian drama and plenty of wacko tweets to blog about.  Life was good.  I'm not suggesting things were so good I'd have voted for his reelection; yet the vibe was swimmingly OK.  Nevertheless, as we wind-down the clock to the election here's a little something to remember as you prepare your mail-in ballot or early vote.

That time when Donald Trump was completely overwhelmed by the COVID pandemic.

The very first laboratory-confirmed case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the US was from samples taken on January 18, 2020 in Washington state; the same day that state activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in response to the emerging outbreak.  This was confirmed on January 20, 2020.

A couple of weeks later Judd Legum posted this on twitter-

Yup.  The Trump administration eliminated the infectious disease defense infrastructure beginning in 2018.  This was trotted-out as a cost-cutting measure; ironically on the heels of passing a multi-trillion tax cut.  Specifically, Trump fired the entire executive branch team that would have coordinated and mounted a response. 

Trump then devoted most of the month of February in abject denial of COVID's threat. 

 

He called the coronavirus a hoax, cooked-up by Democrats, at a rally in South Carolina.

Naturally, as the disease spread, by April of 2020 everything had devolved into a shit show.  Overwhelmed, Trump dolefully lamented that the growing pandemic was something that nobody expected.  

In a prescient moment early in 2005 President George W. Bush warned the if we wait for a pandemic to appear, it would be too late to prepare.  If caught early it might be extinguished with limited damage.  If allowed to smolder, undetected, it could grow to an inferno that can spread quickly beyond our ability to control it.

Sure, I know that some of you readers will want to lay the blame entirely at the feet of Drs. Brix and Fauci.  They are not blameless.  And neither is the former president.  So, spare me the blame-shifting and deflection.  I call BS.  The Chief Executive manages the team and conducts the orchestra.  The buck stops at the President's desk.  Trump's willful blindness and bungling led to an infectious disease emergency that was stunning in its magnitude.  It resulted in unnecessary illness, excess deaths and a self-inflicted economic crisis.

Things ended badly.  He was feckless.

Between you and me his failure to lead cost him the 2020 election.

And, of-course, that led to the violence of the capitol riot on January 6, 2021.  For this blogger that was a bridge too far.  

Let's be clear:  

POLITICAL VIOLENCE HAS NO PLACE IN CIVIL SOCIETY.

Poverty On The Peninsula

From the Third Avenue Friday Discussion Group I had the opportunity to meet the Executive Director of United Way of Door County. 

Some takeaways.

Total Population:  30,038  Number of Households:  13,841

Median Household Income:  $68,257 (state average:  $70,996)

Labor Force Participation Rate:  58.3%  (state average:  65.1%)

ALICE Households:  25% (state average:  24%)

Households in Poverty:  9%  (state average:  11%)

Financial Hardship over Time

ALICE is an acronym for Assert Limited Income Constrained, Employed - households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county (the ALICE Threshold).  Households below the ALICE Threshold - Alice households plus those in poverty cannot afford the essentials.

Households move below or above the ALICE Threshold as economic factors and circumstances change.  This was especially true amid the economic tumult of the COVID pandemic, with higher wages , inflation and additional pandemic assistance.  By 2022, 4,772 households (34%) were below the ALICE Threshold in Door County.

The Cost of Basics Outpaces Wages 

The Household Survival Budget reflects the minimum cost to live and work in the current economy and includes housing, child care, food, transportation, healthcare, technology and taxes.  It does not include savings  for emergencies or future goals like college or retirement.  The Household Survival Budget  is calculated at the county level and by household composition, as costs can vary greatly depending on location and household needs.

In 2022, household costs in Door County were will above the Federal Poverty Level of $13,590 for a single adult and $27,750 for a family of four.

ALICE Household Survival Budget Calculator, Door County, Wisconsin, 2022

2 Adults, 1 Infant (Age 0-2), 1 Preschooler (Age 3-4)

click on image to enlarge

To see costs for different household compositions in any Wisconsin County, visit this link.

Friday Music

This song is by the British-American band Fleetwood Mac from their 1979 double album of the same name.

The album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 in the United States and spent almost nine months on the chart.  It was certified double platinum for shipping two million copies.

Tusk...

Missing Something?

The dedicated video trail camera is new.   The previous one was crashed and demolished by some sort of hairy critter. 

Which was a blessing in disguise as the older camera was among the last couple of old ones and the infrared mode was sketchy at best.  The replacement camera has delivered an abundance of short, silent video vignettes.  Including a raccoon without a tail.

How does a raccoon lose a tail do you suppose?

There's more than one anyway.....

How To Make Perfect Risotto

Arborio rice is a variety of short-grain rice used primarily in the classical preparation of risotto.  Named after the area in Italy where it was originally cultivated, today the rice is also grown in the U.S. in states such as California and Texas. 

Characterized by a short, fat, and slightly oval-shaped with a pearly white exterior; there are various size designations, of which super fino—the largest grain size—is the one most commonly used in the United States.

Arborio rice is high in amylopectin, a starch present in rice. Because it undergoes less milling than ordinary long-grain rice.  Consequently, it retains more of its natural starch content. Cooking the rice releases this starch, resulting in a firmer, chewier, and creamier rice compared to other kinds of rice.

Ingredients

1 c uncooked rice

2 T olive oil

2 T unsalted butter

½ c chopped onion

4 cups chicken stock (low sodium has more chicken flavor)

1 c frozen peas

1/3 cup of grated Parmigiana regiano cheese

Directions

1. Saute onion in oil and butter until translucent

2. Add the rice and stir for several minutes

3. Heat stock in microwave or sauce pan

4. Add stock, one ladle-full at a time, stirring as liquid is absorbed

5. Just before serving stir-in the peas and grated cheese and additional stock as needed

6.  Salt and pepper to taste

7. Serve in a bowl all by itself or add a protein. We like smoked salmon.

 

 

 

Darth Vader Edition

Not mine.

It's a loaner.

The Ford dealership had to keep our Mach E overnight for a sleepover to replace its software brain.

Long story short - a big brain dump.

This is a model year newer and at 0 - 60 in 3.9 seconds still blows the doors off most piston-powered sports cars.

At least off the line.

Black livery has a Darth Vader menacing vibe.  It looks real cool.  It tempts to lure you to the dark side. Nevertheless, having  been down this path early in my life - no f’ing way. 

No black car!

By the time I got home from Green Bay this Mustang was coated in a uniform layer of flyover country dust…..

Climate Risk

An article in the Washington Post last week outlined a detailed analysis of risks associated with the places we chose to live.  And consequently the implications associated with this choice.  There are implications related to risks.  The article may be pay walled, nevertheless this is the link if you want to take a look and avail yourself of the interactive risk calculator. 

I also want you to know that 10,000 years ago - where I live on the Door Peninsula - was covered by an ice sheet a mile thick!  Yup, that is a pile of glaciation.  So much so that the earth's crust continues to rebound from the weight of all of that ice.  The truth of the matter is that things have gotten warmer ever since.  

The climate has changed.  

And yes - beginning with the industrial revolution - I'm sure the hand of man has contributed to this change.  But I digress.

In this column the issue of climate risks assesses both the opportunities and threats that this poses for homeowners.  As a recovering financial guy I can appreciate the careful study of risks as they relate to the financial implications. 

Some families live in locations with too little water while others live with flood risk.  Some households chose to live within a spectacular view of the water; consequently there is the risk of sea level rise and dangerous storm surge.  If you've ever visited Asheville, NC you'd likely think:  This would be a terrific place to live.  Asheville, NC is no more because of a never-before flood event.  And while mountain views are also spectacular a wildfire can reduce your home to a smoking pile of ash.  More than once.

Many of these events come as a result of many years of climate change.  And they come with ramifications for the choice we make as to where to live, market impacts on the prices of our dwellings and the costs associated with insuring against losses.  All of which cumulatively impact communities on a larger scale.

The interactive calculator in the article offers AI-powered geospatial predictive analysis from AlphaGeo.   This utilizes granular analytics covering all climate risk hazards including heat stress, drought, hurricanes, flooding and wildfires for a volatile world including risk and resilience data to guide future-proofing your homestead.

As it turns out Door County, WI has very low climate risk.  Here's a breakdown of the individual risks:

Coastal Flooding and Hurricane - Very Low

Heat and Wildfire - Very Low

Inland flooding and Drought  - Low

It's rather safe to live here.  The risk of sea level rise is a non-issue although fluctuating lake levels periodically bedevil businesses and homeowners situated on the coastline.

And for the record - over the last number of decades we've been hanging around here I've taken notice of two anecdotal changes:

No snow for the November gun deer opener in about eighteen years.  The November gun season has become milder.  

You can use the link in the first paragraph to assess these same risks for any county in the United States.

Foxy Redhead

Meet Sciurus niger - the Eastern Fox Squirrel - the largest of the tree squirrel family.  The common gray squirrel is smaller.

At first blush you might guess this to be a Red Squirrel.  However, lacking in this photo is the Red Squirrel's distinctive bright white belly and white rings around the eyes.  The rusty coloring and large bushy tail are reminiscent of a fox - implying this is a Fox Squirrel. 

The bright orange pelt of this animal and it's loud, scolding call make it an easier visual and audible identification.  Unlike the Eastern Gray Squirrel this species has a wider home range and spends more time on the ground foraging. 

In the past five years they've been showing-up with increasing frequency on the trail cameras.  My conclusion is that as our forest has matured along with acorn production from the oaks is that the resident population has increased.  

This time of year their frequent appearances are a consequence of gathering stores for winter.

They're active year-round and January and February is their mating season so there's likely more chasing of the ladies happening too.

Fun to observe and without destructive tunneling behavior I'm tickled (so far anyway) to have them around.

 

Game Of Chance

If you're reading this at the time of publication you're obviously not paying attention to more important matters - like the Packer/Texan game.  Nevertheless, as long as you're here there is this.

From time to time I've mused about the premise that the betting world is a more accurate forecast of an election outcome than traditional polling methodology.  There is reason to believe that the predictive power of a wager is not only more reactive to events as they unfold on the campaign trail but with skin in the game a wager is more accurate.

So, while traditional polls show the Harris Trump race to be a dead heat - the Vegas line tells a different story.  If you take a survey of the betting markets you will observe that (as of the time of publication)  Polymarket, Kalshi and PredictIt all favor Trump over Harris.

If the odds makers are correct, Trump will walk away with the electoral vote.

We got a game on folks.  And it ain't your ordinary Sunday football match-up.

October Night Skies

The Orionid meteor shower featured in this post originates in the debris left behind by Halley's Comet.  Halley completes a circumnavigation of our sun every 76 years or thereabouts.  It last visited us in 1986 and will return in 2061.  Nevertheless, the dust trail left behind in its path does not disappear and is intercepted every year in late October.

As particulate matter from the debris trail enters our atmosphere it burns-up producing the Orionid meteor shower.  The orbit of the earth is opposite that of the debris (Retrograde is the Word Of The Day) resulting in fast-moving shooting stars.  We also collide with the debris once-again in May which results in the Eta Aquariids meteor show.  Halley is responsible for two meteor shows a year.

The overall duration of this shower is from September 26 to November 22 and is scheduled to peak on the evenings of October 20 and 21 with the best opportunities after midnight and before dawn.

The radiant for the Orionids originates from the constellation Orion the Hunter so fix yourself a cuppa hot cocoa or a glass of Merlot and keep your fingers-crossed for good viewing conditions.

09.15.23 Orion

Close Call

Smacked a whitetail yesterday on the way to a fish fry.  Deer suddenly materialized out of nowhere  from the woods on my left running at full tilt.

From all outward appearances all we suffered is a damaged front tag. 

Raising a toast to anti-collision technology and driver assist on the Ford Mustang Mach E….

October Night Skies

One of the bright spots (pun intended) of the fall and winter night sky is a bright star cluster called the Pleiades.  Colloquially-known as the Seven Sisters you will be able to locate it tonight to the upper-right of a waning gibbous moon.

The glare from a bright moon may wash-out some of the cluster  so a pair of binoculars might be helpful.

Fingers-crossed for cold, clear viewing.

Image credit: Chris Vaughan/Starry Night

 

Friday Music

All proceeds from this song will be donated to Clark County SPCA in Springfield, Ohio. If you'd like to donate to them directly, visit their website here: https://www.clarkcountyspca.org/donate

High Tech Fire Fighter

Welcome to the new Incident Command Vehicle for the Brussels, Union, Gardner (BUG) Fire Department.

The custom ride is designed to be first to respond to an incident.  Not only will it handle communications and logistics; it houses a high pressure, single operator, fire suppression system that breaks down water droplets into a fine mist known as a water mist system.  It works by creating tiny water droplets with a large surface area, allowing them to rapidly absorb heat from a fire and effectively extinguish it while using significantly less water than a traditional fire hose.

With the flip of a switch it also has capacity to lay down foam.

The Brussels Lions Club, local business and individuals contributed funding for this acquisition. 

Brussels Lions rock.
 

October Night Skies

In our part of the northern hemisphere the full moon appearance following the Harvest Moon is  generally known as the Hunter’s Moon.  Its appearance is typically in October - although it can also reveal itself in early November.  Last year it appeared on October 28. 

This full moon is also the third and largest of four consecutive super moons for 2024. It will appear about 6% larger and 16% brighter than a typical full moon.

Before European settlement Native Americans knew it as that time of year when people would hunt deer and other animals to lay-up stores of food for the winter. The Anishinaabe people knew it as the Falling Leaves Moon while the fall bird migration led the Cree to refer to it as the Migrating Moon  With the arrival of lower temperatures it has also been called the Ice Moon or Freezing Moon.  

The October full moon will be at its largest on October 17.  Nevertheless, If you are blessed with cold,clear viewing conditions it should appear full both tonight and tomorrow evening.

From October 2022 - Full Hunter Moon on the left, Jupiter on the right. 

October Night Skies

C/2023 A3 (Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)

 

Auto exposure (3+sec) and auto stabilization - no tripod. iPhone 14 Pro.

Porch lights were on.  And I used a filter for enhanced color and B&W effect.

I set an alarm and miraculously the clouds parted!  

Bracketed a pile of photos - kept seven.

click on images for closer look

 

Cluck!

Not so sure what to make of this observation but I haven't seen any big bucks on the trail cameras lately.  Have my neighbors killed them already?  Plenty of does, a handful of spike bucks, does with turkeys and brood flocks of turkeys all over the place.  I suppose the acorn crop is an attractant.  Who knows?

 

October Night Skies

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3 to astronomers) has been making an appearance since September.  Between now and the end of the month will be your last opportunity to see this in the night sky before it disappears into the cosmos.  Astronomers believe that this celestial body circles the sun about once every 80,000 years.

Brighter than the planet Jupiter it is easy to spot with the naked eye.  Binoculars or a telescope will enhance your viewing pleasure. 

Finally, was home to catch a photo last evening as the sun set.

Too many trees around here.  Although the foreground lighting from the porch lights is interesting.....

October Night Skies

 Sometimes I Cannot help myself.....

October Night Skies

Our moon is twelve days old today and there's something worth seeing all night long.

Both the moon and planet Saturn will ascend together as they make a close approach (technically called an appulse) in the night sky.  Look for the moon just to the left of Saturn.

Image Credit - Star Walk

Purple Predicter

In the Republican primary election earlier this year Nikki Haley garnered 20% of the vote total here on the peninsula. Trump, Haley and DeSantis were on the ballot and even though Haley had previously withdrawn from the race she still garnered a fifth of the Republican vote.  I wonder if anyone on Team Trump has this on their radar screen.

Why, you ask?

Because the County of Door has correctly backed every presidential winner for almost three decades, including Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.  This deeply purple peninsula has picked the winning presidential candidate since 1996.

Is it something in the water?  More likely it's something in the population dynamic.

The year-round permanent population here is only about 30,000 individuals (give or take).  Naturally not all are voters.  But the population also holds title to the highest percentage of adults over the age of 65 of any county in Wisconsin.  Not in total numbers; but as a percentage of the total population.  There's a large number of retirees who live here permanently.  Not everyone wants to live in Florida.  Florida has cockroaches as big as your hand, termites, fire ants, boa constrictors, alligators, heat, humidity, mold and rot.  If you're paying attention to the news Florida has hurricanes and flooding.  Florida is also home to nutty people who want to dictate what you check out of the library.  No way would I choose to live there.  Nevertheless, I'd visit during the Christmas or Easter holidays because Florida is home to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola and isn't as much of a fever swamp that time of year.  But I digress.  

In my discussion groups - beside me - you'd find retirees that include a business executive, dentist, molecular biologist, naval architect, doctor, civil engineer, an arson/insurance fire investigator, sheriff deputy, shipyard worker, groundwater geologist, teacher, medical examiner, constitutional lawyer, fisheries biologist and much more.  The peninsula is sorta like the Bermuda Triangle of knowledge.  A ginormous retirement brain trust. Thoughtful people choose to make their home here.  Shoot, if I had a sail boat, motor cruiser or liked to fish I'd move here when I retired.  No matter where you live you'd be fifteen minutes from a boat launch or marina.

My unscientific and casual take on this is that my neighbors and acquaintances have productive, intellectual and political conversations and are willing to share thoughts and opinions.  The basis for what they believe doesn't come from an echo chamber.  Like I said - they're thoughtful.  They engage in civil discourse and disagree without being disagreeable.  I've never lived in a place like this before.  It agrees with me. 

So, getting back to Nikki Haley; the GOP primary vote count and the up-coming 2024 election have created conditions that might be interesting.  There is much anticipation over how things will play-out.  Trump lost in 2020 yet every single down-ballot republican was elected.  All of them.  And they were in the majority too.

After the November election Nikki Haley might just say, I told you so.  Time will tell.

I think this election is too close to call and if Trump wins not much changes for me.  If he loses my expectation is that most everything will go into Sudden Death Overtime. 

You can learn more about the phenomenon of this purple county here.

We got a game on people.  Exciting stuff.

October Night Skies

In the world of once in a lifetime opportunities this is one you'll not want to miss.

Discovered only last year, Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3 to astronomers) has been making an appearance since September.  Between now and the end of the month will be your last opportunity to see this in the night sky before it disappears into the cosmos.  Astronomers believe that this celestial body circles the sun about once every 80,000 years.

Brighter than the planet Jupiter it is easy to spot with the naked eye.  Binoculars or a telescope will enhance your viewing pleasure. 

Comets consist of ice, dust and rock, think:  Dirty Snowball.  The ice component is made-up of frozen water, carbon dioxide, ammonia and methane mixed with dust and rock originating back to the formation of our solar system.  As the comet circumnavigates our sun some of the ice vaporizes resulting in a visible tail of gas and dust.  Rock and dust from the object may enter the earth's atmosphere resulting in meteors (shooting stars).

Look to the west-southwest, low on the horizon, about 30 to 45 minutes following sunset.  An unobstructed view is recommended.

Image - Space.com

 

Bonk!

Today was to be a soft opening before the South Dakota trip. 

After a year of training, five guys, sixteen birds and one dog at Woodfire Lodge in Brillion. Sure, it’s a canned hunt; but no better way to make all that hard work come together. 

Cancelled. 

Yesterday we spent an afternoon at the animal ER in Green Bay. 

The Red Rocket collided at full tilt with a steel fence post holding a bluebird box. 

Dog 1 - Nest box 0

Anyway, no broken bones. Close call with the right eye.  Sutures in the face. 

Any of you who’ve raised hunting dogs have been to this rodeo before.  This is one, tough working doggo. 

The debutante has to chill for ten days.  Stay-tuned for SD….

 

 

 

Fact Checking

Americans are being squeezed out of the labor force and their jobs are taken.  By the way, you know who's taking the jobs, the jobs that are created?  One hundred and seven percent of those jobs are taken by illegal aliens.

- Donald Trump

Nope.  It's a vast demographic shift Mr. Trump.  I have blogged on this subject in the past as us retired (and planning to retire) Baby Boomers are the pig moving thru the python.

Unemployment as been at or below 4.1 percent for 30 months.  We have a dearth of workers - not an excess.  The number of native-born American workers has remained basically static since 2019.  And this is a consequence of people retiring.  

Immigrants - legal or otherwise - have nothing to do with it.   Trump is confused or lying.  Take your pick.