You know how I try to find an image to fit my title each post? Well, while roaming around the web trying to find a hole image, I ran across some interesting information that led me down the rabbit hole (no pun intended, but definitely appreciated) for a while. Did you know that trypophobia is commonly known as the “fear of holes”? These various phobias that I find out about are just fascinating to me. Trypophobia is really a fear or disgust of clusters of small holes, which could manifest for some people because, “clusters of holes may be evolutionarily indicative of contamination and disease—visual cues for rotten or moldy food or skin marred by an infection, the researchers theorize.” You can read the entire article I found, if you are so inclined, here; however, I would caution you against searching for images using the phobia’s term, some of the photos are ghastly! Why are we talking about holes? Let’s move on…. Continue reading
holes
25 Friday Jan 2019
Posted in Co-workers, Projects
Don’t you just wonder that sometimes? You stand back and look at things, the focus is sometimes fuzzy, and you wonder…what’s happening? Maybe it’s the wind that was supposed to start at 11 this morning, but actually began in the dark hours of the day – wind always makes things seem… odd. Maybe it’s just that weird ‘Monday’ effect. You know, the one that makes you immediately nostalgic for the weekend. Whatever the cause, there were just some things this weekend,and today, that made me ask, quietly, to myself, mostly out of earshot of the chickens, goats, dogs and cats, “what’s happening?”. 
Sometimes we have issues with tumbleweeds. Not necessarily as bad as this house in the high desert of California, but they are a nuisance none the less. From a distance, they remind me of Tribbles and they seem to multiply with the same ferocity. We get them tangled in the electric fence all the time – they can do
Every once in a while there are days where things just take a turn down the wrong lane. I’m not exactly sure, but I think our Monday may have started way back on Saturday… in the technical difficulties arena anyway. Several things kinda didn’t quite work out, culminating in a total Monday type of day today. 
One of our long term goals is to give the oldies more free run of the “yard”. That area right around the house that is fenced in. Yes, it’s fenced in, but the fencing is 4×4 wire, which is fine for dogs, but the chickens could get through it if they tried hard enough. Before we start introducing them to a larger area, Sue has been adding this smaller squared pvc fencing to the original fence. We use is a lot when we first let littles outside of the brooder in a small outside area. It holds up really well, and it doesn’t look bad either. As a matter of fact, I had to do the close-up shot because it virtually disappears when you get a few feet away. In the next couple of days we’ll move their existing fence so it goes across the upper north west corner of the property, giving them a large triangle of open space to roam. They should like it. If they handle that well, we’ll make it bigger and bigger. Then, maybe by grasshopper season, they can be completely free! That would be amazing. 
I have family in Alaska. Mostly they live on the Kenai Peninsula – in or around Soldotna area. Each Christmas, I look forward to receiving an Alaska themed calendar from my cousin Michael and his wife Alison. I don’t know why I love it so much, I think it’s all the photos of the Aurora Borealis; they truly fascinate me. I’ve never seen them the couple of times I’ve been in the northern regions, but it’s one of my bucket list things. Anyway – this year’s calendar also includes the names of the months in different First Nations’ languages. January is Irallull’er, it translates to ‘the bad month’ in Yup’ik but only in the Bristol Bay region. I find it interesting that tribes in different areas can use the 
same name, with the same meaning, for differing months. It is completely dependent upon the weather; some months could come before others. I suppose, as we look at our weather this month – compared to others – this could be our Irallull’er. Or perhaps our month is more Kanruyauciq, meaning “frost”, like those of the Canineq area (lower coastal). No matter what its correct name is, we’ve been calling it “cold.” 
Last Saturday was the day we had set aside to move the RCW. I had mentioned this was an interesting, if difficult, process and I’d take some photos of the more interesting segments. You know, when you have plans they never really go the way you think they should. I didn’t take any video, and I kept forgetting to take photos until after the fact; but I still have a fun fact to share with you. It’s about the most difficult way to thread the needle. 
Does that title bring to mind any song from the 80’s with specific dance moves attached to it? Electric Slide anyone? Well, if you’re not too sure exactly what I mean and you make through to the end of this post today, “I’ll teach you, teach you, teach you; I’ll teach you the electric slide.” Anyway… what Sue suggested I write about today is the visit from our two math-physics-engineering friends Ron and Kathy. See this graphic to the right? It’s all just nonsense to me, but these two super bright people get this kind of stuff. So, before we ever embark into possibly difficult or dangerous territory, we ask them to take a field trip and impart magnificent words of wisdom unto our ears. Continue on, if this sounds interesting. 
Ok, so maybe not really that exciting, but definitely new. Well, not brand new, but definitely new to us. Even though we’re sorta still caught in those doldrums we talked about last week, Sue is fighting the good fight to get out of them (I’m just floundering). In her attempt to paddle out of the calm sea area, Sue has purchased a new to us piece of equipment. It’s something she’s been wanting for a while now and we thought we had a good lead, then it rather fizzled, but recently was brought to life again. Can any one guess??? 
Wing and a Prayer 