24/7 Chat About Anything

[wayne49]

Salk vaccine was the needle shot in the Fifties,

Sabin vaccine was the sugar cube in the Sixties.

 

[Morgana]

My cactus seeds finally sprouted! I think there were ~50 in the packet and now there are ~5 babies. I planted them almost four months ago. Finally got tired of watching them and fussing over them and put them inside a watertight container with plenty of water, put it in a sunny spot, and just left them alone. LOL plants seem to do better when I ignore them.
I have no idea what kind of cactuses they will turn into -- with my luck, the same kind as grows wild around here by the 100s -- but it's still fun to see them sprout. Something about a thing that grows sooooo slowwww, it's relaxing.
I think you could grow them in a vehicle as long as you could attach the container somewhere it wouldn't bounce if you had to slam on the brakes. It wouldn't take much room... they need so little dirt to begin with that you could put them in an upside-down peanut butter jar or the like (and put the dirt in the lid).
Just in case there's anyone out there who thinks watching the slowest-growing seeds on the planet is their idea of a good time

 

[bullfrog !]

I went the opposite way. Drove out into the flats of the desert today to look in the week old monsoon puddles. Saw tadpoles swimming in the desert. Their life cycle is very short. I’ll look at the deeper puddles in a week or so for freshwater shrimp, they remind me of miniature horseshoe crabs. Puddles dry up quickly so life forms must grow and reproduce in a very short time.

 

[vanbrat]

I wonder if I can find some cactus seeds were did you get them!?

I have caught and raised so many tad poles and it still amazes me. I'm not sure which I like to watch more the little critters or the kids as they watch the little fishes become frogs.
One year I goofed and brought home salamander eggs and we got to watch those tad poles become something else.

 

[Morgana]

I wonder if I can find some cactus seeds were did you get them!?

They are not easy to find and it can get expensive fast. I just got mine from Amazon. If you have a bigger budget there are specialized mail-order options. If you have access to a good bricks-and-mortar nursery, though, I would start there and maybe ask a clerk for pointers. I don't know if my low germination rate is because cheap seeds or maybe that's normal for cactus. For my purposes just a few seeds sprouting is fine, but for kids it might be worth trying to up the odds.

 

[Happy Camper]

They are not easy to find and it can get expensive fast. I just got mine from Amazon. If you have a bigger budget there are specialized mail-order options. If you have access to a good bricks-and-mortar nursery, though, I would start there and maybe ask a clerk for pointers. I don't know if my low germination rate is because cheap seeds or maybe that's normal for cactus. For my purposes just a few seeds sprouting is fine, but for kids it might be worth trying to up the odds.

This looks like a winner. $8.99 And it'll be a surprise what type grows! Super cute, if a bit prickly.

KIRA SEEDS - Seeds Cactus Variety Mix - Succulents for Planting - GMO Free https://a.co/d/0gDwsI5

 

[Morgana]

Whew, the primary election is over. This poll-worker-ing business is not for sissies. For the general election I think I will just try to work election day -- not the early voting, because it gets very little use here and there are other easy options. (They really have trouble staffing the early voting site here -- and after one of the longest weeks of my life I can see why LOL.)
Election day was better; it's run by a completely different department. On the downside, I had to memorize ANOTHER long procedure manual. (Realistically, I seem to be the only person who RTFMs, so .) On the plus side, they had great food
For the most part, a polling place seems like a happy place. Most people who come in seem glad to be there and to put their arguments on hold and just be all voting Americans together for a minute. A small % seemed really worried or stressed out. It just struck me how important plain old-fashioned "customer service" is to keeping everyone's trust. Everything from not chitty-chatting while voters are there to, er, not carrying your half-eaten snack in one hand while you carry a person's ballot in the other . IMNSHO we could have used a lot more customer service (sigh).
I think the thing to remember is that polling places are staffed by human beings -- most of whom are lowly temp workers with really limited training. (My gripe is the limited hands-on. They could so easily make online simulations of all these voting machines and processes, so you could practice until you had the skills down before you ever met a voter.) As a group, over time, they get the job done well. But if (God forbid) you meet a worker or official who rubs you the wrong way, don't jump to any conclusions beyond that you just met one jerk, or maybe even a temporarily overwhelmed nice person. If you have real questions or concerns, express them in a calm/friendly way, and persist until you get answers. You are the customer, and the system will almost certainly serve you well in the end -- but it can't hurt to put the other person in a relaxed and helpful frame of mind.
Overall, a happy place.
Will work for pizza .

 

[vanbrat]

So glad the job is over for you and glad it wasn't half bad.
We lost our polling places several years ago. Hubby had a really hard time getting to them before closing or opening he always had a ferry to catch and sometimes even if he left for home early so did the other commuter's, so the ferry line was always long.... Then it became hard to find someone to man the polls and then then it became hard to find a place that was in the right zone(?) We were all glad it went mail in now we can take the time to read and study the issues and fill it in correctly. With nobody trying to see if your almost done so the next person can start..... (That only happened once to me)
So what's next? You seem to like volunteering. Any idea what you want to do next?

 

[Morgana]

This was more like the end rather than the beginning of the volunteering phase. The first three years and 3700+ miles of my retirement. I think I'll just enjoy the desert for awhile and try to save up some money for whatever's next.
They do pay pollworkers, here at least. Not much and not quickly but they do pay. I might splurge on a new cell phone. I'd be happy if those ^&*(+ things lived forever, but mine is to the point where if you even look at it it loses 10% of battery power. It was my first smartphone so <3, but ....
Yes, thank goodness for mail voting!

 

[maki2]

The monsoon season afternoon’s typical cloud up with thunderstorms and rain pattern has returned to the Flagstaff area. I did enjoy the 10 day break without thunderstorms.

A few days ago there was a butterfly event with hundreds of them flying past and pausing briefly to fuel up on a newly blossoming wildflower event. I am near a gas pipeline that is many miles long, straight, wide clearing through the forest. That path became the butterflies highway through the forest as those particular wildflowers they were feeding on grow along the pipeline in the sunshine. The wind was blowing in-line with the path of the pipeline creating a stream of butterflies moving with the wind. Quite a wonderful and unusual site

 

[Happy Camper]

Lovely 100 degrees today. Staying inside as much as possible.

 

[maki2]

I am indoors this afternoon as there is a thunderstorm happening overhead. Unfortunately that means no significant solar input happening at present as this afternoon the whole area of sky is densely clouded up.

 

[Happy Camper]

I am indoors this afternoon as there is a thunderstorm happening overhead. Unfortunately that means no significant solar input happening at present as this afternoon the whole area of sky is densely clouded up.

We need safe technology to charge batteries from lightning strikes. Fastest full charge ever.

/Sarcasm

 

[maki2]

^ it is always cocktail hour somewhere

 

[frodo2222]

I am indoors this afternoon as there is a thunderstorm happening overhead. Unfortunately that means no significant solar input happening at present as this afternoon the whole area of sky is densely clouded up.

Where u at?

 

[Morgana]

After it rains the temperature goes down but the humidity goes up, some tradeoff.

 

[bullfrog !]

After it rains the temperature goes down but the humidity goes up, some tradeoff.

Don’t know about the humidity but Tucson is forecast for 107 degrees today after our thunderstorm last night! Lol!!!

 

[maki2]

I am in the mountains in Northern AZ.
The humidity is just right. The temperature is OK. But if you can’t appreciate the benefits of having some rain in the afternoons then it is not the place for you.

 

[Morgana]

When it rains it pours (haha well it is monsoon season). I had to take the car in to the dealer to get a new digital key. My last one broke at the most inopportune time (0430 just before I was due to be at work on election day, with the car stuck in a public alley where I couldn't just leave it, took me an hour just to get the broken bit out of the ignition). I was tempted to just use the physical key (which I prefer anyway) going forward, but it doesn't work sometimes too, and anyway I feel like the poor car deserves some respect. Getting a new digital key required a 3+ hour round-trip drive through God's country to the big city (I thank thee Lord that I don't have to live in Phoenix) and $$$.

Back home the next day, the red battery light came on. The delightful local backyard mechanic fit me in the day after that. It's going to take him a few days to get parts and in the meantime he thinks it's safe to drive short distances but I should get a battery charger. I decided to get the kind that costs more $$$ but you can charge it up in advance and have it as part of your emergency kit in case you need to jump start a battery.

Brought it home and started RTFMing and holy cr@p the instructions are scary! Explosive gases! Make sure there is someone nearby who can come to your aid?! They are also in very small type! Now weighing the options which include (a) going back to bed and (b) trying to impersonate a reasonable adult and deal with this. Or maybe I could just not drive anywhere till the mechanic gets the parts ...

In the meantime I am also shopping for a new phone which is another $$$ but mine really is on its last legs and how stupid would it be to be out in the middle of the desert and your car dies and your phone dies? Eventually you have to top up your safety net, especially if you want to live out the other side of God's country ... where the quails and bunnies roam and the sun rises over the mine tailings ... yeah, worth it.

 

[Happy Camper]

When it rains it pours (haha well it is monsoon season). I had to take the car in to the dealer to get a new digital key. My last one broke at the most inopportune time (0430 just before I was due to be at work on election day, with the car stuck in a public alley where I couldn't just leave it, took me an hour just to get the broken bit out of the ignition). I was tempted to just use the physical key (which I prefer anyway) going forward, but it doesn't work sometimes too, and anyway I feel like the poor car deserves some respect. Getting a new digital key required a 3+ hour round-trip drive through God's country to the big city (I thank thee Lord that I don't have to live in Phoenix) and $$$.

Back home the next day, the red battery light came on. The delightful local backyard mechanic fit me in the day after that. It's going to take him a few days to get parts and in the meantime he thinks it's safe to drive short distances but I should get a battery charger. I decided to get the kind that costs more $$$ but you can charge it up in advance and have it as part of your emergency kit in case you need to jump start a battery.

Brought it home and started RTFMing and holy cr@p the instructions are scary! Explosive gases! Make sure there is someone nearby who can come to your aid?! They are also in very small type! Now weighing the options which include (a) going back to bed and (b) trying to impersonate a reasonable adult and deal with this. Or maybe I could just not drive anywhere till the mechanic gets the parts ...

In the meantime I am also shopping for a new phone which is another $$$ but mine really is on its last legs and how stupid would it be to be out in the middle of the desert and your car dies and your phone dies? Eventually you have to top up your safety net, especially if you want to live out the other side of God's country ... where the quails and bunnies roam and the sun rises over the mine tailings ... yeah, worth it.

What the heck did you buy? Lol.

There are some very good portable jumpers that are super small, light weight, and very effective. That might be a better solution.

The smaller battery chargers are pretty good. They just take a little more time to get you to 100%