Assessing My Christmas 2019 Lemon Meringue Pie

I hadn't made a lemon meringue pie in, uh, lots of years. It tasted good, and looked mostly good before I started cutting into it. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Creating a YouTube Playlist Really Fast

In 2012, I wrote my previous blog articles WRT creating YouTube playlists with YT newbies in mind. My newer method streamlines the process to minimal steps and window hopping. What prompted me to revisit creating YT playlists? Two incentives: Replicating a set of cartoons on a VHS tape that didn't list the entire contents, and wanting to create recent thematic playlists for videos I'd created over time. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Short Pre- TDay Deer Tracking

How short was the tracking? About 16 minutes and 1/4 mile of deer path. Followed a pack of deer and shot five clips on 11/23, the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Composting Cleanly, Way Reducing Ick

Recently, we started participating in the community composting program. … Reduce ickiness possibilites by avoiding fouling both containers:

• Use castoff food boxes to line the indoor pail, additionally helped if you initially use paper towels for spills/cleanups then toss into the boxes.
• Use newspaper to wrap food scraps, produce (fruits, veggies) trimmings, melon rinds.
• Prepare the outdoor cart with a layer, maybe half-can full, of tree debris (leaves, small branches).

Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Better'n a Baker's Dozen of Deer

A few days ago on a morning walk, the sun was pretty bright out, making me think conditions wouldn't be good for using my camera. For about the first half hour, I spotted some deer here and there, but contrasts not good. Happily, a load of deer came into view in shade. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Halloween Scenes Around (2018)

Jack O'Lanterns, skeletons, ghouls, ghosts, goblins, black cats, dragons, witches, oh, my! These stills and clips from these 20 sites are from two weeks in October 2018. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Cicada Wasp, Pac-Mannish Deco

The winged bug caught our eyes during a morning walk. Initially, thought might be a hornet. Took video and stills, one with a measuring tape body. Later, I estimated the insect at ~ 2”. Notice the Pac-Mannish yellow markings. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Cicada Wing Curiosity Piquer

Last month, we found a wing part inside the kitchen door. Wondered if someone tracked it in. Maybe a butterfly wing? Hmm, as I'd been preoccupied with cicadas this July and August, I immediately recognized it as a partial cicada wing. Decided to video-record it, turning it with tweezers, and also taking some stills. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Cicada Exuviae Trios, Additional Exuviae at Odd Hang Spots

I've seen some odd places that cicada nymphs chose to park their shells and extract themselves. My spotting of the recent trio and solo at odd places inspired me to find other oddball exuviae discard locations I'd taken pix of. FWIW, some places might not seem so odd; that a few nymphs chose the same place around the same time is. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Hangout for 7 Cicada Exuviae 7-11 Through 8-01 2019

This year's been a huge year for cicadas. I wound up with images for seven different cicada exuviae that hung at the house between July 11 and August 1, a three-week period. I've differentiated them with phonetically alphabetish monikers. (Oddly, no exuviae were at sides nor back of house, and none at the curb.) Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Webworm Nest at Tx Black Walnut Tree

At a city park in June, I noticed a conical item high on a Texas Black Walnut tree. I took some pix and a zoom-in/out video. Although details weren't great, the item looked "aerated". Returned with someone else who brought a monopod and higher-resolution camera. Over about a week, posted some images and zoom-out video to LinkedIn for gathering opinions on what the item could be. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Fawnzies and Deering Does

It took only about half an hour to capture does and fawns one morning (June 23). Two does and their twin fawns were two separate families. One of the does of twins had a Sharpie-pen-like horizontal mark at its left flank. One additional doe had a single fawn near it. Two fawnless does also showed up in my sights. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Critter Shootin' Near Mid-June 2019

Previously, I blogged "Lotsa Bloomin' Mid-May Near Mid-year 2019", regarding a neighborhood stroll—flora and fauna images from May 16, 17, 18. This neighborhood stroll video includes only animals; the walk took less than an hour. What a collection of critters! Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Lotsa Bloomin' Mid-May Near Mid-year 2019

This year, May has been an especially eye-popping year for blooms. This blog and accompanying video represent sightings simply from short walks in and near the neighborhood on May 16, 17, and 18. (Includes coupla non-bloom subjects.)

While strolling in the 'hood one day, …

Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Mexican hats el 5 de mayo, no mas el 7 de mayo

To bee'd

Or not to bee'd

During a short walk on Sunday, May 5, I took a few pix of some small clutches of Mexican hat flowers. On May 7, nowhere to be found! Fortunately for me, more recently, I did manage to spot additional crops of Mexican hats and took pix and video. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Blue Heron Sighting, Swans, and 12 Days of Christmas Connection

During this morning's walk, we spotted a pair of birds flying overhead. Companion speculated swans. A nearby homeowner who also spotted them declared they were blue herons. I had figured "swans" was not feasible. "They don't fly," I thought. Or do they? Read the entire article and comment there, please.

DIY Red-Llght Head Light

You might ask, "Who would want a red-light head light?" Well, amateur astronomers, for hands-free seeing at night, especially if they're carrying or handling equipment, such as telescopes. Other night-sky observers might want to wear them for being able to walk around without bumping into people or items, and they can retain night vision while viewing objects, whether through telescopes or binoculars at night-sky watching events. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Nandina Domestica—Good, Bad, not Ugly

Out on a walk early February 4, I spotted a plant with striking red berries and vibrant leaves, making me think of Christmas and holly. It was growing wild in a shallow ravine just behind a guard rail. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Reaching Past Pasta Ads that Feature La Donna E Mobile

Every now and then, I've tried finding a TV commercial that advertised pasta and used a particularly catchy classical piece. I've long since forgotten the name of the pasta and most of the pasta words. I had never learned the name of the music until a few weeks ago. ("La Donna e Mobile" is a 43-sec instrumental autoplay audio that loops.) Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Bur Oak Acorn, Walnut-sized Nut

I spotted the curious-looking bur oak acorn just before Halloween. The acorn had a bushy cap, like a short-dreadlocks hairstyle. The acorn itself seemed about the size of a walnut. After I took it home, I found that the cap easily detached. The composite shows the acorn and cap with measuring stick. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Raking Leaves Ain't Hard to Do (widescreen)

My previous article about parodying "Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" included info about raking leaves chores and implements, and parts collection for the music videos. This article, besides pointing to the widescreen-version video, describes some of my processes and the lessons learned for picking, creating, and integrating items into both video versions. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

Raking Leaves Ain't Hard to Do (with scrolling lyrics)

Early December, raking chores inspired me to parody "Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do". I wrote and sang (not greatly) words to go with "Breaking Up" instrumental music. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

An Earl of Sandwich at a Blue Baker

Over several years of patronizing Blue Baker (Austin), I'd occasionally glanced at wall artwork—mostly food items and an Earl of Sandwich.

About a month ago, I took closer note of the card hand. He held the ace of diamonds, king of spades, queen of hearts, jack of clubs, and ten of hearts. I got to thinking about card hand ranks. Read the entire article and comment there, please.

2019 New Year's Day Buck

On January 1 about 4:30 PM, I spotted the buck during a neighborhood walk. Those antlers were the biggest I've seen in a residential area. Read the entire article and comment there, please.