Fishing, cherries and squirrels

 

My fishing-buddy Shotgun on the left, the Thornapple River on the right

My set-up.

We were fishing behind the Good Times Pizza place. There was lots of evidence of fishing pressure. We didn't catch any fish. A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work.

For the record, Good Times Pizza does not sell pizza-by-the-slice in the evening but they do sell ice cream cones if you need a bite to eat on the way home.

Cherries

Some of the releases from the U-of-S breeding program

I am struggling to get excited about planting cherry trees or bushes.

The University of Saskatchewan cherry breeding program has been in motion for about seventy years and they released almost a dozen "bush" sour or "pie" cherries in the last decade. Every release seeming to be an improvement on the last. It is notable that the bushes stay shorter than 10' tall and that the cherries are highly pigmented.

Northstar sour cherry. Northstar is a naturally small tree. Released by University of Minnesota

All of these varieties are extremely cold-hardy and you would think that I would be excited about them.

However, most of the U-of-S releases are small, i.e. 4 grams or 110 to the pound. "Cupid" and "Wowza!" are exceptions at 70 to the pound. Sweet cherries like "Bing" run 45 to the pound. That size means that mechanical cherry-pitters will struggle to handle them. The small size and red color also makes them highly attractive to starling-sized birds.

Another downside, for me, is the lateness of their ripening season. I seem the "Dacha" folks growing lots of cherries and it fills a hole in the fruit ripening season. That is, late-June and early-July. Cupid and Wowza! ripen in late-August so they are competing, labor-wise, with peaches, plums and early pears.

Looking at the labor required to prepare late-ripening pie-cherries for the table vs other fruits, peach cobbler is far less labor than a cherry pie and will feed more people.

So...I am going to leave my wallet in my pocket and not plant any of these. Sometimes and in some places "No" is the correct answer.

The war against squirrels

I got one with the shotgun yesterday. He knew I was there and was hiding. I played a You-tube short of a juvenile red squirrel chattering and he couldn't stand it. 20 gauge, cylinder choke, 7-1/2 shot, 30 yards. The lesson is that losing your temper can get you killed.

Suddenly, I want a WIFI speaker for my phone. I visualize placing it about ten paces away from me and playing this video. My thinking is that they will not be focusing on me, plus, the speaker will be louder than my phone.

On-the-other-hand, I was working in the garden with Mrs ERJ when I heard a 110 body-grip trap go off. I went to investigate and saw that I had captured a red squirrel by his left-rear quarter and he was dangling in the air. Since I didn't want to disturb Mrs ERJ by euthanizing the catch I waited a few minutes for her to go into the house. In that short time, the swinging squirrel had managed to grab some clutter on the ground and twist himself out of the trap.

Lesson learned: Mount the traps so the lowest point on the trap is at least 15" from anything on the ground when it is hanging by its chain. 2' is even better.

The bad news is that I now have a trap-wise squirrel in the barn. 

Today's work-tickets

Go to a funeral.

Go to a family event.

Plant a row of radishes. 

Just a passing thought

I don't know who needs to see this, but B.F. Skinner taught pigeons to fly drones on kamikazi missions. He used conditioning, that is food, to teach the birds to peck at the base of the Japanese aircraft carrier's superstructure. When they pecked the proper place, they got  kernel of corn. The plan was to put a grid over the airplane's canopy (window) and the pigeon's pecking would be converted to an electronic signal that activated servos that adjusted flaps.

Compared to that, teaching pigeons and starlings to defecate on the solar panel that powers Flock cameras is a piece of cake. Fabricate a dozen mock-flocks. Put a feed trough that will positions the rear-end of the bird over the photo-cell. Birds typically de-ballast just before they start flying.

The assumption is that the birds will become habituated to perching on Flock cameras in a way that will result in an opaque (and corrosive) coating being deposited on the solar panel.

It is poetic justice if flocks of starlings and pigeons become the "Flock" spy camera's undoing.

As far as I know, there are no laws against ornamental bird feeders.
 

Bonus video: My primary home-defense weapon is a chihuahua

 

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Much to my surprise, I got most of my work-tickets finished yesterday.

Bamboo poles to support tomato vines as they out-grow the feedlot panel. Before weeding.

The ducks like to hang-out beneath the willow bush on the right side of photo and in the background.
 

After weeding, from the other side.

Tomato, not Rose de Bern

Plant from same seed package, might be Rose de Bern. Most of the tomatoes on this plant are as round as ball-bearings.

A long truss of green tomatoes on Might be Federle. Note that they are not elongated.

Random photo of green Federle tomatoes pulled off the web. No long cluster. Very elongated and pointy.

Assessing 2,4-D effectiveness

Beneath the trees in the Upper Orchard

You can see where I missed a patch on the left side of the photo. It provides a nice before/after comparison.

 

Not every type of weed is as visibly hammered as these were. Perennials like goldenrod that are mature enough that their stems hardened-up are yellowing and only the succulent tops are twisting. The older burdock seems unaffected so far.

While I was visiting I sprayed the Keepsake apple tree with calcium and lugged water to the eleven newest trees.

The P2.5 air-quality is predicted to be bad today but (likely) better on Saturday. 

Nashville scouting report

The fishing site behind the Assembly of God church is not viable. I parked in the church parking lot to check it out. I walked to the edge of the pavement and stopped. It was clearly part of a yard that belonged to the house next door.

I had turned around and was walking back to my truck when I heard the door of that house open and a man called "Can I help you?". Midwest friendly.

I mentioned that I was looking for a place to go fishing but I wasn't going to sneak across his yard.

It turned out that he is the Pastor of that church. We had a wide-ranging conversation. He was a very easy guy to talk to.

He showed me the one place where I could get down to the river. It was behind some apartments. The bank was steep and stabilized with slabs of broken concrete. Absolutely treacherous for anybody older than 12 years-old.

The public boat-launch.

The channel didn't look as promising as behind the church but the access was wide-open.

The old dam-site was also mowed and a couple of kids were fishing there and looks very promising. No pictures taken as I wasn't carrying my phone.

Quaker Brook south of the Dollar General store

Quaker Brook also had access but was very mosquito-y. The water was 12"-to-18" deep. It looks like a prime place to catch suckers in the spring before the mosquitoes go crazy.

Potatoes

The last two things I did yesterday were to set a trap for a raccoon and to dig some potatoes before turning on the sprinkler in the garden.

A little more than two-pounds of potatoes from one hill. These were microwaved and will be used as needed.

Fake News Friday

Apparently, there is an AI app dedicated to composing "Dear John" letters. It is named "Maria" 

Some pictures from the County Fair

 

Smoke from the fire in northwestern Ontario

Not crowded at all

Closeup of a cooling station

Same station from farther back

The display was made from fiber-art. All of the display sampes were knitted.

A practical sewing project

Another denim dress with classic lines

A basket woven from Black Ash, some strips natural, other dyed.

Some photos

More photos

4-H Shooting Sports

A close-up showing some of the images

As Mrs ERJ and I were leaving, we saw the Military Recruiting booths.

I stopped and chatted with a Navy representative, last name of DuPont. I was not able to determine his rank.

We talked a little bit about Hegseth's push to test military personnel for testosterone. Link

One of the electricians I worked with had been diagnosed with low T. After the doctor prescribed supplemental T, he needed three hours less sleep a night and still had more pep than before.

To satisfy my curiosity, I asked DuPont "What is the longest period that you have had to remain awake in one stretch?"

"I was once required to be awake for 68 hours straight. I am a medic and I was supporting a Marine unit that was unable to re-link with the rest of the unit. My patient had lost a lot of blood and had second and third degree burns. Protocol required that I check vitals every five minutes and push more IV fluids when he needed them."

The recruiter standing next to him said "You got me beat. I did 48 hours at least twice." That recruiter was a Figherfighter-Trainer, so I assume that occurred when he was either fighting a fire or was in a simulation situation.

They also touched on the fact that military are exposed to toxic chemicals more often than civilians. Many of those chemicals, especially the halogenated ones, often have hormone-like effects which can interfere with natural hormone production.

I don't want to sound snarky, but the Progressive applauded when Biden's military used tax-payer money to inject women with male hormones and men with women's hormones. It seems disingenuous to feign angst when Hegseth proposes monitoring testosterone. 

Hey, Chum!

Responding to a question in the comments:

Working from up-stream to downstream:

Soaked-and-boiled, shelled corn (for carp) behind the Assembly of God church and at the boat launch. These used to be a mill-pond and the sill of the former dam still backs up the water to form bayous.

Cut up, Bar-S hotdogs below the rapids where the old mill dam was. I may push some pea-stone into each chunk so it doesn't float downstream too fast.

More cut-up, Bar-S hotdogs where Quaker Brook runs into the outside of a very tight bend.

Planning a trip to the County Fair

The peak wind-chill predicted for today is 14 degrees colder than it was for yesterday and the day before.

Mrs ERJ mentioned that she wants to go to the County Fair. I like making Mrs ERJ happy, so it is likely that I will eat an elephant ear and look at various farm animals and arts-and-crafts today.

I took a break from weeding the garden during the hottest days this week. The weeds did not take a break. So, I am behind in that.

The tomato vines are approaching the top of the feed-lot panels I put up to support them. My plan is to install bamboo poles with a single drop of twine to give them another 4' of head-room. Mrs ERJ toured the tomato garden and was concerned that 24' of row did not seem like very many tomatoes. We will see.

Meeting people

There I was with Mrs ERJ, walking around the track at the Alive fitness center. We were passing another couple who were also walking around the track when the man bumped the brim of his baseball cap with the knuckle of his pointer finger, revealing another couple inches of his forehead.

"I think I used to work with you" I blurted out.

"Maybe" the man replied.

"Jim?" I guessed.

He perked up. "Maybe you did" he agreed.

Then I said "Pipe-fitter?" (his trade).

Then he replied "Fisher Body!".

The last time I worked with Jim was in 2004. He is now 79 years-old. 

And another

A short time later, Mrs ERJ struck up a conversation with another woman.

It turned out that she attends the same church we do. We did not recognize her because she usually goes to a different (time) service than we do.

Boosting the signal

These are very short videos (like about 30 seconds). I shamelessly stole these from The Daily Timewaster blog.

Content We should be "working" so we can live a balanced, moral life, not living to work.
 

Content Marriage exists for three reasons: 

Marriage turns men's physical attraction toward women into a positive thing as it bonds them into a team

Married heterosexuals create the optimal environment for raising children. The Orthodox priest reminds us that children are created in the image and likeness of God himself.

The third reason is that God is present when two people meet in his name. A holy marriage is when husband and wife invite God into it and allow themselves to be windows that let God's light shine into the world. 

Stretch target for today's goals

Visit the Upper and Hill Orchards and water the new trees.

Swing by Nashville, Michigan and check out a couple of fishing sites on the Thornapple River. I might even throw some chum into the water and come back Friday with a fishing pole.