Saturday Open Thread - 8/15/26: Odds and Ends
Good morning, good people! I hope this OT finds y'all in fine fettle! Most of you have no spring and fall waves of love bugs. Be glad. Be thankful. In all my 74 years, I have never experienced the late summer/fall second wave. This is a first. They like standing water, the color white, dead foliage, heat, and flowers for the nectar. They add virtually nothing really positive to the ecosystem, and can do it harm by running off bees, the best pollinators. The birds that eat them are not common to the area. Pesticides to kill them off kill everything else off.
We had a wet spring, but they were at normal levels for a week. But now? My home is being swarmed to the point I have to keep my mouth closed when on the front porch. The local grocery store got swarmed, and we shoppers were picking them off each other's clothing and hair. They are at the office, too. Neither my home, office, or grocery store are near water, are not white, no dead foliage, a few flowers, but lots of heat. Facebook is full of locals taking videos of black clouds of them.
Man, a buck looking for some Tush chased 3 does around last night. He was kind of small, but had a big rack. The herds must be re-forming, and will visit more often.
I am making lots of progress towards semi-retirement, working from my home office. I don't think I will need to sign up for the latest State Bar educational offering:
"Legal Malpractice in the Age of AI: Could your Coverage be "Artificial" Too?
I want out of this shit!
Comments
Good morning, good people!
This is an open thread, which means you are not limited to bug stories. Or horned horny bucks.
The world in key places is either at war, on the verge of war, and we ordinary folks are looking starvation in the eye.
Good news is always welcome. Recipes. Shopping tips. Good books to read.
By the same token, share news that is bad news. We should not be sleepwalking.
So, friends, let 'er rip!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Ahh, a new insurance scam
.
Is your business fully protected from AI?
I can imagine the ads now: Let State Farm insure your liability
from another man-made disaster! Certain restrictions apply.
Offer good except in Delaware, California and New York.
Call today to receive a quote from our dedicated AI staff.
Speaking of Delaware, Hunter tells us daddy Biden is suffering
with spreading cancer. Karma is a bitch.
Haven't had any "love bugs" here yet. Thanks for the OT!
Zionism is a social disease
Good morning, Cap'n!
We have in person continuing legal ed gatherings featuring lectures about how misuse of AI can get you disbarred. The gatherings will be at a Galveston hotel and resort, or an exclusive hotel/resort in Austin, and the gatherings will be sponsored by AI companies. You are lectured all day to be afraid, but can be hosted by wine tastings and buffet dinners by AI salesmen in the evening. A hotel room in Austin is typically $1,000 per evening. How fun.
Be glad you do not have ze bugs. The bastards get into the house through any tiny openings around doors or windows. The spring wave was done in a week. We are now ending the second week of the invasion, and they are not thinning out. Houston is getting swarmed. At least they do not sting.
Trump says the US will claim The Strait of Hormuz. And gas prices aren't going up that much, so it is no big deal. What is a big deal is that his name will be on a plaque on a wall of the Kennedy Center.
Have a great weekend, friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
“Offer good except in…”
When I bought my bike, in April, I learned about the bike theft problem here. The bike shop owner told me about his friend who bought a top-of-the line Kryptonite lock because it guaranteed to replace your bike if it was stolen while using one of their locks. When he got home and read the fine print he learned that this offer was not good in NYC or Eugene, Oregon where we live. My e-trike came with its own lock. Also, I noticed I still had a Kryptonite key on my keychain which I’d last used for a bike about 13 years ago. I spent a couple hours digging through my storage room and found its matching lock. So I now use two locks and set an alarm that goes off when anyone touches the bike. Actually I found by experience the alarm doesn’t work as advertised. The first time I went to ride it after getting it home, the alarm went off. I’d inadvertently turned it on but didn’t remember how to turn it off. I rode it two or three miles to the bike shop with the alarm going the whole way, and nobody tried to have me arrested. One friendly bike rider even tried to help me figure out how to turn it off.
There’s an impressive, large bike storage room inside my apartment building. Seems safe because it’s in a locked building and each bike owner gets a key to the locked storage room. I went to ask management if I could look at the room and said I’d be needing a key. She walked me over and it looked good. The room was filled with individual bike racks bolted to the cement floor. As we were leaving, I thought to ask if any bikes had been stolen. She said, “In the interest of full disclosure, yes there have been, and we’re not responsible.” So much for the storage room. My trike takes up a lot of space in my small apartment. I later learned from another bike owner that the thief had stolen a bike by removing the bolts from the bike rack.
Nice to still learn something new at my age. If you’d mentioned love bugs before today, I’d have thought you were talking about Volkswagens.
Anya
Hey, Biker Gal!
You'd think the apartment complex might mention it would be wise to buy some insurance for stored items.
We vacuumed up 40 bugs a few minutes ago. There are already 30 inside my small back room. We can't seem to caulk up the tiny openings around the a/c window unit. I give up.
Funny you mentioned VWs. After I wrote this OT, I actually surfed the net to look for pics of VW Lovebug cars! Goes to show you, we show our age sometimes! Lol!
How is the weather in Oregon? Anyone riding a bike today in East Texas has a death wish. If the heat doesn't kill you, a pissed off driver will. Bikes on country roads are just barely tolerated.
Well, have some fun this weekend, chica, and don't forget where you put the keys!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning...
Florida has plenty of love bugs, but none here on the mountain.
Been hot as hell. Calling for 99F today and 100F tomorrow. I'm up and out and back early.
Trade day was a quick stroll today. It was 79F at 7AM. Bought a fresh GA grown jicima, and some Mexican avocados.
Washed the car while in town. We have a self serve car wash - 25 cents for 90 seconds of pressure wash, or 25 cents for 90 seconds of foaming brush. Takes me about a dollar and less than 10 minutes to wash the car.
Did the grocery shopping too. So, a busy morning. I'll mostly hibernate in the AC the rest of the day, and piddle on a couple of projects. Our old friends are having a dance weekend up on the mountain, but it is too hot for me this year.
Keep hearing rumors of an imminent attack on Iran. That would be foolish, so it is probably what we will do.
Hope everyone has a good weekend. Stay cool, and thanks for the OT!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
The heat is on
.
sorry you have to deal with the elevated temps up at the mountain
Zionism is a social disease
Good morning, LO!
It is heading to 98 deg, today, a heat index of 107. Just miserable.
I have not tasted of jicima. Let us know how you prepared it!
I can't get my car washed for less than $12.00. And then, another $3.00 to vacuum. There are no waiting lines! Nobody can afford that. I just happen to have a long garden hose to connect to a faucet on the outer wall of the house. Shorts, tee shirt, park the car in the shade, scrub away while playing the radio, as I did when I was a kid.
I ponder a military mutiny happening. Morale is extremely low.
We will grocery shop this afternoon, and bring in the groceries will bring in dozens of lovebugs in through the front door. Fun times...not.
Have a relaxing weekend, friend. Sorry you are missing out on the music festivities!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning otc, thanks for the OT. Had to go to
farmers' market and vote. This is our 3rd ballot so far. We go redistricted so voted in the new district, but the old district had a premature departure (Swalwell) so we voted in the special election to replace him. That one wasn't conclusive so there was a runoff. One candidate, with AIPAC backing, spent a fortune slinging mud at the other, so we felt compelled to go down and vote against the AIPAC candidate.
Love bugs. I probably saw then often enough as a kid, but my first recollection was a mild swarm atop Yaqui Pass, 1.750 high feet smack dab in the middle of the Anza-Borrego desert, rock and sandstone, zero water or leaf litter, so those things do not appear to be necessary to their existence. This is the view from the Kenyon Overlook at a turnout near the top of the pass.
Baking bread today, then pizza for dinner, but I'll grill the pizza so we won't be using the oven at peak heat time.
Trump is making noises about annexing the Strait of Hormuz, typical of his stupid clownshow. I also where he chastised Iran for violating the ceasefire, which, of course, doesn't exist except in his rhetoric and possibly in what passes for his mind.
You appear to are reaching the milestone where you can stop taking or attending continuing professional education. I remember that day with great fondness, a very specific type of freedom opens before you. Congrats.
Sorry about your bugs and weather.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Good afternoon, el!
A lovebug swarm on the highway, especially when you could go over the mountainside if you couldn't see the road, well, ain't my idea of fun!
That is an amazing vista, btw.
I walked outside to throw away some leftovers, and the sun caused my face to sting and burn. I dread walking across the grocery store parking lot in the heat of the day.
I wanted to grill burgers tonight, but ze bugs might be too thick. I can't find any info on when they will be gone. They are headed into the 3rd week of invasion.
I intended to do some revenge voting in November, but every candidate on the ballot appears to be AIPAC supported.
I will continue my cle for 5 years, then let it go, hand my license to the State Bar, who can wipe their ass with it. I can self-study 2 hours, find a least 5 free courses, so I will only have to shell out $ for 6 hours or so. There is an idea floating around to give emeritus attorneys free or discounted classes. We shall see.
Well, grilling pizza is just the best, friend! The best pizza of my life was in Rome. Grilled. A 3 hour feast.
Enjoy your baking, and take good care of you and yours!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
That view is generally to the south, there is little plateau
there and the view to the east, on a good day, is similar, but replacing the mountain range with the Salton Sea. If you're lucky, certain times o the year there will be the "borrego", the desert bighorn sheep, up there too.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
One day, I hope
we can sojourn out to Cali and see some sights.
Cali is a beautiful state.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
This is interesting...
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I am a genocidal maniac...
last night otc and I watched Starship Troopers so today I declared all out war and I'm determined to genocide these infernal lovebugs. With a shop vac hose in one hand fly swatter in the other, yea I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
If you don't hear from me for a few days you'll know that they got the best of me.
Wish me luck and if I don't come back, wish me a fond farewell.
Water as a commodity?
After reading this, I may give digging a well some serious thought.
https://slaynews.com/bill-gates-billions-will-die-looming-water-shortages/
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981