Author Topic: Life in America - I made the move. (Read 1325897 times)

BOZO · « **Reply #11020 on:** February 24, 2021, 04:41:12 am »

It's a lampshade bird.

Just dip it in some resin so that it hardens, then put in little solar powered led lights.
If you take it to the market the people with long hair and bellbottoms will pay good money for that!!!!

roxenz · « **Reply #11021 on:** February 24, 2021, 05:20:28 am »

Looks like a halloween bird to me. Still, with Bozo's led lights, it be "money growing on trees".

Blou Zebu · « **Reply #11022 on:** February 24, 2021, 05:46:13 am »

Reminded me of phallus indusiatus. Veiled lady mushroom.

Fudmucker · « **Reply #11023 on:** February 24, 2021, 06:59:42 am »

Intriguing...

Is there only one... or are more being consumed like that?

Bikerboer1973 · « **Reply #11024 on:** February 24, 2021, 10:29:16 am »

Worm's?

big oil · « **Reply #11025 on:** February 24, 2021, 10:29:19 am »

Zog, I won’t be satisfied until you reel in a Gar this big:

Ri · « **Reply #11026 on:** February 24, 2021, 11:58:52 am »

Quote from: Mrs. Zog on February 23, 2021, 11:46:08 pm

Here's a mystery for you.

Who/what does this to my oranges? Found under the orange tree this morning. The inside is very neatly and cleanly hollowed out.

The usual suspects: squirrels, raccoons, possums, a particular bird? I've never seen this before.... Mr. Zog having fun with a drill? Aliens?

P.S. My best guess is a woodpecker - we see them all the time, and they like to hammer at the roof very early in the morning, but I can't find anything online that looks like this.

Whatever it is, it probably has OCD, judging by the regular size and distribution of those holes. My money is on Mr Zog

Mrs. Zog · « **Reply #11027 on:** February 24, 2021, 05:23:48 pm »

Quote from: Fudmucker on February 24, 2021, 06:59:42 am

Intriguing...

Is there only one... or are more being consumed like that?

Mr. Zog says he has seen a couple before. He also earnestly swore that it wasn't him with a drill.

Mrs. Zog · « **Reply #11028 on:** February 24, 2021, 05:25:53 pm »

Based on this image of woodpecker holes in a tree, this is my number one suspect now. Just this morning I saw two woodpeckers in the big tree...

Number two suspect is aliens with space lasers

Mrs. Zog · « **Reply #11029 on:** February 24, 2021, 06:03:51 pm »

I posted this over in "Birds of SA." Let's see if anyone there has seen something similar.

Mr Zog · « **Reply #11030 on:** February 25, 2021, 03:07:55 am »

Some days are good.

Other days are great.

Today was a great day. I got to build the pontoon boat I have been thinking about for a few years already.

And best of all....

I was paid to build it. With company supplied parts and money.

You see, I have to go do a job tomorrow where I have to get out onto a lake to try pull up a fountain pump. Said lake was contaminated with a sewerage spill in December, but was cleaned. And when I was out there on Monday to check it out I spotted two alligators right at the dead fountain pump

So I need a stable platform from which to work, and not end up in the water. I'll get some pics of the contraption I built today tomorrow

And this evening at home there was great consternation

You see, a squirrel dared to try and run along the top of the fence

Sammy and Maggie both chased it from below, the poor squirrel didn't know which way to turn... so it ended up jumping from the fence so it could run across the lawn and head up the big tree.

Only problem was that Maggie was in full pursuit. She saw the squirrel jump and adjusted her chase, but in doing so the squirrels trajectory caused it to land squarely on Maggie's back

But it was just a very quick touch as the squirrel leapt once again and made it to the tree safely. Barely. Maggie was literally millimeters behind it, PISSED off as fuck that the squirrel jumped on her

She spent the next ten minutes barking up the tree in indignation

But it's ok. I promised her that we would not speak of this again...

Something that I really wish I had been able to capture on video

Rooikoos · « **Reply #11031 on:** February 25, 2021, 07:51:37 am »

I would have paid good money to see that!

Our Jack Russells can't stand the hadida's. a couple of month's ago there was one in our yard that had a problem with his wing. They chased full speed at him, and when they realized he is not flying away it became a standoff between the three of them, with one hell of a noise from all three

Bikerboer1973 · « **Reply #11032 on:** February 25, 2021, 10:51:49 am »

Quote from: Mrs. Zog on February 24, 2021, 05:25:53 pm

Based on this image of woodpecker holes in a tree, this is my number one suspect now. Just this morning I saw two woodpeckers in the big tree...

Number two suspect is aliens with space lasers

Mrs. Zog · « **Reply #11033 on:** February 25, 2021, 04:04:40 pm »

I've had a reply from the agriculture guy at the university. He's also baffled. He is now contacting some other people at different universities...

He also initially suggested a fungus, but it's definitely not a fungus. We found another orange like this, but still attached to the tree.

I'll keep you posted.

Mrs. Zog · « **Reply #11034 on:** February 25, 2021, 08:24:58 pm »

Quote from: Rooikoos on February 25, 2021, 07:51:37 am

I would have paid good money to see that!

Our Jack Russells can't stand the hadida's. a couple of month's ago there was one in our yard that had a problem with his wing. They chased full speed at him, and when they realized he is not flying away it became a standoff between the three of them, with one hell of a noise from all three

When Maggie was only about 3 months old - still so small that she slept in my Croc (shoe) sometimes - she attacked a hadeda, we were living in a complex in Pretoria at the time. It had landed in the garden and she came from behind unnoticed and bit its leg, luckily she let go again almost immediately. I saw it from the lounge window, trying to get out there fast, I was worried that the hadeda would take off with her hanging on to his leg! But all turned out well.

From then on we knew that Maggie is fearless.

Sammy is scared of hadedas (and milk cartons, and backpacks, and ceiling fans, and tennis rackets, and...), he always ran away when they showed up. A week ago Mr. Zog was talking on the phone to his cousin in Pretoria, and there was a hadeda in their garden - we heard it clearly on speaker phone. Sammy was traumatized for the rest of the day.

I don't miss them. We have white ibis here, big flocks of them that sometimes land on the lawn and forage for bugs, but they don't scream.

mox · « **Reply #11035 on:** February 25, 2021, 08:26:10 pm »

Redneck using it at target practices with his high powered BB gun?

Intriguing.

Mrs. Zog · « **Reply #11036 on:** February 26, 2021, 02:55:44 am »

I got an Amazon package today!

Remember my post last week, about there being two more books in Ken Follet's Kingsbridge series, but in light of my recent pay cut and the general financial situation at Casa Zog, I would not be buying books for a while?

Well.

A fellow Wild Dog and book lover has very generously gifted me the two books, and they were delivered today. Thank you so, so much! (You know who your are.)

I will finish the trilogy I'm currently re-reading and then dive in!

CraigRK · « **Reply #11037 on:** February 27, 2021, 10:38:29 am »

Loving this. Thanks whoever you are.

I must get back to re-reading the Ken Follet's that I have read and then catching up on these.

Mr Zog · « **Reply #11038 on:** March 01, 2021, 02:30:06 am »

So remember that I had to build a pontoon float to get a job done?

Here are the pics.

Cheap as possible OSB plywood, and 2x4's, with old water softener tanks with their holes plugged and pressurized very gently for flotation.

The pics are of the youngster who was helping me.

Worked really well, was good and stable. We were able to lift the rather heavy fountain pump up onto it and drag it to the bank where we were able to get it loaded up and taken back to the shop for further investigation.

I have no idea why that image keeps turning over... must be drunk

Mr Zog · « **Reply #11039 on:** March 01, 2021, 02:41:56 am »

I spent most of the weekend sorting through my hardware and getting it squared away in the storage drawers.

I'd say about 85% done putting stuff away.

At least now I can finally see my workbenches again..

And just over half of the drawers now have stuff in them.

Sunday morning Mrs Zog and I went off to the Environmental Learning Centre on Orchid Island in Sebastian. Entrance was only $5 each, and we spent a couple of hours wandering through the mangrove swamps along elevated walkways with lots of lookout points and educational information about the swamps. There was also a nice fish tank with local fish species, and a "touch tank" where one can actually touch marine life like sea cucumbers, starfish, anenomones, and horseshoe crabs.

I took some video, I'll edit it and post it as soon as I can

Finally, on the way home we stopped at Walmart and I picked up a couple of steaks and a loaf of bread.

For supper I made braai-broodjies with cheese, onion, garlic, peppadews and Robertsons spice, and grilled the steaks.

Of course my faithful braai buddy was there to keep me safe and ensure that nothing untoward happened to the supper. She was well rewarded when I of course had to sample the steak to make sure it was properly cooked