Jomegat's Weblog

Yesterday I took this shot of Penny before I left for work:

She was waiting for me to kick a ball that didn’t make it into the photo. I did kick it for her, as I do nearly every morning before I go to work. The last kick comes just as Jonathan is pulling into the turn-around spot so I can jump in and make my escape while she chases the ball.

Then at lunch time I took a stroll around my usual route in Concord, camera in hand. I wanted to see what was still in bloom. Here’s what I found:

The pepperweed is one of my favorite wild edibles. It has plenty of flavor. I ate this clump right after taking the photo. The flowers are inconspicuous and can barely be seen up there at the top of the stem. The flowers turn to seed and the stem grows higher with flowers ever-blooming at the top.

I wasn’t expecting to see any bittersweet. I found none the last time I looked here, but I guess I wasn’t looking hard enough. There weren’t many blossoms, but there were a lot of berries (which are poisonous).

These are closely related to tomatoes, as both are in the nightshade family. People used to believe tomatoes were poisonous because so many nightshades are. Nobody has qualms about eating tomatoes these days though.

I don’t know which species of goldenrod this is – there are probably a hundred that grow around here, and they are difficult to distinguish. Almost as difficult as the asters. Most of the goldenrod has gone to seed, but there are still a few of them in bloom.

This Jerusalem Artichoke is from the same stand I blogged about a little while ago. I didn’t dig any more of them up, but I am going to keep an eye on them so I can maybe score some JA seeds for my place. I think I’ve found a place where I can grow them in the front of the house. There might be enough sun there.

Our AC is broken. That’s not a huge problem since it’s late October and we live in New Hampshire, but it is a problem I intend to resolve sooner rather than later.

It was in the 70’s here the past couple of days. That’s not normally a problem either, except that it was also pretty humid yesterday. Va wanted to run the AC to knock the humidity down, but the AC would not start.

Instead, the lights in the house would dim every 10 seconds or so as the AC tried to start. I figured it was either a bad compressor (expensive!) or a bad capacitor (way less expensive, but still not cheap). I called Dad. He did heat and air before he retired several years ago. He told me how to test the start capacitor.

To do that, I would need either an analog multimeter, or a capacitance meter. My meter is digital, and it doesn’t do capacitance, so I borrowed one from work today. I needn’t have bothered.

When I opened it up, I immediately noticed that one of the wires had come off the capacitor. I also noticed that the capacitor had three leads, and I happen to know that a capacitor should only have two. Confused, I called Dad again.

This particular capacitor is actually two capacitors in one package – one for the fan, and one for the compressor. They each share a common lead.

Anyhow, one of the non-common wires was off (turns out that was the fan though, not the compressor). The spade connector was somewhat abnormal looking, having a crimp on only one side:

See how the one on the right is missing? The edge of that spade should curl around and grip the connector on the cap, but there’s nothing there. It was just flapping in the breeze.

Luckily, that wasn’t the worst of it. Had there been nothing else wrong with the cap, the compressor not starting would be unexplained, and that would be a Bad Thing.

The other problem was that the common connector on the cap was all wiggly. I took two pictures and turned them into an animated gif. But those are kinda annoying, so you’ll have to click “more” to see it (there’s nothing more after “more” though, so if you skip it, you’re not missing much).

Anyhow, I need to find a replacement cap (and a replacement spade connector) and swap them out, and we’ll be ready to face another New England summer. But first… we’ll have to face another New England winter!

(more…)

The sun came out today. David, Beth, and I took Penny down to Sandogardy Pond. I had noticed on Thursday that the foliage was quite brilliant, and hoped that it would still be today – but I was disappointed. The high winds we had Friday took their toll. Most of the trees were bare.

The only thing I saw that was still in bloom were some asters. I took several photos and deleted almost all of them. The sky was overcast and low in the sky, plus there was still a fairly brisk wind blowing. Low light plus moving plants equals poor photos.

Eventually, I came across a small clump of asters growing low near the edge of the pond.

The water in the pond was up too, so normally, these asters would not have been in the water. There was a lonely bee working the blossom. She was a bit lethargic, but I suppose that was because of the low temperature (it was in the upper 40’s). I tried to move in closer to her to get a better shot, and she took off, did a loop, and landed splash in the water! She swam about for a bit, but it was clear to me she wasn’t going to make it. So I reached in and offered my fingers as a life raft. She climbed aboard without hesitation.

I looked at her a bit as she crawled around. I was pretty sure she would not sting, and I was correct about that. I moved my fingers back to the flower, and she made a “bee line” for it (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

I had also noted that there was plenty of goose scat all over the beach, especially near the dock where these aster grew. After I rescued the bee, Beth pointed out the geese on the water. We were pretty far away though, so it was hard to tell if they were geese or ducks. David had forgotten his glasses so he couldn’t tell either. I zoomed in with the camera and took a couple of spectacularly bad shots. They were good enough to id the birds as Canada geese, but not good enough to post here! I also photographed a sample of the scat, and it turned out pretty good – but I’ll spare you!

We had hail yesterday and snow today. It was coming down lightly when I left for work. It came down more abundantly after I got to work. The bank thermometer said it was 43 degrees, but coupled with the wind it felt like -43. It was chilly!

It didn’t amount to anything, but it was an unmistakable sign of the coming winter.

I’ve been thinking about snowshoes lately. I have some rawhide that I bought about five years ago so I could make a traditional pair. I also cut down a small maple and rived out a stave. But that’s as far as I got. White ash is the preferred wood, but I don’t have any of that on my place. I might go out and buy a plank. If I’m going to put in the effort to make a pair, I’d rather use the right wood.

I will probably also end up buying at least one pair too, because I don’t want to go snowshoeing alone. I’m sure Beth would be game for it, and David probably would be as well, but that’s probably about it in my family.

I guess I would have been a terrible meteorologist. It was raining this morning, but I didn’t bring my rain coat. I was planning to make a bank deposit and get a haircut, but neither of those was so pressing as to get me out in the weather without proper gear.

I glanced out the window again in the afternoon – no rain. So I strolled down to the bank, made my deposit, and then stopped at the barber’s. About the time I got in the chair, there was a very loud thunder boom. Thirty seconds later, the hail came. It was pouring outside. It only last a couple of minutes, but I’d guess we got at least an inch of rain during that time. We also got a half inch (in places) of hail.

It all blew over by the time I was ready to leave.

Yesterday during lunch I went for a walk through Concord. I took my usual route, only in reverse. There’s a taxi cab parking lot along the way, and at the edge of it is a little stand of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). If it’s not obvious enough from looking at the photo, these are in the same genus as the common sunflower.

When I first started in Pathfinders, I was very interested in the Edible Wild Plants honor. One of the requirements in that honor is to find, prepare, and eat an edible tuber. I bought a copy of Peterson’s Edible WIld Plants, and started looking for plants with tubers that grow in my area (which was Virginia at the time). Jerusalem artichokes were listed (and Peterson indicated that they are excellent), so I went off searching for them. But didn’t find any.

I eventually did find some edible tubers to meet the requirement, but the problem is, that’s how I had approached all the requirements. I would identify a plant, and then go out and look for it.

That approach is backwards. I later began working on the Flowers honor which requires the identification of 75 wild flowers. Instead of finding what I had identified, I began to identify what I had found. It is fundamentally different. As I identified flowers around my house, I would remember having seen them in Peterson’s EWP book. Then I’d look it up there, and sure enough – it was indeed an edible. I eventually identified all the flowering plants that grow on my property, and I would guess that at least half of them are edible at some point during their development.

I also began identifying all the flowering plants that grow along my walking route in downtown Concord. One of them was the Jerusalem Artichoke that I had hunted for so diligently for eight years. That was last year. When I came across them again this year, I decided to dig up a tuber or two to try them out.

I stuffed them in my pocket, and reconsulted Peterson when I got home. They can be eaten raw, and since that’s the easiest preparation method I know, I went with that.

I washed them off as best I could and popped one in my mouth. They do taste remarkably like potatoes. I think I might gather some of the seed later this year and see if I can get any to grow here at the house.

Today after work I cut a new trail across the woods in the front of the house. It’s only about 150 feet long and runs north-south. Or south-north, depending! It’s about 30 feet from the road, so that puts it right there at the front of the property.

I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time, and mentioned it to Beth as a possibility. She asked me if I could work on it tonight, and I figured that I most certainly could. I didn’t think I was going to actually finish it tonight, but that’s exactly what happened.

I cut all the brush with a set of pruning shears, except for two trees that were a little bit too big for those to handle (they were both under two inches in diameter though). I used a bow saw on them. I also lopped off all the overhanging branches. It took maybe an hour.

The new trail starts at the frog pond and ends at the driveway. I don’t think anyone could tell it was there from the road. It’s about six feet wide, so that should be plenty of space for a speeding bicycle.

With the addition of this trail, Beth can now ride her bike in a circuit all the way around our property. I was a bit too tired to join her in that tonight (having just cut a trail and all), but maybe tomorrow we can give it a go.

I took the Pathfinders camping this weekend, and tried something new that worked out remarkably well. First let me describe the problem this scheme has solved.

When I first started leading in Pathfinders, upon arrival at a camp site, I would survey the situation, figure out what should be done first, and then assign a kid or two to carry it out. Then I’d figure out what else needed to be done and assign another kid or two. This would be repeated until everyone was busy with an assignment. Then I’d see kids having trouble with their assignment, and I’d jump in to help. In no time at all, I would become absorbed in the task at hand and not notice that the other kids were horsing around instead of discharging their duties.

So I started carrying a clipboard around to prevent myself from fully engaging in the task. This forced me to tell the kids how to do something rather than jumping in and doing it. Except that it didn’t always work. As I gave my attention to one group of kids, another group would finish (or abandon) their task, and I wouldn’t notice until the horsing around started again.

The beginnings of my new scheme were exercised two weeks ago when we camped at Bar Harbor, ME. I made up a list of tasks ahead of time and assigned kids (and adults) to each task. That worked better, but it was still imperfect as the kids had no incentive to execute. But it was useful, because I got a nice list of tasks out of it. As we set up camp, I ended up adding a few tasks that I was unable to think of ahead of time. I wrote them down.

Before we camped last weekend, I turned that list of tasks into a dozen cards. Each card had a title and a somewhat detailed description of the task. The twelve tasks were divided into three groups, A, B, and C. The A tasks needed to be done first, followed by the B tasks, etc. Each card also had a number of points printed on it. Difficult or unpleasant tasks were worth more points than easy, fast, or fun tasks.

Then I divided the kids into four teams. Each team had an adult mentor, and a mix of kids (teens, and younger ones). The idea was that the teens should be able to teach and direct the younger ones. If they had questions, they had an adult mentor to turn to.

The team with the most points was to be dismissed to eat first at every meal, followed by the team with the second highest point total, etc. The team with the fewest points was dismissed last, but even then, they weren’t really “last” because the staff receives that designation (with myself being the very last).

Before we started, I had them all pitch their own tents and stow their sleeping bags & luggage in them. As they finished that, they were to assemble at the trailer. When their whole team was finished, they could choose a task A card. When they finished their A task to their mentor’s satisfaction, they could choose a B task, and so forth. When they finished their C task, they could choose another C task if one was available (and if they wanted more points).

This worked like a charm. For the first time ever, I had kids coming to me to get set-up tasks. They worked quickly, efficiently, and without complaint. Cool.

One idea I had and abandoned was that each kid would choose a task of his own. If a task needed four people, they would have to wait for four people to choose that task. I am convinced that the team approach was way better. First, I only had to remember the order of four teams rather than the order of 20 kids. Second, they had the opportunity to develop teamwork. Third, they knew that if they slacked off, their whole team would eat last. Peer pressure can be a wonderful thing.

I did end up adding one more incentive. On our weekend campouts, we typically eat six meals (Friday supper through Sunday lunch). Since I had already divided them into four fairly balanced teams, I decided that the two teams with the most points would get kitchen duty once, while the other two teams would get two shifts. That’s not even a horrible punishment, because in the past I would divide them into three teams and everyone would get two shifts.

I was also careful to remind team four that they were indeed not last to eat, because they were still eating before the staff did. Plus we’re always careful to have enough food, so no one goes hungry on these trips.

After we had finished setting up camp, the adults there remarked on how smoothly everything had gone. They were pleased that they had to do no prodding or cajoling. I must say that I was pretty pleased as well.

Our border collie, Penny is scary smart. For a long time now, she has been going to the door and scratching at it to get our attention. Sometimes she wants to go outside, but sometimes not. Her water/food bowl is located right by the door, and when she wants food or water, she will scratch at the door. If we get up, she will back away from the door as if to say “I don’t want to go out. I want something else!”

Often, a glance at the bowl will tell us what that is. But lately, we’ve taken to asking her. “Do you want to go outside?” “Do you want water?” “Do you want food?” For each question, she’ll either cock her head to one side or run towards us. I’ve been experimenting with her to see if she really understands what we’re saying or if she just comes on the second or third question. I am convinced she understands some key words: outside, food, hungry, water, and thirsty.

A few minutes ago she went to the door and scratched. The third question was “food?” and she came running. Then she nudged her food ball (it’s a toy we fill with kibble which spills out as she rolls it around the floor – far and away her favorite way of eating kibble.)

As I was writing this, she finished all the food in the ball, went to the door, and scratched. She wanted more food. She finished the second helping and again scratched at the door. She wanted to go out.

And now she wants back in the house.

Today during lunch I took a quick walk. While I was out I spotted some evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) growing at the base of an urban tree. Having recently read that the tap roots of the first-year plants make excellent boiled vegetables, I dug a few up. Evening primrose is a biennial plant, meaning that it grows for two years. Many biennials produce flowers only in their second year, and evening primrose falls into that category. That makes finding a first-year plant a little more challenging.

Peterson suggests that you look for second year plants, and once you find them, look around for some first-year plants in the immediate vicinity. I followed that advice and indeed found some small rosettes of leaves fitting the description of the plant. I dug four of them up. The first one had the largest tap root, roughly a half inch in diameter. The others were half that diameter or less. It smelled a little like horseradish (and a lot like dirt). I dug around for a plastic bag, but didn’t have one in my camera bag. (I usually carry a few for just such an emergency). I probably should have taken a few photos, but didn’t do that either.

Lacking a plastic bag, I just stuffed the tap roots into a pocket in my camera bag and went on my way.

Tonight when I got home I peeled them and then boiled them in three changes of water (or four, depending on what you call a change of water). Then I added some butter and tried them out. They were pretty good!

I think I could have skipped the changes of water though. Peterson says that they are not as strong during certain times of the year, and indicates that autumn is one of those times. I think boiling them in multiple changes of water is supposed to mellow them out, but I found them to have only a hint of radishiness (to coin a term).

I will do that again some time, but I will wait until I find a lot more of them. They aren’t that hard to make at all, especially when compare to other edible wild plants. They taste a lot better than most edible wild plants too.