{"id":13599,"date":"2024-04-25T13:11:01","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T18:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/?p=13599"},"modified":"2024-06-29T15:31:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-29T20:31:53","slug":"random-thursday-the-mostly-photos-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/2024\/04\/25\/random-thursday-the-mostly-photos-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Random Thursday: The [Mostly] Photos Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hi, folks. Before we get started, I just want to give you a reminder that humanity is doomed. Happy Thursday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"All New Atlas | Boston Dynamics\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/29ECwExc-_M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Not AI. Real steel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Bluebonnet season is almost over, but that simply means that other wildflowers are stepping up their game. The deep blues are giving way to the increasing wavelengths of reds, oranges, and yellows. Prickly pears are starting to bloom, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naturesseed.com\/blog\/firewheel-a-native-wildflower-favorite-rich-in-legend-lore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Indian blankets<\/a> (aka firewheels) are showing off. Deer, <a href=\"https:\/\/deerassociation.com\/hunters-guide-deer-vision\/#:~:text=Deer%20are%20essentially%20red%2Dgreen,red%2C%20or%20orange%20from%20red.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">being red-green colorblind<\/a>, don&#8217;t care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-twentytwentyone-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"548\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/deerandindianblankets.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Whitetail deer standing in a field of Indian blanket wildflowers\" class=\"wp-image-13602\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/deerandindianblankets.jpg 640w, https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/deerandindianblankets-300x257.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Bluebonnets haven&#8217;t yet entirely disappeared. They&#8217;re pretty hardy and persistent, and refuse to respond to directions as to where they should and should not sprout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-twentytwentyone-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"715\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bluebonnetinrock.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Bluebonnet springing up out of a crack in a large flat rock\" class=\"wp-image-13603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bluebonnetinrock.jpg 715w, https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bluebonnetinrock-300x269.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 715px) 100vw, 715px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;&#8230;life, uh\u2026finds a way&#8221; &#8212; Dr. Ian Malcolm, <em>Jurassic Park<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve had some good rainfall lately, hence the spectacular wildflowers. The fungi have been pretty happy as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-twentytwentyone-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unknownmushroom.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Unknown mushroom growing in a vacant lot\" class=\"wp-image-13605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unknownmushroom.jpg 640w, https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unknownmushroom-213x300.jpg 213w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Here today; gone tomorrow. I never knew your name.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-twentytwentyone-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"514\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/puffballfungus.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/puffballfungus.jpg 640w, https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/puffballfungus-300x241.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I DO know these ones, though: Puffball fungi (<em>Calvatia cyathiformis<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Debbie and I are puzzled by a new (to us) phenomenon: squirrels have been foraging in great numbers in our front yard. Now, if they were limiting themselves to the lawn, we could see how they were perhaps looking for acorns, but they also spend an inordinate amount of time appearing to eat <em>something<\/em> on or among the pavers of our driveway. They&#8217;re occasionally accompanied by a few doves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, as it turns out, <em>Sciurus niger<\/em> has been known to feast on pollen, and this time of year, we have more of that than <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Carter%27s_Little_Liver_Pills\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Carter has pills<\/a> (OK, I&#8217;m dating myself with that reference; but don&#8217;t try to tell me that you don&#8217;t get it yourself).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-twentytwentyone-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"493\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/sixsquirrels.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/sixsquirrels.jpg 640w, https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/sixsquirrels-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Six squirrels and a dove form the makings of a Christmas song.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Moving on to the world of inanimate objects, here&#8217;s a circuit board&#8230;a <a href=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/2024\/04\/23\/drone-autopsy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">non-corroded one<\/a> at that. I can&#8217;t remember where I got it, but I do know that some device succumbed to my toolkit to give it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-twentytwentyone-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/circuitboard.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a circuit board\" class=\"wp-image-13608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/circuitboard.jpg 640w, https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/circuitboard-300x293.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Was this as a result of a post-mortem investigation, or a vivisection? I&#8217;ll never tell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I do know where the following image originated. My decade-old gasoline-powered weedeater began to annoy me to a sufficient degree that I retired it in favor of a new battery-powered model. And, as I am wont to do, I had an overwhelming urge to dismantle it. The following photo is a heavily-manipulated image of the engine, but I&#8217;m sure you knew that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-twentytwentyone-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"492\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/weedeaterengine.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: a stylized image of an engine from a string trimmer (seedeater)\" class=\"wp-image-13609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/weedeaterengine.jpg 640w, https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/weedeaterengine-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">That thang don&#8217;t got a hemi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Last, and possibly least, here are a couple of armature windings from&#8230;something. I don&#8217;t know; this stuff just seems to magically appear in our garage. But look at the expressions on their little faces! I don&#8217;t know what they were up to, but whatever it was, they were surprised to be caught in the act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-twentytwentyone-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"923\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/surprisedmotorcoils.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: Two armature winding discs\" class=\"wp-image-13610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/surprisedmotorcoils.jpg 640w, https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/surprisedmotorcoils-208x300.jpg 208w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Feel free to use your imagination, but don&#8217;t share it with me.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"108\" height=\"15\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/divider.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13075\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In conclusion: More nature&#8230;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-twentytwentyone-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"662\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/snailsleep1.jpg\" alt=\"Meme: Google result showing that snails sleep 48-72 hours in a day\" class=\"wp-image-13612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/snailsleep1.jpg 640w, https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/snailsleep1-290x300.jpg 290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">On one of Jupiter&#8217;s moons, perhaps&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">But also&#8230;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-twentytwentyone-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/snailsleep2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13613\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/snailsleep2.jpg 640w, https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/snailsleep2-300x154.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Too much is never enough.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A variety of pictures of plants, animals, fungi, and dissected machinery. You know, the usual.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,66,19,28],"tags":[374,375,376],"class_list":["post-13599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photography","category-plant-life","category-random-thursday","category-wildlife-mammals","tag-photography","tag-squirrels","tag-wildflowers","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/backyardpanorama.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13599"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13616,"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13599\/revisions\/13616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}