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Pond in a Jar – Update 2

The jar was nice – but it wasn’t particularly aesthetically pleasing. It was a jar fer cryin’ out loud, with bands of gunk on the outside where the label was glued to it. Not really the kind of thing you wanted to see on your desk or windowsill. As it happened, while poking around in the kitchen cabinets, I found an old wine carafe (from way back when Almaden Vineyards was selling wine in lidded carafes, for some reason) that had managed to survive in there for decades.

“This would make a much better ‘Pond in a Jar’”, I thought. “It’s larger, the outside is cleaner, and is much nicer to look at.” All I had to do was go back to the pond, get another eight ounces or so of water and bottom sediment, and carefully transfer everything into the carafe.

That was done two weeks ago.

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Pond in a Jar – Update 1

Well, it seems that the plant I thought was Elodea is actually Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), commonly known as “Coon’s Tail” because of its appearance.

A tip of the cap to the hobbyists at Aquatic Plant Central for helping with the I.D.

The darn thing grows really well; in the wild it’s eaten by fish and ducks. But in contained environments, it can grow to the point where it crowds out other plants – unless you trim it regularly. Well, so much for a maintenance-free jar.

Since trimming it will take nutrients out of the jar, I’m a bit worried. I don’t want to have to worry about resource depletion. Maybe I’ll save the trimmings, dry them out, burn them, and put the ashes back in. Or, since I found an old wine carafe (with lid!) that has a much greater capacity than the jar, maybe I’ll just get more pond muck and water (and critters, hopefully) and dump everything into the carafe.

By the way, I did see three diving beetles moving around yesterday. Seems they are most active in the evenings. There are also quite a few snails of differing sizes.

Pond in a Jar

Not too long ago, I came across this article about a biologist who happened to scoop up some pond water in a jar, just because. Looking at drops of it in her microscope, she was surprised to see a specimen of a rare and unusual protozoa – one that just might turn out to be a new species.

My mind went back decades to my own youth, when I had my own “pond in a jar” for a while. I don’t remember what motivated me to make one, but I enjoyed watching water fleas swimming, a hydra anchored to the side of the jar, and even a little freshwater clam doing its thing in the muck at the bottom.

I thought, “There’s a pond near me with a shallow area at one spot, and a good amount of plant life in it. I’ve jot the jar, why not make another one?” Continue reading →

Boston – 6

As always, a few random thoughts to wrap this thing up.

At least in “downtown” Boston, streets can change name without notice. Streets at opposite sides of a perfect four-way intersection (a “+”) will have different names for no apparent reason. Arch turns into Chauncey, Essex becomes Boylston, and Summer changes into Winter without going through Autumn (or Spring).

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Boston – 4

Of course, the primary reason I chose Boston for my vacation destination is that I could get to see a few Red Sox games at Fenway Park. Dating back to 1912, it’s the oldest MLB stadium still in active use. It’s been tweaked and upgraded and expanded over the decades, but let’s face it – the place is showing its age.

Given the oddly shaped plot of land it’s on, and the need to fit in that tiny space, there’s not much you can really do with it.

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Boston – 3

One of the things I’ve decided to do whenever I visit another city is take a walking food tour. The tour groups are small and intimate; you won’t feel lost or overwhelmed. And you’ll also get a better “feel” of the place; the way things are for the ordinary residents. Maybe a little local history, too, of the sort that doesn’t appear in the usual travel guides.

Most of the tours that came up in the searches were for the northern end of Boston, which, from the descriptions, I gather is the city’s Italian neighborhood. Those didn’t seem that appealing to me. As great as Italian food can be, it’s not that hard to get the good stuff. Even cities that don’t claim a “Little Italy” can have a couple of really good Italian restaurants.

A company called “Bites of Boston” offered a tour on the South End that fight nicely into my planned schedule, as well as looking really interesting.

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Boston – 2

The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is a rather small museum. Not just because it covers only one small incident, but because there’s so little physical “stuff” left over from the Tea Party. Heck, they aren’t even sure where it actually happened (not that it would matter much, given the amount of land that has been added to the Boston Neck since the 1770s). So putting it on “Griffin’s Wharf”, right off the Congress Street Bridge in the middle of the Fort Point Channel is as good a location as any.

Especially since it lets you dock a pair of period-appropriate replica merchant ships alongside.

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Boston – 1

I’ve actually visited Boston at least twice before. Once was in my college days, when I went there for a school-related function. There was no time to do any sightseeing. And I’d visited there in my childhood – either as a school trip or a family vacation. I remember being in Fenway Park, being on the observation deck of the Prudential Center, puttering about on the Freedom Trail, and visiting the USS Constitution.

But that’s it. Despite living within easy driving distance, I’d never thought of going there as an adult.

Until having to get a new car upended my vacation plans. Continue reading →

The Depths of Whiskey

Last year, I decided it was time to get myself something nice for Christmas. At about the same time, I came across an article on “Best Gifts for Whiskey Lovers” (or something to that effect). One of the recommendations was a “Whiskey Advent Calendar” – called “The Depths of Whiskey” – from Flaviar. Twenty-four samples of whiskeys (and whiskey-like beverages: bourbon, rye, et al.) from around the world, all handsomely packaged. The samples were identified only with a number (though the ABV’s were provided), so you could taste them “blind” and then go to their website to find out what it was and compare your notes with theirs.

Since I didn’t really know that much about whiskey, I thought it would be a great way to learn. So I got one. You can find and read reviews of the “calendar” on your own. I would like to note that, apparently, demand was so high that they had to make three versions. I got Version #2.

Here’s what came in that version, along with my notes – as transcribed directly from the little notebook that came with it. They’ll start with color, then aroma, then flavor, and then finish. A checkmark indicates a strong like – consider it a “Can recommend, would buy if I can find it”. The identities were “discovered” after I had completed the tasting and written my notes.

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