Rat thoughts

Licorice is the same thing as bubble gum?



Should I get the fat free fig cookies, or the fig cookies that are fat free?



An EC-135S Cobra Ball measurement and signals intelligence (MASINT) collector plane flying low overhead on the way to Offutt Air Force Base.

I was taking the dogs for walkies when I came across this tiny little snake in the driveway.  The dogs somehow managed to not see the snake; one of them actually stepped on it, though it didn't appear to do any harm.

The first flowers of Spring.  (It's Common Field Speedwell)

As always, clicky for full size.



Creative sign outside the Louisville Art Gallery.


I don't think this coal chute is going to do much good.  The date stamped on it reads 1927.  The sidewalk is obviously much higher now than it was in the past.


Any ideas what this might have once been for?  It's clearly been there a long time.  It appears that you are supposed to fit a crank to it and it would turn the ratcheting mechanism above.  Beyond that, I have no idea.   It was manufactured by Wolf Bros & Co of Omaha.

EDIT:  After a bit of Googling, I found an entry in the 1890 U.P.R.R. Gazetteer for Wolf Bros, indicating they manufactured "awnings, tents, drop curtains, wagon and seat covers, tarpaulins, umbrella, etc", so this was probably for raising and lowering an awning.




Birds on a wire


I left the garage door open for a while.  When I closed it this afternoon, I found this frog hanging on the side of the wall underneath where the door had been.  I guess it was nice and cool under there.


Sheep & Goats!  The goats have gotten big enough they can't easily fit through the fence anymore, but more importantly, they've learned that the barn is their home and a place of safety.  They're extremely curious and have to explore everywhere, but they also startle easily and the slightest thing will set them running for the barn door.




Crop duster, heading this way.


Look out!  Incoming!




There are several of these around here.  The individual flowers are quite small, but they make a cluster about 6-9 inches across.

Cows.  They were about a half mile away, and I was only carrying my secondary camera (10x zoom)


Wall of hay bales. 

Which reminds me, I need to start looking for square hay bales for the sheep for this winter.  Square bales are hard to find, as most farmers make the huge round bales that don't fit in the barn door.


Soybeans as far as the eye can see.


Red berries


Ivy-covered fence.  This ivy has been showing up everywhere around here, often growing over the tops of trees.


Old sign.  It appears to say "Fire No. 66"  I'm not sure what it means, I believe it's a sign for one of the local rural fire departments.

I saw two snakes today.  The first was tiny, roughly the size as the earthworm I saw a couple weeks back.  It got away before I could get my camera out.  The second one disappeared into the grass, but after some sniffing around by my roommate's dog, it reappeared.  I managed to take a few shots.  The dog kept trying to get close to sniff the snake, and the snake kept trying to bite.  The snake seemed totally uninterested in me.

EDIT:  This is apparently a garter snake.



I keep seeing these ROW markers along the highways in Nebraska.  I'm not sure what they stand for.   My SO thinks it stands for Right Of Way, but I see them in weird places, like this one, which is just inside the entrance to a cemetery.  Some are between businesses along the highway in Springfield, yet others are along the edges of farmer's fields.  Some are less than 100 feet apart, others are 1/2 mile or more, and sometimes there is one right in front of another.



Speaking of cemeteries, I took this picture inside Glendale Cemetery after pulling in to snap a photo of the ROW marker.  Since I couldn't turn around or back out easily, I just drove slowly through the rest of the cemetery.  I was surprised at just how old some of the markers were.  There was at least one from the 1880's, though there may be older headstones.  Most of them are in remarkably good shape for their age.



Dandelion puffs are popping up all over the lawn now.  They're remarkably pretty up close.



These weeds are also popping up on the lawn.  I don't know what it's called, but it sure looks nasty and spikey.

We were on our way home today when we saw a large rodent cross the road.


It ran into the grass along side the road, but I still managed to get a good photograph.  It appears to be a groundhog, also known as a woodchuck or marmot.




These tiny blue flowers are popping up all over the lawn.  They're only about a 1/4 inch across.  EDIT:  The flower appears to be Common Field Speedwell.



Who says an outdoor antenna has to go outdoors?