An inquisitive old fart with a camera
I’m not sure what left this trail, but I get a kick out of the little loop-de-loop lower left. Maybe the whatever-little-critter version of turning around as you head out the front door because you forgot the car key, only to realize it’s in your hand.
After trying wicker chairs, which require difficult cleaning after time in a damp climate, and uncomfortable Uruguayan stuffed furniture, we settled on a comfortable lawn chair for my wife in the living room. It’s great! And we replaced the rustic and rotting wooden bay window with an aluminum one that actually keeps rain out (what a concept).
All told, it’s a wonderful little spot for a dog to hang out, watch live “television,” and munch on a Hibiscus flower, with a backup tennis ball nearby (we didn’t put it there) just in case.
Ever since The Matrix was released in 1999, more and more attention has been given to the thought that maybe we live in a simulation. Search for simulation hypothesis and you’ll potentially be busy for a while. Then there’s the idea of the reincarnation trap, the idea that we are fooled into reincarnating by the Archons so they can harvest fear energy, and we remain trapped in devastations and wars of this simulation again and again. Essentially, the advice of going toward the light is a huge spiritual deception. When you check out of the body, you should go away from the light. Nota bena, Shirley MacLaine.
I woke up early this morning and, not wanting to get out of bed, lay there thinking and dozing. I thought about this light thing, wondering what it would look like, and then I was in a dream, in black space, seeing it. Aha! I turned away and found myself face to face with a large bright television-like screen. I started to look at it, then abruptly shifted my focus back – they’re trying to block the exits! So I decided to simply go around it, and I don’t know what more happened, but then I was awake again.
I went downstairs to a remarkable sight. My office window was open more than I would have left it – nod to a certain dog here – with screen removed, as it often is. In the downstairs bathroom I saw this:
A huge black moth on the ceiling, exactly centered on the window.
I have seen moths a few times in Uruguay, but not many, and never huge (this one is about 5 inches/12.7 cm across). And never black.
So I gently opened the window, carefully removed my homemade screen, closed the bathroom door, turned off the ceiling light (just in case), and gently touched the moth with a piece of newspaper. It was gone in a second, fluttering out the window…
…and into the light.
This from yesterday. As last time, almost off the trail. Definitely alive, but very sluggish — I gently nudged it with a stick. Syd yelled at his dogs to keep them away from it. Happily, none really noticed snake nor yelling. And regardless, managed not to step on it.
Here’s the last one (30 September) — different coloration:
And this from November 2016 — Falsa Crucera de Hocico Respingado – Lystrophis dorbignyi (the tail is a giveaway):
And this from last November — Falsa Coral – Oxyrhopus rhombifer rhombifer (?):
I’m not particularly into snakes, but it presents an interesting challenge to figure out “who’s who” in the local snake world.
I was surprised to buy something the other day and see the label in Russian.
And what was the product (don’t look at the pictures – oh wait, you just did)?
An outside vent cover. Interesting to note that the email address uses commas instead of periods. And the upper right is in German, but missing an umlaut: Der Grüne Punkt,” a European network of industry-funded systems for recycling the packaging materials of consumer goods.”
Hard to imagine what exactly this product did to win a gold medal at an industry trade fair. At any rate, remains a rarity to find a consumer product from Russia in Uruguay.
Though a week ago Saturday was the first public blueberry harvest, we didn’t get notice in time. I went yesterday. The number of bushes is down radically from a year ago, but fruit is abundant and I managed to pick 2.5 kilos fairly efficiently.
The price has gone from (pesos) $180 to $250 per kilo, or +39%. One dollar buys about 14% more pesos than a year ago, so in dollar terms the price has increased 22%, double the rate of inflation (that I assume). So, bottom line, USD 3.44 per pound. Most places in the US I found online are under $3 per pound. So, like most things in Uruguay other than property tax and medical coverage, not cheap.
But delicious!
And then, consider what they cost at the supermarket. Over USD 2 for a small fraction of a kilo. These plastic containers are about 3 x 3 inches. I eat that many when I pass by the bowl on the kitchen counter!
If you’re in the area and want instructions to get there, let me know. I’m guessing this will be on for three more weekends.
A little background: blueberries (arandanos, the same word used for cranberries, which are not available here) seemed to become trendy around the time we got here (late 2009). But unlike other kinds of fruits, blueberries are only good for a very short period of time. They can be frozen, but when thawed these have a mushy texture and much less taste. Given the short time window, commercial buyers can basically pay whatever they want. Or worse. The first year Pilar (the owner) had a harvest, an Argentine buyer took the whole crop. Literally. Didn’t pay a dime.
I called Burkhard to see if there was anything new with the Model T. Not really, he said, I’ve painted the chassis. Well, I said, since I have to go to our chacra anyway to pick up my mechanical sheep (he has real sheep; I require a four-stroke engine mounted on wheels with a blade spinning really fast to keep grass trimmed), that might be interesting to see.
As I pulled in, I didn’t actually notice this at first: another Model A chassis.
But as we walked around the garage, I definitely noticed this:
two more unrestored 1929 Model A’s (I had to ask), purchased at auction for $400 each. The better chassis will remain here; the other will go to someone else into this stuff. Burkhard’s end result will be a pickup truck, hybrid of genuine original Model A and Model T pieces. Seems wife had issues with excessive wrecks populating the back yard. Hey, it’s a guy thing; get over it!
Meanwhile, in the garage he built between two containers, Burkhard’s restored A is joined by a four door Sedan, which he stores for a friend whose mother drove it – in Montevideo – until 15 years ago. Yes, let that sink in. The black vehicle is all original.
Boggles the mind.
Meanwhile, here’s the T chassis – upside-down and lovingly painted. It’s very light, and surprisingly flimsy.
I got curious: the Model A versions ranged from about (USD) $400 – 1,400 in 1929, or ~$5,840 – 20,400 in 2018 dollars. That seems reasonable.
On the other hand, $400 in 2018 would have been worth $27.40 in 1929. I’d say that’s rather a screaming bargain either way.
We’ve watched for months
We were remarking on the extraordinary new growth on the pine trees a few days ago, when I spotted this, a pine whose new growth looks like an upside-down office chair.
I’ve been watching a couple days now for another example, but haven’t seen one.
What do you suppose “inspired” it?