Random crap with Uno.

[Unorthodox]

Got asked when the countdown is going up...


Some in the neighborhood appreciate me.

[Buster's Uncle]

We do in this neighborhood.

[Unorthodox]

So, after eating our second round of corn last night, I think I have a full review for King Kool corn:

We saw approximately 50% emergence from the seed planted.  We were within the minimum temps listed, but barely.  Unfortunately, I didn't have enough seed for a second planting to see how much that impacted emergence. 

Stalks grow to 5-6' tall, as listed, and are a little more sparsely leaved than most corn, which helped them withstand the wind.  2 ears per stalk.  Tassling starts at 4' tall, and the pollen emitted is coarse and abundent, covering everything in a visible dust.  Bees acted near drunk on it. 

EXCELLENT polination of ears in our garden.  We are at the bare minimum 4 row depth for corn, and normally see a little more sparsely developed ears.  Kernals were a little on the smaller side than most corn, but pretty flavorful.  Not the best SH2 corn I've ever had, but very good none the less.  Better raw than cooked (as most SH2 corn). 

Uno's allergic reaction meter:  mild-average.   



Bug update: 

The squash bees are starting to rebound from the spraying.  It's time for another round of Neem oil.  We have adolescent hoppers present now, not damage worthy numbers, but worth noting.  Trying to explain to the kids why fireflies aren't glowing any more.  Squash bugs seem to be moving into the depths of the corn, where it's difficult to spray/crush.  This is a compromise I can live with, as it's away from the main vines of the pumpkins, it'll kill a runner, but not the plant.  Set up some traps with the farmer friend, going to catch and reintroduce some tachinid flies which have been absent since the spraying.  Then the squash bugs can't run so easy.   

[Unorthodox]

Bug mini update. 

Pepsis wasp confirmed, trapped on my desk right now...debating on whether to have it sting me or not...


It is considered the most painful sting in the insect world.  I can personally attest that it is a most unique pain that will immobilize whatever limb gets stung for a few hours whilst making you able to think of nothing but the pain. 

Why:  Injury of years ago, both thumbs dislocated, and there's some lingering damage there and tendonitis/pain on a daily basis.  The first pepsis wasp sting, an accident, left me pain free, so remarkable, I purposely got the other arm stung that night.  I was pain free for a couple years after.  The pain is not at the original levels, but is coming back.  I've tried bee sting therapy to no avail...I just don't know that I'd be able to drive myself home if I get this thing to sting both my arms... 

[Buster's Uncle]

Dang Uno, you bring the strange when you're not even trying. 

[Geo]

Can't you put it in a jar or something and 'treat' yourself when home (taking the jar hlme of course)?

[Unorthodox]

I dont really have those kinds of things at work.  It's on my board, just couldn't bring myself to treat right there.

[Unorthodox]

So, the sign question actually has me in a conundrum. 

Sign v 1.0, aka what crap I could find in the shed from the previous owner:





It was unique at the time.  Not many people (I won't say no one, but I hadn't seen any even online, yet) were doing count down signs, and NO ONE around here for sure. 

Of course it was hardly waterproof, and you couldn't really read it at night. 

Sign 1.5 was meant to solve that problem:

Wooden number placards and a blacklight fixture made it much more weather resilient.  However, the wear and tear on the wooden placards coupled with UV deteriorating the fluorescent paint on the numbers made it a pain to upkeep. 



Sign V2.0, 2.5, and 2.8:

2.0 and 2.5 were actually built together.  Meant to be a little more adaptive than the previous signs, we made chalk boards.

Home made fluorescent chalk let the numbers show at night, with our familiar blacklight fixture. 

2.0



2.5, larger, "announcement" sign.



2.8  VERY large board. 



Of these, 2.8 is still around, the others, chalk board paint prooves to be less than resilient to the abuse I subject things to, and while regular re-coating kept them up, weather finally killed off 2.0 and 2.5 last year.  2.8 also suffers any time we have a good bit of wind, and it's some kind of miracle it's still alive. 

What do I do with sign 3.0?   

It's clear I want something resilient to weather and more adaptable than just a number board. 

I've been giving some thought to these led chalkboards:  http://www.flashadboard.com/02_gallery_a.html

Now, at $100+ for anything over a desktop size, that means making one myself.  The trouble I'm having is whether or not they need to be UV LEDs/liquid chalk or if more mundane options would also work. 

[Buster's Uncle]

v 1.0 seems the most "Uno" look to me; perhaps something in that line with the backlit bits replaced by some sort of reflectors/florescent paint, and a spotlight aimed back from a fore jack o' lantern illuminating the rest?  You could get nice night effects and legible countdown numbers with the spot being black light, couldn't you?

[Unorthodox]

That light is pretty cool on 1.0. 

If I wanted to keep that, I'd have to wash the board with a blacklight then shine the spot with a regular light.  The numbers would still glow but the jack face would light up as well.  The way to do this would really to get a dedicated spotlight, maybe one of the solar powered lawn stake type, and apply a stencil to the front of it. 

Which really doesn't help with the board itself.  I'm liking this lightboard idea, just for the utility. 

I ran a quick and dirty test with some...let's say coasters...a Dioder disk pack from IKEA I've had set aside for the lemonade stand from hell for about 7 years, and a wet erase crayon. 

It would appear that UV LEDs are not required. 

1/4" plexiglass at 24" square is $26:  http://www.delviesplastics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=DPI&Category_Code=Clear_Acrylic

Lighting...A dioder strip pack would run another $30, but there's other things on the market these days.  A electric supply place down the street has basically tape strips of LEDs.  Doubt the power supply would be weather tolerant though.  Sylvania Mosaic lights would be ideal, gotta price check those. 

[Unorthodox]

Unidentified shield bug this morning.  High on the ambrosia corn, which might link it to corn, pumpkins, or beans.  Went for the camera, but it left before I got back.  I always walk by the garden on my way to the car.  Didn't get the best look at it, a little strange shape.  I'll be digging through some this morning for an ID. 

[Unorthodox]

Well, [poop].  Lucky me.  Bug arrives in Utah in January and guess who gets it first year? 

http://www.thegrower.com/news/Marmorated-stink-bug-makes-itself-at-home-in-Utah-187885691.html

I'm not 100% certain without a pic/sample to check for the specific band on the antenna, but a very real possibility, would also explain why I couldn't ID it right off. 

[Buster's Uncle]

No predator?

-I think the cuss filter may not be working - I just had to edit something of my own that should have been caught...

[Unorthodox]

relatively recent asia import...not likely. 

[Unorthodox]

Like I say, without a specimen or picture, I can't really be sure.  All "true bugs" get real hard to identify as there are a LOT of similarly marked species.  Especially when you get down to the shield bugs.  Not all of them are even pests.  I've been mostly focused on bees/wasps for the last 20 years, so I'm not up to speed on what all is here in Utah either.  I know it wasn't a common stink bug, but that's about it.  Might have been a soldier bug predating on the squash bugs, even.  I'd have to check for a tiny spine in that case...