Missing the hybrid solar eclipse due to clouds, plus there's that pesky mountain that blocks true sunrise. :-) One thing I learned was that eclipses follow certain periodicities called the Saros cycle, whose series last 12 to 15 centuries. The word Saros derives from the Babylonian term "sar" which is an interval of 3600 years. Today's eclipse ( Read more... )

The cats are far more active now that the temperature's cooling down a bit, especially at night; they'd been absolutely wilting lately.

OTOH, it's currently hotter in Wasilla, Alaska than it is in the Scranton area.

That is all.

I thought I heard an odd noise this morning, and figured that one of the cats was having a breathing issue. (Some days, I think they're all allergic to cats!) But I go over to the other room, and everyone seems fine. Then I realize the periodic sound is just outside of the window, and look to see a rather large turkey grazing a few feet away. ( Read more... )

Cat Lady's old riding lawn mower had stopped working a few days ago; the motor is fine, but it's no longer connected to the wheels. She had the guy who rebuilt her stone wall take a look at it, but he wasn't able to get to the belt that's likely the culprit. He came up with a very innovative solution: His company needed another mower, and rather ( Read more... )

Went out to watch the ISS for about four minutes as it passed overhead. Sky's pretty hazy, and yet was still able to see it pretty clearly.

It's high time that I write a current professional autobiographical introduction....


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Started my last week at the day-job under full-time status. Due to the holiday and the rules that they have in order to collect double-time-and-a-half, I'll be working a full eight hours per day for the next three days. Some holidays are dead, but the phones just kept ringing today, mostly due to a new experiment they're trying where most people ( Read more... )

I thought people at work were kidding, but the evening news confirmed it: Parts of the local area got snow and graupel yesterday.


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