Interesting

The huge pile of dirt that was created when we had the basement excavated (it seems like a hundred years ago, but was actually a mere 16 months ago) has been spread out across the yard. We have been smoothing it all out and gathering the stones.

Tim found two very interesting stones. We were not sure what we were looking at, but I put it before the minds at the Dull Men's Club, and they did not disappoint. They were quickly identified as 'concretions', a new word for me, which led to some interesting reading. To sum it up, minerals drip into and fill spaces between layers of rock.

So that was pretty interesting.

Sunday morning, we went to the new build. We saw an unfamiliar truck parked along side the new road put in for the right-of-way. We do not yet know all the vehicles that will be using the road. When Tim saw a stranger trudging back to the truck dragging a garbage can, he headed straight down to talk to him. Interestingly, he is a native grass seed collector for the state. He gathers the seed. He has a machine to clean the seed. The seed is weighed and the state pays the property owner. He was glad to see us.

 Remember that I told you that half our acreage was swamp? Tim has spent a couple years fighting to reclaim that, but we do have some marsh left. In that wet area the seed collecter found a plant called rattlesnake grass. He had gone down with his garbage can and collected what he estimated to be 15 pounds of it. 

We told him he was surely welcome to come and collect anytime he was in the area. We didn't mind. Now that we recognize the truck and know what he is up to, it is fine.

Later, Tim was reading up on that subject. He was shocked spitless to discover that rattlesnake seed retails for $300/lb, $22 an ounce.

So that was interesting too.

My daughter and her long term significant other went to a baseball game in Pittsburgh with William. The electronic billboard was running announcements and Don urged her to watch for a big announcement. Her birthday is Wednesday, so she waited for a birthday greeting. Much to her shock, it was a proposal. She stood gaping. When she found her words, she gasped 'What did you DO?' and he gave her a ring as William watched grinning.

So that was another bit of excitement.

Today, we went up to the house to work, and I spent some time with the kittens as usual. Sigh is missing. He is always the second to show up at feeding time. 

We have seen fox tracks in the morning in our freshly smoothed dirt which runs between the house and the garage. It might have been the eagle if they were in front of the garage. Hard to tell. I looked around for some clue, but found nothing.

There is not much I can do. I built a way for them to get upstairs in the garage if they need to escape something. 

I am half way done with my post cards. I should be finished writing them on the 26th, a full month before they are to be sent.

We haven't got our computer back, so ignore any mistakes in this post.