Test Equipment Anonymous

Mike, the snowblower does in fact have a Tecumseh Snow King engine, but I apparently ran it dry last time I used it - pulled the float bowl off and it was bone dry and clean, and the jet was pristine. Added some gas and it fired on the first pull without even the need for any Start, Ya Bastard! (I R...

Yeah, I have two perches and three beds with low wattage (4 W) heating elements in them - they're popular this time of year!

Faraday observing the snowfall earlier today from his heated perch:

13" here at the moment. https://photos.smugmug.com/Weather/Snow--Jan-2026/i-4mddB74/0/K4pHZc5ztmg3RTTLf56wFZzb3LhRkQ7J824p9gzWL/X2/IMG_6428-X2.jpg Just got home a few minutes ago from a 2-1/2 hr round trip to get my friend's wife from work because a tire on his truck has decided to start going ...

He and Schottky really are damned near twins

(This one makes my back ache!)

-Pat

Coming down at a good clip here, and it's been steady at about 4~6° F (~-15° C) for at least the past twelve hours. Looks like at least 4"/100mm have come down so far. https://photos.smugmug.com/Weather/Snow--Jan-2026/i-b5xWzjQ/0/M2dJvGbj7854zMHCCszNh7QBL5gMDcs27SGgNGV32/X2/IMG_6413-X2.jpg http...

I guess it's time to get the snowblower out and running... Haven't used it in years. No doubt the stores will be a mob scene on Saturday, and look like a plague of locusts have passed through. On a different note, MGJ was the destination for my first dual cross country from Oxford, CT (OXC) back in ...

Mice foolish enough to enter my house have a VERY short half-life.

-Pat

Now a few of Marconi: https://photos.smugmug.com/Animals/2601-18-Felines/i-979w8gB/0/LQN73ZBf9DRvdM6xMJ643StWLjXKWs6ZwPSFkrp4N/X2/26_01-10%20Marconi%2001-X2.jpg https://photos.smugmug.com/Animals/2601-18-Felines/i-H3HLcdZ/0/KwN6RQLctT6bVHWgwVqjPWgMbXQQLLfCL74p7ssDk/X2/26_01-11%20Marconi%2002-X2.jpg ...

MED6753 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 20, 2026 4:14 pm Harley at about the same age. Harley lacks the black tufts on the ears but otherwise damn near identical.

They really are!

Schottky: https://photos.smugmug.com/Animals/2601-18-Felines/i-vXGPShT/0/M7GRqDFzTn5psGkx252Df9nT6WhzRSScg328WKrHN/X2/26_01-11%20Schottky%2016-X2.jpg https://photos.smugmug.com/Animals/2502-16-Felines/i-FsrfDXj/0/LwqPv52mK7XsLJjK6StL3L67knjjdHwhD6L2BkBL3/X2/25_08-31%20Schottky%2021-X2.jpg https://ph...

Yeah, I saw that in the wee hours this morning - very sad news - I always enjoyed seeing Pooch's cameos in Shahriar's videos. They always leave us too soon, no matter how long they're here.

-Pat

tggzzz wrote: ↑Fri Jan 09, 2026 10:04 pm No, I'm not entirely rational.

Are any of us?

-Pat

MED6753 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 29, 2025 5:00 pm all other vitals were stable. Docs concluded she had early stage flu and started her on tamiflu. We finally got home at 5:30 PM last night. Today she is resting comfortably. Close call averted.

Whew!!! Glad to hear that you dodged that bullet!!

-Pat

I like to see snow fall and change everything. I like to see it on the ground and see little kids who've never seen it before play in it. Then after it's been there for no more than three days, melt and go away. None of the thaw freeze thaw freeze that tggzzz mentioned, with slush and refrozen trea...

It stayed cold here, so we got straight snow. Looks like 8~10" (20~25 cm) in these parts. https://photos.smugmug.com/Weather/1207-01-Weather/i-3djrw3c/0/KVWbWDmJzhp6wBxFjkR9bbVWwBSCLWRnrCGgX8HSr/X2/IMG_6147-X2.jpg https://photos.smugmug.com/Weather/1207-01-Weather/i-MMpm8Nd/0/MvGhgFWKLvBPWdxW2h...

It started coming down here around 6:30ish; two hours later there's already a good 5" on the ground. Thankfully it's cold, so the snow for now at least is very light and fluffy. <edit to add - it started around 6:30ish about 10 miles east of where I live as I was out shopping, and as storms usu...

Been a while since one of these has hit!

Marconi

-Pat

at least you didn't name any of them schrodinger. every dumb ass college kid with a cat names it schrodinger. our torty was named Oliver Heaviside. but swmbo objected, snuck up to the vet, and changed her records to read Olivia. she is our smartest cat and solves problems that leaves the other cat ...

MED6753 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 04, 2025 6:12 pm A little too far for me (130 miles, 2 hours) and of course busy with other stuff on Saturday.

If you ever find yourself in the area, the museum is definitely worth a visit.

Gee, when I got Harley snipped there was no cone and no pain meds. The vet said just to keep an eye on him and it's OK if he wants to lick himself in that area. When I got him home he was a bit wobbly in the legs and believe it or not he wanted to eat. So I fed him and later he zonked out. Next day...

I'm amazed you were able to snap a picture of Widlar near a cat box; ours collide in the cat flap as they desperately run away the moment the box comes out. In fact, we've given up on taking Binx to the vet as the trauma required to get her in a cat box is too much for her, and I get seriously claw...