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| Garden Spider - Author's Picture |
The picture is of Argiope aurantia, also known as the yellow garden spider and "the writing spider" because of the designs it makes in its web. The one pictured is the only one I've seen on our place this year. I couldn't get a better picture and did not disturb her.
In other news, I am exhausted. I need my cane, and I can barely straighten up. It's the sciatica.
My wife got out of the hospital last Saturday. She is, by no means, out of the woods yet. If I have a stray viewer who believes in prayer, then please do so.
I have several things going on right now. When I was a kid I made a rectangular-shaped "vehicle" that was a "ship" for my Star Wars figures. I called it "the RX-7." I thought I made the name up, but it turns out that there was a car by Mazda called the RX-7. I think my vehicle had four seats in it.
My homemade ship was made with the most advanced tools that I had available to me at that time. Namely, I had a handsaw, scrap lumber, and nails. The body of the ship where the seats were located was a rectangle. A piece of wood was nailed across the back of it, and on each end of that piece of wood was nailed a "nacelle." It seems like I made a double-barreled "laser" by cutting a square of wood and nailing two nails into it for the barrels. I had no paint and nothing to make the ship realistic. I only had rough lumber and my imagination. I must have played with that thing for months.
The RX-7 was loosely based on a combination of toy vehicles. It had the nacelles of Star Trek and was similar to Luke Skywalker's Land Speeder. To be sure, it didn't look impressive, but I liked it.
For about the last week, I've been considering making something similar to my version of the RX-7. I want to have a long nacelle-shaped (or cigar-shaped) length of wood, onto which I'll mount four fins, like an arrow or a rocket. At the forecastle, I'll have a D-shaped saucer section. At the top and bottom, I'll have two more circular saucers. I haven't quite figured out how to add a weapon. And, naturally, I may find that the model is too difficult to build. I'd also like to have green and red "lights" on it, the same way sea ships are made.
I plan to glue the ship together with JB Wood or something similar. Today, I bought some. Yesterday, I cut the four "fins" to mount on the nacelle (body) of the ship. Tomorrow I might work on it some more. I traced out on lumber a circle which I will try to cut with a jigsaw. That part will be difficult. We'll see what happens. If I am successful, I'll post a picture. This time, the ship will be painted, for the most part, white.
The new model will once again be approached with a minimalist attitude, with a few exceptions. Instead of a handsaw, I'll use a miter saw. I'll use sandpaper. I'll use a jigsaw. I may allow myself to use a Dremel tool if I think I need it. And this time I don't think there will be any nails, only glue. The object is not to create a professional-looking model or woodwork - it should look like something that an imaginative pre-teen constructed.
I plan on watching the latest Castle Freak movie. I think it came out in 2020. It's not highly rated, but it is (loosely) based on H.P. Lovecraft's "The Outsider" and "The Dunwich Horror." I was going to watch it tonight, but I'm just too tired right now. Maybe tomorrow.
Peace to you all, and to us all.
