Monkey Musing Daily Open Discussion #2 8/17 - 8/24/2007

[klaasend]

Space shuttle Endeavor is preparing to land in Kennedy Space center.  It's going to be a while before it actually lands but you can watch live here on NASA TV:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/live_tv.html

Klaas, that is a GREAT link! What cool coverage - way better than the stuff the networks give you. I don't have to listen to all of their mindless babbling in the silent spots.

Another beautiful landing, just amazing!  I was really worried about that damaged tile.

[Anna]

MuffyBee,

Remember my bout with the mice?  Well, I have reason to suspect they are back or trying to come back.  People say they are desperate for water.  We also have little bitty lizards with blue tails getting into houses like anything looking for water.

Always set the trap or glue or whatever on a newspaper then you can just close your eyes and fold it up inside the newspaper.

Maybe too late now but if there are remaining traps, you might could carefully slide them onto papers.  Don't know for it might set off the traps to move them.  Anyway, need to be on newspaper or paper towels that you can just fold up and over the catch.

Now there are instances of snakes coming into homes looking for water as well.

[Anna]

I was afraid Huntsville was going to get blamed about the tile the way they were the infamous "O" rings and so am relieved at the safe landing as always. 

Those space shuttles are just amazing and yet we take them for granted now.  I am also still also fearful for the astronauts wht whole time they are in orbit or up there anywhere until they safely return.  Think we all breathe a collective sigh of relief.  But the flights have become sort of routine.

Would never be routine for me, however. 

[JuJu]

I live in the country and had a problem with mice.  I got rid of them by spreading moth balls around the outside of my house.  The smell can be offensive to some but is better than having the little creatures in your house.  I have heard that spreading Lime works too but I have not tried it.

[Auntiem]

      MuffyBee I have Grandma's Critter Ridder Book (QVC)  It says to get rid of mice forever..... Get Oil of Peppermint, the real OIL not the extract, place a few drops of the oil of peppermint  on a piece of cotton anywhere you think the mice are or are coming in..The Book says " You will never see them again"!!!  If you live in a house you can plant peppermint around the outside of the house (or just where you think they can get in.)  Mice are also repelled by camphor and pine tar. So the book says.

[Anna]

OK, now I see the little news link beside the Search feature at the top of the page.

Kewl!

Dugga, I still wish we had the Most Recent Posts box.  Any chance of that ever happening?  Sure helps keep up with where there are new posts.
.

[Mere]

Klaas...thanks for that link...was great...!

Anna and MuffyBee....something with a big mouth is eating my tomatoes...and I think it is for the fluid...

Every now and then a bird would peck at a tomato, but this is something more...like a rabbit or a groundhog or dog.  I have gone out the last few days and found half a tomato (times 5 or 6) gone.

I would rather they eat outside than try coming in for a bite on the kitchen table...!

And, so far, no critters.

[Dugga]

I was afraid Huntsville was going to get blamed about the tile the way they were the infamous "O" rings and so am relieved at the safe landing as always. 

Those space shuttles are just amazing and yet we take them for granted now.  I am also still also fearful for the astronauts wht whole time they are in orbit or up there anywhere until they safely return.  Think we all breathe a collective sigh of relief.  But the flights have become sort of routine.

Would never be routine for me, however. 

An old friend of mine used to work for Nasa and was on the team that formulated the fuel for the shuttle's main engines. I'd always laugh and call him a "rocket scientist" because that's what he was! But he was a genuinely nice good old country boy. You'd never know what his day job was by just talking to him. He's an amazing fellow.

Anyway, he once told me (back in the 90's) that when you factor in all of the risks, that each shuttle mission has a 1 in 53 chance of not making it back. You know how Nasa is, they did all the math and statistics and everything. Of course, that's not a publicized number - it's something they calculated in the engineering departments there.

1 in 53. If you do the math (today's was what, 118?), their numbers are pretty much dead-on.

The whole Nasa "machine" is really fascinating in its efficiency and structure. There are literally no way that things can fall thru the cracks. In spite of it being a government organization, there are so many levels of redundancy and checks and balances that any failure is almost never due to human oversight, but instead is generally an uncontrollable defect of some sort.

Back in the day when they were having trouble with the tiles falling off, I remember my friend telling us how they spent 3 months doing analysis on the chemicals in the fuel he helped make with the chemicals in the glue to see if the two had any relation. ie. did the burning fuel produce something that caused the glue to weaken, etc... It's really really remarkable how they do everything. I've got a huge amount of respect for those guys.

1 in 53. That's kinda scary, but I'd have to say given the incredible privilege of going to space - if I were in the astronauts shoes, I'd still take my chances.

[MuffyBee]

      MuffyBee I have Grandma's Critter Ridder Book (QVC)  It says to get rid of mice forever..... Get Oil of Peppermint, the real OIL not the extract, place a few drops of the oil of peppermint  on a piece of cotton anywhere you think the mice are or are coming in..The Book says " You will never see them again"!!!  If you live in a house you can plant peppermint around the outside of the house (or just where you think they can get in.)  Mice are also repelled by camphor and pine tar. So the book says.

Thank you one and all for the advice. 

[MuffyBee]

I live in the country and had a problem with mice.  I got rid of them by spreading moth balls around the outside of my house.  The smell can be offensive to some but is better than having the little creatures in your house.  I have heard that spreading Lime works too but I have not tried it.

I've heard this is supposed to repel snakes and cats too

[San]

Klaas...thanks for that link...was great...!

Anna and MuffyBee....something with a big mouth is eating my tomatoes...and I think it is for the fluid...

Every now and then a bird would peck at a tomato, but this is something more...like a rabbit or a groundhog or dog.  I have gone out the last few days and found half a tomato (times 5 or 6) gone.

I would rather they eat outside than try coming in for a bite on the kitchen table...!

And, so far, no critters.

If something with a big mouth was eating my tomatoes you can kiss the garden goodbye because I'm not stepping one foot in there .

[San]

Anna how are you feeling today.

[nonesuche]

Klaas...thanks for that link...was great...!

Anna and MuffyBee....something with a big mouth is eating my tomatoes...and I think it is for the fluid...

Every now and then a bird would peck at a tomato, but this is something more...like a rabbit or a groundhog or dog.  I have gone out the last few days and found half a tomato (times 5 or 6) gone.

I would rather they eat outside than try coming in for a bite on the kitchen table...!

And, so far, no critters.

If something with a big mouth was eating my tomatoes you can kiss the garden goodbye because I'm not stepping one foot in there .

  just take your gun San

[MuffyBee]

Good afternoon None   The little emoticon with the book reminds me of your old avi.

[San]

Klaas...thanks for that link...was great...!

Anna and MuffyBee....something with a big mouth is eating my tomatoes...and I think it is for the fluid...

Every now and then a bird would peck at a tomato, but this is something more...like a rabbit or a groundhog or dog.  I have gone out the last few days and found half a tomato (times 5 or 6) gone.

I would rather they eat outside than try coming in for a bite on the kitchen table...!

And, so far, no critters.

If something with a big mouth was eating my tomatoes you can kiss the garden goodbye because I'm not stepping one foot in there .

  just take your gun San

 

[nonesuche]

Good afternoon None   The little emoticon with the book reminds me of your old avi.

Hi Muffy-

Today is my mother's birthday and guess what I gave her? Yep books  I was at B&N late last night just breathing in that wondermous smell of new books 

[nonesuche]

Hey San-

Better stop hiding from me, I just dodged a bullet but I'm not gonna tell you about it unless you come out of hiding 

[msmarple]

Klaas...thanks for that link...was great...!

Anna and MuffyBee....something with a big mouth is eating my tomatoes...and I think it is for the fluid...

Every now and then a bird would peck at a tomato, but this is something more...like a rabbit or a groundhog or dog.  I have gone out the last few days and found half a tomato (times 5 or 6) gone.

I would rather they eat outside than try coming in for a bite on the kitchen table...!

And, so far, no critters.

Squirrels are bad about taking a few bites out of tomatoes. Very annoying.

[Anna]

Anna how are you feeling today.

Thanks for asking, San.  Still pretty shaky.  Need to get more pedialyte.

First we were told the heat would break last Thursday.  That didn't happen then the weather services said mid week and now it is extended through the end of the week.

At least some high schools have cancelled football practice I am told. 

And rain would be wonderful but none in the forcast for the next ten days other than slight chances.  Trees are turning and losing leaves like in the autumn.

[Anna]

I only had two tomato plants.  They died even though I was watering them.  I have something that looks like a hedgehog, too, in edge of the yard.  It is sort of cute but very elusive and doesn't want me to see it well.

I'm not certain what it is.  Could be a baby beaver as they are in the area as well.  Sort of looks like an otter but real round body, not long like an otter.  The face/head looks like an otter but the body is very roundish.