Elf condos

Elf condos
Originally uploaded by fifteeniguana

This was the view in my front yard last night. Have I mentioned that it rains a lot in Washington?

For better detecting

Special detective
Originally uploaded by bartenational

Virtual Chase has a very cool article on advanced methods for searching on the web. I learned a few things.

Thanks to Environmental News Bits for pointing it out.

Common in gardens

spider bottom 2
Originally uploaded by fifteeniguana

My daughter the entomologist tells me that this lady is a Cross Spider, which refers to her species, not her mood. The web says the cross spider is of European ancestry and is common in gardens. This speciman, at least, is common in ours.

Oh, Karmijn

Karmijn de Sonneville
Originally uploaded by silvercreek_garden

Do you prefer sweet or tart apples?

Let me rephrase the question. Are you the sort of wimp who prefers disgustingly sweet apples, suitable only for toddlers and invalids, or are you the sort of manly man and/or womanly woman who prefers an apple with bite and complexity?

I thought so.

The best tart apple in the universe is the Netherlands' gift to agriculture, the Karmijn de Sonneville. Why hasn't it taken over the world? Well, it's ugly. They are generally reddisn-green near the stem but at the base they are brown, like they have had some disease. But oh, the taste.

Cloud Mountain Farm had their harvest farm last weekend and we got there early on Saturday because the Karmijns sell out. Fast. Someone we know saw us with two five pound bags and asked if we were going to freeze them. Heck no. We can eat ten pounds of these easily.

I have never seen them for sale at any supermarket in Bellingham, although the Skagit Valley Food Coop in Mount Vernon has been known to have organic KdS for sale. Yum.

What is a library worth?

gold lettering
Originally uploaded by evissa

Maine State Library has provided one way to answer that question here.
Could an academic library do the same thing?

Thanks to Environmental News Bits for the tip.

Oompah! Oompah!

Oompah Band at WWU. Libraries Open House
Originally uploaded by wwulib

The library where i work had it's first-ever Open House last week to encourage new students to see what the inside of the building looks like, and maybe even take a tour. The theme was Oktoberfest so we had root beer, pretzels, and this charming German band. I heard students on their cell phones saying "Really! There's a polka band in the library!"

Hey, why not?