More Creature (human creatures) Comforts

At one time the pond lacked any creature (human creatures) comforts. Over the past few years we have added various seating arrangements such as benches and swings. Some are permanent and some are movable allowing them to be shifted to take advantage of shade or sun depending on the time of year. For 'planned' events, such as the cub scout outing, we will normally bring out some tables and extra chairs and perhaps erect a temporary canopy. We realized, though, we needed some more permanent tables that could stay at the pond year-around.

A few weeks ago GG and I procured some used cable spools to use as tables. (You probably guessed where we got them. At a yard sale. You gotta love yard sales and flea markets.) These tables are not good for sitting at to eat. They are too tall and of course the bottom precludes pulling a chair up close. They are, however, quite handy for other purposes such as a place to put all the tools and such should we have a cookout by the pond.

One great thing about them is they are relatively easy to move. Just flip it up, roll it to wherever it's needed, flip it back down, and there you are. This also makes them easy to store in the edge of the woods where they just sort of blend in and disappear until they are needed again.

Best of all they were cheap and should be relatively impervious to our weather as long as they are painted every year or so. We finally got around to giving them the first coat of paint a few days ago. (Well, they painted them. I was away and missed most of the fun.)

And, the spools have an added benefit. They were immediately recognized by the kids (and a few adults) as great toys. We even have races from time to time. Well, they do. I keep my feet on the ground.

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In Nature It Is Not Impolite To Point

I took a few trips around the pond trying to find something 'pointed' for this week's PhotoHunt theme. I had a few ideas, but they didn't seem to come across in the photographs. Finally I got what I needed. And along with it I got a little education. At first glance this pine cone may appear to be only moderately 'pointed', but a closer look reveals the growth of the 'pointed' spikes on each of the scales of the pine cone. These pointed spikes are called prickles on the yellow pine. Any kid who has ever been in a pine cone fight using immature pine cones can tell you those prickles are definitely pointed.

I was surprised to learn that there are male cones and female cones. Actually the male cones are usually in clusters at the end of a limb and normally wither and die after they release their pollen. The female cone is the one we are mostly familiar with. It takes at least two years for a female cone to mature in virtually all conifers. The first year it remains relatively small and then it matures rapidly during the second year.

This photo is of a younger cone on the same tree. It almost resembles a small pineapple, but the yellow will quickly darken into the green of the first photo. Cones can remain on some conifers for up to 10-15 years and still produce viable seeds.

Perhaps within a year or so this cone will be fully matured and ready to open its shingle-like scales and disperse its seeds to the winds of nature.

PhotoHunt
Weekly Theme - Pointed

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