• Monday-What'sUP April 6 - 04:42 am

I don't know exactly how she did it, but Brita Haapala managed to take a common weed here in the Keweenaw and make it appear to be something beautiful in these photos today. The subject is what's known as Burdock, but as a youngster, we called them porcupine eggs. I've seen them marketed in paperweights and craft items as such, too and they always bring a chuckle that way. You know you've passed by a patch of these "stickers," when you get home and have a few of them stuck to your sleeve or your pants leg. Kind of makes me wonder if the inventor of velcro, may have had this picky weed as their inspiration?

By the way, the Pasty Cam appeared a bit later in the day on Sunday, in case you missed this week's unusual Shoebox Memory.

GREAT pictures! WOW!!!

And I know I've picked a few pickers off pets through the years...Speaking of pets...VOTE FOR THE CCHS!

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3&link=ctg_ars_shelterchallenge_from_shelterchallengeconfirmation_sidetabs


THANKS!

We had a large patch of these burdocks behind the old barn when we lived just north of Centennial Heights. Tied the herd queen goat amongst them and she and the rest of the group made short work of them. The oxalic acid in the leaves didn't bother the goats.

Here's the graph again reflecting the weekend's voting - it was a serious effort!

What a time for the program to crash!

I have heard that that is the true story of velcro. A Swiss fellow got the idea for velcro exactly from picking those nuiscences (sp?) off his clothing. Now where in the heck did I read that gem of information!? Anyway those are beautiful artistic photos Brita. Happy Monday all.

The story on Velcro:

http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa091297.htm

Two things I wish I had thought of, velcro and post-it notes.

I know my dogs have the ability to locate this stuff! Very creative photos!

Velcro is an interesting business model in many other ways: Originally licenses were assigned in major markets, the US, Canada, France, India, etc., but a legal loophole allowed a Velcro licensee in another country, to "invade" another franchise's territory.

Velcro of France established a manufacturing site in North Carolina known as Applix. With the Velcro Patents facing expiration and the fear of cheap off-shore competition, Velcro USA defensively licensed 3M to assure an alternative source of supply [Scotch Mate], and one that wouldn't ruin the market price.

Eventually competion did will out and the product became much more economical for everyday items like childrens shoes etc. where it's a Godsend.

ps - Velcro made with stainless steel fibres has actually traveled to the moon with our astronauts.

Lovely pictures today! Even weeds can be pretty. Nice job, Brita!

Voted at work just now, and CCHS has jumped ahead by almost a tenth of a percent since I voted at home last night.

I feel almost guilty about this, but I have four computers at home and one at work, and I vote on most or all of them every day.

Wow! There is such beauty in the simplest things in nature. I especially love that first picture. Great job, Brita.

No need to feel guilty - just vote honestly. I'm sure CCHS would feel better that way. After all, we have a Yooper/good folk reputation to maintain. We, too, vote on several computers - but there is a different family member attached to each one. Oh, and while we're there, we click on the pet food and breast cancer donations, too.

Love Sunday's snow pics from '67. That's much more "normal" to me, not like this year. I feel for you Charlie, 'cuz I spent Easter weekend on unexpected call-outs, too, and got home @ 2am. No fog horns to come home to, tho, only freeway traffic noise.

Today's burr photos are great, too, but no pretty memories here! Those prickly barbs would stick in your clothes right throught the wash and scratch at you again when when you least expected! How they managed to escape a shirt to hide in the toe of a sock never ceases to amaze me!

I look at those "hitchhikers" and all I see is my poor Scottie, Cai, covered in them. A Scottie's fur doesn't release those things easily and as a result I have tried numerous products to ease the pain of their removal. Lovely pictures, but I will never find a fondness for those things, never.

Liz Timmer, Scotty coats and hitch-hikers, I know all too well also. I have two Scottish Terriers, Brimley & Brody, that need a good "picking" to get those prickly things out of their coats. We just have the boys groomed every 5-6 weeks and that helps a lot.

FYI: Dr Nat has posted her trip report to Britain. You can read all about it here.

Thanks ILMHITCC -- It's actually two of us voting on those five computers, so I guess it isn't so bad.

I look forward to reading Dr. Nat's report, but it's getting late now and time for bed. Manana is good enough for me ... good night all...

Those things stick 2 U brushing up against them.

Thank you for posting the link to Dr Nat's report, Capt Paul. It sounds like she had an awesome trip. I am especially glad that her paper was well received and that she was able to help shape the conference's concluding statements to be something more realistic and acceptable than we have been hearing in recent years! :-)