I planted Marigolds this year. I'm using them for their deterrent effect. I have planted them at each corner and in the middle, also here along the entry, just cause they look nice. Marigolds are annuals and mounding so they should be a good investment for my garden.
This past weekend (March 9, 2012) I started a new brew. I'm using Ram's Head Weizenbock from eBrew.com (Alternative Beverage). My yeast is Safbrew T-58 (10 grams). This isn't the yeast that Alternative Beverage specifically recommends but I have something in mind. I was looking for a yeast than can tolerate a high alcoholic content. I'll explain why later.
The first thing to do when preparing a brew session is to start your yeast. It needs to be active and ready to go to work when you pitch into the wort. I typically use the dry packs. Check the direction on the package to see if there are any temperature restrictions. I usually use 1-2 cups of water at ~80 F with 1 tbsp of powdered sugar. You can see here, after 45 minutes of brewing the yeast is alive and kicking.
These are a couple of the Vipers I have. All of these are Hot wheels. The green one is the first one I bought. The black one is from the Gotham City 5-Pack.
These are three of my Batmobiles, The 1966 Batmobile, Animated Series Batmobile in blue, and the Batman Begins Tumbler.
This isn't all of the Batmobiles I have, for some reason I didn't get them all out when taking this picture. This is the only place I've ever found the Batpod.
For a more complete list of my Batmobiles see this list.
This is the only Corgi I have, I couldn't pass it up.
These cars are from the 2008 Hot Wheels Mystery Cars set. I didn't quite find all of them. I accidentally found out that the Batmobile and it got me back in to collecting.
This is a display that an Uncle of mine made for me. The cars are all (except the one in the lower right hand corner) from one set of Matchbox cars (1997?). Yes, I still have all the packages for these.
This is an 40th Anniversary set that Hot Wheels released in 2008 (I think). One car from each of the years.
This 55 gallon rain barrel collects and stores water for watering. I had trouble finding one of these used. I didn't want to pay for a new one, $80 just isn't in my price range. Finally I friend had this lying around in his woods so he gave it to me. I can't really beat free.
There was some patching required, notably almost the entire base was cut out and in the top was missing it's screw in plug. To fix the missing plug I used a disc cut from a plastic paint can lid on each side and silicone gel to hold it all together.
The large square hole is covered with netting to keep out mosquitoes and debris.
Here's the current setup. The gutter system captures less than a quarter of my roof area but even an inch of rain fills the barrel. I think I have space to add an additional barrel if I could find one on the cheap.
| Item | Date |
| iPod 4G (20Gb) | 03/10/05 |
| Xboxes + Games 5 (five) & 12 month Live subscription & Wireless Controller & Watch | March-Aug, 2004 |
| Cybikos 2 (two) | May 2001 |
| Sum 41 CD (single) (2) & Sunglasses | June-July, 2001 |
| Leather Jacket & 2 sets of Kick Sacks | Summer 1996 |
| Pepsi Hoody | Summer 1997 |
| 400 Mhz PC | 02/23/05 |
| Pill Counter | Feb?, 2002 |
| Palm Pilot | Spring 2002 |
| Halo big box | September? 2004 |
| Halo 2 big Box | December 2004 |
| iTunes songs (~225) | Spring 2004 |
| Panthers Cap | Winter 2003-04 |
| Kellogg Jean Jacket, four | Fall 1996 |
| Tent, Belt Clip Watch (2), Survival Light Radio, Camping Lamp, Sweat Jacket, Neck Radio, Picnic Blanket, Workout Bag, B&W TV (3), T-Shirt, tool Bag with tools, Tool Kit | Summer 2001-Summer 2004 |
| IPod Shuffle (512Mb) | 03/24/05 |
| AirPort Express | 04/29/05 |
| JBL Creature II Speaker set | 04/29/05 |
| Windows XP Professional | Early Spring 2002 |
| $25.00 (McDonalds Olymics giveaways) | Summer 1996 |
This list does not include various free movie showings.