arathar - Network

The SW PA forest is producing lots of mushrooms in this warm damp summer. I found a wide variety on a walk today. I plucked the chanterelles...

The SW PA forest is producing lots of mushrooms in this warm damp summer.

I found a wide variety on a walk today. I plucked the chanterelles for later. Happy #fungifridays

Backyard mushrooms are popping up after some very wet weeks. Image on left was taken last night, the one on the right is from this morning....

Backyard mushrooms are popping up after some very wet weeks. Image on left was taken last night, the one on the right is from this morning. A big change happened overnight.

The internet says these are genus amanita and may be poisonous or not. The blistered tops remind me of pretzel rolls.

#fungi #mushrooms #nature

Is anyone else disappointed in the 2025 #Tolkien Calendar?https://www.tolkienguide.com/store/9780008669447I have collected #JRRT calendars...

Is anyone else disappointed in the 2025 #Tolkien Calendar?

https://www.tolkienguide.com/store/9780008669447

I have collected #JRRT calendars for many years. I love John Howe's artwork. But the 2025 edition only seems to have maybe 2 new images. The others are all present in past calendars.

I can't believe that there isn't any good original JRRT art being produced suitable for calendars.

I'll just hang up my JRRT 1997 John Howe which has many of the same images and works fine except for lunar & religious holidays.

I like the fact that the mineral oil holds down any lead oxide dust. The figures are 15mm Ral Partha Armies of Myth and Magic. These are...

I like the fact that the mineral oil holds down any lead oxide dust.

The figures are 15mm Ral Partha Armies of Myth and Magic. These are very detailed and I wanted to stop any damage. Because they are so small, I just submerged them and wiped them off. They look good so far.

TIL that George R. R. Martin has a miniature collecting web page that covers lead rot....

TIL that George R. R. Martin has a miniature collecting web page that covers lead rot.

https://georgerrmartin.com/for-fans/knights/comments-on-collecting/#lead

He summarized Bert Caldwell’s article in TOY SOLDIER AND MODEL FIGURE #13.
Causes; humidity and poor air circulation
Solution to stop it; 50/50 turpentine and mineral oil
I mixed some up and doused some recent eBay buys that had a light white dusting. Now I wait a week for them to dry and I'll try primer on them.

#miniatures, #ttrpg, #leadrot, #GRRM

I rescued this snapping turtle from road traffic near my home in SW Pennsylvania. Wrapped her in a blanket and released into a stream away...

I rescued this snapping turtle from road traffic near my home in SW Pennsylvania. Wrapped her in a blanket and released into a stream away from roads. The turtles go walkabout this time of year to lay their eggs. #turtle #nature

As a beekeeper, I have lost some swarms to the treetops, never to return. I never thought of the bees as pushing out native pollinators. I...

As a beekeeper, I have lost some swarms to the treetops, never to return. I never thought of the bees as pushing out native pollinators. I try to support all bees by not using pesticides.

I recently found a nearby wild bee colony in a tree. They look larger than domestic bees.

From: @briankrebs
https://infosec.exchange/@briankrebs/112779319450395945

They have arrived in SW Pennsylvania . #morels #mushrooms I’m going to eat some tasty omelettes.

They have arrived in SW Pennsylvania . #morels #mushrooms

I’m going to eat some tasty omelettes.

An interesting take on the Fermi paradox by physicist Dr. Brian...

An interesting take on the Fermi paradox by physicist Dr. Brian Cox.

https://bigthink.com/series/explain-it-like-im-smart/aliens-fermi-paradox/

TLDR; Intelligent life is extremely rare and we are alone. His argument is that it is unusual for a planet to be stable for 4 billion years to permit the progression of life from cell to civilization.

#seti, #aliens, #fermi, #interstellar, #science

Does anybody else feel that peeling a piece of citrus in one continuous piece portends good things for the day ahead? #GoodOmens

Does anybody else feel that peeling a piece of citrus in one continuous piece portends good things for the day ahead? #GoodOmens

Here is a vintage #TTRPG tip, use archive.org Magazine rack to view old gaming mags.Lots of #TSR #Dragon magazines are...

Here is a vintage #TTRPG tip, use archive.org Magazine rack to view old gaming mags.
Lots of #TSR #Dragon magazines are available.
https://archive.org/details/magazine_rack?query=dragon

I had success finding issues of #Dungeon, #Polyhedron, Pegasus, and Fantasy Modeling

#SciFi and #Traveller related, I found #Ares, High Passage, Far Traveller, and The Space Gamer.

Other titles of interest...
#SciFi Mags like Galaxy
#Apple Computer mags like #MacUser, #MacWorld

Could be my new way to pass time while waiting at the DMV.

A question for @MichaelWhelan@Mastadon.art, I was reviewing my old copies of H. Beam Piper's Space Viking and was reminded of the...

A question for @MichaelWhelan@Mastadon.art, I was reviewing my old copies of H. Beam Piper's Space Viking and was reminded of the reversed covers on the Ace editions.

On the left is ACE 77780, $1.50, on the right is ACE 77779, 1980, $2.25. I think the one on the left is the original bc the MW icon looks correct (they are lo-res).

Can you share any info as to why this cover was flipped to the reverse for the later edition? Michael is not credited on the flipped cover. Thanks!
#SciFi, #Whelan

Wow, the @IceCubesApp image description is very good. This was the weirdest photo I could find in my camera roll and the alt text is...

Wow, the @IceCubesApp image description is very good. This was the weirdest photo I could find in my camera roll and the alt text is accurate.

Please be careful on those steps, a surprise awaits you...Meet Cleocatra, feline assassin. Sorry, I know that is redundant.She is really...

Please be careful on those steps, a surprise awaits you...

Meet Cleocatra, feline assassin. Sorry, I know that is redundant.

She is really very sweet.

Happy #Caturday #tortie

Hey! Somebody left a pile of dog parts on my chair.This is Augustus Copernicus Doodle, AKA Gus, enjoying his favorite forbidden...

Hey! Somebody left a pile of dog parts on my chair.

This is Augustus Copernicus Doodle, AKA Gus, enjoying his favorite forbidden chair.

#DogsofMastodon, #Doodles

@nyrath I thought that you might appreciate this...I found some old college favorites while I was going though some boxes.A Niji Grip 350...

@nyrath I thought that you might appreciate this...

I found some old college favorites while I was going though some boxes.

A Niji Grip 350 5mm double knock mechanical pencil
A Pentel white rubber eraser
and a laminated bookmark of cancelled 1979 Mongolian stamps displaying planetary probes; Luna 2, Venera 6, and Viking 1.

I used the bookmark as a straight edge when sketching.

This is like a time tunnel to the early 1990's for me.

#FungiFriday just returned from hiking in the #Adirondacks. Saw many interesting mushrooms.

#FungiFriday just returned from hiking in the #Adirondacks. Saw many interesting mushrooms.

I was jogging in my woods this afternoon and noticed the ground was covered in these bright orange mushrooms. A plant identifier AI thinks...

I was jogging in my woods this afternoon and noticed the ground was covered in these bright orange mushrooms.

A plant identifier AI thinks they are chanterelles. I can see some possibility that they are red chanterelles based on location (western PA hardwood forest).

But I won't be eating them... I need a Mycologist.

#FungiFriday, #coward

Awww, did I sleep through #Caturday again?

Awww, did I sleep through #Caturday again?

It's been a while since I posted any miniatures content. Here are images of some #greenstuff #sculpts that I made to correct one of the...

It's been a while since I posted any miniatures content. Here are images of some #greenstuff #sculpts that I made to correct one of the great omissions in #Traveller #RPG Miniatures - 15mm Hivers.

The smaller one was done first and a friend correctly pointed out that the scale was a bit small. I designated it a juvenile and made a slightly larger adult.

I'm thinking of casting them in lead. Perhaps removing the heads so that they could be swapped with ones holding tools and weapons.