Picnic-Kitting Caddy Hacks with Plastic Jugs and Cut-off Bottles

With gettogethers indoors or in yards or other outdoor venues, use plastic milk and water jugs to create caddy containers. The scope is narrow, pretty much light organizing of plasticware and containers to hold them. Additional items in the video include napkins and some condiments.

Use cut-off bottles for holding smaller bunches of same-type plasticware, which can fit into gallon jugs. BTW, milk/water jug handles are handy for tethering other jugs together using a shoestring and a cord lock. View usages in the video.

In various reuse/repurpose blog topics, I've shown jugs and bottles in other household uses. You might be surprised at how many second lives the jugs and bottles can have. Amusingly, my own use of many jugs and cut-off bottles include containing refrigerated produce, produce in pantry, draining the most of shampoos and lotions, and props for my slide shows.

Reuse/Repurpose Articles and Videos

Easy DIYs! Economical! Practical! (View bottom section of articles for terms of interest. Science info terms include HDPE, high-density polyethylene, PET plastic, and Polyethylene Terephthalate.

• "Get the Most Out of Shampoo/Lotion Bottles, Etc." (video | article)
• "Reusing and Repurposing Plastic Milk Jugs" (video | article)
• "More Ideas For Reuse/Repurpose of Cut Plastic Bottles and Milk Jugs" (video | article)
• "Reusing/Repurposing 2-Liter Soda Bottles--Self-wraparound Tubes" (video | article)
• "Picnic-Kitting Caddy Hacks with Plastic Jugs and Cut-off Bottles" (video | article)

OEMnMs--Initials Inspired By OEM

Fiddling around with OEM while thinking of terms for elderly, I came up with Officially Elderly Man and Ma'am. Being whimsical, the initials can be OEMnMs, possibly confused with the candy M&M's/m&m's. Why am I thinking about "elderly"? It's what's floating my boat this month. First, I'll give a quick ref to the common OEM meaning.

OEM, Original Equipment Manufacturer

The traditional term OEM is commonly known as Original Equipment Manufacturer. "What Does OEM Mean and How Does It Work?" states that it's "a term used in the manufacturing industry to describe companies that produce components or products that are sold to other companies to be integrated into their own products."

OEM, Officially Elderly Man/Ma'am (Perusing Word Candidates)

On the track of OEM for elderly term, I also thought about some "o" modifiers besides "officially", such as "omnipotent", "omniscient", and "outstanding", inspired by "Adjectives That Start With O | List & Examples".

I also gave some thought to "m" nouns. I thought about "maven", "merrymaker", and "mirther"/"mirthling". I decided against "minion" and "melange". Ah, "man" and "ma'am" would do, deciding that OEM would be my shortcut tongue-in-cheek Officially Elderly MnMs.

I'd been wondering about the term "elderly" as being vague. Much of my article describes my meandering for age categorizations for "elderly".

AARP and Ages 50, 18

AARP is an organization that seems to emphasize 50 as a starting point for post-earnings grouping ("retired" being part of the organization name. Age to join? "While AARP is dedicated to people over 50, anyone 18 and older can join for as low as $15 for the first year with automatic renewal."

More explanation of age grouping--"What Is Membership Under Age 50? (Formerly Known as an Associate Membership)":

We offer Membership to those 18 or older. Members between the ages of 18 and 50 enjoy all the benefits of membership that are not restricted by law or contract, such as age-restricted insurance products."

Generational Age Groupings

 Parents Site

I ran across several sites with age groupings, helpful for the alphabet soup generation categories. The ages don't neatly span 20 years. "A Year-by-Year Guide to the Different Generations" shows a table with generation names and birth year spans (info lightly tweaked)

The rest of the article describes the group names, birth-year spans and characteristics (good bird's eye view).

Notable excerpt about boomers and millennials

Boomers are named for the population "boom" that occurred after World War II, ..." and "Millennials are currently the largest generation group in the US, just recently surpassing the boomer generation. As of 2025, there were 74.2 million millennials in the US, making up 21.8% of the country's population.

 McCrindle Site (Silent Generation Referred to as Builders)

"The generations defined" specifies describes the Silent Generation (born from 1925 to 1945) as "Builders":

generation ‘built’ so much of the society we know today. This generation has also displayed their resilience through some tough times: starting life after a Depression, hearing stories of World War I from their parents and living through World War II.

 Kasasa Site (Gen Y AKA Millenials), from December 2025

"Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, Gen A and Gen B explained" provides another varying insight to generational groupings, particularly splitting Gen Y into Y1 and Y2, two categories AKA Millennials.

• Gen Y: Gen Y, or Millennials, were born between 1981 and 1994/. They are currently between 29 and 44 years old (around 74 million in the U.S.)
• Gen Y.1 = 29-33 years old (around 32 million people in the U.S.)
• Gen Y.2 = 33-44 (around 42 million people in the U.S.)

The term “Millennial” has become the popular way to reference both segments of Gen Y .... “Millennial” is widely credited to Neil Howe, along with William Strauss. The pair coined the term in 1989 when the impending turn of the millennium began to feature heavily in the cultural consciousness.

 Site that Uses 65 (Medicare Eligibility) as Elderly Age Start

"What Age is Considered Elderly? A Complete Guide for Seniors and Families" states "Someone is typically considered elderly at 65 years old, which is the age recognized by Medicare and many senior benefits programs in the United States", but also adds descriptions of eligibility programs that change 65 as "elderly" term, such as social security benefits for different ages, senior discounts, and lifestyle differences. For examples:

• Independence (60-70): The first stage is independence, when the older adult manages the activities of daily living without help.
• Interdependence (70-80s): Interdependence is the second primary stage. During this period, seniors need help with completing daily activities, such as preparing meals, maintaining the home, or performing personal hygiene tasks, like grooming.
• Dependency (70+): Dependency is the third stage, as briefly mentioned earlier, wherein the older person is burdened by chronic health conditions or impairments and requires more assistance with their daily activities.

 Senior, Elderly, Geriatric, Three Similar Terms

For me, "senior" needs quick context to avoid confusion with school grade group also known as seniors. "What is the Difference Between Elderly and Geriatric?" states as follows:

Elderly is an age descriptor used to refer to older adults. The term is generally used for people over the age of 65, although definitions can vary. The term is used both in research and in wider society.

Some research breaks the elderly into two categories: “early” and “late” elderly. Early elderly largely refers to those aged 65 to 74, while late elderly includes everyone over 75.

Elderly is more commonly used to describe someone’s age or to group older individuals based on their age, while geriatric is considered to be a more medicalized term.

Senior Discounts (Common Term)

Although I've avoided using "senior, I did run across some resources that seem to practically use "senior" as a beacon. For that matter, common magic words together are "senior discount", not "elderly discount".

"What Discounts Can Seniors Get?" and "List of Senior Discounts on Restaurants in 2026" have extensive lists. The first resource shows discounts by categories that include eateries, retail stores, grocery stores, inns, travel means, and wireless plans. The second resource lists eateries alphabetically, discount amount, and age eligibility.

Caution About Discount Offerings

On a related note about senior discounts, a YouTube video cautions senior-discount-minded people to guard against discounts that aren't. "7 Grocery Chains SCAMMING Seniors in 2025 (Hidden Tricks EXPOSED)" is gutsy enough to name chains and accuses them of cheating and manipulation. Check out names, such as Kroger, WalMart, Publix, Safeway, Albertson's, Costco, Meijer (supercenter chain). (At the YT description area, click "Show Transcript" to view the text at the right side of screen.) Note the segment about "shrinkflation", which starts at the 7:20 mark.

Speaking of "shrinkflation", view the comparison sets of pix at "'This Move Got Someone A Promotion And A Pretty Bonus': 35 Absolutely INFURIATING Photos That Prove Shrinkflation Is Alive And Well".

OEMnMs, Anyone?

After having explored "elderly" meanings, I've decided that I'd maybe use the term OE, OEM, and OEMnMs while in the company of people who look old enough to qualify for senior discounts. Meals R us!!

Reusing/Repurposing 2-Liter Soda Bottles--Self-wraparound Tubes

Economical! Easy! What kind of uses? What's special about common 2-liter soda bottles?

• Free with product purchase, these bottles are made of Polyethylene Terephthalate, aka PET plastic, recyclable, labeled with "1" inside the triangle.
• Using xacto or similar cutter for piercing slits and scissors, the resulting wraparound tube takes little effort
• Two recommended uses--YMMV
• Wrapping stick devices (trek poles, canes, walking sticks, camera monopods) around chair posts
• Loosely managing wires, cables, and cords into neater bundles
• Cut and curl, in this case, NOT hair salon business, but the PET plastic characteristic

My Discovery of the 2-Liter Soda Bottle's Wraparound Characteristic

I had eyed possible reuse/repurpose of an empty 2-lliter bottle (bottom trimmed off) as a bedpost dust cover for a hat. I felt the gadget could use extending. I trimmed off both the top and bottom of another empty 2-liter bottle. When I cut the cylinder of the second unit, I discovered that it curled around itself. Interesting!

PET Plastic Bottle Info for Cut and Curl

From Google search AI for "why do pet plastic bottles curl when you cut the sides apart"

PET plastic bottles curl when cut because of ,,, injection stretch blow molding. ... a small plastic tube (the preform) is heated and stretched in multiple directions at once. When you cut the sides apart, you release that built-up tension, causing the plastic to naturally curl and shrink back toward its original shape. During manufacturing, the plastic’s molecular chains are pulled straight and locked into position as the plastic cools. ... Cutting the sides apart breaks the structural continuous loop of the bottle. ... the stretched molecular chains act like microscopic rubber bands, causing the edges to curl.

My video shows a few items for using the wraparound tubes. It also shows images of the process for tube lengths of 5", 6", and 7". I have also included images of a 1-liter bottle process and images of a dinkily-made 1-liter bottle that I'd advise against. The experiment showed that the dinky bottle did not result in self-coil, this, no wrap grip.

PET Plastics Resources

"The masterful design of the two-liter plastic soda bottle"
Contains lots of info about how They make the 2-liter bottles, chemical composition, wall thicknesses and shapes, shapes of the top and bottom PSIs.

"InSide Coca-Cola Plastic Bottles Factory: How PET Plastic Bottles Are MANUFACTURED"
Contains info that overlaps "masterful design" YT video, but shapes differ.

"How Are Plastic Bottles Made? | History of Plastic Bottles"
YT description excerpt--

From the pioneering discoveries of the late 19th century to the state-of-the-art production processes of today, we explore the evolution of plastic bottles from petrochemicals to packaging.

"PET Bottle Recycling: Waste to 3D Printing Filament"
YT description excerpt--

PET Bottles are everywhere, but did you know that you could recycle them into 3D printing filament and this at home! ... I used the parts of an old Ender-3 to build a filament maker out of it. I also tested the strength of this material, ...

"PET101 What is PET Plastic"

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic is a lightweight, durable, and recyclable material widely used for food and beverage packaging worldwide. ... PET can be recycled, over and over, and turned into something new; ... PET plastic packaging is imprinted with the #1 inside a triangle.

"What is PET Plastic? | Polyethylene Terephthalate Overview"
YT description excerpt--

the product is made from Polyethylene Terephthalate, or PET for short. This material is most used in plastic bottles and is popular for its strength while remaining lightweight.

Unsure of Secure Modified-PET Wraparounds? Bands for Wraparound Tubes

If apprehensive about PET wraparound tube holding capability, consider enhancement with on-hand items, such as Velcro cable ties, spare watch bands, small-dog collars. Suggesting skipping DIY bands; search Amazon directly for "Velcro cable ties". A result that caught my eye was a 180-pack with lengths of 4, 6, 8, and 10 inches and up to 6 colors for $7.99.

Incidentally, if you want to try the pet collar option as I show in the video, visit "Dog collar size chart".

Additional Odds N Ends, Chair Terminology and Diagrams of Chair Parts

I got a great load of info and diagrammed images of chairs! I was curious about chair part names, particularly post supports between seats and back rests. My video examples point out posts that are front, back, and sides, including those at arm rests.

• "Chair Terminology Guide"
• "The Parts of a Chair (Dining, Desk and Armchair Diagrams)"
• "Parts of a Chair"
• "27 Parts of a Chair: Chair Anatomy Diagrammed"
• "Vintage Furniture Terms"

Have trekking poles, canes, walking sticks, or monopods that you'd like to easily keep wrapped around a chair post? Have wiring, cables, and cords that could use better bundling? Hope this article and video help inspire you to reuse and repurpose PET plastic bottles into helpful items.

Reuse/Repurpose Articles and Videos

Easy DIYs! Economical! Practical! (View bottom section of articles for terms of interest. Science info terms include HDPE, high-density polyethylene, PET plastic, and Polyethylene Terephthalate.

• "Get the Most Out of Shampoo/Lotion Bottles, Etc." (video | article)
• "Reusing and Repurposing Plastic Milk Jugs" (video | article)
• "More Ideas For Reuse/Repurpose of Cut Plastic Bottles and Milk Jugs" (video | article)
• "Reusing/Repurposing 2-Liter Soda Bottles--Self-wraparound Tubes" (video | article)
• "Picnic-Kitting Caddy Hacks with Plastic Jugs and Cut-off Bottles" (video | article)

More Ideas For Reuse/Repurpose of Cut Plastic Bottles and Milk Jugs

Recently, I'd blogged about reusing and repurposing plastic bottles and plastic milk jugs. The main idea for the bottles was using cut bottoms for holding upside-down almost-empties of shampoos and lotions. Let gravity and time help you get the last smidges, The main idea for the milk jugs was using cut parts for common household purposes. (Milk jugs are easy to cut and have handles as well as pour openings.)

• "Get the Most Out of Shampoo/Lotion Bottles, Etc." (article | video)
• "Reusing and Repurposing Plastic Milk Jugs" (article | video)

As of late, I've accumulated more empty plastic containers and ideas, broadening uses. The video shows items I hope inspire uses beyond my previous reuse/repurpose videos. The last video section shows use of a cut gallon milk jug to store nested plastic bottle bottoms.

Pedialyte Bottle As Curiosity for Its Shape

I wondered about Pedialyte being in squarish bottles. Various other hydration drinks also come in squarish bottles. From Google AI when I asked "why are some hydration beverages in square bottles".

Hydration beverages, including water, juices, and sports drinks, are increasingly packaged in square bottles primarily to optimize space, enhance brand visibility, and improve stability.

I hope the images I selected on the title page and thumbnail pique your interest in trying out reuse/repurpose of common plastic containers you run across.

Reuse/Repurpose Articles and Videos

Easy DIYs! Economical! Practical! (View bottom section of articles for terms of interest. Science info terms include HDPE, high-density polyethylene, PET plastic, and Polyethylene Terephthalate.

• "Get the Most Out of Shampoo/Lotion Bottles, Etc." (video | article)
• "Reusing and Repurposing Plastic Milk Jugs" (video | article)
• "More Ideas For Reuse/Repurpose of Cut Plastic Bottles and Milk Jugs" (video | article)
• "Reusing/Repurposing 2-Liter Soda Bottles--Self-wraparound Tubes" (video | article)
• "Picnic-Kitting Caddy Hacks with Plastic Jugs and Cut-off Bottles" (video | article)

Gingered Cat Dream

The video represents my autumn 2018 sessions of recording Ginger, a calico cat that probably inspired my recent vivid dream earlier this month.

The Vivid Dream

The dream cat was a small, whitish kitten, later looking larger and not so young--its left side looking tawny, its right side very reddish brown.

Initially, his/her appearance started out as a slender kitten, seemingly docile, not skittish, yet reserved in its approach toward me as I cautiously approached him/her. The dream shifted to a stack of newspapers I'd retrieved for a neighbor. Having ditched a few daily papers, I decided to save the 5" diameter Sunday paper for later lollygagging over.

The cat came back into the dream, this time no longer a teeny kitten, but maybe three times larger. I stroked it from head to tail on the tawny side; it then turned around to display its dark-fur side for me to stroke. I cooed it with "I bet you've owned a few people over time."

My significant other came into view. I told him I wanted to feed the cat. I perused a name--Ginger. It wasn't exactly a ginger, and wasn't a calico. I said, "Let's feed it." I pulled out my container of milk. I looked for tuna. Ginger patiently waited, as if it knew patience was the socially correct behavior to exhibit.

The Dream as Mishmash of Events

I awoke from the dream, wondering how I wove it. The dream seemed a mishmash of some events, both recent and long-ago:

• Encountering dog-owner walkers whose dogs were varying sizes, breeds, and colors (more details below)
• Encountering real-life Ginger (friendly calico cat) (more details below)
• Loosely arranging newspapers retrieved while a neighbor on out-of-area trips
• Searching for a pouch of tuna to feed Ginger (actual tuna search on the previous day)

Dog Walkers' Dogs

Maybe I integrated recent encounterings with some dog owners walking their dogs of various colorations. One owner someone walks three of his smallish dogs, two that had similar dark colors for my dream cat. I'd kiddingly call out "Mush!" as they approached or passed by us. Some other dog owners walked dogs of various breeds, sizes, fur types (short, longish, curliness), and fur colors.

Real-life Ginger Encounter (Friendly Calico Cat)

I met a real-life Ginger in fall of 2018. Back then, I uploaded "Eye-caught Snippet, Calico (male, I've been told)".

Four September 2018 "captures", each about a week apart. Friendly enough to snuggle up to my ankles."

For my blog item video, I revisited the original clips from September 2018, editing it anew, and also adding encounters from October and December. For my title page and thumbnail, I pasted some images that somewhat resemble my dream cat Ginger (not an artist), and the real Ginger.

Cat Resources--Mainly Calico and Tortoiseshell

While poking around the web for cats and kittens that resembled my dream Ginger, I also ran across related info. Big takeaway--calico cats are NOT a breed, but color schemes. Calicos are three-color types of cats and can have the colorations across several breeds.

"What Is the History of Calico Cats? Interesting Facts"

Calicos are a coat pattern. There is no such thing as a Calico breed, but there are many breeds that can sport the coloration. ... They are typically white with distinctive patches of black and orange of varying degrees.

"10 Types of Tortoiseshell Cats (With Info & Pictures)"

the word “tortoiseshell” refers to a distinctive color-patterned coat. The bi-colored coats look like the shell of a tortoise, hence the name, and their appearance is similar to a Calico. ... Color combinations are often black and orange, and some have red, ginger, or chocolate mixed into the coat. ... Calicos typically have white mixed in with the fur, whereas a tortie will not.

"Tortoiseshell Cat: Info, Pictures, Characteristics & Facts"

Tortoiseshell and calico cats resemble each other with their multi-colored patterns. However, there is one significant difference. The latter has the same mix but on a white background. Otherwise, you’ll see the same group of colors, from cream to orange to black—and everything in between! If a tortoiseshell cat has a tabby pattern, people call them torbies.

Other variations ... mosaic, which is a mix of a bunch of colors all over the cat. A pet with a chimera pattern has one shade on one side and another on the other side. You’ll find both long-haired and short-haired kittens.

"Tri-color Cats: Tortoiseshell, Calico, and Everything In Between!"

>calico” and “tortoiseshell” refer to coat patterns, not breeds. These color combinations are the result of genetics and can appear in any breed, though they are more commonly found in breeds like American Shorthair, British Shorthair, Japanese Bobtail, Maine Coon, and Persian. ... A “tortico” is a combination of classic tortie and calico markings, featuring large patches of orange and black brindling on a white background."

"What Is a Chimera Cat? Genetics & Traits Explained"

A chimera cat is a feline whose cells contain two distinct sets of DNA, resulting from the fusion of two embryos in the womb, making it one of nature's most fascinating genetic phenomena. ... chimerism involves two separate zygotes combining into one individual.

"Two-faced and chimera cats – what causes this striking phenomenon?"

calico and tortoiseshell cats are not the same as chimeras, even if they have similar markings. ... some tortoiseshell cats are mosaics. This means a single fertilized egg resulted in a variety of genetic lines. ...Calicos and tortoiseshells display a wide variety of coat patterns and colors. These may include different colored eyes and “split” faces, but that doesn’t mean they are true chimeras.

In case you're inclined to view videos contrasting calicos and tortoiseshell cats, search for YouTube's "calico vs tortoiseshell cats".

Painted Rocks Borderline, Rock Star Treatment

The video is star-studded with previously encountered painted rocks. The rock star treatment includes starshape outlining of the 48 rocks and two limestone path enders.

My topic evolved from revisiting "Painted Rocks Borderline" (article | video), from 2018. At that time, I used Dreamweaver for web page, PaintShopPro for graphics, and MS Movie Maker for video. Since then, I've moved on to Bluefish for web page, GIMP for graphics, and OpenShot for video.

I concluded I no longer had the raw video input(s), so picked my finished 2018 video apart and used newer skills and different on it. I gave it star quality with wordplay and imagery renovations/innovations. The video's rocks piqued my wordplay about rocks.

Rock Theme Playlist for the Blog Topic

Rock and roll was a natural inspiration for my painted rocks topic. I've created a playlist with songs that include "rock". Eh, MOST of listed songs have "rock" in their titles. Exceptions are "No Man Is An Island" (opposite sentiment to "I Am a Rock"), "Rocket Man" ("rock" syllable), "Roxanne" (phonetically includes "rock").

"Life Is a Rock" by Reunion is my anthem choice. The first listed version in the playlist has no lyrics. The second one has lyrics; the chorus is Reunion's, but a DJ does the narration parts. BTW, I made it a point to gather YT vids that included lyrics. Enjoy the good rockin' music!

Mini-background on Painted Rocks Trend

About a decade ago, painted rocks were trendy, mostly individual ones left for others to find. In 2018, I published a blog article pertaining to a neighborhood painted-rocks path. I also uploaded a video featuring the path, 48 painted rocks, "bracketed" by a couple of larger limestone rocks. The blog article "Painted Rocks Borderline" ( includes sections titled "Rocks and Pebbles" (size differentiations) and "Painted Rocks Background" (kindness rocks).

Icy During January-end of 2026

Brrr! What a cold several days starting with Sunday, January 25! I recorded the whiteness (mostly ground level) in the morning after the previous night's sleet. Also recorded the next three days, skipped the fifth day, then recorded the sixth day.

The sixth day was thawedful in front, but still icypatched in back. This freeze was forecast/forewarned by weather people starting the previous week. There had been dire warnings that 245 million people, over half of US population, could be affected by the severe weather.

The stocking up of groceries by so many shoppers! It was like grocery shopping at a holiday eve--all cash registers operating, and several shoppers deep per register! We had gone the day before the actual eve, anticipating that going the night before the freeze would be REALLY unwise.

My first recording shows Sunday, January 25 at 7:32 AM. It was 17 degrees. I ventured out onto the front porch, then gingerly stepped onto the back patio a few feet. Crunch, crunch. I ventured as far as the far end of the patio bench.

The next three days of recording the back was through glass of the storm door. I skipped recording on the fifth day. On the sixth day, the front was totally thawed. The back was almost totally thawed, enough that I wasn't chicken to step onto the concrete.

We're expecting another couple of days of freezing weather, but no precipitation that could freeze and weigh down and break tree branches as in 2023. No power outage this time around, as had occurred in 2021 and 2023.

• "Feb 2021 Deep Freeze to Aftermath" article | video
• "2023 Ice 'N' Arborgeddon" article | video

Revisiting Century Plant Triplets, Weekly Shots Over 16 Weeks

In 2013, I'd taken pix near the time the stalks started their phenomenal growths. At the time, my camera was a Kodak that shot only stills (1760x1168 resolution). This time, I re-viewed my original shots, culling, editing, and organizing them to create a time-lapse slide show.

Section 1: 16-week view from a gas station diagonal from the plants
Section 2: Closer looks at each photo session

The 2013 individual articles contain my thoughts during that time period. Much of the content pertains to comparisons to previous plant looks. Compare the pix in this video from the pix in my 2013 articles.

Mysterious Peewee and "Righty" Removals

In looking over pix from Week 10 when the triplets was now a duo, different views showed positioning discrepancy. I can only infer my standing picture-taking positions affected the apparent plant positions. From the diagonal view, Peewee was in the middle. From the across-the-way and power-tower standing positions, the remaining two agaves are next to each other. (It would look like Peewee had been to the right.)

Unfortunately, pics from Week 11 and beyond show the only remaining century plant, which I nicknamed Lefty. (For more details, peer back at 2013's Week 10, Week 11 articles and pix.)

The 16-week Series on the Triplet Century Plants

Visit the blog articles and view the images, way different than the treatment I'm giving in the video.

Century Plant Triplets--Stalk Starts
Century Plant Triplets--2nd Week
Century Plant Triplets--3rd Week Higher Up
Century Plant Triplets--4rd Week Higher and Branching Out
Century Plant Triplets--5th Week Closer Looks at Stalks and Branches
Century Plant Triplets--6th Week Subtle Continued Growth, Gauging Heights
Century Plant Triplets--7th Week Lookit the Tops!
Century Plant Triplets--8th Week Lopsided Peewee
Century Plant Triplets--9th Week Peewee's 2x Leaning Angle
Century Plant Triplets--10th Week, Minus Peewee
Century Plant Triplets--11th Week, Oh, Solo Me, Oh
Century Plant Triplets--12th Week, Lefty's Bloom Clusters Declining
Century Plant Triplets--13th Week, 3 Successive Lefty
Century Plant Triplets--14th Week, Lefty and Another Week
Century Plant Triplets--15th Week, Lefty and Another Week Still
Century Plant Triplets--16th & Final Week, 3 2 1 0

Related: Agave articles search results

Reusing and Repurposing Plastic Milk Jugs

 

My emphasis is on half-gallon and gallon jugs. I hope the video inspires you to try to reuse and repurpose such jugs.

Wonder about the common jugs used for milk these days? Remember when milk containers were glass? How about cardboard that you peeled open, then folded back the flaps? Still used, although the cartons now have screw caps. Anyway, the plastic used is High-density polyethylene (HDPE). (Incidentally, "Environmental Footprint of Milk Containers" briefly describes pros and cons of milk cartons,plastic jugs, and glass bottles.)

Some HDPE Resources to Digest

From "What is High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)?"

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is one of the most versatile and widely used plastics in the world. From milk jugs and water pipes to fuel tanks and geomembranes, this polymer is everywhere.

From "Plastic HDPE: The Material Behind Your Everyday Milk Jug"

HDPE, or high-density polyethylene, is the main material for milk jugs and crates. Because of Its durability, safety, and recyclability make it the ideal choice for the dairy industry.

A bit more in line with my topic: "Sort Smart Recycling Guide Milk Jugs" provides reuse suggestions, such as "Ways to Reuse" and "Make a Handy Scoop".

With its convenient handle, a milk jug makes a great scoop for gardening, dog food, or for the kids’ sandbox. Just cut the bottom off with a pair of scissors.

View the embedded how-to YouTube video on the site, or go directly to YT "How To: Milk Gallon Sandwich Holder "

Ready to Try Out Plastic Jug Reusing and Repurposing?

The jugs are easy to cut, with thickness of .5 to 1 mm (1/50th to 1/20th inch). I poked a few in-line slits using xacto knife/knives, then use scissors to cut the rest. For smaller cuts, such as oval holes, I used smaller scissors.

***Exercise caution when cutting.***

Reuse/Repurpose Articles and Videos

Easy DIYs! Economical! Practical! (View bottom section of articles for terms of interest. Science info terms include HDPE, high-density polyethylene, PET plastic, and Polyethylene Terephthalate.

• "Get the Most Out of Shampoo/Lotion Bottles, Etc." (video | article)
• "Reusing and Repurposing Plastic Milk Jugs" (video | article)
• "More Ideas For Reuse/Repurpose of Cut Plastic Bottles and Milk Jugs" (video | article)
• "Reusing/Repurposing 2-Liter Soda Bottles--Self-wraparound Tubes" (video | article)
• "Picnic-Kitting Caddy Hacks with Plastic Jugs and Cut-off Bottles" (video | article)

Raking Leaves N Breaking Up Song Parody 2025

My video evolved as a hybrid of "Raking Leaves Ain't Hard to Do (with scrolling lyrics)" and "DIY Plywood Presser Pusher For Leaves" video and article. (I finished the plywood presser pusher topic last month, having deep-dived into images and clips from 2019.)

I poked around old notes, remembering I had scribbled a followup verse. I found it, long after I crafted a newer set of lyrics to go with Neil Sedaka's monster hit. My lyrics came pretty fast. However, the later fine-tuning of fitting words to meter was slower. The longest process was actually singing the parts.

My methodology involved using Audacity to make multiple strung-together pieces of the karaoke music, then singing into several tracks. I made each snippet a series of 12 pieces, then separated them, playing them to decide the best six to have as my "chorus".

I noticed in recording that I was often late starting to sing. The first line (a few bars) would be ghastly. The latter lines were much better. BTW, because I don't sing, professionally or otherwise, I had multiple sessions of recording each snippet to arrive at my 12 pieces per snippet.

I hope my music parody video entertains you. It took a lot of effort, but it was fun and educational for me.

Music refs:
"Breakin' Up Is Hard To Do - Neil Sedaka"
"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do - Neil Sedaka | Karaoke Version | KaraFun"

Related: Raking leaves themes

DIY Plywood Presser Pusher For Leaves

Autumn! Good time of the year for improved leaf tasking! My blog topic is a DIY plywood leaf pusher. It's related to my raking leaves blog articles and parody videos (widescreen, scrolling text). My leaf pusher at the time of the parodies was a Rubbermaid dustpan, still flexible, uncracked, and unbroken after years of leaf pile gathering and compressing. (For smallish piles, I still use the dustpan.)

My inspiration for my plywood presser pusher is "How To Rake (Bag) Leaves - the EASY WAY!", starting just before the 5-minute mark, where he shows his leaf presser. He used plywood, drilled holes, and attached cabinet handles. BTW, I advise skipping the part about drilling holes in trash receptacle and also using plastic bags. (Plastic is not acceptable for yard waste or compost pickups.)

The Home Depot door handle I used is no longer available. You can view similar door handles on the web. BTW, I think each handle with one hole at each end is adequate and more economical than two holes at each end. Another suggestion: Rather than using the wood screws that come in the package, use machine screws and nuts for securing the handles to the plywood. (I used 3/4" screws, washers, and hex nuts.) 

My info is advisory. You can decide to skip using a template or preplanning. After mulling a few template shapes (rectangular, circular, octagonal, stop sign), I made the 11" x 15" rectangular plywood presser pusher so that it'd fit in a lawn/leaf bag that measured 11 1/2" x 16" but also fit into a typical round, 32-gallon plastic trash can.

If you choose to make your own plywood presser pusher for leaves, be careful about safety WRT power tools, splinters, sawdust, rakes, and tripping. Watch the video before and during the project, pausing as sensible. Good luck! Let me know what you made and how it's working out for you!

Plywood Resources

I referred to my plywood as being 3/8" thick. I recall that wood dimensions tending to not be actual measured sizes. A resource with table info is "Actual Plywood Thickness and Size". The actual thickness is 11/32". Not easy to measure 1/32" difference.

Additional plywood resources:

• "Types of Plywood" (with embedded video link)
• "How To Choose the Right Plywood" (short and sweet)
• "MDF VS. PLYWOOD (Which Is Better?? Pros + Cons!!)" (detailed and longer than above link)
• "Plywood Weight Guide: How to Choose Right" (dry reading but lots of details)

Laptop Screen Too Bright During Night Sky Session?

If you do night sky observing or astrophotography, you learn that your eyes adapt to the night sky, but bright lights quickly thwart the vision. Using red lighting is suitable for seeing objects and retaining the night vision. Use a clear plexiglass sheet over a laptop screen to achieve a night-sky user friendly interface.

If using a laptop during a session at night, some software tools have night settings—changing white background to dark, and text to red. The user can vision-adapt to the night sky or continue to not have night vision disturbed. Other nearby astronomers can also be retain their night vision.

Our rather old and lower-end laptop has limited capabilities for night sky adaptations. The keys don't have red displays. The astronomy software tools are not commercially developed specialized packages, but open-source tweak-it-yourself tools.

Our Laptop Screen Fix—Red Overlaying

We picked the clear red plexiglass (details farther down, more elaboration in the YouTube video). The minimal fix would have been to order the best-dimensions pre-cut sheet and simply lay it over the screen.

With an eye for frugality, we trimmed excess height, saving a piece for possible future project(s). With consideration for secure fastening, then drilled small holes for shoelacing the larger piece to the laptop screen. View the video for guidelines on our overlay fix for the laptop screen.

Laptop Screen Overlay Candidates

Online, we researched getting a clear red overlay for placing in front of the laptop screen during astrophotography. Ideas for See-through red screening included the following:

• Red cellophane that florists use
• Acrylic sheets from Michael's and Hobby Lobby
• Acetate (polypropylene) sheets at Michael's
• Rubylith (photographic plastic)
• Red tail-light tape
• Clear red plexiglass

After consideration, most of the items have downsides, which I cover farther down the article. First, the winner!

Clear Red Plexiglass

The fix we chose was a clear red plexiglass from Canal Plastics Center in NY—"Red Transparent Acrylic Sheet" ($3.68 for 6" x 12" x 1/8" initial offering)

Also known as plexiglass, lucite, or perspex, acrylic is a popular and versatile plastic for many applications. It is a common substitute for glass as it is crystal clear, lighter, more shatter resistant and easy to work with. Acrylic sheets can be laser cut or saw cut, as well as machined with routers, drills and sanders.

The webpage provides good pricing info for the multiple precut dimensions and thicknesses. (We picked 12 x 18 for laptop fit.) Other interactive webpage options included custom dimensions, holes, edge finishings, and shipping priorities.

A Close Candidate Red Plastic, But No Cigar

"Lesnlok Red Acrylic Sheets - 1/8" Thick, ..."

Translucent red plexiglass red acrylic,with 2 pieces of red acrylic sheet,This acrylic resin has excellent optical stability and uniform thickness.

The term translucent nudged us away, along with two negative reviews that indicated shortcomings of using the product.

The No-go Reds

The other red transparent items under consideration were food for thought, but didn't seem suitable enough.

 Red Cellophane Wrap, Used By Florists

It took some doing to find out what the item was called. Wound up with reasonable finds when googling "Cellophane wrapping paper for floral arrangements" and "floral arrangement red transparent wrapping mylar sheets". AI showed reasonable info for the product—"red transparent wrapping mylar sheets, often called red cellophane wrap"

An Amazon find further helped with info—"Vanhench Red Cellophane Wrapping Paper, ...". Color and transparency were winning points, however, the product looked too flimsy and scrunchy.

 Acrylic Sheets from Michael's and Hobby Lobby, Acetate (polypropylene) Sheets at Michael's

These products are bundled with additional color sheets and tend to be smaller than laptop screen sizes. It didn't look feasible to buy package deals to obtain a onesie-twosie (red) item.

 Rubylith, Used in Photography Masking

In the distant past, I used rubylith for printed circuit board artwork layout, particularly analog circuitry. Technology has long made manual layout obsolete; however, photographers and artists still buy the product.

Snippet description from "Rubylith"

Rubylith consists of two films sandwiched together. The bottom layer is a clear polyester backing sheet; the top layer is a translucent, red (ruby) coloured sheet. The top layer can be cut and peeled away from the bottom layer.

Idea discarded—

• Color translucency reduces clarity and readability of screen info.
• Colored sheet could be easily damaged, letting light bleed through and reducing effectiveness for user.

 Red taillight Lens Repair Tape

The tape comes in about 2" width rolls. We considered taping a small piece onto a scrap piece of 7 mil clear mylar to test transparency. Even if the small sample looked OK, idea of pulling and taping SEVERAL aligned rows was not appealing. Also, transparency might less than optimal because of tape's intended use on taillights.

Advisory Webpages for Buying, Cutting, and Drilling Plexiglass

1. Canal Plastic Center "Red Transparent Acrylic Sheet" (pre-cut 12" x 18" x 1/8" sheet)
2. "Cut Plexiglass, Acrylic, Plastics with Draw Knife Scoring - Cheap, Fast", 1:49
   My gist: Draw knife, thin plexiglass, main points-draw knife several times on firmly held-down plexiglass (using metal straight edge), then snap.
3. "How to easily drill plexiglass, lexan and acrylic sheets", 3:10
   My gist: Clamp plexiglass to scrap board, then use step drill or twist drill with tape protection and lubricant. Additional drilling considerations--slowness, light pressure.
4. "Simple Solutions: Tips for Drilling Through Plexiglass", 0:44
   My gist: Sandwich plexiglass between two layers of quarter-inch plywood ... mark the holes ... line plexiglass with plywood ... drill right through all three layers.

Related: Keyed-in text and image of PLASKOLITE Plastic Cutter for cutting plexiglass.

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Want additional astronomy-themed articles? Click for "astro topic" search results in my blog.

Planisphere, Star Atlas, Stellarium, Oh, My Stars!

Starting out viewing the night sky? This article briefly describes three items recommended for beginner astronomers (recent astronomy club presentation Navigating the Night Sky). Resources for more info follow.

• Planisphere—a handheld flat, circular item for identifying stars and constellations that are visible in the night sky for specific time and date
• Star atlas (aka sky atlas)—a map of the night sky, to locate and identify celestial objects. Can be in book or chart form that maps the positions of stars, constellations, and other celestial objects in the night sky.
• Stellarium—free open-source planetarium software that provides 3D simulation of the night sky

Planisphere, Star/Sky Atlas

This section covers both planispheres and star/sky atlas' because of interrelatedness in Google results.

YouTube video— "How to use a Planisphere" (9:09), latitude version shown—40° to 50°

From video description:

Step by step instructions on using a planisphere for locating objects in the night sky. This is a useful tool in astronomy for locating constellations and other notable features.

Where to buy? Amazon browsing for "planisphere" shows various planispheres and some sky atlas'.

Noteworthy—above webpage includes a link to "Starfinder: The Complete Beginner's Guide to Exploring the Night Sky Hardcover – October 21, 2013" ($25),

Now with removable planisphere!

Where to buy star atlas or sky atlas?
Amazon results for "star atlas"
Amazon results for "sky atlas" (more varieties of offerings)

Prices: From under $10 to astronomical

Stellarium

Stellarium is free software for Windows, Mac, or Linux. Download from main page https://stellarium.org

Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.

Note the system requirements to ensure if you can install on your device.

Read features section to discover sky items to see, when you can see them, and various other info. (Before you look for sky objects, you must set the tool for where you are and the date/time.)

Additional Resources

Visit Cloudy Nights Forum, "Beginner Star Gazing: Planisphere, Star Atlas, or Sky Maps?" for comment and recommendations.

"Want to learn how to stargaze? Here's how to get started in 12 easy steps" provides helpful titled subtopic sections, such as

• Read beginners' books and online resources
• Choose your stargazing site
• Let your eyes adapt to darkness
• Take time to observe individual stars
• Spot the planets with your naked eye
• See how the stars move across the sky
• Get kids and family involved
• Learn the constellations and asterisms (informal but recognizable star patterns, which can be part of one or more constellations)

Related: "Constellations and asterisms: what's the difference?"

"How to Stargaze" includes handy titled sections as follows:

Stargazing for Beginners
 Start by Looking Up
 Locate the Big Dipper
  Locate Other Bright Star Patterns
Helpful Stargazing Tools
 Star Charts or Stargazing Apps
 Grab Binoculars
 Borrow a Telescope

Note: If you join Austin Astronomical Society (AAS), you can borrow a telescope. (Membership levels are at "To Join AAS".)

From "Become A Member"

Loaner Scope Program

8″ Dobsonian telescopes with very good eyepieces and all the needed accessories to have a good visual observing experience or to test your next scope upgrade!

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Want additional astronomy-themed articles? Click for "astro topic" search results in my blog. Related: Sky/Astronomy Items YouTube playlist

Forgotten Fotos of Americana Century Plant (2009)

My previous topic was a New Mexico century plant, a peewee compared to the Americana this time around. I'd pic'ed the peewee in 2012 and forgot about the images. Peek into "Forgotten Fotos of New Mexico Century Plant (2012)" (video, article) besides diving into the giant century plant (pix from spring 2009. I'd recently looked into a folder named "Ancient" and found these images.

I took the Americana pix in 2009 starting from the end of March to end of June, mostly weekly. The first eye-catch was the stalk starting to grow upward. The plant had reached about 10' high already. By early May, it already reached 20' and displayed branches and flower clusters.

The following resources provide some basic orientation of the Americana century plant:

• "Agave 'death bloom' in Oakland neighborhood stands at 27 feet" shows an agave not quite at maximum growth, but already at 27 feet. The branching out status, if similar to my pix, indicates maybe 75% growth completion.
• "All About Century Plants – Everything You Need to Know!" provides broad info and pix for agaves.

Once the century plant has completed its blooming process, it gradually begins to start dying off. ... it puts all its energy into producing a spectacular flowering stalk just once in its lifetime, before gracefully bowing out.

• "What to Do When Your Agave Blooms" provides overall info about the BIG EVENT. The site shows a partial close up view of stalk with flower clusters. The flowery display, if similar to my pix of most-robust clusters, indicates the show to be within 80% complete.

I still have agave pix I'd taken over several years that I plan to blog about. This one century plant project brought back memories of having seen numerous agaves bloom. Alas, the 2023 Arborgeddon seemed to have killed off many of them. FWIW, I have not spotted rising century plant stalks or branchings like I used to several consecutive years.

Forgotten Fotos of New Mexico Century Plant (2012)

Last month I perused my computer for images of sky objects, predominantly moon shots. During my file manager tour, I ran across a series of pix of a smallish century plant that inspired me to make it this month's topic. It already showed its stalk pointing upward from its base of leaves, aka rosette. The stalk's branches and bloom clusters progressively grew in quantity and size.

2000 or 2012?

The pix date stamps indicated March 2 through May 8 2020. I went down the wrong garden path when I considered the pix to be from 2000. My title would have been a spiffy-sounding " Y2K Century Plant, 25YO Forgotten Fotos". I kept getting some naggy feeling about time frame, so to speak. I happened to also spot a folder that I apparently did some low-level edits, such as rotating, then resaving to png. Those images had date stamps of July 4 through September 8 2012.

I pored over folders and camera-issued sequence IDs. The agave pix numbered from 1875 through 2077 (year saved, 2000). I recalled that I have some pics with 1861, 1862, and 1866 numbers for sequence. The saved date was June 28, 2012. I ran across some other pix in the number sequence neighborhood, but they had 2000 for save year.

Google Maps Nudging Time Frame

I poked around Google maps to find the address where I'd seen the plant. I saw the most recent property image from April 2024, but also saw images from March 2022, July 2019, February 2015, April 2011, June 2009, and Dec 2007. Lucky me! The agave showed up in 2007, 2009, and 2011. However, it was nonexistent in 2015, 2019, and 2022.

I decided that July 2012 was reasonably more likely a time frame for my set of pix than 2000. A small brain nudge was a Google image screen capture July 4 2012—good enough for me to consider that date as an origin.

How Special Was this Agave?

What was so special? It was smallish, shorter than some other century plants that have rosettes taller than people and seemingly wider than a roundish car. This agave was a peewee that I could approach closely, its height maybe only 8' high. The diameter of the base (rosette) was about the diameter of a manhole cover. An oddity I've not seen before or since is the stalk's initial angle about 33° from the rosette, then its continued growth aiming skyward.

 I searched the web for smallish agaves. Two sources had images and descriptions that lead me to conclude it was a New Mexico agave.

"New Mexico Century Plant (Agave)" includes rudimentary info resembled my specimen. The following physical info piqued my curiosity:

Mature Height 15-18" tall
Mature Spread 24-30" wide

No Americana agave here! "Agave americana (Century Plant)" includes physical info as follows:

Height 3-6'
Spread 6-10'

Note: The images of the rosettes do not show stalks. Thinking that the height dimensions refer to distance from the ground to the tips of the tallest leaf/leaves.

"Agave parryi subsp. neomexicana (New Mexico Agave)" provides a good description of the plant.

Agave parryi subsp. neomexicana is an ornamental succulent that forms rosettes of ascending, lance-shaped, gray-green leaves with sharp teeth along the margins and a dark brown terminal spine. The rosettes grow up to 1.5 feet (45 cm) tall and 2 feet (60 cm) in diameter, usually accompanied by offsets around the base. Leaves are up to 1.5 feet (45 cm) long and 2.4 inches (6 cm) wide. This subspecies has slightly thinner, shorter leaves than Agave parryi subsp. parryi. Also, it has more open rosettes, larger flowers, and a greener, less glaucous coloration.

The mature rosettes, 8 to 20 years, send up an up to 10 feet (3 m) tall spike adorned with tufts of flowers on many lateral branches, usually in summer. The flowers are yellow to yellowish-green and red to orange in bud. Fruits are oblong, up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm) long capsules with black seeds. The rosettes die after setting fruits.

Some time, I plan to do one or more pic tour of an americana century plant. I just rediscovered a folder of such pics from 2009! More recently, I collected daily pics of a century plant in 2017 from March 7 to May 5.

Sky Objects, Mostly Moon Shots

The pix in my YouTube collection are from having used mostly two point-and-shoot cameras. Incidentally, smart-phone cameras also have capabilities for taking similar sky pix.

For people who haven't considered photographing sky objects, look, up in the sky. It could be Supermoon! Build your own pic collection for day or night moons! Also, pick other sky objects that catch your fancy.

I recently perused my cloud account for pix I've uploaded there within maybe 10 years. One folder that caught my eye—"NearSkyObjects-Canon PowerShot ELPH 190 IS". It consisted of eight images from 2020 and six in 2021. I poked through my computer listings, seeing additional sky images I could include in my slide show.

Most images are of the moon—day, night, various phases. Several are in plant views. The final item is my time-lapse slide show of May 16 2022 lunar eclipse. Final tally of my sky objects for this blog topic is 23. (The count does not include YT videos from 2023 and 2024.)

Want additional astronomy-themed articles? Click for "astro topic" search results in my blog. Related: Sky/Astronomy Items YouTube playlist

Related: 4-sky-objects video—
Sky Objects, Mostly Moon Shots (Minute Teaser)"

Followup Raspberry Cake, Fluid Deconfusion

A mysterious title, eh? The cake is a followup to "Raspberry Con-fusion Cake". I "deconfusioned" by using the amount of gelatin fluid I intended originally—1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of milk into a bowl with a packet of sugar-free raspberry gelatin. The newer cake tastes as good as the first one, nice density and no crumbliness. The layers' heights don't seem much different.

During the six days of consumption, the newer-version cake was consistently moist and without the frosting becoming more gooey.

If you try a similar gelatin with cake recipe, this one is improved. If you happen to follow the gelatin's directions for gelatin instead of halving the liquid, the result won't be a disaster. Consider consuming the cake in less time before frosting gooeyness. I don't recall the rest of the downsides of the first cake; I don't plan to repeat my mistake.

Calories and Sodium

Note: Using sugared Jello instead of sugar-free HCF adds about 320 extra calories (~27 C/svg) and 320 extra mg of sodium (~27 C/svg) to the cake. Between the two sugar-free brands, the amount of calories is negligible. The amount for sodium is more significant. The following abbreviated table compares calories and sodium for HCF, Royal, and Jello raspberry gelatins.

Visit "Raspberry Con-fusion Cake" for resources for other gelatin and cake recipes.

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Got cake sweet tooth? Get results for some of my cake blog articles.

Hearting Valentine Times in 2025

 

I missed putting out a Valentine item in February. March roared in like a lion. I'm beating April Fool's Day with my Valentine-theme video and article. Inspiration started with kin's visit on February 14.

The relatives brought flowers. I'd baked Valentine theme cookies made from Red Velvet and Strawberry cake mixes. I searched for kiddie Valentine cards and found one card, no envelope. A few days later, after they'd left, I found a stack hiding in plain sight.

My journey in creating the Valentine blog theme started out small, but became gargantuan when I collected hearty items to group together, created kid-like artsy photographable items, and integrated videos in my mix. The journey was quite an adventure in inspiration, organization, and implementation.

Heart Use as a Verb

Hearting is an obscure but increasingly creeping use of heart as a verb. Creeping, as in slowly moving, not creepy as nervousness inducing. Consider "I heart NY" and "I heart radio", which seem normal in use of heart as verb. As a thought, maybe "I heart [something]" can seem less tension than the "L" wprd.

Indoor Shots

My video includes indoor images and also outdoor images. I got in touch with my inner creative child for cutouts, punches, arrangements. I also rustled up images for Valentine cookies that I'd baked occasionally over many years. BTW, cake mix amounts in boxes have downsized over the years that cookie dough dollops were less mannerly this time around.

Outdoor Shots

I mentioned creeping use of heart as verb. A piece of my video shows a hybrid of Halloween creep and hearty Valentine approach. Numerous other outdoorsy shots include archives of heart-shaped prickly pear plants from February 2010 and also February 2025. Eh, the 2010 ones were more plentiful and cuter; the more recent environment wasn't as, uh, fruitful. For my non-prickly pear plant shot, the red bud tree with a heart-shaped bloom had caught my eye.

Related:

• "A Convenient Cake Mix Cooky Batch"
• "Heart 2 Heart"

Astro Imaging Session Piques Three-item Topic

What arose when the sun set down at the dark site we went to? Dark skies and objects (constellations, star clusters, nebulae, ...) that don't show up well in light-pollution, densely populated areas. What three items am I talking about? A TV tray table, a transparent cookbook stand, and a thin, portable gaming monitor.

In the Beginning (of the Astrophotography Session)

We met with another astronomy photographer (AKA astrophotographer) at a dark site, both parties for a nebula 1000 light years away. Our friend stayed long enough to also photograph a set of galaxies 60 million light years away. BTW, astrophotography is not merely taking one pic and seeing loads of details. Each session for each target tends to take hours, sometimes multiple sessions, specialized equipment for taking out-of-the-world pix, and cooperative climate conditions.

Portable Gaming Monitor

Our friend showed a new acquisition for showing audience members at outreach events—a portable gaming monitor that he read about in a NYT Wirecutter article, maybe "The Best Monitors". Arzopa seems eye-poppingly low cost, compared to other reviewed monitors. "Arzopa Z1FC 144Hz Portable Gaming Monitor Review" lists the measurements as 8.2 by 14.9 by 0.5 inches, weighing 1.7 pounds. (The traditional dimension reference is 16.1 (corner to corner).

Table Slots Between Slats a Hindrance to Stable Monitor Support

Anyway, he is understandably concerned about the monitor's thin foldable corner support falling through slots on his display table (square with narrow gaps between slats). Noting the monitor's thinness, I mentioned having a plastic, transparent cookbook stand that would probably work with such a monitor.

Another idea was trying a different table. I thought of our foldable TV tray table that measures 14.5 x 19 and has no gap hazards. BTW, Google images search shows good results for "acrylic cookbook stands" and "foldable TV trays". BTW, a quick, low-effort, low-cost solution to preventing monitor support fall-through, using a square piece of cardboard the same size as the square table would help.

Music Stand as Monitor Support? Nah!

An idea for stable displaying of the monitor briefly arose—using a music stand. It has variable height and tilt adjustments and horizontal lip. Downsides, however, are heaviness from metal weight and feet that take up space during transport. Furthermore, securing a monitor to avoid tipping or toppling it is concerning.

Musing Monitor Support Using No-slat TV Tray Table and Cookbook Stand

The next day, I thought about taking pix showing my cookbook stand and TV tray table. I took a set of pix—one of the stand (with open book) atop the table, one with additional items, and several showing different-angle views.

It occurred to me that I had the makings of a blog topic that included some idea exchanges about items not specific to astronomy. Also, I got to thinking of how to organize and create a helpful slide-show video.

Besides Monitor Musings

Some additional items in the video are are a yardstick and a set of trekking poles. The yardstick provides dimensional references. The sticks were mentioned during the imaging session. FWIW, a dark site can be challenging for those unfamiliar with the terrain. Even more challenging is navigating after the sun goes down. Better to have sticks and not need them than need them and not have them.

Update: Additional Info After Video's Upload on Feb 28 2025

After publishing the blog article and uploading the movie, our friend sent an image of his table and portable gaming monitor with the monitor's support leg. His fix for possible leg fall-through was a bottle cap.

A bottle cap does the job for the leg and the display is too thick to slide through. The [table's] gap actually cradles the bottom of the display! ... I added a couple of bits of foam insulation to the bottle cap to keep the leg centered in it.

The video's thumbmail shows the initial suggestion, the friend's pic, and additional ideas. The newer items include bungee cords for better securing a monitor for display and avoiding pit falls.

View use of slotted aluminum folding table and bottle cap.

Want additional astronomy-themed articles? Click for "astro topic" search results in my blog. Related: Sky/Astronomy Items YouTube playlist