Dick's Hideaway

Dick MacKenzie - www.dickshideaway.com

First lettuce

Yesterday I finished two spoons that I had started at home last month when we couldn’t get out to camp for a few weeks. My finishing tools were at camp, so had to wait.
As I was sitting on the deck sanding I noticed a big stand of poplar trees across the bay on the opposite shore totally defoliated. The tent caterpillars have arrived and will likely eat their way through the whole area in the next couple weeks. Although I killed a couple at camp last weekend they haven’t hit here in numbers yet.
In their own right those little caterpillars are quite pretty and colorful. What a mess they make, though, when they arrive, hanging and falling from the trees. I don’t know of a critter that squishes out so much “jelly” when you step on them or sit on them.
As I continued sanding I recalled that someone recently said they have a seven-year cycle. I thought someone told me a long time ago that it was a 17-year cycle.
After some more scotch - I had thought about quitting drinking this weekend, but with the warm temperatures and parched throat from all the sanding I figure it’s best to hold off for awhile - I started wondering about cycles.
Rabbits, grouse, foxes, wolves are reputed to peak and ebb every seven years. Marriages supposedly suffer the seven-year itch. Life is full of cycles, many of which seem to be seven or 11 or 13 or 17 years.
That did it! I noted that these are all cycles featuring prime numbers! After a couple glasses of wine and some serious contemplation I realized that even this year - 2023 - is a prime number.
I believe I have discovered something. I don’t quite know what, but it has to do with the relationship between cycles and prime numbers. I intend to ponder some more to figure out the implications.
Here’s a picture of the two new spoons, in my patio planter of lettuce. We ate this season’s first camp-grown lettuce today.