Category: Pets

Ocean Apes

It was our wedding anniversary the other day, and naturally I purchased KLS a gift. To be specific, this:

Just add water for beloved pets! Of course we’ve done these before (and maybe you have too since I’ve given some as gifts) but it’s been many years. But who can resist their own aquatic humanoid shrimpy friends?

Instructions were read:

Water added:

And waiting began:

Now we – and probably you – know that ‘sea monkeys’ are just a form of brine shrimp, and the first packet (the purifier) contains the actual (water activated) eggs with subsequent packets – including the one labeled as eggs – being just food for the little guys. So it wasn’t surprising when only one day after we added the supposed egg packet we saw our first pets!

They are shy and difficult to photograph, but I succeeded more or less in capturing images of two of the half dozen or so that have already joined our family. So with pomp and ceremony let me introduce:

That little guy (circled in red) is Emperor Titanus, aka first-among-monkeys. As the firstborn he is naturally the undisputed leader, and his reign has started off well although his fuse is short and I worry he tends toward authoritarianism. Luckily his more primal urges are kept in check by:

High-Ambassador Alkarab. Third-born he may have been, but he quickly established a seat next to the emperor and attends to matters of state whilst keeping the masses distracted. As his name suggests it seems his true loyalty rests with another colony somewhere, and I fear this distraction coupled with his many day-to-day obligations may make it hard for him to resist the machinations of the unnamed second-born who hides in the depths, whispering madly.

The colony increases daily, with the monkeys simultaneously growing in size. We’re on the edge of our seat watching the politics evolve, and waiting to see if the rumors of a prophet emerging from the proletariat come to pass.

Stay tuned…

Introducing Marimo!

This is one of the more unusual birthday gifts I received this year: 

 
A glass jar with rocks, a bit of sea fan and something in a bag. First we put the rocks and fan in the jar and filled with tap water: 

 
Here’s the weird thing in the bag: 

 
It’s a ‘marimo’, a type of algae native to certain lakes around the world that grows into ball shapes. He was to live in our jar!

After a quick washing: 

 
We put him in the jar: 

 
Where he floated! The sheet that came with him said this was due to the water ph and oxygen content, and marimo would change his depth depending on such things. 

After about a week though, he has settled on the bottom like he would in a lake: 

 
Marimo needs almost no maintenance, prefers low light (no direct sunlight!) and can apparently live (and grow) for decades. The perfect plant for a cat household!

Himeji Castle

This is Himeji Castle in Japan:

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It’s a world heritage site, considered the best example of a feudal-era Japanese castle still standing.

Here it is in metal:

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This was the largest and most difficult metal miniature model I’ve assembled yet. Taking about 6 hours in total, this was an exercise in patience even with the correct tools. Don’t even think about making this without fine needle nose pliers! It also suffers from the common problem of less-than-stellar instructions.

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Sadly, as with most Japanese structures, Himeji is vulnerable to the occasional attack from an oversized monster…

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