Maggie’s Funny & awesome pics, vids and memes thread (work safe, no nudity)

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From little things, big things grow.
Below is a Sequoia Giganteum, Giant Redwood to a prole like me.

After the seeds spent 3 months in the fridge at 4°C, this little fellow is now nearly 6 months old.

I'm intrigued by the tiny fern like plants that have popped up around it.

I have some diopter lenses somewhere, if I can find them I'll try to get a macro shot


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I'm in central Tx.,
I'm 65, I'll be dead or want care before it takes over
Cedar Park to Hutto nothing but concrete, more every day. No place for rain to soak in all runoff
Water used to take 24 hours to reach me, now its 12.
Creek would barely run in summer now 1/3 full all the time.
Way to many people around here
I'm in Belton so not far. I hear you, it's growing like crazy around here as well.
 
From little things, big things grow.
Below is a Sequoia Giganteum, Giant Redwood to a prole like me.

After the seeds spent 3 months in the fridge at 4°C, this little fellow is now nearly 6 months old.

I'm intrigued by the tiny fern like plants that have popped up around it.

I have some diopter lenses somewhere, if I can find them I'll try to get a macro shot


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That is VERY cool!
 
Is there laws against them being sent elsewhere in the country? I know they like very humid cool climates.
For a long time the seeds and seedling were sold overseas and gifted to nations. My sister-in-law has a neighbor in Sacramento with four giant redwoods growing in her back yard. They are about 16 diameter at the base, and about 20-25 ft tall. So extremely young.
 
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Is there laws against them being sent elsewhere in the country? I know they like very humid cool climates.
I'm in SE Australia, Lawless, plenty cool and damp here at the moment, now the drought has eased up.
We have some fairly strict biosecurity laws here in Oz, but things like this, and anything without the potential to become invasive is acceptable.
Yet we too are allowed to plant bamboo. I spent four days with a clay spade on a jackhammer back in 83 clearing out some that was only 3yrs old. I like the plant but would never grow it anywhere but a pot.
Being on the land, fighting introduced weeds and ferals is almost a full time job.

My initial hope was to try to Bonsai the Redwood, like the one in the pic,[not mine] but considering it's taken 6 months to grow 1" and I'm in my 60s, if I live long enough to see some bark on it I figure I'll be doing well.

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I'm in SE Australia, Lawless, plenty cool and damp here at the moment, now the drought has eased up.
We have some fairly strict biosecurity laws here in Oz, but things like this, and anything without the potential to become invasive is acceptable.
Yet we too are allowed to plant bamboo. I spent four days with a clay spade on a jackhammer back in 83 clearing out some that was only 3yrs old. I like the plant but would never grow it anywhere but a pot.
Being on the land, fighting introduced weeds and ferals is almost a full time job.

My initial hope was to try to Bonsai the Redwood, like the one in the pic,[not mine] but considering it's taken 6 months to grow 1" and I'm in my 60s, if I live long enough to see some bark on it I figure I'll be doing well.

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I just saw a pretty neat documentary on the ancient trees of Australia. A few pockets of conifers unchanged in millions of years. Huge pines that are the oldest unevolved trees on the planet. Living fossils!

apparently, not everything in Australian is trying to kill you!

Sirhr
 
I just saw a pretty neat documentary on the ancient trees of Australia. A few pockets of conifers unchanged in millions of years. Huge pines that are the oldest unevolved trees on the planet. Living fossils!

apparently, not everything in Australian is trying to kill you!

Sirhr


Lies. They're still trying, they're just shit at it
 
I just saw a pretty neat documentary on the ancient trees of Australia. A few pockets of conifers unchanged in millions of years. Huge pines that are the oldest unevolved trees on the planet. Living fossils!

apparently, not everything in Australian is trying to kill you!

Sirhr


Sounds like the Wollomi Pine Sirhr, we came close to losing them this last fire season, a few fell victim, but thankfully the rest were saved.

I heard some shameful news last week though, developers and wood chippers are so busily destroying Koala habitat (Koalas can only eat 1 or 2 species of eucalypt) and combined with losing an estimated 35% of remaining populations in the last fire season and rampant chlamydia infections among those remaining, we are looking at losing them altogether by 2050.

Not everything is out to kill you, some just say "You nummer 10, we hurt you long time", like Gympie-Gympie. Such a bastard of a plant they named it twice.


Some of our other "fun" residents.

 
Mouse spider?

I played some rugby out that way on one of my postings. I'll rephrase that: I was on the field when we lost a lot of games when I played out that way.

Ye gods!! I posted the wrong picture, that actually IS a Mouse Spider. I can't find the Funnel Web pic I took. Makes me look a twat doesn't it?

Being the sort that photographs all manner of shyte I have eleventy gazillion pics on my phone, occasionally making for little embarrassments like this.

We've got them too, never in the house though, they burrow.
 
Thanks Lawless, I love growing things, particularly unusual things.

I found my diopters, now if I can just find my tripod.............

Well, I found my tripod but I still have no idea what these are.

The first pic FOV is 10mm wide, the threads in the 1st pic are actually the fine gauze of the Jiffy Pot I used to germinate the Redwood.
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I just saw a pretty neat documentary on the ancient trees of Australia. A few pockets of conifers unchanged in millions of years. Huge pines that are the oldest unevolved trees on the planet. Living fossils!

apparently, not everything in Australian is trying to kill you!

Sirhr
They are just waiting to fall on you.
 
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I remember these. Got issued as a size too small cuz the CIF lady said they'd stretch, then stayed up way to late to get a good shine on them so I wouldn't get smoked. Instead I got smoked for having a button unbuttoned 🤓.

I still remember my bloody, blistered feet from those boots. Ditched them when i got to my unit for some jungle boots, back when jungles were cool.
 
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I remember these. Got issued as a size too small cuz the CIF lady said they'd stretch, then stayed up way to late to get a good shine on them so I wouldn't get smoked. Instead I got smoked for having a button unbuttoned 🤓.

I still remember my bloody, blistered feet from those boots. Ditched them when i got to my unit for some jungle boots, back when jungles were cool.
Is this just a military thing getting a boot a size to small to teach you about taking care of your feet? Never got to serve so this doesnt make sence to me and i have hear this from a few people that have served
 
I dunno, I was just a dumb private who'd been up since the day before, I did what they told me to. I believe it was because they didn't do half sizes so if you fell in between you got the smaller size. The thinking could've been it's better to be snug and then break them in rather than be breaking in already loose boots and end up with more blisters. I got blisters anyway but it came with the territory. Once I got to my unit I was free to get boots that actually fit, so long as they met the requirements.
 
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Here's another baby I'm nurturing.
A Mediteranian Cypress or Pencil Pine.

I've never sprouted one from seed, so it was quite a surprise to see this, to me, unique way of germination.

The seed put out a root that pushed the seed out of the soil, two "arms" developed that raised the seed off the root, allowing the foliage to start to develop while feeding the growing plant.
This one is 3 months old, germinated from a seed I got from a cone off the tree at my yard gate.
200m of my driveway has a windbreak of Bhutan Cypress, if the parrots leave me any cones, that's my next project.

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Work requires Corcoran jump boots.

They issue those shitty "field" model Type IIs that only shine on the toe and heel.

I badgered the supply guy to search the Arc of the Covenant warehouse for Type Is.

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He found me 4 pairs from the 60s, Made in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Only difference from WWII manufacture is these are black instead of brown.

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Little water, maybe some leather grease, I can make an 8 to 9.5 fit.

Granted I am not force marching in them.
 
Work requires Corcoran jump boots.

They issue those shitty "field" model Type IIs that only shine on the toe and heel.

I badgered the supply guy to search the Arc of the Covenant warehouse for Type Is.

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He found me 4 pairs from the 60s, Made in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Only difference from WWII manufacture is these are black instead of brown.

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Little water, maybe some leather grease, I can make an 8 to 9.5 fit.

Granted I am not force marching in them.

I have no idea how many pairs of those I bought at the PX over the years.

I know I did not throw them away. I am just that kind of guy.

Now I can't find any of my old pairs anywhere. Someday my heirs are going to find them in a box somewhere and wonder why I kept them.

Somethings you just don't understand . . . unless you have been there.
 
Work requires Corcoran jump boots.

They issue those shitty "field" model Type IIs that only shine on the toe and heel.

I badgered the supply guy to search the Arc of the Covenant warehouse for Type Is.

View attachment 7368432

He found me 4 pairs from the 60s, Made in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Only difference from WWII manufacture is these are black instead of brown.

View attachment 7368433

Little water, maybe some leather grease, I can make an 8 to 9.5 fit.

Granted I am not force marching in them.
Have a pair of them in the closet I hope to never wear again! Been through a few pairs over the years
 
I have no idea how many pairs of those I bought at the PX over the years.

I know I did not throw them away. I am just that kind of guy.

Now I can't find any of my old pairs anywhere. Someday my heirs are going to find them in a box somewhere and wonder why I kept them.

Somethings you just don't understand . . . unless you have been there.


Looks like my job got these surplus from the mil. The AAFES tag indicates price of $47. Been awhile since boots of this quality were $47.

I rotate mine so they last awhile......

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Actually found replacement soles on line......

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Cobbler usually throws Vibram single piece soles on but I think Corcoran need the original two part sole. When I gave him my own soles he was like "Where did you get these? Haven't done that work since the early 80s!" But he put them on. Sucks they are Fluland copies and only last about a season.

That picture above of the issue Leather "field boot" is new school. These were my USMC issue leathers....

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These only survive because they were an inspection set that sat in the wall locker never worn, so an inspector could say "Wow, you really take care of your boots." I've worn them a few time since as range boots so the spit shine is gone.

My boots eventually retire to back yard grass mowing duties.....

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A sad end before they get tossed with absolutely no life left in them.

I guess I kind of have a weird boot fascination.
 
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I remember these. Got issued as a size too small cuz the CIF lady said they'd stretch, then stayed up way to late to get a good shine on them so I wouldn't get smoked. Instead I got smoked for having a button unbuttoned 🤓.

I still remember my bloody, blistered feet from those boots. Ditched them when i got to my unit for some jungle boots, back when jungles were cool.
I was the idiot that thought jungle boots were the most comfortable boots mankind had devised (with an N=2, I was comparing to combat boots at the time.)

So young, so stupid, good times.

Now those bastards don't even have to polish boots. New Corps, damn New Corps.