#learning experiences

"There is one of those loud buzzy flier things! Maybe I will catch it!"

"Maybe not. It seems kind of bitey and not like a friend at all."

Mr the Mung Bean has yet to learn the difference between flies, horseflies, and bees. Choices have consequences.

I had thought of 2 soups and one included chickweed, nettle, spinach, parsley, and a potato, and the other one was going to be wild onions, leek and flour.

However when I made my first soup, I discovered that chickweed, which is my new beloved green, becomes ultra super SLIMY when cooked and that my soup is merely a pot of slime now and honestly who could have predicted this? Chickweed why would you do that to me? I barely managed to eat that soup.

The second soup was fine but the disappointment over the chickweed colored my experience very sour, and I also am personally offended that things I think up in my head without any research or realistic expectations does not turn out exactly the way I imagined it. The absolute nerve.

“What is the first rule about approaching an unknown planet?” the captain demanded, crossing her arms.

“Of course it’s to scan for life, and I did that—” replied the first mate, but she cut him off.

“When you saw that it held a pre-spacefaring culture, what was your thought process exactly?”

“To keep our distance!” he said. “I didn’t even orbit directly; I made sure we stayed close to the moon instead!”

The captain glared. “And did you consider for one moment the size of our ship with the solar sails unfurled?”

“What do you mean? We don’t have enough mass to affect the tides or anything like that—”

“The shadow,” snapped the captain, pointing at her first mate. “I spend one night in sickbay, and you’ve already caused an eclipse on a primitive world. Do you have any idea the kind of panic and cultural upheaval we’re seeing even from this distance?”

The wide-eyed look on his face made it clear that he had not considered that, but was considering it now. “Oh.”

“Yes, oh,” the captain said. She aimed one finger at the first mate’s face, and pointed the other hand toward the bridge. “Now you are going to come look at what we’ve observed so far, and you’re going to tell me what you think we should do about it. Your answer will tell me whether you get demoted or just reprimanded, so think hard.”

“I … Yes, I will.”

“Good.” The captain led the way. “If people are getting sacrificed into volcanoes, it won’t go well for you.”

I need to start bringing a pack for collecting large bones when I go into nature, as I've been surprised with a fox, a badger and most of a seabird recently. I had to leave the fox overnight because I had nothing to put him in, and hope he was there when I went back the next morning.

I'm thinking of setting up a small rucksack that I can at least leave in the car. It should have

At least 2 bin bags

At least 2 sturdy shopping bags

Some sandwich bags

A knife

Disposable plastic gloves

Gardening gloves

String

Hand sanitiser

Bandana (face mask or keeps my hair back)

Plastic box/tub for rare finds