Monday, March 19, 2007
Apparently I was wrong
But this one has got to be the last of the season. A couple of days until the vernal frickin' equinox and I've got a pretty decent ice candle sitting on top of a foot of snow.
Well, 8 inches, anyway.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi*
I'm pretty sure these are the last two of the season, and we're going out on a high note. These are two of the better ones this year. I particularly like the darker areas in the closer one, which are inclusions of ice from a previous candle that I recycled. They stayed frozen while the new water around them froze.
The picture was from last night, when the temperature had already gotten well above freezing. It's now pushing 50F and the sun is out, so the candles are history. I considered putting them back in their 5 gallon pails and putting them in a shady spot to see if I could get one more night out of them, but in the end I decided not to prolong their lives through artificial means.
There's a tai chi relaxing meditation that is used for dealing with blocked spots in the body: "Ice to water, water to gas." OK. That works for me.
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* "Gloria got sick on the subway Monday" - Ovid
Saturday, March 10, 2007
She's Right
FYI: if you are going to make short candles in little sections of paper towel roll sealed at the bottom with duct tape, here's a hint. Make sure the duct tape is wrapped really really well around the bottom.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Silver lining
The arctic cold we are experiencing this week is mostly disappointing - I was getting used to the idea that spring might just be possible, then WHAM! It was 18 below this morning when I got up -- Celsius, that is, which seems more dramatic than 0 F, although that's attention-getting as well.
However, it has enabled what may be the last two candles of the season: this one and one that I let sit out for one more day, so that it has a very small candle chamber. I was going to stay up late and set that one out too, but then this one looked so nice all by itself.
It's burning what turns out to be a great candle for the purpose - a really cheap "household and emergency" candle from this outfit called Genwax in California. Very bright, lasts a good long time.
I also decided to start recycling some of the old wax that's accumulating around the place, and bought some wicks from Genwax and am pouring my own. My wife says I'm going all Little House on the Prairie on her.
However, it has enabled what may be the last two candles of the season: this one and one that I let sit out for one more day, so that it has a very small candle chamber. I was going to stay up late and set that one out too, but then this one looked so nice all by itself.
It's burning what turns out to be a great candle for the purpose - a really cheap "household and emergency" candle from this outfit called Genwax in California. Very bright, lasts a good long time.
I also decided to start recycling some of the old wax that's accumulating around the place, and bought some wicks from Genwax and am pouring my own. My wife says I'm going all Little House on the Prairie on her.
