I feel very conflicted about unions every time they come up, because it seems they should be dead-simply beneficial to workers. To me, that is the sole reason for their existence. But when I talk to people in unions in person and when I hear so many interviews, it doesn't seem to be so.

With the end of the recent JBS strike, I've seen a number of outlets talk about how the union itself brought in scabs. The deal they struck doesn't sound any better than the one they had that led to them striking.

How do unions end up so conflicted? Doesn't their funding come from membership? I've never had a union job, and being in a place where you can get fired for any reason, such as organizing, it seems to make it a very risk thing with a less than certain payoff. Can anyone with better insight share their experience?

I used to think these animal houses were pretty simple and didn't think they'd be so particular about homes when they're living outdoors, but I've learned a lot over the last few years.

That little cute stick for a perch on a bird house is typically a really bad idea for a lot of reasons.

The size of the access hole is critical. Too small and your animal of choice can't get in, too large and more aggressive birds or predators can get in.

A bat house needs the roof to be sealed tight to hold in heat while some birds need vents to keep the box from getting too hot. Especially as climate changes, houses that have worked in the past can now bring unpleasant surprises.

For Screech Owl boxes, they get a bit of wood shavings (not sawdust) added, since owls don't really do much nest construction/upkeep themselves. It helps keeps the eggs from rolling so momma can rotate them properly and not have them smacking each other or the walls.

Woke up with some serious bed head!

Look at meeeee! I'm thiiiiis far on the branch by myself!

His real name is a bit difficult to pronounce with a human hyoid* bone.

*The bone that supports the tongue. In birds, it's attached to the tongue itself, but in humans, it's between the lower jaw and third cervical vertebrae.

I've got another of him in the queue tucking it in a nest that he guards. This particular baby just seems to have equilibrium issues and has trouble standing on its own, so he's making sure it doesn't fall off the perch during nappies.

I could never deny something with such darling plumicorns 🥰

I didn't think I've seen a house like this before, but based on other houses, I'd say that has to be what this is for. With the hard surface, there wouldn't be anything they can grip onto.

The clinic is having me also run the table on houses for various other animals that I know next to nothing about, and the bat houses call for this mesh at the entrance as well. The bat houses resemble beehives much more than I would have thought, and all the internal walls need to be scored to let the bats hang on.

Note the screen on the bottom. Some people use the screen (our state's game commission design uses it) but others don't since they worry bats can get caught in it.

Here's a shot showing the inner walls with all the slices for bats to grip and move around.

Again, this is where people differ. This and many commercial examples have these nice looking shallow saw cuts, but the game commission says do not use a saw, as those edges, when using plywood, are more prone to splintering. They say to use a utility knife to score all over the surface.

I think of Old Money in the sense of stuff that isn't showy, but when you handle the items or see them up close, you know instantly they are premium items.

Clothes are the classic example. They don't have gaudy logos or anything like that to call attention to them. But they're stuff that you could hand down. Real quality wool, cashmere, the buttons themselves are premium, that kind of thing.

Cars again are more upscale touring types, not sports cars. The richest guy I've known drove a Hyundai Santa Fe. He spent his money on houses and fancy travel and his car was just for getting around.

New money is the showy and usually overpriced stuff covered in logos.

Simplest way to think of it is New Money is for newly rich people that feel the need to wave it around they've made it big. Old Money knows blowing it to impress people is stupid. You buy stuff that enhances your life and pampers you.

We live in a relatively low cost of living area and make decent money. We could pull off New Money if either of us cared about that. We cannot afford anything I'd consider Old Money. That's a whole different world.

How many animals up to your own size (or slightly larger) can you take out, using nothing more than things you were born with? 😉

The Elf Owl is even littler than this guy, and it spends its days eating live scorpions and living inside a giant cactus. Owls don't play around!