Saturday sundries

Tomorrow is the solstice, meaning the days will start getting longer. Today the sunrise (hidden behind clouds) was at 7:29 a.m. Sunset will be at 4:25 p.m.  Around here, days will be longer because the sun is setting later. The sunrises don't start getting earlier until the first week of January.

Also, we don't expect to see much of the solstice sun mentioned in that little verse on the side. It is supposed to be cloudy all day tomorrow. We woke to flurries and another light dusting of snow this morning. We are not sure whether we will have a white Christmas or not. The forecast calls for snow and rain between now and then, making it a tossup. We don't have to deal with any traveling, so it doesn't matter that much to us.

Shortly after noon yesterday, the house was shaken by a loud blast. I posted about a similar experience November 29. [Click here to refresh your memory.] Again I went outside and, seeing no particular cause, assumed it was a sonic boom.

This morning's paper brought light to the subject:

An explosion Friday in the town of Delton was intentional, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Department said.

About 12:10 p.m., the Sauk County Sheriff Communications center was called about a loud explosion with accompanying black smoke near County Highway P and Birchwood Road in the Town of Delton.

The location and source of the explosion was located nearby, and it was found that the residents had intentionally caused the explosion by the use of a firearm and tannerite while on private property.

Tannerite is a legal explosive purchased as two ingredients that have to be mixed before an explosion can occur. It will not explode with a fuse, but will if hit by a bullet. It is used primarily to make exploding targets for firearms practice so those practicing can see if they hit the target without having to walk and check on the target.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the recommended use of Tannerite is in one pound increments, and in this case, it appears that the residents used well in excess of that amount, the release said.

The location of the blast is about a mile and a half away from us. No charges are expected to be filed unless further investigation determines that they were using a prohibited amount of Tannerite.

Want so see what a Tannerite explosion looks like? This guy is using only half a pound of the stuff mixed with flour, and the folks near us were using much more. So what you see here is quite tame compared to what we heard.

 

In another hour or so, I will head out to make my candy deliveries. I hope to encounter no explosions along the way.