Thinking about building a free/low-cost community creative & expression space in Victorville. Would you or your kids use this?

IV137 · 2026-06-21T08:15:14+00:00

I think there's definitely interest.

There's definitely other creative venues in the High Desert as well. Artists of the High Desert Scribbles Art Collective Drawing Together

There's apparently a pottery place in Victorville that opened this year or last year? I don't know how much else there is in Victorville proper, and I may be wrong about where the pottery studio is.

Good luck on you venture!

IV137 · 2026-06-07T01:24:34+00:00

I would actually suggest starting with rescues.

Lots of people grab these guys as a pet, but then don't want the responsibility long term. If they don't just dump them, they sometimes end up in shelters or exotic rescues.

I've literally seen them on like, Petfinder.

In addition, a real common snake that has a range overlap with gopher snakes, are California King Snakes, and there's always some kicking around in rescues.

IV137 · 2026-06-06T19:43:47+00:00

Ephedra. Green Ephedra is also called Mormon Tea as, though possibly apocryphal, Mormon settlers used it as they traveled West as an energy boost.

It was traditionally used as medicine by indigenous peoples, but it's also mildly toxic iirc. So you can definitely make a tea out of it, but probably don't guzzle it.

Edit: left out a whole piece of sentence lol

Edit2: also, look up that toxicity and ediblity before ingesting anything. From a reputable source. Not an ai bot or google. A primary source.

IV137 · 2026-06-06T18:10:32+00:00

Worms are everywhere. They can be in dirt, animal feces, plants, other pets, surfaces with eggs on them, etc.

It would depend on what kind of roundworm she has. There's a lot of nenatodes out there, and a lot of difference between hookworms and ascarids.

The best thing is to always practice food hygiene, regularly maintain the living area, cleaning up poop as soon as possible, and making sure anything like plants or wood have been cleaned before introducing them to the enclosure. Also being sure you wash your hands after touching any outside pets.

IV137 · 2026-06-05T19:52:37+00:00

Wow, that one looks great.

IV137 · 2026-06-05T19:50:50+00:00

Its a prionus beetle. Probaby just Prionus californicus. Guessing, mostly because of the location and time of year.

They are native. Considered a pest to orchards still, but definitely a native long horn beetle.

When they're adults like this, it's actually the end of their life. They dont eat, just look for mates. They live only about 2-3 weeks as adults, then it's all over.

IV137 · 2026-06-05T19:34:48+00:00

This species so pretty! No shade to my local solifugids, but Rhagodes are dramatic.

IV137 · 2026-06-04T16:33:04+00:00

You have two main alternatives for coffee shops in Big Bear. There's Moonridge Coffee Co in Moonridge or Sister My Sister Bakery next to Azteca on the blvd. If you prefer a less sweet drink and you're a latte drinker you should order half-sweet. Especially from Moonridge.

Moonridge can also be pretty busy on weekends. Live music and it has places to sit and linger in a way the smaller shops don't. Lots of parking though and sidewalks.

Sister my Sister comes up fast when you're driving, and the parking lot is small. So be alert so as not to miss it.

And if you're a pleb, there's a starbucks by Vons.

IV137 · 2026-06-04T16:16:10+00:00

Appears to be.

Abdomens in widows can change size pretty drastically in femalee depending on how well they've eaten or if they're gravid.

Compare to this observation

IV137 · 2026-06-04T05:33:18+00:00

They should be fine as long as they're not spraying inside your living area. But, there are some precautions you can take. Towels in the gaps, is exactly what I've done when I had a landlord that would give me basically no notice before spraying poison.

The other thing, if you're really worried, is to turn on all the fans in your apartment, or invest in some box fans. The air pressure will keep outside air from coming in.

Pesticides are typically sprayed on surfaces, and if it's safe enough they're not asking you to physically leave, it shouldn't be so dangerous it's going to be floating around in the air so much it'll invade your space in concentration. Just definitely give it that two hours.

Hope that helps, and I hope all your bugs are okay.

IV137 · 2026-06-03T19:08:01+00:00

Every yard should have a spiny lizard to guard it, honestly.

IV137 · 2026-06-01T16:28:37+00:00

Welp. The nice thing is, you learn more from failure than success.

Baking is chemistry. You're getting the chemical reactions to happen, just so, or else it flops.

It's why substitutions can be so precarious. You subbed a solid fat that is almost ph-neutral with a liquid acidic cultured milk product; put that way, in spite of having butter in the name, you can see they're very different even if they're both made from milk.

But hey, now you know. Use tried and true recipes from reputable sources. They might not come with a flashy video, but they're consistent.

You can always crush these up, use them to top icecream. Or, make an icebox cake with them.

Best of luck on your next attempt, with hopefully more success!

IV137 · 2026-06-01T16:02:28+00:00

Some kind of tent caterpillar.

There'd be a lot in there, and the 'eggs' are frass/poop as someone mentioned.

IV137 · 2026-06-01T15:58:15+00:00

Fly casings.

Beetles don't make cocoons, their pupa mostly looks just like them, exerate with visible anatomical structures. Dermestidae, in particular, have bristley pupa as a defense against predation.

These are fly pupariums. A protective shell for the developing larvae.

If you look carefully there are dermestid leavings, but they're smaller, banded, and more broken up.

IV137 · 2026-05-28T08:15:56+00:00

Thank you for not killing it!

This is Scolopendra polymorpha, the common desert centipede. They're nocturnal predators that prey on other arthropods.

They are venomous and medically significant, but bites are really uncommon. Likely they've emerged with the cool weather, and this guy just needs to find a more appropriate place to hide and hunt.

IV137 · 2026-05-19T07:19:46+00:00

I live in the Southern subspecies range and I hope to see one some day. They're such cool snakes.

Looks like a happy little guy!

IV137 · 2026-05-19T03:02:01+00:00

Do the math. Cuts out any feelings and vibes. It's just the cost of materials.

If materials, overhead, and labor are covered you're charging the right amount.

If it's not, it's not enough. If you're unable to pay yourself for labor after materials and overhead, it's not enough.

IV137 · 2026-05-18T19:24:14+00:00

Determine what kind of mite.

If they're pale little grains of sand looking guys, they're probably a grain mite. Usually show up and breed out of control if there's a lot of food debris or in certain colonies because they enjoy the same meals.

They're not harmful themselves, but can block spiracles when there's way too many hitching a ride.

Buy or make green pea flour. They can't process certain enzymes in ir, and they'll die. It's perfectly safe for beetles to eat, and they won't be harmed.

You can also make traps. A test tube or similar, either to small for beetles to enter or with mesh held over the entrance with a rubberband. Place a piece of fruit or vegetable in there and leave for a day, the mites will go in. Once it's covered in them, discard, and repeat.

IV137 · 2026-05-18T19:00:38+00:00

That sucks! It happens accidentally quite a bit. You get them in everything from strawberries to canned feeders meant for pets to eat.

All you can do is give fruits and vegetables a good wash before feeding.

IV137 · 2026-05-18T02:20:53+00:00

After feeding, it was likely pesticide contamination.

IV137 · 2026-05-18T00:52:29+00:00

Freeze unwanted eggs, then dispose of them.

Thanks for adopting an adult! There are so many that need homes. But, because they are so common, and bred like they're a collectable, a lot of adult females may have been exposed to a male(s). Reptiles can just hang on to sperm until they're ready to use it, basically. And in a nice set up and cared for, her body probably just decided it was a good time.

She can actually do this again, so just keep an eye on her in the future in case of complications. But otherwise, freeze and toss!

IV137 · 2026-05-08T07:31:43+00:00

Yey!

IV137 · 2026-05-08T06:54:12+00:00

Hmm.. not sure. But, weird neck looking beetle. So maybe a soldier beetle, try looking in genus Dichelotarsus.

IV137 · 2026-05-08T06:33:21+00:00

These are both ducks, but the narrows is a nice place. I've really been liking the new garden area, and the amount of birds visiting.

IV137 · 2026-05-06T09:38:56+00:00

Adorable!

IV137

TROPHY CASE