Washing Pebbles: A Slow but Rewarding Task

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The discussion revolves around the task of washing pebbles from a driveway, highlighting the unique characteristics of each pebble and the satisfaction derived from the cleaning process. Participants express varying opinions on the merits of arranging the pebbles in rows versus scattering them randomly. Some humorously suggest that the original poster is bored, while others share their own experiences with rocks and pebbles, including collecting and appreciating their beauty. Concerns are raised about the environmental impact of using bleach for cleaning, with some participants advocating for more natural methods. The conversation also touches on the quirks of geologists and the fascination with rocks, leading to humorous exchanges about unconventional pet care and the potential for selling cleaned pebbles. Overall, the thread captures a blend of practical advice, humor, and a shared appreciation for the natural beauty of stones.
  • #31
NeoDevin said:
How To Wash A Cat

1. Thoroughly clean the toilet.

2. Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water, and have both lids lifted.

3. Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

4. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape). CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for any purchase they can find.

5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "power wash and rinse" which I have found to be quite effective.

6. Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.

7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.

8. The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet, and run outside where he will dry himself.
Why do you clean the toilet first? Surely the shampoo and the scrub-brush (the cat) will accomplish that in 3-4 flushes. Think outside the box - work smarter, not harder.
 
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  • #32
turbo-1 said:
Why do you clean the toilet first? Surely the shampoo and the scrub-brush (the cat) will accomplish that in 3-4 flushes. Think outside the box - work smarter, not harder.

You would then need a way to add shampoo between flushes. I suppose you could squirt more under the edge of the seat, but that just gives the cat one more opportunity to tear your eyes out.
 
  • #33
Wolly, you should get a rock tumbler to polish your pebbles.
 
  • #34
Math Is Hard said:
Wolly, you should get a rock tumbler to polish your pebbles.
They'll be pretty but so smooth, he'll fall down, especially when they get wet.

Have you ever tried to walk through pebbles in high heels? I don't recommend it. :redface:
 
  • #35
Evo said:
Have you ever tried to walk through pebbles in high heels? I don't recommend it. :redface:

I'm not sure Woolie has the legs for high heels. :rolleyes:
 
  • #36
Moonbear said:
I'm not sure Woolie has the legs for high heels. :rolleyes:
Good point!

Wolram, we need pictures of your legs!
 
  • #37
Evo said:
Good point!

Wolram, we need pictures of your legs!

I don't like where this is going...
 
  • #38
Focus said:
I don't like where this is going...

:confused:

I never imagined that :smile:
 
  • #39
Evo said:
Good point!

Wolram, we need pictures of your legs!

Actually they are quite good legs, i have walked a few miles of late and they are tuned up, a few minutes in photo shop just to shade in a few areas and------, no, i could not do it to you
you would be thinking about them all day.
 
  • #40
wolram said:
Actually they are quite good legs, i have walked a few miles of late and they are tuned up, a few minutes in photo shop just to shade in a few areas and------, no, i could not do it to you
you would be thinking about them all day.

yeah, wouldn't be able to get the vision out of my head. Sort of like that video of the Hindenberg.
 
  • #41
Oooh, Wolram, my new office has some really interesting rocks in several "rock gardens". I'm thinking I should emancipate some of the better ones, they are not being fully appreciated where they are now.
 
  • #42
Evo said:
Oooh, Wolram, my new office has some really interesting rocks in several "rock gardens". I'm thinking I should emancipate some of the better ones, they are not being fully appreciated where they are now.

I think (rocks) should be given respect, they were on this Earth way before we were, and if you look closely every one is individual, and far better looking at than some crappy modern art.
 
  • #43
wolram said:
I think (rocks) should be given respect, they were on this Earth way before we were, and if you look closely every one is individual, and far better looking at than some crappy modern art.

A rock is better looking than art? Are you smoking rock? Yeah, some rocks are cool I'll give you that, but MOST rocks are extremely dull, uniform and boring. And as far as every one being individual that's just crazy talk. Unless you mean "Hey, check this out. This dull gray oval hunk of hardness has a dull darker gray spot right here, BUT this dull gray oval hunk of hardness has a dull darker gray spot over HERE."
 
  • #44
Working at a gold mine, and being a surveyor has given me the chance to work with several geologists. WITHOUT A DOUBT, the geologist is ALWAYS the weirdest guy on the job. If you want to feel uncomfortable and creeped out, call a geologist. If you want someone you wouldn't leave your pet with, call a geologist. If you seem to have run out of goofy hats and want to borrow one, call a geologist. if you want to see someone break a rock with a little hammer, THEN taste the chip, call a geologist.
Edit: Some of you think this is unfair to geologists, but those of you who have worked with one are laughing because it is true. Geologists are always the weirdo of the job site.
 
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  • #45
tribdog said:
A rock is better looking than art? Are you smoking rock? Yeah, some rocks are cool I'll give you that, but MOST rocks are extremely dull, uniform and boring. And as far as every one being individual that's just crazy talk. Unless you mean "Hey, check this out. This dull gray oval hunk of hardness has a dull darker gray spot right here, BUT this dull gray oval hunk of hardness has a dull darker gray spot over HERE."

I think one of the coolest things to ever happen to me was when my sister-in-law Fed-Exed a box of rocks to me. She even had them labeled in little plastic bags.

I was kind of surprised I liked it so much. I had told her not to do it (the part about Fed-Exing the lab reports back to her bothered me on an ethical level). In the end, I probably shouldn't have opened the box. It made the whole enterprise kind of irresistible - especially the labs on water tables.
 
  • #46
The thing is, I'm one of those guys who is always picking up rocks and looking at them, or breaking dull looking ones to see inside. I do it all the time, I think some rocks are very cool. I'm just trying to be realistic, most rocks are dull.
 
  • #47
tribdog said:
The thing is, I'm one of those guys who is always picking up rocks and looking at them, or breaking dull looking ones to see inside. I do it all the time, I think some rocks are very cool. I'm just trying to be realistic, most rocks are dull.

True but most people are dull, but crack a PFer and you will find some thing interesting inside.
 
  • #48
tribdog said:
Working at a gold mine, and being a surveyor has given me the chance to work with several geologists. WITHOUT A DOUBT, the geologist is ALWAYS the weirdest guy on the job. If you want to feel uncomfortable and creeped out, call a geologist. If you want someone you wouldn't leave your pet with, call a geologist. If you seem to have run out of goofy hats and want to borrow one, call a geologist. if you want to see someone break a rock with a little hammer, THEN taste the chip, call a geologist.
Edit: Some of you think this is unfair to geologists, but those of you who have worked with one are laughing because it is true. Geologists are always the weirdo of the job site.

My brother-in-law is a geologist and he's very good with dogs.

I have to admit, the rest is mostly true.
 
  • #49
As a gem-cutter and rock-hound (though not a geologist) I can attest that there are some "interesting" people in the field. Most of the ones I know are pretty quirky when it comes to predicting where gem-quality materials may be near enough to the surface to get to without a lot of blasting and hard-rock mining. Some of them manage to scrape out a meager living selling hand-samples, etc - I know precious few who actually have found enough morganite, amethyst, tourmaline, etc to finance another year's exploration, though. To be fair, most are exploring worked-out feldspar mines in western Maine (critical for the porcelain industry a century and more ago) looking for signs of pegmatite dikes that may contain Clevelandite - almost a sure bet that beryls and tourmalines are present.
 
  • #50
Did you hear about that guy that went to Alaska to look for diamonds? found them too. Maybe more than are in South Africa. I just saw a show on PBS about it. Can't remember his name though.
 
  • #51
tribdog said:
Did you hear about that guy that went to Alaska to look for diamonds? found them too. Maybe more than are in South Africa. I just saw a show on PBS about it. Can't remember his name though.
Haven't heard of him. When hunting/fishing/hiking, I always keep my eyes open for exposed pegmatite with large grain-size. If you see granite with very large-grain components, it's a pretty good sign that the pegmatite cooled very slowly. If there is any sign of clevelandite and/or lepidolite in the outcropping, that would be a GOOD place to return with chisels and hammers and start poking around a bit. A new tourmaline find on a par with the Dunton mine pockets in Newry would probably command millions of dollars, especially since other native sources of tourmaline have played out in the intervening years.
 
  • #52
This guy figured out that the rocks in Alaska resembled those around Kimberlite pipes, but couldn't find the pipes because glaciers had smoothed everything and moved everything. So he built a machine to separate diamonds from dirt and took tons and tons of samples. When ever he found something he put a mark on a map and he just followed those marks until he found a place where there were no diamonds, backed up a little bit and found the pipes. According to the PBS show its going to be huge.
 
  • #53
tribdog said:
This guy figured out that the rocks in Alaska resembled those around Kimberlite pipes, but couldn't find the pipes because glaciers had smoothed everything and moved everything. So he built a machine to separate diamonds from dirt and took tons and tons of samples. When ever he found something he put a mark on a map and he just followed those marks until he found a place where there were no diamonds, backed up a little bit and found the pipes. According to the PBS show its going to be huge.
That shows some ingenuity. That's the kind of geologist I'd like to hang with. There are some local streams and rivers around where you can pan gold, but the real pay-off would be to find the rock from which the gold has been eroded over the years, and tackle that.
 
  • #54
I would like to try gold mining. I've worked at a mine, but it was all microscopic gold. I did get to hold a 90 pound bar once though.
 

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