bzzzzzap!

Since our plans with friends fell through yesterday, we decided to go ahead with the microwave experiments that were planned for the afternoon. Some worked very well and some not at all, but they led to a couple of hours of fun and testing. We don't have a microwave in our kitchen (and wouldn't use it for experiments if we did), but the dump fairies provided an old microwave that's perfect for experimenting.
This pic is a blown out bulb from a recessed lighting fixture. It would glow brighter and dimmer as the microwaves pulsed. I missed the most spectacular light bulb experiment, which was a regular bulb, where they could see sparks zip around the bulb in a spiral until the whole thing had been zapped and then it EXPLODED with a big spark. Oh, joy and rapture! I could hear Jesse's gleeful reaction from up in my office. And of course the outlined experiments led to more experimentation, including marshmallows, a pink eraser, soap, and some very cool outer space-looking contraptions made of cork, toothpicks, steel wool, and aluminum foil in various configurations.
Once everybody calmed down from the excitement of blowing things up and catching them on fire :-), we settled in for a quiet evening. Scott was spinning more of the tencel-merino blend that is destined to become a cardigan sweater for me, because that's coming up in the knitting queue. Leah happily worked on a skein of alpaca fiber in cinnamon and cream. I was working on details for a weekend at Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival with friends, but we're considering doing a locally based fiberfest version instead. And Jesse? Oh, he was busy scurrying around the house, gathering more things to be nuked with friends later today.