That's the Way It Crumbles, Cookie-Wise

The Battle of the Ants​

by Henry David Thoreau​

Thoreau's Walden Pond, Chapter 12: Brute Neighbors, presented here as a convenience to students and instructors.

"I have no doubt that it was a principle they fought for, as much as our ancestors, and not to avoid a three-penny tax on their tea; and the results of this battle will be as important and memorable to those whom it concerns as those of the battle of Bunker Hill, at least."


"I was witness to events of a less peaceful character. One day when I went out to my wood-pile, or rather my pile of stumps, I observed two large ants, the one red, the other much larger, nearly half an inch long, and black, fiercely contending with one another. Having once got hold they never let go, but struggled and wrestled and rolled on the chips incessantly. Looking farther, I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that it was not a duellum, but a bellum, a war between two races of ants, the red always pitted against the black, and frequently two red ones to one black. The legions of these Myrmidons covered all the hills and vales in my wood-yard, and the ground was already strewn with the dead and dying, both red and black." (READ MORE)

Well doggone! After reading such a detailed account of ant fights in this short story, maybe I should correct my one-line description of the pavement ants. They didn't really run in the opposite direction. Some appeared to be bewildered (in human terms) randomly wandering around, but I'm sure there was a strategy if I had looked closer. While others grabbed an egg and took off with it, to who knows where. The point was, they appeared not to care in the least who destroyed their house. Just switch to Plan B: House Destroyed.

(10/12/25) Sunday



My cute little pole



Hardly noticeable from the street, you think?



You are supposed to ground both the pole and coax cables. I can see why if it were mounted on the roof. Neither was grounded on the old installation. It would be almost impossible to do it strictly to code, but I'll give it a try, mostly just for show in case the local dish police show up.

They say just changing the dish location sometimes stops interference. Last night around 10 pm it was even worse than before but only lasted a half hour. The dish is 50 feet closer to the suspected source. Couldn't that alone explain it? Next step is to run the new shielded cable.