iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

First of the Hallows Eve peppers starting to show off.

Small purple pepper sticks out of the crotch of a pepper plant. Additional out of focus plants in the background

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Bout time I gave this mower the attention it deserves. 7 summers in the elements, starting nearly every time without an issue. Best auction purchase for me I think.

View of a motor sitting on the concrete in front of a partially stripped down Cub Cadet riding lawnmower. The mower is coated in grease and grime, and the wiring harness is in disarray.

000

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

I love clouds around storms. Really, all clouds. Quick little video of up by Clear Lake, WI a while back. Yeah. my vehicle is special. We don't worry about that cable tie.

000

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Best pic I got of the funnel near Monona, IA from Friday #wxsky #funnelcloud

Funnel cloud hanging down from a cloudy hazy sky, with darker grey ragged clouds at the top of frame. In the foreground a parking lot light atop a yellow concrete post, a white post and a very worn no semi traffic sign.

020

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Bedroom setup is updated and running! Waaaay too big of a pump for this, but it's being borrowed from one of the outdoor setups. Not sure what I'm going to plant in the middle, but radishes are going in the outside.

110

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Added a few new frames over the weekend. Love how these time lapses are turning out! #Satisfactory #Pixelcrack

010

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

Finally got to working on the Ranger some more, and to my surprise, all the bolts for the thermostat housing came out without breaking off! Happy day happy day!

View of a partially disassembled 4.0 OHC engine in a Ford Ranger, with the intake manifold, drivers side valve cover and some accessories removed. It is dirty and gross and I hate it.

010

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Look at these plants go. Pulling around 1lb of tomatoes off the cherry tomato plant per day (average). New rule for me, 4' square per tomato plant, no exceptions. 🌱 #Hydroponics

2 large tomato plants, a brussels sprout plant and some beans mixed in on a large hydroponics planter.

Pumpkin plant taking over a hydro planter with corn and peppers growing behind it.

0120

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

I am still around, just lurking a lot more through the summer. Plants are doing great, I hope to have a summer recap video as things cool down, but this has def been a hot summer! Anyhow, this is what I'm working on in my spare time...

Large concrete building in the game Satisfactory.

010

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Huh. Look at that. Wife says Diana Treebrown. There's actually 2, one on each leg, but that'll cost ya money.

Butterfly lickin away at my leg, dark brown side view of a butterfly with dark eye spots on the tip of the wings. Green nature stuff out of focus in the background.

040

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Gotchu Elizabeth. wipe that smug trophy from your status.

Snip from a leaderboard in Duolingo, with Fudd in 1st place and Elizabeth in second.

020

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

As promised, here's the outdoor planter situation! Lots of peas ripening up, and starting to see some orange pop into some of the cherry tomatoes. First sweet pepper is ready to be pulled when we make something that'll use it, and the vining plants are starting to take off! #Hydroponics 🌱

Many green pea plants with a few growing peas with a corn plant growing up through the middle. Out of focus in the background are trees.

A wooden hydroponic setup with many corn, pepper and pea plants growing up in it.

Tomato hydroponic planter, with tomato plants reaching up nearly 5' and spreading across the whole setup.

040

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

So many happy little flowers! My tomato system is doing great, with this and another tomato just about as large (This is Riesentraube, the other is a San Marzano, with a wee baby Amish Paste just about 3" tall under this mass. #Hydroponics 🌱

Large green leafy tomato plant with many small yellow flowers all over growing up through a green plastic netting (used for support in place of tomato cages).
Under the plant you can see white pvc plumbing for the hydroponic supply lines, which are mounted on a plywood base.

1120

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

This is the most fucked up engine design I have ever personally worked on. Nowhere near the worst out there, but a new low for me. Dammit Ford...

Front on looking at a half disassembled Ford 4.0 SOHC engine, with the right head still removed, some of the timing system in place, and the harmonic balancer on. Below the engine a large mass of gross greasy junk that came off the engine.

000

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Had some plants that I'm not sure will carry through, but most of them made it alright! I really need to get a sun shade for the first couple days after transplanting... #Hydroponics 🌱🌶

7 pot hydroponic planter made out of black buckets and wood, with plumbing for nutrients and air visible as white pvc pipe with black hose feeding the buckets.
The largest plants are tomatoes with a few peppers showing up.

10 pot hydroponic planter made out of black buckets and wood, with plumbing for nutrients and air visible as white pvc pipe with black hose feeding the buckets.
Many pepper and corn plants visible, with a trio of green pea vines starting to take over.

0150

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

Got the 10 pot system running last night, and it's now full of plants with a decent trellis system (new for this year!), and the first of the 2 7 pots is cleaned up and re-plumbed with the trellis in place. Hope to move the tomatoes tonight or tomorrow (with wife help!) #Hydroponics 🌶️🌱

Hydroponic planter system made out of a wood frame with black buckets and some white piping for air and nutrients. It has 4 upright pillars suspending a green net that the plants will use as a trellis. In the frame a large black and yellow tub serves as the reservoir for the system. It is sitting on the edge of a driveway, and some buildings can be seen in the background.

0190

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Friday the outdoor systems get cleaned out and fired up, and Saturday this tent gets emptied out. I always start these too soon, and I always will. #Hydroponics 🌱

View inside a silver walled grow tent with a rapidly growing pepper plant and tomato plant in the foreground, with various other plants all over in the background. A seed starter tray is visible on the table under the leaves with a single plant still holding out in it.

0140

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Heads up for those in the upper midwest on Monday! I know there's a few of you following me at least. Large hail and strong tornadoes expected.

000

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

And for the more mechanically interested of my followers, I give you my stopping point today on the replacement motor for the Ranger. Growing to hate the 4.0 more and more, but I'll be happy when it's back together.

Picture looking down at a Ford 4.0L V6 sitting on a red engine stand. It is inverted, with the cradle mostly unbolted but not removed. An oil pan is under the engine but obviously didn't catch all of it. The motor is covered in 200k miles worth of road grime and needs a lot of help.
Strewn around the engine are various bags, tools and bits removed from the engine.

000

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

Tent update for the week! Should have a video up by Sunday, we'll see how ambitious I get. Everything going good now, replaced the San Marzano which is now starting to sprout (though covered by the other much larger tomatoes) #Hydroponics 🌱

View inside the silver walled grow tent, with a red tote on either side of the table holding various net cups with many plants from corn to tomatoes to watermelons growing in each cup. These cups will go into outdoor grow setups when the weather is better.
In the center is a lone cup already in a bucket with some peas and corn growing up, and a small 16 position seed starting tray with a few small stragglers getting ready to be transplanted.

0122

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Update time! Everything is taking off, I have most of the planters set up (and will be popping in some more corn this weekend on existing plants). Had some variety of white sweet corn that didn't germinate - was 2019 seeds though, so no real surprise there. #Hydroponics 🌱

Bird's eye view of the inside of a grow tent with a wood table in it. On both the left and right are red totes that are filled with black net cups of various sizes, each cup growing different green plants. Tomatoes and peppers on the left, and a mix of corn and peppers and vining plants on the right. In the center is a single net cup with 3 peas and 3 corn seedlings.

The totes have a nutrient solution being fed, some of the black feed lines are visible. It flows into the slightly elevated left tub, then across to the right tub, and then back to the tank that is under the table. The center cup has a feed line running directly into the center (it is mounted on a 5 gallon bucket recessed into the table).

2170

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Another Sunday tent update! Getting a lot of transplanting into lid homes done, with only a few of the most recently planted not getting moved yet. Added in the second tray so I could do the rest of the lids, replanted the San Marzano since it never threw true leaves, and we move on! #Hydroponics 🌱

2 red tubs on a wooden table inside a grow tent. Inside the tubs are black hydroponic net pots filled and surrounded by brown clay pebbles, most pots having at least one plant. Green leaves of tomato and pepper seedlings can be seen in cups, and a few corn seedlings can be seen as well.

090

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

State of the tent March 30th If everything germinates from here, everything will have been started for the outdoor 25' season in the systems. A wide variety of tomatoes, peppers, corn and broccoli are in here, we're going to see how densely we can pack these things in! #Hydroponics 🌱

Inside view of a 4'x4' grow tent with a simple wood table supporting many seed starters in the center, black net cups sitting unorganized on the right side in a green planter tray, and many seedlings in brown clay pebbles in net cups on the left side.

Closer view of the seed starter trays, some cups with seedlings visible, some with just soil and a white tag specifying what is growing there.
A variety of corn plants, pepper plants and other garden plants are written on the markers.
To the left the red tray that has the larger plants in it.

0302

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Found a drawing at the new shop. These kinds of things are why I randomly look everywhere. Bored people do entertaining things.

A hand drawn image of Brian Griffin from Family Guy in his banana suit on a piece of yellow notebook paper. The paper is clipped to electrical conduit in a very industrial setting.

040

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Beautiful root growth on the citronella plant, and some pepper and tomato seedlings getting started for the outside hydro systems! #Hydroponics 🌶️🌱

Many white roots, approx 5-6" long sprouting out of a black hydroponics basket that sits on a 5 gallon bucket

some little green seedlings growing in a seed starter tray. Of the peppers sprouting, Anaheim, Trinidad Scorpions, Burning Bush Habaneros and Early Jalapenos, with a few spots not showing any growth.
Of the tomatoes in the right starter, Amish Paste San Marizano with a cat butt blocking the last marker and plant.

0321

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Mink in checking out the growth before it all gets changed for the spring!

Black cat with yellow/green eyes peering out in the background underneath the jagged green leaves of a citronella plant. On the left are the aluminum foil covered brown clay pebbles in a green deck planter with a solitary radish growing

040

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

Tossed my Citronella plant into the net cup because I got tired of watering it (this is why I hydro after all). This is 2 days growth, haven't been watering at all from the top. Just an air stone on an aquarium air pump splashing up keeps the cup and stones damp. #Hydroponics

Bottom view of a black net cup lid with some white roots reaching through the black netting, a small layer of brown clay pebbles visible below the roots. In the background you see the black bucket that the cup is suspended in.

050

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

So I may have a problem. But it was a cold day outside and technically I'm supposed to be relaxing while between jobs, right? Also, I did fuss with plants some. This game is a lot of fun! #Palworld

A Screenshot from the game Palworld, looking down a tropical looking stone building, 2 stories high with columns in the center holding up the gray stone ceiling. Pal beds can be seen in the background, with stairs going up the right side.

020

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

How's this? Going to have to wait a couple of months till it warms up before it looks like this again though :)

A photo of a nature scene. Many varieties of pine standing on soggy moss and fern laiden soil. Looks very damp.

030

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Phillip showing off his latest handiwork on the black wall. In the background, @imgdist.bsky.social 's beautiful artwork.

A brown/grey/black striped cat laying on it's side with a white tipped paw hanging out and under the grey carpeted catwalk. On the black wall, some scratches can be seen from the cats jumping up. The underside of the catwalks is unfinished pine, and the walks are supported with black shelving brackets. On the wall behind a cat is fanart of spongebob, peter griffin and bart simpson getting out of a limo.

030

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Look at this freak of a carrot. Tastes good - really good, but it looks like we're gonna have to figure out a better medium for growing than clay pebbles if I want to grow them in hydro. #hydroponics 🌱

A very deformed looking orange carrot, which resembles a squid more than a carrot. From the top of the carrot head the carrot itself splits into many individual arms, each looking more like a carrot than the whole.
Held against a black backdrop with the green stems coming off to the left of frame.

3270

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

More old pictures! This was an unintentional storm chase running south on Highway 51 in WI a few years back. It was intense! #WX #Stormchase #Shelfcloud

Dark picture taken while on the highway. The road blends in with the shoulder due to the darkness, overhead a large grey mass of a shelf cloud (looking out from under the storm) obscures a sunrise, only visible in a small slit of peach sky between the dark cloud overhead and the road below. Some headlights visible in the oncoming lane, with trees to either side of the highway. An orange construction sign is reflecting light back on the right side.

031

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Digging through old pictures and came across this, somewhere around Edgerton, WI. Whoever you are Jose Velasquez, you sound pretty awesome.

Picture of one rail of an active train track, with worn grey/brown wooden rail ties and purple and grey rock bedding. On the bottom lip of the track in yellow paint pen, "Jose Velasquez is a Killer Tofu" is written by hand in all capital letters.

000

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

If you grow indoors it can always be spring!

Inside a grow tent with a wooden table.
On the left, a leafy carrot growing up in brown/red clay pebbles in a green deck planter tray with a black hose feeding in the front. In the center, large leaves of a broccoli plant are splayed out covering over half the width of the 4' wide tent. To the right you can see a citronella plant growing out and partially obscuring a black bucket, with green and orange buckets stacked behind that. In the foreground there's a seed starter tray with 10 seeds planted and a black and yellow screw box with seed packets inside.

010

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Have to make my appearance on the hot peppers feed with my hydroponic Trinidad Scorpions from the 23' growing season! Next weekend I'll be starting my pepper plants for this coming season, using the same 10 pot planter. #Hydroponics 🌱🌶️

A scene full of pointy green pepper leaves everywhere. Nestled in between the center leaves are red superhot peppers, which look like miniature pumpkins hanging down from their plant.
In the bottom left you can see some wax peppers growing on a much smaller pepper plant.

1361

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Yep! Just had the first couple start to form! Going to train it up the power wire there, and run a few horizontal wires as a trellis on the right side.

Inside of a grow tent, with 2 black lights visible giving off a bright pink glow, the one in the center is on it's side facing a white wire rack. In the foreground just inside the rolled back reflective door is a shelf that contains 2 5 gallon buckets and a single 2 gallon bucket in between them. The bucket on the right has a cucumber plant growing out and climbing up one of the light power wires. The bucket in the middle is covered by aluminum foil, and the one on the left doesn't have any visible plants in the brown clay pebbles in the net cup.
In the background is a white PVC Z shaped hydro planter with smaller net cups in it.

100

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

State of the tent Feb 10th You can see how massive the broccoli plant is. I had to trim some of the side leaves off so that the carrot and radishes could get some light! Carrot is getting big, radishes in the way back are just starting to crack and grow. 2 more weeks and we start spring plants!

Long spindly green leaves of a carrot plant growing out in center view, surrounded by reflective silver aluminum foil that is covering brown clay pebbles in a planter tray. To the right of the tray is a couple of very large darker green leaves from a broccoli plant. Both are on a wooden table built inside the reflective walls of a grow tent.

010

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

I absolutely love the patterns in plants sometimes. This is a carrot growing in clay pebbles! #Hydroponics 🌱

Top of a young carrot plant, zoomed in at the intersection between the leaves and roots. There are several stalks that vaguely resemble vivid green celery growing off from the center "bulb" area, where they make a cool ribbed pattern. The carrot is growing in brown clay pebbles that are about the same diameter as the base of the "branches", with the pebbles to the right of the stalk visibly damp from the nutrient feed line just off frame.

2291

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Holy shit! It's producing! It's been 10 weeks but I can finally start seeing a head to this broccoli plant! #Hydroponics 🌱

Deep in dense dark green leaves, where the light is barely reaching, a wee little romanesco broccoli head that looks more white than green at this point is starting to show itself.

4291

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Roots! (nearing the end of growth for this broccoli) #Hydroponics 🌱

The root mass feeding my broccoli plant in the bedroom hydroponics system.

A large spaghetti like clump of off white roots suspended from a black basket containing brown clay pebbles. A black hose that feeds circulation water can be seen running into the clump of roots. In the foreground, a white pvc pipe acts as a drain.

1210

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

I don't think this is ever going to come to a head, and that's ok, because it looks pretty damned awesome! I'll let it grow for a few more weeks until it's time to start planting for the spring!

Looking straight down from above into a green abyss of broccoli leaves. At least 5 layers of billowy light green leaves spread in all directions from the center of the plant, with lighter thick veins visible on each leaf.

020

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Officially planting for the kitchen grow tent. Will they grow? Dunno! Some of these seeds are preeeety old! Don't have a clue how this is going to turn out, but I am enjoying the break from the cold glum. Yes, it's a mess. Feel free to judge. #hydroponics 🌱

A lot to put in here.

Inside a grow tent, 4' x 4', about 7' tall. The walls are a reflective mylar, which is all glowing in the purple of the grow lights. The lights are grey boxes with wires hanging all over the place, one is on the right, with one half visible dangling at the top of frame. On the left, a white wire rack supports a number of plastic covers, like the ones that you get to cover the cheap seed starter kits. In the one nearest camera, 13 2" black net cups with clay pebbles, each with a tag. Behind that is a mostly empty fancier seed starter with a couple of small plants sprouting out of peat pellets. Behind that a cluster of mostly dead plant matter that hasn't crumbled into dust yet. On the front right, on the ground, a 3 gallon bucket with a 6" net cup cover has a smallish cucumber plant popping out of the clay pebbles, with a black and yellow tub under a 3" pvc pipe set up in the shape of a z, kinda. The net cups on the shelf will be put into the hydroponic z when they have sprouted.

13 black 2" plastic net cups in a clear plastic tray, illuminated in a bright pink/purple light. 12 have bread bag clips on them with plant names on them, one has a longer more traditional plant tag in it. All have red clay pebbles. Some have seeds visible. In the bottom of the tray, some muddy looking water is pooled.
Seeds as follows, from back left to front (left of photo).
Rosemary, Chamomile, Dill, Spearmint, Oregano, Horehound, Morning Glory, Zinnia, Fairsomething rose coleous, and 4 onions.

2280

Fudd McDee @fuddmcdee.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

What a cute dumb little alien face he has. I love it!

A young light orange cat looks at the camera, face shaped like a Dorito, with dark alien eyes that go up to very fuzzy large ears. Cat is laying on a light brown carpet.

030