FIVE SECOND STORIES (revised)

In the Neighborhood: sunny warmish days continue with glowy sunsets:

Buddy enjoying the sun in the Back 40: 

Around the house: 

The leaves have been dealt with:

Light striking the pool step railings:

Leaves are gone out front: 

Sunlight in the house: 

New items on the Buffet included old flour tortillas-a BigTail takes one on:

11/12-cold front swung down bringing chilly, rainy weather. Possibility of snow showers overnight. 

Pointillistic scene of feeder with Big Woody: 

Buddy was keeping watch from the table before jumping over me on the couch:

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At Aunt Geri's funeral, there were a couple of mandolins that she willed to C. Her cousin Al Jr presented them to her and not needing both, C offered one to him which he accepted. We displayed it next to a balalaika we have over the mantle piece. 

In Memoriam of Geraldine Caesar (nee Pappas) June 3, 1933-October 21, 2026.

 

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MADads: I'm seeing ads aimed at rural Americans from Muskrat's STARLINK. People-don't give this bastard any of your hard-earned money!

Just in time for the holidays: A nasal rinse machine! That's right-for the health-obsessed, neurotic folks who already have a high-colonic machine aka colon hydrotherapy machine. Take care of business at both ends!

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Hodgepodge for $800: 

Map showing the continguous US states in comparison to Africa:

How big is America? One way to look at it is with our car culture, we have devoted a lot of space to parking lots. All U.S. parking lots combined cover an estimated 19,000 square miles, roughly the size of West Virginia and larger than individual European nations such as Slovakia, Estonia, Denmark, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium.

South Florida is the only place on the planet where alligators and crocodiles co-exist together, specifically in the Everglades. This unique coexistence happens because the Everglades marks the southernmost boundary for the freshwater-loving alligator and the northernmost boundary for the salt-tolerant crocodile. 

Idaho has the highest per capita consumption of wine in the US. Go figure.

Modern adventurers: with so much of the planet above water explored and recent focus has been ventures off-world, here are a couple of intrepid terrestrial voyagers:

The Man who visited every country in the world without flying: 

Torbjørn "Thor" Pedersen, aged 47 years from Denmark, visited every country in the world in a single, unbroken journey without ever boarding an airplane. He documented his massive undertaking through his project "Once Upon a Saga".

Key Details of Thor Pedersen's Journey

The Project: Once Upon a Saga
Timeline: October 10, 2013 – May 23, 2023 (lasting nearly 10 years / 3,512 days) 
Countries Visited: 203 nations (including UN member states, Kosovo, and Taiwan) 
Rules & Constraints: Spent a minimum of 24 hours (later three days) in each country, took no flights, did not return home during the trip, and lived on a strict $20-a-day budget. 
Transport Used: Buses, trains, container ships, cargo boats, and walking (plus getting delayed for two years in Hong Kong due to the COVID-19 pandemic) 

 The Man who walked around the planet. 

Karl Bushby is a 57 year-old English former paratrooper and adventurer completed  the Goliath Expedition—a continuous, 28-year walk around the world.

Key Details of His Journey

The Mission: Bushby set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, on November 1, 1998, with just $500 and a goal to walk an unbroken path back to his hometown of Hull, England. 
The Rules: He imposed two strict rules on himself: he could not use any form of transport to advance his journey, and he could not return home until he arrived entirely on foot.
The Route & Distance: Over 28 years, he traversed roughly 31,000 to 50,000 miles across 29–30 countries and four continents, pushing a two-wheeled supply cart he nicknamed "The Beast". 
Major Obstacles:
• Navigated the lawless and dangerous Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama.
• Became the first person in recorded history to walk across the frozen Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia in 2006.
• Swam across the Caspian Sea and later completed an English Channel swim in October 2026 after being denied entry through the Channel Tunnel. 
The Homecoming: Bushby finally arrived back at his mother's front door in Hull on November 2, 2026, marking his first time stepping on UK soil since the expedition began.

Who holds the record for spending  the most time on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list?  Victor Manuel Gerena who was on the list for 32 years. He was wanted for a 1983 Brinks robbery while a member of the militant group Los Macheteros (Boricua Popular Army). He was removed from the Top Ten list in 2016 to free up space for active domestic threats, but he was never captured and is believed to be living in Cuba. An active $1 million FBI reward remains for information leading to his arrest.

Global Top 1% (Income): An annual income of roughly $32,000–$34,000 USD places you ahead of 99% of people worldwide because a large portion of the global population lives in low-income or developing nations where average earnings are significantly lower.

A new 3D map of the cosmos, including more than 47 million galaxies and other cosmic objects, represents one of the most extensive surveys of our universe ever conducted: 

A small portion of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument’s (DESI’s) year-five map in which the large-scale structure of the universe, created by gravity, is visible. Each dot represents a galaxy. DESI Collaboration and DESI Member Institutions/DOE/KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Proctor (image); M. Zamani/NSF NOIRLab (image processing)

When I first saw this, I thought it represented a human biological neural network. 

No wonder the churches are screaming: roughly 39.5% to 40% of all U.S. births occur outside of marriage, a figure that has remained relatively stable in recent years after rising from about 28% in 1990 and 18% in 1980. It's the fault of those damn free love hippies.

2025 estimate of births by country: 

India!!! 23 million!!! In one year!!! 

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Another little known illustrator from 19th C-early 20th C: Theodor Kittelsen. 

From Wiki: Theodor Severin Kittelsen (27 April 1857 – 21 January 1914) was a Norwegian artist. Kittelsen was highly admired and popular during his career and became famous for his nature paintings, as well as for his illustrations of fairy tales and legends, especially of trolls. 

The Sea Monster 1881

Dragon Awakens Dragons 1888:

Dragon 1892

The Pauper c. 1894-96 from a series concerning the arrival of the Black Death in Norway: 

Broom vs Rake c. 1894-1904 In Norwegian folklore The Plague arrives in the form of an old woman Pesta who travels from  town to town with a rake in one hand and a broom in the other. If you saw her using the rake, it was a sign that people in your village would survive the plague. If she had a broom, it was a sign that everyone would die.

The Plague on the Stairs 1896

Echo 1888

The Water Sprite 1904

A Troll Wonders How Old He Is 1911

White Bear King Valemon 1912

FUBARland:

A quintessential example of the kind of disrespect those in the current regime have for American values as well as having the attitude that rules do not apply to them: Secretary of Defense Hegseth, family and top aides visited Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day. As the group left after taking photos and were laughing and speaking loudly, US Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, halted his patrol to yell "All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times!" Hegseth responding by giving the soldier a fucking medal. 

 

A graph showing how life expectancy rose in Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Soviet Union:

 

I can attest to the stress I have felt over the past 2 years with our orange demented dictator-wannabe and I am in a lucky/privileged group.

FIVE SECOND STORIES

In the Neighborhood: 

11/8-lovely day with sun in the mid-50's-late afternoon shadows: 

Buddy heading out on patrol after a snack and scritch session with Dad:

Quarter past 4 pm, I glanced out the garage-side door and saw a doe browsing on the berm behind Johnny's:

She was grazing up a storm on grass and some kind of vine which she greedily pulled out of ground and munched on as it hung from her mouth. Then, she came down the berm and settled down next to Johnny's burning bushes:

C arrived home and we watched her, basking in the waning November sunshine: 

An hour later, she was still there and we began to worry-is she ill? I researched:

A white tail doe in Michigan lying down right after eating a lot of grass in early November is exhibiting natural, highly efficient survival and digestive behaviors. She is lying down to chew her cud (ruminate), conserve energy for the upcoming breeding season, and hide from intense hunting pressure.

1. Digestion and "Chewing the Cud"

Like cows, white-tailed deer are ruminants with a complex, four-chambered stomach.

The "Gulp and Go" Strategy: To minimize the time they are exposed to predators while feeding in open areas, deer quickly swallow large amounts of vegetation without chewing it thoroughly.
Rumination: Once her first stomach chamber (the rumen) is full, the doe will find a safe spot to lie down. She will then regurgitate small amounts of the grass back into her mouth to chew it thoroughly, which is essential for digesting tough plant fibers.

2. High Hunting Pressure in November

Early November in Michigan marks the peak of archery season and the approach of the firearm season (which opens November 15).

Nocturnal Shifting: Because of intense human activity and hunting pressure, deer actively limit their daytime movements.
Proximity to Food: Does frequently shift to feeding at night or during the low-light hours of dawn and dusk. When daytime arrives, they will bed down very close to—or even directly inside—their feeding areas (like tall grass or crop edges) to stay hidden and avoid drawing attention. 

3. Energy Conservation for the Rut

November is the peak of the whitetail "rut" (breeding season) in Michigan.

While bucks do most of the active chasing, does are constantly pursued, harassed, and pressured by mature males.
Lying down allows the doe to drop her heart rate, restore cellular energy, and build up fat reserves to endure the strenuous physical demands of the breeding season and the oncoming Michigan winter.

Duh! Like cows, whose similar behavior I had heard of. Deer are not bovines but both deer and bovines are close relatives in the order Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates).

I think this doe is a neighborhood girl-she was not bothered at all by someone mowing their leaves a couple of doors away and seemed totally at ease and safe ruminating in the sunshine. Is she the independent doe who last Winter, separated from her Mum and sister and fended for herself? Is she the doe I met last early June when I working on the berm and we had a moment? Yep.

https://bindiwankatterpi.blogspot.com/2026/06/planting-day.html 

C and I were laughing, remembering TV ads from our youth-both for Alka Seltzer:

1969-tagline: Mama mia! That's a spicy meatball! 

1972-tagline: I can't believe I ate the whole thing!

Ms. Doe stayed until twilight and moseyed off. Tis the season of light:

The clouds had typical cold air colors:

Buddy and his Mum watching the Tube together next to the space heater with plenty of belly rubs:

Hodgepodge for $400: 

Whoa! Big doggie: Irish Wolfhound 200 lbs!

AI glitch: I was watching a YT vid concerning weird ancient discoveries, one of which was a giant 60 lb. cross made of lead. AI pronounced it as LEAD as in leading a charge. Oy.

Works by Polish Art Nouveau illustrator and painter Edward Okuń (1872-1945):

Night (1903)

Concert (c. 1910-1912) 

Autumn Leaves (1912)

The War and Us (c. 1917-1923) 

Night Butterflies (1920) 

Russo-Ukraine War news: the high rate of casualties has forced Putin to send out press gangs onto the streets of Moscow to get more bodies into the collapsing front lines. Press gangs were made famous by the English Royal Navy beginning in the late 16th C through the beginning of the 19th C. After Napoleon was finally defeated and exiled, the practice ended as Britain reduced its navy. 

FIVE SECOND STORIES

In the neighborhood: while we have had cooler temps, we have yet to have a killing frost. In fact, much of the Midwest has not either, setting records. Here in Lansing, the average first frost is around October 6 followed by a killing frost (28°) in late October. Rainfall remains sparse: last big rain (half inch) occurred October 16-17 with less than a quarter inch since then. 

Business has been brisk at the Diner with avians still adjusting to the new waiting areas since GF Birch lost one of his trunks.

Many cardinals have been around, at least 2 mating pairs and  a couple of males, either pals or siblings who hung out for a while and flew off together.

A setting sun created some beautiful, glowy scenes to the East:

11/8: Turkey bros! They were checking out Benny's Diner then went to the end of the Cul de Sac. Still the Gang of 4!

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Buddy is not adjusting well with the cooler temps. He will request to go out but when I open the slider and he gets a face full of cold air, he'll look up at me WTF Dad!!?? and will turn around. Eventually, he'll go out for a brief patrol through the portal and return mewing. He is also facing another challenge: I'm afraid I have turned our boy into a Temptation treat addict and now he is undergoing a bit of rehab. Zero treats for a couple of days to reset, then they are only given as they are meant to be: a treat. Once a day ritual where I will hand them out via the savannah and activity board featuring the Plain of Jars. C is creating her own special treat event with a snack of mousse. 

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11/6-we drove up to Au Gres, about 150 miles on the Lake Huron side of the state, for the funeral of C's beloved Aunt Geri. I-75 was busy with semi's and featured the scary Zilwaukee Bridge spanning the Saginaw River.

Stephen Frye

South of Au Gres is the city of Omer, who advertises itself as the smallest city in Michigan with 274 residents (2020 census). Why is this considered a city? 

Google: Omer is considered a city because it was legally incorporated as a city in 1903 under Michigan state law, and in the United States, municipal status is determined by state legal definitions rather than population thresholds. 

When Omer incorporated over a century ago, it was a booming community serving as the original county seat of Arenac County, complete with multiple hotels, saloons, and a courthouse. While a devastating fire in 1914 and a massive flood in 1916 permanently halted its economic momentum and caused its population to shrink, Omer never stripped itself of its city status.

We took a different route home: took a 2-laner West to Harrison, then 127 South. Lovely drive: most of the leaves were down except for some non-birch species which had turned yellow and visually striking next to its grey-branched and pine neighbors. Farmers were out harvesting their corn, the soybeans were already done and there were many fields of green winter wheat. 

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Satirical illustration by Alsatian illustrator Tomi Ungerer (1931-2019) There is a reaper, whose name is death. 

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Seen while out and about: coming home on Saginaw Hwy, I encountered a motorcade led by motorcycle cops who were escorting this year's giant pine for the Capitol's Xmas tree. It is a 60 foot tall spruce from Iron Mountain.

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I never heard of this critter: meet Mr. Quokka:

 

From Wiki: The Quokka is a macropod native to Australia, about the size of a domestic cat and the only member of the genus Setonix. Like other marsupials in the macropod family (such as kangaroos and wallabies, they are herbivorous and mainly nocturnal. Their range is a small area of SW Australia and some smaller islands off the Western coast particularly Rottnest Island just off Perth.

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FUBARland: Knives out! The Dems have made it clear to Roach and Co: we're coming for you. Roach, in response doubled-down by firing yet another female in his circle-this time his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles-and appointing the dreadfully racist, cruel piece of shit Stephen Miller who accepted by publicly puckering up and kissing the demented diaper don's ass. The real challenge for the Dems will be to limit the damage these bastards can do before January. Stay tuned.