BUFFET AT THE DINER!

C cleaned out the department frig again so that afternoon, the Diner featured a buffet of baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, some kind of dip, crackers and pepperoni slices. Within minutes, LG was the first to arrive:

He had a cracker or two and left. Soon, a new member of the BigTail clan stopped by but began with seeds, probably unfamiliar with the Diner's occasional offerings:

While he was nosing around, MamaC had waddled up. The wind was high at times, you can see it pushing her back fur around:

Why I thought the BigTail was new: our resident squirrels all have figured out the Baffle will prevent them from accessing the feeder. This one was sizing things up when MamaC saw him rear up and took it as a threat and reared up in response. Well, big boy, think you can take me on?
 

He quickly backed down realizing his mistake. MamaC, it turns out, loves pepperoni!

BigTail swung around to sample the crackers-any tension seemed to have abated as they got down to business:
 

This morning all that was left were a few carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. I think most of our patrons like leafy veggies and seeds.

Mr. RedBird:

Nice sunny afternoon:

The following day (4/9) was warmer but still sunny and breezy. I was out doing chores and spotted what looked to be a goldfinch on the feeder, still in his drab but turning yellow coat. 

I also ran into a tiny butterfly, only the size of a thumbnail. I think it was a red admiral:

They do not overwinter, migrating to the Gulf Coast. Hmm, gotta go for it: snowbutts 😸

First dandelion, amongst the wild violets: 

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Buddy-roo is ailing. The past week he has had spells of lethargy, being off his feed and not v interactive. We took him to the vet and they think he has a virus of some sort-had a high fever and dehydrated. He got some meds, went out for a bit but came back in. Stay tuned.

 

 

FIVE SECOND STORIES

In the Neighborhood:

This past week brought heavy rains with my home gauge showing over 4" vs 2" at the airport. The Red Cedar and Grand Rivers flooded and as usual, the Kalamazoo St. bridge South of Frandor was closed. We had significant ponding in the Back 40:

It went around and under the shed, stretching into the low areas next door:
 

The Gnomes' first flood amidst emerging daylilies:

The Diner has been quite busy for fur and feather folk alike. C cleaned out the Department frig again and added some tasty treats on the Buffet. Everything was snarfled up except for baby carrots which continues to baffle us why no one likes them.

More daffs are opening up, the violets are blooming on the lawn, daylilies and iris are well up in front. Our forsythias are trying to bloom but would appreciate more warmth. The ones on campus have bloomed for days.

Buddy enjoying some rays on a 50° day:

Mamachuck! Love her tawny underfur: 

 

Rain mixed with ice pellets:

~ 

Hodgepodge for $300: 

Our theory that The Black Kitty is a stray continues to hold: one late rainy morning, I saw it sheltering on the garage-side stoop. Security saw it so I tapped at the door window and it took off. Poor thing.

~ 

While my family were not church-goers, we still celebrated the Catholic holidays. For Easter, Mom and I would decorate eggs most likely using the Paas dying kits with wax crayons if we wanted a pattern:

I couldn't stand the odor of hard-boiled eggs (still can't nor egg salad. Gack) so Mom would use a needle to poke a hole on either end of a raw egg and then go blue in the face (I exaggerate) blowing out the yoke. We did a lot of eggs which meant egg dishes were on the menu for several meals.

~

4/6-Four astronauts swung around the dark side of the moon-their path put them the furthest any human has been away from our planet. This photo captures a view of the crescent Earth as they head for home:

As much as I have enjoyed our space faring past, I don't think we can afford this now. Social Security threatens reduced benefits in 6-8 years. Huge areas of medicare, medicaid are hurting. The list is endless. Of course, the government says, well, we gotta beat the Chinese there to mine all those minerals on the moon. Let them spend the money so their elites can get rich. And please, none of this mission to Mars, nonsense. Let's buckle down and fix things on Earth. 

Yeah, Jeff-good luck with that. 

~

Good grief, doesn't anyone spell check this stuff? I was watching a weather update from Grand Rapids WOOD TV. They were discussing the heavy rains and produced a graphic with data: Second raniest start to April on record. WTF.

While we needed the rain, you know what this means? An earlier start of the lawn mowing season🙀!

~ 

A Pair of Spring Poems 

Spring Rains 

I know it’s there but cannot see yet,
the coming event horizon.

Doctors point to the expiring warranty 
on my 71 year old organs.

Long and short-term memory loss happens:
Who was that? What song is that from?

Everyday chores take much longer, 
I need devices to help open things.

I’m not coping as well with life’s one thing after another:
Roseanne Roseannadanna was spot-on.

Yet, when my feet hit the floor in the morning,
and I hear my sweetheart murmuring to our cat who answers,

the coffee and toast are delicious while outside, 
Mr. Redbird is promoting his virility,

the Spring rains have arrived and
the woods are a hundred shades of green.

I quaff the power of life that has awakened around me
and I am grateful for another day. 

From C: 

Out walking without glasses

The fir tree whispers,
Squint a little more. How soft
would you like me to be? 

The bulbs are pushing up
the matted brown leaves: roofs
for hobbit houses.

Dandelions – both phases. Try seeing
old faces in the suns,
young ones in the moons.

The tree bough curves
around a fence rail, gently
as a mama cat, or
a pietà carved in wood.
Both parts are dead now.

The dark braided circle
by the road might be
a bicycle tire, or a coiled viper.

The car-struck possum, mouth
agape, front feet raised
as if fighting or dancing – this
cannot be anything other than what it is. 

~ 

Fun images:

Tree growing out of silo in Iowa:

Under a mushroom cap:

With all the rain we have had, we might see these in our lawns-fairy rings:

Beautiful purple cactus: Santa Rita Prickly Pear whose color deepens during Winter or drought. Native to SW US and Mexico.

~

We recently watched director Guillermo Del Toro's 2022 version of the Disney classic Pinocchio. It's a beautifully rendered stop-motion film that takes the original story (written in 1883) which emphasized rigid obedience to authority and social conformity and transforms into a anti-Fascist tale which strongly resonates with today's events. Pinocchio translates into Pino (pine/pine tree) + occhio (eye).

 

FIVE SECOND STORIES

In the Neighborhood:

3/26: First daffodil bloom! We had a couple of days in the lo-60's.

Unfortunately, we later had a couple of nights down to the lower 20's and fried the bloom.

Mamachuck and the Gnomes:

I wonder if this is Mamachuck from last year or is this one of her children (or grandchild) who has returned to the home of their youth?

Later that day, temps began to drop and rain arrived:

A fluffer foraging at the Diner, using his tail as an umbrella:

Inside, Buddy-roo and I were warm, snug and chillin' on the couch:

Later, C joined us and he received a premium, blissful belly-rub:

3/27: Sunny but cold:

Big Woody and Mr. Redbird at the feeder. You can see Woody is heftier than RB:

One of the Nutkin siblings taking a break:

3/28: No Kings rally at the Capitol. LSJ estimates 2,000 people attended:

It was a brisky day although the sun helped and it wasn't raining. An estimated 8 million people attended across America. C was in North Carolina at a conference so I joined my neighbors from across the street.

Later back home, M/M Redbird were having supper together at the Diner:

I'm noticing the Canadian geese are pairing up: it's egg-making time!

3/29: This morning, I was pulling out of my drive when I saw a pair of Sandhill Cranes flying over my street. I'll be checking the nearby fields to see if they are feeding. Earlier last week, I was out filling the feeder and thought I heard their call off in the distance. Stay tuned!

3/30: gorgeous early Spring day-got up to 73°! While I worked on cleaning up leaves, I saw a cabbage butterfly! Looking at past year's posts, he's here early by a couple of weeks. 

Bud and I ran into TBK in the East Garden and I chased him away. He fled to one of Benny's shrubs. Earlier one evening, I spotted them squared off by Benny's garage:

This reminded me of the epic battles Bin had with Benny's neighbor's cat Snowball. We're now thinking The Black Kitty is a stray. It seems to consider Benny's land as its realm (Benny is feeding it so yeah, its food dish is there).  I saw it one evening, hunkered down in a Sphinx pose facing our property. Buddy was on our side. I thought at the time-well, at least it's polite-staying over there. 

Waxing gibbous moon-April Full Pink Moon arriving 4/1:

As it often happens in Spring, there were stray showers about. We received a quickie while the sun was still shining.

An earthling pleasure: the aroma after a rain.   

More daffs in bloom. Note the swarm of box elder bugs on the garage walls. They'll be gone soon.

3/31: More showers and wind dropped Mr. Maple's red buds:

 

~ 

 743 WC:

 ~ 

Fun vids:

Fun facts!: 2,400 year old mosaic features a skeleton with a cup of wine extolling the viewer to "Be cheerful, enjoy your life"! It was found in 2012 in Antakya, Turkey. It is thought to be a in the dining room of a wealthy family’s villa in the ancient Greek-Roman city of Antioch, known as an early center of Christianity, and possibly the place where followers of Jesus Christ were first called Christians. 

 

How Monarch Butterflies navigate when migrating: pretty amazing stuff!

Sky turns red in Australia:

"Swing to the Moon" a forest spider desires to spin its web all the way to the moon.

"Lifted" animated short that explains why UFO abductees return so messed up, lol:

 

 Orange Floyd "Cosmic Stray" if Pink Floyd were cats:

"Kayak" A dad takes his baby son on a kayak trip that turns into a classic "Let's not tell Mom about this" event. Gotta wonder, who takes an infant on a kayak?

 

"Dernier Acte"(Final act)-Big game hunter and his hapless helper vs a MamaCheetah:

 "Lost" a star traveler crashes on an unknown planet:

Fascinating story about a 17th C. piece of furniture called a Barniz de Pasto cabinet from Colombia:

A couple of Robin Williams:

"Creating Man and Woman":

 "On Men":

 

Mad Ads: 

From Duluth Trading Co.-underwear for men who work their butts off. Pitching real men manosphere men:

 

~

Hodgepodge for $300:

What would night sky look like if our eyes detected all the stars a telescope can:

Yes, mushrooms do have the strength to punch through plastic. The power of life:

 

White ravens of Vancouver Island, British Columbia:

They are leucistic, meaning they have reduced pigmentation rather than a total lack of it (albinism). A recessive gene is responsible for the condition. They often have light blue eyes.

A Holocaust survivor recounted getting very angry with his children when they wasted food especially bread. Scraps of bread helped him and his fellow inmates survive. In several instances, it was one of the first foods given after liberation. "It was so good, so good!" exclaimed the man.

~ 

FUBARland: 

Gregg Phillips, who was appointed in December 2025 to lead FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery, claims that he was with his sons and, while driving, was "teleported" 50 miles away to a Waffle House in Rome, Georgia.

1. You just can't make this shit up like this when it comes to the Roach administration.

2. Where the hell do they find these crackpots?

3. Oh yeah, he lacks any formal disaster-relief experience and  of course, has a history of promoting conspiracy theories online. That sounds par for the course. Another worthless POS.
 

Ain't this the truth and it's been this way for many years:

 

Our 250th anniversary as a nation, bookended by Mad King George and Mad King (wannabe) Donald.

 

I'm sure one of Whiskey Pete's wet dreams is having a movie made about him in the vein of "Patton". He has staged speeches with that kind of vibe of the ultra-American Warrior: