FIVE SECOND STORIES

In the Neighborhood:

Around the house: 

The Diner and Back 40 

Buddy in his castle keep:

Marigolds and heliotrope:

Salvia and scavola:

Tiger in my front yard:

Road lilies in full bloom:

The West Garden: 

6/21-Solstice Day was grey, warmish with a bit of humidity. Rain promised for later on and overnight. Buddy was taking it easy:

He rested his chin on the edge of his outpost:

These days, the hydrangea is the star of the Back 40 with its glowy blooms:

I've been less fastidious about mowing the lawn as of late and I found that I enjoy it. I realized that I have a variety of greens for our wild friends to enjoy especially our 7 live Rombas like the one pictured above. The result is a visually softer landscape featuring these days flowering clover. I'll mow soon and this cut makes the greenness more uniform. 

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A real life Attenborough event:

As I was walking through the house, I glanced out front and saw a dark object in the middle of the street. "Hmm, a big rock" I first thought. Once I focused, I realized that it was moving and it was a turtle! I watched as it made its way into the front yard and stop. I ran to grab the camera and hollered at C who was doing yoga. When we arrived, the turtle was digging into the ground:

I described its markings and mused it might be a Snapper. My former Girl Scout corrected me and said that it more likely was a red-eared slider based on my seeing a red area on its head. She ran and got some water for it. I was off petting Bud when she hollered "She's laying eggs!" I missed it. C went inside and googled the critter for more info. Upon returning, we witnessed the turtle moving loose soil. "Yep" C said, "now she will sit on the soil using the weight of her shell to compact it. Then she will cover it and will be leaving soon". Sho' nuff, within 15 minutes Mrs. Turtle had left, presumably for the creek which lies 80-100 yards away to the East. The eggs will hatch in August-September with the little ones emerging at night and heading to the creek. I put a cloche over the nursery to keep the predators away and hopefully we can time lifting the cloche with the emergence. Stay tuned! 

 ~

Another unusual find: I was putting away some trimmed limbs on the brush pile when I spied a skull near the new access hole MamaC had dug into the apartments. I used a gardening trowel to show scale:

Based on size, the hump on the top of the skull (the saggital crest) which indicates a mammal whose jaw strength can crush bone and teeth that this belonged to a opposum. It is missing its canine teeth. Now, just where did this come from? We've had a resident Blossom (our nickname for the species) but haven't seen her since late Winter. Is this her? Did she die in one of the apartments and MamaC cleaned house? Tis a mystery. 

6/22-first full day of Summer. I was out mowing and was treated to see this visitor:

If indeed this monarch is a descendant of one who visited this garden years ago, according to google, it is roughly 7 or 8 generations removed. Made my day! 

~

In memoriam: Major Oak, Sherwood Forest

The 1,200-year-old Major Oak in England's Sherwood Forest, famously linked to the Robin Hood legend, officially died after failing to produce any leaves.  Conservationists attribute its demise to decades of soil compression from millions of tourists, combined with prolonged stress from recent extreme heatwaves and droughts.

Conservationists will leave Major where he is. His slow decay will provide a home for many species including mammals, insects, birds and mycelium. This is what I am doing with Grandfather Birch, whose one of three main trunks has died. I had the top of the dead trunk topped off so we would not have to contend with the constant dropping of limbs. Hopefully, this trunk one day won't collapse at once onto the house🙀

~

Hilarious vid concerning Stoffel, a famed honey badger, who is one tough MFer, take on zookeepers at the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in South Africa in a lengthy inter-species battle. Above everything else, Stoffel shows that apes aren't the only species who create and use tools.

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I came across this kid's TV show from my childhood: The Beany and Cecil show:

Created by animator Bob Clampett after he quit Warner Bros. and based on a television puppet show Time for Beany which ran from 1949-1955. It was revived in 1962 and joined The Jetsons and The Flintstones as the first color cartoons on ABC.

I vaguely remember the series (I was 8 years at the time) and did not care for it. I was (and still am) a devoted fan of Rocky and Bullwinkle which was also on ABC beginning in 1959. I didn't care for the dumbed down characters and lame satire plus it seemed like a rip-off of R & B right down to their secondary character (shown here in the boat to the left of Beany) of Dishonest John who looked a lot like Snidely Whiplash. Oh, and the magpie who looked to be a close cousin of Heckle and Jeckle. Boo hiss.

Another animation tale: 

During WWII, famed animator Chuck Jones and Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) created a series of propaganda/training cartoon for the troops featuring Private Snafu. From 1943 "Spies":

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The Enchanted Highway: From Wiki-a collection of the world's largest scrap metal sculptures constructed by local artist Gary Greff beginning in 1989 at intervals along a 32-mile stretch of a two-lane highway in SW North Dakota. 

Pheasants on the Prairie

Geese in Flight 

Grasshoppers in the field

 Deer crossing

 

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David Hockney's dachshund paintings: his beloved dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie, served as his primary muses between 1987 and 1995. Following a difficult period marked by the AIDS crisis and the loss of close friends, Hockney retreated to Malibu and used his dogs as a way to process grief. He created over 40 colorful, intimate portraits of them, famously capturing them asleep or lounging in his studio.

~ 

Our eager algorithms-you can click on a couple of semi-related vids on YT and they will whisk you away to a new realm, so buckle up!:

Southern Culture on the Skids Camel Walk southern stoner/punk music with insane earworm riff from 1996:

From the satirical mag The Onion: First openly gay racehorse:

Mr. Six, mascot of the Six Flags theme park, likes to party:

Frugit, reportedly Ai generated with I Knead Dem Biscuits with fun animation:

 

Jones' Goodass BBQ and foot massage-created by Ramiro Castro in 2004:

 Whole lotta misspelled b'day cakes:

Smells like Teen Spirit in classical latin: 

With stars of the series Trailer Park Boys, The Kittyman Sea Shanty, arrgghh: 

 

From British Electric Swing group The Correspondents Fear and Delight 2014:

Finally, the very surreal Finland's Leningrad Cowboys cover of These Boots from 1993:

Whew, what a long, strange trip it's been.

And now, a dose of our current reality: 

FUBARland: the Reflecting pool mess has gone from bad to now, an environmental disaster. But since the EPA has been neutered and all the problems being blamed on vandals by the regime, it looks to remain the very swamp that the Roach was elected to drain. As I have noted in earlier posts, one of the hallmarks of this regime is irony. This disaster as well as the destruction around the White House, DOGE and everything else that Roach has done, indeed show the effects of a Vandal-in-Chief.

Meet Mr. Reflecting Pool contractor John J Cafaro, Roach donor and Mar a Lago neighbor:

Where do they keep finding these creeps? A MAD magazine character comes to life. And you think what I have just posted about my journey with the algorithms was nutty? Sheesh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE!

 

Archaeologists recently uncovered a 5,000-year-old celestial calendar in the village of Bulford, just 3 miles east of Stonehenge. Consisting of two massive ancient pits aligned with the sun for solstice gatherings, the site predates Stonehenge by about 500 years. It is thought that this was a wooden prototype for the more grand stone version seen above.

How these calendars work:

 

FIVE SECOND STORIES

In the Neighborhood: 

6/14-On and off rain showers and sunny periods. Temps: lo-70's.

Shadows on the shed:

Bud chillin' on the deck: 

After the rain:

The West Garden: 

Day lilies on Molls' resting place next to Mr. Honey Locust :

A wet Mr. Finch on the ground by the pool:

I've noticed that the Diner has become a place for young finches to meet. There are periods when there are several females alone at the feeder, other times both sexes are present (double date?). The avian version of having malts together.  

Nutkin family at the Diner:

MamaC on the berm coming to see what her kid is doing. Ya know kid, the BWL needs linemen...

They have learned how to prairie dog:

They learned from a master: 

6/15-more rain on the way. The Nutkin siblings having breakfast together although shortly after this photo was taken, I saw them put their dukes up for a quick box before running off. That's a Nutkin for ya!

C took this photo of Buddy snoozing on top of the loveseat basking in the golden rays of the morning sun:

#cutebuddypix His wound is pretty much healed, yay! One rainy afternoon, we hung out together on the couch and he was in a chill mood:

MamaC seems to be determined to have some kind of connection with Buddy. She approached him again on the deck. They stared at each other for a bit before she turned and went back to grazing.

One early evening, we spotted one of the Buns grazing with a mature Stampy. I am happy to report they did so in peace.

The weather continues to be unusual-I would call it a UP Summer. It has been driven by persistent "backdoor" cold fronts pushing in from the Northeast rather than warm air masses moving up from the south, weather systems circulating around Hudson Bay have dragged cooler Canadian air into the Great Lakes region, keeping temperatures frequently in the 60s and 70s. It has also been quite wet. April's rainfall was over 8", 4.8" above average normal; May's total was 1.51", 2.15 below normal and so far in June, we've had 3.6" with the normal being 3.76". More rain coming today (6/16) and tomorrow with temps in the low 70's if we're lucky. As I write, I am in my sweats and bombas-it's chilly in the house with the windows open only a crack. Welcome to Michigan, lol.

~ 

Big rains +1" were predicted for 616-6/17 but did not materialize, we received barely .25". This time of year, storms tend to come in from the SW unless connected with a cold front sweeping down from the NW. This system strangely moved in due W to E. We caught just the edge.

The road lilies out front are in full bloom:

We're at that time of season where something in bloom can be seen from any window in the house. I learned this idea from my folks who practiced it where I grew up.

People not brought up living in nature will be hard-pressed, even with great imagination, to understand the experience because it is multi-sensory. A good example of this appears in my poem from 2009 "Before the First Snow", I wrote:

A milky gibbous moon
Above, I hear softly,
trees speaking in tongues. 

~

Spring Rain

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. 

Fun Vids:

Breathtaking storm chaser footage getting very up close and personal with tornadoes: 

How western homesteaders insulated their cabins in areas that have severely cold Winters-odd Ai generated imagery:

Experiment in Britain using European bison to rewild a forest.

Why isn't this being widely used? Because of human aesthetics who prize tidy gardens. 

Beavers hard at work in the Adirondack Mountains, NY:

 

Florida's python problem is reversing due to a surprise natural solution: otters

 

Cats and creatives:

 Sumerian tablet and cats:

 

In ancient Egypt, when a household cat died, its humans would shave their eyebrows as a public symbol of mourning.

~

FUBARland: Idiocracy in full bloom, everything is a fucking mess. One good thing: this regime is spending our money hand over fist. Any opposition political hack worth his salt in the future has been given a gift that will keep on giving: when some POS Republican starts whining about money being spent on helping people because we can't afford it, this asshole needs to be immediately bitch-slapped with: you voted for the Big Beautiful Bill et al which was chock-full of waste. So shut the fuck up. Repeat. We have the receipts. 

 

 

FIVE SECOND STORIES

In the Neighborhood:

Chuckettes, chuckettes, chuckettes:

C put out some old beans on the Giving Stone:

Evidently, everyone likes our exotic offerings:

Another beautiful afternoon in the neighborhood-we had some rain and the temps are in the 70's:

 Nutkins

 

Earlier, we had a visit from the Turkey Bros! Mating season is over so the Gang of Four are back together! Two investigated the Diner before joining their buds at Johnny's:

Meanwhile, mating season continues for the Purple Finches. A couple had supper at the feeder with the male feeding the female who responded by fluttering her wings:
 

All six of the Chuckettes together on their front porch:

Some ventured out:
 

Their Mum came out as well. One of her kids stays very close to her:

His Lordship in his castle tower keeping an eye on things at the Diner:

And, hanging out next to a Chipper hole dug under the deck:
 

The big road lilies have begun blooming:

The view from the couch:

The East Garden:

I saw a curious event: I was passing through the kitchen. Buddy was lounging on the upper deck when I saw MamaC approach him coming within 3 feet. What was this about?

a. Mama, sensing that Bud was hurting and driven by maternal instincts to check up on him, offer some solace

b. Mama, sensing that our apex predator was not in tip-top shape, decided to take the opportunity to have a chat: please don't hurt my children.

His wound is slow to heal as he continues to lick it. He is still on the antibiotics. He has been wanting close-to-you time with both C and I. Deck yoga belly-rubs!

6/10-our first 90° day of the year with matching humidity. The pool hasn't been opened yet and the Watergirl was in the mood for a swim. We hesitated about driving up to Motz Lake, north and west of St. Johns, not knowing how warm the water would be. So, we tried Lake Lansing-C has been there before with friends. Once we got situated, I went to lunch and she swam for a good hour and a half. Summer has begun!

Fun Stuff:

Cuing up the old Nancy Sinatra hit: 

click to enlarge

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The Indo-Gangetic Plain, where 1 in 10 of the world's population lives, approximately 800 million people!

 

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Size matters: adult human next to adult orangutan:

Quetzalcoatlus northropi model next to a 5'9" man. The largest known flying animal ever exist:

The head looks familiar:

The Atlas moth, endemic to Asia:

Diver swimming with blue whale:

 

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I came across a couple of pix about rapture pranks people did on their family.

Hmm, consider this-if the rapture comes without much warning, how is such a picture made? Even if they know the date, what? they stand around with their iPhone on a tripod? And who is going to see the pix? Presumably, their devout family will go with them. Oy-Whole different culture, there. 

 ~

We came across this saying while watching Downton Abbey: "I can feel it in my waters". C was unfamiliar with it while I had heard it somewhere, probably in one of the many Brit shows I have seen.  A British expression very much akin with "I can feel it in my bones".

~ 

6/11: In memoriam:  British artist David Hockney dies at age 88. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. I loved his later work when he moved back to his native Yorkshire to paint. One of my favorites: Arrival of Spring, 2011 made up of 32 canvas panels with an overall size of 12 x 32 feet.

 Garrowby Hill, 1998 60 x 76 inches

~ 

FUBARland: Ben Meiselas's hyperbolic opening statement in a latest post:

"All hell is breaking loose all over the world".

Ayup, as you have said dozens of times in the past. Truthful, though. 

The other night, the Orange Cockroach, who fancies himself as the King of New York City, inconvenienced residents by showing up in person to watch the New York Knicks basketball game at the famed Madison Square Garden. His elitist action fucked up both pedestrian and vehicle traffic and caused major delays and headaches for both security and ticket holders.

So when his ugly mug turns up on the Jumbotron (is this term still used?), the entire joint erupts with ear-splitting boos.

Whattya expect pal? This is New York. Fuck you.

The Roach reacted by woofing down several portions of cheeseburgers and pizza, then falling asleep.

How humiliating for the emperor who thinks everyone loves him especially in his hometown. 

~

A couple of vids from Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration.

Our Republican doom loop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIoEbmltMIk&t=6s 

Is Elon Musk's Space X IPO a Ponzi scheme? 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mbwAYMun5Vo