We should go into Spring like greedy pirates, making snow angels in piles of glittering doubloons, drinking in the season's exuberant energy like tankards of rum.
Under fair skies and a morning breeze, unfurl the yards of linen and sail for the promise of Summer that lies just over the horizon.
-J. Kristin, 2022
~
Yo Yo Ma, playing his famous Bach piece, next to a brook in a forest. Accompanied only by the sound of water, such evident joy.
~
On a Fine Spring Day, Four Strangers Meet at a Walgreens
After spending a few hours on yard work, I showered and went to Walgreens to pick up a couple of items. Business was slow, being 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I found my items and was heading towards the cashier at the same time as a young woman. I motioned for her to go ahead of me. She was tall, very light brown with a big curl 'fro. Big smile. Behind the counter was a petite middle-aged white lady with a distinct Southern regional accent. As she was being rung up, the young woman remembered an item she had failed to grab and dashed back into the aisles for it. Upon return the clerk, being well-trained, did a bit of suggestive selling indicating that the young woman had accumulated points giving her a deal on one of her snacks. Get another for just pennies. So, the young woman dashed back once again and as she returned, murmured to me an apology. I replied no worries-how can one be in a hurry on such a fine Spring day! Both of the women chirped back in unison right?!! and were smiling.
The transaction was nearly completed when a very uber-fit, older woman came in. She was dressed in looked like a walking outfit: lightweight top and shorts, snazzy ball cap and sunglasses. Evidently, she had already been in Walgreens as she had a bandage on her upper bare arm that had a large W on it. I figured she had come in for a vaccination. Now, being her age (older than myself, I thought,) she made a bee-line to me to request help from a male: she was having some issue with her car and needed help. Could I come out once finished and take a look? she asked, then launched into this explanation: I don't want to call my children for I would absolutely never hear the end of it! For some reason, I was immediately transported in my head to some Downton Abbey era show where Lady Wedgeworth, 12th Baroness of blah blah blah reveals herself to an elderly male commoner. Those infernal machines! My infernal family! I replied: I am more than happy to help and I assure you, I do not know your family and if I did, I promise never to say a word. I shall be out shortly. She smiled and went out with the young woman following a few steps behind. As she was ringing me up, the Southern Lady said: I am not quite sure what is going on with her car to which I replied: neither do I but it shall be interesting and I hope I can help.
When I walked out, I saw that the young woman was leaning over a vehicle where the older woman is sitting in the driver's seat. The problem was immediately recognizable: something has triggered the car alarm with that annoying, steady beep beep beep. I see that it is a Lexus convertible...yep, it is Lady Wedgeworth! While the old lady was vocally trouble-shooting, the young woman saw me and leaned over saying: I think it's something with her key fob. I grinned as it's obvious that neither of us had a clue but remain to give some sort of moral support. Suddenly, the car shuts up and three enthusiastic huzzahs are shouted. I turned to leave and the young woman says have a blessed day. Ahh, I thought to myself-here's a believer who lives their faith. Without it turning into a proselytizing opportunity. I appreciate folk like this. The beeping suddenly started up again and I turn back. The old woman rummaged through her purse and exclaimed, it's my other fob! The beeping stopped again accompanied by 3 more huzzahs. She thanked us both and wished us well and we returned the sentiment.
As the young woman and I walked towards our cars with our trajectory angle widening with every step, she asked me about my t-shirt.
Is that a logo or something?No, I replied. It's the Celtic Tree of Life. She looked puzzled. It's an old Norse myth brought by the Vikings who came to Scotland and Ireland and I have a bit of Celtic blood in me. She nodded. Besides, I added, I'm an old hippie and it's Earth Day! She burst out laughing, waved and said Have a blessed day!You as well, I answered and we both entered our cars.
Weather has been a mix of warm sunny days and chilly overcast. Little rain. The dandelions are in full bloom. Meanwhile, the Diner has been busy. Nutkin having a drink:
MamaC has returned-here she is hanging out on her apartment porch:
His Lordship in one of his outposts-here, a castle keep-to monitor TBK over at Benny's:
A Tiger in my backyard coming back from patrol:
4/22-23 First mowing of the yard.
4/22 High 70's and our first supper on the deck:
Along the edge of the pool are the three peonies that I transplanted last Fall. They survived the Winter and have had a good growing spurt. They are fenced in to protect from hungry hungry critters.
Benny's maple with reddish/brown immature leaves:
Bud in this castle keep again. Nice camo he has with his brown and grey coloring that goes with the color of the planters. Smart lad.
4/23-our first 80° day with a high of 81°. Our last 80° day was on 10/6/25. Such a gorgeous day, I was tossing peanuts to my wild pals-here Big Blue and LG are partaking:
Rocky looking for peanuts:
He/she headed back to the apartments as MamaC keeps watch:
Another day, I see Rocky may have taken up residence a couple of doors down from MamaC. Hmm, I wonder if the apartments are turning into a maternity ward? Stay tuned!
#cutebuddypix
This is why we call him Longfellow:
So cute with his white chin:
4/25-temps have cooled with a brisky wind. M/M Redbird have a meal together:
Lil' Woody joins Mr. Redbird. Big Woody has not been seen in a couple of weeks. I don't know why-he may have been fueling up to move on to his permanent home this season, or may have been pushed out of a potential nesting spot by the Starlings or he did not care to be in competition at the feeder with the Red Wings. Too bad-he's an attractive fellow.
C cleaned out the Department frig again so the Buffet featured all sorts of exotic dishes:
Mr. White-Crowned Sparrow has returned from his Southern Winter home:
The lilacs are blooming:
Mrs. Krabappel's blooms are about ready to burst:
A sunny yet cool afternoon:
Hodgepodge for $400:
I was YT surfing when I came across a vid about a town in WI that showed this flag flying in front of storefronts that I was unfamiliar with:
This is St Piran's Flag (Cornish: Baner Peran), the official flag of Cornwall. Adopted as the Cornish standard in the 19th century, it is attributed
to the 6th-century patron saint of Cornish tin miners, Saint Piran,
symbolizing white tin against a black ore background.
On the cusp of a revolution for automobiles? I came across a clip talking about a new EV from China with Sodum Ion batteries. That's right...salt! Meet theChangan Nevo A06:
Launching in mid-2026, this is the first mass-production passenger car
featuring a sodium-ion battery, utilizing CATL’s "Naxtra" cells. These
batteries offer superior cold-weather performance (retaining 90%
capacity at -40°C), faster charging, and lower costs using abundant,
sustainable materials. They are ideal for affordable, urban electric
vehicles. The downside is Sodium-ion (Na-ion) cars suffer from lower energy density, resulting in a 20–40% shorter driving range compared to lithium-ion,
necessitating heavier and larger battery packs for the same capacity.
These batteries also generally offer slower charging speeds and a
shorter cycle life than lithium iron phosphate (LFP) alternatives. Having said this, sodium-ion is much less expensive to make, by-passing the complexity of extracting and processing lithium into battery-grade material.
First images from the new Vera C. Rubin observatory in Chile:
Two prominent spiral galaxies (lower right),
three merging galaxies (upper right) in the Virgo cluster, as well as
several groups of distant galaxies, many stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Photograph: NSF-DOE Vera C Rubin observatory/AFP/Getty In one of the last posts, I featured the Drought Map which showed major issues in the deep South. As a result, GA, TN and FL have been experiencing wildfires. To my memory, this is quite unusual especially in April. This could be the beginning of a long, extreme weather event filled Summer. We've already had a lot of major tornadoes in the Mid-West.
Gotta love the YT algorithm's categorization system: under "Ancient History and More", a LIVE storm chase vid was featured.
MADads: 'Tis Spring and with it comes allergies for those unfortunate souls. On YT, the ads for such meds are as thick as the dandelions. One important part of the spiel is the emphasis on getting relief without any drowsiness. No doubt brought to you by the pharm/corporate coalition for the enhancement of productivity. No more sick days every Spring because of these wheezy pansies. Suck it up! Take your meds and report for work! We at least give you weekends off-Yes! 2 days off IN A ROW! It's our carrot for donkeys.
I've also noticed an offshoot of the campaign aimed at parents of schoolchildren. Again: Do you want Jr to keep up with his classmates? He needs to stay competitive and productive especially if he is involved in sports! This sets the tone for the next Gen worker-in-training.
The new mystery LaCroix sparkling water: "Sunshine". They're being clever-no description, just "natural flavors". Wanna know? Well, spend the money and find out. According to LaCroix,LaCroix Sunshine is a bright and sparkling blend of citrus and tropical zest, capturing the refreshing essence of a sun-kissed day in every sip. That was helpful.
Conclusive evidence: Vikings were the first Europeans to reach the New World.
In 1960, Norwegian husband-wife team of explorer Helge Ingstad and archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad discovered what they felt was a Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows on the Northern tip of Newfoundland. Nailing down the date of settlement was nebulous until 2021, when Margot Kuitems and her team from the University of Groningen published the results of their research that revealed the date.
In 993 CE, there was a Solar storm event that hit the Earth. Known as the Solar Spike, it produced a notable spike in Carbon 14 in tree growth, which can be seen as a thicker ring. The Kuitems team analyzed 3 pieces of wood from the settlement. They found that the wood showed evidence that it had been chopped by a tool made of European iron, something Indigenous populations in the area did not possess. They found the 993 Spike rings on all 3 pieces of wood, then counted the number of rings outward. The wood dated to year 1021, conclusively placing the Vikings in the New World at least 470 years before the Columbus voyages!
However, the Vikings did not stay long. Current thinking based on excavation at L'anse is that this was a forward base for further exploration inland. It only was used for maybe a decade, abandoned and the population returned to Greenland.
So, what Columbus represents is the beginning of continual European settlement in the Americas.
The Devil's Horns sunrise:
Qatar, 2020
This occurs when there is a solar eclipse at sunrise.
Site unknown-2025
Fun Vids:
The Etrucians:
Fun fact: Elite Etruscan women actively participated in banquets, dining and drinking wine alongside men while reclining on shared couches. Unlike
their Greek counterparts, Etruscan women enjoyed high status,
education, and independence, allowing them to mingle freely, eat, and
drink in public.This practice, depicted in tomb paintings like the Tomb of the Leopards, distinguished them from Greek and Roman women, who were generally excluded from such social, male-dominated gatherings. In fact, later Greek writers would describe Etruscans as decadent. This civilization was considered to reach its zenith around 500 BCE.
In the Neighborhood: 4/15-16-lots of storms came through with at least 6 tornadoes in Southern Lower Michigan, none in the Greater Lansing area. My gauge measured 3" bringing the total at my house to 7" so far for the month of April! One useful thing about this blog is that it serves as a chronicle. I checked back to see when was the last time we had ponds in the Back 40-2023 when we received 5.5" of rain. It's a double-edged issue-very happy to have relief from the drought which began in 8/24. I'm especially pleased Grandfather Birch is getting a nice deep drink as he begins his leafing program. On the other hand, there's always issues with a few wet areas in the basement that have to be dealt with AND the damn lawn, which is growing like mad. Usually, we begin mowing at the end of April. Lucky us-it's gonna be early this year.
I happened to check out the government drought monitor after hearing about wildfires out in the plains. I was shocked about how dry the South has been:
4/17-we had dense fog in the morning with visibility down to a quarter mile.
The back 40-at least during a couple of nice days prior, I was able to get out and deal with the leaves.
His Lordship is not happy with all the wetness in his realm:
He seems to have recovered from his virus, is eating well and back to enjoying scritches. Daily, he goes over to Benny's for a twofer: see if he can catch a quick meal and counter the presence of The Black Kitty. One day, I caught an interaction between them. Bud was next to the shed when TBK came up on his flank. As I frequently witnessed in the epic battles between Bin and Snowball, TBK was moonwalking. "Oh don't mind me, I'm just gonna go over to Benny's Diner" which is located on the other side of the shed. Bud kept an eye on him/her but did not get up.
We finally got some sunage, GF Birch is showing seed pods:
Rocky came out to see what was on the buffet:
Daylilies and lily of the valley are coming up:
Nutkin on the bird bath:
We have new neighbors-M/M Starling were grazing in the back 40. I thought I'd seen them up in one of GF Birch's penthouses a few days ago. Today, I saw both taking twigs in their beaks and fly up to their apartment.
We also had our annual visit from M/M Mallard Duck. This time of year they often feed at Benny's Diner, which is on a picnic table. In the past, I've seen them in the water held by our pool Winter cover. This year, they were exploring the pond in the Back 40:
They followed the pond to where it ends by the shed, then walked back. Here is Ms. Mallard, with her excellent camo coat:
4/18-we received another half inch of rain early then a cold front swung in bringing some sun.
4/19-predicted low of 24° tonight. I had to cover the peonies which survived last Fall's transplantation. They're 4" tall and under cloches to protect against MamaC and Bunnies. I simply wrapped them in old towels:
4/20-we lucked out, it only got down to 28° at my house. I was astonished to find that despite all the rain we have had, the pond in back was absorbed and gone this morning!
~
When I was out working in the yard, I came across the butterfly I had mentioned in an earlier post. I was wrong about its ID:
Meet Mr. Mourning Cloak butterfly:
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) is often the first
butterfly seen in spring. They overwinter as adult
butterflies amongst leaf litter or in other sheltered spots, so as soon
as it’s warm enough they can become active. These butterflies have a
lifespan of 11 to 12 months, one of the longest lifespan for any
butterfly.
On this same day, the wind had come up late and in the sky were a couple of sky janitors, swirling at different altitudes, doing spirals like Sufi dancers. They were really moving and one would think there was some element of joy for them: the wind in your face and feathers, pushing your body to the limit with high speed severe turns as you challenge your buddy.
A nice Chatgpt rendering
Lovely time of year with so much in bloom. Those small ornamental trees with white flowers that one sees especially around malls are in full bloom. I saw Mayapples in the woods next to the Post Office on MI Ave off Creyts Rd. I remember we had them in our woods where I grew up.
Nipped in the bud: none of our forsythia bloomed this year-an unusual occurrence. In fact, in this part of Delta Twp, I saw nothing in bloom. Even those planted along 496 only showed sparse flowers. They were blooming on Campus so I reckoned those had been sheltered. The culprit, I suspect was a severe cold snap at a crucial period when the shrub was in bud production. I wrote MSU Extension and they concurred. This is the first time in the 15 seasons we've been here that we've experienced such an event.
~
Life with cats:
It's a cold, wet mid-April afternoon in Michigan. So, I set up fixings for a fireplace fire and hung out with a very handsome cat. He is, however, a couch hog who is easily miffed (eye roll, c'mon now, your Lordship) and will stomp off. This happens today and he goes over to the slider, a signal that he would like to go out. I open the slider and screen and he got a whiskerful of cold air and turns away. I know his routine: he wants to fuel up before going out. Fine. Tis a fresh can evening featuring Chef Jeff's special garnish of Temptations Treats. I'm on the couch writing while he has his meal and he returns to the slider and patiently waits for me to finish this sentence. I do so, rise and murmur regrets for the wait. He is in his Bastet pose, licking his whiskers and cleaning his mouth with his paw. Proper etiquette amongst predators is if you just ate some prey food (in this case, fishy flesh), you must clean up before going on patrol. Don't attempt to hunt with killer's breath still on you.
No worries, mate is his expression as I walk up. A mixture of a warm greeting and thanks for the meal, kind sir. I open the slider and off he goes.
~
Cool stuff:
Earthset shot by the NASA crew from the dark side of the moon during the recent Artemis mission:
A male beautiful demoiselle damselfly found in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. As with many other species, the female's coloration is muted, in this case, she is brown.
A rope tornado near Mulvane, KS 6/12/2004. My favorite storm chaser Pecos Hank (Hank Schyma), commented that this looks like the proboscis of some collossal insect feeding on the earth:
Red snapper hot dogs:
Red snapper hot dogs are a bright red, natural-casing pork and beef sausage that is a beloved, iconic staple in Maine. Known for their distinct,
audible "snap" when bitten, these sausages are dyed with Red #40 and are
often sold by W.A. Bean & Sons in Bangor, Maine, and found in local
stores like Hannaford.
One of the origins of Boston Baked Beans:
I didn't know this: Pilgrims (and
Puritans) were strongly opposed working on the Sabbath, often with a
strictness comparable to traditional Jewish laws, though they observed
Sunday (the "Lord's Day") rather than Saturday. They believed it was a divine, moral law to set aside this time, forbidding nearly all labor, travel, and worldly pleasure. This style of beans were cooked Saturday overnight so folks had something to eat on Sabbath.
60's nostalgia:
Fizzies were popular 1950s-60s instant soda tablets that created a sweetened, carbonated beverage when dropped into water. Introduced in 1957, they became a massive hit by 1962, often considered
as popular as Kool-Aid, and were known for flavors like grape, orange,
cherry, lemon-lime, strawberry, root beer, and cola. Early
versions used cyclamates as a sweetener, but due to FDA bans on
artificial sweeteners and safety concerns, the product was discontinued
in the early 1970s. In the 90's and 2000s, there were attempts at a revival but none were successful.
1% of modern Scots have Berber blood in their DNA. This is linked to the Moorish era where they not only had a hold on the Iberian Peninsula but also explored both Ireland and Scotland.
My family name of Macpherson translates from Gaelic as Mac a' Phearsain or Mac a' Phearsoin, which translates directly to "son of the parson".
Donny Osmond has a rare condition called Situs inversus, a congenital condition in which the major visceral organs are reversed or mirrored from their normal positions. It is found in about 0.01% of the population (1 in 10,000 people).
There's a lot of speculation these days about the coming of a strong El Nino this year. For many, this is a good thing as this event means increased wind shear on the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Wind shear decapitates the tops of storms, preventing them from expanding up and out into hurricanes. Small mercies for all the souls living in these regions as FEMA no longer exists.
Mad Ads:
From a series of Walmart ads-this one from this year features Sabrina who has a long career in the pharmacy. Curious promo ad. So is Walmart trying to say "yep, we may be a bunch of Arkansas rednecks but we don't hate Hispanic folk. We didn't sell them out to ICE?"
Tagline: Who knew?
Fun vids:
From Kelly Boesch AI: Golden in the Sun:
Appalachian stump houses:
A long view but a lot of fun. It concerns the settlement of Gobekli Tepe, located in the Upper Mesopotamia region in Southern Turkey, estimated to have been settled in 9500 BCE. Of particular interest are huge slabs of stone with carvings whose meanings are the subject of controversy in the history/archeology world.
I love the Why Files. For one thing, they are very X-Fileish in subject matter. The host A.J. is a great storyteller and his presentations are very persuasive. Ahhh, do stay until the end because the other shoe will drop: is this all true?
A long one about using beavers to rewild areas. On one hand, they are viewed by scientists and environmentalists as a keystone species and are amazing ecological engineers. Their work brings a multitude of species back to a dead area. On the other, whenever they are introduced, controversy follows and it becomes a inter-species conflict especially with farmers:
Another tale concerning rewilding. In Scotland, there was an environmental catastrophe due to an unchecked deer population. Yep, the Pruners again, who ate practically everything in sight with few predators to keep their numbers under control. A radical, inexpensive experiment produced astonishing results:
Fascinating tale about the Basque language and their history. A unique example of a people who were cut off from the rest of the world due to their hidden location in the mountains. What is wild is there are only 2 parts in their DNA: original group who were hunter/gatherer survivors of the last Ice Age and a group of nomadic herders expanded Westward from their origin in Anatolia Turkey all the way to Spain!
FUBARland:
Mike Rogers is running for US Senate again, after being defeated in 2024 by Elissa Slotkin. This time, he's going for the seat vacated by Gary Peters. In his recent ad, as the presumed Republican candidate, he freely shows that he has fully drunk the kool-aid and proclaims fealty to the Roach stating that "President Trump needs more allies in Washington". Really Mike? Roach is a dead duck and a albatross around the neck of any Republican hoping to survive the fallout from his reign. Does Mike really think MAGA will vote for him because he was a staunch supporter? Naw, Roach is becoming radioactive to the party and when the end comes, anyone with connections to him will not fare well in the mid-terms. Hopefully.
From the NYT-insane MAHA influencers try to sell their bullshit idea that tobacco is good for you and (sniff, kleenex please) it has been unfairly maligned. Yeah, from the people who think raw milk is good for you. Of course, they are in denial about reports earlier this year concerning the DEATH of an infant in NM from listeria and several people including 2 children in ID who were hospitalized with e coli as a result of intaking raw milk. Of course such reports are dismissed as fake news or part of an organized disinformation conspiracy sponsored by the American Dairy Association.
