In the Neighborhood:
6/14-On and off rain showers and sunny periods. Temps: lo-70's.
Shadows on the shed:
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:
They have learned how to prairie dog:
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!
#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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
