SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHT NIGHT: GIVING STONE #3

 

Like in an old western on a Saturday night when various groups intersect at the local saloon, there was a kerfuffle around the giving stone with an unexpected trio of characters, never seen together in these here parts, showing up for an evening meal.

The three: Young Rocky, mature Stampy and a Blossom, perhaps from this year or a very small female.

C had done some refrigerator emptying in her Department and  put the food out on the giving stone. We had just finishing watching a show and it was dark out, 8.30 pm perhaps and we wondered if anyone was having a meal. Turning on the nearest light, we could make out 3 shapes in the vicinity. Young Rocky was sideways to us on the East side of the food. To his right, facing us was Blossom probably a couple of nose lengths away. Emerging from the North, out of the shadows, strode the Stampy who we recognized as Big Mama. She has big white/ivory stripes on either side of her body and a luxurious tail. Her 2 kits, however, both have a nice V on their foreheads, black bodies with white tail tips.

Big Mama swung around to Blossom's right and began to nibble. The other two barely acknowledged her presence. It was chow time. Now, like people, some skunks are just ornery, and since they possess a feared weapon, well, sometimes that goes to their head. Big Mama falls into this category and she decided to intimidate the young Blossom by squaring off, face to face while still having a nibble. Blossom showed no reaction and continued eating but didn't take her eyes off Big Mama. Big Mama evidently did not feel like wasting too much time with this kid so she escalated through DefComs 5,4,3 like going through the gears on a sports car. First, she raised and fanned her tail, like a peacock. Then she quickly stamped her front paws and charged Blossom who immediately pivoted left and fled to the shadows under the pool deck.

Young Rocky just kept eating. His Mama said that you could fire off a shotgun next to that boy when he was having his grub and that kid wouldn't move an inch. 

Big Mama having secured one half of the spread for herself, she settled in for a good feed. It was not to be.

Within minutes of her seeking safety in the shadows, Blossom began moving Westward, behind Big Mama and creating an  ellipse back to the stone. At first it seemed Big Mama didn't notice the return of the young possum, who was eating not more than two feet away. Perhaps she was blissed out from the food. Suddenly, she realized who was next to her and she immediately fanned her tail. This time, Blossom didn't budge and shifted slightly for a better angle. As Big Mama began to stamp, Blossom charged. Big Mama pivoted and quickly waddled off back to the North as fast as her fanned tail would let her. Blossom arranged so her nose was directly towards where the skunk had left into the shadows and started to eat. 

Suddenly, Big Mama came charging up and started stamping. Blossom pivoted left, retracing her ellipse. As she passed to the North of Big Mama, the skunk charged and stamped again. Then she return to the stone, this time with her raised tail pointing towards the only access point Blossom would have if she wanted to eat. 

Young Rocky ate through it all.

We finally turned off the light and went to bed. Somehow, they must have worked things out for there was no olfactory evidence the next morning that the nuclear option had been used.

OUT AND ABOUT TALES

 

On the way in yesterday morning, we passed a dead young buck in the grassy median, under the highway on Michigan Avenue near Frandor. He had probably been dragged off the street and placed there.

Returning on the same route in the afternoon, I noticed that someone had tied 2 long-stringed balloons to one of his antlers. The balloons read "Get Well Soon!" This was just odd. Understandably, the nearby Kroger does not carry a "Sorry You Died!" balloon in stock but geez, "Get Well Soon?" Either the work of some well meaning folk or a stoner being ironic. I guess I am getting old in my ways but I figure if you are going to commemorate a life, generally flowers are the most acceptable and easy choice, for us. Who knows how any species mourn their own?

GONE LEAVES

As predicted in my post from 10/25, the rain and the wind brought down most of Mr. Birch's leaves the following day and evening. Despite a steady breeze, his leaves hung on until an occasional burst of wind would jettison them into a swirl and cascade of gold.

Now, Mr. Birch and Mr. Maple out front are almost completely denuded as are large swaths of trees in woods in the area. What is left are the few leaves who in the wind, tremble.

ASPERITAS CLOUDS

 

Josh Carson

From Wiki:

Asperitas (formerly known as Undulatus asperatus) is a cloud formation first popularized and proposed as a type of cloud in 2009 by Gavin Pretor-Pinney of the Cloud Appreciation Society.  Added to the International Cloud Atlas as a supplementary feature in March 2017, it is the first cloud formation added since cirrus intortus in 1951. The name translates approximately as "roughness".

The clouds are closely related to undulatus clouds. Although they appear dark and storm-like, they almost always dissipate without a storm forming. The ominous-looking clouds have been particularly common in the Plains states of the United States, often during the morning or midday hours following convective thunderstorm activity.

Well, who knew there was a Cloud Appreciation Society? And as for the International Cloud Atlas, there is no connection with the novel and subsequent film. From Wiki:

The author (David Mitchell) has said that the book is about reincarnation and the universality of human nature, and that the title references a changing landscape (a "cloud") over manifestations of fixed human nature (the "atlas"). It is not a direct reference to a cloud atlas.

 

 

 

 

GOING FAST

 

The birch leaves are thinning fast changing the shadows on the shed to more and more of dappling effect. Just from yesterday to today, the loss is remarkable in the neighborhood: Benny's maples next door are just about done as is our small birch. The big maple out front is about half bare. Continued breezy conditions today followed by rain tonight and into tomorrow will empty a lot of trees by the weekend.

VISITOR FROM THE NORTH

Gary Soper

Yesterday I was moving leaves in the Back 40 when movement in the honeysuckle branches caught my eye. The little bird was nervous, constantly flitting around but it did so in the same area long enough for me to spot its most prominent feature: a red forehead patch. Research confirms identity: a Common Redpoll. They breed in the Arctic and migrate South for the Winter. If you are staying, Welcome! If not, safe journey!

GOINGS ON IN THE GARDENS

Out back, yellow is the predominant color with the birches, hostas and lily of the valley all turned.

Twilight-note the islands of yellow.

Molls and twilight.

        

Minn's marker in the lily of valley

Meanwhile out front, Mr. Maple is glowing even in twilight:

Around the buffet:

Crow Bros are beginning to stop by.

One of the squirrel siblings, Slick red bird and a newly arrived Senor Junco.

Lil Woody hard at work

Out in the East Garden:

The monarchs left 2-3 weeks ago. At first I thought this might be a late-birthed straggler but then I looked up monarch- looking butterflies in MI and found there are several. This is a Painted Lady.

The birch this afternoon:

Practically a Maxfield Parrish scene.

 

Just in a couple of days, Mr. Birch has turned completely golden yellow. C put forth an idea that Indigenous folk believe that trees like the birch and maple contain some sort of spirit for they can change their appearance on a regular basis. I broadened this to all peoples on the planet and to all living things that all undergo change over their lifetimes. Anything live has spirit became the basis for early belief systems.

An elder teaching young ones this concept would often encounter a challenge: what about rocks? They're not alive like us. The elder's response would suggest that rocks have a different kind of spirit than those "living". "I've seen what a boulder can do to a mountainside or to a man. Even the smallest stone can cause trouble, for example, if it got caught in the hoof of a pony. They deserve respect, like everything else."

FIVE SECOND STORIES

 

Sky, always looking up

One of the Buns appearing to taking on his Winter coat

Glowy tree and Mr. Redbird and Mr. Nuthatch

 

Winter's first breath: in Michigan, you know what's coming when you experience 2 rain mixed with ice events in a day. It's pretty cold aloft and often it's a precursor to the S word arriving shortly.

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The birch is turning in stages. The first wave of leaf loss has been completed and the second has yet to ramp up. For now Mr. Birch is fairly green with pale yellow-green highlights. 

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Saturday, C and her pal Chana were hanging out at the inaugural ReoTown Book Fair when they encountered a woman pushing a baby buggy. Inside was some critter that turned out to be an ancient, obese skunk-so old that its black fur had begun to gray. We generally don't see this out in the wild-they don't survive that long. The skunk, named Lulu, tolerated attention and scritches from onlookers.

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The past couple of days, I've been hearing Red-Winged Black Birds off to the eastern marshes. They've been absent for awhile and I thought they had migrated. Perhaps they're gathering up for the move now.

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During transition seasons such as this, we'll have a few days of 70's in a row. One dresses in layers as the days start cool. As the day warms, layers are removed if you are moving outside. But soon, as the day wans, it cools off in a hurry and the layers go back on.

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It was a curious thing that the house that he and his new wife chose to begin their life together in turned out to be practically in sight of the office where his late wife worked.

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In regards to Madame, while he jokes about "Daddy's girl" the truth about the relationship is much more mature than that.

LIFE WITH MADAME

 

Madame became upset about the writing pad and pen on the sofa next to me. "Why are you putting something between us?" she demanded.

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With certain things, C is persistent, like keeping Madame groomed. Molls on her best day will tolerate 4 Mississippi's before objecting which escalate in pitch and frequency if C ignores her. Recently, Molls picked up some kind of sap on her coat creating two long sticky strands about an inch long. For three days straight, C would insist on a grooming session much to Moll's displeasure. Finally, C won out and the strands are gone. "Now, doesn't that feel better, dear?" C would ask. Madame's eyes would narrow and her ears begin to move back in evident disagreement.

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They were sitting on the sofa and Molls asked Dad "how was your food?" He replied "PDT-pretty darn tasty!"

Molls breaks the forth wall: "Did you see what just happened? A classic case of someone who has lived with an academic for many years. One thing that academia loves are acronyms. Their working lives are full of them. Perhaps this just goes with any institution but what happens is that even an outsider over time will begin to create acronyms for their personal use.

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Her belly full after two suppers, with Mom back home and Dad  by the fire, she jumped up onto the loveseat, the top with a permanent hollow from years of use, settled in, did a bit of grooming finally curling up and closing her eyes. 

One of the things I love about living with cats is their companionship especially when they decide to hang out next to you. They do so by choice and they really would like you to touch them.
 

BEAR SEES SELF IN MIRROR

The mirror chose the wrong time to be reflective and got its ass kicked as a consequence.

ONE OF PECOS HANK'S FINER VIDS

 A visual treat! Critters! Lightning! Slo-mo clouds! and fabulous, photogenic twisters!

WINNING THE WORLD'S BEST LOTTERY

 

This young man from Sulphur, OK survived a F-4 tornado May 9, 2016 that hit his home. The 207-260 mph winds leveled the homes in the neighborhood except for 2 interior walls around his bathroom where he took shelter.

OUT AND ABOUT TALES

 

C was visiting her nail place one afternoon and on her way down a back aisle to use the restroom she encountered a white plastic laundry basket with a lid. It was blocking her way and almost immediately, a female employee swooped over to move it using her foot. It didn't budge. She bent down to drag it and again, she was surprised how heavy it was. She stood up and took a half pace back to assess the situation when suddenly the top exploded with a 4-5 year old boy popping out like a jack-in-a box. Gleefully, he shouted with his hands raised something in Vietnamese that could very well have been "ha ha ha I sure scared you!" The employee, who probably was an Auntie, quickly got him out of the box while sliding it out of C's way murmuring an apology. C, smiling, told the boy that he was quite a scamp as the lad proudly stood grinning ear to ear. 

It is quite popular these days that waiting rooms of all stripes have playing on their TVs, the HG network. There are many variations: the young spunky DIY couple taking on their first Money Pit; the Buy and Flippers; the buyers who need professional help in making decisions about renovations. Unlike This Old House, which is geared more towards the instructive, these often veer into tedious dramas and conflict. One of these was on as well as something curious and unusual which caught C's eye. This show concerned bushcraft, specifically the making of a fish trap out of saplings to use in a nearby river. The sound was off so it had a bit of ASMR about it akin to the Serbian bush cooking series I've enjoyed on YouTube. She thought it was quite interesting and commented on its curious juxtaposition with the surrounding.

I was in Kroger on late morning going down the wide final aisle flanked with banks of freezers and coolers. In front of me was a young Mom with two blond/honey haired girls aged 5-6 years old in the cart. One was a curly top. Coming towards us was another Mom with 2 light haired girls their cart about the same age. I wondered to myself how the girls would react to each other-the Moms were busy. At some point all four caught sight of each other and locked eyes. Not a word was spoken, no gesture was given. They looked at each other intently and continued to do so as the carts passed.

We've been watching a lot of Attenborough lately and I practically had his voice narrating in my head about how the young females of our species act when encountering other females of the same age.

MANDRILL BABOONS: COLORFUL MALES

 

Once the testosterone kicks in, the facial colors begin to emerge.

An evolutionary trick: to make sure females can see you coming and going-an iridescent butt to increase chances of attracting a mate. The things done to ensure perpetuation of the species!
 

BWAAAAHHAAAHHHHAAA GOOOODDD EVENINGGGG

We were watching a doc on the Galápagos Islands when we were shocked to encounter this blood-thirsty critter: the vampire ground finch. It has a strong beak that it uses to create a wound in other bird species and drinks the blood. An all-round asshole, the finch also eats eggs. While their beak is not so strong to crack the shell, they have come up with a successful workaround: they roll the egg down a slope hoping it will bang into something like another egg or rock and crack. Lack of water for months at a time seems to be the reason for these evolutionary solutions for survival.

TINY CAT:THE RUSTY-SPOTTED CAT

 

Found only in India and Sri Lanka, despite what the BBC claims here, is the smallest cat in Asia. It rivals the black-footed cat, the smallest in Africa, as the world's smallest cat.

Both are cuties!

 

LETTUCE HEAD WINS OVER LIZ TRUSS!!!!

 

Finally, some good news in these bleak days.

CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

 

Domenico Remps, Cabinet of Curiosities, 1690, Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Florence, Italy.

During the 16th and 17th Centuries, amongst the educated and wealthy in Europe beginning in Italy, owning a Cabinet of Curiosities was all the rage. One of the most well-known was that of John Tradescant the Elder, prominent garden designer, traveler and collector whose collection later became part of the Ashmolean in Oxford which, in 1683 opened as the first purpose built public museum in the UK. This concept became the precursor for the great museums and collections later to arise in Western countries.

The size of the Cabinet could range from a single piece like the one pictured above to an entire room. The four categories of Curiosities: 

Naturalia – products from nature and various rare creatures with a particular interest in monsters (like a two-headed dog). 

Artificialia – artificial objects created or modified by humans, antiques, works of art. 

Exotica – exotic objects, plants or animals collected from distant places. 

Scientifica – the testaments of man’s ability to dominate nature such as astrolabes, clocks, automatons, and scientific instruments.

 

SAM COX'S MIGRAINE INDUCING "DOODLE HOUSE"

 

The house of artist Sam Cox aka Mr. Doodle. He spent 2 years decorating every inch of his six bedroom home located in Kent, UK. It feels as if Keith Haring decorated an Egyptian tomb.

 

DYSTOPIAN HORROR SHORT: CREATURES OF THE END TIME

PAWEL KUCZYNSKI: PROTEST AGAINST THE KILLING OF MAHSA AMINI

LIZ TRUSS VS ICEBERG LETTUCE: WHO WILL HAVE A LONGER SHELF LIFE?

 

Wonderfully cheeky bit that the Brits excel in. The PM's polling numbers AMONGST her own party sits at around 9% approval. The question put forth is that an ordinary head of lettuce (based on the bat shit crazy monetary schemes that this Thatcher wannebe has offered, many feel the lettuce has a decidedly cognitive edge) which has a shelf life of 10 days, who will survive? She was viciously savaged by both sides of the aisle during the weekly PMQs. Is a call for a vote of confidence coming in the next few days? Stay tuned.

HATS OFF TO LARRY!

 

Larry the cat, director of security and chief mouser at the British Prime Minister's home at 10 Downing Street London, resolutely engaged and warded off the unwanted presence of a fox from the premises. Well done, sir!

 

THOUGHTS ON NOIR

A classic Noir dictum: 

"You choose a dame with a past and a hero with no future."

I've found Noir to be a curious commentary on American culture after World War II-the period I was born in. 

For many guys who came back alive from combat found it hard to fit into the societal constraints of the time. Certainly one ethos of Noir was this for men who barely could contain their aggression:

"I did a lot of killing in the war. It didn't bother me. So, I became a cop, later a detective. I liked the adrenaline rush that you could not get as a civilian." 

Some couldn't stand the whole chain of command BS they had to endure in the service so being a cop was pretty much the same. They became private investigators instead.

The women they mixed with for one reason or another had rejected societal norms for their gender, giave the Church the middle finger and enjoyed their sexuality. They paid a dear price:

They were labeled shameless sluts, predatory sinners bent on destroying a good man's life and reputation. 

Noir helped breed the Beat generation and eventually by the mid-60's, American culture cataclysmically blew apart and the repercussions continue today.

 

FIVE SECOND STORIES

Another variant of peanut fetching. I have commented previously on Mr. Titmouse's technique and lately I've been watching Big Blue. He likes to perch on a bare limb 12 feet or so above the ground then hops off and drops until deploying his wings at the last moment to break his fall. These days, the Titmice are challenging the Jays and the squirrels for access to peanuts. Everyone is sharp-eyed in picking out their treats amidst the yellow birch leaves.

Mr. Titmouse and peanuts

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He went out to fetch the feeder as it was getting late in the day. The sun was going down with temps already in the 40's. A nuthatch having a snack gave him no mind as he approached. "I'm sorry, but it is time for us to close up" he said to the bird who continued eating until he was about a foot away. He stood there until the bird (upside down, he's a nuthatch!) glanced upward and flew off.

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The Summer's final tomatoes after ripening on the kitchen window ledge were at first astringent in the sauce for the homemade mushroom ravioli. They were insulted by this and in their high pitched voices they screamed "What did you expect? We're tomatoes, we're red, we're loud and we're outrageous!" But, patience won out after they simmered a while in a luxurious rosemary garlic flavored cream, mellowing into a magnificent and savory sauce.

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I remember figuring out when I was young how long it would take to get the odor of gasoline out of my fingers. Even at that age, I wondered about its toxicity. I asked my Dad one evening as he was watering the roses. "Oh yeah" he answered. "You don't want to take a bath in it" he said with a grin. This from a man who made his living as a spotter for a dry cleaner who worked bare-handed with chemicals all day for years. I've always been amazed he never got cancer.

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The couple realized that their vacation to swim with the dolphins in Bimini had taken an unexpected turn. The new group of attendees were summoned at the end of the first day to meet in a large conference room. It was filled with cushions and they were asked to sit on them in a semi-circle. At the open end, emerged the female leader of the hosts, dressed in a full-length white robe, backlit by the windows and the setting sun. She opened with some sort of greeting/prayer/chant and invited everyone seated to talk about why they were in Bimini. It quickly turned into a Oprahesque group therapy session. "This is a vacation?" the couple thought. She just wanted to get into the warm Caribbean water and hang out with the critters. He wanted to chill on a beach and bar and be away from the BS of work. They had no idea what they had gotten themselves into.

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I'm amending the soil in my raised beds by adding mower chopped grass and leaves. In the past, I had tried planting a winter cover crop but the tender shoots were torn up by the frantic digging by the squirrels. This year, I thought I would put those busy critters to work. I somewhat dug in the layer of amendments and leave it to my pals to continue digging it into the soil to their heart's desire. 

Madame was quite pleased. Sounding shockingly like Mrs. Thatcher -"Put those tree rodent parasites to work!" she intoned. "They've taken plenty of our handouts over the years!" Who knew Madame was such a Tory? And she's French, a expat Parisian at that!

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A memorable quote from my favorite storm chaser, Texan Pecos Hank: "I was boxed in like a turtle's pecker."

Hank has continued problems with wacky AI captioning on his videos. During one of his chases in nasty, multi-state outbreak in the Deep South, he informs the viewer that the tornado he was tracking "...had grown to an F-4 2.25 miles wide burrito, the 3rd widest burrito ever documented!"

 

JK

He found it distracting talking to a young clerk at the market whose half-moon crescent piercing his septum waggled as he talked.

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All Summer they were visited by a young black cat who thankfully was skittish whenever they appeared. It was troublesome for they worried about their 19 year old Madame who didn't need the aggravation of another cat trying to horn in on her territory. It still stops by, noticeably grown but fortunately not aggressive. A week ago, a new one appeared by the giving stone. Again, a young cat, orange with a ring-tail. They wondered if there was some sort of feline hobo sign somewhere on their property:

 

 

ONE LESS VERMEER

 

Girl With Flute

 

Researchers with the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC have concluded that this painting was not done by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer because it lacked his precision and paint application. It may have painted by a student or assistant. A bummer for all Vermeer fans (myself included) as there are only 35 known paintings attributed to the artist.