I heard them call and figured they were across the street in the Farm Bureau field. I went out onto the berm to see them in this incongruous setting-these wild creatures next to gigantic ape machinery:
Considering the many visits we have had this year over the past months, this field must be featured in the Sandhill's Trip Advisor for a good place to rest and have a bite.
Liza recognizes me now as she doesn't run away if I approach while she is at the Diner. I went to fetch the feeder and at the last moment she went to Mr. Birch but only went up four feet. As I passed, I saw her peek out from his trunk. I stopped and we played peek-a-boo, seeing just her nose and an eye. She runs up when I go out onto the deck to throw peanuts. I wonder if she is related to other squirrels who exhibit this same behavior-Stubbs and Rolla? Is there some genetic memory passed along: this friendly giant is a food source?
Zucc was visiting the Diner again, this time with Liza and Eli nearby. No squabbles.
Such a pleasant afternoon, finally some sun after a dreary, wet morning.
6/3
Mamachuck returned alone, after a several day absence. She is looking thinner, C thought. When Mama rose up, she revealed 4 large nipples. "She's been nursing" I thought and that has dropped her weight. I wondered if her separation from the chuckettes is a weaning strategy.
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6/4-Today is Buddy's 4th birthday. Our celebration with supper on the deck was marred by what seems to be his own b'day tradition: a live kill. Earlier, I spotted him coming through the portal with a still live young bunny in his mouth. I hollered at him to drop it as C ran up to scoop the poor thing and take it back outdoors. Later, while on the deck, I spotted him trotting up from Benny's yard (where Big Bun was sitting) with another bun in his mouth. He dropped it by the burning bush and proceeding to have dinner. We went inside. He did the same thing on his last birthday where he snagged a chipper and flung it into the air before devouring. I wondered if Bud had heard me complain about the Buns eating my newly planted annuals in the East garden and thought he would perform his duty as DHS? We feel like parents to an unruly, law-breaking teenager-we love him dearly but we do not love his behavior sometimes.
Later, I noticed Zucc over by the dead bunny. Do skunks eat other mammals? Yes, they do! I had no idea! I imagine Bud had quite a surprise when I saw him passing behind Zucc while he was snacking. Zucc paid him no mind just as he doesn't seem to care about the squirrels or Mamachuck while eating at the Diner. I guess when you possess the nuclear option, you don't care about others...as long as they leave you alone. No remains of the bunny were present the next morning.
A big coon stopped by the Diner. We haven't seen any in some time.
We think they like to reside under the top deck. For several years, there has been a pathway of trodden grass running from the deck-
-heading East towards Benny's, presumably to his picnic table that he puts seed out for the birds. It's hard to see from photos so I added some dots.
6/5-Cool, breezy, overcast, balmy morning with a promise of rain. I was up 7ish and had just begun reading the Times when I saw turkeys out my window. Mating time is over and the Turkey Bros are back in town! This year, it is a gang of 6.
Consultation or gossip?
Meanwhile, his Lordship got out of his basket and sprawled languidly on the carpet. Rough night, dude?
6/6-Big tiger daylilies in bloom! Last year it was June 22, continuing the 2024 trend of things coming out a couple weeks earlier than average.
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Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta Canada.
From Wiki: The lake, being fed almost completely by snow-melt and glacial-melt,
does not reach its crest until middle to late June. When it is full, it
reflects a distinctive shade of azure blue. The unique colour is due to
the refraction of the blue end of the spectrum of sunlight off the rock sediment aka rock flour or glacial flour deposited in the lake on a continual basis in summer by the surrounding glaciers.
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Coal mining in Michigan.
Until recently, I was unaware of coal mining in our state. Michigan's coal mining industry spanned from 1860 to 1949 and produced over 46 million tons of coal.
Mining conditions were difficult, because the state's coal deposits are
highly variable in thickness and distribution and often drop out
suddenly. The seam runs from Saginaw to Jackson.
There was some mining done in Grand Ledge and a small open pit near Williamston.
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Fun vids:
Rainworks-art work visible only when wet:
Feathered starfish:
Bluing Bolete mushroom that turns blue when exposed to oxygen:
These were featured on the Daily Dose of Internet. C remarked that it reminded her of a time while doing mushrooms, she was writing in her journal and the ordinary ink was sparkling!
A man with an unusual retirement activity:
The world's tallest statue:
Kayaking in Norwegian fjords:
Beavers are known as a "keystone" species: their presence in the environment creates an entire ecosystem supporting an abundance of lifeforms. This vid "Beaver Fever" (ok, Beavis- stop snickering) documents efforts to rewild parts of the UK. One curious job appears-part of the program is to create a balance between the efforts to rewild and manage the destructive effects on farmland due to flooding caused by the beaver dams. Rangers work in these areas and spend the day lowering or removing dams to keep water flowing.
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UK Kingfishers are snazzy dressers!
Ian David
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PSA from Metro Trains Melbourne, Australia: Dumb Ways to Die:
Now, this is a clever way to put across a message to the public at large. Unfortunately, the dull wits at MDOT went with an egregiously sexist trope in their PSA concerning the new distracted driving (using a cell phone) law.
A ginger man in his car sitting at a stop light begins speaking. "Some people are not obeying the new law banning cell phone use while driving". The camera shifts and focuses to the driver in the car to his right. It is a young woman talking on her phone. Oh yes, those chatty women. Everyone can relate to that.
Why not some beefy dude in a armless plaid shirt, baseball cap, sitting in his gigantic GMC Sierra 2500HD yakking away? I see these bastards all the time doing 85 mph on I-496 in a friggin' construction zone while on the phone.
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More northern lights this week as another solar storm approaches. Our sun is going through a very active period.
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The
daughter of one of C's poetry club tribe passed suddenly. Her parents
grow peonies and they filled the church with flowers from their garden
for the memorial.
It's
a curious trait amongst our species to associate events with particular
times of the year and for the grieving family, moving forward now, that
short period of peony bloom will be always remind them of her passing.
They gave away bouquets at the end of the service. C has always loved peonies and brought some home.
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