Saturday, April 12, 2025

FIVE SECOND STORIES

 4/7-the cold continues with temps only in the 30's, 20's overnight. Rain and snow mixed on and off all day. 

Our young squirrel likes to peer into the Great Room while Bud and I are on the couch.


 He has begun the Spring molt of his Winter coat:


 DHS was making his rounds when he spied something:

Over by the hydrangeas, Mr. Big Bun showing his nice camo coat:


 
The daffs in the front bed:

Snow squall coming in:

It snowed for about 3 mississippi then cleared a bit:


Later, nutkin came to the bath:


 
4/10-light overnight snow:

Today, I had my first MRI-a strange experience of being wrapped up, placed in the tube and for a half hour, listen to less than stellar EDM without the crowds, flashing lights or Ecstasy.
 
Bunny reunion-in the late afternoon, Mr. Big Bun was back in his favorite post only with another rabbit and they looked to be up-close and personal. My first thought was it was going to be turf fight between a couple of males.

Well, whatever was said between them did not result in any fisticuffs. After squaring off for several minutes, the one turned around and they both nonchalantly proceeded to have a snack and self-groom.

 Then, I saw another bun moving in from the West:

Stops off at the Diner for a bite:

Then hops over to join the others:
This one is smaller, perhaps a younger male. I wondered if they were siblings but research indicated that the Eastern Cottontails a) are generally solitary b) do not remember relationships with others except during the immediate memory during mating season c) will be aggressive towards others to protect their home range. What I witnessed contradicts all of above unless these guys have been hanging out together recently and are cool with each other. They went their separate ways after 10 minutes or so. Curious.

 
4/11-Late afternoon at the Diner: Little Guy in the birch:
I tossed out onto the Buffet an elderly slice of pizza. No one was around and Nutkin checked it out-hmmm, what is this?
Mpphhrrr, pretty tasty! She attempted to drag the slice home despite it being nearly as big as she is.
Later, Freddie took a nibble. Meh.
Tiger in my backyard:
 

April "Pink" full moon-which is at its farthest point from Earth in its orbit:
 
Passing noted: readers may remember a series of vids I posted of Andrew Cross-The Desert Drifter, who ventured into the rugged frontiers of the American Southwest looking for ancient Indigenous settlements. Sadly, on January 31, he sustained major head injuries in a vehicle accident. His family took him off life support on March 4. He was 36 years old. 

I enjoyed his vids-he was adventurous, had a good sense of curiosity and wonder. He did his homework and gave a clear explanation of the cultures and their history that he was encountering. For me, these vids were also a way of experiencing something I would never try especially now at my age. Tis a shame on so many levels. 

Ahh, Marketing:

Rover.com-featuring a plethora of doggie care programs

 

Beyond Breath-magically takes care of offensive breath for up to 8 hours! Even garlic!


MI Consumer's Energy ad featuring a Mother of five trench worker and a reliable model of someone who can be counted on...just like Consumer's.  
 
Wine is fruit in a bottle-I haven't seen this before but have a feeling its an oldie but goodie. Seems disingenuous marketing considering the amount of press articles braying how bad even a single glass is. 
 
Fun vids:
A common practice among American rice farmers is to seed their fields from the air:

Models of our solar system's planet floating down a river in Poland:
An invasion of inflatable mattresses in an unidentified neighborhood:

Auroras on Jupiter:

 

Paul Simon nostalgia-a couple of songs I had not heard in ages beginning with the innocence of youth and then adulthood. They still ring true especially American Tune:

From 1968 America:


"Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes togetherI've got some real estate here in my bag"So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner piesAnd walked off to look for America
 
"Kathy", I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh"Michigan seems like a dream to me now"It took me four days to hitchhike from SaginawI've gone to look for America
 
Laughing on the busPlaying games with the facesShe said the man in the gabardine suit was a spyI said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera"
 
"Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat""We smoked the last one an hour ago"So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazineAnd the moon rose over an open field
 
"Kathy, I'm lost", I said, though I knew she was sleepingI'm empty and aching and I don't know whyCounting the cars on the New Jersey TurnpikeThey've all come to look for AmericaAll come to look for AmericaAll come to look for America

From 1973 American Tune: 


Many's the time I've been mistakenAnd many times confusedYes, and I've often felt forsakenAnd certainly misused
 
Oh, but I'm alright, I'm alrightI'm just weary to my bonesStill, you don't expect to be bright and bon vivantSo far away from home, so far away from home
 
And I don't know a soul who's not been batteredI don't have a friend who feels at easeI don't know a dream that's not been shatteredOr driven to its knees
 
But it's alright, it's alrightFor we lived so well so longStill, when I think of theRoad we're traveling onI wonder what's gone wrongI can't help it, I wonder what has gone wrong
 
And I dreamed I was dyingI dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedlyAnd looking back down at meSmiled reassuringly
 
And I dreamed I was flyingAnd high up above my eyes could clearly seeThe Statue of LibertySailing away to sea
 And I dreamed I was flying
 
We come on the ship they call The MayflowerWe come on the ship that sailed the moonWe come in the age's most uncertain hoursAnd sing an American tune
 
Oh, and it's alright, it's alright, it's alrightYou can't be forever blessedStill, tomorrow's going to be another working dayAnd I'm trying to get some restThat's all I'm trying to get some rest

The Fermi Paradox-Where Are They?

The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial life existing and the lack of evidence for it, despite the vastness and age of the universe, famously posed by the physicist Enrico Fermi in 1950.

The Paradox:
The Fermi paradox questions why, given the seemingly infinite possibilities for life to arise in the universe, we haven't detected any signs of extraterrestrial civilizations.
 
The Foundation:
The paradox is rooted in the idea that if the conditions for life to emerge are as common as they appear to be on Earth, then it's highly probable that life, including intelligent life, would be widespread throughout the cosmos.
 
The Question:
The core question is: "Where are they?" or "Where is everybody?".
 
Possible Explanations:
Numerous theories have been proposed to address the Fermi paradox, including:
  • The Great Filter: This theory suggests that there's a hurdle in the development of life that most civilizations fail to overcome, preventing them from reaching advanced stages.
  • The Dark Forest Theory: This theory proposes that advanced civilizations are intentionally hiding or avoiding contact due to the potential dangers of encountering other, potentially hostile, species.
  • The Zoo Hypothesis:  This hypothesis suggests that advanced civilizations exist but are intentionally avoiding contact with less advanced civilizations, perhaps to protect them or for other reasons.
  • We are the First: Another possibility is that we are the first intelligent civilization to emerge in our galaxy, and others are yet to develop, or have already gone extinct.
  • The Great Silence: This suggests that the universe is simply too vast and complex for us to detect any signs of extraterrestrial life, even if it exists.
  • They are too alien: It's possible that extraterrestrial life is so different from us that we wouldn't recognize it, or that they are not sending out detectable signals.  
  • We haven't been looking long enough: It's possible that we haven't developed the technology or search methods to detect extraterrestrial life, or that they are simply too far away.
     


 



Sunday, April 6, 2025

NOW SHOWING ACROSS AMERICA

Dear Suckers: you wanna get rid of those nasty tariffs? They can go away for a fee. Come see me and ask. Such a beautiful thing. And wait, there's more: you can then qualify for a reduced price on merch-such as t-shirts announcing your acquiescence and fealty.

Thursday, April 3, 2025

FIVE SECOND STORIES

Equinox afternoon-after Old Man Winter showed us his remaining virility, he cut us a break by returning some sunny, although chilly, weather. Rightfully so, in my opinion, after a particularly grueling February.




Later in the week-squirrelies at the Diner-Nutkin and a mature BigTail, being quite peaceful together at the buffet


 The young one from last season

Nutkin catching some rays-this one is a mystery as we have not seen any other of her kind at our place. With its size, I have figured a female or a runt male from last season.

Buddy, blissed-out by the hearth, keeping his Mum's blanky warm for her until she returns. Such a good boy!

3/25-cold, blustery with snow squalls-sheesh!


3/30-enormous system associated with a massive cold front with snow and ice to the North and major t-storms along the leading edge. 9 tornadoes were reported in MI with a 95 mph straight-line burst in Jackson Co. 

Major ice storm up North and Ontario:

The Mackinaw Bridge was closed for 30 hours, first due to severe icing then waiting for the shards of ice to depart.

The worst seemed to go North and South of us and other than 5 minutes of wind and sheeting rain, we had little accumulation. 

Happy April! Mr. Robin enjoyed himself at the bath-it's egg making time so he wanted to look smart for his wifey.


 

4/2-Storms Pt. 2. It rained hard most of the day. A wet, bedraggled Mr. Bun sought refuge under the pool overhang.

 

Rainfall Wednesday and overnight amounted to 3"! I'd rather have it in smaller portions but happy all our trees and plants received a good, deep drink as they all fire up to do some growing. No warmth yet-won't even see 60° for the next 10 days! This morning is sunny and v windy. The usual pond in the back 40 that we get in such situations.

The Secret of Kells-2009 animated feature about the making of the Book of Kells, an extraordinary illuminated manuscript from the 9th Century. This film is just as extraordinary with wonderfully rendered imagery often incorporate ancient Celtic designs that move and morph. Highly recommended.


"There's nothing in this life but mist and we will be alive for a short time". 

Getty

I made pizza for supper and C finished up some elderly arugula by putting it on her pie. We wondered if this was a Californian thing or if it came over from the old country? Welp, arugula was first mentioned back in Roman times so it is probably safe to say that this topping originated in Italy.

Fun Facts:

Welcome strangers!


When the astronauts who were stranded for months on the ISS splashed down near the FL coast, they were soon greeted by a pod of dolphins. NASA stated that this is not an unusual event-this behavior has been seen before with splashdowns. Dolphins are known to be highly curious and social-perhaps this is their oceanic version of The Welcome Wagon which, btw, was founded in 1928. 

Bad employer

Bach 1715
In November 1717, the composer JS Bach was thrown into jail because of a dispute with his employer, a Duke. Bach was unhappy being passed over for promotion several times and had procured another position with a Prince. This upset the Duke who decided to punish by sending him to a "justice room" rather than a jail cell. Bach spent nearly a month there and proceeded to compose a number of works. His continued intransigence enraged the Duke who thought Bach could be bullied and finally released Bach. While in detention, Bach had worked on the first book of what was to become A Well-Tempered Clavier.

 

From documentarian Errol Morris-solving one of the Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories-The Umbrella Man. A cautionary tale:

   

 Curious winter weather phenom, a "Sun Candle":


 

FUBARland

The Roach photo op at an empty Kennedy Center:

Getty Images

The Stone Roses I Wanna Be Adored 1989

 

 Liberation Day tariffs

Matt Curnoc

From The Guardian: King penguins on Heard Island. Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald islands near Antarctica, along with other remote external Australian territories the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island and Norfolk Island.

That's right! Gonna put some hurt into the lives of those ungrateful penguins! So glad the Roach's idiots did some research on their targets. Not. Too much work! Just tariff everyone! Make them feel the wrath of King Roach!

 

Meet the Rivian!

I saw my first Rivian today. Curious front face. Rivian is an American electric vehicle manufacturer whose first model year was in 2021. Neva heard of them-perhaps it's because the base price of the critter above is over $71,000.