1/20-Winter storm hits New Orleans breaking snowfall records from 130 years ago with totals ranging from 6-10".
Here, we have had snow squalls on and off. It has been the frigid temps that has been notable. The highs and lows at the airport:
1/18: 39°/0°
1/19: 18°/0°
1/20: 9°/0°
1/21: 9°/-4°
1/22: 16°/-7°
30° is the predicted high for 1/25. The polar bomb cyclone responsible for these temps has moved on across the Atlantic and is poised to smack Ireland and Britain.
1/23-a bit more snow fell. We had tossed out a peanut butter jar and one of the squirrels was thrilled:
1/26-30-warming into the 30's and 40's, looking like our usual January thaw with the blue shadows:
By 1/31-40's and rain, most of the snow is gone:
A bouquet to inspire Spring-Chester is appreciative:
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FUBARland
At the inauguration, First Lady 2.0 showed up as shady $melania wearing a hat that's a cross between Valentino and East European Mafia chic:
The wide brim gave her cover for her eyes as well as a deterrent against smooches from her despised husband.
GOP House Republicans gathered at the Trump Doral resort in Miami to strategize. They were served burgers with the word Trump charred into the bun. Perhaps this is part of the cult's eucharist.
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We tried to watch the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors-but it was dreadful. I generally dislike the musical genre, while C is a fan. Both of us thought the songs were at best (cough) derivative and it practically became a drinking game of which broadway song did this rip off? It had the feel of West Side Story set in LA's skid row.
I came across the 1960 Roger Corman version which features Jack Nicholson in a bit role. Being a Corman film, it was extra cheesy. One thing I did like were the opening credits-inventive for the time. The artist was uncredited and research turn up nothing.
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When dogs sneeze while they are tussling with each other, it signals that they are playing not fighting.
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Meet Mr. Stubbs, who was the elected honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska from 1997 until his death in 2017. He became a celebrity and tourist attraction.
Talkeetna, population 1,055 (2020) serves as the base for expeditions to Mt. McKinley.
This reminded me of the early 90's TV series, Northern Exposure.
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Adeline penguins, who live along the Antarctic coast, have a distinct mating ritual. A male will present a female with a rock as a proposal. If she accepts, it is the first stone in the nest they will build together and eventually contain the eggs they make.
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The Rescuing Hug. In 1995, twin sisters were born 12 weeks prematurely. Per hospital protocol, they were placed in separate incubators. Soon, one was in distress and nothing seemed to help. A nurse, remembering hearing about a procedure done in Europe, broke protocol and placed the twins together in a single incubator. The well sister moved over and put her arm around the ailing sibling and soon her condition bettered. This practice, especially with preemies, is now widespread. The twins both survived.
Brielle and Kyrie Jackson
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Syndrome K: At a hospital in Rome during WWII, a ruse was created by three Roman Catholic doctors about a highly contagious,
highly fictitious disease in order to save Jews from the occupying Nazis. The Germans were told that the patients in a quarantined ward were dangerous to have contact with and were warned not to enter. In the meantime, the doctors made arrangements for the "patients" to be moved to safer hideouts. The ruse lasted maybe a year and saved an estimated 25-100 individuals until a raid ended the operation.
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Tornadoes-our annual serial killers
The spike in 2011 was the result of the April 25-28 Super Outbreak that produced 367 tornadoes.
That evening, there was an occultation of Mars by the Wolf Moon. Occultation refers to a celestial event where the Moon's orbit takes it between the line sight of Earth and Mars. The planet will disappear behind the Moon and later appear on the other side.
Chirag Upreti
I was unable to watch it because of the snowy weather.
When I was young, my Dad and I would view such events after I had gotten a small Sears telescope as a birthday gift. I remember we got up one summer morning, early for both work and school, to watch an occultation-probably Mars or Venus. I was in my early teens. We also stayed up late one Winter night to watch a lunar eclipse.
1/14-quite cold-+15° with snow showers. We probably have 6-7" on the ground. My snowblower is in the shop so I hand shoveled, which was not difficult-due to the cold temps, the snow was light and fluffy.
While I was shoveling, off to the West, it had become partly cloudy with peeks of sunshine and blue sky. To the Northwest, it was dark grey-a snow squall was coming in. It was if I were in a giant snow globe, with fat flakes of snow coming down at an left to right angle, swirling in a light breeze. For a brief time, the sun made the flakes sparkle against the dark grey sky until the squall clouds had finally moved over me and obscured the sun. Extraordinary.
The skies cleared late in the afternoon.
Mr. Redbird at the feeder, for a time illuminated by a band of sunlight.
My 89 year old neighbor Benny fell and broke his hip while visiting a casino in Battle Creek. According to a neighbor, he fell either mounting or dismounting a treadmill. My first reaction was "huh? Treadmill at a casino? Oh, so after getting a good buzz on from the cheap drinks, losing at the slots, oinking out on the buffets-you go to the exercise facility to work some of this off?" Ah, what I learned later is that of course, the casino is attached to a hotel which has the exercise spot. He is recovering but he will be away for a while so his Diner will be temporarily closed. I'm expecting his customers to visit so I am amping up the buffet.
1/18-in the upper 30's today with nice skies.
One of the BentTail clan was at the Diner
I think this is one of the younguns-not Freddie
Meanwhile, in front of the fire on the couch
I made a mushroom rigatoni with vodka sauce for supper. Simple recipe but I found it blandish. Well, this is because the main flavor profiles in a non-vegan dish come from a good amount of romano cheese and sometimes pancetta or sausage. C enjoyed it and I think next time, I'll add a nice smoked ham to mine and some vegan sausage to hers.
C mentioned a tasty French dessert although traditionally Flemish: Lemon Sorbet Colonel or lemon sorbet with a shot of vodka poured on top.
Late in the day, glowy clouds
1/19-our resident turkey posse visited the Diner.
I hadn't put any corn out yet so while they were pecking around, I went quietly into the garage and got a nice container full for them. I walked slowly towards them and one of the largest ones took note. I guess he is the alpha as he reared as tall as he could, spread his tail a bit and took a couple of steps towards me, his beady eyes locked on while I approached. The rest of the posse were jittery, a couple quickly walking away. I spoke to them as I shook the container of corn. They watched and I flung the corn towards the giving stone figuring they might run but come back. Naw, they recognized what it was and immediately gathered around to eat.
El Jefe
Two more were across the street at my neighbors feeder. It appears the posse now has eight in their group.
Later in the day, the temps began to drop as the skies cleared off
By late afternoon, it was +15°. I noticed the birds around the feeder were lethargic, without their usual flitting around. They were conserving warmth and energy.
We decided to put out a energy pak: peanuts in shell coated with peanut butter. C placed it in the branches of Mr. Xmas tree
1/20-it got down to +5° this morning. The peanut butter treat had been snarfled up. I put out more corn and the turkey bros. ate it all during a lake effect squall.
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Starting tonight through 1/21-the arctic blast arrives with Tuesday being the worse with +3/-7 being the high and low for the day. At least we are missing the snow storms in the Deep South and the East Coast. We worry about Bud-he still goes out for patrol and bathroom breaks, ignoring the litter box we have for him upstairs.
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Roach 2.0 begins 1/20, weirdly on MLK day. Today, 1/19, could be the last day of our freedom before FUBARland takes hold and ironically, creates a much worse swamp than the one they want to drain. Good luck to us all.
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As a kid, I was always intrigued by the word Katzenjammer-no doubt picked up from my Mom who was commenting on badly behaved children.
The word refers to a popular and longest running comic strip in history, The Katzenjammer Kids. Created in 1897 and published for 109 years, it stars two twin boys, Hans and Fritz, who misbehave and rebel against any sort of authority.
Katzenjammer is a German word literally meaning "cat's wail" (caterwaul) and hence "discordant
sound", sometimes used to indicate a general state of depression or
bewilderment. It can also refer to a severe headache often the result of a hangover. So, the lads are their family's headache which many parents can relate to especially when their beloved offspring become little monsters.
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Birthday noted: Larry, the resident cat at 10 Downing St. (PM's residence) turned 18 on 1/13. Well done, lad!
Passing noted:
Dame Joan Plowright 10/28/29-1/16/25-acclaimed actress of stage and screen. Married to Laurence Olivier 1961-1989 when he died. Was nominated in 1993 Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in the film Enchanted April which is a great favorite of mine.
David Lynch 1/20/46-1/15/25-creator of fabulously surreal, noirish and dark films such as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Inland Empire, Mulholland Drive and the TV series and film Twin Peaks; the calm yet quirky The Straight Story and a controversial version of Dune. Tis sad we won't ever see anything new from this vastly unique and creative filmmaker.
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My watergirl's routine after work in the cold months is to take a long hot bath before yoga and supper. Her bath salts scent half the house and stays on her when she moves through the house. It's always quite subtle and pleasant.
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Curious Indian style cover of The Eagles' "Hotel California"
The Furthest Limits of Human Beings:
Vid from Paul Whitewick, who explores his native Britain's ancient past. Here, he looks at how the British Isles were mapped over the ages. The segment on the Greek explorer Pytheas was particularly interesting, recounting his meetings with tribes who lived along the English coast. They were often painted, were friendly to strangers and eager to enter into a trading relationship as they were with others. What struck me was their tribalism and it was curious to compare them with our Indigenous peoples. Also the fact that this took place in the 300s BCE!
Another Whitewick vid concerning Glastonbury Tor, which I had never heard of. It is located West of Stonehenge, South of Bristol.
Avebury, the largest Neolithic stone circle in the world. But it is much more than that-in the area are many structures and monuments including Stonehenge.
While I was watching this, it struck me that viewed as a center for religious and cultural festivals, it is very much something our species does and has done up to present. Perhaps a modern example are the Burning Man festivals held in the Nevada desert.
On a much smaller scale and celebrated in certain parts of the world is 1/25: Burn's Night where the Scottish poet and lyricist, Robert Burns (1759-1796) is feted with song, food and drink.
On a much larger scale, Hindus in India have begun a 44 day celebration called Maha Kumbh Mela or the Festival of Sacred Pitcher which marks the victory of the gods over demons. An estimated 400 million people will travel to a designated town on the banks of the sacred Ganges River to take a dip in the waters. This act will wash away their sins and give salvation in the cycle of life and death. This festival happens every 6 and 12 years, correlated with the partial and full revolution of Jupiter around the sun. This year is part of the 12 year celebration.
Meanwhile on 1/21, a planetary alignment can be seen. About 45 minutes after sunset, look South. In the Southeast, will be Mars and Jupiter; to the Southwest, will be Venus and Saturn.
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Generally, the Why Files deals with fringe theories about everything from UFOs to alien species who were here thousands of years ago (and developed early hominids for use as slaves) to all sorts of paranormal stuff. This vid is different-it looks at how various creatures (including small human groups today) on earth have evolved to cope with higher amounts of radiation from a million years ago to the wolves at Chernobyl. It then enters the near cult realm of what I refer to as Saganism: we are all made of star stuff and some ideas about just why we are here. An interesting and thought provoking vid and I am not alone: the creator of the Why Files has logged over 1.5 million views since posted on 1/19/25!
I came across a piece about the Cincinnati zoo being closed due to the weather and how some animals were out having fun in the snow. One shot (seen above) was of a cheetah picking her way through the white stuff. A chuckling, unseen voice is heard asking the cat "What do you think, Krissy?". Here is what Krissy thought:
"How the fuck do you think I'm doing? I hate the fucking snow. My feet are wet and cold. My nose is cold. I hate it here. I want to go back to my jungle".
To which the chuckling zookeeper replies: "Now Krissy, we've had this discussion before. You have the distinct honor of living in our zoo where you have everything you need for a happy life. Most animals in the wild don't have such an opportunity and I'd like to point out..."
The rest was "blah, blah, blah" as Krissy walked away. In the shelter overlooking her outside pen, she sat and angrily ruminated. She hated that condescending apebitch. "At least back home, I was revered and recognized as a queen. Here, I have that fucking name they gave me, which I hate, a name some dumbass apemale thought was glamorous. Here, I am compared to some hard porn apebitch they saw in a magazine. Neither porn girl or that zoobitch could hold their own in a fight" she hissed.
Krissy sighed and put her chin on her paws. "I could just eat one of that apebitch's arms and a side of her face. They would give me the needle for that but my problems would be over. My spirit would go back home, my nice warm home". She made a sarcastic snort-"yeah, if I am sooo like the ape porn star, then how come I haven't had a nice piece of manmeat in a long time"? She let out a grunt. "They just don't get it. That is the farthest thing in my mind or any other female for that matter. We're fucking busy. All those kids I have to teach because they're dumber than a water buffalo. All that going out to hunt, risking my tail getting food for everybody. It's such a grind, everysingleday. Oh yes, throw in the unexpected demand by his royal highness who shows up now and then. Gawd, at least it's a short encounter, not like those dumb apebitches who do it for 20 minutes. A couple of thrusts and he's outta there, stinking of all the other females he's had today. Piece of shit".
She heard a metallic rattle and knew that meant breakfast was coming. She could hear that obnoxious apebitch braying like a zebra to her co-workers. She opened her mouth to taste the air and her face turned into a sneer. "Well, let's see how her majesty is doing" brayed the apebitch as they opened Krissy's enclosure.
All the animals in the zoo and surrounding area went quiet and all that could be heard, at that moment, was a light rustle of leaves.
This exchange was the result of a landmark ruling by the World Court stating that all living entities appearing in film, stills and documentaries would be paid the same as humans. The suit was brought by The League, an organization comprising of all living things on the planet. You may remember that my late cat Bin had introduced us to the existence of The League and its work. Attenborough has produced over a hundred of docs in which many beings have appeared, uncompensated. His company now has to spend much time and treasure communicating with entities about payment.
He is rumored to be close to retirement-he is 98 years old!!
A dark night (click on the pics for better viewing)
Buddy was sprawled out by the fire
We were up calling it a night when I noticed deer coming down to visit the Diner
A doe mom and her two girls evidently had heard there was corn on the menu
We stood motionless at the windows watching them. Something caught Mom's attention and she quickly moved towards Johnny's. One of the girls lingered for a bit but then dashed off. We moved over to the garage side door which has a big window. They were quite close to Johnny's slider and were nibbling on a tall evergreen. Mom reared up on her hind legs to go after some tasty bit while the girls went for the low hanging goods. I think it's a variety that has winter berries such as a juniper.
PS: They returned the following evening with a third doe who was smaller than her siblings. With the new snow, they didn't find much corn so they went back onto the berm and moseyed over to Benny's Diner.
Cold and wet outside, we were snug in front of the hearth. We watched a magical animated fable "The Red Turtle", 2016 from Ghibli Studios. It tells the story of a shipwrecked man on a small island who is frustrated in his attempts to escape by a large red sea turtle. Wonderful visuals throughout-highly recommended.
New Year's Day
We got maybe an inch from yesterday afternoon to this morning.
As I do at the beginning of each month, I noted our precipitation and today tallied the totals for 2024. We received 2.27" above average and for the first time since I began observations in 2019, we have had two years in a row of above average moisture. The Farmer's Almanac is predicting a hot/wet Summer. Stay tuned!
1/4-cold with light snow at times. Temps going down into the teens for the next few nights. The turkey bros were making their rounds:
Later, a flock of starlings came by, mainly hanging out at Johnny's next door. This happened 1/10 last year.
Starling with winter plumage:
Chris Bosak
Some wandered over to the Diner to see what is on the menu. At the same time, in the Back 40 under the honeysuckle, were a handful of robins!
Again, back in 2023 when C and I took a long walk on xmas day-we saw robins then as well.
For both instances, we wonder if it is by chance we come across them or are they stopping by to refuel? Are they heading South because it's just too darn cold where they were or are they in a yearly pattern moving from one area to another looking for food?
Another cold early evening:
Buddy enjoys being by the tree and will spend some time facing it. We refer to this as Buddy doing his meditation.
1/5-I got up just before 8am. It was +12° at the airport.
1/6-Epiphany-very cold-got down to 0° at the airport. I put away the holiday decorations, untrimmed the tree and put it out by the Diner-we're going to hang goodies for the critters. The turkey posse were out and about. The sun appeared for a bit in the late afternoon.
1/8-monochromatic bright overcast with snow showers starting in the early evening:
1/9-bitterly cold morning +3° but bright and sunny.
A couple of squirrelies at the Diner:
1/10-more snow. The Diner was v busy with squirrels, nutkin, a variety of birds including starlings and robins stopped by. A robin on the roof:
1/11-we picked up a good 3" of snow overnight. The day started overcast.
By mid-morning, the sun had come out and so did the critters
It was in the low-30's after noon. Buddy went on the front porch to catch some rays before going on his rounds:
Tiger in my backyard
It was one of those typical Michigan January afternoons although clouds were coming in. Another overcast day predicted for tomorrow with an inch of snow predicted.
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Buddy in his sphinx pose:
His Lordship heartily endorses these vids:
Nothing like chillin' with some cartoons after a big holiday meal
Doggie gets a feline masseuse and dog whisperer
Feline hyperbole
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I've been a long-time fan of David Lynch and have seen most of his work except for Twin Peaks Season 3. Well, I'm in the middle of the 18 episodes and yikes! it's a head-spinner. Peculiar, surreal, creepy with numerous threads, rabbit holes and just strange stuff. Lots of experimentation in mini-segments, storytelling. The series came out in 2017, a year into Roach 1.0 and there are several rather oblique references to life in America during his administration. Many of the actors from the original series continue their roles in season 3-which takes place 25 years after Laura Palmer's murder.
Potential drinking game: track how many times "ambient whooshing" appears in the captioning.
Throughout the episodes, there is a thread featuring Dr. Lawrence Jacoby played by Russ Tamblyn, who was Laura Palmer's shrink. 25 years later, he is a ranting QAnonesque podcaster bitching about the swamp:
Like so many of his ilk, he hawks ridiculous items to make a buck off his "followers". The good doctor bought a bunch of cheap shovels and spray painted them gold. Sound familiar? These vids explain what the shovels are for.
Fun stuff:
The Vinicunca Mountain, Peru aka The Rainbow Mountain
Michaelbrawn
The mountain used to be covered by glacier caps, but these melted and by the mid-2010, mass tourism came, attracted by the mountain's series of stripes of various colors due to its mineralogical composition on the slopes and summits.
Passo Giau, Italy-high mountain pass in the Dolomites
Fun Facts:
-Human red blood cells live on average 120 days.
-In 2024, Los Angeles had more rain than Seattle-15.77" vs 12.94". While it refilled the reservoirs, it has not alleviated the dry conditions which were exacerbated by strong Santa Ana winds resulting in major wild fires that flared up in the LA area.
-Deer and boar have dichromatic vision meaning they cannot distinguish between red and green so a tiger's orange fur to them would read as greenish.
-There are more castles in Germany (25,000) than there are McDonald's in the US (14,300).
-Both of Jack Black's parents worked for NASA.
-The term "alpha" which first appeared 100 years ago did not pertain to lions or men in suits-it was about chickens. "Pecking order" also comes from chicken life.
-The oldest chicken on record lived 23 years, 151 days. A recent Guinness world record holder died on Christmas Day, 2023 aged 21 years, 238 days and lived on a farm near Chelsea, MI.
-Peregrine falcons are the fastest animals on the planet with dives reaching 200+ mph.
-Jaguars in South/Central America are known to eat vine/root of the ayahuasca plant which has hallucinogenic properties. It is theorized that this enhance their senses for hunting.
-Ducks are among only 3% of avians who regrow their penises. As daylight hours increase signalling mating season is on the way, they develop their penises anew.
-Speaking of ducks, farmers in Bangladesh have begun switching from growing chickens to ducks. Ducks are more resilient than chickens and can survive better in floods and cyclones which are more frequent due to climate change. Currently, ducks bring in a better price than chickens. Double-bonus!
-The largest prehistoric bird was the Quetzalcoatlus,a giraffe-sized pterosaur that lived 70 million years ago with a 40 foot wingspan. It lived along the Rio Grande River in Texas, and nested on mountains and cliffs.
-Turkeys blush when they are excited. This can range from anger to horny with hormones during the mating season.
C and I were just wondering what they do in the Winter to sleep. They roost in trees, especially in pines, which gives them shelter with their year-round needles from snow and being in a tree provides safety from predators.
-Abraham Lincoln loved cats. He was the first president to have cats in the White House. It is said that they helped relieve stress. He often had a place set for them at the table and once fed one at a formal dinner.
-Apes don't ask questions. They don't realize that another individual such as another ape or a human, might know something they don't. They lack metacognition or put simply, thinking about one's thinking.
More precisely, it refers to the processes used to plan, monitor, and
assess one's understanding and performance. Metacognition includes a
critical awareness of a) one's thinking and learning and b) oneself as a
thinker and learner. In human children, "metacognition" begins at age 2-3 years with significant development ages 5-7.
-Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic. They were all in First Class and were carried by their owners to the lifeboats.
-The logo for the online browser Firefox is actually a red panda. Firefox is a nickname for the critter.
Fun vids:
Shrew conga line-how mom shrews keep the kids together:
Tallest statues and future projects across the world with reference size to humans:
Red Bananas:
Bubble rings:
Snow devil:
Sandpipers murmuration:
The flashing between black and white is caused by their white fronts and dark backs.
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