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:

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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. 

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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. 

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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:

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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 together
I've got some real estate here in my bag"
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies
And 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 Saginaw
I've gone to look for America

 

Laughing on the bus
Playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I 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 magazine
And the moon rose over an open field

 

"Kathy, I'm lost", I said, though I knew she was sleeping
I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America

From 1973 American Tune: 

Many's the time I've been mistaken
And many times confused
Yes, and I've often felt forsaken
And certainly misused

 

Oh, but I'm alright, I'm alright
I'm just weary to my bones
Still, you don't expect to be bright and bon vivant
So far away from home, so far away from home

 

And I don't know a soul who's not been battered
I don't have a friend who feels at ease
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered
Or driven to its knees

 

But it's alright, it's alright
For we lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the
Road we're traveling on
I wonder what's gone wrong
I can't help it, I wonder what has gone wrong

 

And I dreamed I was dying
I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly
And looking back down at me
Smiled reassuringly

 

And I dreamed I was flying
And high up above my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty
Sailing away to sea

 And I dreamed I was flying

 

We come on the ship they call The Mayflower
We come on the ship that sailed the moon
We come in the age's most uncertain hours
And sing an American tune

 

Oh, and it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
You can't be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow's going to be another working day
And I'm trying to get some rest
That's all I'm trying to get some rest

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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.
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