Haluški: FIVE SECOND STORIES

5/21-5/22-finally received some good rain. My gauge read 1.5" and it was a slow soaker. Chilly and damp out, though-Irish weather. It did not deter a wet Lil' Woody who found Diner empty and had a leisurely bite:

By the afternoon, the rain had stopped. Big Blue stopped by for a sip at the bath:

5/23-we tossed out a peanut butter jar and one of the young squirrels checked it out. Who knows if he had ever encountered these jars before but he wasn't shy about partaking:

He withdrew briefly to lick his whiskers before having another go:

5/24-another morning in the 30's but at least later on the sun came out:

Out front the Dutch iris have finished with the Siberian's beginning to show bud. The allium's have center stage:

DHS was in zen mode by the Chipper's front door (under the deck):

Meanwhile, an unpleasant sight:

I'M BAAACCCCKKKK, bitch!

Yeah, that orange stuff on the apartment porches...cayenne pepper, which isn't working too well. Now, this is not MamaChuck. We think it is one of her offspring from last season and she has returned to the old homestead of her childhood...probably because she is preggers! Oh gawd. She immediately began to chow down on the coneflowers so I went out and installed cloches to protect them. My neighbor across the street said he had luck with coyote urine so I researched who had the best, curiously it was from Lenon's Lures, which I mentioned in the May 19th post. This was a company first wife's paternal grandfather began over 100 years ago and still carries his name.

It was a busy afternoon at the Diner. LG's coat is beginning to fill in after his molt:

The Jays were out so I tossed some peanuts for them as well. Big Blue and LG hanging out and enjoying their treats:

The chuckette and Nutkin doing some grazin':

DHS kept his eye on things from one of his favorite outposts with excellent line of sight on the Diner:

He came in later to hang out with dear old Dad:

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Nice digital billboard-unable to determine if this image is photoshopped or not-Oreo was experimenting with 3D billboards:

Fake (but funny) meat department product that appeared on Instagram in 2024:

Annie's brand mac n' cheese:

with a fun activity for the kids on the back:

C and I both thought there was a problem with the illustration: to us it looks like the bunny is talking out of one side of his mouth. For the glue instructions-it's not to the tips of of the clothespin but on the long side of the pin. Odd.

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Seen while out and about: last year in the NE cloverleaf section of the 496/Creyts Rd. intersection, someone planted a good-sized plot of sunflowers. The stalks were mowed down this Spring. On this day as I was on the exit ramp, I looked over and saw a couple of Sandhill Cranes enjoying some sunflower seeds that were buried in the field debris.

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Uncle Jeff hollers:

While running errands, I came across a segment on NPR concerning a troubling trend with younguns who, because of Tik Tok, Instagram and a lesser extent Zooming, have become obsessed with their faces. In some cases, they "see" imperfections that aren't there. One Mom got out a mirror to prove to show her daughter that there was not a problem.

This seems to be a continuation of American neurosis and obsession with perfection, an unhealthy attitude that invariably sets a person up for failure.

Returning to facial perfection: I've noticed that in my YT feed or the newspapers I read, the latest wave of ads are cures for that dreaded condition-bags under the eyes. Curiously, these ads tend to be aimed at men. Evidently, this is the newest craze among certain populations. I would suggest that the influencer might be a 78 year old man who daily smears bizarrely orange fake tan makeup and his defense secretary who had a make-up studio installed next to his office at the Pentagon.

Another product I hadn't seen before: LED face masks. Allegedly they can offer noticeable benefits for conditions like acne, fine lines, and uneven skin tone. There are versions for toning up neck and top of breasts. The example below retails for $799.99:

Another version with a peek at the inside:

Nena Farrell

Stranger still is the LED mask origin story:

LED masks, a form of (LED) light therapy, have been around for over 30 years. NASA first began using LED light therapy in the 1980s to stimulate plant growth, and later discovered its benefits for wound healing. The technology has since been adapted for cosmetic purposes, including targeting sun damage, hyperpigmentation, scarring, wrinkles, and acne.

I'm sure these masks are helpful but they creep me out due to a number of slasher movies featuring psychopathic murderers wearing masks such as:

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Groaners:

What is green and stays out of night?

Paddy O' Furniture

What did one flag say to the other flag?

Nothing, he just waved.

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I was watching a British detective show and an older gent made this comment about a young woman to her father:

She has a smile like a sunburst.

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Curiosity: before the alarm clock there were the Knocker-upper-people who used poles or pea shooters to tap on upper story windows to wake 19th C folk. Probably very helpful as the Industrial Revolution took hold and people had to be to work at a certain hour rather than the sunrise-sunset agrarian shift.

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I had not come across English artist Damien Hirst's (b.1965) Butterfly series.

2007 Cathedral Print, St. Peters, limited edition silkscreen

2009 series Sanctum, limited edition etchings.

From 2024, Kaleidoscopes, limited edition Diasec-mounted Giclée prints on aluminium composite panel:

Harlequin:

Chameleon:

Unique critters from New Guinea:

A very dangerous bird: The Cassowary and you need to wary of these guys. Native to New Guinea and NE Australia, they are smaller only to Ostrich and Emu. Their heads have unusually brilliant colors:

Their toes are their main weapon. The inner or second of the three toes is fitted with a long, straight, murderous nail which can sever an arm or eviscerate an abdomen with ease. They continuely hold the yearly record for Avian-caused human deaths. Generally, they are said to be shy and solitary but like most species, can get aggressive protecting their territory or young.

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A Bird of Paradise from Western New Guinea: The Magnificent Riflebird:

All black plumage with blue iridescent ascot-sharp dresser!

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Tree Kangaroos-live in tropical rain forests in New Guinea and are marsupials adapted for arboreal locomotion.

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The Malabar Whistling Thrush-another native to New Guinea. I was watching a vid about the unique animals in this part of the world, I kept hearing this guy-very distinct in the jungle.

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Carnivorous Pitcher Plants:

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Iron Age Celtic Goldsmithing:

The Snettisham Great Torc. Part of the Snettisham burial hoard found in Norfolk, England. Celtic, gold alloy, 150-50 BCE. Diameter 56 cm (22 in). (British Museum, London)

Rainbow Cups

Found in Bavaria, made 50-25 BCE with triskelion-Celtic symbol of interconnectedness between the 3 realms of the universe: earth, water, air and the cycles of life, death and rebirth.

From Wiki: Rainbow cup is a term for Celtic gold and silver coins found in areas once dominated by the La Tène culture (c. 5th century BCE - 1st century BCE in central Europe). They are curved like a bowl and marked with various symbols and patterns.

The coins were often found in ploughed fields after heavy rainfall, leading to the folk belief that they could be found where a rainbow touched the earth. They were thought to bring luck and had many different effects ascribed to them.

There is not general agreement among researchers concerning their use-many feel that they served as gifts rather than currency.

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Fun vids:

The Sunfish

Fireflies-a long exposure of these wonderful beetles aka Sparkle butts:

Fer Gregory

Sadly, as with many things on our planet, life is getting harder for them. Habitat loss, use of pesticides on lawns (so folks can have the perfect lawn) and increased use of artificial lighting by apes all contribute to decreased numbers. The lighting issue is especially problematic: fireflies use bioluminescence (their flashing lights) to communicate, particularly for mating. Artificial light can disrupt these flash patterns, making it difficult for them to find mates and reproduce. Talk about sending out the wrong signals to a girl!

I still seem them in the neighborhood but not as much as even 10 years ago.

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Another associated concern: other than the white butterflies I saw in mid-April, I have yet to see another species in my yard.

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Time lapse of starling murmuration and sheep moving in pasture:

Cool clouds in Chile:

Mating call of a male Australian Bustard that sounds like a lion's roar:

Crows are very intelligent-in this vid, see the Crow anticipate an outcome-often the one thing credited to ape that sets them apart from other critters:

When I saw the section where Crows who took vengeance on a man in India, it reminded me of the crappy spaghetti western God Forgives, I Don't, the first film Terence Hill and Bud Spencer made together culminating with the They Call Me Trinity series.

Nature's oddities: