FIVE SECOND STORIES

In the Neighborhood: On a breezy, Fall-like day in late August MamaC, sitting on her butt on the front porch, nibbling on a zucchini stump I had tossed onto the Buffet.

I spotted on the butterfly bush by the main bathroom, a couple of Monarchs. Good to know the one I've been seeing all summer is not by his lonesome. Hopefully, they can find mates before they head South.

New butterfly variety! This is a Painted Lady:

MamaC has put on some LBs getting ready for the big sleep:

Mr. Purple Finch on the feeder, Mrs. Redbird awaiting her turn in the honeysuckle and our rosy hydrangea:

I was cleaning the pool and I saw this guy and thought he was a grasshoppa. Close. Meet Mr. Katydid:

Katydid is a North American name-they are also known as bush crickets and long-horned grasshoppers. The family contains over 8000 species. Katydid refers to their 3 note call although they have several calls:

8/27-28-near total lunar eclipse. I was unable to stay up but caught the moon as it began around 10 pm.  Full moon this month is the Sturgeon Moon.

Team Effort! After being stung several times by yellow jacket wasps while mowing, I called a local company to come and bomb their nests. As we toured the yard, we made a discovery: our neighborhood Stampies had taken out 2 out of 3 nests!

This one above still had some residents so that was the only one the Wasp Killers treated. They laughed-it looks like the skunks did our work for us. 

The Stampies saved us $60! Well done you! We haven't seen them around (although we have smelled them) since May.

8/30: rain overnight and this morning has brought us nearly an inch and it's still coming down. Mellow morning.

C is at her office getting ready for classes which begin for her on 9/1, her 17th year at MSU I believe.  

Fun Fact: 

Blue jays mimic hawk calls to deceive other animals, clear out backyard bird feeders and warn their flock about real predators.

Why Blue Jays Mimic Hawks

Deceiving Competitors: Blue jays use realistic hawk sounds—especially the screaming call of the Red-shouldered Hawk or Red-tailed Hawk—to scare other birds and squirrels away from food sources so they can eat in peace. 
Flock Warnings: Opinions are mixed on all the exact triggers, but experts agree that making a hawk sound can act as a local alert to signal danger to other blue jays when a real raptor is passing overhead. 
Stealing Food: By startling smaller birds or causing them to flee in panic, a blue jay can swoop in to steal dropped seeds or treats.

 #cutebuddypix: a chill Buddy-roo next to me on the couch:

Looking up from the couch:

AI Feline-centered music vids with lyrics:

ZZ Cat: Gimme All Your Kibble-RIP Frank Beard who passed on 8/17.

 

Fleetwood Meow: My Gifts to You-featuring Mewie Nicks singing a plaintive Landslidesque lament:

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Fun vids: Ameila Earhart mystery close to being solved:

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When Muskrat's GROK was asked to depict an image of Jesus, not based on centuries of paintings, but on historical and anthropological evidence of life in those days. What GROK came up with as a result is nothing like the usual image of some light-skinned, light eyed (in some cases), rather tall, with long-flowing hair and a decent beard that we have been fed for years. And it raised quite a stir. The host also brings up questions about the growing impact of AI on our lives and is it a good thing?

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Heavy science about climate change-notable statements: 

We've reached the point where some events are impossible to happen without climate change.

We cannot return to the good old days of the climate of our memory. Over the next 5 years, each year will be progressively worse overall in the climate. We cannot adapt to this future. We have to make changes NOW and what this means is reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. It means moving away from oil to renewables. We know how to fix the problem but a tiny group of men and their greed is condemning us all.

You have to wonder about these elites: are they delusional? Or do some feel that they can hide in their bunkers until everyone topside has perished, with these survivors creating a new world order? Yep, that oldie but goodie and yep, they are delusional. No one will survive the over-heated Earth. 

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Rodney Dangerfield on the Johnny Carson Show:

RD: I've had a terrible day, just terrible.

JC: Oh?

RD: I got up this morning and did my push-ups in the nude. I didn't see the mouse trap!

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Funny memes

You can't unsee this title featuring some heavy astronomy: 

Uranus retrograding. 

You don't wanna know.  

 

MADads: Valentino Beauty's promotional campaign for Born in Roma Purple Melancholia features brand ambassador Adut Akech and Anwar Hadid in a cinematic exploration of memory, intimacy, and modern identity. There are scents for both genders. For me, this has a strong whiff of the vampire Lestat:

 

As if we haven't seen enough on YT and Lansing CATA buses featuring the Bernstein family, here is one from "America's Largest Injury Law Firm"-Merman on duty!

  

FUBARland: Created by Lebanese musician comedian Rudy Ayoub:

Trump goes to Heaven:

 And he goes to Hell:

No one wants him.