We're in a four day stretch of temps in the 80's!!
Daffs in full bloom
As are the forsythia-these are one-year olds in Back 40
Ms. Forsythia out front-a bit sparse this year
We reckon this is probably the earliest Spring meal on the deck we've ever had.
Magnolia blossom from outside of Bessey Hall where C works
Buddy has been increasingly curious about the outdoors. When it first became warm, we opened the slider and windows and figured he would be raring to go. Instead the sudden increase of smells and sounds overwhelmed and freaked him out. He was restless and mewing, sure signs of anxiety we've learned. C moved a chair by a window so he could get onto the sill.
While we were eating, he sat by the screened slider watching us. I left the screen open for him for a bit but later closed it for he did not move. It was as if there was some force field keeping him inside. He settled down into a hen pose but then it seems he was working up the courage to come out. He began to meow at us so I reopened the screen door.
Finally, he stepped out.
It's typical of Buddy to perform these moonshots whether it's finally coming upstairs or going outside. He may be tentative at first but then he will move forward with leaps and bounds.
It was curious to watch him at work: first, he explored the diner, bird bath and shed areas, but then checked out what he could not see from the living room like the area behind the shed. He nosed around out of sight with us nervously watching until I went by the far side of the shed and he moved back towards the pool.
This, did not go unnoticed:
Sky was high up in the small birch, tail switching and uttering squirrel warning calls-CAT! PREDATOR! BABY KILLER!
He was quite unhappy.
Meanwhile, Buddy was checking out under the pool deck-a favorite hanging out place and path for a number of critters as it's in shadow. He was rather systematic, creating a scent memory and went all the way around the pool, again, to places unseen from the house.
Who's been here?
A tiger in our backyard. His mouth is open "tasting" the air known as the flehmen response. This tasting the air action is a highly adapted way of detecting subtle chemical markers called pheromones.
Next stop: the East garden where he made it as far as the catmint. He absolutely adores the stuff-rolling in it, rubbing it on his chin and cheeks and chowing down on the leaves. Being a worried Dad and not knowing if the name of the plant referred to it's odor which is a bit like cat pee or if cats like it, I quickly looked it up and with relief read that catmint leads to a euphoric, hyperactive state.
After a good 10 minutes, he finally wandered back over to the shed and began to explore the apartments. Oh no! Mamachuck is living in #1 and Stampy sometimes in #3 or 4. He went all the way in to the West in #1 and exited East via #4. Whew! No one was home. His farthest exploration West was the garage back door. He came and sat on the pool deck steps...
and disappeared.
Well, we were in a quandary-should we track him down or just let him explore. We walked the entire yard-C was anxious, I put my arm around her and told her this was like our boy's first solo outing on his bike. Let's clear the table, keep an eye out and watch some Simps. After about an hour, we were calling it a night as C had an early start in the morning. She went out into the deck and called for him. After a couple of minutes we spotted him in the East garden looking like he was getting into stalking mode. C broke his concentration and he wandered over and followed her to the deck. She dashed inside for some treats and finally, Buddy came through the slider. His first outing completed. Well done Buddy!
We were relieved as we both said that we probably would not have slept with him still outside. C went to bed and I stayed up for a bit to let the Melatonin kick in. Buddy had gotten a nice snack and was mewing a bit because he really wanted some Momluv but was happy to hang out with Dad. He rolled on my feet and got belly rubs. Finally drowsy, I headed to bed. Luckily, he was fairly quiet during night.
So, Bertram Longfellow takes another big step/giant leap in his life with us. Tonight is going to be another supper outside so we will invite him out if he wishes. We are going to try to introduce him to the portal and get him using it so he will be well on his way to being an indoor/outdoor katter.
Clever promo for one of the newest movie in the Jurassic Park franchise: Jurassic World Domination. Or, what happens when dumbasses think it's a great idea to bring the Dinos back to life. This, on top of other dumbasses who think creating an artificial life form is a wonderful thing. You guys didn't watch Terminator did you? Same hubris at work in both cases: "oh, we can control them".
It's been out for a year now-I hadn't heard about it or was so disinterested that it simply didn't register.
There is a whiff of VR about this and I wondered if there was some kind of licensing synergy with META. Our boy Zuck has bet the farm on VR and the shareholders are getting antsy with the recent negative revenue spiral. Sho'nuff-Oculus (now Quest), META's VR division, released a VR game called Jurassic World Aftermath. Reviews were at best "Meh" mainly because people expected to be blown away and, much to Zucky's disappointment, they were not.
PS. I decided to watch it. Nice visuals. It's pretty much Godzilla with the world in a uproar whether or not humans can live with the Dinos. Scientists for whom this is catnip for study vs a huge chunk of the world who shudder and vote to kill 'em all. I made it through 12:23 when the story shifted to a dino round-up featuring some cowboy hunk doing a Blazing Saddles hootin' n' hollerin', whipping his mount and urging his compadres-"let's get'em boys".
A gorgeous, clear day. The daffs are in full bloom. I began my Spring chores: sumping out the 4" of rain from the pool winter cover; raked my neighbors oak leaves from the deck, around the raised bed; raked the branches from the back yard, put fresh batteries in the outside clocks and set the correct time; ran the gas out of the snow blower and put it away (hopefully, not jinxing us) and put out the deck table and chairs.
Tomorrow, I will be trimming the evergreens, chopping down what's left of last season's butterfly bush, hyssop, asters and echinacea.
It warmed to the mid-60's and I stripped down to my t-shirt. The small, white cabbage butterflies are out already. A lone sky janitor was quite high, lazily spiraling.
With Buddy's pronounced interest with the outdoors, we thought since I was outside, to invite him to explore. I left the slider open but he seemed to freak out. We tried to introduce him to the portal but that was a no-go. I had several of the windows open a crack throughout the house and we wondered if the sudden rush of new smells freaked him out as well. Hopefully, I didn't trigger some trauma-who knows what he went through in his past 2.5 years. C thinks he may come out if he sees us both sitting on the deck. Perhaps, he will prefer to be an inside katter.
Spring is finally here. We've been teased by her shyness, a few promising days of warmth, signs have been revealed with crocus blooming, maples are in red bud. Old Man Winter had lingered before begrudgingly shouldering his rucksack and headed back North. Spring came on strong this past week with big T-storms and heavy rains, which we are all grateful for. It had been a dry Winter. A stretch of 70's is promised for the upcoming week and the power of Spring's awakening will be felt by all living things.
Last night was a lovely early Spring evening. The water had significantly receded in the Back 40 and although the North wind was a bit nippy, the sun was warm. There has been an increasing choir of birds, lobbying for mates and just singing for the joy of it. I spotted new arrivals up in the birch:
Goldfinches and a soon departing Junco
Mamachuck was out and about. Her apartment #1 had been flooded and I think the Western entrance is dryer.
She came out to the Diner for a snack and was joined by one of the siblings.
The squirrels had been busy all day and in fact I saw all 3 of last year's siblings, snacking at the Diner and chasing each other around the yard. Of course, Stubbs came over to the slider to lobby for peanuts as well as to torment Buddy. Another nose to nose standoff ensued. I began to research some sort of screen guard for the slider as I think the potential of Buddy blowing through it in pursuit of fulfulling his duty as DHS is quite high.
Mr. Big Bun and M/M Redbird stopped by to dine. A little chipper skirted the outskirts looking for a stray peanut. The yard was filled with our friends, gathering for a meal and a chat, all thankful to have survived Winter and looking forward to the bounty provided by the mother of us all.
C bought a jackfruit BBQ sandwich from one of her favorite vegan restaurant. While enjoyable, she felt it didn't pull off the "cowoid" experience-texture was fine but the flavor was still fruity. Sounds like the chef used older, ripe fruit than green which, according to online blurb, has a neutral flavor.
꩜
Buddy is proving to be a Morris about toys: very finicky.
꩜
Curious cooking vid with no voice-over and showing only hands throughout the entire show. Evidently made by someone who prefers anonymity and wishes the focus to be on her love of baking and sharing it instead of herself.
꩜
I was listening to NPR on April 4th, the 55th anniversary of MLK's assassination when I was shocked to hear the King's mother was also assassinated. Did I forget about this? It felt like I was just hearing about it.
Mrs. King, middle, next to her son's wife Coretta.
From Wiki:
Alberta Williams King was shot and killed on June 30, 1974, aged 69, by Marcus
Wayne Chenault, a 23-year-old Black man from Ohio who had adopted the
theology of the Black Hebrew Israelites. Chenault's mentor, Hananiah Israel of Cincinnati, castigated Black
civil rights activists and Black church leaders as being evil and
deceptive, but claimed in interviews not to have advocated violence. Chenault did not draw any such distinction, and first decided to assassinate Rev. Jesse Jackson in Chicago, but canceled the plan at the last minute.
Two weeks later he set out for Atlanta, where he shot Alberta
King with two handguns as she sat at the organ of the Ebenezer Baptist
Church. Chenault said that he shot King because "all Christians are my
enemies," and claimed that he had decided that Black ministers were a
menace to Black people. He said his original target had been Martin
Luther King Sr., but he had decided to shoot King's wife instead because
she was near him. He also killed one of the church's deacons, Edward
Boykin, in the attack and wounded retired schoolteacher Jimmie Mitchell
in the neck.
Black Hebrew Israelites are a new religious movement claiming that African Americans are descendants of the ancient Israelites. Black Hebrew Israelites are not associated with the mainstream Jewish
community, and they do not meet the criteria that are used to identify
people as Jewish by the Jewish community. They are also outside the fold of mainstream Christianity.
꩜
An arctic fox beginning to shed her winter coat.
꩜
It's egg time in Mallard Duck world and they will seek out a small body of water near where they nest. I have noticed that sometimes they make bad decisions and chose a puddle that will evaporate long before the kids hatch. I can hear the argument now between the couple: the male proud that he found something secluded and exclusive and the female less than thrilled with hubby's choice."What were you thinking?"
For several years now, we have a couple who nest somewhere to the East but stop at both our diner and Benny's. I was concerned when I saw them in the Back 40 during the big rains but they didn't stay. Perhaps they were reliving past springs and past temporary ponds at my place. When there haven't been ponds, I have seen them floating around in the water on top of the pool's winter cover.
꩜
Something new to worry about: a tick whose bite can produce an allergy in humans to red meat. The Lone Star tick has Alpha-gal, a sugar that causes the problem. Mammalian red meat also contains Alpha-gal so our system gets overloaded and our immune system kicks in hence the reaction. According to the Mayo Clinic:
"Symptoms of alpha-gal syndrome may lessen or even disappear over time.
This is especially true if you don't get any more bites from ticks that
carry alpha-gal. Some people with this condition can eat mammal food
products again after 1 to 2 years if they don't get any more tick bites".
Lone Star ticks aren't here yet but with climate change, they will probably move to our state eventually. If it becomes too widespread, I guess folks will have to eat only avian meat or become vegetarian.
In a nod to Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake, one can imagine eco-terrorists who want the mammalian meat industry to collapse, infiltrate Pepsi and Coke bottling plants and switch out the artificial sweeteners with Alpha-gal sugar to induce widespread allergic reactions in the public.
꩜
Seen while out and about:
Tes Randle Jolly
I was visiting the East Lansing Recycling Center and in an adjacent unplowed crop field was a large flock of turkeys. There were about 25 individuals, pretty much evenly divided between the genders now that they have come out of their Winter flocking which is usually single gendered. Now, it's egg making time! The Toms had their tail feathers fanned and it looked like a mixer: have some hors d'oeuvres of whatever seeds are left on the ground from the harvest and mingle to see who looks hot. The thought of eggs made me realize: I've never seen turkey eggs for sale at the market! Well, enquiring minds needed to know so I looked it up. It's a matter of economics (what isn't?): turkeys lay maybe one egg per week, a chicken one per day. It's just not cost effective.
Fun fact I did not know: Mature adult males are Toms, juvenile males are Jakes.
I was walking out of the Grand Ledge Meijer during last week's spate of stormy weather, when I saw a cloud like this, running North/South, from horizon to horizon. I think it was related to a roll cloud, which are caused by a downdraft from an
advancing storm causing moist warm air to rise, cool below its dew point
and form a cloud. When this happens uniformly along an extended front, a roll cloud may form. They are not, however, part of a storm itself.
꩜
I was sitting in the patio at El Az for lunch the other day. It was well after the noon hour and I had the joint to myself except for an old lady who was at the bar. She had finished her meal and was drinking margaritas watching the old soap The Young and The Restless. Now, I've never been a fan of soaps-drama, drama, drama between good looking, well-dressed upper class people who generally are not very nice. You know the trope: the men are scheming assholes and the women are scheming bitches. It is so over the top with face-slapping and the inevitable drink being flung into someone's snout that I was quietly chuckling as I ate. There appeared someone familiar and I was gobsmacked: it was an actor from an old mid-60's show The Rat Patrol! I knew the guy had gotten this gig sometime ago and here he was! Still alive! The gentleman in question is Hans Gudegast later Eric Braeden, who played the German nemesis to the plucky Allied heroes who roamed North Africa in their cool jeeps loaded with a 50 cal mounted in back raising cain behind the lines. The American commander was played by Christopher George.
Mr. Braeden, now 82 years old, began his tenure at TYATR in 1980 portraying the self-made business magnate Victor Newman. Wow, 43 years!
꩜
Lord Bertram Longfellow, Director of Homeland Security, on duty keeping an eye out for that damn tree rodent, Stubbs who was on the deck earlier.
꩜
A friend of ours had flown out to CA to visit friends for Passover. After flight delays due to the crazy thunderstorms that pushed her arrival back a day, she arrived to end up dealing with a 5 year old girl who wanted to kill her 11 year old brother with a knife and had made a drawing of it. It is not known what grievances there were between the siblings but I imagine it was not the sort of relaxing time she was hoping for. Kids...
꩜
A Japanese burial mound known as Kofun. Pictured above is the largest-Daisen Kofun-from 5 century CE. This style was used from 3rd Century-7th Century CE. There are 161,560 Kofun throughout the Japanese Archipelago all bearing this distinctive keyhole design.
꩜
This is the lighthouse on the Bird Island Nature Reserve off Lamberts Bay, South Africa. Built in 1898, it sits on 47 acres that is one of 6 breeding colonies for the Cape Gannet. Thousands of birds stop by and one can only imagine the amount of noise that they create. I wonder if at sometime in history, employment ads mentioned that interested parties should be hard of hearing otherwise the keeper might be susceptible to alcoholism and even madness because of the incessant racket during mating/hatching season. They didn't have earbuds back then.
꩜
STEVE
From Wiki:
STEVE ("Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement") is an atmospheric optical phenomenonhat appears as a purple and green light ribbon in the sky, named in late 2016 by aurora watchers from Alberta, Canada. According to analysis of satellite data from the European Space Agency's Swarm mission, the phenomenon is caused by a 25 km (16 mi) wide ribbon of hot plasma
at an altitude of 450 km (280 mi), with a temperature of 3,000 °C
(3,270 K; 5,430 °F) and flowing at a speed of 6 km/s (3.7 mi/s)
(compared to 10 m/s (33 ft/s) outside the ribbon). The phenomenon is not
rare, but had not been investigated and described scientifically prior
to that time.
Tornadoes have been in the news lately with the series of large and destructive storms that have visited the Mid-West and South. We were under a tornado watch last Wednesday when the big cold front came across a huge chunk of the country.
A primer on the different kinds of twisters:
Rope tornado
Cone tornado
Wedge tornado
Multi-vortex tornado
The tornadoes above are all associated with supercell thunderstorms. Other whirlwind events are not and often are short-lived and much less destructive.
We've received over 4" of rain so far this month resulting in a large pond in the Back 40. The rain a couple of days ago made the shed an island and I've never seen the water so high in the 13 seasons we've been here.
The shed apartments were flooded as well as those in the brush pile. A Stampy and Mr. Bun had to come out and find refuge elsewhere.
The weather was topsy-turvy. Wednesday featured lengthy thunderstorms with high winds and driving rain and it got up to 72 degrees. The front swung in and by evening it had cleared and the next day, everyone's lawn had greened up but there was a sharp north wind.
This morning, it got down to 31 and by Tuesday, we'll have a run of 70's for a few days. And, we have daffs!!
A huge system brought snow, heavy rains, destructive t-storms, hail and tornadoes to the Mid-West and South. We had a series of thunderstorms early this morning bringing the rainfall total including last night to 1.5". It has been rainy on and off the past week so evidently the ground is saturated hence the pond in the Back 40. Normally, we only experience this during the late Winter snow melt compounded by additional rain. It's been a wet year so far with monthly totals all running ahead of average.
