caucus99percent free-range politics, organic community

The chance would be a fine thing.

Your flower looks like a caterpillar.

—

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 7:42pm

It does look like a caterpillar.

@Bollox Ref

I hadn't noticed that before you mentioned it.

How's Fred?

Submitted by Bollox Ref on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:17pm

Fred watching Foyle's War with us last night...

—

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 11:06pm

Doesn't Fred look comfy and attentive

@Bollox Ref

Foyle’s War looks very interesting. It’s Acorn tv, which I should be able to view on Amazon Prime Video my daughter included me in recently. My very favourite series so far was on Acorn, Australian tv - A Place to Call Home.

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 7:46pm

your caterpillar looks like a flower

@Bollox Ref
grey gray skies

[video:https://youtu.be/F84yWm1ZjCg]

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:04pm

Hi QMS!

@QMS

How goes it?

Thanks for the lively music. Here's one I was listening to earlier ...

[video:https://youtu.be/0xmOuCVLsro]

NCTim introduced me to The Iguanas, who immediately became a favourite.

Tim, if you're tuning in, this one is for you and sweetie ...

[video:https://youtu.be/L7xz8xc_eCE]

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:21pm

who knows where the tims goes

@janis b @janis b

off by an e

watched two swans nibbling
in the river whilst
recovering a boat
sun sinking low
ripples in the water

[video:https://youtu.be/OkOB57UcYk8]

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:29pm

Your words create images

@QMS

as strong as beautiful musical lyrics. Thank you.

I hope your efforts as the sun sank saved the boat. I especially hope you are enjoying the beauty of your efforts.

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:36pm

suffering me sweetly

shoulder checked out of bounds again
no deposit
no return
had fun with the concept
how time fly's
not on wings
something circular
when asked where times go

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 11:08pm

Ooh, sorry about your shoulder

@QMS

Too bad life life can't be insured for mechanical failures.

[video:https://youtu.be/qNWFhmNcNUc]

Submitted by Blue Republic on Sun, 02/02/2020 - 3:48am

Favorite by Far

@QMS

Thank you!

One of my favorite albums, period.

Recommend a listen to the whole thing for anyone unfamiliar...

"Slips don't count in a bear fight."

- Dad

Mrs. Scarrot

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 7:47pm

Pretty flower, Janis. What is it?

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 7:57pm

It's

a Eucomis.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 7:40pm

Thanks for Friday Night Photos tonight, BR.

Nice shot of the tanker. I remember flying over the Great Lakes once. I was impressed by how big they are.

I few shots from a trip to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park this morning.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by Bollox Ref on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 7:47pm

Thanks SP

Your tiger seems quite thoughtful.... even contemplative.

—

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:39pm

He's probably contemplating his next meal.

@Bollox Ref
I'm just glad it's not me.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 7:52pm

Wonderful photos, Social

What a beautiful photo of the white bird.

The tiger looks sadly wistful. Now I am wondering whether bird's expressions can have the same subtlety of mood.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:51pm

Thank you, Janis.

@janis b
The white bird is a Bali Myna. It was rather shy. This was the only good shot I was able to get of it while it was hiding in the foliage.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:54pm

You've captured

the 'hiding' beautifully.

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 10:46pm

nice Bali Mynah

@Socialprogressive I learned it as Bali Starling, but Starling or Mynah both are acceptable, as is Rothschild's Mynah, by any other name are all Leucopsar rothschildi. My understanding is that twice now, numbers decreased until there were a dozen or so living individuals. There are many more now due to breeding programs, but it was twice one of the most critically endangered birds in the world. It has seemingly been brought back from the brink.

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:17pm

great pix SP!

@Socialprogressive Great pix as always SP! Is the 'parrot' a Rainbow Lorikeet? Beautiful bird.

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:01pm

Thank you, dystopian.

@dystopian
Yes that's a Rainbow Lorikeet. They're very colorful, just like the Painted Bunting in your avatar pic.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 7:50pm

I can't imagine the brain power it took to do this

Kobe Tribute using Rubik’s Cubes... pic.twitter.com/K1kpLi12NI

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 28, 2020

It makes my brain fuzzy just thinking about doing it.

—

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 7:54pm

Very cool snoopy, thanks n/t

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:13pm

great pix y'all

cain't focus the brownie no mo
so here ya go

[video:https://youtu.be/3XqyGoE2Q4Y]

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:21pm

Maybe,

@QMS

seeing the fortune teller would be better ...

[video:https://youtu.be/5K-KAMF3Fj0]

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:33pm

thanks for the cut Janis!

@janis b That is a neat version of one of my favorite songs... very cool. Yer flower is nice too. The only blooms I know like that are aquatic plants.

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:47pm

Now that's interesting, dystopian.

This plant is flourishing in the extreme heat and dryness of summer. Maybe it is a kind of succulent variety.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:09pm

I’m looking at a Monarch,

stationery on a swan plant, laying it’s eggs. It feels sad, knowing it means the end of its life.

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:24pm

with life comes death...

@janis b ... at least it is passing its genes on!

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by lotlizard on Sat, 02/01/2020 - 1:27am

That feeling when I got to the end of “Charlotte’s Web”… :(( n/t

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:25pm

nice boat BR!

nice bass boat BR. I lived a number of years by the L.A. Harbor, lots of big stuff there. Sailing across the shipping lanes off LA in a little 26 footer with an 8 knot hull, you really had to watch and check getting across that couple miles of big ships.

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:41pm

can you canoe

@dystopian @dystopian
the little row boat above
sucks water big time
sailors slang for major
displacement

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:27pm

them bigguns can move some water

@QMS yeah those babies got some draft! When we would see big container ships way offshore I could not believe how fast they can get them going. Couple miles to stop. They are just lollygagging when they are nearshore.

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:35pm

scary ship

@dystopian
used to try passing the bigguns
in the big muddy
they would literally suck the water out
from under the hull
going sideways no control
until the pressure wave deflects
back away scary ships

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:39pm

OMG!

@QMS OMG! Insane! I can totally imagine... that is scary! You can imagine the berth we gave them when out blow-boatin'!

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 11:14pm

Blow-Boatin'!

Thanks for another new reference, dystopian.

Submitted by TheOtherMaven on Sat, 02/01/2020 - 10:45am

Heavy ships, big waves

Reminds me of a day we were at the (now long gone) Tolchester Beach, and a bigass ship came cruising up the Bay. Everybody had to scramble to get up the beach and away from the monster waves.

—

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

Submitted by dystopian on Sat, 02/01/2020 - 6:00pm

blow-boaters - ;)

@janis b blow-boaters as I learned it was a derogatory term that operators of motorized vessels used to refer to sailors on sailboats. Unless it was a real nice one with some size. But especially for the weekend warriors out there.

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by janis b on Mon, 02/03/2020 - 12:06am

So dystopian, what is the derogatory name for motorised boats?

Here, I just learned, it is sometimes referred to as a 'gin palace'.

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:49pm

Thanks for the great pix all!

Below is a male Vermilion Flycatcher we had last weekend. Normally they do not winter here in the hills much, but are regular in low numbers nearby at lower altitudes. It is a common breeder here spring to fall. This was right where one maintains territory annually over a little pond, and I think a record-early returnee. They have had Purple Martins down on the Texas coast already. Some of the geese (White-fronted) will start heading north this month (Feb.). Many old-timer locals here consider it not much of a winter so far down at latitude of San Antonio.

This is an Olive Sparrow, which are anomalous amongst U.S. sparrows in being green above. It is a subtropical species reaching northern limits of range in south Texas.

This is a Purple Martin, male.

Have a good one all! Thanks for all the great pix!

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 8:59pm

"... a record-early returnee"

I guess it's not just canaries that announce a change.

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:36pm

phenology

@janis b Finally lots of nature observers are getting into phenology. The study of the timing of things biological. Birders were certainly one of the earlier groups to get into it pretty seriously. Early and late dates teach migration windows, or, duration of winter or breeding. the last decade has been full of 'record-early returnees' unfortunately. I get record early dates for butterfly and flower emergences every year now. So does everyone all over the country. Same for spring migrant returning birds. Last year the first Vermilion Flycatcher returnee broke the record by a week, and this year that is broken by two weeks! That is how fast things are changing. But the bugs aren't really out yet. So it is a risky gamble but the bird is likely queuing in on temps as much as anything. I have decades of bird phenology data and where I am now 16 years of butterfly and flower data as well. Botanists were also into it. A guy that recorded all the flowering dates at high altitude in the CO Rockies for decades and died has recently had a U Colo. study done at the very sites and flowers were blooming an average of about 19 days earlier! In a couple decades. Without the old hermit botanists data we would not know.

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 11:23pm

More than anything,

I hope for the survival of as many species as possible in this climate.

Because other (not us) natural species seem more adept at transforming, I have some hope ... even when I think about the power of our species for destruction.

I so appreciate your spirit and affirmations once a week.

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:23pm

cool birds

@dystopian
saw over a thousand geese flying south
overhead today noisy as all get out
amazing formations
do they know something we don't ?

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:55pm

they usually do ... :)

@QMS @QMS There are two types of movements... local and long distance migration. Geese move daily generally from roosting to feeding areas. Usually local movements are fairly low altitude. Long distance is at higher altitude. Like a thousand or two feet at least. But even locally moving geese can get up there a fair bit. And then if conditions are getting bad wintering groups can get up and move hundreds of miles to get to say where unfrozen water.

The Bar-headed Goose of Asia has been recorded flying at or about 30,000 feet over the Himalayas in migration. Maybe some others as well.

You probably had Canada Goose I would presume? We have White-fronted Goose down here in south-central Texas (Speckle-bellies to hunters). Coastward in TX they get tons of Snows and Blues, some Ross's.

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:33pm

Nice shots, dystopian.

@dystopian
Thanks for the info on the birds. Love all the red on the Vermilion Flycatcher. very colorful bird.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:02pm

My phone takes great photos

Just need to figure out how to post them so they aren't sideways.

—

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:13pm

These are right side-up.

Can you find 'rotate' somewhere along the line?

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:36pm

They have been loaded in a border program

@snoopydawg .

So they are right side up but they are cropped. I might be able to adjust them in one of the phone programs but no luck so far. They are much more crisp than how they look here. I'm amazed at how well the camera does depth of field. On my phone they look much better. Ugh the other one gave every picture a yellowish cast. Still correcting the color in my older ones.

—

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:48pm

they look good SD

@snoopydawg You pics look good SD. Great to see! Beautiful flowers.

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:37pm

Sweet shots, Snoopy.

@snoopydawg
And they don't look sideways on my screen.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by Daenerys on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:40pm

Evening Bollox, everyone

I got another snowy owl the other day!

Same shitty lighting as before, but slightly better photos.

Here's one of part of our yard from today:

All of my photos so far this year have looked like this. Blarg. Sun is supposed to come out this weekend though.

Awesome Bali Myna SP! They got one or two at the Tracy Aviary in SCL recently; if we get to visit there this summer I want to photograph it for sure.

Snoopy, your flower pictures are showing up right side up for me too. Love the rose.

—

This shit is bananas.

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 9:53pm

GREAT pics D!

@Daenerys Awesome Snowy Owl pix D! Whaddabird! They have an almost 6' wingspan. And when they fly by you can't hear anything. Incredible bird. Is it an immature male? Have y'all aged/sexed it? Your farm looks awesome. Beautiful! When I lived in snow I did tire of having my color photos look like black and white. Turned out I liked the pix better in B & W!

—

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by Daenerys on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 10:23pm

Hi dystopian

@dystopian Other birders have identified it as an adult female. She's been there for most of this week. I'm not sure how to tell between juvenile and female myself, so I'll take their word for it.

—

This shit is bananas.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 10:29pm

Nice shots of the Snowy Owl, Daenerys.

@Daenerys
I hate the cold and snow, but I really like that third shot.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 10:37pm

Great pics, D

@Daenerys

You have lots of snow. Utah has been getting an inch here and there but not much in the valleys. The photos have been loaded in dioptic that's a framing program. They post right side up in them, but if I load them from iPhoto they look like this.

And they are cropped.

—

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

Submitted by Daenerys on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 10:47pm

Hubby keeps saying

@snoopydawg we need to build mountains here. I keep telling him between the snow piles and gravel pits we're working on it.

—

This shit is bananas.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 11:29pm

"Rotate"

in iPhoto.

Bummer, is right. Same with taste of much fruit and veggies.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 11:26pm

Everything is so soft looking

@Daenerys

in its snowiness. Thank you Daenerys.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 10:49pm

Test

Welp that's how it oriented in iPhoto and it didn't reset. One bit.

BTW the flowers are in a funeral wreath and taken after it rained. Have anyone else noticed that flowers don't have any scent to them anymore? Even carnation don't smell. Bummer!

—

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

Submitted by snoopydawg on Sat, 02/01/2020 - 12:24am

Great fun

....

Here’s something ridiculously cool from an art parade in Japan.

pic.twitter.com/hHm5XU0mfL

— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) January 30, 2020

Edited to make tweet bigger

—

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 11:59pm

That is ridiculously cool, snoopy