The caterpillar and slugs....my favorites. Amazing how they can make claymation critters actually "look" British! Cute. I don't grow food but I do plant annuals and perennials.
Good morning. I actually did some actual gardening yesterday. I had been expecting some material to do copyediting on yesterday, but found out that it would be about a day late, so I called an audible and moved up my trip to the garden center. Came home with what I needed for now (there will be one more trip in the coming week) and then I spent some time in the afternoon prepping a couple of large patio pots and planting out two cherry tomato plants. One was the always-reliable Super Sweet 100. The other was one I got from my sister that she got in some kind of plant swap: Apricosa. Since I got these going so soon after Memorial Day, maybe I'll get an even better harvest this year. I also planted out some strawberrries (we'll see if they do anything this time) and a hosta. Kinda tired myself out, but in a good way. Anyway, today will be about taking care of business.
Studying Chinese history shows the patterns of ascendance and subsequent descendant falling apart of political orders in ways that folks in the West don't get. None of it is a surprise to the average Chinese citizen; everyone's seen it and studied it from 1st grade, it's woven into the literature.
One thing that's unifying...every Chinese citizen has seen a monumental improvement in their lives over the last 30 years. It's the shared experience of stuff getting amazingly better. Yeah, Western media continues playing up the negatives, of which there are many, but it's not the story, not even a little bit. It is in the West, of course, because it's all they get. All Western media is based on that .07% of the population that's got a beef. It's not how it is, it's the story the West wants to hear.
Well, phooey. The Hispanic Ministry's expense report spreadsheet has disappeared from my computer. I wonder if it's on the other one, because we changed my old one for this newer one. I'll bet it is. I'll have to ask my husband how to log in on that one.
Although you probably tried this, when I need to find a document I hit the windows key, typing a word I know is in the document. It is best to avoid common words. It's easy for files to get lost, after ten years of Dropbox the pathways look like a Marrakesh souk!
My dissertation was "pre-cloud". I bought a "Iomega Zip Drive", which had removable 100mb disks. Every week I backed up my latest data, twice. I kept a copy in my school office, my apartment, and one back home (3 hours away). That way my dissertation could survive a fire, massive flooding, or a nuclear attack. An asteroid of sufficient size, however, I'd be dead as well, so nevermind.
I remember those Iomega Zip Drives. I did the same thing with my business records; I had stuff stored all over the place; every update meant a day of driving around Chicago. The worst was when the first cloud backup systems came and I learned why you don't want to back up relational databases in slow moving upload programs. Uploads were so slow I'd end up with the different file in the DB not being in sync.
May 27th, National Cellophane Tape Day. Can you imagine where we would be without this invention? Wrapping presents would be slightly more difficult without it. (altho for many years, instead of wasting wrapping paper at Christmas time, I went to the fabric stores after Christmas for after-holiday sales, purchased lots of patterns, solids, etc., & sewed many sizes of square/rectangle open-top bags to put gifts into; tied w/ nice ribbon. All the bags & ribbons were saved)
Originally designed to seal Cellophane packages sold in groceries and bakeries, the new adhesive missed its mark. By the time all its drawbacks were resolved, DuPont introduced heat-sealed cellophane. However, the Cellophane packaging still offered some benefits.
With a resounding endorsement from customers, 3M found a market in both the home and the office. Many of us keep several rolls of it, too. Check the closet with the wrapping paper for a roll or two. There will be another in the junk drawer. Count another on the desk, perhaps. In offices and schools, teachers and employees stash the tape in large quantities.
I don't know when National Duct Tape is, but I'm sure there is one. As hubs has been clearing out his area of the supply room, I found more 'stuff' that I used for either my volunteer time w/ the Alzheimer's group or before moving. Many rolls of various colored Duct Tape. You don't only repair things w/ Duct Tape - my sons kept a bumper on their car w/ it for many years - but you can make wallets, purses, placemats... I think gals have made prom dresses. Anyway, today is my volunteer day & I'm donating many rolls of it. We decided to keep the gray cause, once again, we had high winds, lightning & loud thunder last night (only after sundown, 'cause it's Camelot), & hubs wants plenty of Duct Tape in case we need to cover any broken windows w/ plastic.
I'd almost forgotten that there was a standard kind of clear tape before 3M came up with Magic Tape. It was sticky but reflective and not matte. I do keep a roll of Magic Tape handy.
At the volunteer thrift store today as I was putting out all those rolls of duct tape many colors some typical gray or black along with a duct tape book ha ha. A woman and her son maybe about 14 years old. I said this is marvelous stuff y’all you need to get some - you can do all kinds of things with this.. And then I looked at the boy and I said my sons when they had their car they even held up the bumper for many many years! And he laughed. I don’t know if they bought any cause I walked away.
Although I have used foil tape to make cards with, it’s really fun. You can emboss on it, use alcohol inks on it and do like I said fun stuff with it. I’m trying to think what it’s really made for.
Maybe we’re talking about the same thing? It looks like aluminum foil with tape on the back. But it doesn’t have foam on it.
I was talking about two different products exactly as you describe, but there is in fact a 3rd tape, an aluminum tape with foam on the back. The tape universe is endless. I've not even gotten into the tapes used in modern construction.
One of my tenants is a major league gardener. I fronted the money and my own labor to build a mega-installation of raised beds...a major installation in the front yard. It's win-win. She gets to pursue her passion, I get a great garden and lots of free food without having to do the work. This is the first year I'm not doing my usual 40 tomato plants; I won't be back in the States in time.
some people find these guys in their gardens... or soon will (c/p, highly edited for length, from Statesman article):
This month’s news that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department had released more than 1 million Houston toad eggs at Bastrop State Park brought back a rush of memories about the endangered amphibians and reptiles of our state.
Thoughts flew back to humid East Texas evenings during the 1950s and ‘60s chasing fat toads and bottling their tadpoles, which seemed to thrive everywhere. Or arid summer afternoons on the plains and prairies placing live Texas horned lizards — which we called “horny toads” — near ant hills because we believed that’s what they wanted to devour. Or cool dips into Hill Country swimming holes hoping to spot an exceedingly rare salamander — or maybe even a newt — through our fogged and leaky goggles.
Decades later, one can only pray that we kids did not contribute to the precipitous decline of these native reptiles and amphibians. Blame instead pesticides, urbanization, fungal diseases and invasive fire ants, which killed off their native kin, a regular tasty snack for the horned lizards.
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, the mass release of Houston toad eggs was staged in partnership with the Houston Zoo, Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier this spring.
The toad pretty much disappeared from the park, one of its last refuges, after the disastrous 2011 Bastrop County Complex Fire. Attempts to repopulate the toad — including efforts in 2015 and 2019 — failed. Yet more than a decade of habitat recovery encouraged the conservation partners to try again this spring.
For the big recent egg drop, a veterinary team at the Houston Zoo kept track of adult toads in the fall. They collected, sorted and transported around 200,000 eggs each week. After some time bagged in a natural, shallow pond, they were released into the water, where eggs turned into tadpoles, and the tadpoles into toadlets, which climbed up the banks and into the forested areas.
That's a great video. I especially liked the woodpecker.
In this mornings WP teaser, I was heartened to read a headline indicating lots of Americans hate both political parties. It proves there really are people out there with which I share something in common.
I have strongly held ideas about that, founded upon the observation that the citizenship is almost completely cognitively challenged, i.e., morons. I have a dim view of democracy as practiced in the US being able to deal with the complicated issues of modern life...not that I don't find it emotionally compelling, mind you, but still insufficient to produce positive outcomes. Stupidity is powerful stuff.
I have a small birdfeeder on the window if my 2nd floor office at home. It mounts to the window with suction cups. I can hear the birds on it. They tap on the wood pipe to break open seed. Yesterday it sounded like a machine gun. Yup! A woodpecker was there. Why? I do not know. But he blasted away until I looked at him/her/zir. Zir glared at me before flying away.
In TN there were woodpeckers- awful. First time bought a 22 shotgun, middle son, first try got him flying away from our house. Uh, residential area so probably not a good idea
Then found out they were “protected” ha - as they were drilling holes in the cedar siding of the house!!! I checked - no bugs - they were building nests. One time I bought motion detection spiders to hang from the eves to scare them away. Scared the sh!t out of repairmen - didn’t faze those woodpeckers. One time I cleaned out the garage- took EVERYTHING out. Noticed the inside of the garage was caved in ??? What hit the front of the house???? I cleared stuff away —- well, one of those woodpeckers at the front of the house had been building a nest, and my ex had taken that yellow puffy stuff and had been squirting it into that hole, trying to fill that hole. Squirting squirting, squirting squirting squirting and kept squirting and kept squirting. and finally gave up and thought well maybe that hole got filled. What had happened, that yellow puffy stuff had fallen down to the floor between the outside siding of our house and the inside of the garage and when it plopped down, it had expanded and broken through to the inside of our garage. I have to ad here, dear, dear, ex, never ever ever admitted to an oops. I thought it was quite hilarious myself.
Good morning. 70 degrees here, cloudy and rainy , not getting out of the 70s (unless the weather guessers are wrong and the skies clear).
The mothership is covering “Trump’s proposed Iran deal” which leaves real questions as to whether Iran is giving up its uranium stockpile and nuclear program.
Well that was fun. More so than the Gumby and Pokey clay critters I remember. But I thought we and the British spoke the same language! I'll have to listen again closer.
I have a colleague who, when he smiles, looks like Wallace. He was not amused to hear me tell him that. Especially since some students now call him Professor Wallace.
I attended a mothership *Junto last night at a Nashville pub. A dozen nice folks. All kind, sharp. Ranged from a 25-year-old pre-law student to mid-70s. It wasn't in-depth discussion topics. More of "How I ended up politically homeless." I look forward to meeting them again in a month.
*-Thanks, Steve. Get-together would have worked. Or gathering. Heck, Dispatch Shindig or Hayes Hootenanny would have been less cringe. Oh, well.
You know, in this country you are allowed to call a thing whatever you want, if you don't like the name someone gave it for their own reasons.. Free speech and all. In fact your group could brainstorm some more ideas, and one might turn out to be a winner.
No, we didn't go all Barthelona for Steve's sake. In fact, I don't think there was wine (from any nation) available. On the bright side, neither was there Falstaff or Schlitz, fine Wisconsin products, I hear. I didn't study the menu closely. There might have been something cheese curd adjacent.
just googled & that brewery was established in 2014, right before I moved away. And the roundabout was 'transformed' by the time my ex lost interest in any type of such entertainment.
The beer was good, the food was decent, the chairs uncomfortable. They have a franchise in my town. I don't go because of the latter. There are lots of options for beer, TV sports, and predictable music without feeling like you're sitting on a fire hydrant.
I’ve thought about returning as well, but keep reminding myself that would just help me spend MORE time online when I’m trying to do the opposite. I mostly enjoyed participating in the comments with the exception of a few knuckleheads, who I had a hard time ignoring and often poked the bear, although in fairness some of them probably thought the same of me.
The sheer quantity of copy being generated at this point is impressive, but perhaps too much. I had prefer TMD seven days a week/365* to their culture offerings and My Home Town features. But whatever.
*--If delivering the news is your goal, do it. Every. Single. Day.
I get the teasers for all that stuff; it's usually the first paragraph or so, intended to pique my interest so I'll go for a subscription.
Little do they know that I adhere to the Navajo/Diné Nation oral story telling tradition where each person adds to the story, or finishes stories that others started to shift it toward a specific audience or direct it to a different purpose. The story isn't so important as the preserving of meaning and relationships.
TMD doesn't allow that. Everything is shunted into their anal retentive comment software to stifle independent thought. And, they all take way fancier vacations than I do, which offends my proletarian sensibilities.
Nice! While I do sometimes miss reading the Morning Dispatch and the comment section, I’m over here on month 6 of being “politically unhoused and blissfully unbothered”. Thinking of copyrighting that and making millions.
Good morning - I still have to go thru the 'back door' to view any videos, which I'll do as soon as I post this comment. I heard a 'rumor' about a vote that might be on the ballot in Oregon, so I googled, & this is what I found:
Oregon may have such a measure on the ballot in November 2026, but it is not yet officially certified. The proposal is called Initiative Petition 28 (IP28) or the PEACE Act, and it seeks to remove exemptions in Oregon’s animal‑cruelty laws—effectively making it illegal to intentionally injure or kill animals in most circumstances.
What the proposed measure would do
Remove existing exemptions that currently allow hunting, fishing, farming, breeding, pest control, and certain research practices.
Extend animal‑cruelty protections to all animals, not just pets.
Criminalize intentional injury or killing of animals except for self‑defense or veterinary care.
Create a Humane Transition Fund to support workers affected by changes in farming and wildlife‑related industries.
Is it actually going on the ballot?
As of the latest reports (May 2026):
Supporters have submitted more than the required 117,173 signatures—about 120,935—to qualify for the ballot.
The signatures still need to be verified by the Oregon Secretary of State before the measure is officially placed on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
So: It is very likely, but not yet officially confirmed.
affecting: Hunting and fishing, Livestock farming and slaughter, Pest control, Animal research,
Rodeos and training practices
Supporters say it’s about ending unnecessary harm; opponents warn it could disrupt rural economies and wildlife management
Abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy in Oregon, with no gestational limits imposed by state law. Minors 15 or older may consent to their own reproductive health care — including abortion — without parental consent or notification. For minors under 15, Oregon generally requires parental consent for an abortion.
However, there are important exceptions:
A judge can grant a judicial bypass, allowing the minor to proceed without parental involvement if: The minor is mature enough to decide independently, or Notifying a parent would not be in the minor’s best interest. A healthcare provider may also waive parental involvement in certain confidential medical situations under ORS 109.640.
I wonder what Oregon's age of consent is? In many states, where the age of consent is 16, a 15 yo seeking an abortion is considered a rape victim.
As for oregon, it'd be fun to see wolves visit Portland after that ballot passes. I suspect many of those who signed the petition will demand something be done about wolves!
once upon a time, some of those living in OR wanted to shift the border & become part of Idaho.
The Greater Idaho movement is still alive, but it has lost momentum in 2026, with at least one county (Wallowa) formally reversing its earlier support. The idea hasn’t disappeared, but it has stalled at the local level and faces major political barriers.
The movement—driven by some eastern Oregon residents who want their counties to leave Oregon and join Idaho—has seen mixed results since 2020. Thirteen counties have passed symbolic measures supporting discussions about border relocation. But in May 2026, Wallowa County became the first county to repeal its earlier pro–Greater Idaho measure, voting by over 60% to stop requiring officials to discuss the idea.
Local enthusiasm can fade when no progress occurs.
Counties are reconsidering whether the effort is worth continued time and resources.
No action from state legislatures. Neither Oregon nor Idaho lawmakers have moved to consider changing the border. Without both legislatures and Congress approving, the plan cannot advance.
Political mismatch: Oregon’s legislature is controlled by Democrats, who have shown no interest in giving up territory. Idaho’s legislature is more open but cannot act alone.
Some residents feel the discussions are unproductive after years of no movement. This sentiment drove the Wallowa repeal. Greater Idaho organizers say they will pivot from county-level measures to lobbying the federal government.
Supporters continue to claim:
Eastern Oregon is culturally and politically aligned with Idaho. Rural voters feel underrepresented by Oregon’s urban-majority politics. Idaho’s laws (taxes, gun policy, drug laws, etc.) better match their values.
Happy birthday Epic!! Any particular celebration or foods planned?
We don't have outdoor plants of any edible kind. We used to have a garden tower which was nice for a while, planted herbs, tomatoes, flowers. It was on the back porch, on wheels, so it could be near the water hose, could be wheeled in & out of the sun as needed. Then I found I was enjoying the herbs, etc., more than hubs, so I could get the smaller amounts needed at the grocery. It had to be on the porch to keep the deer out of it, altho I do have a pic of a fawn on the porch nibbling. And the birds & bees loved it. Finally gave it to Habitat for Humanity. They also loved it.
We have a lot of indoor plants, which I enjoy & take care of. I think hubs enjoys them, but leaves the 'taking care of' to me. None of them are edible. Altho, for awhile, before the garden tower I had trays that I could grow tiny cilantro type herbs & others that didn't need sunlight. They grew very fast & I loved them, especially the cilantro. But again, the cost of those seeded packets for me were more than the amount I could get fresh at the store, 'cause hubs wouldn't eat 'em. The local farmer's market has the same thing now, to purchase by little squares. Sometimes I respout green onions in a glass jar, but not too often anymore.
Epic wanted shrimp and grits, which we had on Monday, and a watermelon, which I bought him yesterday, and pizza from the shop near the Seaboard bar, and we said we'll probably go on Saturday evening, other things being equal.
Is the wisteria an invasive species? Or more of a species considering a blockade to move into neighboring islands over which it has a long tradition of existence?
The caterpillar and slugs....my favorites. Amazing how they can make claymation critters actually "look" British! Cute. I don't grow food but I do plant annuals and perennials.
Good morning. I actually did some actual gardening yesterday. I had been expecting some material to do copyediting on yesterday, but found out that it would be about a day late, so I called an audible and moved up my trip to the garden center. Came home with what I needed for now (there will be one more trip in the coming week) and then I spent some time in the afternoon prepping a couple of large patio pots and planting out two cherry tomato plants. One was the always-reliable Super Sweet 100. The other was one I got from my sister that she got in some kind of plant swap: Apricosa. Since I got these going so soon after Memorial Day, maybe I'll get an even better harvest this year. I also planted out some strawberrries (we'll see if they do anything this time) and a hosta. Kinda tired myself out, but in a good way. Anyway, today will be about taking care of business.
Worldly affairs are endless and chaotic,
while Heaven’s will is vast and inescapable.
纷纷世事无穷尽，
天数茫茫不可逃
.....Luo Guanzhong, Yuan Dynasty (13th-14th centurie CE) author and poet...from Romance Of The Three Kingdoms
He's not wrong.
Studying Chinese history shows the patterns of ascendance and subsequent descendant falling apart of political orders in ways that folks in the West don't get. None of it is a surprise to the average Chinese citizen; everyone's seen it and studied it from 1st grade, it's woven into the literature.
One thing that's unifying...every Chinese citizen has seen a monumental improvement in their lives over the last 30 years. It's the shared experience of stuff getting amazingly better. Yeah, Western media continues playing up the negatives, of which there are many, but it's not the story, not even a little bit. It is in the West, of course, because it's all they get. All Western media is based on that .07% of the population that's got a beef. It's not how it is, it's the story the West wants to hear.
Well, phooey. The Hispanic Ministry's expense report spreadsheet has disappeared from my computer. I wonder if it's on the other one, because we changed my old one for this newer one. I'll bet it is. I'll have to ask my husband how to log in on that one.
Although you probably tried this, when I need to find a document I hit the windows key, typing a word I know is in the document. It is best to avoid common words. It's easy for files to get lost, after ten years of Dropbox the pathways look like a Marrakesh souk!
Looks like it got "rebuilt" off the other hard drive. I asked the business manager to send me a copy of my 3rd quarter report.
Does rebuilt mean parts of it are missing? 😬
Well, some documents are missing. The business manager sent me a copy, and this time I saved it to cloud storage instead of the hard drive.
My dissertation was "pre-cloud". I bought a "Iomega Zip Drive", which had removable 100mb disks. Every week I backed up my latest data, twice. I kept a copy in my school office, my apartment, and one back home (3 hours away). That way my dissertation could survive a fire, massive flooding, or a nuclear attack. An asteroid of sufficient size, however, I'd be dead as well, so nevermind.
I remember those Iomega Zip Drives. I did the same thing with my business records; I had stuff stored all over the place; every update meant a day of driving around Chicago. The worst was when the first cloud backup systems came and I learned why you don't want to back up relational databases in slow moving upload programs. Uploads were so slow I'd end up with the different file in the DB not being in sync.
It’s not a cloud document? If you’re using Microsoft, it may be automatically saving to the MS cloud… OneDrive, I think it’s called.
Can you do an OS search for the document by filename or some unique key words from within?
I tried a variety of things. I think it's on the hard drive of that computer, though.
wow, so many choices today, so I chose:
May 27th, National Cellophane Tape Day. Can you imagine where we would be without this invention? Wrapping presents would be slightly more difficult without it. (altho for many years, instead of wasting wrapping paper at Christmas time, I went to the fabric stores after Christmas for after-holiday sales, purchased lots of patterns, solids, etc., & sewed many sizes of square/rectangle open-top bags to put gifts into; tied w/ nice ribbon. All the bags & ribbons were saved)
Originally designed to seal Cellophane packages sold in groceries and bakeries, the new adhesive missed its mark. By the time all its drawbacks were resolved, DuPont introduced heat-sealed cellophane. However, the Cellophane packaging still offered some benefits.
With a resounding endorsement from customers, 3M found a market in both the home and the office. Many of us keep several rolls of it, too. Check the closet with the wrapping paper for a roll or two. There will be another in the junk drawer. Count another on the desk, perhaps. In offices and schools, teachers and employees stash the tape in large quantities.
I don't know when National Duct Tape is, but I'm sure there is one. As hubs has been clearing out his area of the supply room, I found more 'stuff' that I used for either my volunteer time w/ the Alzheimer's group or before moving. Many rolls of various colored Duct Tape. You don't only repair things w/ Duct Tape - my sons kept a bumper on their car w/ it for many years - but you can make wallets, purses, placemats... I think gals have made prom dresses. Anyway, today is my volunteer day & I'm donating many rolls of it. We decided to keep the gray cause, once again, we had high winds, lightning & loud thunder last night (only after sundown, 'cause it's Camelot), & hubs wants plenty of Duct Tape in case we need to cover any broken windows w/ plastic.
I'd almost forgotten that there was a standard kind of clear tape before 3M came up with Magic Tape. It was sticky but reflective and not matte. I do keep a roll of Magic Tape handy.
I made a duct tape wallet at church camp. I used it for a few years. Academics didn't see the humor in it.
Oh, I forgot to add, I bet that duct tape wallet held up forever and ever and ever!
They actually wear out after awhile. It's the opening and closing all the time.
At the volunteer thrift store today as I was putting out all those rolls of duct tape many colors some typical gray or black along with a duct tape book ha ha. A woman and her son maybe about 14 years old. I said this is marvelous stuff y’all you need to get some - you can do all kinds of things with this.. And then I looked at the boy and I said my sons when they had their car they even held up the bumper for many many years! And he laughed. I don’t know if they bought any cause I walked away.
Sheldon and Fang used duct tape wallets. Sheldon may still be using one. I bought Fang a leather one when he asked.
I love cellophane tape!
I love painter's tape & packaging tape more
You haven't lived until you've used double sided foam backer tape. Aluminized foil tape will do if you don't have the double sided foam backer tape.
Hmmmm - don’t get me interested.
Although I have used foil tape to make cards with, it’s really fun. You can emboss on it, use alcohol inks on it and do like I said fun stuff with it. I’m trying to think what it’s really made for.
Maybe we’re talking about the same thing? It looks like aluminum foil with tape on the back. But it doesn’t have foam on it.
I was talking about two different products exactly as you describe, but there is in fact a 3rd tape, an aluminum tape with foam on the back. The tape universe is endless. I've not even gotten into the tapes used in modern construction.
Added to the list of sentences I've never seen before.
But cello tape is the tape of love!
https://youtu.be/fycGFGSeKpc?si=LmQI1PR2yJv_0yrE
One of my tenants is a major league gardener. I fronted the money and my own labor to build a mega-installation of raised beds...a major installation in the front yard. It's win-win. She gets to pursue her passion, I get a great garden and lots of free food without having to do the work. This is the first year I'm not doing my usual 40 tomato plants; I won't be back in the States in time.
It feels like mid summer, I think the high is predicted be around 86 today.
About the same here, and it will probably rain again. I had second breakfast at Panera with a church friend today. We shared many frustrations.
There's a hummingbird sitting on the tip-top of the dead tree in the back yard.
It is SO dry here, we are in need of rain and none in sight for the next week.
We've had several inches in the last week, spread over several days, which is ideal to limit runoff.
Song title du jour: "Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds" by The Mountain Goats.
Title is better than the song.
some people find these guys in their gardens... or soon will (c/p, highly edited for length, from Statesman article):
This month’s news that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department had released more than 1 million Houston toad eggs at Bastrop State Park brought back a rush of memories about the endangered amphibians and reptiles of our state.
Thoughts flew back to humid East Texas evenings during the 1950s and ‘60s chasing fat toads and bottling their tadpoles, which seemed to thrive everywhere. Or arid summer afternoons on the plains and prairies placing live Texas horned lizards — which we called “horny toads” — near ant hills because we believed that’s what they wanted to devour. Or cool dips into Hill Country swimming holes hoping to spot an exceedingly rare salamander — or maybe even a newt — through our fogged and leaky goggles.
Decades later, one can only pray that we kids did not contribute to the precipitous decline of these native reptiles and amphibians. Blame instead pesticides, urbanization, fungal diseases and invasive fire ants, which killed off their native kin, a regular tasty snack for the horned lizards.
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, the mass release of Houston toad eggs was staged in partnership with the Houston Zoo, Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier this spring.
The toad pretty much disappeared from the park, one of its last refuges, after the disastrous 2011 Bastrop County Complex Fire. Attempts to repopulate the toad — including efforts in 2015 and 2019 — failed. Yet more than a decade of habitat recovery encouraged the conservation partners to try again this spring.
For the big recent egg drop, a veterinary team at the Houston Zoo kept track of adult toads in the fall. They collected, sorted and transported around 200,000 eggs each week. After some time bagged in a natural, shallow pond, they were released into the water, where eggs turned into tadpoles, and the tadpoles into toadlets, which climbed up the banks and into the forested areas.
That's a great video. I especially liked the woodpecker.
In this mornings WP teaser, I was heartened to read a headline indicating lots of Americans hate both political parties. It proves there really are people out there with which I share something in common.
I read that, too - maybe tomorrow I can gives a link
That is encouraging but I wonder what it will take for that fact to force the parties to change.
I have strongly held ideas about that, founded upon the observation that the citizenship is almost completely cognitively challenged, i.e., morons. I have a dim view of democracy as practiced in the US being able to deal with the complicated issues of modern life...not that I don't find it emotionally compelling, mind you, but still insufficient to produce positive outcomes. Stupidity is powerful stuff.
I have a small birdfeeder on the window if my 2nd floor office at home. It mounts to the window with suction cups. I can hear the birds on it. They tap on the wood pipe to break open seed. Yesterday it sounded like a machine gun. Yup! A woodpecker was there. Why? I do not know. But he blasted away until I looked at him/her/zir. Zir glared at me before flying away.
Tufted titmouse sounds like a machine gun when opening a sunflower seed.
In TN there were woodpeckers- awful. First time bought a 22 shotgun, middle son, first try got him flying away from our house. Uh, residential area so probably not a good idea
Then found out they were “protected” ha - as they were drilling holes in the cedar siding of the house!!! I checked - no bugs - they were building nests. One time I bought motion detection spiders to hang from the eves to scare them away. Scared the sh!t out of repairmen - didn’t faze those woodpeckers. One time I cleaned out the garage- took EVERYTHING out. Noticed the inside of the garage was caved in ??? What hit the front of the house???? I cleared stuff away —- well, one of those woodpeckers at the front of the house had been building a nest, and my ex had taken that yellow puffy stuff and had been squirting it into that hole, trying to fill that hole. Squirting squirting, squirting squirting squirting and kept squirting and kept squirting. and finally gave up and thought well maybe that hole got filled. What had happened, that yellow puffy stuff had fallen down to the floor between the outside siding of our house and the inside of the garage and when it plopped down, it had expanded and broken through to the inside of our garage. I have to ad here, dear, dear, ex, never ever ever admitted to an oops. I thought it was quite hilarious myself.
Just say’n 🤣
Good morning. 70 degrees here, cloudy and rainy , not getting out of the 70s (unless the weather guessers are wrong and the skies clear).
The mothership is covering “Trump’s proposed Iran deal” which leaves real questions as to whether Iran is giving up its uranium stockpile and nuclear program.
Well that was fun. More so than the Gumby and Pokey clay critters I remember. But I thought we and the British spoke the same language! I'll have to listen again closer.
"England and America are two countries separated by the same language."
George Bernard Shaw
I have a colleague who, when he smiles, looks like Wallace. He was not amused to hear me tell him that. Especially since some students now call him Professor Wallace.
I attended a mothership *Junto last night at a Nashville pub. A dozen nice folks. All kind, sharp. Ranged from a 25-year-old pre-law student to mid-70s. It wasn't in-depth discussion topics. More of "How I ended up politically homeless." I look forward to meeting them again in a month.
*-Thanks, Steve. Get-together would have worked. Or gathering. Heck, Dispatch Shindig or Hayes Hootenanny would have been less cringe. Oh, well.
"Hayes Hootenanny" 😆
I attended one in Houston a couple of years ago. I got a chance to chat with Jonah G and enjoyed the event.
This is different. Regular local meet-ups. No fancy pants writers ... well, usually. It may happen occasionally.
You know, in this country you are allowed to call a thing whatever you want, if you don't like the name someone gave it for their own reasons.. Free speech and all. In fact your group could brainstorm some more ideas, and one might turn out to be a winner.
We call tiki torches “cheeki tokis” because our youngest did and I don’t think I could say the right word the first time if I tried.
This was a meet-up without Dispatch staffers, right? I assume the language of conversation was Castilian. Or should I say, “Cathtilian”?
No, we didn't go all Barthelona for Steve's sake. In fact, I don't think there was wine (from any nation) available. On the bright side, neither was there Falstaff or Schlitz, fine Wisconsin products, I hear. I didn't study the menu closely. There might have been something cheese curd adjacent.
Schlitz is closing up shop. I won’t miss their Malt Liquor from decades ago.
what was the name of the place? Just ask'n in case I recognize it & have been there.
Tailgate Brewery. Beer. Pub Grub. At Music Row roundabout.
just googled & that brewery was established in 2014, right before I moved away. And the roundabout was 'transformed' by the time my ex lost interest in any type of such entertainment.
The beer was good, the food was decent, the chairs uncomfortable. They have a franchise in my town. I don't go because of the latter. There are lots of options for beer, TV sports, and predictable music without feeling like you're sitting on a fire hydrant.
Just be thankful it's not a pets friendly establishment; when they allow in dogs and you sit on a fire hydrant...😬
ewww, what a visual
Sounds like a good thing.
Pleasant evening. A couple of those there aren't subscribers. I think they will be today.
I alternate between subscribing and just reading Phil's daily summation, which is really about all I want to know.
If they'd get comment software that allowed a conversation, I might go back. It does reflect (some) of my political sensibilities.
I’ve thought about returning as well, but keep reminding myself that would just help me spend MORE time online when I’m trying to do the opposite. I mostly enjoyed participating in the comments with the exception of a few knuckleheads, who I had a hard time ignoring and often poked the bear, although in fairness some of them probably thought the same of me.
The sheer quantity of copy being generated at this point is impressive, but perhaps too much. I had prefer TMD seven days a week/365* to their culture offerings and My Home Town features. But whatever.
*--If delivering the news is your goal, do it. Every. Single. Day.
I get the teasers for all that stuff; it's usually the first paragraph or so, intended to pique my interest so I'll go for a subscription.
Little do they know that I adhere to the Navajo/Diné Nation oral story telling tradition where each person adds to the story, or finishes stories that others started to shift it toward a specific audience or direct it to a different purpose. The story isn't so important as the preserving of meaning and relationships.
TMD doesn't allow that. Everything is shunted into their anal retentive comment software to stifle independent thought. And, they all take way fancier vacations than I do, which offends my proletarian sensibilities.
well, they never did get back to me after sending their automated reply of saying they'd get back to me w/in 24 hours...
But they did renew my subscription.
I think they're overwhelmed.
I'm glad you had a nice time!
Nice! While I do sometimes miss reading the Morning Dispatch and the comment section, I’m over here on month 6 of being “politically unhoused and blissfully unbothered”. Thinking of copyrighting that and making millions.
I probably would have had a nice time, too. I like talking to people. But I don't like uncomfortable chairs.
Good morning - I still have to go thru the 'back door' to view any videos, which I'll do as soon as I post this comment. I heard a 'rumor' about a vote that might be on the ballot in Oregon, so I googled, & this is what I found:
Oregon may have such a measure on the ballot in November 2026, but it is not yet officially certified. The proposal is called Initiative Petition 28 (IP28) or the PEACE Act, and it seeks to remove exemptions in Oregon’s animal‑cruelty laws—effectively making it illegal to intentionally injure or kill animals in most circumstances.
What the proposed measure would do
Remove existing exemptions that currently allow hunting, fishing, farming, breeding, pest control, and certain research practices.
Extend animal‑cruelty protections to all animals, not just pets.
Criminalize intentional injury or killing of animals except for self‑defense or veterinary care.
Create a Humane Transition Fund to support workers affected by changes in farming and wildlife‑related industries.
Is it actually going on the ballot?
As of the latest reports (May 2026):
Supporters have submitted more than the required 117,173 signatures—about 120,935—to qualify for the ballot.
The signatures still need to be verified by the Oregon Secretary of State before the measure is officially placed on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
So: It is very likely, but not yet officially confirmed.
affecting: Hunting and fishing, Livestock farming and slaughter, Pest control, Animal research,
Rodeos and training practices
Supporters say it’s about ending unnecessary harm; opponents warn it could disrupt rural economies and wildlife management
Abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy in Oregon, with no gestational limits imposed by state law. Minors 15 or older may consent to their own reproductive health care — including abortion — without parental consent or notification. For minors under 15, Oregon generally requires parental consent for an abortion.
However, there are important exceptions:
A judge can grant a judicial bypass, allowing the minor to proceed without parental involvement if: The minor is mature enough to decide independently, or Notifying a parent would not be in the minor’s best interest. A healthcare provider may also waive parental involvement in certain confidential medical situations under ORS 109.640.
I wonder what Oregon's age of consent is? In many states, where the age of consent is 16, a 15 yo seeking an abortion is considered a rape victim.
As for oregon, it'd be fun to see wolves visit Portland after that ballot passes. I suspect many of those who signed the petition will demand something be done about wolves!
My conclusion: that’s a low threshold for a ballot initiative.
once upon a time, some of those living in OR wanted to shift the border & become part of Idaho.
The Greater Idaho movement is still alive, but it has lost momentum in 2026, with at least one county (Wallowa) formally reversing its earlier support. The idea hasn’t disappeared, but it has stalled at the local level and faces major political barriers.
The movement—driven by some eastern Oregon residents who want their counties to leave Oregon and join Idaho—has seen mixed results since 2020. Thirteen counties have passed symbolic measures supporting discussions about border relocation. But in May 2026, Wallowa County became the first county to repeal its earlier pro–Greater Idaho measure, voting by over 60% to stop requiring officials to discuss the idea.
Local enthusiasm can fade when no progress occurs.
Counties are reconsidering whether the effort is worth continued time and resources.
No action from state legislatures. Neither Oregon nor Idaho lawmakers have moved to consider changing the border. Without both legislatures and Congress approving, the plan cannot advance.
Political mismatch: Oregon’s legislature is controlled by Democrats, who have shown no interest in giving up territory. Idaho’s legislature is more open but cannot act alone.
Some residents feel the discussions are unproductive after years of no movement. This sentiment drove the Wallowa repeal. Greater Idaho organizers say they will pivot from county-level measures to lobbying the federal government.
Supporters continue to claim:
Eastern Oregon is culturally and politically aligned with Idaho. Rural voters feel underrepresented by Oregon’s urban-majority politics. Idaho’s laws (taxes, gun policy, drug laws, etc.) better match their values.
The philosophy of the Loony Left: Protect animals but not unborn babies.
Perhaps if we doctored the ultrasound photos to include fur?
I mentioned it last week, but "fur baby" is a pet peeve of mind. Dogs and cats are not children!😡
I have a rule of thumb: if you won't lay down your life for it, it's not a child.
In some surveys, more people have said they would risk their life to rescue their dog, but not a random human being.
I clicked like as usual but ewww
There are folks who probably should be glad I'm not faced with a choice between them and my dog.
I'm going to venture a guess that no animals were harmed in the making of the garden video shown in today's topic of gardening.
That's funny.
We have plants.
Good morning, everyone. It's Epic Fail's 17th birthday.
Many happy returns of the day! I hope it was a good one!
Happy Birthday Epic!
May the day not be like your name; an epic fail!
I had to wait 30 minutes to take the doggos out, looking for a break in the rain...We got a few minutes of break.
He picked out some ice cream, and we ordered a cake and sent Vlad to pick it up.
Congrats to Epic—and to the village we’re told it takes to raise a child!
In the children's crusades it took a child to raze a village! Which is why giving them matches is not always your best move.
I learned that the hard way. (No villages were damaged in the process.)
Happy Birthday to your son!
Happy birthday Epic!! Any particular celebration or foods planned?
We don't have outdoor plants of any edible kind. We used to have a garden tower which was nice for a while, planted herbs, tomatoes, flowers. It was on the back porch, on wheels, so it could be near the water hose, could be wheeled in & out of the sun as needed. Then I found I was enjoying the herbs, etc., more than hubs, so I could get the smaller amounts needed at the grocery. It had to be on the porch to keep the deer out of it, altho I do have a pic of a fawn on the porch nibbling. And the birds & bees loved it. Finally gave it to Habitat for Humanity. They also loved it.
We have a lot of indoor plants, which I enjoy & take care of. I think hubs enjoys them, but leaves the 'taking care of' to me. None of them are edible. Altho, for awhile, before the garden tower I had trays that I could grow tiny cilantro type herbs & others that didn't need sunlight. They grew very fast & I loved them, especially the cilantro. But again, the cost of those seeded packets for me were more than the amount I could get fresh at the store, 'cause hubs wouldn't eat 'em. The local farmer's market has the same thing now, to purchase by little squares. Sometimes I respout green onions in a glass jar, but not too often anymore.
Epic wanted shrimp and grits, which we had on Monday, and a watermelon, which I bought him yesterday, and pizza from the shop near the Seaboard bar, and we said we'll probably go on Saturday evening, other things being equal.
all sounds yummo!
re: We have plants.
Any particular kind?
Please wish a joyous day to Epic from me as you gently wake him from his last slumber as a mere 16-year-old.
Many different kinds, including carnivorous. Lots of flowering plants. Some that produce vegetables. Mostly native except for my Asian wisteria.
Is the wisteria an invasive species? Or more of a species considering a blockade to move into neighboring islands over which it has a long tradition of existence?
Maybe we should plant it on Garg island in the straits of Hormuz.
Yes. Angry wisteria with purple frowns for destroyers.
Also: Garg Island is not a horrible band name.
The Garg Islanders
It’s a point worth making: It’s okay as long as it’s not angry and aggressive about it.
Angry Wisteria would be a decent band name.
Was that one of them double entendre's...(?)
Naw. More of a half-arse entendre.
It's invasive. Aggressively invasive, with massive underground root systems.
Also, I get it now.
It was a clumsy effort. That's what I do best.