Was listening to this just now, prepping for lawnworks: The Economist’s podcast from Friday that leads off with some reporting on the Canadian election campaign:
Placido Domingo, everyone. The sun is up, the birds are making fire alarm sounds. I need to make 20 sandwiches for the celebration of Children's Day (a Mexican holiday) after Mass. Son F has agreed to wear an Iron Man costume, for a consideration. He tried to back out after he agreed, but I told him it was too late: I'd already told Lourdes he would do it, and A Scout is Trustworthy.
You noted the birds were sounding the fire alarm yesterday morning, too. You'd think they'd have figured out by now the fire trucks aren't coming and that the blaze will just have to burn itself out.
They're small sandwiches on "slider" buns, with a goal of minimizing waste. Some of the other choir members are making sandwiches, too.
In the Hispanic Ministry executive committee meeting last week, we discussed the fact that we have events, like Children's Day, that we've been doing since we were a congregation of 100 people. It's an order of magnitude more complicated for a congregation of 1,000+.
This has stayed with me as an antidote to the daily bombardment.
“Humans want to feel like we understand our world and have all kinds of things figured out. We don't, and we can't, but we reward people who allow us to feel as though we do.
.......Cynthia W.
I thought it was kind of banal and obvious, just a matter of markets. People are paying a subscription fee, or at least paying an opportunity cost, to "learn" things that are often unhelpfully incomplete, plain false, or opinion presented as fact. They must have a reason for doing that.
If a person has consumed content from a "China Writer or Thinker", he presumably feels that a desire has been satisfied. (If not, he won't do it again.) What is the gain? (It doesn't have to be China: it could be a variety of other subjects.) Maybe it's a feeling that, because I have this information, I am more in control, equipped to make better decisions, safer.
Of course, as I keep saying about a lot of subjects, "What are you going to do differently?" Supposing you did get accurate information about China from your source, what would you change in your life? In a few cases, there might be something obvious: will I visit, will I invest, etc. For most, though, it's all just about thinking.”
Information - satisfaction of curiosity. The world is a big and wonderful place.
But also - and maybe the most common motivator - may be as a cover for procrastination, escapism, avoidance of unpleasantness, of pain, of indecision, of cowardice.
Or killing time - sitting waiting on somebody else, might as well learn something about the rest of the world.
"What are you going to do differently?" is a great question. Even when consuming information as a refuge, there is still the possibility of change from new information. Maybe you won't be so cocky in judging, or maybe you will have confidence to stand up and do the right thing. Information can be stored, and once it is deposited is starts working subconsciously.
Surely the world is a better place when we encounter each other as thinking people? Which is not to say that sometimes it doesn't take a bit for the good to sink in. The things we do differently may not be obvious. Maybe a seed is planted through a stray comment regarding something one learned and it opens another person's ears to a subsequent comment in another context.
NC State (my alma mater) adopted "Think and Do" as its mottto in the past 10 years or so. I love it. Thinking informs doing, which informs thinking, which informs further doing. But we need the reminder because it is so easy to get lost in one's head and doing suffers from procrastination.
Like reading fascinating articles on topics you've never heard about until now...
Here’s my problem with that…and I am not advocating, apologizing, nor disparaging any political entity or country, only dismissing the “information people”.
I don’t know about anywhere else, but I have a decent handle on China and how it operates. The “information” we receive in the West is nonsense. We “ learn" things that are often unhelpfully incomplete, plain false, or opinion presented as fact”.
I don’t know why. I have theories and ideas, none held in particular belief, only as possibilities. Knowing what I know for sure because I live there and know stuff, the “information people” are full of crap.
How do I trust them on other stuff when I know for SURE they are full of crap on specific stuff?
Lotta noise out there. Noise that requires listeners to maintain revenue. Money is a significant incentive, very likely the most powerful incentive.
I have been fuzzy headed and busy today and don't know I have the wherewithal to comment coherently.
I don't disagree with any of this and I think Cynthia's observation is right.
One can be full of crap through ignorance, arrogance, misguided principals, ill intent or a combination of all of them. It seems the best anybody can do is read enough of a person to get a sense of who they are and where they are coming from enough to sort out what is reliable and what is questionable.
Reading news as procrastination or escape probably does more to drive damage caused by otherwise benign elements. People lacking knowledge in a particular field don't push back when there is error. If you are selling to enough people who aren't going to push back there is no incentive to improve accuracy and quality of communication.
That’s astute. The avalanche of news is, in itself, insane. So many trying to get traction is skewing reality in all directions. Who does one listen to? I’ve gone baseline. If I haven’t had my eyes and hands on it, I reserve judgment.
"How do I trust them on other stuff when I know for SURE they are full of crap on specific stuff?"
Kevin Williamson writes about this concept sometimes. If you, a reader, know a lot about Topic A, and a journalism person demonstrates ignorance of Topic A while distributing "news" about it, it's not unreasonable to assume that the journalism person is also wrong about Topics B to Z. There may be exceptions - maybe the person knows a lot about Topic K - but you have no way of sorting the random accuracy from the overall noise of ignorance.
Right. I don't go around disbelieving everyone writing about stuff. I've just gotten much more selective. I am not well traveled; I've never been anywhere except a year in the Caribbean working a construction project and about a cumulative 7 years in China, hanging around with people that know stuff and that know other people that know a LOT of stuff. My eyes are opened. It just ain't like they say. That doesn't mean I'm some sort of commie pinko whackjob. It means I know it ain't like they say. I don't try to say exactly what it IS like because there's so much I don't know, but I know what it ISN'T like.
Buntings migrate through a part of Arkansas that has turned it into a type of tourist business. I did the tour one Spring, and one morning it was the jackpot. We saw dozens/hundreds. They are spectacular.
Interesting, entertaining. Since I accidentally stumbled into a free trial subscription to Amazon Prime, I was one of those who watched “Conclave”—just last night, in fact. I recalled some of the dramatized details my good Catholic friend, one-time altar boy and still practicing parishioner, described to me years ago.
A story about the future at least has a chance of being optimistic, and the article catches the vibe of being hopeful and forward looking.
Huh. That was fast. Just tried the link above myself and it went straight to a subscription sign-up… But plugging the same link into Safari on my desktop works without a blocker in front just now…
WSJ is a lot stricter on rights than others. I canceled my low-rate trial subscription because I wasn’t reading any of it. Maybe just having an account without a subscription is enough for the web version, in some browsers, with a touch of luck… It looks like in Safari I’m signed in as a registered user.
All of these places continue to send a daily, and sometimes twice daily, newsletter with headline, lede/short paragraph. I’ve found that to be entirely adequate for almost everything. If some news item is actually important, it shows up everywhere for free in <1/2 day.
Cynthia’s little quote rings in my ears on a daily basis. I think I’ll put it up as a post.
I'm not Catholic, but I am half Italian with a strong taste for Italian fare. And I'll admit it's kind of hard not to like a guy whose name sounds like it belongs on the menu at my and my wife's go-to for relatively upscale dining in these parts...
Actually, now I support Cardinal Pizzaballa because he seems like a pretty solid guy. And I don't think being 60 instead of ancient is bad. Our new bishop is over 65: in good health, it seems, though heavyset, but I wish he was younger.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem is only 60 and much younger than all the other contenders but is a name increasingly discussed as a left field option by the conclave. It may be by the time the conclave begins that he has become one of the more serious contenders.
Essentially, it his role as leader of the Catholics in the Holy Land at a time when Middle East events in Israel and Gaza are at the forefront of world and Church politics.
Choosing Pizzaballa would be a significant geopolitical statement by the Church, especially at a time it has been highly critical of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
However, Pizzaballa has not taken sides as others have done. He was one of the first to condemn Hamas for the 7 October attacks on Israel and offered himself in exchange for Israeli children taken as hostages by the Palestinian terrorists.
As well as being a heroic figure with a keen ability as a diplomat he is also a leading Biblical scholar. Pope Francis was known to highly respect him and called him almost daily.
He will almost certainly get votes in the conclave and if he does not emerge this time because of his relatively young age he will be a contender again in the future.
When my Grandmother died (while I was in college), about ten of my friends came to the calling. There were 200+ people milling about. Someone asked how to tell who was a Janney. I shared the line about the blue eyes.
About then a short woman, the spittin' image of my grandmother, waddled over to me. Staring closely at my face, she asked "And who might you be, Laddie"? "Ummm, I might be Jay Janney, son of Leonard Janney, son of Walter Janney, son of Jacob Paul Janney II." I figured going back 4 generations ought to be enough.
She grinned mischievously "so you know who I am"? I grinned, "You're my grandmother's sister". "Aye Laddie, but which one"?
Curses, Grandma was one of 9, 4 sisters. "Opal"? "Nope". "Ruby"? "Aye Laddie, she's a younger sister, I'm her older sister". Sensing my chance to score points, "I assumed you were younger", and she laughed. "I'm your Great-Aunt Bessie MacCreery"! I haven't seen you since you were this big" (holding her hands apart to suggest a baby). "It's been awhile, for sure".
Before waddling off she thanked me for coming, thanked my friends for being supportive, before telling everyone, "𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝑴𝒂𝒄𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒚, 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏' 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔". After she left my friends cracked up about the blue eyes line, although they did concede I have blue eyes. When my father came over, they quickly noticed his blue eyes.
I know. But I haven't seen you take a shot at anyone for a while, and marksmanship is a perishable skill, so I just thought I'd give you a chance to practice.
The odd thing is I think both of my sons look much more like their mothers; but friends all tell me they can tell almost instantly they are my son. I sent one a photo of my youngest, where she remarked "my word, it's like stepping back into our college years he looks so much like you".
The commonplace ones around here are titmice, chickadees, and song sparrows; abundant robins, cardinals, blue jays, crows. There are a few mockingbirds and catbirds—and some turkeys you might see when driving the backroads through deeper woodlands. Not to mention vultures, occasional red-shouldered hawks that you hear declaring their territory or mating availability. On rare occasions in the area I’ve seen red-winged blackbirds on farms, some goldfinches, every now and then an oriole or a bluebird… There are probably lots more to spot if I were more of an avid birder.
We have a plethora of cardinals, not too many blue jays, other than me. We do have others as well, include the occasional turkey buzzard, the red hawks, etc.
I posted this yesterday. I was so proud of it - it just came to me. But it was late and only our host got to appreciate it, so here it is for your word play pleasure:
Re the blown up Russian general:
"So urgent they can't wait for a window of opportunity... things must not be going well."
Thank you CynthiaW for our indigo bunting primer! These lovely birds are reasonably common here in central PA.
While reading your column, I've been listening to "Jack's Backyard" on WEEU, Reading. It's a birding and nature program hosted by 90-something year old Jack Holcomb!
Cynthia, you forgot to include 'threats to the species in their breeding range include...flying over the Gulf of Mexico'. I'm sure there is a government agency whose mission has been recently amended to include shooting down birds who refuse to comply with the proper naming of bodies of water over which they fly.
Don’t see those around here, but people used to, as I’ve heard from my mother’s generation and earlier. This is undoubtedly due to going from a clearcut region of small farmsteads to mostly forest-reclaimed habitats. Lots and lots of farm field species have become scarce locally as tended farm fields and pastures reverted to uncultivated woodlands.
It makes you wonder what the wild bird—and general wildlife—populations were like in between the great die-off of the native Americans over the 1500s and the clearcut logging industry of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Different ages of woodland and arrangement of forest and open space favor different bird and animal species. That's the kind of thing that should be obvious, and yet, many in the science-y business give the impression that they think nature should be static.
As with climate and alarmism over change, the prevalent thought paradigm seems to be viewing Nature as a photograph, whereas a better analogy would be of a film. There’s a constant change in the balance of wild species of plants and animals. Each would take over the world if they could—even without an organized motive to do so. Market economies are a lot like that, too, with businesses sprouting, growing, flourishing, and/or dying all the time in response to competitive pressures and changing environs.
Your's and Cynthia's point here is so good and should be so important. Thinking of the forests in CA that have grown by some accounts 5 times denser in the last 150 years because of environmental activism and misguided suppression of natural fires. These seemingly good intentions and the paralysis that comes with it have of created a disaster in fire risk and materially reduced water that would otherwise makes its way to rivers and reservoirs.
Many “right-thinking” people believe that human populations should be static and not migrate, and that the “indigenous” peoples present in North America (and elsewhere) before the “bad, exploiting” Europeans showed up, were static. From what little we know of Native American history before colonization, that’s; not the case. Tribes warred with each other constantly and territories fluctuated due to conquest and migration.
We know a lot more than we did 30 years ago, as MarqueG says. There was war, genocide (or attempted genocide), slavery, climate change, ecological damage ... just like with all human beings everywhere and every time.
What... Are you saying that people tend to "people" no matter where they're from or what they look like and always have? Oh, come on!! What the heck kind of narrative would that be in the modern world?
Michael C. Mann’s “1491” can’t be recommended highly enough in that regard. There has been quite a lot gained in knowledge of pre-Columbian native civilizations, especially of the more advanced ones in Central and South America. Also, archeology has yielded clues to deepen the mysteries about long-ago peoples that were parts of narrative myth by the advent of Columbus.
Of course, Michael Mann did a notable thing or two, too; "Last of the Mohicans" comes to mind. But (checks notes) I think that - along with the rest of his work - might have dealt with things that came a little later than 1491...
One of the things I love about April and late September is that neither the heat nor the a/c is on, and so we open the windows on warm days. That allows us to hear the great outdoors. We hear many birds, also coyote. The coyote hate the trains that go past, howling at them. Although earlier this week Katie asked if it was time to turn on the a/c. She gets hotter than I do. When I hug her she shivers.
It's my favorite time of the year, for silly reasons. My daffodils are still (mostly) blooming. I plant variety packs, and pay no attention to what bulb I put hither or dither, so I am pleasantly surprised by what blooms. The trees are producing leaves, the bird sounds are pleasant.
I asked my husband to get up with the baby this am so my daughter (and I) could sleep in. That request fell on deaf ears. They’re here a few days while my SIL is on a work retreat.
Was listening to this just now, prepping for lawnworks: The Economist’s podcast from Friday that leads off with some reporting on the Canadian election campaign:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-intelligence-from-the-economist/id1449631195?i=1000704879108
If you’re the type who likes to have something in your ear while doing chores…
Good morning. Happy Second Sunday of Easter, the Sunday of Divine Mercy! Sunny and 52 now, with predicted high in the 60s.
Morning. We’re still in the high 40s. Supposed to be clear and sunny in the 60s. We had frost in the forecast, but it didn’t happen.
Placido Domingo, everyone. The sun is up, the birds are making fire alarm sounds. I need to make 20 sandwiches for the celebration of Children's Day (a Mexican holiday) after Mass. Son F has agreed to wear an Iron Man costume, for a consideration. He tried to back out after he agreed, but I told him it was too late: I'd already told Lourdes he would do it, and A Scout is Trustworthy.
You noted the birds were sounding the fire alarm yesterday morning, too. You'd think they'd have figured out by now the fire trucks aren't coming and that the blaze will just have to burn itself out.
Fang was baking the other day and set the fire alarm off. I think it reminded the birds that they can make the same sound.
Morning. That’s a lot of sandwiches. And a valiant youth. His parents are to be congratulated.
It turns out F represented Elmo. *snicker*
They're small sandwiches on "slider" buns, with a goal of minimizing waste. Some of the other choir members are making sandwiches, too.
In the Hispanic Ministry executive committee meeting last week, we discussed the fact that we have events, like Children's Day, that we've been doing since we were a congregation of 100 people. It's an order of magnitude more complicated for a congregation of 1,000+.
Wow! Phenomenal growth!
This has stayed with me as an antidote to the daily bombardment.
“Humans want to feel like we understand our world and have all kinds of things figured out. We don't, and we can't, but we reward people who allow us to feel as though we do.
.......Cynthia W.
I thought it was kind of banal and obvious, just a matter of markets. People are paying a subscription fee, or at least paying an opportunity cost, to "learn" things that are often unhelpfully incomplete, plain false, or opinion presented as fact. They must have a reason for doing that.
If a person has consumed content from a "China Writer or Thinker", he presumably feels that a desire has been satisfied. (If not, he won't do it again.) What is the gain? (It doesn't have to be China: it could be a variety of other subjects.) Maybe it's a feeling that, because I have this information, I am more in control, equipped to make better decisions, safer.
Of course, as I keep saying about a lot of subjects, "What are you going to do differently?" Supposing you did get accurate information about China from your source, what would you change in your life? In a few cases, there might be something obvious: will I visit, will I invest, etc. For most, though, it's all just about thinking.”
What is the gain?
Information - satisfaction of curiosity. The world is a big and wonderful place.
But also - and maybe the most common motivator - may be as a cover for procrastination, escapism, avoidance of unpleasantness, of pain, of indecision, of cowardice.
Or killing time - sitting waiting on somebody else, might as well learn something about the rest of the world.
"What are you going to do differently?" is a great question. Even when consuming information as a refuge, there is still the possibility of change from new information. Maybe you won't be so cocky in judging, or maybe you will have confidence to stand up and do the right thing. Information can be stored, and once it is deposited is starts working subconsciously.
Surely the world is a better place when we encounter each other as thinking people? Which is not to say that sometimes it doesn't take a bit for the good to sink in. The things we do differently may not be obvious. Maybe a seed is planted through a stray comment regarding something one learned and it opens another person's ears to a subsequent comment in another context.
NC State (my alma mater) adopted "Think and Do" as its mottto in the past 10 years or so. I love it. Thinking informs doing, which informs thinking, which informs further doing. But we need the reminder because it is so easy to get lost in one's head and doing suffers from procrastination.
Like reading fascinating articles on topics you've never heard about until now...
Here’s my problem with that…and I am not advocating, apologizing, nor disparaging any political entity or country, only dismissing the “information people”.
I don’t know about anywhere else, but I have a decent handle on China and how it operates. The “information” we receive in the West is nonsense. We “ learn" things that are often unhelpfully incomplete, plain false, or opinion presented as fact”.
I don’t know why. I have theories and ideas, none held in particular belief, only as possibilities. Knowing what I know for sure because I live there and know stuff, the “information people” are full of crap.
How do I trust them on other stuff when I know for SURE they are full of crap on specific stuff?
Lotta noise out there. Noise that requires listeners to maintain revenue. Money is a significant incentive, very likely the most powerful incentive.
I’m sticking with what Cynthia said.
I have been fuzzy headed and busy today and don't know I have the wherewithal to comment coherently.
I don't disagree with any of this and I think Cynthia's observation is right.
One can be full of crap through ignorance, arrogance, misguided principals, ill intent or a combination of all of them. It seems the best anybody can do is read enough of a person to get a sense of who they are and where they are coming from enough to sort out what is reliable and what is questionable.
Reading news as procrastination or escape probably does more to drive damage caused by otherwise benign elements. People lacking knowledge in a particular field don't push back when there is error. If you are selling to enough people who aren't going to push back there is no incentive to improve accuracy and quality of communication.
I appreciate your sharing of your experience.
That’s astute. The avalanche of news is, in itself, insane. So many trying to get traction is skewing reality in all directions. Who does one listen to? I’ve gone baseline. If I haven’t had my eyes and hands on it, I reserve judgment.
"How do I trust them on other stuff when I know for SURE they are full of crap on specific stuff?"
Kevin Williamson writes about this concept sometimes. If you, a reader, know a lot about Topic A, and a journalism person demonstrates ignorance of Topic A while distributing "news" about it, it's not unreasonable to assume that the journalism person is also wrong about Topics B to Z. There may be exceptions - maybe the person knows a lot about Topic K - but you have no way of sorting the random accuracy from the overall noise of ignorance.
Right. I don't go around disbelieving everyone writing about stuff. I've just gotten much more selective. I am not well traveled; I've never been anywhere except a year in the Caribbean working a construction project and about a cumulative 7 years in China, hanging around with people that know stuff and that know other people that know a LOT of stuff. My eyes are opened. It just ain't like they say. That doesn't mean I'm some sort of commie pinko whackjob. It means I know it ain't like they say. I don't try to say exactly what it IS like because there's so much I don't know, but I know what it ISN'T like.
I get it.
Buntings migrate through a part of Arkansas that has turned it into a type of tourist business. I did the tour one Spring, and one morning it was the jackpot. We saw dozens/hundreds. They are spectacular.
I agree. They turn up en masse sometimes in this general area, though not in my neighborhood.
Free WSJ “A-Hed” for today: “Conclave Betting Pools and Bingo Cards: The ‘Super Bowl of Being Catholic’:
https://www.wsj.com/world/pope-catholic-conclave-popularity-43963341?mod=djem10point
Interesting, entertaining. Since I accidentally stumbled into a free trial subscription to Amazon Prime, I was one of those who watched “Conclave”—just last night, in fact. I recalled some of the dramatized details my good Catholic friend, one-time altar boy and still practicing parishioner, described to me years ago.
A story about the future at least has a chance of being optimistic, and the article catches the vibe of being hopeful and forward looking.
Paywall.
Doesn’t matter. Summary… “Be hopeful and forward looking.”
I’m at a hotel that apparently is the conclave of Tai Chi practitioners. The vibe is hopeful and forward looking. We’re all one tribe.
Huh. That was fast. Just tried the link above myself and it went straight to a subscription sign-up… But plugging the same link into Safari on my desktop works without a blocker in front just now…
WSJ is a lot stricter on rights than others. I canceled my low-rate trial subscription because I wasn’t reading any of it. Maybe just having an account without a subscription is enough for the web version, in some browsers, with a touch of luck… It looks like in Safari I’m signed in as a registered user.
All of these places continue to send a daily, and sometimes twice daily, newsletter with headline, lede/short paragraph. I’ve found that to be entirely adequate for almost everything. If some news item is actually important, it shows up everywhere for free in <1/2 day.
Cynthia’s little quote rings in my ears on a daily basis. I think I’ll put it up as a post.
I get emails from WSJ. The headline tells me enough.
Oh, well. I googled "papabile" and found some free sources.
I support Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, just because of his name.
Pierbattista Pizzaballa...
I'm not Catholic, but I am half Italian with a strong taste for Italian fare. And I'll admit it's kind of hard not to like a guy whose name sounds like it belongs on the menu at my and my wife's go-to for relatively upscale dining in these parts...
https://daedoardonorth.com/
🤩🤩🤩
I think I’ve fallen in love.
Actually, now I support Cardinal Pizzaballa because he seems like a pretty solid guy. And I don't think being 60 instead of ancient is bad. Our new bishop is over 65: in good health, it seems, though heavyset, but I wish he was younger.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/new-pope-candidates-cardinals-conclave-2025-b2739896.html
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa
The Patriarch of Jerusalem is only 60 and much younger than all the other contenders but is a name increasingly discussed as a left field option by the conclave. It may be by the time the conclave begins that he has become one of the more serious contenders.
Essentially, it his role as leader of the Catholics in the Holy Land at a time when Middle East events in Israel and Gaza are at the forefront of world and Church politics.
Choosing Pizzaballa would be a significant geopolitical statement by the Church, especially at a time it has been highly critical of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
However, Pizzaballa has not taken sides as others have done. He was one of the first to condemn Hamas for the 7 October attacks on Israel and offered himself in exchange for Israeli children taken as hostages by the Palestinian terrorists.
As well as being a heroic figure with a keen ability as a diplomat he is also a leading Biblical scholar. Pope Francis was known to highly respect him and called him almost daily.
He will almost certainly get votes in the conclave and if he does not emerge this time because of his relatively young age he will be a contender again in the future.
He offered himself as a hostage? That's some serious dedication to the faith.
Yes. On the other hand, a Stoic might do the same, because it's the duty of a man to protect children.
That's some serious dedication to having, and living, good values, even if the person doesn't identify with a current major world religion.
indigo buntings’ diet is heavy on... arachnids. My kind of bird!
Oh, I just realized what the title means. Slow brain day.
We are blessed with blue birds here: Bluebirds, Blue Jays, Blue Grosbeaks, and Indigo Buntings. All of them make me happy.
Blue animals are always worth a round of applause.
Blue eyes is a family trait among the Janney men.
When my Grandmother died (while I was in college), about ten of my friends came to the calling. There were 200+ people milling about. Someone asked how to tell who was a Janney. I shared the line about the blue eyes.
About then a short woman, the spittin' image of my grandmother, waddled over to me. Staring closely at my face, she asked "And who might you be, Laddie"? "Ummm, I might be Jay Janney, son of Leonard Janney, son of Walter Janney, son of Jacob Paul Janney II." I figured going back 4 generations ought to be enough.
She grinned mischievously "so you know who I am"? I grinned, "You're my grandmother's sister". "Aye Laddie, but which one"?
Curses, Grandma was one of 9, 4 sisters. "Opal"? "Nope". "Ruby"? "Aye Laddie, she's a younger sister, I'm her older sister". Sensing my chance to score points, "I assumed you were younger", and she laughed. "I'm your Great-Aunt Bessie MacCreery"! I haven't seen you since you were this big" (holding her hands apart to suggest a baby). "It's been awhile, for sure".
Before waddling off she thanked me for coming, thanked my friends for being supportive, before telling everyone, "𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝑴𝒂𝒄𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒚, 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏' 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔". After she left my friends cracked up about the blue eyes line, although they did concede I have blue eyes. When my father came over, they quickly noticed his blue eyes.
**round of applause**
Your story on the Drama Queen (at the Mothership) was much better!
So, when it comes to a specific eye color and who can pass it on, one might say Blue Bayou?
Or one might not say that, depending on whether or not one is in the mood for something being passed on by Phil.
Multiple misfires.
I know. But I haven't seen you take a shot at anyone for a while, and marksmanship is a perishable skill, so I just thought I'd give you a chance to practice.
Both of my sons have blue eyes as well.
The odd thing is I think both of my sons look much more like their mothers; but friends all tell me they can tell almost instantly they are my son. I sent one a photo of my youngest, where she remarked "my word, it's like stepping back into our college years he looks so much like you".
The commonplace ones around here are titmice, chickadees, and song sparrows; abundant robins, cardinals, blue jays, crows. There are a few mockingbirds and catbirds—and some turkeys you might see when driving the backroads through deeper woodlands. Not to mention vultures, occasional red-shouldered hawks that you hear declaring their territory or mating availability. On rare occasions in the area I’ve seen red-winged blackbirds on farms, some goldfinches, every now and then an oriole or a bluebird… There are probably lots more to spot if I were more of an avid birder.
We have a plethora of cardinals, not too many blue jays, other than me. We do have others as well, include the occasional turkey buzzard, the red hawks, etc.
I posted this yesterday. I was so proud of it - it just came to me. But it was late and only our host got to appreciate it, so here it is for your word play pleasure:
Re the blown up Russian general:
"So urgent they can't wait for a window of opportunity... things must not be going well."
At least I hope that is the reason.
+1
Excellent job!
Thank you!
Thank you CynthiaW for our indigo bunting primer! These lovely birds are reasonably common here in central PA.
While reading your column, I've been listening to "Jack's Backyard" on WEEU, Reading. It's a birding and nature program hosted by 90-something year old Jack Holcomb!
Good morning. 52 degrees here, predicted high only in the 60s and cloudy.
I’ve seen the indigo bunting only in pictures, not in person. Beautiful bird.
But Cynthia, I think I spy a mistake on your article. Instead of “Gulf of Mexico” didn’t you mean “Gulf of America”? 🤣
Cynthia, you forgot to include 'threats to the species in their breeding range include...flying over the Gulf of Mexico'. I'm sure there is a government agency whose mission has been recently amended to include shooting down birds who refuse to comply with the proper naming of bodies of water over which they fly.
That presumes they know how to translate "Chirp" into America or Mexico.
Not everyone gets it right.
I don't think they're that good of shots.
Well, that's it. Cynthia having clearly cast her lot with those rogue writers at the AP, no more White House Press Room or Oval Office access for her.
When one takes a stance in defense of style guides (even AP), one has Edith "Edit" Burton in one's corner. And that may turn out to be important.
MarqueG mentioned that, too. It didn't cross my mind: I dismissed the idiocy right after it happened.
Unfortunately we still have that idiot.
True ... but be patient. Like Father Redacted, Trump will one day be gone.
I thought Father Time was here to stay?
Or is it a Catholic Father? I get the two confused at times.
Time is a flat circle.
And please Lord, take JD and Don Jr with him.
Yes, I wish them all a peaceful life in a cave somewhere far away from normal, decent people.
Maybe Father Redacted will get J.D. Vance to quit the Catholic Church as quickly as he joined it. He's driven much better people out of our parish.
Don’t see those around here, but people used to, as I’ve heard from my mother’s generation and earlier. This is undoubtedly due to going from a clearcut region of small farmsteads to mostly forest-reclaimed habitats. Lots and lots of farm field species have become scarce locally as tended farm fields and pastures reverted to uncultivated woodlands.
It makes you wonder what the wild bird—and general wildlife—populations were like in between the great die-off of the native Americans over the 1500s and the clearcut logging industry of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Different ages of woodland and arrangement of forest and open space favor different bird and animal species. That's the kind of thing that should be obvious, and yet, many in the science-y business give the impression that they think nature should be static.
As with climate and alarmism over change, the prevalent thought paradigm seems to be viewing Nature as a photograph, whereas a better analogy would be of a film. There’s a constant change in the balance of wild species of plants and animals. Each would take over the world if they could—even without an organized motive to do so. Market economies are a lot like that, too, with businesses sprouting, growing, flourishing, and/or dying all the time in response to competitive pressures and changing environs.
"Each would take over the world if they could"
So, now I guess I'll no longer be able to think of TwiXter without thinking of Kudzu.
Except there's a chance TwiXter will someday fade....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flSmiIne-4k
Your's and Cynthia's point here is so good and should be so important. Thinking of the forests in CA that have grown by some accounts 5 times denser in the last 150 years because of environmental activism and misguided suppression of natural fires. These seemingly good intentions and the paralysis that comes with it have of created a disaster in fire risk and materially reduced water that would otherwise makes its way to rivers and reservoirs.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/04/california-can-dramatically-increase-its-water-supply/
(and now I've outed myself that sometimes I read NR)
That's an outstanding article.
Many “right-thinking” people believe that human populations should be static and not migrate, and that the “indigenous” peoples present in North America (and elsewhere) before the “bad, exploiting” Europeans showed up, were static. From what little we know of Native American history before colonization, that’s; not the case. Tribes warred with each other constantly and territories fluctuated due to conquest and migration.
"From what little we know ..."
We know a lot more than we did 30 years ago, as MarqueG says. There was war, genocide (or attempted genocide), slavery, climate change, ecological damage ... just like with all human beings everywhere and every time.
What... Are you saying that people tend to "people" no matter where they're from or what they look like and always have? Oh, come on!! What the heck kind of narrative would that be in the modern world?
Michael C. Mann’s “1491” can’t be recommended highly enough in that regard. There has been quite a lot gained in knowledge of pre-Columbian native civilizations, especially of the more advanced ones in Central and South America. Also, archeology has yielded clues to deepen the mysteries about long-ago peoples that were parts of narrative myth by the advent of Columbus.
I would have read "1491" if it were not so big! I've read good things about it, though.
It is NOT a dry or boring read, assuming you’re somewhat interested in the subject matter. It’s very well written and engrossing.
Um... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_C._Mann
Of course, Michael Mann did a notable thing or two, too; "Last of the Mohicans" comes to mind. But (checks notes) I think that - along with the rest of his work - might have dealt with things that came a little later than 1491...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mann_filmography
Oops!
Charles C. Mann is who I meant, author of notable works like 1491, 1493, “The Wizard and the Prophet”…
I guess I had in mind the other Michael Mann, PhD climate hockey-stick hornswoggler and serial abusive litigant…
The one that's now seeing the climate change in the courtroom?
https://www.npr.org/2024/02/08/1230236546/famous-climate-scientist-michael-mann-wins-his-defamation-case
https://www.desmog.com/2025/04/22/climate-scientist-michael-mann-fights-new-court-penalties-in-2024-defamation-trial/
Good morning. This came across my feed this morning:
https://petapixel.com/2025/04/23/photographer-captures-hawk-and-owl-battling-mid-air-over-a-vole/
Airborne example of boardinghouse reach.
Wow!
Amazing. Thanks, Lucy.
Most welcome.
And thank you for all your shared gift articles and moderating influence over on the mother ship.
Good morning. I slept late, in spite of the birds making fire alarm sounds outside.
One of the things I love about April and late September is that neither the heat nor the a/c is on, and so we open the windows on warm days. That allows us to hear the great outdoors. We hear many birds, also coyote. The coyote hate the trains that go past, howling at them. Although earlier this week Katie asked if it was time to turn on the a/c. She gets hotter than I do. When I hug her she shivers.
It's my favorite time of the year, for silly reasons. My daffodils are still (mostly) blooming. I plant variety packs, and pay no attention to what bulb I put hither or dither, so I am pleasantly surprised by what blooms. The trees are producing leaves, the bird sounds are pleasant.
It reminds me how blessed is my life.
We open the windows on cool days.
I asked my husband to get up with the baby this am so my daughter (and I) could sleep in. That request fell on deaf ears. They’re here a few days while my SIL is on a work retreat.
My husband is deaf like that, too.
Morning. I had to go back and finish sleeping.
I often finish sleeping after lunch.