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Further evidence of the vast improvement of your and my prosperity and general lot in life. Along with making the world a safer place.
All Hail The Dear Leader!
A funny thing happened to the trail camera supply chain this winter. There wasn't a Moultrie trail camera to be had. Nothing in stock locally. Nothing on Amazon Prime. Nada. Was it a chip shortage? A consequence of tariffs? A shipping container that fell from a ship and is bobbing-around somewhere between China and a California port? I have no clue. What I know for sure is I've been wanting to acquire two more cams and I'm not used to being denied for 3 months.
Since they don't need to be cellular-equipped I know I should be able to snag them for under a $100 apiece; only they've been unavailable. Other brands and models, yes. Moultrie. no. Pardon me for brand loyalty but it is what it is. It's a boomer thing.
Anyway, after waiting for months, the Missus announced they were back on Amazon and that I should check-out the selection so she could include them on our order. In short order they arrived - a couple of A-900 bundles including SD card and batteries - free shipping too. Set me back about $90 a camera.
I deployed the first, replacing the last of two A-25i models deployed April 24, 2020. Its twin succumbed in 2025 and after five years of continuous use this cam was nearing the end of its useful life and will be held in reserve or maybe finish its tour of duty as the 2026 Oriole Cam this year. We'll see. Bottom line is I have one new camera still in the box and one old cam in reserve for the present.
Here are the last two pics from the old trail camera...
Prepping and deploying the new camera...
You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your handsome prince. So goes the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm about the frog prince.
The version ending with the Princess kissing the frog, who transforms to a handsome prince, is unfaithful to the original in both spirit and content. In the original tale it is the abject rejection of the frog that culminates in the princess violently hurling the hapless amphibian against a wall that transforms him. The Brothers Grimm sometimes dispensed with nuance.
The version with the kissing is more about doing what you are told - and for women anyway - compliantly accepting their fate. The original fairy tale is edgier, much more about societal status, the traditional role of women in general and the assertion of free will. The tale is dripping in allegory and bears little resemblance to a Disney production. Naturally, all things Disney become fantasized. Besides, I have the book and have read the tale. You can fight me over interpretation any time you care.
If only Russian dissident and opposition leader Alexei Navalny had an opportunity to toss his assassins against a wall.
According to five European governments, recent forensic testing reveals that Navalny was likely murdered with epibatidine, a potent neurotoxin found in South American poison dart frogs. This finding has resurrected scrutiny over the circumstances of Navalny's 2024 death barely two years ago.
France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK have reported that independent laboratory analysis detected the rare toxin in preserved tissue samples from Navalny's body. They argue that inasmuch as there is no credible natural explanation for its presence they have reported the findings to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons as a possible violation of international law.
I am not a biologist, but even I know that poison frogs are not native to Russian Gulags situated above the Arctic circle. What I do know is that even small amounts of this toxin can disrupt the human nervous system, causing paralysis, respiratory failure and death.
Navalny died February 16, 2024 imprisoned in a remote and frozen Soviet-era penal colony. Naturally, the Putin regime denies any involvement insisting that their problematic citizen passed away of natural causes.
Six years ago I had the opportunity to learn more about South American poison dart frogs on a museum tour. You can see them here in captivity - duplicating their tropical environment.
Got to hand it to Vlad. It used to be Sudden Russian Death Syndrome; the accidental falling from hotel windows phenomena that has claimed the lives of a mind boggling number of businessmen, bureaucrats, oligarchs and journalists as a mechanism to silence opponents would suffice. Having dispensed with the messiness of Polonium-210 as the poison of choice the play list now includes a toxin from South American poison frogs.
If only the Brothers Grimm were alive today to spin a fairy tale with this material.....
Three days in a row of spring-like weather with sunshine, melting snow and outdoor temps venturing into the mid-50s. There is even rain in the forecast.
Hmmm....
Sure feels like spring; but I've been to this rodeo before and I am no fool. We're gonna see a drop in temps, a return to snow and maybe even a blizzard or two with possibilities of such nonsense extending into April.
This ephemeral meteorological phenomenon is what is known as Fake Spring.
For the present what we know for sure is paw prints covering the porch confirm that Mud Season has commenced. Consequently, a freshly-laundered supply of dog towels are on the rack above the janitor slop sink in the garage.
Sturgeon season thru the ice opened on Valentines Day.
The season is scheduled to last 16 days, closing on March 1, 2026, or earlier if the predetermined harvest caps are reached.
Great weather Sunday to catch some rays and maybe spear a really big fish….
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