Quote Of The Day

I never went to the island. Bill Clinton went there supposedly 28 times. I never had the privilege of going to his island.

- President Donald Trump

Friday Music

French stilt dancing—called échasses dancing—originates from the Landes region of southwestern France, particularly around towns like Mont-de-Marsan and Saint-Sever.

Stilts (échasses) were originally practical tools for shepherds navigating the swampy, marshy terrain of the Landes. The stilts (up to 5 feet high) allowed them to move more easily through water, watch over their flocks, and travel longer distances.  With the passage of time, the shepherds and rural people began using stilts in festivities and demonstrations, turning them into a performing art.

The dancing involves traditional folk movements—hops, kicks, twirls, and coordinated group steps—all performed while balanced on stilts.  Dancers typically wear traditional regional attire, including berets, vests, and wooden shoes attached to the stilts.  The music is performed on traditional instruments like the boha (Gascon bagpipe), flutes, or accordions.  

Nowadays,  performance troupes like Lous Esquiroûs or Les Échassiers de l’Armagnac keep the tradition alive, performing across France and internationally at festivals and cultural events.  Stilt dancing is a proud tradition and part of thee region's cultural identity and history.

Wildflower Blooms

From our morning walk the other day there were these showy, native flowers.

Bee Balm

Black-Eyed Susan

Blue Vervain

Compass Plant

Gray-Headed Coneflower

Joe Pye Weed

Obedient Plant

Prairie Blazing Star

Purple Coneflower 

Purple Prairie Clover

Welfare Check

Checked the nest box yesterday. 

Second batch of bluebirds are growing fast.  

Not far from promotion to fledglings.....  

Wiley Coyote

Girl coyote followed by boy coyote.

 

I wonder if they are a mated pair?  

Lazarus Asparagus

A couple months or so ago I figured my asparagus was done-for.  As it turns-out not so much.  For a while every day or so I'd pick a spear or three to keep my diet German.  And while things have been tapering-off I'm still picking enough to include homegrown spargel in the vegetable line-up on at least a weekly basis.

I swear - I get-up, pour a cuppa joe, look out the kitchen window and there it is.  I grows overnight! 

Pan-seared salmon, brown rice and you-know-who.

Pretty good chow if you can get it.   

Healthy too..... 

Picking Winners and Losers - Part 2

Who’s winning?

Domestic US automobile manufacturers are subject to a 50% tariff on steel - resulting in the highest steel prices on the planet, a 25% tariff on parts imported from Mexico and Canada along with a 65%+ tariff on Chinese LCDs and electronics. 

The European Union can manufacture cars with zero steel tariffs, 4% Chinese tariffs, and zero tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. 

EU auto exports to the US are subject to a 15% tariff.

The Art of the Deal.......