Stinker

Not unheard-of; but unusual daylight photos. 

No matter how you carve it up; we got skunks coming and going

Round trip… 

 

More Spring Color

We've been checking almost daily; finally, from our morning walk yesterday there was this.

 

Huzzah! 

Meet Iris Versicolor -commonly known as Blue Flag Iris or Northern Iris, Harlequin Blue Flag, Larger Blue Flag, Poison Flag, plus other variations of these names.  

Habitats include wet prairies, along rivers, wet woodlands, swamps, edges of ponds and streams and other low-lying areas along rail lines and roadsides.  It likes wet feet - and it grows naturally along the banks of Silver Creek and in low woodland habitat.  A beautiful and delicate wildflower it propagates by means of an underground rhizome.  Native cultures used the root for medicinal purposes.

In Greek mythology Iris is a personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods - thus explaining the wide range of colors of this member of the iris family.

 

Sandwich Simplicity

Since we began our day with a different sandwich there is this.  When we returned from our walk in the woods the other day I was hungry for a snack.  Fresh from the garden I’ve been looking forward to this for a year already. 

There is nothing more elegant in its simplicity than the radish sandwich.  Hearkening back to my childhood this was a favorite of my father and remains a summertime indulgence of mine.  It is sublime.   

Ingredients:   

Garden radishes – sliced thin  

Two slices of bread - rye, sourdough, whole wheat - you pick. 

Unsalted sweet cream butter – room temperature  

Sea salt  

Instructions:  

Slather each slice of bread generously with butter.   

Top with radish slices.  

Cracked sea salt over all to taste.  

Yields one sandwich.

You can learn more about the humble radish here.

And Now For Something Completely Different

I'd try this, once... 

Let's Make a Deal

Ships of the world, start your engines.  Let the oil flow!

- Donald Trump 

Trump sought to break Iran's regime and for the present has to settle for reopening the Strait.   

As of the publication of this post at 2:30 PM, Monday nobody has seen the text of "The Deal" opening the Strait of Hormuz.  Perhaps this emerging agreement ends a costly war but it leaves Iran's leadership intact and its nuclear future unclear.  Nevertheless, this is good news.  I'll join the president in celebrating a resumption of the way the world was on February 27, the day before the United States and Israel attacked Iran.  Ending one of the biggest global supply disruptions in decades  is hardly a victory; but it is good news.  

Some immediate thoughts.

The market for oil and other critical products (fertilizer components come to mind) will remain tight for weeks and months while ships are repositioned, damaged infrastructure is assessed and repaired, depleted inventories are rebuilt, mines are removed, crew changes are made and navies, insurers and shipowners are convinced the channel is safe.  Even after traffic picks-up, another 50+ days are needed for oil to arrive in Asia and begin to be refined.  Supply chain relief  won't materialize  until late August and any meaningful normalization would only happen in September at the earliest.

Before this deal crude oil flows have recovered only slightly this month with roughly 10 ships transiting the strait  per day according the commodities and shipping data provider Kpler; a far cry from the normal prewar ship transits of 100+ daily.

Remember this; under Obama's JCPOA no soldiers or civilians were killed, no US bases attacked, no aircraft or ships were lost, no treasure was expended on a war and Iran's enriched uranium was turned over to the custody of the Russians.

Donald Trump unilaterally walked-away from that agreement and in the absence of a replacement Iran embarked on a frenzy of nuclear enrichment.  In 2025 Donald Trump claimed to have obliterated Iran's nuclear program.  And earlier this year unilaterally decided to go to war with Iran.  Consequently, American service members and Iranians were killed and wounded, US bases in the Middle East were targeted and attacked and $34 billion of our treasure expended.  Iran still possesses its enriched uranium, the regime is intact and their nuclear ambitions unresolved. 

Happy Birthday Mr. Trump.  Stay-tuned...

New Recruits

Trail camera pix of the incoming class of 2026

 

A very pregnant doe. 

 

 

And we got babies!

 

 

Click on images for a closer look

 

Update From The Oriole Ranch

When the orioles first arrived activity on the feeders was brisk with the migrators gorging on fruit and grape jelly. 

 

Business recently has been quiet. The orioles haven’t entirely disappeared - but their feeding habits have switched to abundant high protein insects and insect larvae as they rear their young high in the tree canopy. 

 

Predictably, by July the adults will return with their fledglings to introduce them to the decadence of grape jelly and oranges. 

 

This is always a hoot because the fledglings will find a perch and beg mom or dad to feed them. By the time they’ve figured out how to feed themselves the orioles beat it out of dodge to wing their way to their wintering grounds.

 

Last to arrive and first to depart. 

 

In the interim, The indigo buntings continue to come around to indulge their sweet tooth and partake of the thistle seed in the two finch feeders and ordinary wild bird seed along with most everyone else.

 

As a four year-old visitor recently put it:  What is the blue canary bird called?