Friday Music

This song by Crosby, Stills and Nash included harmonies by Timmy B. Schmit. 

Peaking at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1982 it was their first top ten hit in five years. 

Wasted on the Way….

Sunset

This happened today.....

Sunrise Coyotes

Earlier this week Jill and Blonde dog has a close encounter of the the coyote kind.  Middle of the day too.

There wasn't an altercation and nobody got hurt but Jill was a wee bit unnerved by the boldness of one of the two canines she spotted.

Mating time has passed and the arrival of coyote pups can be just about anytime now.

Daylight sightings of this predator tag team will likely continue.....

 

In Further News

Photo - Wikipedia

 

Search warrants require probable cause that a crime was committed.  

Probable cause is not as high a bar as proof beyond a reasonable doubt, but it's still a significant hurdle. 

In other words - Rudy Giuliani might be in trouble.

Decades ago this guy earned his chops as an anti-corruption crusader as a United States Associate Attorney General, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Mayor of New York City. 

Stay-tuned.....

Turkey Camp

In keeping with the tradition there are Turkey Camp baby back ribs.

 

5 hours on the Slow ‘N Sear® XL in the big Weber kettle.

 

Memphis dry rub from Country Meat Products - Florence, Mississippi. A double fistful of cherry wood chips for smoke.

 

Set it and forget it. No peeking.

 

Fail safe.

 

Boom!

 

 

The Aerialist

Meet Tachycineta bicolor - the Tree Swallow.   

April 2011 Photo Taken Turkey Hunting

This blue-green feathered bird is an early spring arrival and they are a delight to watch as they are spectacular aviators that hunt flying insects. 

As a cavity-nesting species it had historically been found in forested habitat where they would nest in tree cavities.  Hence the origin of its name.  However the distribution of nest boxes by songbird enthusiasts has allowed for an expansion of its range to include open habitats.  They compete with bluebirds and house wrens for rights to nest in our boxes. 

This bird will pair-bond to breed yet there is cheating from time-to-time. It is not unusual for a male to keep a second mate at a separate nest site.  Because this species frequently returns to the location from whence it previously bred it is possible for an individual bird to have the same mate several years in a row.  But this is a consequence of being faithful to the site and not to fidelity as we understand it. 

This time of year is courting time and the males are displaying for the ladies.  They frequently sit atop a nest box bobbing and bowing until a potential mate is coaxed into inspecting the suitability of the premises with the possibility of moving-in.  If the courting is successful the male will hover over and mount the female as he stretches his wings while grabbing her feathers by the neck with with his beak to copulate.  A careful observer may also see a mating pair touching their bills with one another. 

While both birds gather materials the female constructs a cup-shaped nest of grass lined with feathers.   Four to seven small white eggs follow about a week after mating. They are incubated by mom for a couple of weeks and after hatching both birds feed the young.  The young fledge at about three weeks of age.

Nest predation typically occurs by snakes, raccoons, weasels and cats.  Birds on the wing can be picked-off by most any of the resident raptors.  It is during this critical nesting period I have to wear a cap when walking the dog as we get dive-bombed when approaching a nest site.  

By the time August rolls-around these birds are gone!  They leave their breeding grounds to congregate in large flocks in marshy areas with plenty of flying insects to feed-upon.  From there they migrate south to Florida, Cuba, Central and South America.  

Other than the dive-bombing it is a hoot to watch this talented aerialist.  Stay-tuned for further updates.

Word Of The Day

 Forno

The Italian or Portuguese word for oven. 

Four days of progress last week on the construction of the forno our back on the patio where the hot tub used to live.

Winnebago cut stone

 Beginning of the oven platform and countertop

 Bench wall seating awaiting its capstone

Full Moon On Tap

If you are reading this you have ample notice about tomorrows' Pink Moon. 

The term ‘Pink Moon’ actually does not imply that the moon is pink.  The term derives from the spring appearance of native ground phlox and its pink blooms that coincides with the April full moon.  

If you venture outside the evening of Monday, April 26 you can observe April's Pink Moon rising after sunset.  This is the first of two Supermoons of 2021 and will reach peak illumination at 10:30 PM.  A Supermoon is characterized by a brighter and larger appearance.

The April full moon is also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and the Fish Moon.  

More here from the Old Farmer's Almanac...

The Garden Chronicles

When you live equidistant between the equator and the north pole it is the little things that matter.

The spargel is awakening from its winter slumber and beginning to peek thru the mulch.

 

 

And the radishes I planted awhile ago have germinated.

Let the gardening begin!

Friday Music

Originally formed in 1963 this British blues rock band featured a steady stream of talent over the years. 

Keith Relf was an original lead vocalist, Anthony ‘Top’ Topham played lead guitar, Cris Dreja rhythm guitar, Paul Samwell-Smith bass and Jim Mc Carty on drums. In short order, Eric Clapton replaced Topham. 

Regrettably, as a die-hard blues guy Clapton’s creative disagreements with the group caused his departure the day this single was released. Clapton suggested that Jimmy Page join as his replacement but Page declined and Jeff Beck joined the band. Page eventually joined the group after Samwell-Smith quit. Dreja eventually took over on bass and Page joined Beck on guitar. 

Alas, all good things come to an end.  Beck departed in 1966 and the band limped-along as a four member group until Relf and McCarty split the group as a consequence of their own creative differences with Page.  Dreja and Page were left until Page left to join Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham to form a group called Led Zepplin. 

Whew! 

Recorded and released in 1965 this was the Yard Birds first charting single. For Your Love…...

Looky What's Coming

Home improvement project was launched this week - and earlier than planned. 

Originally scheduled for June - Baylake Landscaping was able to bump-up our project on their schedule and start work on the pedestal, countertop and bench wall seating.

Ready for ground-breaking

Gravel base

Forms

Pouring concrete

 

Oven and countertop base

Footings for bench wall seating

First course of Winnebago cut stone for the bench wall

Stay-tuned for periodic updates and the eventual delivery of the oven and installation.

Recipe of the Day

Combine the juice of a lemon and six tablespoons of white balsamic vinaigrette in a sauce pan.  Stirring periodically simmer on medium until reduced by half.  Turn-off heat.  Sauce will thicken as it cools. (Best served cooled)

Tossed salad of whatever you have dressed with a balsamic raspberry vinaigrette.

Aromatic basmati rice.

The first three sentences (above) can be prepared in-advance.  

Crusted, pan-seared, ahi tuna steak - rare. 

Dry your tuna steaks on paper toweling and dredge in equal amounts of kosher salt, ground coriander, paprika and fresh-cracked pepper.  A wee bit of cayenne pepper optional.

Melt a tablespoon+ of unsalted butter in a skillet until just beginning to brown.  Add your tuna steaks and sear on high heat for one minute per side.  Remove immediately and set aside to rest before slicing.

Top with balsamic reduction and serve with fresh lemon.

Herd Immunity

After a slow initial rollout, as of yesterday, it is estimated that 75% of the eligible population of the peninsula has now been vaccinated.  Presently children less than 16 years of age are not eligible.  Once the kiddos are vaxxed we'll have likely attained herd immunity.

Kudos to our county health department, first responders and front line healthcare workers.  Obtaining a vaccine driving thru a fire department bay is brilliant!

I have said all along that conquering the virus is the ticket to economic recovery.

This blogger is tickled to be counted among those who have been micro-chipped.  Just kidding

Yes, there are individuals who believe Bill Gates is using COVID vaccines to insert tracking micro-chips in the general population.  For what reason there is nary a clue as I believe Bill Gates has better things to do in his spare time.  Nevertheless, these unvaccinated believers walk amongst us.

Everybody is entitled to their own belief system.

That is what makes America great. 

Always.....

 

Wile E. Coyote

Last Wednesday I was out with Blonde Dog for a walk and a circuit trail cameras to swap out the SD cards.  Unremarkably deer were the most prolific of critters photographed followed by raccoons.  The third most popular image collected was that of the largest resident predator around these parts.  Canis latrans - Wile E. Coyote. 

If you paid attention to the behavior of my faithful companion the casual observer would take note that she would periodically stop in her tracks to give a particular spot on the trail a long and thorough sniff.  With each pause the denouement would be to pee at each location before resuming our walk. 

There is no mistaking this scent marking behavior and the need for canids to lay claim to their territory.

Anyway here are some additional trail camera photos taken this month - both IR captured at night and a couple of daytime photos as well.  Three different locations.  I did not crop the date and time stamp as as to lend a sense to the movement patterns......

 

And Then There Was Dinner......

 

Jägerschnitzel mit Nudeln und Salat.......

Oaf Keeper

The mob killed a Capitol law enforcement officer and injured 127 others - spare me the Blue Lives Matter hypocrisy.  

This thug is getting squeezed like a mop as he's turning state's evidence on his insurrectionist accomplices.  

Gonna be interesting to watch these seditious half-wits eat their own.  

Pass the microwave popcorn....

April 19, 2021 - 6 PM - Edit to add:   

Washington, D.C., medical examiner Dr. Francisco J. Diaz ruled today that Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes. The 42-year-old officer died after suffering a pair of strokes following an attack by rioters at the Capitol and being assaulted with bear spray on January 6. 

While this complicates law enforcement’s efforts to prosecute anyone in his death, Dr. Diaz added of the assault – All that transpired played a role in his condition. 

A total of five people were left dead after the attack. One rioter - Ashli Babbitt - was shot to death by another Capitol Police officer. Two others died of complications from heart disease and one death was accidental, Dr. Diaz ruled.

The Eagle Has Landed

	Side benefit of living in a wild land.          If you look above the inspection pipe sticking out of our POWTS - in the center of the photo you can make out three bald eagles perched in a tree.          The one on the bottom is a mature adult.  The two above are juveniles. The youngsters will attain the distinctive white head plumage at 4-5 years of age.           This was a fortuitous observation.          Should probably go out and purchase a lottery ticket....

Friday Music

 In his 1989 autobiography Henry Mancini shared this:

The Peter Gunn title theme actually derives more from rock and roll than from jazz.  I used guitar and piano in unison, playing what is known in music as an ostinato - which means obstinate.  It was sustained throughout the piece, giving it a sinister effect, with some frightened saxophone sounds and some shouting brass. The piece has one chord throughout and a super-simple top line. 

Composed by Mancini for the television show of the same name the song was the opening track on the original soundtrack album - The Music from Peter Gunn.  Released in 1959 it reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the R&B chart.  Mancini went on to win an Emmy Award and two Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Arrangement. 

Enjoy the walk down memory lane: 

Sunset

 Today there was this......

Close Call

Yesterday Blonde Dog and I ran the trail camera trap line.  We are happy to report that each of the six cameras captured multiple images of coyotes during all hours of the day.  Coyotes are cheap.

This is a first.

We didn't know it at the time - but it would appear we had a close call too.

From yesterday's walk there was this.....

More Signs of Spring

It remains rather brown outside and when it is dreary and rainy it's difficult to imagine spring. That is, unless, you get out of doors and examine the natural world that surrounds you.  

From our walk yesterday there was this.  

Catkins!   

This is the petal-less flower associated with willow, birch, hickory and a few additional trees.   

Willows thrive in the wetter soils found around here and form tangled thickets that provide valuable wildlife habitat.  The flowers you see pictured emerge in early spring before the leaves.  Willows are dioecious with male flowers are associated with a separate plant from those that bear female flowers.  

This is a common native tree found throughout Wisconsin.  Depending upon the season it is also commonly utilized in floral arrangements.   

Since this is one of the very first spring blooms they are a sure sign of the end of winter and the beginning of spring. 

*Memo to self - be sure to keep a lookout for the first honey bees of 2021

Life Skill

 

 

I was rigging lines on the boat the other day and drawing-upon my vast knowledge of knot-tying accumulated over years of scouting experiences.  

Like riding a bike some things are learned and hardly ever forgotten.

Do kids learn knots any more?

(full-disclosure - my dock bumpers have Velcro straps)

Sunset

I score this 7/10.

Been a spotty day for Old Sol - tickled to see the sun come out just to set in the west......

On This Day in History......

.......There Was This

Big Birds Are Annoyed

 From our walk today it was clear that Mr. and Mrs. Sandhill were none too happy about Blonde Dog encroaching-upon their territory.....

 

Big Bird

I'm reminded of the tune composed, recorded and produced by John Fogerty fifty years ago.  However, there are no tambourines and elephants nor any wond'rous apparitions provided by magicians.  I've got wildlife.  And when you're retired - you always keep a binoculars handy and monitor your trap line of trail cameras to monitor whatever walks, runs, flies,  hops, crawls or slithers by.  

Meet Antigone canadensis - the Sandhill Crane.   

A very large, tall, stork-like bird characterized by a long neck, long legs, and very broad wings. The body tapers into short tail and is covered by drooping feathers that form a bustle.  The head is small and the bill is straight and longer than the head.   

Sandhills prefer to live in open habitats.  For years we’ve had a nesting pair that arrives in early spring while the snow is still on the ground and before ice-out. 

They hang-out in the grassland behind the house by the big pond a couple of hundred yards away.  If you are a lucky observer their courtship dance is a hoot to see.  They’ll raise one or two young - called colts - and by autumn to late fall they begin to congregate in very large flocks before flying-off to their wintering grounds in Texas, New Mexico, Florida and Mexico.  They raise a racket and their bugling calls can be heard from miles away.  

I've been observing them daily as now that I live here full-time.  It really is sort of cool to have cranes living in your own backyard.  I should add that we've also a pair of mallards that have taken-up residence in the same pond.

That's better than cool.  

We're going to be grandparents again.....

Looking For Something to do at Sunrise and Sunset?

April and May are good months to observe an astronomical phenomenon called Earthshine. 

Earthshine is a dull glow which illuminates the unlit part of the Moon as a consequence of the Sun’s light reflecting off the Earth's surface and back onto the Moon.   It is also known as the Da Vinci Glow – for Leonardo da Vinci - who first recorded the phenomenon in writing. 

 

photo - NASA

The best times to observe this is at sunrise or sunset for a couple of days before and after a New Moon. 

Fingered-crossed for optimal viewing conditions on April 11^th and 12^th.

Sunset

 

 

 

View from the west side of the porch. 

 

Old Sol continues its relentless march north - recently passing due west.

 

First time the sun actually peeked-out today.

 

I give this a 6/10......

 

Friday Music

This is the official music video for Willie Nile's song off the album – World War Willie. 

If you like Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Joan Jett, Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen you’ll like this. 

Why? 

Because it’s just plain fun.

Crank-up the volume for When Levon Sings.........

Talkn' Turkey

 The march of the long beards.....

Scat

 

 

In keeping with this week's coincidental scatological theme there is this...

I have no way of knowing how (or why) this advertisement ended-up in my Face Book feed - but everyone deserves a good poop I guess.

And you can obtain anything from Amazon.... 

Quitting Time

Spotted Cow is a very good beer. Yet I think that this is superior. 

An American Pale Ale built-upon a foundation of Wisconsin and Minnesota-grown two row barley malt and five different varieties of hops - four of them from Washington's Yakima Valley and the fifth from New Zealand.  Most of the hops are used in a dry-hopping process involving nearly 2 1/4 pounds of hops per barrel. 

Hubba Hubba. 

This beer is named after a seriously cool cat, who found his 'forever' home with Jared, a brewer at New Glarus Brewing Company.   Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale. 

5% ABV 

A week ago we had snow here.  And with today's summer sunshine more chores were tackled.  At cocktail hour it was 80F on the porch.......

 

Scat

 

 

From our walk there was further dietary evidence of the resident coyote population.

If it's hairy it is coyote....

The Big Molt

As the days grow longer the hormonal levels of whitetail deer begin to change.  For the bucks testosterone levels gradually rise.  

As a consequence antler growth begins and the gray winter coat with its thick guard hairs begins to molt.  And it is not at all unusual to find deer hair on the forest floor as a consequence of this process.                

Fluctuating hormone levels twice a year bring-about these seasonal molts and deer alternately grow a faded gray coat consisting of longer guard hairs and replace it with the rusty-roan, red-colored coat of summer.  The red heat-reflecting summer coat will only last about three months before the critter begins to regrow the extra layer of longer, stiffer, hollow hair over the softer hair closer to the skin.         

Until the transition is complete the local whitetails are going to continue looking a bit raggedy.  

Talkin' Turkey

 

From a week and a half ago.

Gobble Gobble! 

Let the strutting begin.......

Quitting Time

Long day in the machine shed today.  New tires on the boat.  Big Blue tractor running.  Lawn tractor needs a battery replacement.  Snowblower summerized.  Flies and debris swept-up and vacuumed.  

 

 

Time to scratch my Belgian itch. 

This beer traces its roots back to the founding of the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium in 1366.  Master brewer Sébastien Artois purchased the brewery in 1717 and renamed it Brouwerij Artois. 

This is a European lager originally crafted from malted barley and saaz hops to celebrate the summer Solstice.  It is refreshing, smooth, with some citrus notes.  Very drinkable. Consider it a costlier lawnmower beer with year-round availability. 

Beginning next month the entire line of Stella adult beverages will be brewed here in the states by a small craft brewer popularly known as Anheuser-Busch InBev. 

Stella Artois Solstice Lager

4.5 ABV

 

Countdown

 

Should we be concerned that April 3
Could be the final countdown
4.3.21

Noteable Quoteable

I have an active social life and it’s probably easier in the era of Trump. 

We’ve had ‘perfect family man’ presidents before, after all, and many of those men sold out our country, even if their wives were happy the whole time. If politicians' family lives aren't what really matter to the voters, maybe that's a good thing.  

I'm a representative, not a monk.    

- Congressman Matt Gaetz, R-FL 

Friday Music

The first time I published a live cover of this song was in November of 2016 – with Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard.  In January of 2017 I published the composer himself performing it live.  And in October of 2019 with a cover by one of my favorite artists - Emmylou Harris.  You cannot get too much of this tune so after a year off during the Pandemic of 2020 it’s about time I did it again.  

Written by country music artist Townes Van Zandt this is often considered his most enduring song - an oldie and a goodie.  First recorded in 1972 for the album – The Late Great Townes Van Zandt - this is a tale of a Mexican bandit called Pancho possibly betrayed by his left-hand man 'Lefty' to the Mexican Federales.  Was it Pancho Villa?  Van Zandt never ruled-out the notion. 

Emmylou Harris returns.....

Watch Your Back

The history of April Fool's Day - or All Fool's Day - is uncertain and is the subject of no small measure of dispute.  Some attribute it to a chapter contained in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales where a vain cock is tricked by a sly fox with the date March 32 (April 1).  Another theory is that its origins can be traced 1582 in France with the adoption of the Gregorian calendar under Charles IX.   Heretofore, most Europeans celebrated the new year from March 25 - April 1 and the new calendar moved it to January 1.

News traveled slowly in those days and some people were only informed of the change after several years had passed.  Still others, who were more rebellious, refused to acknowledge the change and continued to celebrate on the last day of the former celebration - April 1.

These people were labeled 'fools' by the elites of the time and were the object of ridicule.  They were sent on fool errands including invitations to nonexistent parties along with other practical jokes. The butts of these pranks became known as a poisson d'avril (translation: April fish) as it is young and naive fish that are easily caught. A common prank was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone's garments as a joke.

This harassment evolved over time and the custom of prank-playing persisted on the first day of April. This tradition eventually spread to Britain and Scotland in the 18th century and was introduced to the American colonies by the English and the French.  Because of this spread to other countries, April Fool's Day has taken on a decidedly international flavor with each country celebrating the holiday in its own peculiar fashion.

In 1996 the Taco Bell Corporation announced it had purchased the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell.  Hundreds of infuriated citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to voice their righteous indignation over this corporate outrage. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold as well. McCurry claimed:  It will now be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial. 

Keep your wits about yourself today.

Learn more about the best April Fool Pranks here.