Melt Down

The face of an abuser when confronted by a confident female news correspondent....

 

Wash, Rinse and Repeat

 

When I had a day job I used a Bluetooth device similar to this to talk on the phone. Hands free I could access a file, use my desktop computer or walk about the entirety of the office suite and speak with anyone on the phone. 

Naturally, when I retired I purchased one so hands free I could putter-about my workshop, the machine shed, the garden and make or answer a call. It’s slicker than snot when you're sitting in a deer stand. Best of all with satellite radio and YouTube apps on my device I can listen to music, talk radio or a podcast without bothering anybody.

Last weekend it went missing. And it was maddening to not have a clue as to where it went. So we ordered a replacement from Amazon which arrived the day after the missing device turned-up.

In the dryer.

Apparently I put it in the cargo pocket of my shorts and it went thru a complete wash and dry cycle.

And following a stint on its charger it still works!

Tough device the Plantronics Voyager Legend is.  It earns the absentminded old guy seal of approval.

Messenger of the Gods Brings More Spring Blooms

Iris is the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow – who also happens to be the messenger of the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek/modern Latin source) for the colored part of the eye and the flower.

The wild-growing blue flag iris - found in the low areas and on the banks of Silver Creek - should begin their seasonal blooms later this month and into the next.  More on that to follow.

Meanwhile, Jill's domestic cultivars bloomed just the last week and are adding some spectacular color around the house and serving the pollinators. 

Jill's father raised iris and at least one of these trace many years of lineage to one of his.

These iris are doing pretty well; actually thriving at a latitude half-way between the equator and the north pole. Tough plant the iris is.  

 

Death To The Invader

Monday brought another bad day for phragmites, reed canary grass and woody invasives out back in the prairie planting.    

Following a prescribed burn in May of 2020 we invited a field team from Robert E. Lee and Associates to return in late summer to perform follow-up chemical treatment.

Since then we've been on a twice a year cycle - spring and fall.    

If you're wondering why I don't just do this myself the short answer is that I probably could - but I'd be breaking the law.  Because the work is performed in a delineated wetland habitat only licensed applicators can pull a permit from Wisconsin DNR and perform the work.  You know me - I'm all about doing things on the up and up. Pulling, cutting and treating other invasives located in less sensitive locations remain my responsibility.

While crew members periodically returned to their truck to refill backpack sprayers with herbicide I chatted it-up with some of them and took the opportunity to look around the pollinator habitat in the immediate yard to see if we had any early bloomers.

Sure enough; there was Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)

And Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)

Both of these are native perennial wildflowers.  And I missed a shot of a monarch butterfly on the plant in the photo above.  Oh well.  

You can learn more about NES Ecological Services here

Meanwhile, Death To The Invaders! 

President Trump Pays a Call To The Farm

Yup; the City Slicker from the Borough of Queens blew-in to Wisconsin a couple days ago and maybe got his shoes dirty.  But I doubt it. This was all for show because things have become increasingly uncertain in farmland world.  By and large, farmers continue to support the president.  Why?  Trump gets it.  The truth is not in his actual policies but in his showing-up to address their fears.  How to make farmers think he sees them; the people that live in fly-over country.

For as long as I can recall I have not held any particular fondness for the Communist Red-Chinese government.  They have raised the theft of intellectual property to an art form and have bamboozled the trade negotiators of every administration for just as long; including Trump 1.0 and now Trump 2.0 as well.

If I had a rational discussion with a Trump supporter I would hear a case that the recent troubles felt by family farmers and ranchers are simply short-term nuisances that are necessary to challenge long-standing, unfair trade practices by foreign countries; China in particular.

And I suppose that my interlocutor would likely suggest that it is only "strong medicine," such as an aggressive tariff strategy, followed-on by subsequent renegotiation that would result-in better more structurally-sound and long-term trade deals.  Fair-enough.

Yes, American agriculture is a complex subject; nevertheless, my immediate neighborhood is an almost exclusively agricultural community.  We own a farm and farm policy is of personal interest.  Consequently, and anecdotally, I hear and have some tingly sense that patience may be wearing thin. Hardly for all but certainly for some.

And I am not alone; numerous agricultural economists and trade orgs - who know more about this than I do - would argue that Trump policy-making initiatives have resulted in no small amount of financial strain for American family farms. 

Specifically, the strong medicine and its side effects include: lost export markets, rising input costs, financial instability leading to bankruptcies and dependency upon federal subsidies.  

Let's dissect each.

Mr. Trump has famously expounded-upon his love of tariffs; thusly when your only tool is a hammer every trade issue is treated like a nail.  The extensive use of tariffs - particularly Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act - has led to retaliatory measures from major trade partners, including China.  This impacts an expansive list of stuff ranging from auto parts to semiconductors.  While most certainly the president and possibly my interlocutor might erroneously persist with the notion that foreigners pay these tariffs and make us wealthy beyond belief; the truth is that import companies pay them and pass the cost on to US businesses and consumers.  Just like a sales tax, tariffs make imported goods costlier.  Another unintended and equally unfortunate outcome is loss of market share.   

For decades China has been the undisputed heavyweight champion when it came to buying American soybeans.  It is a fact that the Chinese used to be the largest buyer of our beans than the rest of the world combined.  From the end of May through November of last year China did not purchase a single American soybean, choosing to do business with other countries instead.  As a result of Trump's import taxes China responded with an imposition of their own duties along with a boycott of American beans.  Sales, along with domestic prices, plunged.  Meanwhile, American agricultural exports to Canada decreased by more than $1 billion largely as a consequence of Canadian boycotts of American products.

Farm economists now point to the acceleration of a structural shift in markets with China permanently diverting its agricultural purchases to competing nations.  Even after a handful of temporary trade truces were reached American farmers today have a significantly reduced share of the global market.

What about input costs?  The president would tell you that tariffs are intended to protect domestic manufacturing.  And while that might be a necessary and useful tool to shield boutique specialty industries; when applied in broad swaths these trade taxes increase the cost of raw materials used to manufacture heavy machinery.

Not surprisingly, manufacturers like Deere are faced with higher production costs due to tariffs on metal, microchips and other component parts which are passed on to farmers in the form of higher prices for Deere tractors, harvesters and combines.  Even Trump knows this as the administration relented and temporarily reduced the offending taxes impacting agricultural equipment from 25% to 15%. 

And then, of course, Donald Trump made a unilateral decision to go to war with Iran resulting in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.  This set in motion a cascade of destabilizing events that have dangerous consequences for global stability, security and the world's economy.  This has spiked energy costs and disrupted the the global supply of nitrogen and urea.  Some fertilizer prices are up 47% year-over-year.  For us here in the northern hemisphere the manure hit the fan before spring planting.  What were they thinking? 

Putting-on my financial guy hat, I am now witness to a perfect storm of reduced export commodity prices and skyrocketing operational costs conspiring to squeeze profit margins.  

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, last year, America's crop farmers lost $34.6 billion and farm bankruptcies surged to numbers not seen since 2020.  In farm states like Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin there is now a sharp uptick in family farm bankruptcies and foreclosures.

To cushion the gut punch from his unilateral trade war Trump has authored the distribution of billions upon billions of direct aid including a $12 billion market facilitation package and the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. 

These payments are a lifeline to keep farmers afloat; nevertheless, they smell peculiarly of Soviet-style central economic planning.  Or garden variety welfare; you pick.

From a purely economic perspective none of these subsidies assist the local rural economy.  Almost all of it went to multinational fertilizer and seed syndicates and large corporate landlords.  Moreover, welfare payments distort market economics resulting in an unstable environment where farmers become dependent on federal intervention rather than stable global commerce.  See previous paragraph.

So when I opened with the observation that the president's visit was mostly for show ask yourself if following Mr. Trump's departure did anything change for Wisconsin farmers?

Have lost export markets returned?  Have import duties gone away?  Has the price of fertilizer, diesel or purchased and leased equipment come down?  The Strait of Hormuz might reopen tomorrow; yet because things are so horribly broken any return to normalcy will take a year or more.  That does nothing to stem the immediate rise in bankruptcies and foreclosures for family farms.  

Farmers like to joke about why they don't gamble or place wagers in the prediction markets.  They'll tell you every season already comes with enough business crippling risks to satisfy anybody's passing itch to speculate.  Ham-fisted government policy getting in the way simply exacerbates the risks.  Increasing dependency on the federal dole to mask flawed policy in both trade and war is a failed strategy by any historical measure.

Farming is hard work and unlike an IPO or private equity wealth comes slow and steady.  America's family farms are not experiencing some transitory short-term hardship; they are disappearing.  Bankruptcies were up 55 percent in 2024, 46 percent in 2025 and 70 percent already by May of this year.  It will be interesting to follow how support for the president holds-up amongst farm producers for the remainder of his term.   

Time will tell.... 

Play Ball!

What a way to spend a perfect Sunday afternoon. 

Home field for the Braves is just down the road a piece; consequently, Sunday afternoon baseball is perfect. 

Kolberg over Maplewood 3-0.

Feeling more like summertime every day…

 

More Spring Blooms

More evidence that you don't have to walk very far to take-in more of Ma Nature's work just take a stroll around the yard to take it in.  

We planted this tree in the front yard twenty-two years ago.  It was one year-old bare root stock; a pencil-size twig.  And for the longest time we never thought it would amount to anything.

It's grown into a handsome young oak tree. The species is Northern Pin Oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) commonly known as a Hill's oak.

Only a few weeks ago I noticed that the tree had large numbers of catkins hanging from the branches as the leaves of 2026 emerged from their buds.

Yes, oak trees have blossoms too.  These are one of the flowers that are produced by a tree – the male flower to be certain.  This species is monoecious – meaning that it produces both male and female flowers.  Each male flower typically has six stamens (ranges from two to twelve) which have long spreading white filaments when the flower fully opens.  The female flowers are more reddish-green and appear as small slender spikes in the axils of new growth.  

I gave this tree a thorough examination and could find no flowers of the female persuasion. Not surprising inasmuch as they are not visible to the naked eye.  Doh!

Anyway, last week there was this...

click on image for a closer look

The male catkin flowers are still there and If you look carefully you can see itty-bitty immature acorns beginning to develop from the female flowers. 

Those acorns will mature by the close of summer and the critters will hoover them up. 

On This Day In History - Chapter 3

Since it's the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day invasion here's a true story about the Peninsula's connection to the invasion.

If you're familiar with Door and Kewaunee County's rich maritime history you probably already know that northeast Wisconsin ship builders supplied the war effort with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships, submarines and cargo vessels.

The very first Allied vessel that was sunk on the morning of D-Day was a submarine chaser, Patrol Craft-1261.

PC-1261 was laid down on November 20, 1942 by the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, WI.  Launched on February 28, 1943 she was commissioned in May 1943 and sailed to Europe to participate in the Normandy landings.

4:30 AM, June 6th 1944 found PC-1261 and PC-1176 guiding the first waves of landing craft. As they approached within range of German shore gun batteries PC-1261 quickly became a primary target.  Several shells struck the water bracketing the ship.  

It was apparent to Navigation Officer Lieutenant Halsey Barrett that the situation was perilous. However, maneuvering out of fire would threaten the entire landing operation, so the order was given to hold position.  Moments later, the ship was rocked with an explosion as a 5-inch shell had landed amidships, tearing a hole straight through into the engine room, killing an estimated half the crew and crippling the vessel in an instant. 

“That’s it! Tell the Admiral we’re sinking…” was Captain Rency Sewell’s response. 

After several minutes attempting to rescue those they could from within the flooding compartments, the order was given to abandon ship with survivors picked up from the water by returning landing craft.  

The crew of PC-1176 had to watch in horror as their sister ship sank, unable to come to her aid. The remaining Sub chaser spent the next five hours guiding the combined forces to shore.  PC-1176 dodged enemy artillery while returning fire from her own 3-inch, 50 Caliber deck gun.  

Utah Beach would ultimately be secured with relatively little loss of life, thanks in no small part to the service of two small sub chasers built in Sturgeon Bay, WI.  

Learn more about the story here. 

On This Day In History - Chapter 2

Private John Marvin Steele was the American paratrooper who landed on the pinnacle of the church tower in Sainte-Mère-Église, the first village to be liberated by the United States Army during Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944.

In the third photo that is him second from the right.... 

 

photo - US Army

On This Day In History - Chapter 1

On this day, 82 years ago, on June 6, 1944, First Lieutenant Jimmie W. Monteith Jr., age 26, landed with Company L, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, in the first assault wave on Omaha Beach near Colleville-sur-Mer, France.

As Monteith hit the beach, German machine guns, mortars, and artillery opened fire from reinforced positions on the cliffs. The landing zone was a killing field. Units were disorganized. Casualties were heavy. Officers were down. Men were scattered and pinned along the waterline. Monteith got up, walked into the fire, and started pulling soldiers together. He moved from cover to cover, rallying men, forming them into assault teams, and giving orders to push forward.

He led one of the first small groups off the beach. They advanced over a narrow ledge and crossed an open area under constant enemy fire. He guided them to the base of a cliff where they found partial cover. That action allowed more men to follow and regroup away from the kill zone.

Monteith then turned back. He crossed the open beach alone to reach two Sherman tanks that had landed but were stuck and unable to locate enemy targets. He climbed onto the tanks under fire. He pounded on the hatches and gave directions. On foot, he led the tanks through a live minefield to get them into position. Under his guidance, the tanks opened fire on German pillboxes, machine gun nests, and strong points, taking out several fortified enemy emplacements.

After helping the tanks, Monteith rejoined his company. He led them in an assault on WN 60, one of the key German resistance nests on the bluffs. He ordered Bangalore torpedoes placed to cut through the barbed wire. He led the charge through the opening, across mines and direct gunfire, and into close combat. They cleared the position and secured it.

Monteith stayed on the line. He helped organize the defense of the captured ground as the Germans launched multiple counterattacks. He moved across 200 to 300 yards of open terrain more than once to maintain communication between separated elements of the line.

Later in the day, German forces closed in on his position. They surrounded it. Monteith tried to lead his men in a breakout. As he moved through enemy fire again, he was shot and killed.

For his actions on June 6, 1944, First Lieutenant Jimmie W. Monteith Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Friday Music

It is said that Grateful Dead artist Robert Hunter wrote the lyrics to this song in London, 1970, after consuming half a bottle of retsina in the process.  Jerry Garcia wrote the music to accompany the lyrics.  The song had its debut in August 18, 1970 at Fillmore West in San Francisco. It was released as the B-side to the single Truckin'.

In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 334 in their updated list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

This is a really nice Playing For Change cover of Ripple.

I guess you can't get enough Grateful Dead....

Future Enforcer?

The law that created the Director of National Intelligence position stipulates that the officeholder should “have extensive national security expertise.” 

Bill Pulte clearly fails that test. 

Although, his obeisance and fealty to Donald Trump is unimpeachable. 

Nevertheless, Mr. Trump has appointed him in an acting role, which means that the Senate does not need to confirm him. Unless the president formally nominates him, he can serve in the job for only 210 days. 

That appears to be long enough to act on the president's orders for the midterm elections.

Think about it.

Consider The Larch

AKA - Hackmatack, Eastern larch or American larch - Larix laricina – the Tamarack is one of my most favorite trees.

The tamarack is one of only three native North American larch species and is the most common.  Unlike other conifers the larch sheds its needles in the fall like bald cypress.  It turns a radiant golden yellow just prior to shedding its needles and with the arrival of spring grows a complete new set.  

It's spring time here and the rosy-hued structures shown in the photo are new female cones that appear in the spring and will eventually mature into woody, brown cones.

Tamarack is the most cold-hardy of any native tree and has the strongest wood of all the conifers. Tamarack also has the widest range of all the North American conifers.

While this species will grow exceedingly well in upland locations the tamarack prefers full sun and thrives in bogs, swamps and wet acidic soil.  It is often found in association with black spruce, balsam fir and northern white cedar.

Because it grows slowly in cold, wet environments the wood is surprisingly dense, heavy, hard and very durable in contact with soil. This natural rot resistance without chemical treatment makes it prized for fence posts, railroad ties, poles and boat building. 

Native Americans used the flexible and stringy roots, called watap, to sew-together sheets of birch bark for the assembly of canoes.  

There wasn't a tamarack to be found anywhere in the neighborhood when this property was acquired; although government land office surveyor notes identified it as a common tree on the peninsula before European settlement.  Large trees are very rare rare as most old specimens were killed years ago by the larch sawfly. And most certainly most found their way into fence posts and shingles as old growth forest was cleared for agriculture.

Tamarack grows so well here and being less suitable as deer browse has resulted in it becoming one of the top naturally regenerated species on our landscape.

Consider the larch....   

More Spring Blooms

Further evidence that you don't have to walk very far to take-in some of Ma Nature's work just take a stroll around the yard to take it in.  

Meet Cornus Stolonifera – Red-osier Dogwood – also known as red-twig dogwood and kinnikinnik.  It grows everywhere around here as individual shrubs or thickets.  It typically has multiple stems and this time of year sports flat-topped clusters of creamy white flowers that will lead to umbrella-shaped clusters of berries in late summer.  This fruit is popular with the birds which explains why this shrub is growing everywhere around here.   

The common name for this shrub comes from the red twigs that resemble osier willows that are used in basketry.  The Latin name comes from the rooting of branch tips the reach to the ground to form new shoots or stolons.  

This shrub was important to Native Americans for its use as a tobacco substitute or kinnikinnik.  The inner bark of young stems was split and scraped into threads and toasted over a fire before being mixed with real tobacco.  Edible plant enthusiast H.D. Harrington wrote that Red-osier - is said to be aromatic and pungent, giving a narcotic effect approaching stupefaction.  He cautioned that it should be used in moderation.    

For as long as anyone can remember people have used this shrub for basketry, wicker, farm implements, and weaving shuttles.  The bark takes-on a deep red color in winter and is popularly-favored in holiday decor.   

The word - dogwood - comes from the Scandinavian term “dag” meaning skewer (for the hardened sticks used to roast meat). And while this shrub has nothing to do with our canine friends it is always worth remembering that you can always tell that it is a dogwood by its bark. 

Winner, Winner....

 ....steak dinner.

I don’t do many food reviews; but here goes.

Doggo and I have been batching it whilst the missus is out of town.  Having consumed all of the recent leftovers, this evening I prepared an annual treat.

A small beef sirloin.  Precisely as I would a venison steak.

It was good; yet not extraordinary. Perhaps, as a wild game snob my tastes have evolved but it was chewier and less flavorful than my backyard whitetail.

I suspect I should’ve sprung for the scary-expensive beef tenderloin yet old habits are hard to break.

Nevertheless, dinner was delicious with a loaded baked spud, mushrooms and the sautéed garden asparagus sealing the deal. 

And because pupper performed a 30 minute down-stay while I dined she scored slice herself.

Pretty good chow if you can get it….

The Aerialist

I snapped the photo above in April of 2011 while turkey hunting; which for reasons of being concealed in a blind is good for all manner of wildlife observations.

Meet Tachycineta bicolor - the tree swallow. 

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

As a cavity-nesting species this bird had historically been found only in wooded habitat where they nested in tree cavities.  However, the distribution of nest boxes by songbird enthusiasts has allowed for the expansion of its range to include open habitats,  They compete with bluebirds and house wrens for rights to nest in our boxes.  

I the photo the two birds were engaging in their courtship ritual and selection of a nest box.  I observed the very same ritual while turkey hunting this April; only it was bluebirds.  

And if you follow this blog the courtship, along with other nesting sites, has yielded another batch of bluebird hatchlings calling for cigars all-around.

But I digress. 

With regard to the tree swallows; both birds gather materials as the female constructs a cup-shaped nest of grass lined with feathers.  Four to seven small eggs follow about a week after mating. 

I took this photo the same day I took the bluebird hatchling photo immediately above. As soon as eggs are laid mama lines her nest with feathers gathered from all species.  They are incubated by mom for a couple of weeks and after hatching both birds feed the young who fledge at about three weeks of age.

Aside from being splendid aerialists the tree swallow is fearless. Evidenced above, mama swallow is not to be shifted from sitting on her clutch of eggs if some galoot pokes his nose in to take a photo .

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 ball cap when walking the dog as we get dive-bombed when approaching an active nest.

By the time August rolls-around these bird are gone.  Vamoosed!

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 to Florida, Cuba, Central and South America.  Other than the dive-bombing it is a hoot to watch this talented aerialist.

Mighty Oak

I was in the Naked City end of last week for various reasons and stumbled-upon this in a parking lot.

Hard to tell specifically at this stage but it appears to be a member of the white oak family.

I don't give it much chance of surviving such harsh, city conditions and the crappy location.

But I give it an "A" for effort.

Good luck little buddy....

 

 

Crop Duster

I was puttering in my raised garden beds when a shriek from The Missus pierced the air.  This was followed by urgent commands to the dog.  

The cause of the ruckus was this...

There was the Mother of all unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) westbound, coming straight for our driveway only to stop at the property line, pirouette and head eastward all the while spraying the neighbor's field.  The drift smelled of fertilizer; nevertheless, since the dog decided to chase-down the alien contraption when we finally collected her she got a bath.

I recently took delivery of a UAV of my own; a DJI Neo, a small drone that I could use for photography and scouting that doesn't require a pilot license.  The very same company manufactures a heavy-lift agricultural model in the Agras lineup - the DJI Agras T40 and successor DJI Agras T50.  They're difficult to tell apart from one another but they're considered the gold standard of drones designed specifically for precision farming.

The basic design includes a four-arm layout featuring coaxial twin rotors - notably two sets  of propellers per arm totally eight blades.  Brushless motors drive the 54-inch carbon fiber props.  There is landing gear and a tank set-up that can be swapped-out in minutes for both spreading dry product (fertilizer, lime and seed) or liquids (fertilizer, herbicide or insecticide).

You'll note from the videos that there are no traditional high pressure nozzles.  Instead the drone utilizes spinning discs that atomize the liquid to an adjustable mist producing droplets ranging from 50 to 500 microns in size.  Impeller pumps deliver a flow rate of 16 to 24 liters per minute and an application swath can range from 22 to 36 feet depending-upon altitude.  Tipping the scales at a paltry 4.8 ounces (including battery) my miniature DJI Neo pales when compared to its farming cousin.  The AG version boasts a takeoff weight (aircraft, battery and payload) of up to 227 pounds and can fly at 15-20 mph.

Avionics include a phased array radar, binocular vision and real time kinetic positioning guided by Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) ensuring no overlapping or missed crop rows.   There is a camera for piloting by First Person View; however, once a field has been flown for mapping purposes control is handed-off to an autonomous system for flight.  The T40 and T50 drones can spray 50-52 acres in less than an hour of flight time without breaking a sweat.  Power is supplied by a 26 pound battery than can be charged from empty to 100% in 9-12 minutes allowing a two-battery rotation to run continuously all day long.

As a consequence of being well over the weight threshold for a hobbyist like me, operation requires a specialized FAA Part 137 agricultural pilot certificate and a Class 2 medical certificate.  Just like barnstorming an old school crop duster; only the pilot never leaves the ground.

Unfolded, and configured for flight, the aircraft measures roughly 9 by 10 feet from blade tip to blade tip; or about the size of a compact car.  Watching one of these in flight, up close and personal, is indeed impressive.

Starting price for a T50 heavy-lift, LIDAR-equipped quadcopter is $29,646.  

Think of the possibilities....  

Central Planning Meets The Law Of Unintended Consequences

Central planning is frequently (and erroneously) considered synonymous with socialism or communism.  Central planning is a legitimate economic model.  Socialism and communism use central planning as a way of achieving other social and political goals, but generally operate within the construct of a mixed economy.

Does that sound familiar?  It should, because that is a Trumpian economic model.  However, President Trump puts his own nuance on the concept; he, alone, is the decider. 

The president has downplayed the economic stresses arising as a consequence of his tariff policy and unilateral decision to go to war with Iran.  Asked earlier this month whether the financial situation of average Americans was a motive to end the Iran war, he said not even a little bit.  And you know what?  I believe him.  The president is adept at saying the quiet part out loud.  After-all, just like going to war, he alone is the decider.

There is a weak link in the chain of a centrally-planned economy orchestrated by a single individual.  Particularly if that individual is surrounded by sycophants.  In the absence  of hybrid vigor,  economics becomes inbred and less resistant to disruption by outside forces.  Add a war to the mix and things get more complicated.

Consider this; the percentage of credit card balances at least 90 days delinquent rose to 13.2% in the first quarter, the highest level in 15 years.  America's total credit card balance reached $1.25 trillion in the first quarter, the highest first quarter balance since the Fed began tracking it in 1999.

The average interest rate on these cards rose to 21% in February from 14.6% in February 2022 putting an additional strain on consumers.  Why is this important?  Our economy is not driven by manufacturing; it is a service-based economy driven by consumers.

Soaring interest rates and rising inflation have led to the highest delinquencies since the financial crisis; a pattern economists refer-to as survival debt. 

And, of course, the Strait remains effectively closed leaving global supply chains seriously messed-up with all sorta unintended consequences.  So I'm still waiting on President Trump to improve everyone's (not just the investor class) prosperity and general lot in life.  Along with making the world a safer place.

I sure hope he gets this right.  After-all, he's the decider.... 

Cryogenic Critter

 Member of the local frog chorale, adept climber of vertical surfaces and personal friend.  

click on image for a closer look

 

Meet Hyla versicolor - the gray tree frog.  

This amphibian sports a number of chameleon-like qualities allowing it to change in coloration in seconds from green to gray with darker mottling or a solid color.  This wonder of camouflage allows the frog to blend-in with tree bark and foliage. Field marks for this frog include a white spot below each eye, white belly and bright yellow-orange skin beneath its thighs.    

The gray tree frog is nocturnal – foraging in the evening for insects and other bugs and resting during the day in cover.  I found this guy hanging out on the shady side of the house.  Yes, on the siding.  The toe pads are pronounced and produce a sticky substance allowing this critter to cling to various surfaces.  

While the breeding season is presently in full swing - this species will sing beyond the breeding season, especially on warm, rainy or humid days.   The female selects a mate based upon his call, lays up to 2000 eggs in groups of 10 to 50.  The tadpoles hatch in four or five days and will change into froglets in about two months.    

The gray tree frog overwinters under leaf litter, logs and rocks and actually freezes.  Yup, it can freeze solid and thaw out perfectly fine when spring rolls-around.  It produces large amounts of glycerol replacing water in vital organs which acts like antifreeze (called a cryoprotectant) and prevents ice crystals from forming in the cells.  The frog’s body freezes and its heartbeat and breathing stop and the critter enters a sate of suspended animation.  Even the brain cells are barely functioning with demand for energy and oxygen dropping almost to zero.  This state of suspended animation require no upkeep.  When the temperature warms up – the frog thaws out and emerges to serenade us with its calling.

Now that, pardon the pun, is cool.

From a couple of nights ago taking Doggo out for potty call before bedtime I captured 30 seconds of this frog's chorale.  Turn-up the volume...

 

May Astronomy

There are two types of Blue Moon and neither has anything to do with color.  Ordinarily a Blue Moon is a second full moon that appears in a calendar month. The 1937 edition of the now defunct Maine Farmers' Almanac (not to be confused with The Old Farmers Almanac) explained in their calendar that a Blue Moon occurs when one of the four seasons contains four full moons instead of the usual three.  The August 21, 1937 moon was the third of four full moons that summer when for no apparent reason it was reported as a Blue Moon.  Ever since, a seasonal blue moon refers to the third full moon in a season that has four full moons.

Anyway, at sunset this evening the second full moon of the month will rise in the east very close to the bright red star, Antares; the brightest of stars in the constellation Scorpius.  It will appear full both tonight and officially tomorrow.

Because it is the second of three consecutive smallest of 2026 full moons it is also what is called a micromoon.  This moon is 252,360 miles (406,135 kilometers) distant.  Ordinarily, the average distance is 238,900 miles (384,472 kilometers) distant.

Fingers-crossed for clear night skies tonight and tomorrow.