Our caterpillars, ourselves
D. Ziner reports: “I try my best not to mess with Mother Nature. I don’t feed Her wild kids, and even though it sometimes seems cruel, I don’t interfere when Her kids get really wild and eat one another.
“But I was conflicted when I saw a lone Woolly Bear caterpillar on top of a snowbank in that recent, unseasonable thunderstorm a few weeks ago. I was not seeing any prey vs. predator things going on and thought I at least could provide some shelter, so I placed it in a compost staging container on the side porch while I did some research.
“I learned that these creatures are well suited for cold weather and have a mechanism that allows them to adjust their internal chemistry so they can freeze without harm. They even survive Arctic conditions and can repeat the freeze/thaw cycle for many years until they get enough nourishment to perform the magical transformation.
“When I checked later, I saw it had somehow reached the floor and was headed for the door. Maybe something I ate didn’t agree with it. But nothing I read indicated just where they spent their winter, so I just put it in a fiber egg carton and placed that in the backyard compost bin.
“A few weeks later now, and it’s still curled up and seems comfortable, but I’m open to suggestions for what to do next. Seems I should relocate it before things start heating up in the bin.
“Maybe I’m rationalizing, but I don’t consider this interfering with natural events — just trying to make up for at least one of these creatures I could not avoid running over on the highway.”
See world
Video Division
From Wayne Nelson of Forest Lake: “ORANGUTAN BEDTIME.
“On a very recent trip to Como Zoo, my wife and I decided to take a walk over to the Primates Building.
“As I was watching the orangutans going about their business, this one caught my eye, so I had to take a short video of it trying to get ready for a little nap. Hilarious!”
In memoriam (responsorial)
Thursday’s Bulletin Board opened with an exceptionally moving piece by Tim Torkildson. If, perchance, you didn’t read it yet, please go HERE now and do so.
Thursday afternoon, we heard from Poet X of PDX: “Tim Torkildson‘s piece today was especially poignant and well-written: ‘Otto’s …. frail attempts to balance a spinning plate on a stick grew to symbolize mankind’s giddy efforts to find stability where none existed. Out in the audience, he sluggishly polished a railing until he ran up against a pretty girl. His dramatic and instantaneous crush on her was ludicrously pathetic. As he bent over for a kiss, he represented every lovesick novice in the world, and when the girl inevitably broke into hysterical peals of laughter at his approach, his visible disappointment, and then wrath, were wondrous to behold.’ Is there any better example of the power and beauty of language?
“My condolences to him on the loss of his ‘little clowny boy.’
See world
Birdwatchers Division
Richard G. Anderson of St. Paul reports: “Great horned owl, photographed February 1 in St. Paul, near Mississippi River. Their eyes are only slightly smaller than a human’s, and can spot a moving mouse from 300 feet away. They have no color vision.
“Many thanks to a fellow birdwatcher named Lisa for pointing out this handsome fellow.”
Our theater of “seasons”
5/7/5 Division
Helena Handbasket: “I like football but
“Super Bowl is a day to
“worship Velveeta.”
Know thyself!
Donald: “Subject: Prioritizing.
“From ‘THEY SAID IT’ in the latest Sports Illustrated: ‘”I don’t have time to sit around and look at no stupid stats.” Charles Barkley, Inside the NBA analyst, responding when host Ernie Johnson tried to redirect Barkley’s attention from an attractive woman sitting courtside to the actual game.’”
The highfalutin amusements
FWD’d by Harriet Levine: “This should be sent only to those whose level of maturity qualifies them to relate to it…
“1966: Long hair
“2016: Longing for hair
“1966: KEG
“2016: EKG
“1966: Acid rock
“2016: Acid reflux
“1966: Moving to California because it’s cool
“2016: Moving to Arizona because it’s warm
“1966: Trying to look like Marlon Brando or Liz Taylor
“2016: Trying NOT to look like Marlon Brando or Liz Taylor
“1966: Seeds and stems
“2016: Roughage
“1966: Hoping for a BMW
“2016: Hoping for a BM
“1966: Going to a new, hip joint
“2016: Receiving a new hip joint
“1966: Rolling Stones
“2016: Kidney stones
“1966: Screw the system
“2016: Upgrade the system
“1966: Disco
“2016: Costco
“1966: Parents begging you to get your hair cut
“2016: Children begging you to get their heads shaved
“1966: Passing the drivers’ test
“2016: Passing the vision test
“1966: Whatever
“2016: Depends ”
CAUTION! Words at Play!
Or: A joke for today (and many, many, many yesterdays)
The Retired Pedagogue of Arden Hills: “Subject: A punny story.”
“From the Garfield page-a-day calendar:
“’Groaners: World’s Best Bad Jokes and Puns.
“‘It has been said that William Tell and his family were avid bowlers. However, all the league records were destroyed in a fire, so we will never know for whom the Tells bowled.’”
Band Name of the Day: The Best Bad Jokes
Website of the Day, from The Monkey Lover’s Wife of Northfield: “My nomination for website of the day: a great story that takes an unexpected turn. And also — an indirect shout-out to Rod Carew and Twins fans.”
Bulletin Board 