Squirrels are incredibly inventive. Annoying if you have bird feeders, but still I admire them. A while ago, two squirrels tag teamed one of my bird feeders. One jumped from the fence to the "squirrel proof" feeder over and over. This would knock out some seed each time. The guy on the ground snarfed up the seed. THEN, they switched places every few minutes. One dead bird feeder. Now I put peanuts out every morning for the squirrels. They still bother the feeders, but no where near as much. Detente.
Was it Mary Poppins or Dick Van Dyke who warned us of over-large birds and commended the squirrels for their selfless sacrifice in fighting the scourge of Avian Obesity?
Someone did warn us and someone commended the squirrels.
“Spend a few hours in the forest, and it quickly becomes clear: the world does not revolve around you. We share this planet with millions of living beings. Your ego shrinks, while life in all its forms is overwhelmingly present. Perhaps this is the greatest wisdom of nature: those who step back can recognize the true magnitude of life.” Truer words and all. There is a fox, or likely a family of foxes, I occasionally see on my morning hijinks route, through an urban residential area. It regards me as if to say “watchoo doing on my block?”.
As a Catholic kid I always felt that the forest was a better Cathedral plus I could climb trees. My favorite place of serenity, contemplation, and creek walking.
Haha, this reminds me of when Mr S and I visited a grove of Redwoods when we were in CA; we were walking along the path, talking in whispers, it was the funniest thing.
We took our son to a lot of state parks for hikes and bike rides when he was a child. I know that, at the time, he didn't really like the forced interruption to his GameBoy and videogame activities; he has told us that he now understands why we did these things - the outdoors and nature are healing.
At Columbia U. the squirrels will sidle up to you if they hear the crinkle of a food wrapper and mug you for what you have in your hand. They are fierce!
I read the Guardian article about dating, women and home ownership the other day. There are a huge number of women homeowners, but many of them end up owning their homes at middle aged or older. This is because they get the home through divorce or through their husband's death. That younger women are buying their own homes outright early in life is truly great news!
I was in my early to mid 20s when banks started giving women their own mortgages.
The men who object to women's economic success are: a) pissant whiny buttheads and really not partner-worthy material. b) I think these particular men are, at heart abusive. Their primary reason for disliking female success is that this takes away one of their justifications for denigrating women as dependent sponges. c) I like to think that most men don't feel that way, most of the women in my family have managed to have successful careers and happy marriages. That's the way life should be.
Another casualty of Trump's Iran-Epstein Distraction War: color.
Japanese snack packages turning black-and-white as Iran war depletes ink supply
posted 5/13/2026
"The packaging on some snacks in Japan is turning a somber black-and-white, as the war in Iran disrupts the supply of an ingredient used in colored ink.
Tokyo-based Calbee Inc., which makes potato chips and cereal, said what's inside remains the same. Calbee's popular snacks are available in Japan's ubiquitous convenience stores and shipped to the United States, China and Australia.
"This measure is intended to help maintain a stable supply of products," it said in a statement this week."
I keep a crime statistics database myself. So I know a thing or two about how to manipulate the data I collect and how to present it when the need arises.
For instance, my database showed littering violations in my local park occurring at a shocking 3 incidents a day while Joe Biden was in office in 2024. But during 2025 that number went up 700%, 900%, 1600%, 27,000%, AND MORE, once I started counting the individual pieces of shredded Constitution that are now to be found covering the ground, cankle deep, from sea to shining sea!
Puny ass Kash, with his 'double' this and his 'lots more' that, crime stats does not impress me a bit.
Get the lead out you drunken sot! No wonder your podcast failed! Good luck with trying to save your job with a 100% improvement of anything. He ain't impressed with anything less than, at minimum, a 1200% improvement.
Foxx - proving that contrary to popular belief, there are some constants in this world. She was, is, and will probably remain, as my Mom used to say, "enough to gag a maggot."
The story in the Guardian had me gobsmacked. When my Dad married my widowed mother, she owned her house, she was the sole support of her child (me) and her mother. And at that time, made more money than he did. They married, I had a wonderful Dad, Mom had a wonderful husband, and my hard to please grandma, had a patient son-in-law that did everything for her. Mom and Dad were happily married until his death, 54 years later. I guess they grew them tougher before the Internet came along and told men how they were supposed to feel??
Yes, I think teaching children and teens and adults to be secure in themselves is the best and hardest answer to this kind of idiocy, and I wish all the centrist strategists would stop telling us to adopt “common sense” oppression policies rather that focusing on reducing fear of scarcity and increasing self-worth. Every time we almost get to fairness and kindness and civil rights, some jerks decide the way they were bullied is the only way to success and drag us all back, and the middle goes along.
My husband is the only man I know who dated a woman taller than him in high school. I am not taller than he is, but I was in heels on our wedding day, which distressed my mother in law but not him. I’m not sure how he ended up so self-assured with the parents he had, but he really is, and I’m always surprised so few of my friends’ spouses are.
My husband is 6' tall but that wasn't a thing I ever gave a crap about. I am 5' "tall" and have dated both tall and short men. I'm shorter than most everyone though.
vorpal decrees that publishing the phrase 'melting down' to describe any action other than the results of a witch being hit with a bucket of water to be a class III crime punishable by having an AI interpret the offender's restaraunt orders incorrectly to the server for the rest of their natural lives.
"A school board in Wisconsin seems to be very worried that if the school band is allowed to play a certain piece of instrumental music, everyone will become indoctrinated and transgender."
Sounds like the "violence" is most likely to come from the Watertown school board.
We have a pyrocanthis in our backyard that birds go crazy for every spring. We have drunk birds for days pooping purple all over our patio until they strip it of berries.
You have never seen anything as funny as a bobbing quail drunk from pyracantha berries....I think it's because their little feathers on top of their heads flutter when they jump up to get the berries and then they get worse and worse at jumping and landing.
Your squirrelly hed gif info: https://martiniambassador.substack.com/p/blowballs-on-the-menu
And meme chat: https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/0ffffb79-6010-4107-896e-d3fe0a2a71e8?utm_source=share
This reminds me of Becorns, specifically the Attack of the Squirrels!
https://youtu.be/LfQhurh7wuk
Squirrels are incredibly inventive. Annoying if you have bird feeders, but still I admire them. A while ago, two squirrels tag teamed one of my bird feeders. One jumped from the fence to the "squirrel proof" feeder over and over. This would knock out some seed each time. The guy on the ground snarfed up the seed. THEN, they switched places every few minutes. One dead bird feeder. Now I put peanuts out every morning for the squirrels. They still bother the feeders, but no where near as much. Detente.
Was it Mary Poppins or Dick Van Dyke who warned us of over-large birds and commended the squirrels for their selfless sacrifice in fighting the scourge of Avian Obesity?
Someone did warn us and someone commended the squirrels.
yrs,
Larry The Squirrel
Over in the Ash Trees
Your Local Park.
The dandys are delicious
Though kinda fuzzy but
I would gladly give them up
For a large enough walnut.
Aww, he's cute. Let's call him Nibbler!
Martini, that post is just dandy & I ain't lyin'.
VARMINTS!
“Spend a few hours in the forest, and it quickly becomes clear: the world does not revolve around you. We share this planet with millions of living beings. Your ego shrinks, while life in all its forms is overwhelmingly present. Perhaps this is the greatest wisdom of nature: those who step back can recognize the true magnitude of life.” Truer words and all. There is a fox, or likely a family of foxes, I occasionally see on my morning hijinks route, through an urban residential area. It regards me as if to say “watchoo doing on my block?”.
I spent a lot of time in the woods alone as a kid, wondering at nature. It is a life well lived to do so.
As a Catholic kid I always felt that the forest was a better Cathedral plus I could climb trees. My favorite place of serenity, contemplation, and creek walking.
Haha, this reminds me of when Mr S and I visited a grove of Redwoods when we were in CA; we were walking along the path, talking in whispers, it was the funniest thing.
We took our son to a lot of state parks for hikes and bike rides when he was a child. I know that, at the time, he didn't really like the forced interruption to his GameBoy and videogame activities; he has told us that he now understands why we did these things - the outdoors and nature are healing.
At Columbia U. the squirrels will sidle up to you if they hear the crinkle of a food wrapper and mug you for what you have in your hand. They are fierce!
We have a squirrel who knows to knock on the window and stare at us if we haven't put any nuts out lately.
Sidlers!
Prairie puppy devours dandelion.
Lady-and-the-tramping a dandelion!
Nom! Nom! Nom!
Wow, the Stupid is thick today. How is that possible? The bar has been low the last few years but today feels extra dumb
What the hell does SpaceX, a company with 13k employees, need with 4k Cybertrucks? SMH.
"White House counterterrorism official Sebastian Gorka ."
Wut How the fuck did that happen? The trmp orbit is really ratchet.
the wheels are fallin’ off!
Lol. “You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel…”
I read the Guardian article about dating, women and home ownership the other day. There are a huge number of women homeowners, but many of them end up owning their homes at middle aged or older. This is because they get the home through divorce or through their husband's death. That younger women are buying their own homes outright early in life is truly great news!
I was in my early to mid 20s when banks started giving women their own mortgages.
The men who object to women's economic success are: a) pissant whiny buttheads and really not partner-worthy material. b) I think these particular men are, at heart abusive. Their primary reason for disliking female success is that this takes away one of their justifications for denigrating women as dependent sponges. c) I like to think that most men don't feel that way, most of the women in my family have managed to have successful careers and happy marriages. That's the way life should be.
Are Tammy's Wisconsin children allowed to play/listen to the 1812 Overture?
Another casualty of Trump's Iran-Epstein Distraction War: color.
Japanese snack packages turning black-and-white as Iran war depletes ink supply
posted 5/13/2026
"The packaging on some snacks in Japan is turning a somber black-and-white, as the war in Iran disrupts the supply of an ingredient used in colored ink.
Tokyo-based Calbee Inc., which makes potato chips and cereal, said what's inside remains the same. Calbee's popular snacks are available in Japan's ubiquitous convenience stores and shipped to the United States, China and Australia.
"This measure is intended to help maintain a stable supply of products," it said in a statement this week."
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/13/nx-s1-5820671/japanese-snack-packages-black-and-white
So at the moment, you can freshness date the snacks by color vs. black and white.
I keep a crime statistics database myself. So I know a thing or two about how to manipulate the data I collect and how to present it when the need arises.
For instance, my database showed littering violations in my local park occurring at a shocking 3 incidents a day while Joe Biden was in office in 2024. But during 2025 that number went up 700%, 900%, 1600%, 27,000%, AND MORE, once I started counting the individual pieces of shredded Constitution that are now to be found covering the ground, cankle deep, from sea to shining sea!
Puny ass Kash, with his 'double' this and his 'lots more' that, crime stats does not impress me a bit.
Get the lead out you drunken sot! No wonder your podcast failed! Good luck with trying to save your job with a 100% improvement of anything. He ain't impressed with anything less than, at minimum, a 1200% improvement.
There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics.
We'll have to add a fourth kind of lie: anything spoken by donnie.
Foxx - proving that contrary to popular belief, there are some constants in this world. She was, is, and will probably remain, as my Mom used to say, "enough to gag a maggot."
The story in the Guardian had me gobsmacked. When my Dad married my widowed mother, she owned her house, she was the sole support of her child (me) and her mother. And at that time, made more money than he did. They married, I had a wonderful Dad, Mom had a wonderful husband, and my hard to please grandma, had a patient son-in-law that did everything for her. Mom and Dad were happily married until his death, 54 years later. I guess they grew them tougher before the Internet came along and told men how they were supposed to feel??
My dad always told everyone that my mom was smarter than him (she was). He was an amazing person and very secure in himself.
Yes, I think teaching children and teens and adults to be secure in themselves is the best and hardest answer to this kind of idiocy, and I wish all the centrist strategists would stop telling us to adopt “common sense” oppression policies rather that focusing on reducing fear of scarcity and increasing self-worth. Every time we almost get to fairness and kindness and civil rights, some jerks decide the way they were bullied is the only way to success and drag us all back, and the middle goes along.
My husband is the only man I know who dated a woman taller than him in high school. I am not taller than he is, but I was in heels on our wedding day, which distressed my mother in law but not him. I’m not sure how he ended up so self-assured with the parents he had, but he really is, and I’m always surprised so few of my friends’ spouses are.
My husband is 6' tall but that wasn't a thing I ever gave a crap about. I am 5' "tall" and have dated both tall and short men. I'm shorter than most everyone though.
I always liked a man I could look in the eye. I used to be five foot six and a half inches.
vorpal decrees that publishing the phrase 'melting down' to describe any action other than the results of a witch being hit with a bucket of water to be a class III crime punishable by having an AI interpret the offender's restaraunt orders incorrectly to the server for the rest of their natural lives.
Hokey dokey, pig in a pokey. Time to start work.
Fucking East Coast monkehs. The only good thing about this is I get to finish at 2pm my time.
Only 11pm my time.
Oh. In that case, okay, pour me another.
Yeah, hit the showers Mate. You’re expected at the internet cafe in an hour.
"First up, Big Island! Meet us at the Kaleo’s in Pahoa, 15-2969 Pahoa Village Road, on Thurs., May 14, from say 5 to 8 p.m."
Feel free to hoist one for me - it's my birthday today.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
"A school board in Wisconsin seems to be very worried that if the school band is allowed to play a certain piece of instrumental music, everyone will become indoctrinated and transgender."
Sounds like the "violence" is most likely to come from the Watertown school board.
Talk about the magic of music!
Headline seen on the NYT webpage earlier this morning:
"French Police Warn Drivers of Drunk Deer"
I'm just going to leave it at that.
NO! You've got to see the video of those crazy deer. It's hysterical. Gift link to article.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/world/europe/france-drunk-deer.html?unlocked_article_code=1.iVA.KyE1.S4XhWNQuFOx6&smid=url-share
Also too: Today we are all drunk deer.
Much more entertaining than ka$h
Oh, poor dears.
We have a pyrocanthis in our backyard that birds go crazy for every spring. We have drunk birds for days pooping purple all over our patio until they strip it of berries.
You have never seen anything as funny as a bobbing quail drunk from pyracantha berries....I think it's because their little feathers on top of their heads flutter when they jump up to get the berries and then they get worse and worse at jumping and landing.