I love them, They eat ants. Also, they were one of my favorite animals at the Zoo. I'd rather see them in the wild, of course, but I always found them fascinating. I wonder if anyone makes plushie echidnas?
Speaking of echidnas -- Zappa's "Echidna's Arf (Of You)", from the LIVE album "Roxy and Elsewhere", featuring his mid '70s band, which was -- beyond great.
Menotsure is kind of a genius at that. Did you ever see Head Of The Class? He was a teacher just like him, and both he and his wife were pioneers in their respective educational systems. Brilliant family!
Although don't discount yourself, didn'ya is really good, too!
Menotsure IS a genius at that. Doggerel is an interesting form - seemingly simple and casual, but a source of surprising humor from creative almost-rhymes.
I remember that show, and I lived it. I was a cross between the fat kid and the nerd with taped glasses.
Late one evening, I once saw an armadillo that I at first thought was a pile of black rubber rings somebody had tossed in my bushes, but as I approached with a plastic bag to dispose of the "garbage" it got up and trotted off. Startling, yes, but what I remember most was that armour was so black and rubbery-looking -- like tire rubber -- the creature itself looked like it had been constructed of artificial material.
Heaven's no! That would be wrong on so many levels. 😄
I'm very lucky, there's a wonderful Mexican restaurant close by that has the best enchiladas (and tamales!) so I get my fix regularly. Locally owned and operated, too!
On a related topic, I was just thinking that it’s weird I’ve never seen a porcupine in the wild? Do other people see them? Aren’t they like skunks and possums—not everywhere all the time, but a couple of times a year things?
They're mostly nocturnal; seeing one in daylight is usually not a good sign. There was one in my (now former) neighbor's yard, several years ago, just winding itself in circles. Checked the google - that's usually a sign of rabies, along with being out in daylight. Yowsa.
This is very good information to know! Thank you so much for sharing it. I live in northwest Georgia now, surrounded by forests, which is lovely! But there's so much that I don't know about our woodland friends still.
We have LOTS of porcupines in Maine. Often in trees stripping bark to eat. I have a woods cabin in the mountains and often see them. They are indifferent to me and are almost friendly.
Never seen them swim or in water. Not that they don’t.
They sometimes gnaw on the plywood subflooring atop uninsulated cabin floor joists, if the floor is close enough to the ground for them to reach by standing up under it. They'll even climb foundation posts to reach the subfloor. We've had to staple chicken wire to the bottoms of the joists to prevent this.
Oh yes, just like that. In Vermont I've spied them several times in the penumbra from the torchlight on the trail to the outhouse. Never bumped into one, yet.
Growing up near Tacoma, WA, Mrs. C's dad's dog, a Brittany spaniel, tried to bite a porcupine. Twice. After the first time, and a very expensive vet trip, her dad swore he wouldn't pay for that again. When it happened again, Mrs. C and her brother panicked and removed the quills from the dog's mouth and muzzle themselves, she holding the dog down and he weilding the pliers. Evidently it was very messy and noisy.
Huh, I grew up in a traditional household. Go to work at a job you hate, get shitfaced drunk, beat your wife and kids, and pass out in weird places. Oh yeah, wreck a few cars while drunk. It’ll only take your kids half a lifetime to recover but that’s only the ones that do recover. Yay for tradition.
So one pro disease whackaloon is out, and in her place, another pro disease whackaloon who also sells her own brand of snake oil. I'm so relieved! I was afraid that the FDT would slip and want to appoint someone with science-based medical credentials, and maybe, even someone who actually cared about the health of the nation. But, he stayed true to form!
There was a good sized hornet doing circuits in the kitchen. I got a swatter out and was poised for an opportunity to do battle (carefully considering which engagements would avoid also taking out the glassware). This stalemate went on for about 10 minutes. Then the hornet went nutso, bouncing off the walls and ceiling and wildly gyrating around the room, finally disappearing. I don't know where the hell she is. I am being very cautious about where I sit.
I was moments away from going off to look for ankle weights and an elastic exercise band when I realized what I was thinking: AND I HAVE BEEN SO READY TO NOT DO JACK, NOT BUY JACK today!! *slaps own hand*
I bought Loki a new toy, an unburstable football/soccer ball. It arrived today. I'd forgotten how loud he can be when he's chasing a football around the house - he does this really loud, yippy bark. This has been going on for 10-15 minutes already. I really hope our new neighbours will forgive me.
The best bit - unlike the last "unburstable" football (lasted 30 minutes before he shredded it), I think this one may function as advertised.
Bored out of my mind. Still spending about 60% of my day on my back with my ankle elevated.
It's Mr Cakes' birthday on Monday, so tomorrow I'll have to guide Cakes Jr through the baking of his birthday cake. I'm hoping she makes it as stress-free as possible.
Thank you, Wonkette, for simple reminders. I think I’ve reached new heights of head spinning and tangled thoughts. I mean, just this morning, browsing what Substack feeds me (I assume), I’m reminded of straightforward people: Bernie Sanders saying ‘not another dime to Israel.’ Wait. Am I sure Sanders is Jewish? Google says yes, a secular Jew. (And obviously a good man,)
And Rebecca reminds: May Day. No shopping. Thank you. (I assume donating Ameros is still okay though?)
I've really never stopped liking Bernie. Years ago, he got in trouble when he seemed (to some people) to be kneecapping Hillary at a crucial moment, but I happen to think that was overstated. All I know is, we need more like him.
Bernie was rather rude, and his Bernie Bro's especially so, toward Senator Professor Elizabeth Warren. They seem to be able to work together now, at least it looks that way from afar, so they must have patched it all up.
I still think … perhaps playing the simpleton here … that we ‘just’ need to succeed in electing a left-leaning preznident, and concentrate on electing a good, energetic Congress. And lately I’m coming around to ‘It’s all about voting rights!’ So many things … Citizens United, Supreme Court, on and on … are corollaries to voting rights. While humanity is beclowning itself lately, I still think it would be interesting and promising to see what would result from everyone being well-informed and voting easily.
You are not alone. So many would-be voters are demoralized, angry, afraid, checked out...that's on purpose by the Grand Orc Party. We need to try to spread motivation *and* register folks to vote, everywhere we can!
Volunteer with cats on Greek Island - live on Syros for FREE!
If the idea of living on a Greek island sounds appealing, but you want more than just beaches and sunsets, Syros offers something rare. Through Syros Cats, volunteers can live on the island with free accommodation, breakfast, and utilities in exchange for hands-on work caring for rescued and street cats. It’s not a vacation and it’s not a short-term gig, but for the right person, it’s a deeply meaningful way to experience Greece from the inside.
I go once a week to volunteer at a cat sanctuary and it's so rewarding! We have a few ferals who used to run away as soon as I came in to the enclosures and they don't anymore. SO rewarding!
That one has legs.* Some other Wonkette meme-ish insider jokes have gone by the wayside over the years, like the saving of bread, or TRUCKNUTZ!, or vegan baby buttholes. But things like the monstrosity of canned clams, or the unlawfulness of comments, have persisted.
Um, wait. Epstein’s cellmate - who allegedly found his suicide note written several weeks before his death - was “a former police officer charged with a quadruple homicide”? And Epstein’s suicide note was sealed as part of this cellmate’s court case?? That’s definitely not suspicious at all. How the hell did I not know this before?!
think the cheapish blenders are their best product, although i've killed a few of them making frozen margaritas. ice crushing is hard on plastic. not crazy about their coffee makers, but i haven't had any problems with a hand mixer i use when the job doesn't require a Kitchen Aid.
i think mine experienced gradual button failures from sticky margarita juice sloshing around while i was encouraging others to get sloshed on margaritas.
"...holy shit I have no idea what is going on in this piece about Mike Johnson and the Farm Bill and the House and the rules and WHAT? (NOTUS)"
Repunks have show over and over that while they may know how to rule, they can't govern. They are at Peak Repunk when they're in the bleachers throwing monkey wrenches at serious people who are trying to get things done.
Happy May Day, comrades! Here is your Friday gif info on echindnas: https://martiniambassador.substack.com/p/rose-goes-snorkeling
And a meme chat: https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/425a139b-d92a-448e-8ff3-bbe1e09d94db?utm_source=share
I love them, They eat ants. Also, they were one of my favorite animals at the Zoo. I'd rather see them in the wild, of course, but I always found them fascinating. I wonder if anyone makes plushie echidnas?
I did not know echidnas could/did play in water!
Speaking of echidnas -- Zappa's "Echidna's Arf (Of You)", from the LIVE album "Roxy and Elsewhere", featuring his mid '70s band, which was -- beyond great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb5AKjDlDxo
This morning I woke up and got
A creature that I like a lot
Her name is rose
She has a short nose
About that echidna you not.
Nice. I was trying to get a close-enough rhyme to echidna and was workshopping didn'ya.
Menotsure is kind of a genius at that. Did you ever see Head Of The Class? He was a teacher just like him, and both he and his wife were pioneers in their respective educational systems. Brilliant family!
Although don't discount yourself, didn'ya is really good, too!
https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1980s/head-class/
Menotsure IS a genius at that. Doggerel is an interesting form - seemingly simple and casual, but a source of surprising humor from creative almost-rhymes.
I remember that show, and I lived it. I was a cross between the fat kid and the nerd with taped glasses.
Arf!
That critter looks more like what you sweep your front porch with than a real critter.
Late one evening, I once saw an armadillo that I at first thought was a pile of black rubber rings somebody had tossed in my bushes, but as I approached with a plastic bag to dispose of the "garbage" it got up and trotted off. Startling, yes, but what I remember most was that armour was so black and rubbery-looking -- like tire rubber -- the creature itself looked like it had been constructed of artificial material.
I suppose “hung like an echidna” is too awkward to become a thing.
It's wild! https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/solving-the-mystery-of-the-four-headed-echidna-penis
That sounds like a Harry Stephen Keeler title!
She's not a waterlogged porcupine, she's short-beaked echidna! I first read that as Empanada.
Now I want to see one of those early 1960's mecha-monster movies....
ECHIDNA vs. BLOWFISH!!!!!
of course, Godzilla would have to make a cameo at the end....
Rosie likes snorkeling and swimming!
Mmmmmmm, now I want enchiladas.
What a cutie pie!
Echidnachaladas?
Heaven's no! That would be wrong on so many levels. 😄
I'm very lucky, there's a wonderful Mexican restaurant close by that has the best enchiladas (and tamales!) so I get my fix regularly. Locally owned and operated, too!
Cheese and onions! nom nom nom!
Drinking, fishing, or both?
You can't go fishing without drinking, that's some kinda law.
Neither! Its swimming.
He’s so adorable!
On a related topic, I was just thinking that it’s weird I’ve never seen a porcupine in the wild? Do other people see them? Aren’t they like skunks and possums—not everywhere all the time, but a couple of times a year things?
I think I’m too far south.
They’re nocturnal. I’m not.
They're mostly nocturnal; seeing one in daylight is usually not a good sign. There was one in my (now former) neighbor's yard, several years ago, just winding itself in circles. Checked the google - that's usually a sign of rabies, along with being out in daylight. Yowsa.
This is very good information to know! Thank you so much for sharing it. I live in northwest Georgia now, surrounded by forests, which is lovely! But there's so much that I don't know about our woodland friends still.
We have LOTS of porcupines in Maine. Often in trees stripping bark to eat. I have a woods cabin in the mountains and often see them. They are indifferent to me and are almost friendly.
Never seen them swim or in water. Not that they don’t.
They sometimes gnaw on the plywood subflooring atop uninsulated cabin floor joists, if the floor is close enough to the ground for them to reach by standing up under it. They'll even climb foundation posts to reach the subfloor. We've had to staple chicken wire to the bottoms of the joists to prevent this.
I know ALL about it. Fortunately they don’t like the taste of PT.
I lived in NH for a long time. Saw them a lot, although they are primarily nocturnal.
Jesus, that must have been the 1700's version of stepping on a lego on the way to the bathroom.... that would SUCK!!!
Oh yes, just like that. In Vermont I've spied them several times in the penumbra from the torchlight on the trail to the outhouse. Never bumped into one, yet.
1964, Shaver Lake, CA. The dogs cornered one and got their muzzles full o' quills.
Similar! Only the Sierra back country, early 70s, and it was dusk in the wilderness, getting the quills out by flashlight
We saw a porcupine under a rock last weekend in upstate NY.
And his hair was perfect.
Maybe we don’t have them out west?
I’m going to go look it up.
Growing up near Tacoma, WA, Mrs. C's dad's dog, a Brittany spaniel, tried to bite a porcupine. Twice. After the first time, and a very expensive vet trip, her dad swore he wouldn't pay for that again. When it happened again, Mrs. C and her brother panicked and removed the quills from the dog's mouth and muzzle themselves, she holding the dog down and he weilding the pliers. Evidently it was very messy and noisy.
They're out here
There are two (sometimes more) in the High Desert Museum in Bend, OR
I saw one in a zoo in Arizona. They're native, just like river otters.
That's an unusually active echinacea. They usually stay planted.
LOL, stupid spellcheck!
It is Teh Debbil.
That's a pretty spiny plant.
“He’s a vicious cur…I kid you not.”
(DInsdale)
Cute little critter!
Huh, I grew up in a traditional household. Go to work at a job you hate, get shitfaced drunk, beat your wife and kids, and pass out in weird places. Oh yeah, wreck a few cars while drunk. It’ll only take your kids half a lifetime to recover but that’s only the ones that do recover. Yay for tradition.
So one pro disease whackaloon is out, and in her place, another pro disease whackaloon who also sells her own brand of snake oil. I'm so relieved! I was afraid that the FDT would slip and want to appoint someone with science-based medical credentials, and maybe, even someone who actually cared about the health of the nation. But, he stayed true to form!
"who said child mental illness is driven by “non-traditional households.”
Because there's not a million examples of kids being fucked up by traditional households...
(raises hand)
Stare decisis is deceased, and so is Congress' exclusive constitutional power to make war. Other than that, EVERYTHING IS FINE, MOTHER.
https://youtu.be/2Xi8NvSetZc?si=7FzL-UdeiXDdVPF-
There was a good sized hornet doing circuits in the kitchen. I got a swatter out and was poised for an opportunity to do battle (carefully considering which engagements would avoid also taking out the glassware). This stalemate went on for about 10 minutes. Then the hornet went nutso, bouncing off the walls and ceiling and wildly gyrating around the room, finally disappearing. I don't know where the hell she is. I am being very cautious about where I sit.
I was moments away from going off to look for ankle weights and an elastic exercise band when I realized what I was thinking: AND I HAVE BEEN SO READY TO NOT DO JACK, NOT BUY JACK today!! *slaps own hand*
Trumpstein files
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4986919e79fda9ea8e28656ab0285873998c927af1892ab78337773ccda486a1.jpg
I bought Loki a new toy, an unburstable football/soccer ball. It arrived today. I'd forgotten how loud he can be when he's chasing a football around the house - he does this really loud, yippy bark. This has been going on for 10-15 minutes already. I really hope our new neighbours will forgive me.
The best bit - unlike the last "unburstable" football (lasted 30 minutes before he shredded it), I think this one may function as advertised.
How is our CakesWe?
Bored out of my mind. Still spending about 60% of my day on my back with my ankle elevated.
It's Mr Cakes' birthday on Monday, so tomorrow I'll have to guide Cakes Jr through the baking of his birthday cake. I'm hoping she makes it as stress-free as possible.
Urrrgghhh I knooowwwwww. I'm glad you're persisting though. Uurrrggghh!!!!
Thank you, Wonkette, for simple reminders. I think I’ve reached new heights of head spinning and tangled thoughts. I mean, just this morning, browsing what Substack feeds me (I assume), I’m reminded of straightforward people: Bernie Sanders saying ‘not another dime to Israel.’ Wait. Am I sure Sanders is Jewish? Google says yes, a secular Jew. (And obviously a good man,)
And Rebecca reminds: May Day. No shopping. Thank you. (I assume donating Ameros is still okay though?)
Oh gee, I bought cat food *and* made a donation. Hopefully, the latter cancels out the former.
I've really never stopped liking Bernie. Years ago, he got in trouble when he seemed (to some people) to be kneecapping Hillary at a crucial moment, but I happen to think that was overstated. All I know is, we need more like him.
Bernie was rather rude, and his Bernie Bro's especially so, toward Senator Professor Elizabeth Warren. They seem to be able to work together now, at least it looks that way from afar, so they must have patched it all up.
I still think … perhaps playing the simpleton here … that we ‘just’ need to succeed in electing a left-leaning preznident, and concentrate on electing a good, energetic Congress. And lately I’m coming around to ‘It’s all about voting rights!’ So many things … Citizens United, Supreme Court, on and on … are corollaries to voting rights. While humanity is beclowning itself lately, I still think it would be interesting and promising to see what would result from everyone being well-informed and voting easily.
Unbidden thought dump complete.
You are not alone. So many would-be voters are demoralized, angry, afraid, checked out...that's on purpose by the Grand Orc Party. We need to try to spread motivation *and* register folks to vote, everywhere we can!
Sounds like utopia
Volunteer with cats on Greek Island - live on Syros for FREE!
If the idea of living on a Greek island sounds appealing, but you want more than just beaches and sunsets, Syros offers something rare. Through Syros Cats, volunteers can live on the island with free accommodation, breakfast, and utilities in exchange for hands-on work caring for rescued and street cats. It’s not a vacation and it’s not a short-term gig, but for the right person, it’s a deeply meaningful way to experience Greece from the inside.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/25553dfa6b6fac0a0cc95fa53707f42032a03dd7e847b1059fae031735527695.jpg
https://www.travelpirates.com/captains-log/volunteer-with-cats-greece-syros-free-housing
I go once a week to volunteer at a cat sanctuary and it's so rewarding! We have a few ferals who used to run away as soon as I came in to the enclosures and they don't anymore. SO rewarding!
Sounds cathartic.
Sign me up!!
Absolute dream.
>>I often wonder just how inscrutable Wonkette is to the average person who doesn’t know all our jokes and also what the fuck we’re talking about
When I first washed up here, the canned clams jokes went a bit over my head.
I believe I have successfully infiltrated this group and assimilated their humour. The fleshy ones suspect nothing. Bleep Bloop.
Same. I still don't get the canned clam jokes.
Basically way back in the day, someone posted a recipe that used clams. They suggested to use fresh clams but canned clams are OK in a pinch.
Someone took the idea of using canned clams like they had just suggested Hitler's Final Solution to the Jewish question, so it became a bit of a meme.
When I found here I had no idea WTF the canned jokes were about. It was explained to me one day and it was more hilarious than I thought.
I just thought that canned clams are inherently funny.
I still do.
[giggles]
That one has legs.* Some other Wonkette meme-ish insider jokes have gone by the wayside over the years, like the saving of bread, or TRUCKNUTZ!, or vegan baby buttholes. But things like the monstrosity of canned clams, or the unlawfulness of comments, have persisted.
*(Clams got legs? Since when?)
Sometime BC?
https://substack.com/profile/158187002-hops-grrrr-mad/note/c-252061995?r=2m6hve&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web
But now you know how monstrously funny they are!
----> EPSTEIN
.
"Jeffrey Epstein’s Possible Suicide Note Hidden From Public View" –https://removepaywalls.com/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/us/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-note-sealed.html
Um, wait. Epstein’s cellmate - who allegedly found his suicide note written several weeks before his death - was “a former police officer charged with a quadruple homicide”? And Epstein’s suicide note was sealed as part of this cellmate’s court case?? That’s definitely not suspicious at all. How the hell did I not know this before?!
Given my questions regarding his "suicide," I'm inclined to regard this with just a wee bit of suspicion.
(nods)
ohhh. Halmilton Beach makes those kitchen appliances that kind of work for just a little while, not Huntington Beach. that was gonna drive me crazy.
fwiw - I have a Hamilton Beach blender . . . which my mother gave me as an xmas present . . . 40+ years ago! Still works fine.
(Last year the plastic screw-on ring that keeps the blade unit in cracked. I was able to 3D print a replacement)
‘They’ want us to buy expandable crap. And you print a replacement piece.
Chuckle. Okay, LOL. Good morning.
think the cheapish blenders are their best product, although i've killed a few of them making frozen margaritas. ice crushing is hard on plastic. not crazy about their coffee makers, but i haven't had any problems with a hand mixer i use when the job doesn't require a Kitchen Aid.
I've beat up on this thing – tried using it to make (pulp) paper. It did not like that.
i think mine experienced gradual button failures from sticky margarita juice sloshing around while i was encouraging others to get sloshed on margaritas.
I hear their ice-cream makers are good enough to be worth taking with you when you have to flee Cloud City.
Difference is Huntington Beach never worked at all.
8647
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6f88b97d8645ff72f05b5483255916c69cb11d678d5552a5c8d39cc9caf106a7.jpg
"...holy shit I have no idea what is going on in this piece about Mike Johnson and the Farm Bill and the House and the rules and WHAT? (NOTUS)"
Repunks have show over and over that while they may know how to rule, they can't govern. They are at Peak Repunk when they're in the bleachers throwing monkey wrenches at serious people who are trying to get things done.