The world has gone insane.
I’ve suspected it for a while now and the current events have convinced
me that it’s true.
Today while reading several news stories and then blogs I
follow, I was struck by the realization that I must be old now. I say that because … I remember. I remember The Bay
of Pigs and my parents telling us what we were to do if war happened. I remember that in high school we didn’t have
fire drills, we had nuclear bomb drills.
The drill consisted of climbing under a desk or lining up next to the
wall of lockers; kneeling down; covering eyes with one arm and back of neck
with the other. I remember the Cold War
and the fears of impending doom. I don’t
think anyone out there with power or money remembers those things. Because if they did, the world wouldn’t be running
so fast toward crazy.
I think it must be time for the Vulcan’s to stop by for a
visit now. To show earthlings that they
are not alone in the universe and therefore need to stop warring between
ourselves. That there are more important
things out there than money and power.
Okay – I’m a Star Trek fan but . . . . it could happen.
On another note – somebody needs to give Mother Nature a big glass of wine. Honest to god, Tuesday it was 80 degrees and sunny. Wednesday – the high temp of 42 degrees was reached at 7am and then it started going down to the 30’s. Thursday and today haven’t been any better though I think we’re going to reach a balmy 47 – maybe. Overcast, drizzily, cold and windy. Ugh!
I blame the Trail Riders for this nasty spat of cold. What?
You are unfamiliar with the trail rider deal??
Well here, for some unknown reason, when the Rodeo and Fat Stock Show is coming to Houston, wantabe cowboys saddle up their horses, pull the Conestoga out of the three car garage, don their western wear and head toward Houston. Some Trail Riders travel over 200 miles (on horseback, camping out at night, cooking over the fire, etc - on purpose) to participate in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Downtown Rodeo Parade. And it is ALWAYS cold, wet, and windy.
The parade is tomorrow.
Hopefully it is going to clear up by Sunday.
Speaking of Tuesday, I put 10 more bags of soil into my
future herb garden. Think another 5 or 6
will top it off. My yard was, at least 3
days, ago filled with wild flowers (okay – with weeds but they look very wild
flowery).
Henbit
However, currently my gardening clock has stopped with the
weather. It will start again though –
next week I hope.
Today I walked outside and watched as a vulture flew over
the yard toward a tree behind my sister’s shop.
Must have been 8 or 9 of them up there.
Honestly, I think I’m watching too many murder mystery shows. My first thought was – ohhhhhhh a body over
there somewhere.
And just in case you didn’t know and feel some general information is useful, here in Texas there are two types of vultures – Black and Turkey vultures.
Vultures have relatively bare heads and often bare necks so that when they feed on rotting carcasses, bacteria and other parasites cannot burrow into thick feathers to cause infections.
New World vultures lack a syrinx (voicebox) and are nearly
silent. They do not have songs, and their typical vocalizations are limited to
grunts, hisses, and bill clacks.
Vultures are carnivorous and eat carrion almost exclusively.
They prefer fresh meat but can consume carcasses that may have rotted so much
that the meat can be toxic to other animals. This gives vultures a unique and
important ecological role because they help prevent the spread of diseases from
rotting corpses.
Vultures have excellent senses of sight and smell to help
them locate food, and they can find a dead animal from a mile or more away.
Vultures are relatively social and often feed, fly, or roost
in large flocks. A group of vultures is called a committee, venue, or volt. In
flight, a flock of vultures is a kettle, and when the birds are feeding
together at a carcass, the group is called a wake.
You never know when this stuff might come in handy during a
conversation.
Well, guess I’m done right now. Everyone think positive, loving thoughts!
25 Feb 2022
Each crisis brings back earlier ones. Too vividly.
ReplyDeleteWe have quite a few turkey vultures here, busily keeping the roads clear of roadkill. I'm very grateful for their work.
The news footage coming out of Ukraine is heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteWe have turkey vultures here. I had not heard of Black Vultures until today. I get it with the Trail Riders bringing the cold weather. When we lived in Montana, fair week was always the 2nd week of August. Without fail, it was the hottest week of the summer/year. I do agree the world is crazy these days. I wish it wouldn't get crazier but I fear it will. In the meantime, I did like the pictures of your wildflowers.
ReplyDeletebetty
we're fucked...but on to better news. I watch these great videos from a couple in Azerbaijan and its like zen to me. the think that amazes me is the drink tea.. but not your regular ole tea(although they do drink it too) but they will go out in their yard or field or garden and pick leaves off certain trees, rose hips, flowers ..all kinds of flowers and toss it into a pot and pour hot water on it.. it's amazing.. they grow chamomile in their yard, pick saffron stems off flowers, all sorts of things. Makes me thirsty.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, the world has gone totally insane. I wish it would stop, it's just all so heart breaking. I would also love to go on a trail ride <3
ReplyDeleteWe get Trail Riders coming down from I think Austin in the last week of January or first week of February. They always come down by way of Lockhart, through Luling, Kingsbury and then Seguin on their way to San Antonio. Then they go to Houston. They stay for a few days here in Seguin with the rodeo and then move on to San Antonio where they have the Cowboy Breakfast which opens the rodeo there. They are a driving a hazard because they sometimes have longhorns with them. I remember driving to work from Seguin to Luling and they would have them all over highway 90. Lately the highway patrol has been having to run with them one car in the front and one in the back to warn. It is a sight though.
ReplyDeleteThe world HAS gone crazy! I tried to take a photo of henbit yesterday, but I wouldn't crouch down far enough & it was windy. They're one of my favorite weeds :)
ReplyDeleteYes, the world has gone crazy, and one man especially. While I don't remember the Bay of Pigs - I was too young at that time - I do remember the Cold War. I vividly remember Soviet tanks in Prague in 1968 and it scared me to death. I had thought we would go straight into a war. After all, Prague wasn't that far away (I grew up in Germany). We never had nuclear bomb drills, but we were always aware of the relative closeness of the Soviet Union. It was never dramatized, a general sense of calmness helped us growing up without fear.
ReplyDeleteI love Calvin. He speaks sense.
ReplyDeleteI hope your weather has indeed improved.
Vultures do flock during certain Seasons, I didn't know that either until I googled it after seeing an enormous flock of them. The World has gone Mad, I knew it had... some didn't Believe it, but now they should have ample proof.
ReplyDelete