Ray's Thought for the Day - Rainfall Update + Rayetta's Butterflies

The CB rain gauge is close to 25.00" for DY 1, already. Er. 24.85" + 0.1" = 24.95".

Dr. Pistrum. Ahoy there, Dr. Pistrum, I am done with the rainfall update. Oh, Ray-et-ta. The rainfall update is complete. It is time for Rayetta's Butterflies. It is your turn at the venue, Rayetta.

Hold your horses Ray. Crumby needs to help with this one. Lomo, go find Crumby.

Lomo go find Crumby?

Yes Lomo, find Crumby. Then, once you find him, make sure Crumby reports to the laboratory, pronto.

Lomo go find Crumby!

Hmmm. All righty then. Now I just need to take this, and this and I am all set to head out for the laboratory. Here I am. Ray, stop scratching those chigger bites. You'll infect yourself. Now go off somewhere else, Ray. If you see Crumby and Lomo, tell Lomo to hurry Crumby along.

All righty then, Rayetta.

Let me see. This one and this one need to go into the venue. Where is that Crumby Ovate? Here he is. That's better. Crumby, you need to identify this frog fruit to species.

What particular frog fruit, Rayetta?

This one, the one in the picture. See the picture I have stuck in front of your noggin.

Oh! Er. Frog fruits are beyond the skill of a mere mortal such as myself to identify. Therefore, all frog fruits are, by default, Phyla incisa that some have lately come to call Phyla nodiflora.

Are you sure about that, Crumby?

Yepper.

All righty then. Today, on Rayetta's Butterflies, a humble yet ecologically important plant is featured, none other than frog fruit (Phyla nodiflora). Frog fruit is important to my littler butterflies, -2 and 3 on the Rayetta scales. The biggest butterfly I have observed using frog fruit is the Common Buckeye. However, the little ones are on frog fruit a lot.

This little butterfly, a Phaon Crescent, is ovapositing on the frog fruit.

This alternative little butterfly, Southern Skipperling, is dining upon the frog fruit. I have observed some other butterflies on frog fruit, but I seem to have misplaced the list that contains those names. Well, never mind the list. One of those other ones was dainty sulphur.

Crumby, do you have some information about frog fruit that you would like to share with the venue?

Yepper. The technical keys available for identifying frog fruits to species almost ruined my life entirely. I could never get those keys to work on any of my specimens. Boo-hoo-hoo, I cried. But then the Blessed Goddess sent me an epiphany.

Crumby, She advised, all those frog fruits are the same difference. Do not fret any longer over those frog fruits. Hence, I no longer fret over them. Yet I no longer disdain them either. Once I stopped fretting over them, I learned to appreciate frog fruits for their own sakes.

Anything else?

Uh. The frog fruits have got into the nursery trade. So if the general public wants frog fruit, it is handy.

Anything else?

They are much like a stoloniferous grass in habit. Plus, in these parts, frog fruits rival silver-leaf nightshade for ubiquity, occuring in seasonally dry spots as well as wet spots. Frog fruits may provide relief from graminoid monotony, a common peril.

Anything else?

Noper, Rayetta.

Our Imperial Globe, Shall Sure Be Swell

Ears, R. 2007. Translated into English by R. Pistrum, Ph.D., LDR.

At the CB we work pretty hard, Druid magic, at holding progress at bay. Consequently, the CB sticks out like a sore whatever. Why don’t those Druids mow the grass? Those Druids are messing up my potential property value.

Yes, that may be true. Certainly, we would like to depress property values in the immediate vicinity of the CB. Unfortunately, the vicinity of the CB is a lost cause. So now we are thinking on how we can move the CB to a non lost cause habitat area.

Considering this, we are dismayed at the thought of deserting our habitat and leaving in the lurch all those many native organisms that can not come along to the new habitat. If we leave, they will certainly be annihilated.

That said, with real estate value being what it is, we might get a good price, considering that, the Republic of Tejas is a global marketplace. Yepper, real estate in these parts is sizzling with foreign investment. And, believe it or not, some foreigners are rich. Is not that an odd concept? We do not often consider the possibility that a bunch of foreigners could be rich. But apparently, lots of them have plenty of money to invest in real estate, convenience stores, castles and mausoleums.

What spurs foreign investment? Well, foreigners are less likely to get blown up, habitating in these parts, as opposed to habitating where they originated, maybe. Of course, they do have to drive around in their great vehicles and that can be dangerous, because the roads in these parts belong to the Wickerman. But do not let that scare you off, foreign investors, the Wickerman usually gets pedestrians or bicyclists. Usually.

Besides the foreigners, or in addition to the foreigners, maybe, lots of the native rich need to have an extra house to stay at right here in the Live Music Capital (sic) of the Globe. Those native rich include, movie stars. A rich movie star could really fix the CB up. There’s plenty of room at the CB to put up a six story castle and mausoleum. Plus, the labor to do all that is super cheap.

OK. Who else might we sell out to? Easy that, a Baby Boomer looking for a more relaxed habitat, but not an entirely relaxed habitat like the Baby Boomer Graveyard. Believe it or not, environmental refugees from Houston still migrate to these parts.

Yepper, soon maybe, we shall sell out. Then we shall join in that teeming throng of environmental refugees, all searching for that new and better, safer habitat.

Rayetta's Butterflies - Sachem

Hmmm. If you want lots of little orange butterflies around, cultivate some Indiangrass. These little orange butterflies currently habitating in the Indiangrass at the CB include fiery skipper, orange skipperling, southern skipperling, southern broken-dash, whiralbout maybe, and sachem. Hmmm.

Crumby, sachem sounds like a nativist spell. You have some nativist in you maybe, go do some research on sachem. Find out the same difference for sachem.

You mean saychum, Rayetta?

Whatever. What’s the same difference then, Mr. Smarty Pants?

Chief. Sachem is the same difference as, chief, maybe. Course nobody knows fer sure because those natives that spelled that a way are all gone off to the Happy Hunting Ground. The Happy Hunting Ground is a cheerful place full of friendly magical animals that have the ability to be eaten more than once. Yep. That is correct Rayetta, you eat the animal, suit its bones back up in its skin, say the spell, All righty then!, and off that particular animal scrambles, good as new. Then once you get hungry again

Crumby, aren’t you doing laundry today. Go do the laundry, Crumby. I’m Busy.

All righty then, Rayetta. Here I go.

In any event, for some reason unbeknownst to me, these little butterflies are termed sachems, commonly. Goodness! Here’s a clue provided by Dr. Holland. Synonym: huron (Edwards). Also, sachems get their own genus, based on the shape of the male discal stigma. Ha!, a very old monotypic genus. Sad for the lumpers, but good for the splitters and the listers.

So we now have (Atolopedes campestris) documented at the CB. Actually, we had one once before, back in Olwen White Track the season, but now we have them, fornicating. This is a male documentation shot. Male on Helianthus annua.

This is a female. Hmmm. One of Ray’s flies is mugging for the camera. Female on Monarda citriodora. Besides the Indiangrass, they like forbs, buffalograss, and native grasses in general, apparently.

Ray's Thought for the Day - Goddess Bless Mrs. Sheehan!!!!

Yepper. Mrs. Sheehan deserves a blessing or two, plus some peace and quiet.

Meantime, the locked in, socked in, no way out crowd makes progress. Off they go, their noggins full of shit. Watching the Parade of the Shitnoggins reminds US of a similar parade made famous in the movie, Animal House. Clues are provided in that movie, Animal House, regarding; “How does US bust up the shitnoggin pararde?”. Every little bit helps.

For example, start skipping those Rudi the Fascist group grope activities at work. You know, the ones that inform you just how important you are in the corporate scheme. Or better yet, misbehave at the meetings. If you can’t come up with a smart comment, fart, you may hit pay dirt, thus clearing out some of the shit in yer noggin. Every little bit helps.

Goddess Bless Mrs. Sheehan!!!!

Rayetta's Butterflies - The Fork of the Carrot

Presented with a dichotomous yet bifurcated route, I decided to sleep on it. So I took a little nap. Now that I am woke up, more or less, I must decide, left or right. Which way do I go?

Yepper. Life presents these kinds of options. This option is representaive of life as we know it. But there is yet another option, the do nothing option. I can just stay right here. I shall cocoon up in a while, maybe, right here. Later, after I have cocooned up awhile, I may shuck off these merely mortal coils. Yepper. A carefree life flitting about the flowers, happily fornicating while frisking about may be the best option, fer me.

(Papilio polyxenes) on (Polytaenia whateveranus)

Ray's Thoughts for the Day

1. Sharing

In temperate climes, fer sure, and everywhere else, maybe, all of us have to share the plants. That’s because there are way more different kinds of us animals than there are kinds of plants. Here, depicted electrically and photogenically, is a more or less typical scene, at least two animals sharing one plant. Actually, if the photographer is included, that would make it at least three animals sharing one plant.

The plant photogene depicted is a thistle. Thistles, due to their prickliness maybe, are poorly represented at the CB. Yet that should change, for thistles, despite their prickliness, are kindly towards the many animals that share them. Yep. It may be time to put on some gloves and go a thistle seed collecting.

Perhaps, then once those seeds are collected, I, Ray, shall establish a patch of thistles. Those thistles shall be especially kindly thistles. All the happy little animals shall congregate at those thistles and have parties. Of course, we shall need a thistle party photographer to document all the happy, sunny, thistle parties.

2. Lesquerella grandiflora seeds exposed

Meantime though, the rain falleth a lot. A rainfall update is required once the rain abates. Awaiting rainfall abatement, consider these seeds. They are Lesquerella grandiflora seeds collected from a huge population of Lesquerella grandiflora habitating right near the capital city of the Republic of Tejas. How about that!

These can go out on the former septic field where the introduced dirt is sandy.

3. Rainfall Update

There now. The rain has abated. Whoa! There’s 2.5" in the gauge. How many drowned in this latest deluge? Nope, nobody drowned in the rain gauge. I reckon they all had sense enough to turn around before they dove in. So that makes the rainfall total to date, 22.35" + 2.50" = 24.85", Day 158, DY 1.

Potential Safety Topic- Environmental Hazard - Tight Squeeze

Yepper. There are just some colorful expressions or spells that are hard to beat. Like, for example, tight squeeze. Tight squeeze always references the narrow escape from, entrapment.

I was trapped. It was a tight squeeze, but I finally got loose.

One time a while back, all of us went off to Druid Synod. We left my bosom companion, Crumby, to guard the CB. At that time, Crumby was too fat on account of he had not yet completed his Druid training. As a result of being too fat, Crumby trapped himself in the sliding glass door. There he was when we got home, a pitiful spectacle, exhausted from hollering and struggling, trapped in the sliding glass door. It was a tight squeeze, but we finally got him loose.

Beware the tight squeeze. Don’t stick it in if you can’t get it out is generally good advice.

But one might ask, “Ray, how do I recognize a tight squeeze beforehand, so I may avoid the very situation that your bosom companion, Crumby, found himself in?”

Easy that, carry a measuring device, such as a yard stick with you at all times. Then, before you stick part of you or your whole self into something, do some measurements to see if you shall have sufficient room to get out, once you get in. Also, you should measure the different parts of yourself and have a general idea about the diameters of those parts. For example, your elbow; elbows are always getting into a tight squeeze! Measure those elbow diameters, both of them if you still have two, because they may be slightly different. Er. Besides the yard stick, a jar of heat-pruf plumber’s grease can come in handy.

So here’s a pictorial representation of the essential equipment you need for avoiding the Potential Safety Topic - Environmental Hazard - Tight Squeeze. I am fixing to go inside that fence I am propped up against. So I am well-equipped for a potential tight squeeze.

Here I go.

Rayetta's Butterflies - Monarch Yesterday, Queen Today

The first Queen of Beelzebubberriffic the season put in an appearance today. See, I am keeping track of seasonal changes in the CB butterfly fauna.

Several species of skippers are about, making themselves to home at the CB. Here are a couple of young fiery skippers, enjoying themselves on a Helianthus annua leaf.

Ray's Rainfall Update

Heavens to Mergatroid! On day 157 of DY 1 the new whopping rainfall total is, 22.05" + 0.30" = 22.35". Yep. The free water enthusiasts in these parts, prosper.

Yesterday, a Turk's Cap blossom or two appeared. Turk cap's blossoms herald the upcoming hummingbird post-fornication season at the CB. Anon, our seasonal resident female black-chinned hummingbird should reappear, if past performances are any indication.

Meantime, out in the southwest pasture abutting the CB perimeter and bar ditch that some might be tempted to reference as a speargrass-chigger community, Brazoria scutelleroides appears to be increasing in abundance. Like Bifora, this species appears to have adapted itself to the CB, within the rather weedy speargrass-chigger community SW pasture.

This picture is of the most westerly occurring Brazoria scutelleroides at the CB. Besides the speargrass and the chiggers, it mixes with several noxious introduced weeds moving eastward from the bar ditch.

Ray's Thought for the Day - Rainfall Update

Intermittent showers have been falling in and around the capitol city of the Republic of Tejas, lately. Some of that shower activity was indicated in the CB gauge when I checked it this morning. Plus, the rain falls at the CB at this very nonce. But, to avoid any more arthropod drownings, I went ahead and emptied the gauge. So the new total on Day 156 of DY 1 is, 21.45" + 0.60" = 22.05".

As everyone knows, the CB supports the imperialist occupation of miserable Iraq by US because the CB pays taxes. Note, however, that we only surmise that our taxes go to support the imperialist occupation of the miserable Iraqis. They may not go anywhere near there, but we have no way of knowing about that, fer sure.

But hey. Just for the heck of it, let's say that all our CB tax money goes straight into a trust fund for Chitlin's grandchitlins. For all we know, that could be the actual destination of the CB taxes. Yet many might cry out, "How does that destination of yer tax dollars support the imperialist occupation of miserable Iraq?"

Well, consider this. Who is perhaps the Earth's greatest supporter of the US imperialist occupation of miserable Iraq, minus two? Did you guess, Chitlin? Do you believe inheritance plus the environment of those grandchitlins may turn them into nearly exact Chitlin replicates one of these future days? Do you surmise that those grandchitlins shall all get on the TV and holler, "We support the US imperialist occupation of Earth, and you should too!"?

So you see, even though all the CB taxes may be going into a trust fund for Chitlin's grandchitlins, those tax dollars are supporting the US imperialist occupation of miserable Iraq, anyway. Boy howdy, I sure do feel, patriotic.

Picking a New Kinglet

The current Kinglet may end his reign one of these days. Who knows for sure. But if he does, that means the Mammonite ruling class shall have to go through the process of helping US help them pick a new Kinglet. Already, in fact, US is undergoing that process, even though we could have a neo-emergency that might assure the current Kinglet stays on. Wouldn’t that be swell?

What qualification for Kinglet does the Mammonite ruling class direct US towards? Easy that, the Mammonite ruling class qualification for Kinglet is, most of something, or biggest or best of something, or something, unique. Like, for example, most money, fattest, skinniest, biggest weenie, best haircut. If, for example, the potential Kinglet has a littler weenie, or no weenie, then that potential candidate must have the most of something or biggest or best of something else to stand a chance. Hold it! What about no weenie? No weenie is unique.

Then too, the potential candidate must generally somehow appear Kinglet-ish at all times, 24/7, or when on camera, whichever. An example, the attention of US is directed to the potential Kinglet Thompson, who is going for baldest, most home spun and most Chitlin-like facial expression. “Check into a mental hospital, Michael Moore, huh-huh.”

Are there still mental hospitals to check into? Have not all the mental hospitals been replaced by, spas?

What qualification got our current Kinglet into the White Palace? Well, this Kinglet was the most likable. All of US just knew, somehow, that this Kinglet is a fun-loving character, not above playing a little goosy-goose and grab ass with the boys, huh-huh. Reckon this Kinglet has ever given General Gestapo Gonzalez a towel pop or a wedgie?

This time, the Mammonite ruling class has provided lots of potential Kinglet options, so part of the fun is, figuring out which potential Kinglet has what it takes. Like, which potential Kinglet is the richest? If you go for the richest candidate, you need to figure out which one is the richest before you totally commit yourself and vote. Mitt, may be the absolute richest, maybe. Plus, Mitt also has the weirdest religion, maybe. So Mitt has two tops going for himself, maybe, and should get lots of US supporting himself.

Which potential Kinglet has suffered the most from affronts to their political ambitions or personal tragedies or sickness or general misery or incarceration? Who is the most suffering of all the candidates? Not easy that. A couple of them have suffered, but US needs to figure out which one has suffered the most before electing that one. Mammonite ruling class, help US out. Which one of the potential Kinglets has suffered the most?

Also, Mammonite ruling class, you could supply US with a little quantitative data. Run some tests on the potentials. Put the tests on TV instead of those dopey debates. For example, there must be a machine that could measure candidate color. Line them all up, run them through the machine, and then have all the pundits comment on which one is whitest and which one is brownest. Help US out more with our decision making process, Mammonite ruling class!

Rayetta's Butterflies - At the Feeder

They need to bring us some more bananas. Hey you there, Crumby, get the lead out and bring us some new bananas.

Locked In, Socked In, No Way Out

Inertia is something else again. Once you have inertia going for you, that’s it. You are locked in socked in, no way out.

Take for example, US. We are not perfect, maybe, but we are, according to US, the most perfect that have ever been. Our destiny is inertia. We are a near perfect inertia, yet seeking a more perfect inertia.

But seeking more perfect, we are constrained by our inertia. We can not change course. All we can do is go faster. A force, much like gravity has US, maybe, accelerating US.

That gravity like force is ideology. Our ideology keeps US locked in, socked in, no way out. We are true believers, locked in, socked in, no way out.

Where are we headed, locked in, socked in, no way out? Collectively, nowhere, yet collectively, locked in, socked in, no way out.

Our ideology informs US that the more of US there are, the better off all of US are. So, we need more, more, more of US. Locked in, socked in, no way out.

Somewhere too, out there, is a last miserable Pygmy, yearning to be just like US. That Pygmy is only awaiting a chance to be just like US, locked in, socked in, no way out.

Soon that Pygmy shall have a chance, to embrace our ideology. Then that Pygmy shall at last join with US, locked in, socked in, no way out.

And, we shall progress along, all of US, collectively, additions and subtractions, notwithstanding, until we cry out, woefully, I am locked in, socked in, no way out.

______

Look Crumby, I wrote a poem. What do ye think of my poem?

Er. I like it all righty then, Ray. But should a Sun God trainee have such an excessively gloomy perspective on the future of US?

Gloomy Crumby? I thought it was cheerful and sunny. It has a Pygmy for example.

Yeah, but look what happens to the Pygmy, Ray. The Pygmy becomes just like US. I do not want that Pygmy to be just like US. I want that Pygmy to be a Pygmy. In fact, I want to be a Pygmy, myself.

Jeez Louise, Crumby. Calm down. Ye can’t be a Pygmy. Yer locked, in socked, no way out.

Yer wrong Ray. I shall be as Pygmy-like as possible, despite everything. Then, anon, all the Pygmys and the Pygmy-like shall come together and triumph over ideology and all this inertia aggravation.

So Crumby, ye are espousing group salvation for the Pygmys and Pygmy-like as opposed to the inevitable nasty doom awaiting US collectively, minus the inevitable subtractions.

Correct Ray. Salvation requires witnesses.

All righty then Crumby. I shall add yet another verse or stanza, or footnote maybe, to my poem. Let’s see.
_____

But lo and behold, that last miserable Pygmy was only the penultimate last Pygmy. Deep inside the last remaining woodlot on Earth there was another, even littler Pygmy. And that even littler Pygmy gathered all the Pygmy-like to the last woodlot. And there in that last woodlot they all learned how to be better Pygmys than ever. Anon, the woodlot expanded. Anon, that woodlot expanded to cover the whole earth because everything outside the woodlot was dead. And the Pygmys expanded along with the woodlot until the whole earth became a woodlot filled with sunny and cheerful, yet clever, Pygmys.

_____

How’s that Crumby?

All righty then. So what else is in the woodlot besides Pygmys, Ray? Is the woodlot diverse?

Dang it Crumby. Course it’s diverse. Why wouldn’t it be diverse? Besides, all the stuff in the woodlot can evolve to become more diverse eventually, even if diversity may be a tad low to begin with

Uh oh. What if a gluttonous, lying Pygmy evolves Ray? What then?

Er. All righty then. The first rule of the new Pygmy happy, cheerful, yet clever, woodlot global habitat is, Liars and gluttons are delicious. That rule ought to take care of that.

Yepper Ray.

All righty then, Crumby.

All righty then, Ray.

Ray's Thought for the Day - Rainfall Update

The gauge indicated this morning that it collected three tics yesterday and this morning maybe. So, 21.05" + 0.30" = 21.45". Praise the Goddess!

The CB is down to just three Ipomopsis rubras. Formerly, we have had dozens. Such a situation can not be abided. So an executive decision to collect seed and establish a permanently early-successional habitat area just for growing Ipomopsis rubra shall be implemented. Ipomopsis rubra, you may savvy, is an early-sucessional non-competitor at the CB, fer sure. Also, it never seems to come up in the same place twice. Er, this may contradict a permanently early-successional habitat area, but we shall see. Sometimes, Ipomopsis rubra operates as a biennial, forming a basal rosette the first season, then flowering the next.

What else? Yep. In the Republic of Tejas, real estate is big business. To improve the real estate, a road or two, plus electricity and water and cable TV need to be directed toward the real estate. Then, once all those necessities are directed toward the real estate, a Baby Boomer graveyard, resplendent with fully fenced, electrified and irrigated castles and mausoleums, plus neo-convenient shopping, plus lakeside recreation facilities, may be established on the real estate, increasing the value of the real estate.

But who shall build all this stuff? Whose labor shall increase the value of the real estate?

Ha! In the Republic of Tejas, labor is a commodity, just like any other commodity. For example, labor is a commodity just like potted lunch meat. Happily, for real estate and associated big businesses, labor is a cheap and NAFTA renewable commodity, also like potted lunch meat.

The only snag in this happy scenario is, the laborers. Unlike the licked clean, potted lunch meat can, the laborers can not be so easily off loaded to the dumpster. Instead, they hang around in the human environment, seeking to do their commodity function, labor. Or worse, they hang around in the human environment, expecting to use up free commodities that rightfully belong to the inhabitants of the Baby Boomer graveyard.

Ha! The millionaires club, that some call the US Senate, plus our smirky, shirky Kinglet shall unsnag all. You betchum!

Das Kapital must grow lickety split, to have any chance at all, of survival. Locked in, socked in, no way out.

Rayetta’s Butterflies - Early Beelzebubberiffic, Day 152, DY 1, Butterflies at the CB

black swallowtail, checkered white, little yellow, gray hairstreak

great purple hairstreak, gulf fritillary, variegated fritillary, pearl crescent,

phaon crescent, Texan crescent, bordered patch, question mark,

red admiral, common buckeye, monarch, Horace’s duskywing

Funereal duskywing, common checkered skipper, orange skipperling,

southern skipperling, fiery skipper, whirlabout

Hmmm. That is not many, 22. Earlier though, back in Hope Remains, the season, we had some different ones like a bunch of sulphurs, a juniper haristreak and a northern cloudywing. From now on, I shall attempt to keep track of seasonal changes to the butterfly fauna at the CB.

The plants blooming at the CB right now that seem to attract the butterflies are mostly the lantanas, and orange zexmenia. Also, the Eupatorium greggii, thanks to all the rain, is doing an early Beelzebubberriffic bloom.

Today’s new butterfly documentation for the CB is this one, southern skipperling. Today is dark, rainy and windy. Plus, the little doofus likes sitting on the Indiangrass which naturally blows in the wind and makes for tough focusing. But look how cute! Tiny and tame, that is -3 - 1 on the Rayetta scales.

Later.

Well now. No sooner did I finish the above when another skipper turned up. This is a southern broken dash (Wallengrenia otho) on Rudbeckia hirta. Smallish and also tame, 2 - 1 on the Rayetta scales.

General Gestapo Gonzalez - Does the Future Look Bright?

You betchum Red Ryder, bright! All the future options look bright for Gestapo!

Option one. A Republican wins the upcoming. Gestapo continues as General Gonzales for reasons of national insecurity.

Option two. Gestapo moves back to the Republic of Tejas, hitting the toll roads as an inspirational speaker. A big chunk of the 28% Mammonite true believers habitate in the Republic of Tejas. Gestapo shall have crowds of adoring fans flocking to cover his speaker fees.

Option three. Our well-coifed governor creates a new job for Gestapo, Republic of Tejas Insecurity Czar (ROTIC).

Option four. A grateful Republic of Tejas corporation creates a neo-professional lawyer position, just for Gestapo.

Yep. The future looks bright for Gestapo.

Uh! Does anyone know why we now have czars? Why are new positions in the ever shrinking but also ever expanding government titled, czar? Was not the czar concept, considered historically, a failure?

The Disposition of the Extra Utilitarian Camera Device - by C. Ovate, Purchaser

So I got a job so I could buy the CB a back up camera to back up the trusty C-5060. The one I bought, an E-330 dslr, broke within a month of its arrival at the CB. That pissed everyone off, so I mailed it expeditiously off to California for repairs. It came back about 10 days later, fixed. I do not know what was wrong with it, and I do not know what they did to it in California to fix it. But it is fixed for the time being. Plus, it got fixed for free except for the cost of mailing it out to California. That is good. But now I do not trust it. It broke, inexplicably and could, break again, with me, its purchaser, none the wiser.

The fixers were nowise helpful with wising me up. Apparently, fixing for free does not include any explanatory information regarding what was done to fix it, the camera. Oh well!

But all this, the purchase of it, the back up camera, plus purchasing accessories and lenses for the back up camera led me to the strange world of photography forums. Strange is maybe not the right adjective though, goofy is a better descriptor. Yep, the goofy world of photography forums. No that's not it, not goofy. More like McLuhanesque. That's it, McLuhanesque. No, goofy and McLuhanesque rolled into one venue.

I am a member of two of these photo forums. Mercy! Not only can I not view the pictures expeditiously, modem challenged, I am morbidly curious about the great issues discussed. Mercy! Like, "What dslr camera and lens combo should I buy to take on my camel trip from Riyadh to Islamabad? I am leaving in a week. The guide service tells me that mostly I should pack water bags and that my camel may not move along if I overload it. So camera and lens combo weight is an important consideration. On the other hand, I have heard that bigger lenses make bigger pictures and I want all my pictures to be as big as possible. Should I order an extra camel?"

Then there is the fascinating topic, lens upgrades. Mercy! I found out that a camera lens can retail for 6000 buckaroos or even more. Mercy! The lens that may come with the camera, the "kit" lens only costs 200 buckaroos. But the kit lens is worthless for taking the kinds of artistic pictures all of us except the modem afflicted prefer. And the upgrade lens takes pictures that make the subject look like, er, a naked Botticelli painting or, er, a, er, whatever. Generally speaking, the more your gear costs, the better your pictures turn out.

Sometimes on the forum a poor soul will take a picture of a duck or some such and request help with identifying the duck. "What kind of a bird is this? Is it a duck?"

Someone will eventually answer the query and start an e-mail argument.

"That is a common duck."

"No you ignoramus, it's a pigeon, or maybe a chicken."

"How can either of you jerks tell what it is? The picture has lousy "bokeh"."

"Boo-hoo-hoo. My picture has lousy bokeh. What lens should I buy so my picture will have better bokeh? Will the new lens fit on my camel?"

Anyway, none of the above is putting me off photography. I just need to get rid of some newly acquired bad habits.

Historic Bifora Event

All righty then. A butterfly has landed on the staked out bifora. That is correct. A butterfly has landed on the staked out bifora. This is just in from Crumby, my bosom companion, a butterfly has landed on the bifora. Rayetta, Rayetta, Rayetta, a butterfly has landed on the bifora!

Which butterfly, Ray?

The little gray one with the tails, Rayetta.

Hmmm. You mean the gray hairstreak, don't you Ray?

Yepper. That's the very one. That name corresponds to the telepathic image Crumby just sent in.

Well that figures Ray. If any butterfly were to land on the bifora, it would be a gray hairstreak. They land on most anything and everything, except rotten bananas; any and all flowers, maybe, but not my butterfly feeder. This historic bifora event reminds me that I need to interrupt my busy schedule one of these days to note changes in the seasonal butterfly fauna at the CB as our planet wobbles around Ogma. Perhaps I shall find time to do that tomorrow, on Day 152 of DY 1. Or perhaps, I won't.

Sticking Up for Dr. Paul

Ray, did ye watch that Mammonite Republican debate the other night?

Noper.

Me neither. But Hope says all the Mammonite candidates jumped in Dr. Paul’s shit.

Yepper. They jumped in his shit, all righty then, for stating the principle of reciprocity on TV; eye fer eye, toofer fer toofer, life fer life.

Whoa! So the Mammonites did not like that?

Apparently not, Crumby. Perhaps they have come to believe that they are uniquely and entirely innocent, and consequently, out of the causality loop.

Ha! That’s right Ray. That’s what I have been warning everybody about fer decades. Those Mammonite liars and gluttons believe they can do anything they want because they are totally protected by the Demon Mammon. Hold it. Here’s Hope Remains. Hope actually was in attendance at the great jump in Dr. Paul’s shit debate. Right Hope? Hope, did all the Mammonite candidates become really excited when they jumped in Dr. Paul’s shit? Did spittle form on their lips as they shouted? Did some, or all of them, froth at the mouth? Were they loud in their condemnations and lynch-mobbish in their aspects?

Goodness gracious sakes alive, Crumby. Calm down.

I can’t calm down Hope. Try to remember. Try to confirm my suspicions and my hypothesis.

Well I swan, Crumby, there was a good deal of shouting and spittle and even some frothing, especially from the well-known fascist, Rudi.

Ha! I knew it. Those Mammonite Republican candidates have now gone all the way up and through the Demon Mammon’s excretory and digestive tracks and come out of his mouth and now they are mere replicates of the Demon Mammon himself. Mercy for democracy among US. Mercy.

Calm down Crumby. There’s always hope.

Ray's Thought for the Day - Praise the Government

Lo and behold, some of the government still works OK. For example, yesterday my billfold got run through the washer and the drier. Preceeding that event, billfold washing and drying, I was in panic mode, because I had run out of clean undears, and I forgot to go through all the pockets, pre-wash. Consequently, my trusty billfold got washed and dried. Now, all those clothes smell like my trusty billfold.

"Ray sugar, why did you wash your billfold?"

Yep. That was the spell that alerted me to the whereabouts of my billfold. Mercy, I thought, my Social Security card was in that billfold. Triplet, red-headed, orphan bastard babies on a swingset, my Social Security card may have expired in the drier. In panic mode I searched through that drier frantically. There was my insurance card, turned to fluff. There were all the receipts, fluffed wads.

Hark! There's a bunch of dollar bills though. They are all righty then. So espying that the dollar bills were OK, if slightly curled up, hope sprang eternal into my noggin. Then, sure enough, there was my social secruity card, ensconced on one of the drier propellers, joint-like.

Ironed out, that particular Social Security card was still legible. Praise the government! Now, despite my carefree attitude on pre-wash pocket emptying, I do not have to go down to the Social Security office and get a new card. If I had to do that again, I would probably not, Praise the Government! Getting that card in the first place was an aggravating experience. That is why the government, at its best, makes Social Security cards that can withstand a catastrophe or two.

Rayetta's Butterflies - Banana-Orama-Bait

Hmmm. Apparently, rotten bananas are delicious. These Question Marks seem to think so. So put out your extra fruit, especially bananas, for the butterflies. You won't be sorry.

Ray's Thought for the Day - Bifora's Beetle Buddies

All righty then. Crumby and me are taking pictures of a bifora. We have staked out a bifora; the same bifora as depicted in a previous venue subtopic. So wondering what pollinates bifora we took a picture of these beetles, tracking along on the bifora. There are also some little flies on the bifora, but so far, those particular flies have not allowed us to take their picture.

Yes we are photographing the bifora Ray. This photograph reminds me that I should have kept up better, entomologically. I have only a vague sense of which families these two beetles belong to.

Crumby on the Job - End Date - Revised to Include New and Important Ecological Data

There I was, meandering in the terrible wilderness, a tousand or maybe two tousand feet from the nearest pavement. Yep, there I was, struggling to make good progress, the Japanese brome and the rescuegrass up to my private parts, impeding forward progress. "How many chiggers are lurking amid these introduced grasses?", I wondered. But I knew I was well-protected against the chiggers unless some enterprising chigger vaulted into my exposed butt crack. Hurriedly I hiked up my southward heading pants and tucked in my trusty shirt.

Then lo and behold there they were. Native perennials in a sea of exotics. "Hark, it is the Argemone albiflorum-Cirsium texanum community!", I cried out, excitedly. Yep. I need to take a picture of a prickly poppy so I can compare these prickly poppies to some other prickly poppies, photogenically.

Trouble was, those dang prickly poppies were tall as me. Plus, the wind was blowing efficaciously, the prickly poppy blossoms dancing in response to the efficacious wind. "How the heck can I get a dang picture under these environmental conditions?", I wondered.

But, there is always hope. Anon, after some searching, I found a spot where a truck had run over some of the prickly poppies. Those prickly poppies were prone. Then, lo and behold, there was a prone prickly poppy blossom that looked pretty good for being run over by a truck.

The astute observer may note the yellow latex on one of the petals.

These prickly poppies are good for making opium, maybe. So if you need some opium, adventurous ones, here you go.

Now here's another one that's good for making opium, maybe, Argemone aurantiaca. You may be able to tell from the difference in the names that two kinds of Argemones are indicated, though both are good for making opium, maybe. But how the heck does a mere mortal ascertain which is which?

Well there are several ways, but the easiest is to grab a hold of a leaf with mother thumb and your pointer finger. If you only get a prickle broke off in your thumb, it's aurantiaca. If you get generally painfully stuck in both yer digits, it's albiflora. Yes, it is true that the fierce looking prickles on aurantiaca are mostly just for show and generally soft to the touch. While those on albiflora hurt real bad when you grab the leaves or tug on them or tear them so you may see the yellow sap that you will need to make opium.

Did you know that the sepals on aurantiaca are early dedicuous? This morning I watched a flower open and the sepals fell off. I was shocked!!!!

Ray's Rainfall Update

Many do not appreciate the importance of good precipitation. The Wickerman shall get all of those non-appreciators for their lack of appreciation and cavalier attitude, fer sure.

All righty then. We have a new sum, to sum. A thunderstorm came through these parts early this morning of Day 147, DY 1, dumping 0.75" in the gauge. So, 20.30" + 0.75" = 21.05". Ha! Suck on that, water vendors.

Now here's my bosom companion, Crumby. What have ye got for the venue at this nonce, Crumby?

Oh, nothing much Ray. I just wanted to note that the Goddess is mighty pleased when She gets a liar and glutton sent Her way. Particularly, a nice plumb, bejeweled, liar and glutton. Yep, the Goddess is having some fun now.

On another topic though Ray, I would like to mention the Elephant Graveyard made famous in that Tarzan movie. Remember Ray, how all those Elephants searched and searched for the Elephant Graveyard, until overcome by weariness they were at long last barely able to reach the Elephant Graveyard. Upon reaching the Elephant Graveyard, those old elephants could at last, lay down their burdens, plus themselves and join up with the Goddess's Great Elephant Herd, maybe. Only Tarzan kept the evil doers from despoiling those poor Elephants' final resting place.

I surmise Ray, that much of our migration problem in these parts is aggravated by migrants searching for the Baby Boomer Graveyard. Yep. The Baby Boomers are searching for a place to die. Right now, according to what passes for a daily newspaper in these parts, the secret location of the Baby Boomer Graveyard may be the Northeast shore of Lake Buchanan.

Mercy! That explains a lot Crumby.

It's just a hypothesis, Ray.

All righty then.

All righty then.

Crumby on the Job - Bifora

Actually, I am not on the job. My job is almost done in, so now I can relax and enjoy my bifora. Yes, it is my bifora. Bifora is my personal favorite plant.

Bifora, known by some as prairie bishop, is indeed the greatest of my personal favorite forbs. Long and hard, for about an hour or two, I labored to get bifora included in the CB flora. Now, we have more than ever before, maybe 10-12 biforas, or even more biforas than that for me to enjoy.

Just pronounce bifora out loud. Does not bifora, as you pronounce it aloud, remind you of the dwarves in The Hobbit? One of those dwarves was named, Bifora, right? Isn't it good to know that even a dwarf can be named after a plant?

Actually it was Bifur's sister that was named Bifora. Later, she got married to Bombur. But never mind that.

All righty then. There are several reasons why bifora is my favorite forb or even my favorite plant, whichever. First, it is white, which shade is for the Blessed Goddess. Second, it is little and wiry. Third, it is a carrot. Fourth, I was once employed on a Republican ecology project in which all the carrots encountered were designated as bifora. Go figure! Fifth, it is alledgedly a component of the true prairie that was, maybe.

Let's see. Five reasons is the same difference as several. All righty then.

Lately, with all the bifora at the CB, I have been wondering what bifora is good for. Duh! What's it good for? Can I eat it or fornicate it? Duh! Huh, huh, I know what I can do to it. Huh, huh. Unnnnnnnnnnhh-ah. Take that, bifora.

But Republican ecology aside, I have been wondering what insects alight upon this plant, to do upon bifora, what the Republicans would do upon it if they were only littler; like eat, fornicate and shit. Well, maybe the Republicans would not fornicate. They would abstain until they got married.

So I am putting together a photo gallery of insects on bifora. Trouble is, all the insects that get on the bifora are really little. So this photo gallery shall be nothing but tiny, even lilliputian, or even dwarf size.

Here's bifora with nothing on bifora.

Ray's Thought for the Day - I Don't Want This Job

Noper. I do not wish for the job of cross-pollinating milkweeds. That job must be an especially aggravating one. But in particular, it must be aggravating when the industrious pollinator is required to hang upside down to accomplish the required task. Yep. First you have to hook a pair of pollinia with yer leg hairs. Then you have to insert those pollinia in some vacant slots. You have to find, vacant slots and insert precisely into those vacant slots. Mercy! But then, if you are a Sarcostemma crispum pollinator, you have to do all the above, upside down. Any shade tree mechanic whose transmission casing once cracked and had to be replaced knows how aggravating a job this must be.

Sarcostemma crispum, Funastrum crispum maybe, in flower.

No Quitter Piggy, He Had to be Put to Sleep

Yepper. Crumby and me keep dogs for company. One of our dogs, Pig, just got put to sleep. He had to be put down because he was too sick to walk, from the arthritis. Plus, near the end, either me or Crumby or somebody would have to hold him up to drink his water. Plus, he was, at the end, secreting some fairly unpleasant secretions that me or Crumby would have to wipe up. However, he ate a good last meal, treats mostly, toikey and an all beef weenie.

So the Pig is dead now, Praise the Goddess. But also, Praise the Goddess, Pig is born again, to the Cymry, or whoever needs a dog like him, maybe. But first, he gets to fool around in Tirnanach until the Goddess figures out who needs a dog just like him, fer company.

Pigwig never went anywhere he did not want to go under his own volition. That way, he got carried a lot. Crumby and me figure we may have toted him a tousand or maybe two tousand cubits all told. That may be a conservative figure, depending on the actual length of a cubit.

Anyway, we buried him head toward our friendly guide star and facing east, in line with the ecliptic. But that’s just for the living, surmising that he might need a friendly guide star or take up with the big dog and the little dogs when he sees them come yipping along. Yep. We put him in the shade of a big tree. Pigwig always liked a canopy cover. Praise the Goddess, it is up to Her now on the future disposition of Piggy. He was a good dog and lotsa fun, though often contrary in his opinions, as good dogs sometimes are.

Crumby, my bosom companion, any thoughts?

Yepper Ray, I have or thought or two. I shall miss my friend of these many moons. Getting the arthritis is a terrible affliction for an old dog. And Pig had a great many other afflictions to suffer in addition to the arthritis. But he was a brave heart to the very end and I shall often think of him for evermore. Praise the Goddess. That’s all, Ray.

All righty then.

All righty then.

Ray's Thought for the Day - For the Birds

Look Ray. You are not going to re-chafe yourself sitting at a desk in an air conditioned laboratory. Go on and do your thought.

All righty then. Here I go. Here I am in the laboratory. Now I just have to turn on all these appliances, move all this out of the way, and I am all set. Got to keep 'em separated!

Er. As many an ornithologer knows, the migratory dickie birds pass through these parts as our little planet tilts ever closer to the fickle Ogma. Seasonally, this occurs around the end of Hope Remains, and the beginning of Beelzebubberiffic, and represents the temporal interval when the active ornithologer is apt to espy or encounter these birds earwise. At the CB we keep a yard list of all the migrant dickie birds we espy or detect earwise.

This time, despite what was formally considered rather optimal weather conditions for espying these illegal migrants, the list is short and paltry. Here that list is.

Baltimore Oriole
Empidonax flycatcher
Nashville Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-breasted Chat

Several Nashville Warblers and the Baltimore Orioles were noted. We encountered about one each of the rest of them. Crumby and Rayetta saw one Blackburnian Warbler outside the CB. Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful.

Rayetta's Thoughts for the Day - oak hairstreak (Satyrium favonius)

No Ray, you have to walk. Olwen and Hope have gone shopping already. You slept too long. So you have to walk.

But Rayetta, I am still afflicted with a chafe.

That's too bad Ray. If you want your cinnamon bun, you have to walk over to the cinnamon bun vendors. Put on some nylon jogging shorts. Then you can practice walking bowlegged. That combination, nylon jogging shorts plus walking bowlegged should prevent further aggravation of your chaffing event.

All righty then, Rayetta.

Hmmm. Why are you still standing there gawking at me Ray?

I'm thinking.

Go think somewhere else Ray. I'm busy. Go on. Bowleg yourself out of here.

All righty then, Rayetta.

OK. That's better. There Ray goes, cowboy like, into the dusty hallway.

Now then. Yesterday was a good day for espying new butterflies, but a correspondingly poor day photographically. Nevertheless, the name of the game here is documentation. So here's another butterfly photo that will not stand up to much magnification. Not only was the wind whipping the Marshallia, but I forgot, in my excitement, to zoom in on this gray hairstreak look-alike. But see, it is brown, not gray, and has a shiny light blue patch on the hind tip of the ventral forewing.

Now, the Crumby Ovate and gainfully employed bird enumerator has a short presentation for this venue. Crumby. The venue is at your disposal.

Thank you Lovely Druidess Rayetta (LDR) and Dr. Pistrum. Many are the perils I engage almost daily out in the terrible wilderness. Among those many perils are chiggers. So to keep myself distracted from the chiggers, I look about for orchids during the short intervals when I have few or no birds to enumerate. Lately, that is over the last week, I have espied 11 orchids at four locations. Eight of the orchids were at one location and the other three orchids were at three disparate locations.

Wherever those orchids occurred they all looked alike. They are the same kind or species of orchid, whichever, little doubt of that. But what are they? What kind of dang orchids are they? You see, they are obviously Hexalectris orchids, but these that commonly come up on the cusp of Hope Remains and Beelzebubberriffic, the seasons, have no flowers. So, by the process of elimination, that makes them H. nitida, the self-fertilizing format. But, later on, during the cruelest depths of Beelzebubberiffic, the H. nitida comes up again and some of them actually flower. That is my hypothesis, maybe. This photo is the electric incarnation of one of these orchids I espied yesterday. Notice how crowded the infloresence is.

Here's a closeup of this one. Usually, the infloresence is not so crowded.

Rayetta's Thoughts for the Day

My brother, Ray, has chafed himself again. So Ray is taking a sick day. Hmmm. Let me see. What do I feel like explaining? Hmmm. OK.

The little wood-satyrs, butterfly metamorphosis, are diminishing temporally. They are being replaced, in that niche, temporally, by the red satyr Megisto rubricata. I know this because I have been going out with Crumby every day for weeks. The little wood-satyrs are scarce and sickly and the red satyrs, in the same habitats, are waxing. Though how any butterfly shall survive the spider webs, beats me. The spiders very nearly got me, Dr. Pistrum. Those spiders were sorry they tried to get me, I might add.


For the nonce, these red satyrs are very, very wild. I saw maybe 20 today, versus one little wood-satyr, but this is the best picture I could obtain. 2 - 3 on the Rayetta scales.

We also have a new plant, up from seed at the CB, Marshallia caespitosa. Here's that, also.

Ray's Rainfall Update

20.34" + .16" = 20.50" on this day, 134 of DY 1. The new reading, .16" is just a guess. There was a black swallowtail caterpillar and two other bugs in the gauge so I had to guess before I poured them all out.

The black swallowtail caterpillars generally stay on the Spermolepis inermis, a short plant. But the one that got in the gauge must have climbed up the mustang grape five or six feet high. Then it must have dove off the grape vine into the gauge for a little swim. I admire that kind of eccentric behavior.

Ray's Thought for the Day - Gardening for Everybody!!!!

Hark! I can hear a tiny cry on my ear drum at this very nonce. Hark! The tiny cry is, "Ray, Ray, I can't grow anything. Boo hoo. Everything I try to grow, dies! Boo-hoo!"

Yep. Many cry out in despair when it comes to gardening. But that's because these many despairing gardeners have too high aspirations for themselves and their plants. But hope has come to these parts. Despairing gardeners, you can too grow lots of plants up to their adult status and even keep them going year after year so you may enjoy having them around until you die. Wouldn't that be great!!!!

You just need to start off with hardy type plants. Hardy type plants are the hope mentioned above for you despairing gardeners. Here's some of these hopeful plants that I can highly recommend. These will outlive you, fer sure.

bur clover - especially the little fuzzy one, Medicago minima

bermudagrass

King Ranch bluestem

rescuegrass

Japanese brome

If you would like to try a native species, this is a really good one.

socks bedstraw - Galium virgatum

Best of all, everyone of these plants can be obtained right now for free. Here's how to get these free, long-lived plants, for free. Remember these presumptive plants will outlive you. Ha!

Here's what you do. Go just about anywhere outdoors after a good rain. You will have to find some place where you can get off the pavement. Remember! And I can not emphasize this point too strongly, to obtain these plants, you must somehow get off the pavement. Once you are off in the grass, track around in the grass until you get your shoes all muddy. Take those shoes off. Then, roll those shoes up in a newspaper and put them in your great vehicle. Next track around the grass in your stocking feet. Then, take those socks or stockings off. Roll them up in a newspaper and put them in your great vehicle, too.

Put on some spare shoes and stockings that you brought along for this occasion. Remember! It is against the law to drive barefooted in the Republic of Tejas. When you get home, throw your muddy shoes and socks into the the garden area you have tilled up previously. Soon, you will have all these plants growing in your garden. Plus, they will outlive, you!!!!

Ray and the Sphingids - Hyles lineata

All righty then. I have at last succeeded in capturing a sphingid, photogenically. This particular sphingid is an early version, not quite metamorphosed. I'll just take this photograph into Rayetta' office and put it in Rayetta's in basket, right on top. All righty then.

This particular sphingid is big, as sphingids go, but dwarfed by the huge, and I mean huge, Verbascum thapsus it is traversing. This particular Verbascum thapsus was the biggest one I have ever seen, ever.

Later, in Rayetta's office.

Hmmm.

Rayetta's Butterflies - tropical leafwing Anaea aidea

Well now. Since the hackberry emperor showed up at the feeder, we have had a few additional new butterfly visitors to the CB. Among these, a juniper hairstreak. There are no junipers at the CB, but there are some junipers in the general vicinity of the CB. Our juniper hairstreak was enjoying itself on yarrow (Achillea millefolium) or something similar. But that is not what this is about. This is about a butterfly I barely got a picture of, while helping Crumby enumerate birds. With regard to Crumby's job, Crumby has actually enumerated quite a few birds. I am quite certain that if I had not gone along with Crumby on his job, he would have enumerated far fewer birds. So far from being a distraction, I have instead been a great help to Crumby on the job.

Hmmm. Oh yes. This is a very poor shot of a tropical leafwing. But remember, the game here is documentation, and the field marks are apparent in this photograph, maybe.

Ray's Thought for the Day - Dern Cactus

Yepper. The dern cactus are aggravating to many, maybe. They are the only plant family, Cactaceae, generally lacking type specimens, aggravating. Which means the world's most annoying botanists do cactus synonomy, aggravating. They are spiny and will stick you in the hiney, aggravating. You can't weed around them for the same reason, aggravating. They rob other plants, like grass, of resources, aggravating if you are a grass or a grass entremanure, aggravating. Yet there they are, the cacti, aggravating.

This is Opuntia marcrorhiza in flower. Also, known as stumpy cactus, this alleged species never gets over three pads high, usually less.

Crumby on the Job - Arm Yerself!!!!

Mopac is a dangerous place. Mopac belongs to the Wicker Man. Two personal examples: There I go along, navigating that treacherous byway when lo and behold I get passed on the right lickety split by a dude waving a semi-automatic pistol out his driver’s side window. That’s right. He’s going 80mph and waving a handgun out the window with his left hand, steering with his right hand. Off he zoomed on an exit ramp, Praise the Goddess. There he was up there, zooming along, still waving his handgun out the window. Then there was the lady Republican roaring along in a very great vehicle, a very great vehicle festooned with all the emblems of Mammonite Republicanism, who ran me plumb off the road. She never saw me. She was busy, yacking on her cell phone.

Now though, the Republic of Tejas legislature is coming to my aid, giving me leave to protect myself in these dangerous and scary situations, maybe. Soon, I shall be able to defend myself when I feel threatened on Mopac. That’s right. Surely, post the new legislation, I shall get a shot at those two evil doers who almost got me, afore.

Our well-coifed governor wants to extend my rights to bear arms, everywhere. Yepper. Our well-coifed governor is really scared of the Wicker Man, despite having all kinds of police and security forces on guard, protecting and watching over his well-coifed person. So Yell Leader Rick wants to arm me in public places, me and everyone else who is licensed to pack, so I can help protect, him. Then, if a general shoot out erupts in a public place, the survivors can check the corpses to see which ones had licenses to pack. I bet a corpse packing without a license shall be in deep shit.

Yepper, here in the Republic of Tejas, there are abundant reasons to fear the Wicker Man. You migrants, besides that essential bottled water you need to bring along when you migrate into these parts, better pack a piece, too.

Ray's Thought for the Day - Yikes!

Triplet red headed orphan baby bastards in a peach basket, the Kinglet is fixing to dine with the aged Queen of England. Mercy! What is the best behavior that the Kinglet can summon up for that upcoming occasion and gustatory event? I bet the both of them, that is, the aged Queen of England, and our smirky, shirky Kinglet, would like to skip that formal dining occasion. But, duty calls, now and again, for the future.

All righty then. I need to go get my cinnamon bun. So here's my learned sister, the very famous Dr. Rayetta Pistrum with another episode of Rayetta's Butterflies.

Thank you Ray. Lately, everywhere I go with Crumby on his job, I see this, bottoms up. Yep. The Opuntia lindheimeri is blooming and the pipevine swallowtails have inverted themselves in the available Opuntia flowers.

Ray’s Thought for the Day - Who Gets to be President?

Yepper. Many are called, but only one gets chosen at a time. All righty then. We have enjoyed two debates on TV featuring all the declared candidates from both the big parties. Make no mistake, I did not watch one minute of either debate. I did not need to watch because I already know where the candidates stand on all the major issues of our times. That is because Druids in general, and especially Druid Ovates, like Red and Crumby, study patterns, and keep the rest of us Druids up to snuff, if we are interested, on the finer details of the patterns. I have been interested enough in this general topic of political patterning to listen up when Red and Crumby discuss the miserable condition of our US government over supper. So all my information on this topic is actually, hearsay.

According to Red and Crumby, the only acceptable Republican candidate is Dr. Paul. That means, Dr. Paul will not get to be president. On the Democratic side, Mrs. Clinton bothers Red and Crumby a lot. This is very stressful because we would very much like a lady president, just not Mrs. Clinton. But Mrs. Clinton has a better shot at the White Palace than Dr. Paul.

None of the other Democrats are very scary. That means none of the other Democrats are fascists, theocrats or monarchists. Leaving out Dr. Paul, all the Republicans are scary, blending as they do, those many, paradoxical, fascistic and theocratic tenets that have come to represent the current, strange, last hope of an apparently large subset of the white race here in the US.

Ray's Thought for the Day - Rainfall Update

Ark Druid, how come that dang Crumby is allowed to cuss in the venue?

Well Ray, Crumby has a job and is under a lot of stress. Crumby is allowed to let off steam in the venue while he lasts on his job.

Well, Ark Druid, I have a job, werkin' in the sun, and I don't get to cuss in the venue. How about that?

Certainly Ray, that may not seem fair. But consider that Crumby is more high-strung than you Ray. Crumby needs more outlets for tension release due to his sensitive nature.

Right, Ark Druid. See ye later, Ark Druid.

Goodbye Ray.

Bon soi, Ark Druid. Er. Jeez H. Louise. What a crock that is. Crumby gets to cuss in the venue because he is so sensitive. Crumby has a job and Crumby is soooooo sensitive. Hmmm.

Anyway, the rain is falling right along in these parts. I can scarcely keep up with the gauge due to all the rain that gets in that gauge. The new total is: 18.49" + 1.85" = 20.34". That is a whopping sum for these parts; more than the CB got all last year. Yippee!

All righty then. Here's my sister just arrived.

Ray, introduce me properly to the venue.

Huh?

Ray!!!!

Er. Dr. Rayetta Pistrum, also well-known as the Lovely Druidess Rayetta (LDR), has suddenly come upon the venue and desires to communicate therein.

That's better, Ray. Not great, but better. Yes, I wish to share some important ecological information with everyone concerning Colubrina texensis, also sometimes referenced as hog plum. I am shocked by all the insects cavorting about on this humble shrub as it flowers, shocked and amazed. So I took a picture of one of the tousands or maybe two tousands of these insects enjoying themselves on the hog plum.

Crumby on the Job - The Rules are Bullshit

As a former Christian, yet, once saved always saved, I am innocent and nothing I do or say can get me in any trouble on any account. I am innocent, saved, washed in the blood of the lamb. That’s right. Innocent as a bloody lamb. Saved, I shall always be forgiven and that is the same difference as innocent, right. Ha! Good for me, bad for you.

But theology is not on my mind today except the preceding little bit of theology. No, today, I need to spell about bird enumeration, which happens to be my temporary job, and the rules for bird enumeration.

Bird enumeration, as a clever person might guess, is the art or science, whichever, of counting birds. The only downside is, you have to GPS all the ones you count. Then, to get the tally, you sum up all your GPS bird locations. Given that there is electronic equipment involved, much of the joy of bird enumeration is pissed off. But hey, all jobs do that.

The rules for bird enumeration are set up to minimize the probability of enumerating the birds and to simultaneously maximize the hours the bird enumerator spends doing bird non-enumeration while on the clock. This is because the people who pay for bird enumeration almost never want any birds found. But they are generally rich and do not care how much it costs to hire a bird enumerator that will enumerate few , or better yet, no, birds. The consultants who help write the rules for bird enumeration also like rules that indicate plenty of dead ass hours, like riding in an air conditioned vehicle to and from survey sites and post survey reporting that includes the mystery known as “territory mapping”. Ooooooooooo! Territory mapping!!!!

Territory mapping occurs when the bird enumerator fancifully conjectures territories for all the birds enumerated, generally by drawing on a map with a pencil, then a Sharpie, maybe, where the bird territory is, based on best professional judgement and one or two GPS points; totally silly, but lucrative.

OK. Skipping around the rest of the satire batting around in my noggin, here’s what a serious bird enumerator might do if he really wanted to enumerate birds instead of follow silly rules.

1. Access bird enumeration sites whenever, as opposed to sunrise to 12 AM.

2. Tape as much as the bird enumerator feels is appropriate, any time, any place.

3. Never visit an area again once a bird is enumerated in that area. If a bird is there, in that area, and there is an Ashe Juniper within a thousand feet of that bird location, all that area is bird habitat. You are done in that area. Focus in on areas where birds have not been enumerated.

4. Enumerate after rain showers and from two hours before sunset to sunset, occasionally.

5. Have your ears cleaned once a year. You will be surprised by all the stuff you may have in your ears. Bugs and such, maybe.

6. Do post nesting surveys to find out about the rest of the bird’s habitat.

Yepper. Over time, the great seasonal profession, bird enumeration has ignored my rules and adopted silly rules rooted in Republican ecology. But remember, bird enumerator, these silly rules are really, guidelines.

All righty then. Based on the above, you have decided that a seasonal career as a bird enumerator is the lifestyle for you. But wait! Before you decide, let me tell you what happened to me today.

OK. There I was, out in the terrible wilderness with only the trusty Tahoe for company. Right away, I enumerated a bird. The trusty Tahoe and I moved on, further and further, until we figured the already enumerated bird could no longer hear us. Then we did more presumptive bird enumeration. But nary another bird did we enumerate all day. Mercy! Plus, the gnats afflicted us mightily and there may be a gnat or two in my ears, which ears, just got cleaned out last Olwen White Track, the season. Now I may have to go in for gnat removal, an unanticipated medical expense for me, but a boon for the medical industry. I wonder if ear cleaning has already gone up in price. Mercy! Or maybe I can get some personal ear cleaning equipment on EBAY.

Yepper, those gnats are annoying. But if you are interested in various natural phenomena you can forget about the gnats and focus on the interesting natural phenomena as opposed to the gnats.

There I was, waving gnats off my ears when suddenly I espied a Hexalectris orchid. Then I espied seven more for a total of eight. Then, in the live oak, across from the orchids, I espied a tousand or maybe two tousand red admirals. I stood under the oak tree and gawked at all those red admirals as they counted Cuhulian on my cap and counted Cuhulian on the trusty Tahoe. As upward I espied at the red admirals I chanced to focus beyond. Lo and behold, a zone-tailed hawk was overhead circling about. All this took awhile and I entirely forgot about the gnats, maybe.

Largely against my will, thanks to Rayetta, I have learned that many butterflies stay up in the trees most of the time. So if we cut down all the trees, what will happen to those butterflies? According to Republican ecology, those butterflies will go somewhere else, or; Who cares!, or; It’s not my fault. I’m innocent.

Another thing I have learned from Rayetta and her butterflies is that Bothriochloa ischaemum is even worse for the environment than I previously suspected, prior to getting further wised up.

Happy Beltane!!!!

Yepper. It is the last day of Hope Remains, that some call spring. So we wish survival of the upcoming Beelzebubberiffic to all those we both know and like.

The rest of you, watch out for the Wickerman. If he gets you, we don't much care. But we care enough to spell, watch out!

Then there's the Kinglet and his crowd. Kinglet, you and all your minions, boosters and benefactors are perfectly safe. You have no need to watch out for the Wickerman. Just keep on keeping on.

Druids study patterns.