Living in a rural area, with a pond down the yard and a swamp nearby, we do get some interesting visitors. The swampy area connects two sections of The Great Swamp, which stretches through several towns just west of Route 22. Canoeing and kayaking through the swamp are popular among local birders.
Mallards are common visitors to our own pond, but we don’t normally see them out walking the streets, like the female here:
Female Mallard out for a stroll
A more unusual visitor to our pond was this great egret:
Great Egret Visiting Pond
A much more frightening-looking local denizen sometimes crosses through our yard to get from the pond to the swamp:
Snapping Turtle crossing the road to get to the other side
But we also get some much cuter guests, such as these baby skunks, whose antics had us grinning with delight:
Litter of Skunks
Ah, the joys of country living!
This is our daily open thread — so, what’s on your mind?
TheZoo 
The skunks were funny. There was a Mama skunk and four babies (maybe five?). Anyway, when she decided they had had enough and wanted to leave, she would pick one up by the scruff of the neck and start heading off the porch. Of course, her head isn’t as high off the ground as a cat’s, so the baby skunk was thunking along the ground as she went. The rest of the litter were all scrambling around her and darting this way and that. They reminded me of the Bugs Bunny cartoon with the pack of hunting dogs that was just a moving mass of bodies. At several points, she would drop the skunk and it would get up and scamper back toward the porch, and its litter mates would turn around and follow it back. Then Mama would chase after them, pick another one up by the scruff and start the process all over again. It took her a few tries before she was able to hold one long enough to take them wherever she took them.
Luckily, none of them sprayed throughout this process, so it wasn’t so stinky after they left.
At the end of Rachel, the Best New Thing in the World segment, was about cute baby ducks and a mother Mallard.
We saw that, they were so cute! And that was awfully nice of the White House Security Guards to help the little fellers catch up with their mommy.
When the skunks stop by, I stay inside. Last year, I had to put up a baby gate across my cat door because a young raccoon was small enough to squeeze through the door and come into my house.
Breaking news!
Mitt Rmoney has promised to not read from a teleprompter for the remainder of his campaign.
A press release states: Teleprompters destroy the spontaneity of statements a candidate may give speaking to a large crowd.
From now on Mr Rmoney will only read from an Etch a Sketch.
How long before Trudeu portrays Romney as an Etch a Sketch in Doonsbury?
Sunday’s edition?
I liken Romney to Silly Putty more than an Etch-a-Sketch. He just copies himself into what he thinks people want him to be, then rolls himself up, and does it all over again at the next campaign stop.
I think you’re onto something here Wayne.
And the thing about Silly Putty is after you do this so many times; it starts to get pretty gunky.
This should be fun. Scary to think that what he’s been saying thus far has been thought out (?) beforehand.
Imagine what’s to come.
Yesterday I heard he said that the Keystone pipeline is one of the best ideas to increase domestic oil production.
Er, it’s Canadian oil, going to Gulf ports… am I missing something?
Keystone? – domestic oil production? – er fail, Rmoney. Reading off an etch-a-sketch paid for by Koch Bros.
No, but Rmoney is just making shit up to tar the non-whiteguypresident.
Tar – Keystone Oil – don’t care who you are that’s funny right there…
BWAAAAHAHAHAHAH!!! Expect more vacant stares, stammering attacks and other forms of RMoney amusement as his internal etchasketch gets shaken up by any question he hasn’t been programmed to respond to!
“Mr. Speaker”. Your name is your name, except in Washington.
http://prospect.org/article/his-name-his-name-0
I guess people figure Mr. Speaker is better than:
“Mr. FailedHumanBeing”, or “Your Most Eminent Prickishness”
To be fair, I don’t call him Mr. Gingrich either. I usually refer to him as Newter. If I happened to meet him at some point (although I never go to WalMart, so am unlikely to bump into him as a greeter) I guess I would call him “mister.”
I’ve been saying the same thing. The title belongs to the person holding the office, not the person who once held the office. Once you leave office, that’s it. The title is a has-been title. So it would be Mr. Has Been Speaker.
Koch Brothers’ Attempted Takeover Of Cato Could Be Part Of Bold Plan
“ultra-conservative” – call it what it is, stop soft-pedalling it.
They are facsists. End of story.
Fascists…. that is…. more General Franco than General Washington. More Hess than Hamilton, more Mussolini than Madison….
Ironic that they drape themselves in the flag of the the Founding Fathers.
If the Koch brothers are interested in it, it’s in trouble.
The operative term is – nefarious.
“The Keystone XL would clear that bottleneck, send Canadian oil to the Gulf Coast and open access to world markets, creating a massive business opportunity for tar sands players.”
Well looky here – Koch Bros own about 25% (I have that source elsewhere) of the tar sands oil coming out of Canada, they own the terminal (Flint HIlls) that the oil will be fed into Keystone Xl on it’s way to the Gufl Coast where they own several of the refineries that will refine the crap oil and then it will be exported to South America and Europe as gasline and diesel.
Keystone XL: another ‘bend over and take it America’ project from Koch Bros.
Coulter: “Maybe It’s Time” For The Right To “Go After The Obama Children”
Go for it, skank.
http://www.nationalconfidential.com/20120322/romney-backer-maybe-its-time-for-the-right-to-go-after-the-obama-children/
Maybe it’s time for the Secret Service to pay Ann Coulter a visit. This type of comment is exactly the kind of thing that gets misinterpreted by a gun-toting crazy person.
Yeah, go for it, bitch. See what kind of effect that has on your “movement.”
In Prescott I would often see Javalena come through the housing section — sometimes one or two, other times a largish (7 — 8) herd. I would also have coyote stop outside the windows and yodel across the arroyo.
Unfortunately, we get coyotes, too – we’ve probably lost some of our cats to them.
If you can, get a picture of the javelenas – they’re odd-looking, aren’t they?
Used to sleep with all the windows and doors open for air.
A couple of them ventured through the front door one evening and then took off.
My roommate moved out after that.
My husband and I were walking down our street one night and saw a herd of javelinas munching on weeds in various yards. They were not afraid of us in the least.
Isn’t Javelina Romney’s secret service code name?
Heh… never seen a javelina car before…
No it’s ‘Cadillac Man’
Javalina have the longest canine of any North American mammal and accout for a fair percentage of veterinary visits when javalina and dogs meet.
The reason I tolerated their presence around the cabin was the fact that I did not have a skunk problem when everyone else did;
Granted, I had a javalina infestation but, I also had no rattlesnakes.
So, no skunks or rattlesnakes makes for a good trade.
Javalina are not the same as wild boars — is there any chance you’re getting the two confused?
Seriously? You were OK, but the Javalina were a problem?
Go figure …
The question is, are they good to eat? Can they be smoked like ham?
I’ve a number of Pic’s — if you’re willing to “sign in” (a process other friends assure me has not been abused) here is a link from some early days in Prescott:
http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2507208013/a=100691783_100691783/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Santorum studies up on Romney’s policy positions:
http://yfrog.com/odl78wmj
Good one.
Of course, to study Romney’s positions is to simply understand ALL the possible positions on an issue, then check the day of the week, add 12 and divide by 3. That is Romney’s “current” position on an issue. Tomorrow it will change.
And divide by the square root of American Pie….
😉
That’s about the right speed for all of these clowns.
”Hey, my laptop isn’t working. I lose my files when you drive over a bump…”
*snort*
One of the most classic Dilbert’s of all time involved the same thing.
Perfect!
Heh.
Speaking of Mittens; Rachel really poured it on last night. It’s about damn time that someone calls these liars “liars”. I really, really, want to see her host a presidential debate. She’s about the only media figure with the will and the brains to stop a candidate in mid sentence to say “excuse me, that’s simply not true” and then provide the facts that demonstrate said candidate is lying.
(NOTE: Cenk could pull it off too but might lose points for displaying his anger. Plus, Current has a ways to go.)
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/rachel-maddow-romneys-lies-should-disqualif
She did that perfectly. I was really impressed.
She wasn’t hateful or mean, just matter of fact with a touch of amazement.
Indeed. I think the thing I like most about her is that there’s always the subtext that she wants to like these people and say nice things about them but their character flaws make that impossible.
I think you hit it right on the head, pete.
I’m off to Portland to pick up my son for the weekend. Laters!
An organization called Government Free VJJ is encouraging women to knit uteruses and send them to male members of Congress with the note, “Dear Men in Congress: If we knit you a uterus, will you stay out of ours?” Supporters can either send the knitted organs directly to their congressional representatives or to project organizers who will hand deliver them. And as debate continues in Arizona about a controversial bill that would allow employers to dictate if an employee’s insurance could cover contraception, one woman says she will begin sending a knitted uterus to Arizona legislators after she sends them to Arizona’s congressional delegation.
Heh. I li
Reichwing fundies won’t be happy until our society mirrors the one portrayed in
“A Handmaid’s Tale”…
I noticeed the big red ‘A’ on the back of Doonesbury’s medical form holder as the ‘accused’ filled out her form in his recent series on the subject.
“By the authority vested in me by the State of Virgina, I thee rape”
That’s a very chilling story. Even more chilling, as you point out, some people want that sort of society.
Well, I would tend to think of Romney as an odd looking pig, rather than a Camaro knock-off from that other car company.
Romney’s not the car he’s the greasy, plaid jacketed smarm bucket *selling* the car.
“What’s it going to take for you to get me into the presidency today?”
Reminds me a software commercial from a few years ago, where the salesman is not even real, he’s just a cardboard cutout. And he slides himself under your door to be standing there asking you how much software you’d like to buy.
Precisely! Friend of mine *is* a software saleman and *gave* one his favourite clients a 1 ft tall card board cut out of himself with that speech bubble attached….
That’s a pretty good analogy. Romney also reminds me a of sleazy first date that tries to do everything that he can to worm his way into one’s bed. Finally, he has to resort to a roofie so that you have no recollection of the whole thing.
Nobody gave me a roofie for 2000-2008 – I can remember all of it 😦
There’s still a lingering doubt that Willard is not only a rat but a weasel instead. (With abject apologies to vermin everywhere).
But, some of his best friends are NASCAR owners…!
Or perhaps the guy on Ebay who advertises a mint condition Gibson Flying V, but when it arrives, it’s a cheap North Asian knock off with a broken neck. Then, when you file the freight claim, the jackass keeps the claim money as well.
Breaking news:
The police chief of Sanford Florida has announced that he will “temporarily” step down because he doesn’t want to be a “distraction”. It sounds more likely to me that he’s an abject coward in addition to, if not being a racist himself, allowing obvious racism in his department’s handling of the Trayvon Martin murder. it seems to me that a brave man would have suspended every cop involved and arrested the shooter.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/03/22/450300/breaking-embattled-sanford-police-chief-steps-down-says-he-has-become-a-distraction/
My advice to the ‘chief’.
Take a long, long vacation. Say, in the delightful nation of Mali! …for a couple of decades.
They welcome lawless asshats daily!
Police chief in Trayvon Martin case to step down | The Lookout – Yahoo! News
So how does this work? Any time you screw up, or don’t want to accept responsibility for what you did, you can just “temporarily resign.” So when the dust settles you can come back to your cushy job?
No. I don’t think so. You either do your job. Or you resign and give up your job for good. You can’t have it both ways.
I see Pete and are were achieving indignation about Bill Lee at the same time.
Indeed. I think the FBI should arrest everyone involved and let the federal courts take care of it. From what I’ve heard I would have no problem deciding, at the very least, that none of the cops should ever be employed in law enforcement again.
Hell, a mall cop caught stealing from the mall he patrolled would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and fired immediately. Do these people really not value lives of people they are supposed to protect? Shameful.
Mike Malloy might have summed it up best. (I paraphrase)
“In Florida, if one shoots and kills a dog? One goes to jail. If one shoots and kills a person, especially a black person? One isn’t even arrested.”
I would also like to think that there aren’t many police departments in the country that wouldn’t investigate the shooter at least to the point of a sobriety test and a quick search of said shooter’s criminal record before turning him loose.
Unless, of course, the mall cop was black, then he’d be sentenced to castration.
Note to readers…
Don’t pet the snapping turtles! Unless you’ve got an extra finger or two you don’t need…!
Snapping turtles are the pit bulls of the turtle genus….. don’t give them alcohol.
Coming back to the Secret Service Codenames….. Young Turks viewers fire them in for Newt’s codename
http://current.com/shows/the-young-turks/videos/most-popular-gingrichcodename-suggestions-are-moonbeam-and-fat-bastard
Now with linkee, which no workee above.
Tweety can be a useful idiot. Usually, he’s just an idiot. i can’t stand people who talk over others and keep blabbering just to hear themselves speak. but, when Tweety smells blood in the water, he can be very, very good at what he does. The really funny part is that this Reichwhiner is going to believe that she won the debate.
http://crooksandliars.com/blue-texan/cathy-mcmorris-rogers-r-wa-democrats-ar
She represents eastern Washington — or as I like to call it: Far West Idaho.
She loses to stumps and bags of hammers in IQ tests.
lol – I just got called a racist by another commenter over on Annie’s blog for saying Bush was a war criminal. I think we’ve figured out the problem. Righties really don’t know what racism is. As Annie pointed out in her article, when they use code words like “fascist” for Obama they’re really making a thinly veiled comment about race. The rightie commenter wanted to know what we were saying about Bush when we called him a fascist. Annie, of course, had the obvious answer. We were calling him a fascist. I suggested, however, that calling Bush a Fascist was really code for calling him a War Criminal. The rigtie then called me a racist. So clearly they don’t understand how racism works.
You should point ‘Annie’ to the 14 points of fascism and give her run down
http://www.rense.com/general37/char.htm
Etch A Sketch stock triples after Romney campaign’s comment | The Ticket – Yahoo! News
Meanwhile…..done in by an Etch-A-Sketch:
“I’m very much in favor of people recognizing that these high gasoline prices are probably here to stay,” – Mitt Romney, 2006.
“Gov. Romney believes the best way to help lower gas prices is for long-term structural reform, which is why he supports aggressive action to expand domestic production and guarantee the American people a reliable, affordable supply of energy for the future,” – Romney spokesperson Andrea Spaul, today.
Shake, shake.
What a stupid twat….
“James O’Keefe’s Panty-Stealing ‘Rape Barn’ Sex and Racism Scandal” or … “Payback Is A Bitch”
http://gawker.com/5895560/james-okeefes-panty+stealing-rape-barn-sex-and-racism-scandal
O’Keefe is one creepy mofo.
Nadia ‘Naffe’ – shame about the name…..
Does Mitt know he has black relatives?
Keith is wearing a grey hoodie tonight.
Tebow is now a Jet? Schneiders, how do you feel about that?
Wait till the coach asks Tebow to wear a Jets hoodie at practice…
And wait until the coach expects Him to deliver a ten yard pass on target!
Check out the new Jets logo:
http://deadspin.com/5895436/darren-rovell-thinks-this-jets-logo-with-a-crucified-jesus-christ-is-worth-your-attention
Jesus hasn’t weighed in yet, but his right-hand-f***wit Pat has
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/pat-robertson-manning-deserves-get-hurt-afte
So Christ-like….
Inadvertently posted this on yesterday’s thread a little while ago…
Santorum suggests that re-electing Obama would be better than a Romney presidency | The Ticket – Yahoo! News
Santorum (ew) has no sense of irony.
You could have ended that sentence after sense. I have to keep reminding myself not to become complacent and fail to work to reelect our current president. Perhaps the GOP is even more nefarious than I imagined. Their plan is to get everyone to stay home this November because rational human beings cannot believe that anyone is stupid enough to vote for the whackjobs and empty suits they have to offer.
Well hopefully Trayvon Martin’s untimely murder will keep Jeb Bush from assuming the crown of the GOP at their convention…
I see an Obama ad where Sanitation endorses Obama and then an Rmoney ad where Sanitation endorses Rmoney in our futures….
Rick Sanitation – invented the sleeveless sweater when he escaped from the straight jacket he was in….
Oy, all Portlanders safe and sound? They tell us here a chemicalplant blew up.
Can’t find anything about it, EV.