I don’t have a lot of time this morning, but I did want to post something, as service here has been spotty lately. I’m not sure my subconscious wasn’t at work when I chose today’s classic A&J. I’ve been fighting with my computer lately, plus the mockingbirds have begun their seasonal concert. Except, in reality, they sing about 3 a.m. For hours. I actually have gone downstairs in the middle of the night to flush one from the camellia bush below my bedroom window. I didn’t kill him, but I did scare the bejeebers out of him. Is that a sin?
The Mockingbird’s Shrill
By Jimmy Johnson
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413 responses to “The Mockingbird’s Shrill”
Poor cat….and all because of human indifference …selfishness Are they playing ‘God”? And clones…and but some trials and errors have found that you can grow a human ear ‘replicant’ on a mouse…..
https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/8420119296/h9FBF8177/
… A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN DAVIESS AND SOUTHERN MARTIN COUNTIES UNTIL 515 PM EDT…
AT 457 PM EDT… A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO WAS LOCATED 11 MILES NORTH OF JASPER… AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
HAZARD… TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL.
SOURCE… RADAR INDICATED ROTATION.
IMPACT… FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE TO ROOFS… WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR. TREE DAMAGE IS LIKELY.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE… ALFORDSVILLE… LACY AND ROLAND.
say a prayer………………………..
Yo got it, hon. Which side of Jasper are you on?
That storm looked ugly on the radar, and it moved just north of Jasper IN about 5:15 their time.
Ghost:
“What are the rabbits doing the other 22 to 23 hours of the day, Miz Charlotte? I’m not sure but it may have something to do with why there are so many little bunnies.”
Rabbits, of course are the proverbial example of reproductive potential in mammals, but they are overrated. Best NA example I know of is the Meadow Vole [or “mouse”], Microtus pennsylvanicus. Eurasian voles may be just as prolific. Females are ready to breed at age 25 days. Gestation is 21 days or less, average litter 5-6 young, but highest known is 11 or so, a waste because mom has only 8 teats, I think. Minimum generation time is thus under 7 weeks. Around here they breed from roughly now-mid Oct. or so, = 4-5 litters / season.
Males take no role in raising young, I think. M.p. are promiscuous, which is common in mammals. Our unique method of nourishing young makes males more superfluous, e.g., in contrast to birds and beetles. Some related voles do form pair bonds, probably not long lasting. Many mammal spp. have more complex societies, with various interesting male/female roles/division of labor, sometimes different from place to place in a single species’ range.
Never have watched voles mate, but have watched rabbits, not our native cottontails, but domesticated European, Orytolagus cuniculus, the only rabbits I know of that are naturally colonial. It ain’t romantic. Nice thing about raising them for food is that females can be impregnated most of their cycle. Each adult rabbit is housed in its own hutch. Your kids can name the adults but not the young, since they end up as dinner at age 8 weeks. You need only one adult male, unless, as a reward, you keep one “out to pasture,” as with Man o’ War and other stud race horses.
Anyway, when you judge a female [we had 3-4 adult females] to be receptive [I don’t remember how], you put her in Pete’s hutch. If she repulses him or he shows no interest, you know you were wrong and take him out. Next week should be good. If she is ready, she soon quiets down, he sniffs around, mounts, and goes at it, no foreplay. If he simply climbs off, he has not connected. When he ejaculates, he keels over unconscious, briefly. Then he gets up and wonders why this adult is in HIS hutch. Stomps indicating his resentment, and you take her out. Don’t know if he remembers anything, or whether it’s a new experience each time. I presume it’s much the same in wild rabbits of most spp., but don’t know for sure. End of today’s mammal porn.
Peace, emb
“in contrast to most birds and beetles.”
Debbe, Ghost, are you guys ok? I have been driving and taling care of bidness, as Elvis said.
We are about 11 miles north of Jasper, outside a little community called Alfordsville. The bow was at our backdoor….too close for comfort. Heavy winds, rain and hail is all we got here at home. Heard on the radio, a couple of trees across hwy 231.
Well, I had my rush for the evening.
Thanks GR
Debbe
Then you were extremely fortunate, hon. That wasn’t the “green” or “yellow” rain Arlo and Janis speak of, or even the “red”. That sucker was PURPLE. And the center of rotation would have been very close to you.
Sand, I bow to the master. I probably know less German than Sgt. Schultz. Ghost, Self-dense? Good one. EMB, The description was much like some of the episodes that other guys have told me about, but waking up next to a lovely lass is a great reminder that I wasn’t dreaming. As for females that don’t like to be “bothered” in the morning, you probably don’t look like a queen by dawn’s early light either, but a little rise and shine is a great way to start the day my dear. I’m hearing in my head “Memories”. My wife thanks you and I thank you for forgetting Mark Harmon as Ted Bundy.
OF: Big geyser NW erupting.
http://www.nps.gov/features/yell/webcam/oldFaithfulStreaming.html
For emb and others, a story I heard many years ago:
An older lady had gotten information from her county agent about raising rabbits as a source of extra income. Her husband had built the hutches, and she had obtained the rabbits, but she then realized she had forgotten to ask something important. She called the county agent and asked how long she should leave the female rabbit in with the male for breeding.
The agent, having never been asked that question, decided he’d best look up the correct answer. “Just a minute,” he said, as he reached into his desk drawer for the file containing that information
“OK, that’s what I thought; thank you,” the lady said and hung up.
(A little county agent humor, told to me by a county agent.)
Thought for the Day: You can tell a lot about a woman’s mood just by her hands. For instance, if she’s holding a gun, she’s probably angry.
The odds increase greatly if she points it at you. If she pulls the trigger, you have nothing to worry about. Either you’re dead or it wasn’t loaded.
Psst, Ghost, this is my weapon, etc.
Thankful that you are OK, Debbe. Hope those storms were not around Mindy.
I am listening to the rumble of thunder, but no worries… just rain and far off lightening…
Or they’re bowling upstairs.
Jerry, if her weapon is loaded you have only two things to worry about: going to heaven, or hell. If you go to heaven no more worries, if hell you will be to busy shaking hands to have time to worry.
Dear emb, thanks for the “Rabbit porn” — it was interesting, but not very stimulating to the imagination. I haven’t seen the cute little brown rabbit since that one time Easter Monday. Didn’t expect to this evening as it snowed quite generously this afternoon and the ground was well covered. Denise, your charming description of your back yard rabbits was most welcome. It must be nice to watch them dancing in the moonlight!
Debbe, thank goodness you and your family are all right after the tornado went so close to you! I think I would die of fright if that happened near our neighborhood!
Mindy, you are a mighty tough woman to go through all those troubles at the store — the mixups with the cooler shelving, and the deaths among the relatives and friends. Boy, human error is so powerful, it’s a wonder anything ever gets done.
emb:
>>M.p. are promiscuous<<
British newspapers depend upon this in order to sell more copies.
What? You weren't referring to Members of Parliament? Never mind, then.
No laughing matter. Weather events happening quickly north of Wichita and into Ok. If in this area check for local watches and warnings.
emb
I write before catching up.
Nature – “Animal Homes” repeats on TPT (PBS) at 1am CDT all about nests,
from Humming Birds to Ospreys. Oven Birds with Cow Birds trying to lay in nest,
and relevant here, Cow Birds laying in Mocking Bird nest. In one scene the Mocking Bird picked
up the Cow Bird and threw her out of the nest.
I am pretty sure Lake Land will show later – or on line “Nature On Line” @ PBS.ORG
now back to your regularly scheduled reading
“but domesticated European, Orytolagus cuniculus, the only rabbits I know of that are naturally colonial.” I left out the ‘c’ in Oryctolagus, but speelczech doesn’t like that either. Peace, nighty bunch. emb
Debbe
Sounds 4 & 8 are common here.
Mindy from Indy
corporate sends out plan-o-grams for resetting displays – I think if they can’t
get product to fit the 4feet (or whatever) they just reduce the package outline
on the copy machine. Many times their 4 feet takes up 5 feet in the real world.
And they foist stuff on us that does not sell and remove good movers.
Buy back product (at a discount) that customers like/are used to and send same stuff
in a different brand.
rant over
Good morning Villagers…
and I mean it is a good morning with the scare we had yesterday evening….we didn’t lose power, satellite went out and we had the radio on and my whether.com…and yes, it was too close for comfort. The cold front is coming in this evening, and they are predicting more severe storms for this evening. Let’s pay attention people. My husband’s sister called to tell us about the tornado warning and she lives near Vincennes. Call people, we had the whether channel on, but was busy putting pork chops and such on my plate….put that aside. Lost satellite and ran to the computer and sure enough, whether.com had us on tornado warning and that cell looked to be at our back door….my husband stood on the porch and watched the clouds….Alfordsville has no warning system, and besides I don’t think we could hear it this far out. Our plan is to go to the church basement…if not, I’m hitting the bathtub in the guest bathroom, next to Ian’s room and the computer room.
Thanks for caring guys……
Twenty five years ago, Ian and I were living with my mother and stepdad. We were under a warning. We had just finished supper, and I was sitting on the bench, looking west and noticed a funnel cloud in the horizon. It would dip down a little, go back up and come back down….heading north east….went outside to watch it roll over the country side. When it looked like it finally hit ground, I had Ian on my hip and I headed to the basement. Took the steeple off of the church in Whitfield, several homes damaged. But the bigger one almost wiped out Petersburg. That is something I have etched in my brain….the forming of a tornado….and something I never want to see again.
Then the other morning it rained so hard at work, it flooded the road beside the hen house, nearly wiped out the creek bank on the road side.
gotta go…ya’ll have a blessed day.
I’m glad some of you enjoyed the “lost” sounds…#10 is so true.