Th
is has been the summer of the hummingbird. These mean little delightful devils have been swarming my deck for the past several months. They can empty a cup of nectar in just a couple of days.
They fight, chase, dive-bomb and yes, entertain. I even saw one chasing a butterfly.
Hummingbirds don’t fare so well with bees and hornets. When hornets decide they want the feeder, the hornet usually wins.
Soon the hummingbirds will disappear. I have read that they winter in the Honduras. I can’t imagine something that small making that journey. Meanwhile, farewell, until next summer.
Now I KNOW that there’s something amiss with Trump.
Also, I’m plain scared of him and his ability to stir a frenzy.
The people in Phoenix went nuts.
And of course, the Angel Mothers – the finishing touch.
Of course I feel for them, but when one of the men came
forward and said that, if Trump had been president on 9/11
it wouldn’t have happened i sighed a deep sigh.
“I have deep respect and great love for the Mexican people”
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
Oops – sorry! Just realized that you wrote about hummingbirds.
Don’t have any around here. Few butterflies as well.
The hummingbirds are just space fillers. Anything goes on Open Thread.
I thought that the Angel Mothers act was tacky.
It was definitely a circus side show.
A few years ago my sister-in-law gave me a hummingbird feeder for Christmas and I thought “what am I going to do with this?” In the intervening years I have hung it up and watched in delight as they dutifully show up when it’s full. I get excited when the first one shows up each year and make sure my family knows. They get sick of me pointing out the hummingbirds, like its a new thing every time I see one. The hummingbirds are sometimes the highlight of my day and remind me what’s important in this world and I smile. Then I watch a Trump immigration rally and speech on TV and my head explodes killing all the hummingbirds………….so sad.
Hummingbird feeders are great. Mine has also given me many hours of pleasure.
I had to get a bee-proof one also.
Non-political…. this morning, after a long week and hectic evening, I worked outside on the back deck with a hot cup of coffee. Blue sky, mountains clear. And then I felt… COLD! Had to retreat indoors and dig out a sweathshirt. When I returned, I saw (or maybe wished into existence) a whisp of steam from the coffee.
Autumn is making herself felt, ever so slightly… thou hast thy music, too….
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/resources/learning/core-poems/detail/44484
@NorthofNokesville
I hope autumn keeps making her presence known I love those crisp mornings on the deck!!!
All my hummingbirds seem to have left. I haven’t seen one for 2 days.
@MoonHowler
Mine are still here – in Loudoun.
Birthers – there are some Birthers that are still trying to keep it going. Will they ever give up?
No. Birthers are birthers. I am not sure what their motivation is. On the education front….last week at a staff meeting we teachers were informed *Surprise* All teachers with last names A-G will be required to undergo state wide summitive assessments AGAIN even though they already did so per the state requirements and passed last school year. And per state requirements “summative” evaluations occur only every 3rd year.
But after backlash. ..The alphabetical formula for doing summative eval will be recalculated. How? We teachers will be informed at a later date. When? We know not.
Well, that sucks! Is this something done within your jurisdiction or across the entire state?
@MoonHowler
I am not sure if it is state wide. Just told that there were some changes so everyone must redo the summative evaluation process again, even if they did it last year.
Teachers get an evaluation every year, but usually summative is done every third year. During a teacher’s summative year, they get more observations and have to put together a seven section portfolio. During the non summative years, there is still an evaluation, but no portfolio requirement, and 2 rather than 4 formal observations. Summative years are time consuming not only for teachers but the administration as well.
The story about Jim Cooley (
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/guns-and-sodas/2016/09/17/805e0db4-79e9-11e6-bd86-b7bbd53d2b5d_story.html?tid=pm_pop_b) matches my stereotype of crazy gun owners.
Now to troll a little. Why are welfare dollars (disability) being used to buy guns, soda and cigs for a guy who doesn’t work. Even worse is he uses government assistance to support his drug habits: nicotine and caffeine. If he wasn’t a druggie he wouldn’t have gotten a heart attack and be in this situation. It’s all his fault but he blames the rest of us for his bad choices while expecting us to provide him with a complementary electric scooter and parking close to the door. He should have purchased health insurance instead of defaulting on his medical bills and forcing the rest of us to pay for it, all the while maintaining a fierce opposition to Obamacare.
There should be a hyde amendment that prohibits people on disability from using government handouts to buy guns because they want to kill people and pets who wander onto their property. It the pro-life thing to do!
If Jim were black he would be dead already.
@Ed
Disability checks are treated like a paycheck would be I suppose. It’s up to the person who gets the money to spend it as they wish. Not saying that it is right. Just today I read an article online about homeless individuals who live in tunnels under the Las Vegas strip. One homeless individual interviewed for the article mentioned spending his entire 600 dollar disability check in the casinos.