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RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/12/2016 9:03:20 PM

geofflambert

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About twenty years ago or so there was a pair of orphaned very young squirrels in the maple tree in my front yard, crying for the parent that never came. I got some peanuts out and leaned against the tree and talked them down. One was wary but got pretty close. The other got on me and was running all over me and when I sat down was rolling around on my lap in an apparent state of joy. I gave them the peanuts and some milk (I think) and did not try to make pets out of them. As I understand it squirrels will adopt orphans and I expect they were. Saw them around for about a week.

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RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/13/2016 1:36:00 AM

wdolson

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Funny squirrel stories. I just remembered another one from when I was a kid.

My mother had size 6 AAAA feet and couldn't walk very well. One time we were visiting some friends of my parents in northern California and we went for a picnic in Mt Lassen National Park. After lunch everyone went for a hike except my mother who stayed behind at the picnic tables. When we came back, my mother was sitting stock still, paralyzed with fear with a squirrel sitting on her knee. She was also scared of all animals. She kind of tolerated the family's cats over the year, but she really didn't like them at all. (The rest of the family are animal lovers, my sister going most nuts with a herd of horses, as well as many dogs and cats.) The noise of the two families approaching scared off the squirrel, but my father and I thought it was hilarious, even more so because we knew full well how terrified my mother was of animals. It was kind of karma that the squirrel would seek her out like that.

Her mother told me she was afraid of animals because she was scratched up pretty good by a friendly but over exited dog when she was 3. The dog just wanted to play and didn't realize it was hurting her, but she was terrified of animals after that.

Bill

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Post #: 32

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/13/2016 1:57:10 AM

Canoerebel

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A Sunday school teacher asks her young class, "What's furry with a long tail?"

The class stares at her, and nobody raises a hand to answer the question.

The teacher gives them another clue: "It climbs trees and eats nut."

When there's still no reply, the teacher prompts, "Well, doesn't anybody know?"

A boy timidly raises his hand and says, "I know I'm supposed to say 'Jesus,' but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me."

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Post #: 33

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/13/2016 2:05:55 AM

geofflambert

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Which regiment did this Sunday School Class belong to?

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Post #: 34

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/13/2016 2:07:53 AM

Canoerebel

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34th Georgia Infantry

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Post #: 35

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/13/2016 2:18:03 AM

geofflambert

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I have a friend who would (while she was living) go out to his mother's to take care of her and the house. He liked feeding the birds while there. She liked watching them. I would go sometimes. There was a chipmunk that would come to collect peanuts. In fact the entire menagerie was always waiting around for him and knew his car. Mostly birds but rabbits too. When he put out the peanuts the others would stay clear of him but the chipmunk would come up to the porch to take the peanuts while he was standing or sitting there. The blue jays were too much the scaredy cats. The chipmunk would come up and sniff his shoe to make sure everything was alright. In time it knew me by sniffing my shoe. Usually it would eat a peanut then stuff one cheek and then the other with them and run off to its den and come back for more. Likely had a brood to take care of.

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Post #: 36

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/13/2016 2:32:32 AM

geofflambert

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I was just reading something about some skuas or some species similar who had never seen humans before or any of their ancestors for that matter. Very quickly they were able to identify individuals regardless of the clothing worn. This was evident because the people who got too close to the nests were attacked and the others ignored, as in if they saw you they would attack just you, a day later or a week.

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Post #: 37

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/13/2016 2:40:34 AM

wdolson

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quote:

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

I have a friend who would (while she was living) go out to his mother's to take care of her and the house. He liked feeding the birds while there. She liked watching them. I would go sometimes. There was a chipmunk that would come to collect peanuts. In fact the entire menagerie was always waiting around for him and knew his car. Mostly birds but rabbits too. When he put out the peanuts the others would stay clear of him but the chipmunk would come up to the porch to take the peanuts while he was standing or sitting there. The blue jays were too much the scaredy cats. The chipmunk would come up and sniff his shoe to make sure everything was alright. In time it knew me by sniffing my shoe. Usually it would eat a peanut then stuff one cheek and then the other with them and run off to its den and come back for more. Likely had a brood to take care of.

The blue jays around here are among the boldest birds in the neighborhood. I was out front the other day doing some work on my car and a blue jay sat nearby in a tree and squawked at me the entire time.

Bill

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Post #: 38

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/13/2016 2:45:38 AM

geofflambert

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quote:

ORIGINAL: wdolson

quote:

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

I have a friend who would (while she was living) go out to his mother's to take care of her and the house. He liked feeding the birds while there. She liked watching them. I would go sometimes. There was a chipmunk that would come to collect peanuts. In fact the entire menagerie was always waiting around for him and knew his car. Mostly birds but rabbits too. When he put out the peanuts the others would stay clear of him but the chipmunk would come up to the porch to take the peanuts while he was standing or sitting there. The blue jays were too much the scaredy cats. The chipmunk would come up and sniff his shoe to make sure everything was alright. In time it knew me by sniffing my shoe. Usually it would eat a peanut then stuff one cheek and then the other with them and run off to its den and come back for more. Likely had a brood to take care of.

The blue jays around here are among the boldest birds in the neighborhood. I was out front the other day doing some work on my car and a blue jay sat nearby in a tree and squawked at me the entire time.

Bill

Were you wearing your cat suit? I haven't seen (but have heard) any crows around here since the West Nile epidemic started.
Haven't seen any corvids for years and no mockingbirds either. Anyhow, in my experience if you make eye contact with a crow it will fly away.
They know how dangerous we are.

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Post #: 39

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/17/2016 4:25:43 AM

geofflambert

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I just got this second hand, as in an acquaintance of a friend. This acquaintance was in a map making unit in Nam and frequently had to get in a jeep and go out to deliver maps or to recon stuff. He said when he drove through territory controlled by South Korean troops they had guerrillas they'd encountered hung from trees by the roadway, as a warning.

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Post #: 40

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/19/2016 5:12:45 PM

geofflambert

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This just in: Johnny Depp makes a brutal terrierist attack on Australia!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/what-to-see/watch-hilarious-parody-of-johnny-depp-and-amber-heards-video-apo/

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Post #: 41

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/19/2016 5:44:50 PM

wneumann

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quote:

We exported our most "boring cultural spies" to infest the USofA - Wayne Gretzky, Mike Meyers, and Nickleback....our nefarious plan is working.

Add Steven Stamkos to that list.

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Post #: 42

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/19/2016 6:59:35 PM

HansBolter

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quote:

ORIGINAL: wdolson

quote:

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

I have a friend who would (while she was living) go out to his mother's to take care of her and the house. He liked feeding the birds while there. She liked watching them. I would go sometimes. There was a chipmunk that would come to collect peanuts. In fact the entire menagerie was always waiting around for him and knew his car. Mostly birds but rabbits too. When he put out the peanuts the others would stay clear of him but the chipmunk would come up to the porch to take the peanuts while he was standing or sitting there. The blue jays were too much the scaredy cats. The chipmunk would come up and sniff his shoe to make sure everything was alright. In time it knew me by sniffing my shoe. Usually it would eat a peanut then stuff one cheek and then the other with them and run off to its den and come back for more. Likely had a brood to take care of.

The blue jays around here are among the boldest birds in the neighborhood. I was out front the other day doing some work on my car and a blue jay sat nearby in a tree and squawked at me the entire time.

Bill

The Mocking Birds (Florida State Bird) put the Blue Jsys to shame in the aggressiveness department.

They regularly go after the crows, chasing and circling them like fighters going after a lumbering bomber.

I'm pretty sure I lost one of my cats to an eagle about 7 years ago. During a particularly cold winter a pair of eagles came south into my neighborhood.
I had an aging 17 year old cat who was wasting away from hyperthyroid and I was close to putting down disappeared while the eagles were around. She had a pure white coat so no camouflage.
A few days after she disappeared I was sitting on my front step watching my cats eating their dinner when the male eagle flew over my yard no more than 25 feet in the air. He circled.
I chased the cats in the house and came back out to see what he was up to. He landed in the street about 50 yards form my house. I walked toward him and got to about 15 feet away before he took off and soared right over my head.
His wingspan had to be over 6 feet.

Killing a Bald Eagle (National Bird) is a federal offense, nut I would have killed him in a heartbeat for preying on my family if I had gotten the chance.

< Message edited by HansBolter -- 4/19/2016 7:01:28 PM >

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RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/19/2016 7:45:52 PM

geofflambert

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How'd you know it was male? If I'm not mistaken both sexes are "bald" but the female is larger. Juveniles, while large, are not "bald".

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Post #: 44

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/19/2016 7:59:51 PM

geofflambert

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Ok, what's the ship in the background?

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by geofflambert -- 4/19/2016 8:51:04 PM >

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RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/19/2016 8:42:46 PM

Zorch

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The attachment name gives it away...

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Post #: 46

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/19/2016 8:51:05 PM

geofflambert

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Oh poop! I forgot to change it. Change made, now shhhhhhh.

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Post #: 47

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/19/2016 8:53:32 PM

geofflambert

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Here's a clue

Attachment (1)

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RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/19/2016 9:08:13 PM

HansBolter

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quote:

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

How'd you know it was male? If I'm not mistaken both sexes are "bald" but the female is larger. Juveniles, while large, are not "bald".

I presumed that the larger bird with the white crown and dark brown body feathers was the male while the considerably smaller (about 2/3 as large) one without the white crown and a more faded brown color was the female.

But, then again, what do I know? I'm certainly no bird watching expert.

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Post #: 49

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/19/2016 9:28:56 PM

geofflambert

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Female T-rexes were a lot bigger than the male, but I'm no dinosaur watching expert.

Just gorns. Female gorns are much bigger too. If a female sees you and you're not in the mood, you better be able to run faster than her.

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Post #: 50

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/20/2016 12:13:56 AM

BBfanboy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Here's a clue

So it's HMS Jack Russell Terrier!

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Post #: 51

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/20/2016 3:01:02 AM

geofflambert

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My patience is expiring. Here she is.\

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< Message edited by geofflambert -- 4/20/2016 3:02:47 AM >

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Post #: 52

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/20/2016 3:12:27 AM

geofflambert

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

quote:

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Here's a clue

So it's HMS Jack Russell Terrier!

You're seeing a well known terrierist with his weapon of choice.

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Post #: 53

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/20/2016 5:34:56 AM

wdolson

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quote:

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

The Mocking Birds (Florida State Bird) put the Blue Jsys to shame in the aggressiveness department.

They regularly go after the crows, chasing and circling them like fighters going after a lumbering bomber.

I'm pretty sure I lost one of my cats to an eagle about 7 years ago. During a particularly cold winter a pair of eagles came south into my neighborhood.
I had an aging 17 year old cat who was wasting away from hyperthyroid and I was close to putting down disappeared while the eagles were around. She had a pure white coat so no camouflage.
A few days after she disappeared I was sitting on my front step watching my cats eating their dinner when the male eagle flew over my yard no more than 25 feet in the air. He circled.
I chased the cats in the house and came back out to see what he was up to. He landed in the street about 50 yards form my house. I walked toward him and got to about 15 feet away before he took off and soared right over my head.
His wingspan had to be over 6 feet.

Killing a Bald Eagle (National Bird) is a federal offense, nut I would have killed him in a heartbeat for preying on my family if I had gotten the chance.

We had mocking birds in Los Angeles growing up. The cat my family had when I was born was a great hunter. He would go near mocking bird nests and invite them to dive bomb him, then spin around and catch them out of the air just before they hit him. Later we had a neurotic cat who was a terrible hunter. She was just tortured by the mocking birds and had no idea why.

Currently we have a 21 year old cat. He's kept his weight up (around 10 pounds) so he's not great eagle bait, but he also doesn't go out for long anymore either. We have coyotes around here, so I'm careful when he wants to go out at night. A friend of our neighbor had her small dog taken by a coyote while she was walking it and that was only a mile or so from here. I haven't seen any coyotes in the front yard, but they do come up in our backyard. Last year a bunch of them had a bit howl up right outside our back door. I almost jumped out of my skin. There were at least 10 of them.

The eagles around here are more interested in fish than land critters. They have plenty of fish between the Columbia River and several smaller rivers flowing into it.

I learned about the coloring change when we moved here. We saw a number of eagles around that were brown and my SO initially thought they were a different species, but we learned they were just young bald eagles. They turn color about the time they fully mature at 2-3 years of age.

Bill

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RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/20/2016 11:07:15 AM

Jorge_Stanbury

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HMS Hindustan
King Edward VII-class pre-dreadnought

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Post #: 55

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/20/2016 3:57:40 PM

BBfanboy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

HMS Hindustan
King Edward VII-class pre-dreadnought

I have never been much interested in pre-dreadnoughts so I would never have gotten the ship. But is that young officer Winston or Albert of Windsor - the future King George VI (I forget what the family's Germanic name was before it was changed to Windsor during WWI). The face also reminds me of Beatty, the commander of the largest group of British battlecruisers at Jutland.

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RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/20/2016 9:15:40 PM

bomccarthy

Posts: 414
Joined: 9/6/2013
From: L.A.
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quote:

ORIGINAL: wdolson

quote:

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

The Mocking Birds (Florida State Bird) put the Blue Jsys to shame in the aggressiveness department.

They regularly go after the crows, chasing and circling them like fighters going after a lumbering bomber.

I'm pretty sure I lost one of my cats to an eagle about 7 years ago. During a particularly cold winter a pair of eagles came south into my neighborhood.
I had an aging 17 year old cat who was wasting away from hyperthyroid and I was close to putting down disappeared while the eagles were around. She had a pure white coat so no camouflage.
A few days after she disappeared I was sitting on my front step watching my cats eating their dinner when the male eagle flew over my yard no more than 25 feet in the air. He circled.
I chased the cats in the house and came back out to see what he was up to. He landed in the street about 50 yards form my house. I walked toward him and got to about 15 feet away before he took off and soared right over my head.
His wingspan had to be over 6 feet.

Killing a Bald Eagle (National Bird) is a federal offense, nut I would have killed him in a heartbeat for preying on my family if I had gotten the chance.

We had mocking birds in Los Angeles growing up. The cat my family had when I was born was a great hunter. He would go near mocking bird nests and invite them to dive bomb him, then spin around and catch them out of the air just before they hit him. Later we had a neurotic cat who was a terrible hunter. She was just tortured by the mocking birds and had no idea why.

Currently we have a 21 year old cat. He's kept his weight up (around 10 pounds) so he's not great eagle bait, but he also doesn't go out for long anymore either. We have coyotes around here, so I'm careful when he wants to go out at night. A friend of our neighbor had her small dog taken by a coyote while she was walking it and that was only a mile or so from here. I haven't seen any coyotes in the front yard, but they do come up in our backyard. Last year a bunch of them had a bit howl up right outside our back door. I almost jumped out of my skin. There were at least 10 of them.

The eagles around here are more interested in fish than land critters. They have plenty of fish between the Columbia River and several smaller rivers flowing into it.

I learned about the coloring change when we moved here. We saw a number of eagles around that were brown and my SO initially thought they were a different species, but we learned they were just young bald eagles. They turn color about the time they fully mature at 2-3 years of age.

Bill

Growing up in the Whittier hills with a whole string of outdoor cats (we would lose them to coyotes on a fairly regular basis), mockingbirds were pests. They would dive-bomb our cats while we were standing a foot away. A couple of our cats were decent hunters and could occasionally catch a mockingbird as s/he pulled out of the dive, but most tried to run and hide.

Coyotes have pretty much overrun most of Southern California in the past 15 years, even heavily populated areas. I nearly ran one over in the middle of the day on a residential street in San Marino. Tired of trash strewn all over the yard, my brother-in-law nailed one with an arrow in Whittier on a recent night; my sister made him clean up the blood (which trailed to a neighbors front yard) before anyone noticed. They couldn't find the body and it hasn't deterred any other coyotes.

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Post #: 57

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/20/2016 9:27:17 PM

geofflambert

Posts: 14863
Joined: 12/23/2010
From: St. Louis
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

HMS Hindustan
King Edward VII-class pre-dreadnought

Correct. The first pic was taken from the Brittania.

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Post #: 58

RE: OT Things to ponder - 4/20/2016 9:30:25 PM

geofflambert

Posts: 14863
Joined: 12/23/2010
From: St. Louis
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quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

HMS Hindustan
King Edward VII-class pre-dreadnought

I have never been much interested in pre-dreadnoughts so I would never have gotten the ship. But is that young officer Winston or Albert of Windsor - the future King George VI (I forget what the family's Germanic name was before it was changed to Windsor during WWI). The face also reminds me of Beatty, the commander of the largest group of British battlecruisers at Jutland.