Peep Show

Spring peepers are one of the earliest among the dozen frog species found in and around Michigan. During the first warm evenings of spring in late March or early April through May, their distinctive single note, high pitched “peep” is considered a harbinger of spring. The temperatures need to reach 57 degrees or higher. The intensity of calling increases and can become a deafening chorus during humid evenings or just after a warm spring rain when many males congregate.
Only the male frogs call, which I didn’t know for sometime. They establish territories near the edge of wetlands and ponds. They may call from elevated perches of submerged grass or shrubs near the water. The faster and louder a male sings, the more likely he is to attract a mate. I grew up on a farm with a pond and boy do they make noise, it can be deafening.
My wife and I were out on the motorcycle and we heard peepers as we rode past a pond not to far from our house. You know they have to be loud if you can hear them while on a motorcycle with your helmet on.

The spring peeper is the most abundant of Michigan’s singing frogs and is common statewide. They prefer damp woodlands, swamps, and marshes. You can tell a peeper from other frogs by the “X” on their backs. So for the next couple of months we have the spring peeper peep show. Carry-on

401k-201k WTF

Wonder why your 401K is more like a 201K? View the interview with Jim Cramer by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. I liked Jim Cramer up until now because of this interview. I had my suspicions about Cramer but this seals the deal.
I feel duped into thinking that my money would be OK, I know its all a risk, but when you see and hear that the markets are falsely manipulated like they are it really burns.
Your money is really out of reach and in the hands of fools. Jon really puts Jim on the spot and calls him out on what a fraud he is. Go to Youtube or my favorite site Crooks and Liars.com to see this must see interview.
You see Jim Cramer claims to be calling people out that manipulate the market to make money off of and with your money, when all along he has done the very same thing. The traders on Wall Street create things (false things) to move stock up or down playing a game that we really have no control of. Playing with your future and they don’t give a damn, because it’s your money not theirs, the profits are theirs but not yours. For most this is all that you have. Others have money in more then one place, I do. Either or, it still ticks me off that we loose money because of these losers with no control. See the interview, its better then I can put into words. Carry-on.

The Birds

No not quite a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds, but it is spring that is just around the corner that is on most people’s minds. Things that really get you excited that spring is near are the sighting of certain animals. The first are the Sandhill Cranes, two were spotted by Luann. This past Sunday morning we were greeted by the sighting of Robins, and quite a few too. Some do not fly south, but we haven’t seen any all winter. So the sighting of them is a sign that yes spring is near. In a week or two the Red Wing Black birds and the Swallows should be next.

Along with the Robins we were greeted with a visit of many wild Turkeys. Yes many, so many we lost count, over 25.

Wild Turkey is good eating, but with the season not here YET, they were good to just watch, kind of funny birds too. To give you all an idea of just how many, there are different birds in each picture. About 20 pictured. Gobble-gobble, um Carry-on.

Cycle Surfing

We are having rather spring like temps these days into this weekend. I went for a bike ride yesterday and it was nice to get out in the open air, feel the breeze so to speak. Spring makes me feel good, longer day light, warmer air which smells good after a good rain. The birds are coming back everything is coming to life. Spring makes you kick up your heels, so get out and enjoy it.

Oh and by the way that is not me in the picture. I know spring can make you do stupid things, but I wouldn’t do something this stupid. Maybe in my younger years….maybe. Carry-on.

Sandhill Crane Report

Not only are the temps starting to moderate, but talking to my mom in Florida she said that they have seen hundreds and hundreds of Sandhill Cranes migrating north. They have been stopping at fields near Arcadia Fl. were my mom and Casey live. Many more then other years. The cranes come first followed by Red Wing Black Birds and Robins. So this means that spring is coming. Yes after this winter dirty windshields and droppings on the patio never looked so good. Carry-on.

Comet Lulin

Eureka I have seen it, finally!
For a couple of days I have been feeling down because I didn’t know if I was going to see Comet Lulin. The comet only comes around every thousand years and wouldn’t you know it, it’s been cloudy. I am pretty sure I’ll be dead and gone in a thousand years.
Then the skies opened and behold a beautiful sight in the eastern evening sky, from the bathroom window. No I was not using it like you think at the time, but that would be some multi-tasking wouldn’t it? I went there so I didn’t have to go outside and freeze plus I can see the eastern sky from that window.
Now I consider myself an amateur astronomist. I have been interested in the stars sense I was a little kid. I even bought a telescope while stationed in Japan. I still have that telescope and it comes in handy from time to time. But there are times when you do not need a telescope to see celestial events. Like comet Lulin, which you can see now for the next few days with the naked eye. You can see it better with binoculars. It’s that green thingy near Saturn.Thanks to Sky Maps.com here is where you can see Comet Lulin. Carry-on.

Red Sky In Morning

Red Sky in Morning, Sailor Take Warning. Red Sky at Night Sailor's Delight, as the saying goes. This is what we woke up to Saturday morning at 7:30. The calm before the storm. We were to have a good dumping of snow later in the day but for us it was mostly a non event. We did get a few inches, but nothing like they had predicted. I can't say the same for the folks up north, they have had a pretty good winter for snow that is; a few new records have been set so far this year. Hopefully we won't have to many more snow days like today. Snow you can go now, we're done with you. Carry-on.