German Village Ducks and Cat

Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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Like a ghost from the tomb

Carmi's Thematic Photographic 296 is Cloudspotting.

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,
From the seas and the streams;
I bear light shade for the leaves when laid
In their noonday dreams.
From my wings are shaken the dews that waken
The sweet buds every one,
When rocked to rest on their mother's breast,
As she dances about the sun.
I wield the flail of the lashing hail,
And whiten the green plains under,
And then again I dissolve it in rain,
And laugh as I pass in thunder.

The rest of The Cloud by Percy Bysshe Shelley is here.




P.S. Now for the critters:


I think this is a tree swallow:

Cross-posted at Whiskey Fire. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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Muskrat, Orb Cat, and more

Here's a muskrat in Lake Siri:

I think this is a Slaty Skimmer (note the dark eyes and face):

A male Fishing Spider, Dolomedes tenebrosus (I have a picture of a large female here):

Capacapon Mountain Orb Cat:

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Trees and Branches

Carmi's Thematic Photographic 295 is Trees & Branches
Here are a few trees:






Cross-posted at Whiskey Fire. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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Lakescapes

Carmi's Thematic Photographic 294 is Landscapes

Here is Lake Siri on a foggy morning, and on a sunny afternoon:


Other Beesness:



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Are there hats?

John Oliver: You don’t need people’s opinion on a fact. You might as well have a poll asking: ‘Which number is bigger, 15 or 5?’ or ‘Do owls exist?’ or ‘Are there hats?’

“Are there hats?” — I laughed my ass clean off. - tengrain

TEACH THE CONTROVERSY!

FURTHERMORE:

In other news:

Two teams of scientists say the long-feared collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has begun, kicking off what's likely to be a centuries-long process that could raise sea levels by as much as 15 feet. "There's been a lot of speculation about the stability of marine ice sheets, and many scientists suspected that this kind of behavior is under way," Ian Joughin, a glaciologist at the University of Washington in Seattle, said in a news release about one of the studies released Monday. "This study provides a more qualitative idea of the rates at which the collapse could take place."

THIS CARDINAL REMAINS UNCONVINCED:

Cross-posted at Whiskey Fire. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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Red-bellied Woodpecker and Eastern Box Turtle

Happy Mother's Day!

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Baltimore Oriole and More

Carmi's Thematic Photographic 293 is Pets.

Would you believe...Theda and the Dogwood?

The birds aren't technically pets...but they do yell at me in the morning to bring the food out. (I've been bringing the feeder in at night since the raccoon trashed it 2 out of the 3 evenings.)




Here is the first Baltimore Oriole I've ever seen:

Bambi and mom in the backyard a few mornings ago:

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Happy May Day 2014

Have some Eastern Redbud and Forsythia.

Would you believe a very large woodpecker on a small suet feeder?

How about some Billy Bragg:

You can sign a petition to reject "Fast Track" authority for the TPP.
And/Or you can read Avedon's links.

Cross-posted at Whiskey Fire. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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