Wolves in Yellowstone

Basic principles of "permaculture" elegantly , and remarkably, exhibited when the wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone.

via House of Eratosthenese:

The Scale of the Universe

Skidboot, RIP March 25, 2007

Via Maggie's Farm.

Happiness is...

...a head rub.

Perspective

Very interesting post by Dr Mercury at Maggie's Farm on Perspective.

From macro to micro...

What are the Odds?

Have you ever wondered how likely - or unlikely - it that you exist?

Taxes: high and low

Tennessee and South Carolina look very attractive...

Intelligent Design

I link quite a lot to Mr Vanderleun's American Digest, and with good reason.

He is an accomplished writer of prose and poetry, and has wide-ranging interests.


This a a "must-read" post about Intelligent Design.
Beautiful.

Stunning

from iOwnTheWorld

Battle Zone?

Hunker down in Flyover Country for the coming winter?

The major metropolitan areas of the mid-Atlantic that were pummeled with snow last year will get a break this winter, but that doesn't mean there will be no snow to shovel. In contrast, Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis could be in the heaviest snow zone this upcoming winter.

Winter's Worst Cold and Snow

Overall, AccuWeather.com Chief Long-Range Meteorologist Joe Bastardi is predicting that the worst of winter's cold and snow will be from the Pacific Northwest into the northern Plains and western Great Lakes. That will put cities like Portland and Seattle that escaped with a very nice winter last year, colder and snowier this year. Fargo and Minneapolis to Green Bay will also receive above-normal winter snowfall.



Read the rest here.



I wonder what Piers Corbyn will say about the coming winter...

Clouds

We get some spectacular cloud formations in Flyover Country.
Here are a few of my favorites (all photos taken by me).

Before and After

Click on the link to see 'before and after' photos of the April, 2011 tornados in Alabama.

Old Books

I love books. I always have and always will.

I love the content, surely, but I am much more persnickety these days. I cannot tolerate spending time and money on something not worth that time and money.

But...holding the thing. Especially Old Books. The texture and color of the cover and spine. The feel of the paper. The color of the paper. Old Books.

I love Old Books. I enjoy seeing what previous owners wrote on them. I like the idea that the book has a history with another human being, who, for the older books, are no longer with us.

How did that person receive the book: a gift? a purchase?
Why was this possession let go? Purging? moving? loss? death?

I love used bookstores. Walk into a good one, and the feeling in the very air is different. There's a certain weight in the atmosphere, and emanations from the books themselves.

Then there's the smell. Bliss.

And now we know why that smell is blissful: lignan.

Lignin, the stuff that prevents all trees from adopting the weeping habit, is a polymer made up of units that are closely related to vanillin.

via the Green Apple Core.

The Ridiculous V. the Sublime

I haven't said much about current event lately. Not that events are not interesting, or important. But rather because so much of it is ridiculous. And others in the blogosphere are much better at commenting and putting stories together than I am.

So, instead of showing this ridiculousness (via MoonBattery):

Or this ridiculousness (via Big Government):

I prefer to post the Sublime:

The Aurora from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

S.D.G.

Spring in Flyover Country

After the rain

Flyover country has gotten a lot of rain lately, and the resulting floods have been in the news. Thankfully, the last few days we have had sunshine. Beautiful, and a relief.

I finally got the rest of the broccoli planted, and got another round of spinach and lettuce seeds in. Next are the fast-growing beans.

Here is a photo from a rainy day recently passed.

Feel insignificant

I lived in Massachusetts for about 10 years. I remember one touchdown of a minor tornado,  it uprooted a tree.

Watch the video at American Digest, of the recent Springfield, MA tornado, as it crosses the river.

Around the web

Cats and dogs have at last got something in common - at least when it comes to quenching their thirst.

Trying to avoid this at all costs.

Art technique videos from Dick Blick  and Cheap Joe's.

NASA image galleries. (Goosebumps...when I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up.)


Lots of information about the Great Lakes here, here, and here. Oh, and here and here about GL Lighthouses.

Cool wildlife cams.

Fractal Vegetable

Fractal-like broccoli plant, about to crown.

Tulips

On one of the very, very few sunny and temperate days we've had here in flyover country, lately.