read.cash Log in
@craigy

@craigy in October 2020

@craigy

Good Morning I know, the same old grey sky and nothing new, but that is all I am getting at the moment. At least it is not raining. Yeterday my online weather told me a sunny afternoon, but online weather afternoon time is from 4.00 p.m. it seems and then I was already back at home after my visit to the store when the sun appeared. I now have a slight change to my routine. I usually hugged the bed after lunch, buy my collectors organisation are having problems with…

@craigy

Throwing the bum out have a look to what is to come in America

@craigy

Decidedly damp Today's guest picture comes from Gunta in Oregon, who kindly responded to a hinted need, and shows that they have some seriously destructive forestry practices there too....but on a bigger scale than ours. The impressive photo was taken by Eric with a drone. After yesterday's brilliant sunshine, we got wall to wall cloud today, with the morning offering persistent rain. Under the circumstances I took things very gently. Dropscone remarked in our recent phone…

@craigy

“Now October has come again” I've put up the words of **Thomas Wolfe** several times on October 1 (he was born on October 3, 1900, and died of tuberculosis at just 37). **This is a repost** from exactly ten years ago. The prose is gorgeous and evocative, and of course appropriate to the day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Wolfe https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2010/10/26/october/ ********* No writer has better captured the color and *feel* of America better than Thomas…

@craigy

Good Morning I have two morning photos. That is nothing really new, there are two sides to my home and I always have a look at both of them. The photo shows the East Side, which is always the side where the sun arrives first. I was a little disappointed to see some dismal still hanging around, although there is a bright glow further towards the East. I did not want this so decided to try and cheer myself up by taking a walk to the other window on the West side where my…

@craigy

Beatiful world After yesterday's gloomy weather, we woke to brilliant sunshine today. For once, I didn't waste a lot of time doing nothing, and was out on the hill before ten o'clock. This is the crack of dawn for me these days. It was a good day to be out on the hill, whether walking up it.... .or looking at views from the top. I could take the long view... .or look down a bit. I took in some details. And I looked back at the trig point and thought that it might be cloudier…

@craigy

Good Morning How misleading can the sky be in the morning. When I stopped hugging the bed and took a look out of the window at 7.40 in the morning light, I saw a wonderful sun rising. When I had a look at the other side where the Jura mountains are, they were reflecting the sun light in all its burning glory. And now? A good question as this all disappeared half an hour later, and now approaching midday we are left with rain, cold and grey skies, with a good portion of…

@craigy

busy afternoon We had what looked as though it was going to be a good day here, but it flattered to deceive and if there was any sunshine around making colours look bright on the other side of the river when I cycled to the shop... it had given way to rain by the time that I had got my mask on and was ready to make my purchases. And the pattern of alternating sunshine and frequent rain showers kept me tied to the house for the morning. I passed the time by watching the…

@craigy

Wild life photos We had a great surprise in one of our planter beds recently, and I thought you might find it interesting. About 10 years ago while out shopping with the kids—they were about 5 years old—we came across a display of those little colorful grafted ornamental cactus plants. The kids had to have one, so we let them each pick one. Each of these was a small cactus "trunk" with a brightly colored round cactus grafted on top. Within a few weeks the colorful balls fell…

@craigy

Good Morning Let us see what I have here to show today - not very much and yesterday I spent the day in isolation, going nowhere in particular and thus not seeing very much. Of course I managed to snap the sky this morning, but the sun has not yet arrived and is still hiding somewhere behind the clouds. We have enough clouds but at least they have contours in between, so it is not the dull heavy weight over our heads. One of my first actions this morning was to go down to…

@craigy

Going to churches ..and the little red poppies and the orange hawkweed continue to delight. More colour was supplied by elderly hostas and Icelandic poppies. It speaks for itself. I made a honey sandwich and then started my ride by visiting the shop to get two bananas and a KitKat biscuit bar. Armed with these and a few dates, I took the Solwaybank road to get me going, a wise choice when it looks like this... ..and this.. ..and this... ..and there was a peacock butterfly…

@craigy

wildlife photos and videos I can always use more photos, and get nervous when the photo tank is low. If you have some *good* photos of wildlife (including landscapes and "street photography"), please send them my way. Today's contribution comes from **Robert Lang**, physicist and origami master. I had the pleasure of meeting him at Kent Presents in Connecticut (go **here** to see photos of his conversation with Harold Varmus and some of Robert's great origami). Today he's…

@craigy

Doudna and Charpentier win Chemistry Nobel for CRISPR-Cas9 method of gene editing This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry was long anticipated, for the **CRISPR/Cas9 system of gene editing** was a tremendous accomplishment in biology and chemistry. It promises a lot, including curing human genetic disease (see the first five posts **here**). Remember, Nobel Prizes in science are designed to reward those who made discoveries potentially helping humanity, not those who just made…

@craigy

Deep Roots They lived under ground. They had been for as long as anyone could remember, for as long as their legends and myths could tell. Outside the moon was shining, creating beautiful silhouettes of the tree tops towards the night sky. They were waiting. Waiting for the sign. -The roots will some day speak, the Elder said, as he had done so many full moons. -That's the day we will move out into the open. -How do you know? a little child asked, looking at him with big,…

@craigy

good morning Looks good, but who knows, altough for a change no rain for today according to the weather prophets. A good cloudy sky with plenty of blue in between. Yesteday was a bad day for going places, but i really had to get to the store in town. It was not so bad, but no point in wating for the rain to stop, although in between in did make a pause. I arrived a bit wet, but not too bad. It was on and off all afternoon- This one was also still hanging around this morning,…

@craigy

pictures He is back at work at outdoor sporting venues. He came across this fine crop of fungus on a Scottish golf course We had another generally fine day today, although it inconsiderately started to rain just at the right time to spoil the chances of morning coffee in the garden with Margaret. It was quite breezy too so I was happy to have my coffee indoors even when the rain stopped. I looked at the birds. They were frequently coming and going at the feeder. And…

@craigy

Good Morning Yesterday was a wonderful sunny warm day and I am hoping that today will be similar. Blue skies and some wafty clouds are always a good sign and as long as the rain stays away I am happy. Since no longer having a car it certainly makes travelling more on the dry side. I do not get so wet, but my scooter does. Yesterday I was off into town, but more for the ride than to actually buy anything, As usual I entered through the back door taking the circular road…

@craigy

Out and back We were offered a fine morning with light winds so the sensible thing to do would be for me to get going as soon after breakfast as possible if I wanted a good bike ride. To the amazement of both Mrs Tootlepedal and myself, I was out of the house and cycling up the road towards Hawick by ten o'clock. The downside was that in spite of the sun, it was still pretty chilly at the time, but I was wrapped up well, and even the sight of the moon still in the sky above…

@craigy

A Matter of Perspective t’s been almost seven months since we have been operating under some sort of restrictions. Businesses have closed, and our lives have been disrupted. Without any judgment, I thought I’d share some posters from the 1940s, during World War II. Material, food, and transportation had to be diverted to the war effort. Women and in some cases, children had to be forced into the labor ranks. Rationing was in effect for high-demand items. “Points” were issued…

@craigy

Good Morning A bit dismal, but it can only get better. If I was again a working person, I would say a typical Monday morning, but being a lady of leisure and a golden oldie, it makes no great difference. At least it is not raining and according to the week's weather report for my little village somewhere in the wilds of Switzerland, there will be no rain this week. Yesterday was a Sunday at home, but I was not doing nothing. decided to try my new baking tin which is…

@craigy

good morning It seems I stopped hugging the bed at the right time this morning to catch the sun rising and bathing the surroundings in its glow which does not often happen. Wednesday is a less stressful morning: no cleaning lady arriving to get me earlier out of bed and otherwise nothing planned for the day, except for a shopping trip. No excursion into town yesterday for shopping, but just a short visit to the local supermarket along the road. I only had a few items to get-…

@craigy

Congratulations Congratulations, Mr Johnson! It's a boy! ...or... I think it's a boy... oh, wait. That's something else. Well, it's a baby! Roger looked down on the creature in his arms. It wasn't crying. It was making a strange gurgling sound, hissing fiercely. Its skin was green and rough. Its mouth full of sharp teeth. . *Babies don't have teeth, do they?* It was the kind of mouth you wouldn't want to get your fingers too close to. He looked at his wife. She smiled,…

@craigy

Good Morning was not a happy bunny when I opened the window this morning. Before I even opened the shutters I could hear the rain tumbling down in a torrential downpour. It was early in the morning, so it could stop during the day and only get better. My next movement was to have a quick look on my iPad at the daily weather forecast which showed little pictures of rainclouds, although the afternoon programme did show a little sun peeping through. It's Friday so I can…

@craigy

Good Morning Sometimes hugging the bed for half an hour longer in the morning does have its rewards. The misty morning has disappeared and the sun is poking its way through and this photo is the result, so what could be better. It has been a long while since I slept on and surprisingly saw that it was already 8.30 a.m., but does it really matter. I have no appointments, no-one is waiting for me and no longer a cat to greet me (and I do miss her even two months later). My…

@craigy

the glory that is frisky Frisky, the male **wood duck** (*Aix sponsa*) is still with us, though other woodies come and go. Frisky is pretty much in his full breeding plumage now, and he's a sight to behold! These photos were taken yesterday and today. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/id They're called wood ducks because they perch (and nest) in trees. Frisky likes the feel of wood under his feet, and so perches on the cypress knees: A living jewel: And Honey is…

@craigy

The pushback against free speech A while back I predicted—though I'm not sure it was here—that, just as college students are questioning free speech, so the Left-wing media would also begin questioning it, eventually calling for an end to "hate speech" or "fake news." Today I'll treat you to another prediction, at the bottom, and the ask you for yours. Also, I'd like readers to weigh in on the issue of whether we should restrict America's First Amendment beyond the form it's…