(Not at the dancing; it’s great! So is the comedian.)
Category: Love
Coretta Scott King
An unsung hero.
OK, A Little Fun With The Doggies
More Fun + A Little Eye Candy
From The Smart Ones:
Cover Snark: Detective Stabler, Is That You?
by Amanda · Apr 27, 2026 at 2:00 am
Welcome back to Cover Snark!
Elyse: The artist was sick the day they learned to draw the lower body.
Sneezy: Never skip leg day.
Amanda: Her dress reminds me of those Barbie dress cakes.
Sarah: That is just So Much Dress.
Also, are his trousers open in the front?! My word!
From Syntha: I don’t even know where to start with this one.
Sarah: He looks like someone. Who does he look like. It’s going to bug me until I figure it out.
Elyse: It’s orange Detective Stabler.
Sarah: YES I THINK YOU ARE RIGHT.
Elyse: Doink Doink!
Sarah: Syntha also sent this and I have to say, I respect the attempt:
Syntha: The giraffe neck just looks so silly rising out of the jacket.
Amanda: Honestly, this one is perfect.
No notes.
Elyse: His center of gravity is just so fucked up.
Can you imagine the orthopedic issues that guy has?
Sarah: I really can’t fault any of it.
Sarah: This was a suggestion while I was looking at the Neckromancer (I see what was done there) and in icon size it looks like he is drooling.
Amanda: You can just tell this man has an overinflated ego.
Sarah: He is his own Chosen Champion, huh? Yeah, I see it.
(snip-Far MORE snark in the comments, on the page)
Post 2-Trans Pregnancy
These pages are an excerpt of Will Betke-Brunswick’s work-in-progress book, Transpregnant.
It’s A Real Day!
There is a link within. Penguins are many of my favorite things! From that linked page:
It’s practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry. Joe Moore
Some Art From Jenny Lawson
Accidental art therapy
(not tiny monster penises)
Hello, friend!
This week I revisited the Lynda Barry Making Comics book because I was on book tour and a tiny sketch book was easy to bring along on plane rides. The exercises were out of my comfort zone but sometimes I think that can be a good thing. This exercise was called “Close your eyes and draw a mermaid.”
Another was to choose a character and sketch their entire life cycle. I chose Beyoncé the Giant Metal Chicken, obviously:
I did a self-portrait…sort of:
And drew with both hands at the same time, which is much harder than it sounds: (snip-MORE; go see!)
Your Saturday Morning Birds Post
From Cornell Lab Bird Cams:
From American Bird Conservancy:
Three-wattled Bellbird
Procnias tricarunculatus
Also Known As
- Campanero Tricarunculado (Spanish)
- Pájaro Campana Centroamericano (Spanish)
About
The Three-wattled Bellbird, like other Central and South American bellbirds in the Cotinga family, is a natural history paradox. Breeding males perch on exposed branches and sing one of the loudest songs of any bird, impossible to ignore and audible from more than half a mile away. However, despite this extremely conspicuous breeding season behavior, females and nonbreeding males are notoriously difficult to observe, foraging in the higher levels of the canopy and remaining remarkably silent. As a result, this species has been subject to fascinating and in-depth studies of its song and courtship behavior, but some of the most basic aspects of its natural history are unknown. For instance, only two nests have been recorded, one in 1975 and one in 2012, and no eggs or young have been documented.
But biologists have learned a great deal from studying the Three-wattled Bellbird’s song. The bellbirds belong to a group of perching birds known as the suboscines, which also includes tyrant flycatchers like the Western Kingbird and antbirds, such as the Marsh Antwren. While the “true” songbirds (or oscines) are famous for their song-learning abilities, suboscine songs are classically considered to be completely innate, with no learning taking place. However, the Three-wattled Bellbird shares an important feature with birds that learn their songs: dialects. Birds from Nicaragua sound noticeably different from Costa Rican birds in the Cordillera de Talamanca and the Cordillera de Tilarán, which each host populations with distinct songs. (snip-MORE)
Today Is Arbor Day, 2026!
I was just telling Jill over on Filosofa’s that I’d totally missed that today is Arbor Day. I’m so sorry and a bit ashamed; DH was a tree planter, and we always did some sort of observation. This year it almost slipped by! Anyway, we can start with a couple of quotes; here are two of my favorites:
Trees are as close to immortality as the rest of us ever come.”
― Karen Joy Fowler
“You know me, I think there ought to be a big old tree right there. And let’s give him a friend. Everybody needs a friend.”
― Bob Ross
https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/inspirational-quotes-about-trees
Here at the Redford manse, we have two fine green ash trees, not young but not at all old. The Arbor Day Foundation sends (or used to) send little saplings out to elementary schools, and we took one two years in a row, then contributed the rest to the city. Anyway, those are some really nice trees! Here’s some info from the Foundation. In case Arbor Day about slipped past you, too, there could be a reason; some states observe on other days. On the page linked below, you can see that, along with when and how the rest of the world observes. Surf around the site, too; there are many resources to help us make good history with trees!
Arbor Day Dates Across America
National Arbor Day is always celebrated on the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates throughout the year based on best tree planting times in their area. (snip-see the chart on the page)
From The Farmers Almanac (a good source for so very much in life!)
Home » Holidays & Events » Minor Holidays Arbor Day 2026: What and When is Arbor Day?
Arbor Day 2026: What and When is Arbor Day?
What Is Arbor Day?
Arbor Day is a national holiday that recognizes the importance of trees. The most common way people celebrate Arbor Day is to get together in groups to plant trees. (snip)
How Did Arbor Day Start?
The day was the brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton, a Nebraskan journalist who later became the U.S. Agriculture Secretary under President Grover Cleveland. Morton was an enthusiastic promoter of tree planting, had long championed the idea of a day dedicated to planting trees.
When Was The First Arbor Day?
Arbor Day was first celebrated in Nebraska on April 10, 1874, following a proclamation by Gov. Robert W. Furnas. In less than a decade, the idea for the holiday caught on in other sates until, by 1882, its observance had become a national event. Nebraska made Arbor Day a legal holiday in 1885, moving it to April 22, Morton’s birthday. An estimated one million trees were planted during the first Arbor Day.
Many other countries around the world set aside one day each year to celebrate trees, though not all of them take place on the same day as Arbor Day. One of the oldest is Tu Bishvat, a minor Jewish holiday that usually falls in late January or early February. In ancient times, the people of Israel used this day to plant trees and celebrate their gifts by eating dried fruit and nuts, including figs, dates, raisins, carob, and almonds. (snip)
There is much more information on all of these pages. But most importantly, try to get out and hug a tree, and maybe facilitate the planting of another tree! Or draw a tree, or dream of trees…
I hope this is a fine day for all who read here!
A Couple Of Current Events Short Videos
(I know; sneaking in another funny one, but it’s also political.)
