eskildoodle1

Hoppin’ Glad

Every time it rains in the summer, the nights and early mornings are full of the sounds of croaking frogs. It is almost as if they come down with the rain, but I do know better than that. It keeps them from dehydrating as the spend the night carousing and looking for romance. This frogContinue reading “Hoppin’ Glad”

Snooze-a-palooza

Cats are said to sleep up to 15-20 hours per day in short “catnaps” from which they can quickly awake if startled. They do not sleep for long periods like humans, and tend to be awake and active around dusk and, even worse, at dawn when their human keepers would like to sleep in. AndContinue reading “Snooze-a-palooza”

Mushroom Omelet

Actually, it’s not an omelet, it is just a backyard mushroom that resembles one, and I don’t think I would try to put it in an omelet since I don’t know if it is safe to eat. I once heard a guide in Spain say that all mushrooms are edible but some can only beContinue reading “Mushroom Omelet”

Happy Lughnasadh

It’s August 1, a “cross quarter” day which is halfway between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. Ancient Celts referred to it as Lughnasadh and it marked the beginning of harvest season as summer starts to head towards autumn. Days are getting slightly shorter and soon the change will be quite noticeable as weContinue reading “Happy Lughnasadh”

Bull’s Eye!

On July 29, 2023, I was fortunate enough during my daily imaging of the sun to catch a moderately strong solar flare right at its peak as seen as the very bright area on the upper image. The lower image is from the Space Weather Prediction Center GOES satellite x-ray data. The vertical line marksContinue reading “Bull’s Eye!”

On a Wing and a Prayer

For nearly two years we have seen this injured bird dragging its right wing as it crow-hops away from danger. Rarely, we have seen it take to a brief, clumsy, painful flight when cornered, but mostly it just remains on the ground. Somehow it has managed to find food, shelter, and safety with minimal useContinue reading “On a Wing and a Prayer”

Regarding Betelgeuse

At the beginning of our walk yesterday, the bright, red star Betelgeuse, as well as the three stars of Orion’s “belt,” could be seen shining in the early twilight. Soon, the whole outline of Orion the hunter, will be easily visible hovering above the trees in the early twilight. However, Betelgeuse is nearing the endContinue reading “Regarding Betelgeuse”

Spanish Moss-cicles

It hangs from live oak trees here in Florida like icicles cling to winter rooflines in Minnesota but, of course, it is not frozen. It also is not moss, but rather a plant that absorbs its moisture and nutrients out of the air, and it is not parasitic to the tree. The plant does harborContinue reading “Spanish Moss-cicles”

Baa, Baa Black Jeep

Why does this make me feel better that my Jeep is red? Any ideas, Karen? #jeep #blackjeep #blacksheep

Sucker Hole

Yesterday my three solar telescopes waited for a promising “sucker hole” in the clouds to let me to do my daily observation and imaging of the Sun. For more than an hour, the opening in the sky lay tantalizingly close to the hot, cloud-muted Sun, but eventually closed, rather than opening. Overhead and to theContinue reading “Sucker Hole”