What made you smile today?

That's really something, Brooke. I sure hope the rain holds off -- been hearing bad news about flooding in your state.

Saw a bunch of cedar waxwings gorging on the few remaining wizened crab apples in our ornamental crab apple tree this morning. They're really beautiful -- hope it's a sign that spring is finally coming!

Good Mornin' Tai ! ... This weeks flood was actually not bad here. We entered the moderate flood stage, but just barely. Friends down in SW Ohio didn't fare as good though. Last night it was thundering while snowing. That is so cool when it does that.

I didn't know what a Cedar Waxwig was, so I looked for one. WOW! They are beautiful! It's the beauty of nature that is my drug. All I really need to make me high! (that and music!) Here's the pic I found of the bird you saw this morning just in case someone else wants to see what one looks like.



I don't blame you for smiling!
Beautiful !

Thanks for posting a photo, Brooke (should have thought of that). Glad to hear you're not underwater!

The train-hoppers are in town again.

And what, pray, are the train-hoppers, rjb?

I'm glad somebody asked that! Curious, myself!

Yall are going to regret your curiosity. Coming up soon is a true story about train-hoppers, cairns and chalk, and Wifi. Stay turned.

Not gonna regret it at all!

While I'm waiting on you to post it......I'm gonna go visit my frig cuz I'm hungry!

Seeing the photo of the waxwing certainly brought a smile. A few years ago, while the trees were still bare, a large flock of migrating waxwings took a short break in our backyard. It was an incredible sight; must have been well over a hundred of 'em perched in our clump of sassafras trees. There had been a hard rain the previous night and there were several large puddles in low spots. First one waxwing, then two and finally the whole flock descended on a large puddle, quaffed for several minutes, and then lifted off en masse to resume their migration. I'm always hopeful they'll visit once again.

The name waxwing is in regard to the bright red spots, like sealing wax, on their wingtips.

If the link works, you can listen to their song here.

While not as prolific a songster as our mockingbird, mimus polyglottos (wot a name!) the waxwing's still a fine whistler.

Appreciate the picture, JB.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Deb.

Thank you for the information on them. I bookmarked the site for listening to them sing! That's awesome!

Beautiful songs!

OH!!!! What a great website. Thank you very much, Deb'cle.

Charlottesville is a fairly small city. Running through it North-South is a major freight rail line. Another line runs West-East. So we are a bit of a crossroads for freight trains.
Once or twice a year we get a visit from the train-hoppers. They are folks in their 20's for the most part who jump on freight trains and ride and ride, travelling in a loosely knit group all over the country.
They dress alike in brown clothes. Brown pants and shirts or maybe brown jumpsuits. Amazingly, they also are physically similar: short and stocky.
One guy I have seen for a couple of years has a dog.

So they land in Cville and stay for a few days.

"Cairn" is a Scottish or Welsh word meaning some sort of landmark. It crept into our American language during the depression years. Hobos would pile rocks next to a railroad track pointing to a farmhouse where folks could get some food or a barn to sleep in.

Cville, on the circuit that these drifters have, has a cairn. My very streetwise friend, Tony, tells me that there are places here where they can stay if need be. And the police know which parks they sleep in and keep watch over them. As long as they don't harrass people on the downtown mall and leave after a few days, everything is fine.

I am told that the concept of cairn goes back to Napoleonic times. Buildings would be marked, perhaps in chalk, to indicate that they would be available for advancing troops to use as billetts.

Which brings me to this. I am told that there are chalk markings on buildings that, like cairns, indicate where you can get free WiFi connections.

So that is my story based on input from folks I know. None of it may be true, but I think most of it is.

RJB, you make me smile.

(We are on the East - West route. Graffiti plays a part as well...)

RH

RJB......... thank you! Very.......VERY, interesting!

brings me back a few years, rjb, but BVT was on the route too.

met some very, very cool folks in those days....

JPB: BVT? I don't know that.

RH: The N-S trains run about a block from my store. The E-W trains are only a hundred yards. Ten of them a day, perhaps, and a hundred cars long. The graffiti is not very good. Not good at all.

But enough of this. Let's get back to pictures of birds and choosing dresses. Sorry for the digression.

RJB they run all day long a stones throw from my shop, atop the great wall...

RH

Bears a striking resemblance to a Baby Ruth candy bar, dontcha' think?

the lady in the flourist.