Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

People are complicated. Love is not.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

In after Baud. Damn.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

So many bastards, so little time.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / White Squirrel Update (Open Thread)

White Squirrel Update (Open Thread)

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A while back in comments, I mentioned that one of the white squirrels* in my neighborhood had lost all its fur from the waist up (if squirrels can be said to have a waist…). Here ‘twas:

I Googled “squirrel fur loss” (God help me), and learned there can be many causes, some serious, some not. (And also that there are a lot of sick tickets on the internet, but I knew that.) I am pleased to report the squirrel’s fur is coming back. Here ‘tis:

So, I won’t have to devise ways to ambush it with sunblock this summer after all. That’s a relief.

Open thread!

*This squirrel alopecia episode taught me that there are at least two white squirrels in the neighborhood, as I continued to see one with fur during the above squirrel’s period of affliction. There may be hundreds, for all I know, but I’ve never seen more than one at a time.

Reader Interactions

120Comments

  6. 6.

    NotMax

    Not enough coffee coursing through the system yet to focus on tracking down white squirrel music. Will a White Bird do in its stead?

    First track on a long, long time favorite album. So much so that purchased two when it came out and still have one in original shrink wrap – um – squirreled away somewhere.

  9. 9.

    Schlemazel

    One thing I notice living in FLA was that the squirrels all looked mangy.

    Still celebrating the Ice Hockey gold. A lot of mention has been made that Kendall Coyne is engaged to Bronko’s OT Mike Schofield. We were invited to the parents tailgate party and there was some excitement about the fact he brought his SB ring. I got dragged up to see it. Here is a photo of him, Hannah Brandt’s dad is on his right & some homeless guy in a USA hockey haton the left. The ring weighs about 75 pounds.

  10. 10.

    Thoughtful David

    Question: Do any of you know if there is a website/database out there that keeps track of politicians being corrupt or immoral? This came up in regard to a bothsiderist discussion of Mo. Gov. Greitens getting busted the other day.
    My impression is very much that the preponderance of such things is on the Republican side, at least for the last 30 years or so, but I don’t have the data.

  11. 11.

    Aardvark Cheeselog

    There may be hundreds, for all I know, but I’ve never seen more than one at a time.

    Fair Witness.

  14. 14.

    Betty Cracker

    @NotMax: Good song! I thought it was going to be this beloved (by me, anyway) Woodstock classic, which has white birds in the lyrics but not the title.

    @cope: Brevard, NC is also known for its white squirrels — they even have a festival! My mom, daughter and I took an RV trip up there back in aught-nine, and we looked high and low for white squirrels but never found one. Within a week of our return, I saw my first white squirrel here. We used to joke that it had stowed away on the RV.

  15. 15.

    The Fat Kate Middleton

    That’s an honest-to-god white squirrel there. We’ve had three in our back yard so far, but two of them are albino squirrels, with bright red eyes. The other was a leukistic squirrel, with a pale gold stripe down its white back. (We also had a leukistic hairy woodpecker at our feeders – that was a seriously weird-looking bird!)

  17. 17.

    MomSense

    I slipped and fell last night while taking my dog out to pee in the middle of an ice and freezing rain storm. My hand is a little scraped up but the worst thing is my left hip and lower back. I’m going to skip the gym today and see if some easy stretching helps.

  18. 18.

    Elizabelle

    Hello recent birthday Betty. I love these threads with your mutant Florida wildlife. Far preferred to anything Dana Loesch. (All that exposure is not in our contract!)

    Trying to catch up with my friend in Germany. They and most of Europe are experiencing Siberian air, and polar chill, that is maybe headed our way next week. It’s balmy today. I see new blossoms on a few trees.

  20. 20.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Never saw a white squirrel, but there were plenty of black squirrels where I grew up in Syracuse. My father-in-law, from NYC (which is not that far but doesn’t have them) was convinced they were escapees from some sort of experiment at the University.

  21. 21.

    germy

    Iron Stache or Cathy Myers?

    She says he refuses to debate her.

    1/10 Like too many women, I know what it's like to prepare, work hard & be successful only to be ignored in favor of a less qualified man https://t.co/0I2A19s67L— Cathy Myers (@CathyMyersWI) October 5, 2017

    She says some things about his past positions I didn’t know about.

  22. 22.

    No Drought No More

    Did Trump just cut Manafort loose? Ty Cobb (the other one) just released a statement claiming that neither Manafort or Gates have anything to do with the White House and that’s that. It’s hard to see how Manny could fail to see it otherwise, or so it seems to me. Now picture Montgomery Burns as the fingers of his hands gently tap each other while he murmurs, “excellent”.

  23. 23.

    smintheus

    From an earlier thread today:

    “You know what the qualifications are for president? Thirty-five and born here. That’s not qualifications! That’s the search terms of a sad lady on a Match.com profile.”

    There are fewer qualifications to get elected president than to get a driver’s license. Has Trump ever gotten a driver’s license?

  24. 24.

    NotMax

    Was leery reading about cooking spaghetti with store-bought sauce* all at once in the Instant Pot. Tried it the other night and hot diggity, it works! Bonus: only the single pot to clean.

    *Doctored to taste, natch.

  27. 27.

    Bill Arnold

    Re id-ing of squirrel individuals, my father used to capture grey squirrels gorging on sunflower seeds at a bird feeder, with a live (havahart) trap, then spray paint the tails yellow with fluorescent yellow paint then release them miles away on the other side of a lake. He never saw a returnee. Never heard tales of yellow-tailed squirrels either, though there were probably local legends.

  28. 28.

    Catherine D.

    The (former) Seneca Army Depot is well-known for white deer. I’ve always wondered what was buried there …

  30. 30.

    trollhattan

    @Redshift:
    Yesterday’s David Brooks Friday p.m. NPR blathering had him saying essentially this: Democrats complaining about Trump and his followers only encourages them so if Democrats are serious about countering Trump they cannot loudly complain about Trump.

    I am not making this up.

  34. 34.

    Brachiator

    OT Friendly Reminder. The IRS processed and released a huge load of refunds this week. Also, phone and email scams have increased dramatically. Often scammers have some personal details and insist on immediate payment of some supposed debt.

    Don’t engage. Minimize conversation since you may be recorded and your words twisted for other uses.

    The IRS never contacts people by phone for tax related matters.

    Nor do they use squirrels.

  38. 38.

    Baud

    @Redshift:

    Host just just asked, “is gun control the hill Democrats want to die on?”

    I’d prefer we die on that hill than continue to see the kids die in school.

  39. 39.

    tobie

    @germy: Thanks for letting us know who the other Democratic candidate is for Paul Ryan’s House seat. I’ve refrained from donating to Iron Stache’s campaign because I dislike his whole cultural appeal shtick (i.e., “I’m a working man, I speak for working men, lunch-bucket guys, etc.”) and vagueness on policy. I’ll look into what Cathy Myers’ positions are.

  42. 42.

    Mnemosyne

    @tobie:

    I’m slightly wary of Myers because Sanders worshippers and other troublemakers are suddenly popping up to challenge the only Democrats who were willing to try and run against people like Ryan and Issa pre-Trump. I have no actual information, but it makes me nervous that unknown people are suddenly coming out of the woodwork.

  43. 43.

    Corner Stone

    @MomSense:

    I slipped and fell last night while taking my dog out to pee in the middle of an ice and freezing rain storm.

    Damn, Cole! I would have thought you’d have learned your lesson after the whole shoulder thing.
    Oh, wait…today may suck but tomorrow is going to be much less fun.

  45. 45.

    trollhattan

    @Mnemosyne:
    Who knew? Bell helmet, check. Giro helmet and other stuff, check. Camelbak stuff, check. Bushnell binos, check.

    Suspect each brand was acquired, as they all started independently.

  46. 46.

    Corner Stone

    @tobie: I like Iron Stache, from what I have seen of him. I think he plays it pretty straight on the working man/family man schtick. The ads I have seen from him show his mom and talk about how hard she worked before she couldn’t anymore. You may be right, I just don’t know. And I wonder where this D challenger has been for the last 15 or months?

  48. 48.

    Yutsano

    @Brachiator:

    Nor do they use squirrels.

    *pushes squirrel cage discreetly under desk*

    This is especially important if the supposed refund that shows up is much larger than expected or you get one suddenly without having filed your return yet. If you get a DD tell your back to contact their Automated Clearing House to reverse it. Paper checks should be voided and returned immediately.

  50. 50.

    tobie

    @Mnemosyne: I understand the worry but I’m not sure it applies in this case. Iron Stache is something of a BernieBro and he’s already been endorsed by Sanders himself.

  52. 52.

    Mnemosyne

    @trollhattan:

    I’m looking at two Camelbak products from where I sit on my couch, plus I know I have Giro helmets and gloves. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were acquired after they became established brands — that’s what tobacco companies did once they realized the party was over and there would be a lot more restrictions on their products.

    Still, not one more dime from me.

  53. 53.

    Brachiator

    @Mnemosyne:

    Someone else posted this a day or two ago, but it turns out that flying squirrels have far more control over their flights than scientists initially thought. They can do maneuvers that are impossible for airplanes or even birds.

    This is old news. This has been fully documented in the Rocky and Bullwinkle programs.;)

    Why do you think he was Rocket J Squirrel?

    ETA. Rocky learned his aerial skills at the Cedar Yorpantz Flying School.

  55. 55.

    NotMax

    @sukabi

    Ooh, has Alain jiggered things so that more than three links (including the reply link) no longer sends one to FYWP purgatory?

  56. 56.

    Mnemosyne

    @tobie:

    Either way, I’ll probably stay out of the primary and wait until the general election to donate. Exurban Wisconsin (which is where Janesville is) can be pretty bigoted and sexist, so I’m not sure how good Myers’ chances would be in the general.

  57. 57.

    HeleninEire

    Loving on your Twitter avitar, Betty. My Facebook Profile pic is Patsy Stone from Ab Fab. Because of course it is.

  58. 58.

    sukabi

    @NotMax: I thought about that after I posted…seems like it worked, or the links are important enough that even WordPress won’t füçk with them?

  60. 60.

    Corner Stone

    @Baud:

    Test

    Dammit! Another one I failed to prepare for. Am I back in school or is this just one long unending nightmare? *Checks TV* Trump is still alive. Yep, it’s a nightmare.

  62. 62.

    germy

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’m slightly wary of Myers because Sanders worshippers and other troublemakers are suddenly popping up to challenge the only Democrats who were willing to try and run against people like Ryan and Issa pre-Trump. I have no actual information, but it makes me nervous that unknown people are suddenly coming out of the woodwork.

    Sanders is endorsing Randy Bryce.

    5/10 Randy thinks he's "the candidate Latinos have been waiting for" but supported state/local enforcement of immigration law his last race pic.twitter.com/7uO8gsZu4S— Cathy Myers (@CathyMyersWI) October 5, 2017

    7/10 Randy supported restrictions on abortion until July of this year, but I've advocated for a woman's right to choose since high school pic.twitter.com/48R2zTbamX— Cathy Myers (@CathyMyersWI) October 5, 2017

    8/10 Randy is a union leader that has never been elected union officer. I've served as union president, VP & led a successful 3-week strike— Cathy Myers (@CathyMyersWI) October 5, 2017

  65. 65.

    Mnemosyne

    @germy:

    Like I said, I will most likely continue stay out of it until a candidate is chosen (I haven’t donated to the ‘Stache, either). If Myers is able to convince primary voters in WI to choose her, I will happily donate. I suspect that Bryce’s Blue Doggish qualities may be more appealing in Janesville, but we shall see. I’d be thrilled to be proven wrong and see a liberal woman beat Paul Ryan like a drum.

  69. 69.

    MattF

    @Brachiator: A squirrel is a rat with a long tail. At least that’s what an ex-girlfriend of mine claimed. It’s fair to note that she didn’t like squirrels.

  70. 70.

    trollhattan

    @Mnemosyne:
    We need Cliff Notes. Another sporting goods corporation dealt the brands to Vista two years ago.

    On February 25th, 2016, BRG Sports announced its acceptance of a $400-million cash and earn-out deal to sell its “Action Sports” business to Vista Outdoor. Vista gained control of the Bell Sports, Giro, Blackburn, and C-Preme brands.

  71. 71.

    donnah

    @Brachiator:

    I got a phishing call the other day about the IRS collecting a debt. It was a recorded message with a threatening tone. I copied down the phone number they gave me but didn’t call it. I sent it to the IRS information site and hope they can catch these criminals.

  75. 75.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:
    Well as usual anything he says is opposite of the truth. Not just not true but 180 deg out. So if he’s saying that we should stop talking about drumpf because it’s encouraging his base, we know for sure that we are getting to drumpf and his supporters and need to keep it up.

  77. 77.

    Joyce H

    @cope:

    The Illinois town of Olney is known for its population of 100-200 white squirrels, so there’s that.

    I used to live in Olney! The white squirrels were their claim to fame – “Home of the White Squirrels”. The squirrels in Olney, though, were albinos. They had red eyes. And what always amused me – the local PD had white squirrel patches on their uniforms.

  80. 80.

    MattF

    @Mnemosyne: There’s a long and dishonorable tradition of scientists making incorrect statements about aerodynamic capabilities of flying animals. In reality it’s just– complicated, hard to measure, and hard to explain. Goes along with the fact that, about once every decade, everyone suddenly realizes that we all don’t really understand how airplanes fly.

  81. 81.

    trollhattan

    @donnah:
    I got a hilarious phone call last week from a Kentucky area code (likely spoofed) warning me of four “very serious charges” against me and that if I did not call the number that day the matter would be handed over to “the local cops.”

    Ur mah gurrrd, anybody but the local cops!

  88. 88.

    Mnemosyne

    @MattF:

    Did you read the article? It’s actually pretty interesting — it turns out that the squirrels have very precise control over their “wings” and can do things like carry large pine cones that should prevent them from staying airborne.

    It has cool photos, too.

  89. 89.

    Ruckus

    @NotMax:
    I normally don’t answer the phone for numbers I don’t know, let them leave a VM and I’ll call them back if important. However there is the occasional call I do answer. If it is in any way a scam it’s fun because I get to practice my sailor talk. First you have to keep an even, normal tone, second you have to be coherent, third to be real sailor talk every other word must be a swear word. Fourth, too much repetition in #3 shows a lack of imagination and slacking off and is to be avoided. If done properly they hang up in less than 15 seconds and never call back.

  90. 90.

    donnah

    @trollhattan:

    The area code on this call was 360, which is outside Seattle, I think. It was recorded by a man with a very serious tone and threatened prosecution and potential arrest if not followed up with. I already knew that the IRS did not do business via the phone and promptly copied down the number so I could turn them in.

    But people who don’t know better could easily be fooled. I hate this kind of crap.

  91. 91.

    MattF

    @donnah: I’ve gotten calls like that– my policy is just don’t answer the phone, although I’m often tempted to ask them “Does your mother know you make a living by trying to frighten and defraud elderly people?”

  92. 92.

    HinTN

    @NotMax: I saw them years ago at Atlanta Fulton County stadium. It had been a long rainy summer day and they came on late. Just as they began to play the setting sun broke through and shone a beam on the stage. Oh yeah, it was a beautiful day.

  94. 94.

    Ninedragonspot

    @Ruckus: When I get scam calls, I sometimes say, “I’m so glad you’ve called. I’ve just finished writing a poem. May I read it to you?”

    Then I pull some Tennyson off the shelf…

  96. 96.

    gbbalto

    @Major Major Major Major: I went to that island! The deer come up and harass you, and will eat your guidebook if you haven’t put it away..

    ETA Yes they will eat out of your hand but they are fucking aggressive about it.

  102. 102.

    Ninedragonspot

    @Major Major Major Major: Reasonable, of course.

    Occasionally, though, I feel impish.

    Had a spam call a couple weeks back from a number spoofing the Chinese Consulate in SF. A friend told me this has been happening a lot and the Consulate is Displeased.

  104. 104.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:
    I love the sound of dripping conservative sweat. Of course you have to listen to a ton of bullshit to catch the sound of a drop but still……

  105. 105.

    donnah

    My home phone is still a landline because I have a business and don’t want my personal cell phone to be filled with business calls. I have an answering machine, but I try to answer calls coming in because they may be a student or customer whose number I wouldn’t know offhand. And we’ve been on the Do Not Call list for years. So the occasional rotten apple comes along.

  106. 106.

    Mnemosyne

    On the one hand, it’s a little creepy that web merchants know when I’ve been visiting their site to browse stuff.

    On the other, they just sent me a 50 percent off coupon that I can use for the jacket I want to buy but was waiting for a sale.

  108. 108.

    Ruckus

    @Ninedragonspot:
    You don’t have it memorized? For shame!
    I find my process is more fool proof. Because if the fools talk back I can always up my game. And now T Mobile allows one to block calls from a specific number. That’s very nice. They don’t however allow you to block VM from the same number. Baby steps.

  110. 110.

    Jake the antisoshul soshulist

    We have have white squirrels here in KY. At one time they were only common on the local college campus, buut have since spread around the city. Our cat brought a live one in once. Had a hell ova time catching it to get it out of the house.

  111. 111.

    Ninedragonspot

    @Ruckus: my memory’s not that good, and sometimes it takes a couple minutes for the joke to play out.

    Once I got the response, “I don’t have time for this, sir, and I’m sure you don’t either.” I replied, “Oh, nonsense! Here we go!” I pulled Wordsworth’s “Prelude” off the shelf, but it was a volume that had different editions of the poem on facing pages, so I inadvertently read a lot of the same material twice.

    Nice pome, tho.

  112. 112.

    Ruckus

    @Ninedragonspot:
    That inadvertent mistake is gold. They don’t know and if you got to the second page you wasted a lot of their time, keeping them from doing the same to others.
    Whatever works for you is fine, maybe I should learn to rhyme my swearing. Or swear in poems. Of course that’s been done but maybe there’s a twist to it. Hey a writing career! A sailors fucking poems.

  113. 113.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Bill Arnold: that is even better than my grandpa, who lived in Minneapolis and would drive the squirrels he trapped over the Mississippi River into St. Paul and released them over there. (I would joke that one of my great-uncles or other Italian relatives was then catching squirrels in St. Paul and releasing them in Minneapolis)

  120. 120.

    workworkwork

    @NotMax: I’ve done this with other types of pasta. I found a really good low-sugar garlic marinara in the store (I add a couple of minced cloves, though).
    Just five minutes at pressure. Super easy and as you say, not much cleanup.

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