• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

White supremacy is terrorism.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

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

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

Giving up is unforgivable.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

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

“Alexa, change the president.”

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Consistently wrong since 2002

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

How stupid are these people?

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Threads / Every Day, Dramatic Change

Every Day, Dramatic Change

by John Cole|  May 26, 20182:49 pm| 64 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

FacebookTweetEmail

It’s really surprising to me how fast these critters grow:

We’re rigging the safety device today. I put some thought into it, and netting was not a viable option because I did not want them to get stuck in it, and I also did not want something that would be really taut and have a trampoline effect and instead of rescuing them, launch them into the ether, so I am rigging a tarp that will have a slight grade to the floor of the porch, and then blocking off the porch so rogue animals can not get near them. I’ll post pictures when the contraption is done.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Comhghairdeas Éire! (Our Chance Comes In November)
Next Post: Soccer Open Thread »

Reader Interactions

64Comments

  1. 1.

    Jager

    May 26, 2018 at 3:01 pm

    From our house to yours John…in our hanging fuchsia…. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=24c068a738&view=att&th=1639d90337ca8a9d&attid=0.1&disp=safe&realattid=1601549740383666176-local0&zw

  2. 2.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 3:02 pm

    Sportsball news: Still no score in the UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev. Liverpool have the advantage in pace and possession at the moment.

  3. 3.

    Elizabelle

    May 26, 2018 at 3:10 pm

    The little housefinches are amazing.

    My friend thinks his housefinch nest has hatched too. Will have to see if the young ‘uns are visible yet. Mama housefinch built that nest way up near the porch roof, in a space where the wooden support had sagged. So his finchettes are not visible, alas, but we can tell the parents are still vigilant.

  4. 4.

    pat

    May 26, 2018 at 3:11 pm

    Have you seen the parents? Do you know what they are? I’m guessing robins,but I don’t usually see them that young.

    ETA: I see a mention of house finches.

  5. 5.

    Another Scott

    May 26, 2018 at 3:12 pm

    @Jager: Your link gives me a 404. :-(

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  6. 6.

    Ella in New Mexico

    May 26, 2018 at 3:16 pm

    I love John’s new Twitter handle, but my brain always changes it from “Whoop Ditty Scoop Poop” to “Whoop Ditty Poop Scoop” for some reason. Cuz I do a lot of “Poop Scooping” at my house so it make more sense to my neuro connections I guess…

    By the way has anyone figured out what kind of birdies these are?

  7. 7.

    Morfydd

    May 26, 2018 at 3:16 pm

    Oh dear, Amir. That was an awful foul.

  8. 8.

    Neldob

    May 26, 2018 at 3:17 pm

    What sweet little birdlings! and such good haircuts!

  9. 9.

    OldDave

    May 26, 2018 at 3:17 pm

    Open thread? Hope so. Apollo 12 astronaut and talented and funny guy Alan Bean has passed at age 86.

  10. 10.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    @Ella in New Mexico:
    House finches. The more bird-savvy jackals worked this out a while back.

  11. 11.

    Morfydd

    May 26, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    Did they even call it as a foul?

  12. 12.

    DCrefugee

    May 26, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    Worms seem to be nutritious…

  13. 13.

    Omnes Omnibus

    May 26, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I am obligated to be your oppo in this contest. Sorry.

  14. 14.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    Damn. Mo Salah is off with a shoulder injury. Adam Lallana is on for him.

  15. 15.

    MagdaInBlack

    May 26, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    Why is it the gruffest exteriors cover the warmest hearts ?
    You make me smile, John Cole ☺️

  16. 16.

    Morfydd

    May 26, 2018 at 3:26 pm

    @Amir Khalid: and now Carvajal is out…

    My bf’s college friend hosted what I thought would be a boozy middle aged get together and turned out to be a catered garden party. Im about peopled out, especially with linited German, but now theres Football and unlimited Hugo drinks…

  17. 17.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 3:26 pm

    A pox on Sergio Ramos.

  18. 18.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 26, 2018 at 3:27 pm

    Yester morn my wife calls me outside to “rescue” a baby bird. As I walked towards it it took off from the ground and wackily flew to a bush where it crashed into a branch and fell to the ground, mightily embarrassed but physically none the worse for wear. As I walked towards the landing zone, Mama flycatcher zoomed over baby to see if he was OK. I figured Mama knew best how to deal with the situation and against my wife’s vociferous protests let it be, especially since what was I going to do anyway? A few hours later i spotted Baby flying across the garden with strength and confidence and just a little shaky on the landing.

    Usually humans just make things worse.

  19. 19.

    MagdaInBlack

    May 26, 2018 at 3:34 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Amen
    *oops…now it lost my nym.

  20. 20.

    Planetpundit

    May 26, 2018 at 3:36 pm

    Please, John no tools. Think of the children!

  21. 21.

    Jager

    May 26, 2018 at 3:36 pm

    @Another Scott: Blue egg about the size of a gumball. We’ve had this house for three years, this is our 3rd hanging plant nest all lined with hair from Anze the Dog! When the tree guys dropped the dead oak a couple of weeks ago , I found an old humming bird nest, it’s joined Mrs J’s nest collection and it had a warm dog hair lining too.

  22. 22.

    Brachiator

    May 26, 2018 at 3:37 pm

    @MagdaInBlack:

    Why is it the gruffest exteriors cover the warmest hearts ?
    You make me smile, John Cole

    I second that!

  23. 23.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    May 26, 2018 at 3:38 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    That was a grievous hack against Salah that put him out of the game. Should have earned a yellow card at least.

  24. 24.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    May 26, 2018 at 3:44 pm

    Is the mother still screaming at you?

  25. 25.

    rikyrah

    May 26, 2018 at 3:48 pm

    Where Are The Children feels different, as far as Dolt45 scamdals go. Because of the simplicity of the its evil.
    You don’t have to approve or disapprove of illegal immigration to make you sick to your stomach the thought that CHILDREN are being taken away from their parents AND THEN LOST.
    For those that it doesn’t bother, we were never going to reach them anyway, so phuck them and their mother.

  26. 26.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    @Steeplejack (phone):
    Ramos dislocated his shoulder. Looks like no World Cup for Mo.

  27. 27.

    JCJ

    May 26, 2018 at 3:56 pm

    Oh shit. What an awful play by the Liverpool keeper.

  28. 28.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 3:58 pm

    Karius threw the ball at Benzema’s leg and it bounced into the net. Real 1-0 Liverpool. Feh.

  29. 29.

    JCJ

    May 26, 2018 at 4:00 pm

    An equalizer!

  30. 30.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    May 26, 2018 at 4:01 pm

    Real Madrid scores on the flukiest of goals. And now Liverpool comes right back!

  31. 31.

    rikyrah

    May 26, 2018 at 4:01 pm

    The babies are so cute ???
    You are good people, Cole ?

  32. 32.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 4:01 pm

    @JCJ:
    Big balls football from Mane!

  33. 33.

    Shell

    May 26, 2018 at 4:02 pm

    the thought that CHILDREN are being taken away from their parents AND THEN LOST.

    But haven’t you heard? Its all Democrats faults.

  34. 34.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 4:10 pm

    Gareth Bale scores a beauty for Real. 2-1.

  35. 35.

    JCJ

    May 26, 2018 at 4:10 pm

    That was a stunner. Gareth Bale. OMG.

  36. 36.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    May 26, 2018 at 4:11 pm

    Okay, Bale made up for the fluke with that goal. Shnikeys!

  37. 37.

    p.a.

    May 26, 2018 at 4:16 pm

    Several years ago saw a just-fledged cardinal hanging upside down on my chain link fence, flapping madly, dad perched nearby watching. LMAO. Junior dropped to the ground and wobbled his way into a nearby bush.

  38. 38.

    Denali

    May 26, 2018 at 4:24 pm

    You’re a good man, John Cole. We had a junco nest 2 floors above our deck. One fledglng made it – the other did not. Nature is not always kind.

  39. 39.

    JCJ

    May 26, 2018 at 4:30 pm

    Oh man. The keeper for Liverpool is not going to sleep well tonight

  40. 40.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 4:30 pm

    Karius fucked up again. 3-1. Game over.

  41. 41.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 4:34 pm

    We need a decent keeper. Mignolet wasn’t it and Karius’ second big mistake today has just handed Real Madrid the Champions League. I’m depressed now.

  42. 42.

    HinTN

    May 26, 2018 at 4:35 pm

    Just for the record, Cole, they’re birds. The parents know better than you. You may try to thwart nature raw in tooth and claw but not all of them are going to survive. Think about how many seeds a tree makes to ensure the continuance of the woods.

    I’m ready to be banhammered now.

  43. 43.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    May 26, 2018 at 4:39 pm

    @Shell:

    Has anyone asked Huckleberry Sanders how that circle is squared? Is ICE staffed by Democrats?

  44. 44.

    HinTN

    May 26, 2018 at 4:39 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly: Got there first and far more gently. Well done, sir.

  45. 45.

    J

    May 26, 2018 at 4:41 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I couldn’t agree more. There is no way anyone for Liverpool can have any confidence in Karius. Liverpool and their fans deserved so much better. To give up two horrendous goals in such a big match hurts.

  46. 46.

    J R in WV

    May 26, 2018 at 4:42 pm

    Was looking at bird sites, there are hundreds of bird nest cams now.

    Learned that out on the left coast, many people were watching live when a snake entered a nest full of baby birds and proceeded to eat them all.

    Bird watchers everywhere screamed “Save Them” and the scientists running the web cam said “Snakes gotta eat too…” Which is true.

    Baby snakes are pretty cute, also. I rescued a ring-neck black snake that was the size of a ball point pen filler from a hotel lobby years ago, at a state park. I took it out into the woods and set it down. It was shiny black with a golden collar, they turn lighter in color as the snake ages, I’m not sure if they fade away once the snake is really big or not.

    I haven’t seen really big black snakes with a collar, though. Our black snakes can be 6 or 7 feet long and the size of my wrist, which is about 3 inches across. They keep copperheads (the most common poisonous snake in these parts) away from the farm, so the more there are, the better.

  47. 47.

    debbie

    May 26, 2018 at 4:43 pm

    @rikyrah:

    I can’t believe he tries to pin this on Democrats. This is the purest picture of Trump we’ve seen. Pure venality.

  48. 48.

    HinTN

    May 26, 2018 at 4:44 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:

    Is ICE staffed by Democrats?

    That soulless one will not know the basis for the question.

  49. 49.

    mad citizen

    May 26, 2018 at 4:46 pm

    I used to have a bluebird house attached to the pole the mailbox hangs on. We had several broods over the years. Once they get the size these are, it seemed most make it and fly away. I remember the one time I was weeding or something in the front yard and I saw their initial flights and leaving the nest. It was unexpectedly moving.

  50. 50.

    trollhattan

    May 26, 2018 at 4:49 pm

    @OldDave:
    Now only four living humans walked on the moon. Let’s send Trump there and tell him to build a hotel anywhere he likes.

  51. 51.

    JPL

    May 26, 2018 at 4:58 pm

    @debbie: He’ll surprise us yet. Friday he signed an executive order loosening union laws on firing federal workers. Expect the great wave of registered democrats to be removed from federal positions. I wish I was kidding.

  52. 52.

    Mary G

    May 26, 2018 at 5:00 pm

    Never change, John.

  53. 53.

    Yutsano

    May 26, 2018 at 5:02 pm

    @JPL: That gets tied up in court on Tuesday. An executive order cannot overturn existing Congressional law.

  54. 54.

    JPL

    May 26, 2018 at 5:06 pm

    @Yutsano: Let’s hope so.

  55. 55.

    J R in WV

    May 26, 2018 at 5:09 pm

    @JPL:

    As was said immediately after this Executive Order was signed with much hoopla, he cannot revoke the Civil Service Act of 1974 with his pen. So… no, not so much.

    No matter how much he wishes it to be so, it will not be.

    ETA: To repeat honored commenter @Yutsano!

  56. 56.

    MomSense

    May 26, 2018 at 5:14 pm

    I’m wary of making any kind of safety trap for the birds. Nature has its way of doing things. Usually humans mess it up in ways we never expected or intended.

  57. 57.

    Amir Khalid

    May 26, 2018 at 5:16 pm

    @J R in WV:
    After this gets pointed out to him enough times, I expect Trump to issue an executive order giving himself the power to revoke laws passed by Congress.

    //

  58. 58.

    Steve on St. Simons Island

    May 26, 2018 at 5:24 pm

    @J R in WV: honored commenter…and federal employee!

  59. 59.

    Yutsano

    May 26, 2018 at 5:31 pm

    @J R in WV: @Steve on St. Simons Island: Oh pfft. I just know my union is a bulldog about these things. And executive orders trying to countermand established law is already well precedented as a no-no in court already.

  60. 60.

    Yarrow

    May 26, 2018 at 5:55 pm

    @MomSense: Agreed. Maybe just putting some things that will make the porch softer and more like the grass or leaves they’d land on if they were in something planted in the ground would be enough.

  61. 61.

    Emerald

    May 26, 2018 at 5:58 pm

    In other birdcam news, sadness in Decorah, Iowa. First, about five weeks ago, the beloved eagle Dad Decorah disappeared. There was a snowstorm but he didn’t seem to be having any problem with that. More likely it was a displacement by a young male bird in the area. If so, Dad might try to come back. Meanwhile, Mom Decorah has raised the three kids all by herself and they are thriving. The Unidentified Male Eagle is hanging around still, but she won’t let him into the nest..

    Greater sadness yesterday with both tiny eaglets in the Decorah North Nest (miles to the north), just hatched a few days ago. They appear to have succumbed to gnats, which can clog their airways. These were from a second clutch, but they were hatched too late in the season for them to survive. The Decorah North Nest has had a sad season.

    But life in the eagle world continues! Dad’s last three eaglets (unless he can return–sometimes they do), will fledge in about three weeks or so.

  62. 62.

    satby

    May 26, 2018 at 6:12 pm

    @MomSense: @Yarrow: I think John’s plan for the fledglings is a good one: the tarp will let them land on it or slide to the porch floor gently and blockading the porch from critters until they can fly over the railings away should work fine. I have a robin’s nest over my back door eve, last year one fledgling sat (and pooped all over) my porch chair for an entire day before he ventured another flight into the bushes. This year I found two dead fledglings, though I can tell by the adult birds behavior there’s other fledgling around that they’re watching and feeding under the cover of bushes. I kind of wished I could have moved the dead ones under the evergreens and given them a fighting chance when they first came out of the nest.

  63. 63.

    bluefish

    May 26, 2018 at 6:18 pm

    Wow, what an experience you’re having with the birdies. Nice — Those are some lucky duckies. Rest of the gang may start to get jealous so … en garde! Cool how they all hang out together so snugly — But don’t be Tony Soprano with the ducks though — And other such completely unsolicited advice. You have a lot of love in you — And so the creatures come.

  64. 64.

    DanR2

    May 26, 2018 at 7:48 pm

    How to save baby critters is tough.

    We have an issue in our backyard where our mutt figured out where a rabbit nest is. I covered it back up the best I could and rigged a little wire fencing over it with an opening that a mother rabbit could go through (but not a cocker spaniel). We’ll see. Probably be burying some baby bunnies in a few days.

    Saw six adult bunnies munching on grass in the front yard a while ago, so I don’t think extinction is a concern, but boy, baby rabbits are damn cute.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - Albatrossity - The Birds of May 3
Image by Albatrossity (7/31/25)

World Central Kitchen

Donate

Recent Comments

  • Gloria DryGarden on Years and Years (Open Thread) (Jul 13, 2025 @ 3:20am)
  • prostratedragon on Late Night Open Thread: America’s Fascists Love Alligators (Jul 13, 2025 @ 3:16am)
  • Gloria DryGarden on Readership Capture Open Thread: Alexandra Petri (Jul 13, 2025 @ 3:12am)
  • Gloria DryGarden on Readership Capture Open Thread: Alexandra Petri (Jul 13, 2025 @ 3:09am)
  • ColoradoGuy on Late Night Open Thread: America’s Fascists Love Alligators (Jul 13, 2025 @ 2:29am)

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
No Kings Protests June 14 2025

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

Feeling Defeated?  If We Give Up, It's Game Over

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!