• 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.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

The real work of an opposition party is to oppose.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

All hail the time of the bunny!

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

When I was faster i was always behind.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

American history and black history cannot be separated.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

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 / Nature & Respite / Birdwatching / Look at the Birdie

Look at the Birdie

by Betty Cracker|  February 26, 20203:54 pm| 78 Comments

This post is in: Birdwatching, Open Threads

FacebookTweetEmail

Here’s a bird to look at to shake off the negativity of the shit-show thread downstairs:

Limpkin eating a snail

Snapped this pic this morning when I saw the limpkin hunting snails in the shallow water. It’s hard to see, but it has an apple snail in its beak, which is about to be breakfast. Tough old world!

Open thread!

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Cat Rescue REBOOT: Shakespeare (NYC) Still Needs A New Home
Next Post: Breaking News: Colorado Repeals The Death Penalty Colorado Repeals The Death Penalty»

Reader Interactions

78Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    February 26, 2020 at 3:57 pm

    The bird kind of looks like Bernie. #NoRespite

  2. 2.

    hells littlest angel

    February 26, 2020 at 3:59 pm

    A snail without garlic butter? Tough old world, indeed.

  3. 3.

    prostratedragon

    February 26, 2020 at 4:03 pm

    Someone put up a new thread. The first two comments have saturated this one.

  4. 4.

    Nicole

    February 26, 2020 at 4:03 pm

    Pretty bird!

    I learned today that when you order something from eBay for the first time in years, eBay is so excited that it sends you a “Welcome Back!” email.  That’s weird.  Leave me alone, eBay.  Just because I needed something doesn’t mean we’re getting back together.

  5. 5.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    February 26, 2020 at 4:08 pm

    @Baud: It’s not red faced enough. #NoRespite

  6. 6.

    hells littlest angel

    February 26, 2020 at 4:09 pm

    @Nicole: But we thought you’d be interested in some items related to your recent purchase!

  7. 7.

    Morzer

    February 26, 2020 at 4:10 pm

    I dunno, man. Can that bird really win the South Carolina primary?

  8. 8.

    JPL

    February 26, 2020 at 4:10 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: If  Baud doesn’t be careful, that bird will poke his eyes out.

  9. 9.

    Morzer

    February 26, 2020 at 4:11 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Bernie’s more of a purple-faced Socialist millionaire.

  10. 10.

    hells littlest angel

    February 26, 2020 at 4:11 pm

    @Baud: The bird has better posture.

  11. 11.

    mrmoshpotato

    February 26, 2020 at 4:12 pm

    Does not go through narrow openings sideways.

  12. 12.

    Baud

    February 26, 2020 at 4:13 pm

    @JPL:  I’m more worried about Betty Cracker.

  13. 13.

    Nicole

    February 26, 2020 at 4:14 pm

    @hells littlest angel: But we thought you’d be interested in some items related to your recent purchase!

    Oh god, you’re right.  I bet I get daily emails from them for the next 2 years.

  14. 14.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    February 26, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    Respite basketball moment.

  15. 15.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    February 26, 2020 at 4:17 pm

    @hells littlest angel: Related…someone needs to clue in Bernie on how to use a microphone.  Hint: you don’t put it right next to your mouth.

  16. 16.

    trollhattan

    February 26, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    The kid got a kind of hint from Wellesley yesterday that she maybe possibly could sorta be accepted for fall. Just not officially, but would you care to come visit? It would seem colleges play a recruitment dance prior to their official announcement dates in order to not lose students to other offers already on the table. Which she presently has so this is going to be a STRESSFUL month. For everybody.

    You’d be proud–one of her main motivators for applying: Hillary went there.

  17. 17.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    February 26, 2020 at 4:19 pm

    @Nicole: Safe bet.

  18. 18.

    LuciaMia

    February 26, 2020 at 4:19 pm

    @hells littlest angel: My very first thought! LOL

  19. 19.

    trollhattan

    February 26, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    @Nicole:

    I stopped ebaying cold turkey and have to say I don’t miss it. Used the spouse’s account so they can’t even pester me.

    Buying–not so bad. Selling just sucks.

  20. 20.

    Morzer

    February 26, 2020 at 4:22 pm

    If you really want to be cheered up – apparently the test that the US authorities use to identify coronavirus is… sub-optimal.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/Fahrenthold/status/1232735993712840713

  21. 21.

    donnah

    February 26, 2020 at 4:23 pm

    Thanks, Betty!

    I think this is one of your best photos to date. I like how you captured the bird in motion, which isn’t always easy.

    We’re getting a modest snowfall here in SW Ohio, but the ground wasn’t frozen and it’s likely to be gone by tomorrow. Still, it’s a pretty, fluffy snow and we haven’t had much this winter.

  22. 22.

    randy khan

    February 26, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    Nature red in tooth and claw.

  23. 23.

    Nicole

    February 26, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: And I bet all the ads will be for things very similar to what I just bought.  I do not understand the follow-up ads for what someone JUST purchased.  It’s like they don’t want you to sell you something else so much as they want to trigger a case of buyer’s remorse.

  24. 24.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    February 26, 2020 at 4:28 pm

    @Nicole: Amazon does the same thing, waste of bandwidth.

  25. 25.

    Nicole

    February 26, 2020 at 4:29 pm

    @trollhattan: I loved eBay about… oh, 15 years ago.  And I’m happy with this purchase- I have a jacket on which I’ve sewn patches from places I’ve been to and I got it in my head I wanted one from where my family vacationed when I was a child, and eBay had a lovely vintage one I bought- but seriously, eBay, lay off.  It was a transaction; it’s over.  Don’t keep contacting me; it makes you seem desperate.

  26. 26.

    Ben Cisco

    February 26, 2020 at 4:30 pm

    @Baud: Great – now I’ve got people wondering why I’m at my desk howling like a hyena – thanks Baud!

  27. 27.

    Nicole

    February 26, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Oh God, yeah.  Amazon is THE WORST.

    Well, so is my credit card company, which I guess has launched their own shopping thing, because now, every time I buy something I get a, “YOU MAYBE COULD HAVE GOTTEN THIS CHEAPER SOMEWHERE ELSE IF YOU’D CHECKED WITH US FIRST” email from them.  Oh my god, leave me alone so I can go back to rage tweeting.

  28. 28.

    satby

    February 26, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    @trollhattan: nice!

  29. 29.

    Nicole

    February 26, 2020 at 4:34 pm

    @trollhattan: And sorry about the stress, but that’s great she’s got offers and that Wellesley is expressing interest.  Options are stressful, but in the end, better to have them.  I’m sure she’ll make the right choice.

  30. 30.

    Betty Cracker

    February 26, 2020 at 4:34 pm

    @trollhattan: Wow, that’s fantastic!

  31. 31.

    Baud

    February 26, 2020 at 4:37 pm

    @trollhattan: ?

  32. 32.

    Betty Cracker

    February 26, 2020 at 4:37 pm

    @donnah: Thank you! I want to be Albatrossity when I grow up.

    Haven’t seen snow since…1995 maybe? My husband refuses to go on vacation anywhere snowy (he grew up in Buffalo), but one of these days, I’ll strike out with the kid and/or my sister and see some snow again, damn it!

  33. 33.

    lurker dean

    February 26, 2020 at 4:39 pm

    i noticed amazon is very low on hand sanitizer, many vendors sold out.  i commented to my co-worker that it was nice to see people finally being proactive.  he, no doubt correctly, observed that it was probably disaster vultures buying up the stock to later shaft their fellow americans.  in my heart, i know he’s absolutely right.  wtf.

  34. 34.

    Jeffro

    February 26, 2020 at 4:41 pm

    RIP Clive Cussler.

    Dang did I ever love his first half-dozen (maybe more?) books.

  35. 35.

    Domestic short hair tabby

    February 26, 2020 at 4:42 pm

    @Betty- I was late to the am thread, but, as I said to Mr dsht, Bernie finally got some makeup on. Those red cheeks & pallor don’t disappear overnight.

  36. 36.

    Jay

    February 26, 2020 at 4:42 pm

    So, you know, great job, Project Veritas, you uncovered ABC for having an anti-left bias.— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) February 26, 2020

  37. 37.

    JPL

    February 26, 2020 at 4:44 pm

    @trollhattan: That’s wonderful and I have to admit that gave me chills.

  38. 38.

    mrmoshpotato

    February 26, 2020 at 4:44 pm

    @Jeffro: May he and Jacques explore the heavens.  RIP

  39. 39.

    JPL

    February 26, 2020 at 4:46 pm

    FYI Workplace shooting in Milwaukee Molson/Coors plant   Seven dead besides the shooter..    It probably won’t make the news cuz it is now commonplace.

  40. 40.

    Rob

    February 26, 2020 at 4:47 pm

    That is the perfect photo for a cloudy day up here in DC.

  41. 41.

    Amir Khalid

    February 26, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    @Baud:

    I wonder how that bird would react to a little man landing on his lectern.

  42. 42.

    mrmoshpotato

    February 26, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Lunch?

  43. 43.

    WaterGirl

    February 26, 2020 at 4:57 pm

    @Domestic short hair tabby: Looks at his hands and see how they compare to his face.  HIs hands have been as red as beets in the debates.

  44. 44.

    trollhattan

    February 26, 2020 at 5:02 pm

    Heartfelt thanks to all for your best wishes! It’s a surprisingly emotional year as we tick off a huge list of Last-Ofs and do our best in outlining the next chapter, which won’t go by script one bit, but it makes us feel like grownups to try.

  45. 45.

    Amir Khalid

    February 26, 2020 at 5:05 pm

    Some football news. The Emirate of Manchester have defeated hosts Real Madrid 2-1 in the first leg of their last-16 tie in the Champions League. Real now need to win their away tie by at least two goals to avoid going out on the away-goals rule. Meanwhile Olympique Lyonnaise beat Juventus 1-0; Juventus too will need to win their home tie by two goals.

  46. 46.

    Amir Khalid

    February 26, 2020 at 5:07 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:

    I don’t know how the bird’s campaign rally audience would react to that.

  47. 47.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    February 26, 2020 at 5:22 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Badly.

  48. 48.

    The Dangerman

    February 26, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    Trump doing a live news conference on Coronavirus?

    It’s ASH Wednesday, not Asshole Wednesday.

    This is going to be such a CF; he should stick to things he does well. Not sure what that would be but stick to it.

  49. 49.

    mrmoshpotato

    February 26, 2020 at 5:27 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Blame everyone but the bird?

  50. 50.

    debbie

    February 26, 2020 at 5:31 pm

    @satby:

    I spend most of my time here catching up on old threads, and I want to commend you for your I-will-not-back-down posts over the past few days. It does no good to cheer you on 12 hours after the fact, but I am anyway!

  51. 51.

    debbie

    February 26, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Yes, congratulations! Being near Boston  would also be a big win. It’s a great city to be in/near when you’re in college.

  52. 52.

    trollhattan

    February 26, 2020 at 5:33 pm

    @The Dangerman:

    A presser in which press people ask him unscripted questions*? Those always produce a lot of useful stuff.

    *Except Fox, “Sir, question 3b from the list please, sir.”

  53. 53.

    Mike in Pasadena

    February 26, 2020 at 5:35 pm

    • Another fine pic, Betty.
  54. 54.

    The Dangerman

    February 26, 2020 at 5:36 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Poly still in the running (pardon the pun)?

    ETA: Hmmm, I assumed track, not field. Doing the fasting thing today so brain functions impacted. If we start talking Trump and KFC, that might end quickly (although the closest KFC is Atascadero, so I might survive the temptation).

  55. 55.

    Mary G

    February 26, 2020 at 5:37 pm

    this good girl deserves all the treats(kes_theincredible IG) pic.twitter.com/K7mDTHI5kQ— Humor And Animals (@humorandanimals) February 26, 2020

  56. 56.

    Eric S.

    February 26, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    I’ve completed my first (only?) day of congressional lobbying. Not much to it for me. My company’s lobbyist set up the meetings. I just needed a 2 minute pitch about the benefits of LIHEAP and an anecdote. It helped immensely that the Congress critters from NE Illinois are Democrats that support the program. Maybe I’ll be able to come back for LIHEAP Action Day again next year.

  57. 57.

    satby

    February 26, 2020 at 5:40 pm

    @debbie: why thank you! ?

  58. 58.

    satby

    February 26, 2020 at 5:42 pm

    @Eric S.: Thanks for that, it’s an important program.

  59. 59.

    mrmoshpotato

    February 26, 2020 at 5:44 pm

    @Eric S.: And now you’re filthy rich? ?

  60. 60.

    mrmoshpotato

    February 26, 2020 at 5:44 pm

    Remembering screwy animation genius Tex Avery – the man who turned toons from cute to cracked – born today in 1908. pic.twitter.com/slpIpDQPlv— Marshall Julius (@MarshallJulius) February 26, 2020

  61. 61.

    Eric S.

    February 26, 2020 at 5:50 pm

    @JPL: the DNC is being held in Milwaukee. It could get some play.

  62. 62.

    jl

    February 26, 2020 at 5:52 pm

    @Jay: ‘So, you know, great job, Project Veritas, you uncovered ABC for having an anti-left bias.’

    So, Wright was suspended, from what I read in the news.

    I don’t know why these news organizations have to be so stupid and chickenshit. Wright criticized Trump coverage as poor quality, both because too critical in some ways, not positive enough in other ways. That is Wright basically saying that he was concerned about accuracy and lack of bias in the coverage for a person he didn’t like.

    What about Chris Matthews, for having a nervous breakdown, or obvious bias, or both, on air? One would think comparison of a sitting US Senator to a Nazi invasion would prompt some action, no matter how much I don’t want Sanders to win the nomination.

  63. 63.

    Sab

    February 26, 2020 at 5:52 pm

    @satby: Your shampoo bars came yesterday. I really like the one I tried last night.

  64. 64.

    debbie

    February 26, 2020 at 5:53 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Ha! Those clips were great, and I think I heard a bit of Jimmy Durante in there?

  65. 65.

    laura

    February 26, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    @trollhattan: enjoy this exciting time as it is fleeting as rain in sacramento. I hope that she gets into the school she’s best suited for. You’ve raised a good’n and love when you post her accomplishments on the track and in the Democrat Party. I got to do a semester course in a Boston area University and it was such a great/completely different experience for this lifetime cali gal. Highlight of my academic life -great public transportation and winter weather without the mountain travel. So much to do and see along with studying. Best of luck in the choosing.

  66. 66.

    Eric S.

    February 26, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: I have a couple meals and a couple beers I get to charge back to the company, but rich? Sadly not. But it’s my first time. Perhaps I’ll get better.

  67. 67.

    Jeffro

    February 26, 2020 at 5:59 pm

    So I see the Ill Douche is tweeting his usual word salad of grievances, abuse, and lies as he prepares to address the nation heading into a potential national crisis…it’s all Democrats fault, don’t you know, and his closing the border somehow managed to keep us safe from the virus, don’t you know and on and on

    stroke, stroke, STROKE

  68. 68.

    Yutsano

    February 26, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    @trollhattan: Hey if I got into Sanford then she’s a shoo in! And what a great school for her to attend! I hope you two at least make the visit.

    @Betty Cracker:  We have this nice snow-covered mountain just outside of Seattle. And we have awesome meet-ups. I’mma just sayin’…

    Also too: BIRB!!!

  69. 69.

    satby

    February 26, 2020 at 6:03 pm

    @Sab: oh, great, thanks for letting me know!

    Edit: after I was supposed to ship it I decided the lavender was too faint, so I remade that batch.?

  70. 70.

    The Dangerman

    February 26, 2020 at 6:05 pm

    @Jeffro:

    So I see the Ill Douche is tweeting his usual word salad…

    Works for me that if you wear a MAGA Hat, you can’t possibly wear a facemask.

  71. 71.

    chopper

    February 26, 2020 at 6:10 pm

    @Jeffro:

    makes sense. we all know the virus is trying desperately to cross over from mexico on foot and Wall(tm) is totes what’s stopping it.

  72. 72.

    Patricia Kayden

    February 26, 2020 at 6:10 pm

    Disturbing. Rightwingers are awful everywhere.

    A quarter of Indian homes still don't have a toilet but Modi's building detention camps for people who can't prove their citizenship. By @bibhu_pradhan https://t.co/re1mcKUvwD— Alex Wayne (@aawayne) February 26, 2020

  73. 73.

    zhena gogolia

    February 26, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    @Eric S.:

    Congratulations!

  74. 74.

    JPL

    February 26, 2020 at 6:26 pm

    @Eric S.:  The NYTimes just notified me an hour and forty five minutes later.

  75. 75.

    trollhattan

    February 26, 2020 at 6:31 pm

    @The Dangerman:

    Poly pitched a good pitch, and she really liked the environment so still in the running, as long as the offer doesn’t evaporate. The coaches get anxious to fill their squads.

    She’s chuffed for track, which starts next month. Her training times are up so she may nab some PBs at meets if she can keep her ankles screwed together.

  76. 76.

    trollhattan

    February 26, 2020 at 6:35 pm

    @laura:

    Thanks and speaking of rain, good lord we’re going to have our 0.00-inch February, aren’t we? The backyard is bone dry and the other gardens are only moist because the drip has been running all month. Ugh!

    My bro/her uncle is an MIT boy and lives in NH so she’d have somebody to visit and maybe help her network if she goes there.

  77. 77.

    laura

    February 26, 2020 at 6:38 pm

    @trollhattan: I got a sunburn hate-weeding the backyard this weekend.

  78. 78.

    trollhattan

    February 26, 2020 at 6:44 pm

    @laura:

    hate-weeding

    :-)

    Of course, is there any other kind?

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - Winter Wren - North of Quebec City (part 2 of 3) - Cap Tourmente and on the way to Tadoussac 4
Image by Winter Wren (5/16/25)

Recent Comments

  • eclare on Saturday Morning Open Thread: A Ray of Hope (May 17, 2025 @ 8:30am)
  • Geminid on Open Thread: Oh, Really? (May 17, 2025 @ 8:29am)
  • JML on Saturday Morning Open Thread: A Ray of Hope (May 17, 2025 @ 8:28am)
  • H.E.Wolf on Saturday Morning Open Thread: A Ray of Hope (May 17, 2025 @ 8:28am)
  • Baud on Saturday Morning Open Thread: A Ray of Hope (May 17, 2025 @ 8:27am)

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

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
War in Ukraine
Donate to Razom for Ukraine

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

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

Meetups

Upcoming Ohio Meetup May 17
5/11 Post about the May 17 Ohio Meetup

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

Hands Off! – Denver, San Diego & Austin

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

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

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!