Gullible, who me?

Well this is what the general reaction seemed to be when I retold a story that I had heard recently on the radio; they never lie do they?

The story is about an experiment where 32 metronomes are started at random, and over a period of a few minutes they synchronize themselves. It sounds a bit like magic to me, but it is the kind of magic I like. Here is a video of the experiment:

This apparently relies on the metronomes being placed on a movable surface, if they are left on a stable and static surface they remain unsynchronized. When I heard the story on the radio, they left out the part about the metronomes being on a movable surface, so maybe no wonder I was not believed.

So a lesson for us all, if we all move together, we can find harmony too.

Gullibility is an interesting word; defined as a failure of social intelligence in which a person is easily tricked or manipulated into an ill-advised course of action.

"It is closely related to credulity, which is the tendency to believe unlikely propositions that are unsupported by evidence. The words gullible and credulous are commonly used as synonyms." (Wikipedia)

"The verb to gull and the noun cullibility (with a C) date back to Shakespeare and Swift, whereas gullibility is a relatively recent addition to the lexicon. It was considered a neologism as recently as the early 19th century. The first attestation of gullibility known to the Oxford English Dictionary appears in 1793, and gullible in 1825. The OED gives gullible as a back-formation from gullibility, which is itself an alteration of cullibility." (Wikipedia)

On the subject of "gull"ible here are some pictures that I have taken of gulls recently.

Glaucous-Winged Gull

There were a few people fishing off the dock and the gulls were paying attention, just in case something tasty might come their way.

It was a windy day and some of the gulls were hovering and playing with the air currents. I was delighted to have the opportunity to catch some birds in flight.

California Gull?

"He was not bone and feather but a perfect idea of freedom and flight, limited by nothing at all.”  Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull

It was high tide and I liked the way the water was bubbling and gurgling around the wharf.

This young gull was not squawking noisily for food, but happy to sit and watch, and pose for the camera.

Same young gull as before, a bit of a coy look first and then giving me the eye.

There is a saying that sometimes you feel like a bird (I think it's about a pigeon) and sometimes you feel like the statue.

Well this week I felt like the "poopy" statue. My website was hacked this week and I have spent many hours on the phone to support staff trying to get the site fixed and off the "blacklist". Why do people do  this, for jollies, are they twisted (I think so)? I am now just waiting for Google to "clear" my website; are there any real people at Google, I have never heard of anyone that has actually talked to one!

I took today's pictures on a rare sunny afternoon; I have had lots of opportunity to test out my new waterproof shoes of late; they seem to be living up to that promise, but it is early in the winter still.

Here is a painting (watercolour) I finished this week, a Christmas theme again, called "Let it Snow":

And here's a watercolour, called "Fall Colour", dedicated to my friends in the USA, Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Thank you for stopping by, and a special thank you to those that take the time to leave comments for me.

Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next week ...................

Summer Leftovers?

Yes, is almost the end of summer, and I have some leftovers for you. Not to worry I am not talking about stale potato salad, slightly composted greens and dried out chicken, but instead some pictures from the summer that I have not yet shared with you.

This gull is giving me the "Aren't you supposed to be back at work with everyone else?" look; the gulls did not seem to miss the people and umbrellas, but they may be missing the handouts and food leftovers.

I had a discussion recently with some friends about the origins of the term Indian Summer.  I have always thought that the term Indian Summer refers summer like conditions lasting through September and into October but since I didn't know for sure what it meant I thought it timely to do a bit of research.

Flowers into seeds:

According to Wikipedia: "The expression 'Indian summer' has been used for more than two centuries. The earliest known use was by French-American writer John Hector St. John de Crevecoeur in rural New York in 1778: "Then a severe frost succeeds which prepares it to receive the voluminous coat of snow which is soon to follow; though it is often preceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian Summer."

Here are some theories about its etymology (from Wikipedia):

• "In Colonial New England and New York, Indian Summer referred only to a January thaw, when American Indian raiding parties could be expected in the western and northern areas: the ground had briefly lost its snow cover so tracking the Native American raiders back to their winter camps was much more difficult for the Colonials. " 

• "In The Americans: The Colonial Experience, Daniel J. Boorstin speculates that the term originated from raids on European colonies by American Indian war parties; these raids usually ended in late autumn (due to snow covered ground), hence summer-like weather in the late fall and mid winter was an Indian Summer, a time raiding parties could be expected. "

• "It may be so named because this was the traditional period during which early American Indians harvested their crops of squash and corn." 

I have usually heard the term Indian Summer used when summer weather lasts well past the fall equinox (third week in September), not necessarily preceded by a period of cold weather. It is probably too soon to say for sure but I have heard predictions of an Indian Summer for this year; fingers crossed that it happens.

A colourful array of summer produce (tomatoes, eggplants and artichokes):

The summer's progression of colourful flowers: Lilies, sweet peas, lobelia, vicars mead, fuchsia, roses, day lilies, rhododendrons, echinacea, laitris and euphorbia.

 

 

 

 

A nest, now vacated, that a neighbour found and gave me:

 

And a few bunnies:

This one had a close look at me, then realizing I was not a threat started rolling around on the ground, occasionally stopping to have a look at me.

I took a short video of him doing a bit of cleanup following a roll in the dirt:

This is one of the many baby bunnies from early in the summer:

 

Here is a whole family, and then their mother watching over them:

One last video taken from a dock on one of the gulf islands this summer:

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed this "leftover" version of summer photographs.

"Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories. Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart." Thomas Fuller
 

 

I have just finished a painting of a large wooden mask that I saw at an indoor garden. It is a watercolour that I have called "Sun Washed":

Thank you for dropping by, hope you enjoyed your visit and Happy Whimsy Wednesday.

Until next week ...............