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Two Hawks on the Fence Flinch at Mobbing Little Birds
We got sort of a comedy show by what we suspect are a couple of young Red-tail hawks on our neighbor’s fence. They looked a little clumsy, like they’re still getting used to their wings. We’re not sure why they were pecking at the ground. And for a couple of seconds they got dive-bombed by…
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James Alan McPherson Park Update
This being National Park and Recreation Month, I was looking for whether or not a memorial plaque has been dedicated and placed yet at James Alan McPherson Park in Iowa City. The issue of the plaque has been up in the air for years. I remember it being discussed at the dedication of the park…
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The Woodchuck is Back and It’s Patriotic!
Sena just saw the woodchuck in the back garden—and it’s patriotic. Mostly that’s because of the timing around the 4th of July. Last year there was a family of woodchucks that would freeze every time they heard something odd, like traffic noises. This time, we’re not sure how many will show up. But at least…
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The Hawk is a Head Bobber
The interesting thing about the Red-tail hawk in the video we got was that it bobbed and tilted its head a lot. It just looked really odd. So, I looked on the web to find out why it does that. It turns out that a hawk’s eyes are fixed in its skull, so in order…
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Remarks on Reblog of Big Mo Pod Show “Absorbing Influences”
This is a reblog of my post “Absorbing Influences,” which was the title of an entry of John Heim (aka Big Mo from the former Big Mo Pod Show). It was a regular review of Big Mo’s Friday blues music show (see link below in the original post). In my blog, I noted that I…
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Kickball Event Cancelled Due to Extreme Heat!
Great news! The University of Iowa Psychiatry Dept. annual kickball event has been cancelled because of the extreme heat warning! Now, about that annual cribbage challenge…
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Extreme Heat Warning!
The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Warning through Wednesday. Temperatures will be in the 90s with heat indices of 105-110 degrees. Do not play kickball. Play matball instead in an air-conditioned gym. Thank you for your time.
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Are These Hawks Talking?
We saw these two Red-tail hawks sitting together at the top of a tree in the outlot past our backyard. They seemed like they were somehow talking either to or at each other. We couldn’t tell whether it was a male and a female or not. But it didn’t look like they were having a…
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Svengoolie Show Movie: “Destroy All Monsters”
Svengoolie Intro: “Calling all stations! Clear the air lanes! Clear all air lanes for the big broadcast!” The Svengoolie show 1968 movie set in futuristic 1999 “Destroy All Monsters” was one of the kaiju shows which have an Astro Boy feel to them. It was supposed to be the last of the kaiju films, but…
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The Day the Firefighter Retired Reblog
Today is the day I retired back in 2020. That feels like such a long time ago. It was the end of a phased retirement pathway to giving up my role as a consulting psychiatrist for the University of Iowa Heath Care. We were in the process of moving to an older house. And we…
