Sumac. My childhood home in NE had sumac growing in the sand covering our septic tank.
I had a childhood encounter in the woods with poison sumac. In a sumac photo, I looked somewhat Oriental, with swollen eyelids.
I often admire staghorn leaves in the fall. But why is it called staghorn sumac?
Went on a drive around a couple of cute old towns in central New York today. The fall colors are winding down, but the land is rather interesting out there.
The great “leaves of three, let it be” mantra was drilled into our sons as Scouts.
However, on one occasion, one of the boys (who hadn’t yet had that training because he was still too young) complained about an itch in his nether regions. Dad took a look and told me to take him to the pediatrician the next day, which I did.
Doc took a look and asked if we had been camping lately.
I said that we had been out just that week-end.
He advised, “Tell the boys not to pee next to the poison ivy.”
Video of President Trump arriving in Malaysia. The local band plays the Mission Impossible theme. Starting at 2:40, Trump “dances” with the local dancers. https://youtu.be/ZKVq6NWwedE
In other news, the investigation of the Louvre Heist proceeds apace.
…the Associated Press photographer who snapped the curious shot last Sunday claimed that he had no reason to believe the man had anything to do with the Louvre investigation, but rather he was just someone who stepped into the frame. The photographer, Thibault Camus, told his outlet he believed the man added a bit of Parisian je ne sais quoi — “I don’t know what” — to his photos.
“He appeared in front of me, I saw him, I took the photo,” Camus says. “He passed by and left.”
Parisian authorities also decided to add a little French intrigue to the mystery when asked by AP if they could identify the man.
“We’d rather keep the mystery alive ;)” the Paris prosecutor’s office answered.
Who knew that French Bureaucrats had a sense of humor?
In return for losing “Dapper Man,” we did get a nice picture with this caption: “Members of the Paris Holmes Society staging a mock jewel heist outside of the Louvre on Oct. 25, 2025.”
Sorry, the band played Hawaii Five 0, not Mission Impossible.
“someone here suggested there was probably an insider involved.” Thanks for the link, Aesop, that was I. 🙂
I wonder when a movie will be made about the heist .
Is the “dapper man” photobombing? One of the cops seems to be giving him the side-eye.
This human interest story from the weekend’s WSJ will surprise few readers here, but perhaps it will come in useful if you encounter anyone badmouthing evangelical Christians.
I Used to Worry About Being Jewish in a Small Christian Town. Now I Feel Right at Home. https://archive.fo/SM46S
Sorry, the band played Hawaii Five 0, not Mission Impossible.
==
Had trouble recognizing it.
== https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8GNXVJhQGA
==
A Lalo Schifrin masterpiece. Not sure you could dance to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfXODtG_-1s
==
The membership is made up of students at East Tennessee State University, so the line up changes noticeably every few months. They gave a performance broadcast last night on Song of the Mountains that was entertaining.
Nice piece in the WSJ, Mike Plaiss. Thanks. I agree with the writer about Asheville (half an hour north of me) and about smaller Appalachian towns. Have a blessed day!
Getting back to the picture. It is interesting that the thoroughly uninteresting Sumac can be so beautiful when it has its moment. In the western suburbs of Chicago an abandoned train line was turned into a public path that runs for dozens of miles – the Prairie Path. Many years ago I was on a bike ride with my daughter and there was a very large field off the path that had been completely taken over by thistles. We went by when they were all in bloom and it was stunningly beautiful. I’ve spent a great deal of my gardening life battling the damn things.
When you are compiling a list of the detrimental effects of illegal immigration—and there are many–one thing which is frequently overlooked is “remittances,” the enormous amount of money which is sucked out of our economy–to it’s and our detriment (that’s money which is taken out of circulation, and is unavailable to help our economy and our businesses grow)–and is transferred to their home countries each year by immigrants, many of them illegal immigrants.
These amounts are enormous and, according to the article linked below, taken together, they actually far exceed the $80 billion given out by the U.S. each year as foreign aid—last year $63 billion dollars were remitted to Mexico alone (and that’s down from prior years, probably due to Trump’s efforts), $363 million sent to Nicaragua, where it made up 27 percent of that country’s GDP, $8.479 billion was remitted to El Salvador, Peru received $4.945 billion, Equador $6.54 billion, and India $135.46 billion.*
Sumac?
This song supports Israel – great tune and killer lyrics
Zohrab Mamdani, AOC and Rashida won’t like it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urZU2-PSV2Y
Looks like my staghorn sumacs. They grow like weeds here.
Trump sounds a little like Christopher Walken in this clip:
https://x.com/amuse/status/1982098680359342088
Trump is from Jamaica Estates, Queens.
Walken is from Astoria, Queens.
Sumac. My childhood home in NE had sumac growing in the sand covering our septic tank.
I had a childhood encounter in the woods with poison sumac. In a sumac photo, I looked somewhat Oriental, with swollen eyelids.
I often admire staghorn leaves in the fall. But why is it called staghorn sumac?
Went on a drive around a couple of cute old towns in central New York today. The fall colors are winding down, but the land is rather interesting out there.
The great “leaves of three, let it be” mantra was drilled into our sons as Scouts.
However, on one occasion, one of the boys (who hadn’t yet had that training because he was still too young) complained about an itch in his nether regions. Dad took a look and told me to take him to the pediatrician the next day, which I did.
Doc took a look and asked if we had been camping lately.
I said that we had been out just that week-end.
He advised, “Tell the boys not to pee next to the poison ivy.”
Video of President Trump arriving in Malaysia. The local band plays the Mission Impossible theme. Starting at 2:40, Trump “dances” with the local dancers.
https://youtu.be/ZKVq6NWwedE
In other news, the investigation of the Louvre Heist proceeds apace.
IIRC someone here suggested there was probably an insider involved.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/25/world-news/louvre-heist-being-investigated-as-inside-job-with-security-guard-eyed-in-landmark-robbery-report/
It was a bad day all around.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/23/world-news/a-second-french-museum-raided-hours-after-louvre-heist/
Sadly, we lost one of the more interesting facets of the investigation.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/25/world-news/dapper-man-sparks-intrigue-after-appearing-at-louvre-jewel-heist-investigation/
Who knew that French Bureaucrats had a sense of humor?
In return for losing “Dapper Man,” we did get a nice picture with this caption: “Members of the Paris Holmes Society staging a mock jewel heist outside of the Louvre on Oct. 25, 2025.”
Sorry, the band played Hawaii Five 0, not Mission Impossible.
“someone here suggested there was probably an insider involved.” Thanks for the link, Aesop, that was I. 🙂
I wonder when a movie will be made about the heist .
Is the “dapper man” photobombing? One of the cops seems to be giving him the side-eye.
This human interest story from the weekend’s WSJ will surprise few readers here, but perhaps it will come in useful if you encounter anyone badmouthing evangelical Christians.
I Used to Worry About Being Jewish in a Small Christian Town. Now I Feel Right at Home.
https://archive.fo/SM46S
Another dance scene on which Neo has yet to blog.
==
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oivcG31tDY
Sorry, the band played Hawaii Five 0, not Mission Impossible.
==
Had trouble recognizing it.
==
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8GNXVJhQGA
==
A Lalo Schifrin masterpiece. Not sure you could dance to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfXODtG_-1s
==
The membership is made up of students at East Tennessee State University, so the line up changes noticeably every few months. They gave a performance broadcast last night on Song of the Mountains that was entertaining.
Article in left-wing Pro Publica about Oklahoma’s anti-woke school policies:
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-education-department-oklahoma-public-schools
Nice piece in the WSJ, Mike Plaiss. Thanks. I agree with the writer about Asheville (half an hour north of me) and about smaller Appalachian towns. Have a blessed day!
Getting back to the picture. It is interesting that the thoroughly uninteresting Sumac can be so beautiful when it has its moment. In the western suburbs of Chicago an abandoned train line was turned into a public path that runs for dozens of miles – the Prairie Path. Many years ago I was on a bike ride with my daughter and there was a very large field off the path that had been completely taken over by thistles. We went by when they were all in bloom and it was stunningly beautiful. I’ve spent a great deal of my gardening life battling the damn things.
When you are compiling a list of the detrimental effects of illegal immigration—and there are many–one thing which is frequently overlooked is “remittances,” the enormous amount of money which is sucked out of our economy–to it’s and our detriment (that’s money which is taken out of circulation, and is unavailable to help our economy and our businesses grow)–and is transferred to their home countries each year by immigrants, many of them illegal immigrants.
These amounts are enormous and, according to the article linked below, taken together, they actually far exceed the $80 billion given out by the U.S. each year as foreign aid—last year $63 billion dollars were remitted to Mexico alone (and that’s down from prior years, probably due to Trump’s efforts), $363 million sent to Nicaragua, where it made up 27 percent of that country’s GDP, $8.479 billion was remitted to El Salvador, Peru received $4.945 billion, Equador $6.54 billion, and India $135.46 billion.*
* See https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/10/26/western-union-reports-fewer-u-s-dollars-being-sent-home-by-migrants/
Make that Ecuador.
@ Mike Plaiss in re thistles
One thistle in a lawn is a disaster; a million in a field are a masterpiece.
Plants are only called weeds when they grow where you don’t want them to be.
Dandelions in a huge field are also beautiful. And useful.
https://practicalselfreliance.com/dandelions-for-the-bees/