Interesting — the Common Swift is built for one thing only: flying. Reminds me of a certain political party in the USA that is built for one thing only.
Any other Tennessee Williams buffs around here? Orpheus Descending is probably his most poetic play, which is saying something. In it the lead character (Val) tells Lady, the other main character, about a kind of tiny bird, almost weightless, that has no legs and so spends its entire life in the sky.
[T]hey live their whole life on the wing, and they sleep on the wind . . . they just spread their wings and go to sleep and . . . never light on this earth but one time when they die!
I always wondered where he got that. Now I know!
Where do they nest? In very dense clouds?
In “Cloud coo coo land” I guess?
Listen to this gorgeous piece of composer John Eccles 300 year old music,* then compare it to the screeching, more cowbell, garbage music (and lyrics, don’t forget today’s “lyrics”–Cole Porter is rollin’ in his grave) you hear every day on the radio.
Funny, how what one would think was such a relatively primitive time–the England of 300 years ago–compared to ours, produced such heavenly music.
I think the vast bulk of today’s music is an indicator, is all of a piece with the many other aspects of today’s society, which have not gotten better as time has progressed but have, in fact, slid backward, devolved.
The bird has a very long wingspan compared to its body length and especially compared to the length of its legs. I’m guessing that the narrator was suggesting that if it landed on an expanse of flat ground, it can’t take off again. It can’t flap much without smacking its wings into the ground.
However, landing on a tree branch or a nest in a tree, it can simply jump off. Then it’s flying again.
The taxonomists have their fun — Apodiformes:Apodidae (Apodinae):Apodini:Apus:Apus
Footless the footed go.
Snow on Pine:
Thank you for the link to “The Mad Lover.”
Exquisite, beautiful.
Seems like this bird gets credit for the “mile high club.”
Mike Plaiss: Great Tennessee Williams reference!
You’ll all be glad to know that my APOD is back! Astronomy Picture Of the Day. Thank god this nightmare shutdown is over.
“…nightmare…”
Indeed, and here’s why Fetterman has got to be ejected.
Snow On Pine
That was gorgeous! Good to be reminded that Brits 300 years ago may not have had the tech wonders we enjoy but they had music and literature that rivaled – if not exceeded – anything created today.
New post: Unusual Metaphors and Analogies in Song Lyrics
Interesting — the Common Swift is built for one thing only: flying. Reminds me of a certain political party in the USA that is built for one thing only.
Any other Tennessee Williams buffs around here? Orpheus Descending is probably his most poetic play, which is saying something. In it the lead character (Val) tells Lady, the other main character, about a kind of tiny bird, almost weightless, that has no legs and so spends its entire life in the sky.
[T]hey live their whole life on the wing, and they sleep on the wind . . . they just spread their wings and go to sleep and . . . never light on this earth but one time when they die!
I always wondered where he got that. Now I know!
Where do they nest? In very dense clouds?
In “Cloud coo coo land” I guess?
Listen to this gorgeous piece of composer John Eccles 300 year old music,* then compare it to the screeching, more cowbell, garbage music (and lyrics, don’t forget today’s “lyrics”–Cole Porter is rollin’ in his grave) you hear every day on the radio.
Funny, how what one would think was such a relatively primitive time–the England of 300 years ago–compared to ours, produced such heavenly music.
I think the vast bulk of today’s music is an indicator, is all of a piece with the many other aspects of today’s society, which have not gotten better as time has progressed but have, in fact, slid backward, devolved.
* See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jtBoqPpw-g
Where do they nest? In very dense clouds?
The bird has a very long wingspan compared to its body length and especially compared to the length of its legs. I’m guessing that the narrator was suggesting that if it landed on an expanse of flat ground, it can’t take off again. It can’t flap much without smacking its wings into the ground.
However, landing on a tree branch or a nest in a tree, it can simply jump off. Then it’s flying again.
The taxonomists have their fun — Apodiformes:Apodidae (Apodinae):Apodini:Apus:Apus
Footless the footed go.
Snow on Pine:
Thank you for the link to “The Mad Lover.”
Exquisite, beautiful.
Seems like this bird gets credit for the “mile high club.”
Mike Plaiss: Great Tennessee Williams reference!
You’ll all be glad to know that my APOD is back! Astronomy Picture Of the Day. Thank god this nightmare shutdown is over.
“…nightmare…”
Indeed, and here’s why Fetterman has got to be ejected.
“Fetterman Says Democrats Are Rudderless, And Total Dicks”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/no-one-really-knows-whos-charge-democratic-party-fetterman
…unless he’s just part of the scam, i.e., the PERMITTED exception—for public consumption—that doesn’t “endanger” the rule…
(Wish we couldn’t be so darn “conspiratorial”…)
Fetterman, continued…
“Fetterman Doesn’t Bite As Katie Couric Prods Him To Condemn Charlie Kirk”—
https://instapundit.com/756479/
+ Bonus (referenced at bottom of the above link):
“Fetterman Hospitalized After Fall: Conservatives Offer Prayers, BlueSky Descends into Vile Attacks”—
https://twitchy.com/justmindy/2025/11/13/fetterman-fall-ventricular-n2421650
Snow On Pine
That was gorgeous! Good to be reminded that Brits 300 years ago may not have had the tech wonders we enjoy but they had music and literature that rivaled – if not exceeded – anything created today.
New post: Unusual Metaphors and Analogies in Song Lyrics
https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/75393.html