Odds and ends

Dad on ice

I took down my birdfeeder the other day, I had to stay away from that window for awhile because I couldn't watch the birds who came and were puzzled by its absence. A father cardinal and its youngster came together and I felt especially sorry about them. Also the two chickadees and one nuthatch who came.

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My needlework group had an email debate about whether or how to get together, in light of recent changes in covid-19 protocols. One person offered her backyard (bring your own everything) for up to 10 people and I have tentatively accepted the offer. We shall see how it goes. Usually well over 20 people came to these get togethers before the pandemic. What I like about the group is that everyone is doing different kinds of work involving hooks or needles, you get to see all sorts of interesting stuff. The conversations range from mundane to extremely interesting.

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My peonies are getting set to burst into flower. Something I've always been curious about is the ants that crawl all over peonie flower buds. This spring I accidentally broke off one stem with a small flower bud on it so I brought it in and stuck it in a vase with water. I don't think it is going to flower, the bud is too undeveloped to be saved. But what I have noticed is the droplets of liquid forming on the surface of the bud, I bet that is what attracts the ants. I wonder if the plant gets anything in return, it must be secreting those droplets for a reason. Usually nectar is secreted after a flower opens in order to attract pollinators.

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One of my sons has a BA in philosophy and psychology, and is working on an MA in philosophy. We have interesting phone conversations on philosophical aspects of current events, he quotes people I have heard of but never understood what they were talking about. People think that academic philosophy is rather esoteric and useless, but when you hear it in relation to what's going on around us it gives historical context for why we think the way we do and it opens up possibilities for changing our automatic responses to events. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. A knowledge of philosophy opens up the possibility of not acting insanely.