Curations from the Human Jungle
[We've all seen this guy, or his doppelganger, at the beach, at the festival field, at the state park. Here's a look at one of these guys who pursues his passion for the public good. SB SM] https://vtdigger.org/2026/08/16/there-it-was-mike-baker-jumps-into-lakes-and-digs-through-poison-ivy-for-lost-wedding-rings-and-other-precious-things/ ‘There it was’: Mike Baker jumps into lakes and digs through poison ivy for lost wedding rings... Continue Reading →
[Play the video while you read this. In 2 minutes and 21 seconds, you'll know a lot more about ovenbirds than you know now. We see this little fella a lot on Merlin, but not-so-much in real life. SB SM] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHdaLaQ3NqA The Outside Story Laurie D. Morrissey “There is a singer everyone has heard, /... Continue Reading →
[Last week you heard about my experience watching meteor showers aboard a destroyer escort in the Caribbean. Now, flash forward about 35 years. "Tonight is supposed to be the best night of the meteor showers," she says. "Let's stay up to watch them." "I have an even better idea," says He ... who then proceeds... Continue Reading →
[Remember ... if you can ... the last day of school. The bell rang, amd summer stretched before you ad infinitum. It was a glorious feeling of freedom, now eroded by the passing years. When first the bell rings the season stretches from here to the end of time. But August arrives and we know... Continue Reading →
["Guinness is Good for You" was the company's slogan when I lived there in 1972. On billboards this slogan was superimposed over an image of an attractive, professional woman with the telltale Guinness 'stache.' Personally, I found it quite the turn-on. Never met that girl in the pubs, however. SB SM] Shipwreck Divers Discovered a... Continue Reading →
[This seems like a million years ago ... snotty-nosed, mumbling, British punks introducing vacant-brained, clueless American teenagers to their own roots. Well, not really "their" roots. It was more like their "anti-roots," that is the cultural tradition that was the polar opposite of their own. But, don't listen to me ... listen to them. Then,... Continue Reading →
[A flurry of excitement rippled through The Jungle this week as news of a rogue Silverback spread. Was he here to raid our harems and steal our bananas? Nah! It was just Silverback Jon returning from his new home in Driggs, Idaho to exchange chest thumps with his old pals. SB SM] Photo by Thomas... Continue Reading →
[I didn't know Dave personally, but I feel like he would have liked being a Silverback. I don't really know the author, either, although he is a college classmate. He's Silverback-worthy, too. We steer clear of politics here in The Jungle, but this a touching story of personal transformation, well told. Welcome to The Jungle,... Continue Reading →
[I've told you before ... If I ever offer investment advice, run the other way! This stops short of that. Kiva.org is an irresistible portfoloio of appealing, deserving people who can greatly benefit from a little spare change that you have lying around. I find it entertaining, and inspirational to read about the individuals and... Continue Reading →
[The bane of my gardening existence is something called bindweed-- Convolvulus arvens-- an insidious member of the morning glory family. It thrives in my blackberry patch. Somehow the juxtaposition of delectable berries, lethal thorns, and a choking vine creates a biblical situation that I will write about ... after my forearms and legs heal. SB... Continue Reading →