The h2g2 Post: 18.05.20

Created Apr 14, 2020 | Updated May 17, 2020

A crest bearing the legend The H2G2 Post

Posted: 18^th May 2020

Spring Would Be Nice

When my sugar goes down the street,

All the little birdies go 'tweet, tweet, tweet'.

Dumb birdies.

Elektra Gheorgheni, c1971

That quote, and the bird photos, are here to remind Your Editor to make an announcement. Due to overwhelming interest on the part of the Editorial people of your fine website, 1 June will see our first-ever Birding Issue! If you wish to be a part of this historic, colourful, and informative publication, please send me bird photos, videos, and/or articles ASAP. Meaning, this week. Also, still accepting May Create submissions, plus all the signs, oddities and other happenings, natural and unnatural, that you can manage to point a camera at. Also poetry, stories, and drawings.

See that bird? That's a Baltimore Oriole. Yes, we know the Post Office is not in Baltimore, which is in Maryland. We are in backwoods Pennsylvania. But this gorgeous bird showed up in the neighbour's nectar bushes the other day and made a meal of them. We have video evidence which we will show you in the Birding Issue. You'll have to wait. This is good for you, because it builds character.

The remarkable thing was that the oriole was doing this while snow was blowing all around. Yes, sigh, it is May. All month. And so far, not one three-day period has passed without snow flurrying around outside our window. Frankly, we are tired of it. Just another reason 2020 is not on our list of favourite years.
Nichtsdestoweniger, as the Germans say¹, we have wonderful reading matter for you this week. You may be stuck indoors, or, like Freewayriding, madly tearing up the backyard like you've just discovered gardening (which he has!), the news may suck, but you won't want for things to look at, read, discuss, and be cheered by. Not if we have anything to do with it.

So bring on the Content!
Bird Mooning Photographer by DG

We have nature in all its forms and moods. Phred Firecloud will take you bear-watching. I provide an introductory lesson in sparrow identification. Caiman Raptor Elk explains about rabbits and geometry. You can get a PhD in natural weirdness without even signing up for one of those online courses.
Speaking of weird nature, Freewayriding. The pandemic has him discovering the joys of backyard gardening, and he's going all out. This week's adventure involves scarecrow creation. Naturally, that scarecrow looks like it belongs to one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The birds don't look impressed, though. Our x-treme gardener also found time to send us a wild short story apparently brought on by a bout of Covid-19. You won't want to miss this one.
It's not all nature stuff. We've got a quiz, and some writing advice, and cinema from Awix (Godzilla). There's plenty of humour and visual storytelling, and SashaQ has a musical video you definitely need to hear. It's a blast from the past with an evergreen sound.

Enjoy your week, friends, in every way you can that's safe, satisfying, and legal. (That goes for you, too, 2legs!) Remember to take pictures, and write early and often.

PS Remember, 25 May is Towel Day, and most of us will be spending it at home. Send your towel photos to the Post to celebrate. (If you wear the lilac, include that, too!)

Write the Post at:
postteamhg-at-gmail-dot-com

Quote of the Week: In a 2014 study, participants were given a choice between sitting in silence with their own thoughts for 15 minutes or giving themselves electric shocks.

Most chose to shock themselves.

– @Qikipedia
We suspected as much.

– @h2g2_Guide
Not a single Quaker in the test group.

– @Asteroid_Lil