Warm Rally On A Cold Day

 

 © 2026 Luke T. Bush

PLATTSBURGH CITY, NY  01-31-26

Puff-puff-puff-puff-puff...

Thick winter gloves and mittens soften the applause after each speaker.  People have rallied today to show their opposition to the brutal actions by some ICE goons, including two murders of innocent civilians in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  And also their opposition to the bully who pushed them on, President Trump.

Over one hundred protesters form a deep circle at the city parking lot.  10° F.  The cold air blocks any warmth from the bright sun.  Despite the harsh conditions the demonstrators still showed up in numbers to express concern and anger.  Arctic air doesn't chill their spirits.  The crowd shares a feeling of mutual understanding, keeping them warm.

Each speaker describes present actions and the plans to keep exercising democratic rights.  One orator urges listeners to show up at the next Plattsburgh Town board meeting.  They must tell the council they're upset with its approval to allow ICE to set up an operational center in an empty building on the decommissioned Plattsburgh Air Force Base.  POV: ICE out.

Today was part of nationwide rallies across the nation, cities seeing massive crowds in the streets.  Autocracy faces hard resistance in America.

 

 

  

   

 

 

 

 

Mirror To The Soul

 

Splash

 

Memorial

 

 

Stuck On Stucco

 

So Long, Stefanik

 

© 2025 Luke T. Bush

PLATTSBURGH CITY, NY   12-21-25

Elise Stefanik has announced she is no longer running for NYS governor and also she isn't seeking reelection in Congress.

As you can see in the accompanying photos Stefanik received a warm Plattsburgh City reception back in August when she was in town for a building dedication.  The photo with her standing at the podium: she looks disgruntled.  How can this be?

After her election to the House of Representatives Stefanik was a moderate but she ended up being sucked into President Trump's spell.  Or was it his spell?  Her critics said she was just an opportunist working her way up to more power and prestige.

She was nominated for ambassador to the UN but Dozing Decrepit Donnie put the kibosh on that.  He wanted her to remain in the House because the GOP had a slim majority.  After that rejection she decided to run for governor but now has dropped out.  The way citizens treated her in Plattsburgh City — vocal activists stopping her from finishing her speech — might have been in the back of her mind when she made her decision.

Democracy in action.

 

Macro Mystery Solved

 

 © 2025 Luke T. Bush

Finally the answer: trichomes. 

With macrophotography invisible details are revealed especially when creating images three times life size.  With my desktop studio I could see tiny crystalline hairs all over the flower.  I wondered what they were.  

Google provided the answer.  I cropped the image to focus on the hairs and pasted it into Google lens.  The first hit showed an image of the same type of growth stating it was trichomes growing on a cannabis plant.  Right growth, wrong plant.

My subject was a snapdragon flower, not pot.  But with the reference to trichomes I could Google on and learn the correct answer.

Trichomes refers to the Greek word for hair.  They grow on a variety of plants.  With snapdragons they are glandular hairs providing defense from insect attacks, releasing foul-tasting sticky secretions that bugs find repulsive.

Generally trichomes have other functions such as water and temperature regulation.  By increasing the air layer around the plant they reduce water evaporation and the same layer can insulate it from extreme temperatures.

So why did Google immediately jump to the conclusion my photo was that of a cannabis plant?  Pot growers are interested in cannabis trichomes because they indicate through their color the THC to CBD ratio.  Using a magnifying lens the grower can determine the harvest state of the plant.   One check is to see if a majority of the hairs are milky white compared to the amber ones.

Apparently pot growers are inputting a great number of search terms when it come to trichomes.  Me, I'll stick with snapdragons.  

Friendly

 

Ticks Don't Stop Biting In Winter

 

A few weeks ago a tick attached itself to this dog's paw during a trail hike at Point Au Roche State Park.  The day was fairly cool so someone might assume ticks were asleep during the colder weather.  But if the temps rise above 40F and there is no snow on the ground ticks are on the move again, lying in wait for a victim.  A second tick was found later on the dog, hiding under its fur, swollen from feeding.  Besides Lyme disease ticks can infect humans with other bacteria, viruses or parasites.  So don't stop checking during cooler weather.

 

New Record: Six Dirty Diapers

 

 

Another phone call to the city building inspector.