tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post8385611809914822382..comments2024-03-14T06:23:31.561+11:00Comments on Elephant's Child: Sunday Selections #292Elephant's Childhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-25635882823559827162016-09-12T08:01:48.716+10:002016-09-12T08:01:48.716+10:00Snowbrush: Thank you. You are right about their ...Snowbrush: Thank you. You are right about their experiences shaping their behaviour. As mine no doubt have done. Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-88350954033933634032016-09-12T04:01:19.420+10:002016-09-12T04:01:19.420+10:00“I was in my thirties before I realised that I am ...“I was in my thirties before I realised that I am neither stupid nor weak.”<br /><br />I had a similar problem. My parents seemed easily resigned to me having poor grades, and I took this to mean that they had no confidence in my intelligence, hence I was stupid. As for my teachers, they were the same way, so I came to assume that if a person had to work to learn to something that it meant he was inept and might as give up at the outset to spare himself a lot of humiliation. Every year, I hoped it would be different, so I would prepare for school by cleaning my room, getting my desk straight, putting the covers on my books just so, and all the other things that I hoped would enable me to learn, but the moment I had the least difficulty, I would give up for the entire year. I remember going to the school guidance counselor once, and he so much as told me that my IQ score wasn’t that good. Had I been less sensitive and more tenacious, I might have prevailed, but as it was, I flunked three grades and never finished high school. (I did manage to get into to college and finish it—which I only did in order to avoid Vietnam—and I had the good fortune to learn in college that I wasn’t so dumb after all). In any event, if anyone can read my blog and think that here is a fellow who lacks intelligence, I would consider it their problem rather than mine, because I know damn well that I’ve above average in intelligence. I just wish I had discovered it sooner, and that someone had instilled good study habits in me. I see my life as failure in many ways, but not because of a lack of intelligence, but rather a lack of good early influences. I often wonder how my parents could have given up on me so profoundly when I was but a child—and like you, a gifted child in some respects.<br /><br />I really could not be more appalled by your parents’ idiocy because they were not only callous, their logic was at the bottom of the deep end of the cesspool. If you go by it, you should at least limit your bird interests to ostriches because, by god, they’re big, but you would really be better off studying whales or supernovas. One can but try to forgive one’s parents for being so deeply flawed. Just as they caused some of our flaws, no doubt their own parents caused theirs.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-33879835725552415762016-09-11T05:34:41.505+10:002016-09-11T05:34:41.505+10:00Snowbrush: Thank you. They weren't pulling m...Snowbrush: Thank you. They weren't pulling my leg. My family didn't value my form of intelligence and I was in my thirties before I realised that I am neither stupid nor weak.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-31551984368444983112016-09-11T03:37:27.623+10:002016-09-11T03:37:27.623+10:00“Though you have to remember (as I do) that my fam...“Though you have to remember (as I do) that my family talked about small things for small minds.”<br /><br />That is surely among the stupidest statements that I’ve ever read. Anyone can be impressed by the large, the colorful, and the loud, but to be impressed by that which others don’t notice suggests sensitivity, alertness, and attention to detail. If your family had been right, the world be full of scientists who studied elephants while no one of any great intelligence would study viruses, insects, and earthworms, and just imagine how impoverished our species would be without the knowledge of such things. Surely, the people in your family who told you this were either pulling your leg or they were far denser than your own intelligence would suggest.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-74119855404496499232016-09-11T03:26:00.998+10:002016-09-11T03:26:00.998+10:00Snowbrush: I marvel at the little brown jobs too....Snowbrush: I marvel at the little brown jobs too. They have a subtle beauty of their own, and watching then and their behaviours is endlessly fascinating. Though you have to remember (as I do) that my family talked about small things for small minds. I am becoming increasingly fascinated with the beauty of the insect world too (google peacock spiders for an example.)Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-58965702152670364182016-09-11T03:20:20.950+10:002016-09-11T03:20:20.950+10:00" We spend a lot of time each and every day m..." We spend a lot of time each and every day marvelling at them."<br /><br />You have such beautiful birds to marvel at. The prettiest we have are ducks, herons, and kingfishers that live in the creek across from our house, but we can’t see them from our house, which is a bit of a drag, especially in winter. I’ve never been around such beauty as you post photos of, and I envy you greatly. One of the “proofs” for God is the idea that the earth contains superfluous beauty, and while this makes no intellectual sense, it does have emotional appeal when in the presence of beauty that all but leaves on prostrate.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-65950738118928196162016-09-11T02:35:34.599+10:002016-09-11T02:35:34.599+10:00DMS ~ Jess: I too am bird obsessed. We spend a l...DMS ~ Jess: I too am bird obsessed. We spend a lot of time each and every day marvelling at them.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-37344094049539872242016-09-11T01:17:39.638+10:002016-09-11T01:17:39.638+10:00Your brother certainly had an interesting sighting...Your brother certainly had an interesting sighting! So glad you shared the picture with us. I love the bird pictures- but I am a bit obsessed with birds. I would love for one of the birds in my yard to eat out of my hand. :) <br />~JessDMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04202502753961748992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-24097330841999069882016-09-10T04:39:45.651+10:002016-09-10T04:39:45.651+10:00Wally Jones: Some beautiful (more beautiful?) bir...Wally Jones: Some beautiful (more beautiful?) birds are also higher than the kings in the pecking order. I too would love to see an echidna again.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-82384390844412910612016-09-10T04:38:46.341+10:002016-09-10T04:38:46.341+10:00Strayer: We were brought up to have respect (and ...Strayer: We were brought up to have respect (and love) for animals. And all of us do.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-47181405873931407392016-09-10T00:03:16.948+10:002016-09-10T00:03:16.948+10:00An echidna! That would make my day! What beautiful...An echidna! That would make my day! What beautiful parrots! I guess the price of such beauty is having to wait in line for the ugly birds to eat their fill. Wally Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01121368850135565674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-8817985020181839592016-09-09T23:43:49.614+10:002016-09-09T23:43:49.614+10:00Your brother sounds like he is a relative of yours...Your brother sounds like he is a relative of yours with his behavior on the ski slope towards the echidna. It is strange a bird with "king" in its name is so low in the order of things. Love that they eat from your hand!Strayerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08124298302997708537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-52253398621646019092016-09-09T18:52:45.481+10:002016-09-09T18:52:45.481+10:00Kim: I don't know why the Kings are wimps, bu...Kim: I don't know why the Kings are wimps, but wimps they are. The crimsons see them off, the cockies see them off, they cower away from wattle birds...<br />Years back we saw four echidnas (a family we believe) and the memory is something I treaure.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-47710381677826979372016-09-09T18:10:09.039+10:002016-09-09T18:10:09.039+10:00How interesting that the King Parrots are wimps! I...How interesting that the King Parrots are wimps! I am super fond of echidnas and love that your brother and his friends made sure it stayed safe. I saw a mini 'echidna train' last week, just two of them, following each other around the bush including a metre in front of my feet - just what I needed.Kimhttp://www.lirralirra.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-39113914891509015652016-09-09T09:06:32.037+10:002016-09-09T09:06:32.037+10:00Snowbrush: Formic acid isn't my favourite tip...Snowbrush: Formic acid isn't my favourite tipple. Which might go someway to explaining why I am not a skilled digger. Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-80529205275136830822016-09-09T08:32:23.043+10:002016-09-09T08:32:23.043+10:00I am too, but you won't see me out with a shov...I am too, but you won't see me out with a shovel in the snow, especially if it gets cold enough for the ground to freeze. Or course, I rarely eat ants, so if I did eat ants, maybe I would be more motivated.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-27509937296638356662016-09-09T07:46:58.093+10:002016-09-09T07:46:58.093+10:00Snowbrush: The brother was surprised to see it ou...Snowbrush: The brother was surprised to see it out and about. Spring is almost here though, and the snow cover is patchy. I suspect that in the trees it didn't need to dig down far to find food and/or shelter. And they are very skilled diggers.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-336751681532901592016-09-09T07:27:38.811+10:002016-09-09T07:27:38.811+10:00Where do they find ants in the snow--don't the...Where do they find ants in the snow--don't they hibernate?Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-45630792138679225042016-09-09T07:15:38.462+10:002016-09-09T07:15:38.462+10:00Snowbrush: The birds are lovely aren't they? ...Snowbrush: The birds are lovely aren't they? While I recognise the echidna under the spiny anteater monicker, it is just an echidna here. And I would love to see them more often. It is years (decades?) since I have seen one.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-53070577060507250692016-09-09T04:52:14.883+10:002016-09-09T04:52:14.883+10:00Oh what beautiful birds you get to enjoy. I had to...Oh what beautiful birds you get to enjoy. I had to look up echidna, which I thought might be the scientific name for a hedgehog, but its informal name is spiny anteater.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-32636509835356726072016-09-08T15:42:06.449+10:002016-09-08T15:42:06.449+10:00Kim@stuffcould...: Some of our birds are very pre...Kim@stuffcould...: Some of our birds are very pretty. Hardly any of them are musical. Swings and roundabouts.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-25737635821228537662016-09-08T15:41:20.093+10:002016-09-08T15:41:20.093+10:00The Happy Whisk: At the moment feeding the birds ...The Happy Whisk: At the moment feeding the birds is a daily treat. And a big one. I would have loved to have seen the echidna.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-21936526312847298562016-09-08T14:12:02.447+10:002016-09-08T14:12:02.447+10:00oh wow! eating from your hands is so neat. Your b...oh wow! eating from your hands is so neat. Your birds are so pretty!Kim@stuffcould....https://www.blogger.com/profile/03566751822418137457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-24461550966254123042016-09-08T11:46:26.710+10:002016-09-08T11:46:26.710+10:00What a wonderful treat. I love that. So cool. And ...What a wonderful treat. I love that. So cool. And the first photo was pretty darn cool, as well.The Happy Whiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13438469476168485775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7516733121956849207.post-1505482995724845022016-09-08T08:42:12.003+10:002016-09-08T08:42:12.003+10:00Mason Canyon: I can't tell you how much time ...Mason Canyon: I can't tell you how much time we spend each and every day marvelling at the birds.Elephant's Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06650565833097914052noreply@blogger.com