Ancient history

(Mentioned in nineweaving's journal...)

It's A Long Way From Amphioxus
(TTO "It's a long way to Tipperary")



Oh, a fish-like thing appeared among the annelids one day,
It hadn't any parapods or setae to display.
It hadn't any eyes or jaws or ventral nervous chord.
But it had a lot of gill slits and it had a notochord.

Chorus:
It's a long way from amphioxus, it's a long way to us.
It's a long way from amphioxus to the meanest human cuss.
It's good-bye to fins and gill slits, and welcome lungs and hair.
It's a long, long way from amphioxus, but we all came from there.

It wasn't much to look at and it scarce knew how to swim.
And Nories was very sure it hadn't come from him.
The Molluscs wouldn't own it and the Arthropods got sore.
So the poor thing had to burrow in the sand along the shore.
Chorus

He burrowed in the sand before a crab could nip his tail.
And he said, "Gill slits and myotomes are all to no avail."
"I've grown some metapleural folds and sport an oral hood.
But all these fine new characters don't do me any good."
Chorus

He sulked awhile down in the sand, without a bit of pep;
Then he stiffened up his notochord and said, "I'll beat 'em yet!"
"Let them laugh and show their ignorance, I don't mind their jeers."
"Just wait until they see me in a hundred million years."
Chorus

"My notochord shall change into a chain of vertebrae,
And, as fins, my metapleural folds will agitate the sea."
"My tiny dorsal nervous chord shall be a mighty brain.
And the vertebrates shall dominate the animal domain!"

A pox upon weather forecasters!

We appear to have received rain overnight. Some of the paint washed off.

This was NOT in the forecast. I don't want to sound like a redneck, but I'm thinking of hunting me some meteorologists -- I've heard them's good eatin'.

Judging by the roadside and sidewalk litter...

I think a sizable portion of the American Public must shit in the middle of their living-room rugs. Obviously think nothing of walking or driving along and dumping their other crap wherever. Beer cans, McDonald's wrappers, old gym socks, TV sets, the occasional cat-shredded chair or sofa....

Looking up, though, some of the ash trees have turned yellow overnight, the sugar maples are getting into gear, and the red maples look serious about this autumn thing. But the sun still hasn't come out, contrary to weather-prophets, and now I'm wondering if we'll lose yet MORE paint with tomorrow's forecast of tropical rains.

Someone down the street had an entertaining day yesterday. The sewer crew excavated back along their driveway, maybe 50-60 feet, replacing the house line all the way. Wonder what they found? And that probably isn't covered by the city contract, which just requires connection to the property line.

15.33 miles, 1:03:39