Quick (and very random) Takes

Only a few hours left in this month of September, so it's time to wrap up this month with a few utterly disconnected thoughts and observations:

1. Pop quiz. What's the official Oregon state bird?
a. Great blue heron; b. Western meadowlark; c. Stellar's jay.

Correct answer: b.

So how odd was it that I saw my very first Western meadowlark, with its distinctive V-like marking on its yellow breast,* perched on a wire fence in a meadow in Klickitat County in Washington state?

*Copyright photo: Kendall W. Brown
http://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/BirdsS-Z/WesternMeadowlark.htm


2. Have a nice day! Not...

Around Portland, I'm used to seeing the bumper sticker "Coexist." I didn't think twice when I spotted it on a nondescript compact car (I think it was a Toyota) bearing New Mexico license plates. What did set me back was the other bumper sticker: "How about a nice cup of shut the f*** up?"

Whoa. Made me wonder what would prompt a person to essentially raise a middle finger to the world in that way. Was he trying to be funny? Is he really that crass? Just another sign of the eroding civility in this country. Made me think back to the guy in front of me in line at the grocery store. When he bent over to pick up something he'd dropped, his T-shirt rode up and there, on his lower back, in elegant script were these words: "F*** the world." Yeah, you too, buddy.

3. I've got the TV tuned to ESPN and I'm watching with glee as the Detroit Tigers are pounding the Minnesota Twins -- 7-2 in the seventh inning -- and taking another step closer to the American League's Central Division title. Given all that Michigan's largest city has been through in recent decades -- race riots, crime, illiteracy, civic corruption, horrible schools and, now, collapse of the auto industry -- it would be nice if the Tigers could bring a ray of sunshine to their beleaguered fans. Of course, even if they make the playoffs, they'll need to get past the dreaded and colossally overpaid Yankees.

I saw the Tigers in '84, the year they won their last World Series title, and have been a fan ever since. Go, Detroit!