A CALL FROM THE USDA, AND WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?

ONE OF BILLIONS OF TINY PAPER BIRCH SEEDS

BUDDY AND A LARGE AMANITA MUSHROOM ("not gonna eat that thing"}

Tuesday,  8:00 AM.  61 degrees F, wind SW, light with  occasional stronger gusts.  We awoke to a very dark morning, but the rainclouds have since moved on and it is partly cloudy and getting sunnier as we write.  The humidity is 77% and the barometer i still trending down, at 29.58", but I doubt we will get more than a light shower today, if that.
   We took Buddy to the vet yesterday to determine the cause of his persistent cough.  The good news is that he has no identifiable disease, he has nothing caught in his throat and all his lab work is absolutely normal.  The bad news is that he has a very irritated throat and swollen tonsils, cause unknown; perhaps   due to charging through the underbrush, or maybe an allergic reaction to something.  Anyway he is getting a cautionary antibiotic, and we are trying to get cough syrup down his throat several times a day, an almost impossible task.  We all hope he gets better real quick, and he seems happy enough this morning, which is always a good sign.
 I mentioned yesterday the cascade of paper birch seeds descending on every surface, and posted a photo of them accumulating on the moonroof of the pickup truck.  The above photo shows how tiny they truly are.  They are everywhere, and if even a small percentage survived and became paper birch trees there would be no room for any other tree species anywhere within its geographical range.  Thus it is with virtually all living things.  If all the progeny of any given species survived there would be no room within its geographical range of habitat for anything else.  Individual mortality is the price paid for species and community diversity.
   I got a call yesterday from the USDA entomologist in Madison, and none of the suspicious insects that we collected from our traps were Emerald Ash Borers.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that does not mean they aren't here or close by.  So, what difference does it make?  It  does give us some more time to consider our options, learn more about possible treatments, and become better prepared.
   That brings up the subject of the partial shutdown of the federal government, and in the inimitable words of Hillary Clinton,  spoken before a congressional committee investigating the Bengazzi murders, "What difference does it make?"
   To 99% of Americans, I would venture to guess, none at all.  The military will be funded, Social Security and other essential checks mailed, the Post Office will operate, Obama Care sign-up will begin today.
   Unless one is applying for a federal permit or a grant, or standing at the gate of a national park or monument (the Administration has long past closed the White House itself to all but visiting lobbyists), "What difference does it make?  Virtually none.