It’s another Friday, and time for another fun post.
Let’s start out with a little trivia for you. Etymologically speaking we are celebrating Frigg’s day today. Frigga, also spelled Frila, was the Norse/Germanic goddess of fertility and Odin’s wife. Friday isn’t the only day name derived from the Scandinavian gods. Tuesday (Tyr, god of War and Justice), Wednesday (Odin or Woden if you were from Northern Germany), and Thursday (Thor, god of Thunder and War) are all based in the Norse Pantheon.
Here’s this week’s gem from the Oklahoma DWC:
The luna moth – a classic beauty – is among the 1,809 species documented in the Moths of Oklahoma @inaturalist project, and one of the most common moth species documented in the state. These distinctive lepidopterans are primarily encountered in the eastern half of Oklahoma but… pic.twitter.com/LjkoDerh42
— Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (@OKWildlifeDept) July 27, 2023
There’s a passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17.
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.”
I been sayin’ that shit for years. And if you ever heard it, it meant your ass. I never really questioned what it meant. I thought it was just a coldblooded thing to say to a motherfucker ‘fore you popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some shit this mornin’ made me think twice. Now I’m thinkin’, it could mean you’re the evil man. And I’m the righteous man. And Mr. .45 here, he’s the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or is could by you’re the righteous man and I’m the shepherd and it’s the world that’s evil and selfish. I’d like that. But that shit ain’t the truth. The truth is you’re the weak. And I’m the tyranny of evil men. But I’m tryin’. I’m tryin’ real hard to be a shepherd.
An Army Special Forces team sergeant spots a high-altitude release point as other soldiers watch during military free-fall training operations in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, June 22, 2023. (This photo has been altered for security purposes.) (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Laura Bauer)
INDIAN OCEAN (July 28, 2023) A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, two RAAF F-35B Lightning II aircraft, two RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornets, U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet, U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet, RAAF EA-18G Growler and a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler fly in formation over the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), in support of Talisman Sabre 23, in the Indian Ocean, July 28, 2023. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region. Talisman Sabre is the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States, advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening relationships and interoperability among key Allies and enhancing our collective capabilities to respond to a wide array of potential security concerns. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Caroline H. Lui)
Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, commands military working dog Graco, a 3-year-old German Shepherd patrol and explosive detection dog with direction control over obstacles on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, July 10, 2023. “I am very blessed,” said Phelan, a 22-year-old Prior Lake, Minnesota native. “I have one of the best, if not the best job in the United States Marine Corps, because I get to come to work every day and there is a little four-legged friend that is just so beyond ecstatic to see me. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” Over the last three years Phelan has been the handler for two military working dogs. From 2020 to 2022, he was the handler for MWD Yyasko, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois patrol and explosive detection dog. Phelan is currently the handler for MWD Graco.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, F-16 Fighting Falcon and a Commemorative Air Force P-51 Mustang fly in formation Sep. 6, 2018, while flying over areas of Alabama. This dissimilar formation flight, honoring the Tuskegee Airmen past, present and future, included the 301st Fighter Squadron F-22 (piloted by Maj. Paul “Loco” Lopez), 100th Fighter Squadron F-16 (piloted by Maj. Rich “Sheriff” Peace) and Red Tail P-51 (piloted by CAF member and Tuskegee Airman descendant Brad Lang). The 100th Fighter Squadron was one of the Tuskegee Airmen squadrons during World War II, a famous all African-American squadron from the 332d Fighter Group, activated on Feb 19, 1942 at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama. It was returned to duty in 2007 as a replacement of the Alabama Air National Guard’s 160th Fighter Squadron so the state could honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Clayton Cupit)
