Monday, March 10, 2014
Temps are almost all the way to hot, and I am itching to put the potted plants out and begin this summer's deck garden! Doors are open to let in spring airs, but I do have to watch for errant birds and squirrels. Spotted our Madame in the yard doing flips and dances when she thought no one was looking. She had settled down by the time I got back with the camera. I sent a query to a publisher that puts out serializations of fiction. It was a bit of frustrating to get that far, finding the right... Sign in to see full entry.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Spring cleaning
Rain yesterday, then snow, but big wet flakes that stacked two inches high on the back porch rail, and didn't accumulate much on the ground at all... What pioneers used to call a Sugar Snow, because it signaled the spring rising of the sap in the maples, and so, time to tap them to make syrup and maple sugar. I learned about this from Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was there. (LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS.) I don't think the big maple out front is a sugar maple, though. I was looking around my... Sign in to see full entry.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Greetings and Farewells
The little orange and grey fox squirrel has come up to the porch rail and the little table, he even peers in at the door, though if I open it, he will take off in a flash and flourish. Just now, I saw him reclining on the rail, basking a bit in today's warmth (60s F) and making himself comfortable. Hello, new fella! A friend is at the hospital today with his brother and sister, making farewells to their mother who has been on life-support for about a week now, her bodily systems declining. My... Sign in to see full entry.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Ladders and brushes
Some more of the old garage ugliness disappeared behind paint today. It was edges and details around outlets and the narrow space above the door frame. I don't like ladder-climbing, even the two-step kitchen kind, and I require a hand-hold if I am going to stand on the top step and wave a paint-loaded brush around. So, all the places that needed attention, and were in reach of such handhold items, got painted today. The previous tenant had a medical marijuana license, and grew his own garden of... Sign in to see full entry.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Henry Vlll
Margaret George wrote THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HENRY Vlll, and I am currently reading it. It is a huge paperback, actually dangerous to read, lying in bed: fall asleep, and you could give yourself a concussion. It's a sitting up read. After 15 years of research and travel, Ms George wrote the story of his life as she imagines he saw it, and adds a few notes from Will Somers, the Royal Fool who, as she has it, offers a less royal and more practical view. Henry Tudor was a peculiar mix of the traits... Sign in to see full entry.
yoyo!
Snow and low teens yesterday... 60sF today Madame is making as many as 3 visits a day, and I suspect she has rebuilt the nest that I suspect the terrible high winds tore apart some weeks back, as she is no longer gnawing the fuzzy lining off the plastic table cloth that sits on the porch table to protect it from weather. She comes by for free, free-flowing water when temps are especially cold, and I try to provide it, though it does freeze up pretty fast. The birds and squirrels, I don't doubt... Sign in to see full entry.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Rescue fish
Years ago, I was in a little privately owned petstore, looking into a tank of many, many goldfish, and noticed they all had a very... well, flat look. And some weren't swimming at all, they were... sleeping. I asked the passing clerk, "How often do you feed these guys?" He said, "We don't feed them, they're just feeder fish." Feeder fish, that are bought for.10 each, to feed other fish. I was looking at the Aushwitz of goldfish. I rescued (bought) a dozen, took them home, and treated them... Sign in to see full entry.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Betta--not "bayta"-- The New One
He is an apricot orange veil-tail with blue highlights in his fins. Time and poor temperature control in this very chilly winter, finally did for the last of the ones I had before; today I gave in to impulse and brought this fellow home, along with an undergravel heater that maintains a temperature about 5F above ambient room temperature. http://www.flickr.com/photos/therovingeye/ If you would like to see the whole gallery of bettas and marvel at the amazing variety:... Sign in to see full entry.
Something has changed...
I've talked before about Complex PTSD, and given links to some very useful information about it ( http://www.pete-walker.com/ ). As soon as I found out about it, I began to make adjustments in how I think, how I see the world, how I react to it. All those things are so strongly influenced by the complex of emotions and beliefs that stem from childhood abandonment, whether physical or emotional. Lately I have noticed that one of the hallmark reactions of CPTSD has lost its teeth. People with this... Sign in to see full entry.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
The Photo Wall
The play that Charlie was in this past week borrowed some of my photos for the wall of the set, which was presented as a kind of coffee-house. Since some of you asked... there they are, with some descriptions. It's always fun to be part of it, and I even got a mention on the program! Before the play, they offered a pre-show concert of music thematically relevant to the show, SPRING AWAKENING. So--angsty young stuff. The guys pulled out an old standard, to go along. I give you a very brief final... Sign in to see full entry.