It was a quiet Father’s Day. This is good.
There were calls from the kids, lots of Chiefs football repeats on TV, and a LOT of NOT thinking about work.
I hope you also were able to have some down time and relaxation. Perhaps even a touch of well-deserved sloth.
Plenty of time for stress tomorrow morning. Plenty of time next week for seeing how much the world we’re in is different from the world we WANT to be in, and seeing what we can do about rectifying that situation.
Filed under Flowers, Photography
I was out at the CAF hangar for a few minutes today to pick up the mail and make the bank deposit. We’re still shut down there and while there were a few dozen folks there working on planes and such, for me it’s masked up, in and out.
It’s not rocket science to figure that my political views are not widely shared in that particular segment of the population. So I was surprised when one person asked (jokingly) how I was going to make it to the Trump rally in Tulsa tonight? Was someone saving me a seat?
Huh?
Then a second person said something odd, then a third, then a fourth. A fifth person finally said something about how he thought that I hated Trump, what had changed?
HUH?
He pointed at the sweatshirt I was wearing.
Talk about seeing what you expect to see…
Yes, it’s bright red with white and blue letters, has sort of kind of “that” layout and font (it’s supposed to, it’s a spoof), and the most prominent word is five letters starting with “Tr” and then there’s a “u” in there somewhere.
But! HUH??!!
That first word isn’t “Trump,” it’s “Trout,” as in American League MVP Mike Trout, center fielder for my beloved Angels. And the second word, “Rendon,” is for Anthony Rendon, free agent All-Star 3rd baseman who signed with my beloved Angels over the off-season. (Which sort of assumes the existence of an “on-season,” but don’t get me started. No, really. Don’t.)
This was going to be our year to take the World Series again before the shit hit the fan and the world went into COVID-19 quarantine. My son got me this as a Christmas present when the Angels’ future for ’20 was bright and shiny.
As for Tulsa… 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Filed under CAF, CoronaVirus, LA Angels, Photography
Something might be happening in the finches’ nest – instead of simply sitting there all day, wishing she had Netflix, today Mama Finch was fidgeting and fussing with the eggs underneath her.
Maybe tomorrow is Birdy Birthin’ Day?!
The clouds of Jupiter? The surface of Venus? A brake rotor on a ’35 Duesenberg?
Thank god for Weird Al Yankovic and Warren Zevon. That’s all I’ve got to say.
Filed under Music, Photography
Apparently I’m also a slow learner, in addition to being a monster.
FWIW, the headphones and iPhone are taking their revenge on me. Today I’m busy fielding a dozen different information requests from various folks, trying to keep up on data entry with deadlines coming at me like a freight train, listening to my “upbeat” and “favorites” playlist for the energy when all of a sudden I got multiple songs from the “I’m a single dad and no one is ever going to love me again” playlist. With no warning we went straight from “Crazy On You” by Heart to “Same Old Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg to “Postmarked Birmingham” by Blackhawk to “You’re Gone” by Diamond Rio to “Anything But Mine” by Kenny Chesney and then right back into “Workin’ For A Living” by Huey Lewis & The News.
If that isn’t a sign that there’s a malevolent AI being carried around in my pocket, I don’t know what is.
Filed under Music
Another long, long day at the home office. I think my first email to be answered was at about 07:45 or so this morning and I just finished up a big document revision that I’ve been working on for days and fired it off. Once I get this done I probably need to get some deposits coded and uploaded because I’m a couple days behind there and there’s a Board Meeting coming up…
It’s important under these circumstances to maintain a certain goofiness at times. Not always. Not at an inappropriate time. But sometimes…
Yes, this is a work-related photo. Maybe someday I’ll share the circumstances. But probably not.
And look! My hair is growing back! AS THE PROPHECY FORETOLD!!
Filed under ALSA Golden West, Photography
We have a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects, not to mention all of the flowers. Tonight I believe a member of the amphibian class has joined the menagerie. (I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for any invertebrates or fish to show up, but hey, it’s 2020! Don’t count out anything.)
We hear peepers down the hill by the baseball fields, where there’s a flood control channel that’s got a couple of acres of wild wetlands where the channel dumps out of the hills by Castle Peak and forms Bell Creek, which meets up with a couple other creeks a mile or so away to become the Los Angeles River. On a hot summer night you can hear them, almost like being back home in Vermont.
But we’re up at the top of the hill and it’s a lot dryer. However, tonight there’s definitely one out on the back porch, somewhere over under the telescope and a set of shelves there. He’s loud enough so that I can hear him from two rooms away, even with noise-cancelling headphones on and playing music.
If I remember correctly (and I’m sure someone will correct me if I don’t) the noise level means it’s a “he” and he’s on the prowl for some hot amphibian lovin’.
Good luck, little frog dude. (I think you’re going to need it.)
Filed under Critters
My thanks to Karen and Jemima who educated me on yesterday’s “mystery” flowers. Now I can show them in context in the garden.
Gives a whole new meaning to “GNR.” These must be the flowers they have in Paradise City!
Filed under Flowers, Photography
I know far more about birds and critters than I do about flowers (which is not to say that I know much about birds and critters, just far more), but I know enough to know these aren’t roses.
Whatever they are, they’ve shown up in our yard at the edge of the rose garden down by the street. They’re stunning!
We’re just at the two year point for moving in here and this is the first time I’ve ever seen these bloom. Surprise!!
Filed under Flowers, Photography
Unless we open the back door or otherwise disturb her, here she sits for hours and hours on end.
Do birds get bored?
She can see me at the kitchen sink, so within seconds of being there I get that stink eye stare.
She’ll shift around a bit, but there’s not a lot of room.
As it gets warmer in the afternoon (this was about 13:30) she’ll rise up a bit and spread her wings a bit.
When it really gets warm (it got up to 84°F today) she raises way up and has her mouth open, presumably for cooling for both her and for the eggs underneath her.
When it cools off and starts to get dark, she settles down again and gives me the, “Really, dude? You’ve been taking pictures all freakin’ day! Give it a rest!!” look.
Looking forward to seeing the family in a few days.
Filed under Critters, Photography
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