They’re back!
The front yard all of a sudden is being shredded at an astonishing rate.
Every morning, the new excavations are bigger and deeper and more widespread.
If only I owned the house and could do something about it… But that’s a different discussion. (And an exercise in futility, unfortunately.)
Filed under Castle Willett, Critters, Photography
Today starts Week Six working back on-site in the office, after over 54 months of working from home during the worst of COVID. Here’s my view, with a couple of trees turning red for the fall.
Today there was a murder of crows squawking around and making a racket outside, as well as a new bird hopping around in those bushes, and I thought I recognized the type even though I only remember seeing one in our yard (about five miles away) once. It finally sat still long enough for me to get a picture and the Merlin app (get it!) confirmed the ID:
About the size of one of the Juncos, similar body shape, but solid black on top and white on the bottom, it’s a Black Phoebe!
There are also hummingbirds that go zipping by, always fun to watch.
Filed under ALS Network, Birds, Photography
It’s that time of year again. This goes back many years, as some folks celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Christmas, and so on, I, a child of way, way too many cross-country road trips crammed into the back of a station wagon with seven siblings (and not a seat belt in sight!) play license plate games and celebrate the arrival of the new tags every year. I’ve been looking but haven’t yet seen a single 2026 tag, so I have the first one that I’ve seen.
Yes, as stated in previous years, I understand exactly how sad and pathetic this is. You’re welcome and thenk you for sharing this special occasion with me for 2024.
Filed under Paul, Photography
I am chock o’ block full of flu and COVID vaccines – come at me, virii! (Viruses? Virususses?) I’m loaded for bear!
All of which has absolutely nothing to do with this nice old picture from 2013 of one of the only two flying B-25 bombers. It’s the CAF’s “Fifi”, coming into Camarillo to spend a couple of days with the CAF SoCal Wing. (At the time it was the only flying B-25, but since then “Doc” has started flying as well.)
That’s a LOT of flaps!
Filed under CAF, Flying, Health, Photography
It’s no secret that I put up a LOT of Christmas lights and enjoy it. But they NEVER start going up before the day after Thanksgiving. Which would be two weeks from today.
But the Universe has decided that we’re shredding all norms and traditions – see “US 2024 elections,” “Constitutional rule of law,” and “fascism” for examples.
So we’re going to need all of the good cheer and happiness we can find, and if the bad guys can sell out the US government to the Nazis and Putin, how bad can it be if I put up a couple of strings of Christmas lights a few days early?
Tomorrow I’m going to get my flu and updated COVID vaccines, while they’re still legal. After that? Who knows, if I don’t feel like shit from the shots (and I rarely do) then maybe it’s time to pull out the laddars and string a few extension cords, C5s, C7s, LEDs, and icicle lights.
Maybe.
Filed under Christmas Lights, Health, Politics
I came out of the office after work today (yes, I’m still working in-office, training new staff, more new staff coming just before Thanksgiving, so this may last through the end of the year) and found the final “supermoon” of the year rising over my well-decorated vehicle.
Filed under ALS Network, Astronomy, KC Chiefs, Photography
Another deadline hit today. (Payroll – and there was much rejoicing!) Like my favorite NFL team, I’m “winning ugly.” But I’m winning.
Filed under KC Chiefs, Paul, Photography
There’s been a fair amount of stress due to three large deadlines all coming due in the last week. The good news is that the final two were met today, somehow.
The bad news is that – A) there’s another one in 48 hours, so I get to hit that one hard tomorrow, and B) I’m so exhausted from everything and all of the hours that have gone into this that I can’t really celebrate or feel a lot of satisfaction. Yeah, it’s far better to have hit all three deadlines than to have blown them, but that’s my head talking, not my heart or gut.
Meanwhile, there’s a really bright moon out there and it’s clear and cool.
You can still see Vega over on the right – I’m surprised that the cell phone camera can pick out any stars at all with the bright moon.
And I’m still not back in sync after the switch out of Daylight Saving Time last week.
Filed under Astronomy, Paul, Photography
Once I knew what the seed pods from the Italian Cypress trees were, I found a bunch of them on the ground and I’ll be trying to see if I can get them to dry out & open up so I can try to germinate the seeds.
I also looked in the trees, and found plenty more, but there all 20-30 feet up and trying to retrieve any sounds like a really good way to break every bone in my body, so I’ll pass.
My bouncing baby days are well behind me, thanks!
Filed under Flowers, Forever Home, Photography
Yesterday while taking down the Halloween decorations, I found an odd little lump or pod in the front yard.
Hand for scale.
It stood out and I’ve never seen one like it before, so I was curious. Was it some sort of larva or bug? Some piece of scat or critter poop? No clue! It seemed to be dry and light, but that’s about all I could tell.
Then today when I was bringing in the weekly groceries, I found another.
Now that I was alert to their existence, I found a third one.
And a fourth on the driveway.
This one has some sort of a stem on the left side, and it’s in a huge pile of debris from the Italian cypress trees along the side of the garage, needles and small branches blown down by that tremendous wind storm here earlier in the week. And there’s the clue that solved the mystery!
I did a Google search for “Italian Cypress seed pods” and got this:
I don’t see any on the eight or ten trees we have growing there, but it’s obvious that’s what they are and where they come from. Mystery solved!
Next question – can I grow new trees from these seeds? One thing about many of the houses we’re looking at in the High Desert is that they’re a bit on the barren side from a landscaping perspective. Almost all have fencing, mostly chain link, but it would be really nice to line those long fences with Italian Cypresses eventually, both for privacy reasons and for esthetic reasons. If these four seed pods or pine cones are full of viable seeds, can I get a stack of small pots and potting soil and start my own personal forest now, then have them ready to go (albeit small) for transplant when the Willett Forever Home is secured?
Why, yes, I can!
My own little minion/Ent legion! It might not be as straightforward as winning the lottery and paying a gardener or landscape designer to buy them from a nursery and plant them for me, but it will probably be more interesting.
Filed under Deep Thoughts, Forever Home, Paul, Photography
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 