They’ll be more separated tomorrow night, and a bit more the night after, and so on, and the Moon will be a bit more full every night, but they’ll still be beautiful.
If your western sky is clear at sunset later this week, go take a look. You might also check to see if there’s an ISS pass about sunset, we’re in a period when they’re happening almost every day.
Filed under Astronomy, Critters, Photography
I think it’s finished.
There are, in theory, two or three open plugs for more light strings, but the other issue with this house is that there aren’t as many plants or landscaping features to put lights on.
I have more lights, so maybe some brilliant stroke of insight will strike and I’ll be able to add a few more lights.
Probably not. Time to turn to the tree and the cards. (Reminder, if you’ve gotten cards in the past and you’ve moved in the last two years, email your new address to me. If you haven’t gotten cards in the past but want to get on the massive “Christmas card list from Hell,” let me know and send me your address.”
Filed under Christmas Lights, Critters, Photography
First and foremost, to answer the major burning question of yesterday, YES!
You can fit an 8′ ladder into a Honda Fit. Hissy was so proud of herself!
(FYI, do not try to fit an 8′ 2″ ladder into a Honda Fit…)
Today I got 90% of the “aerial” lights put up, i.e., those that require a ladder to be climbed to be mounted along the gutters or roof flashing. My legs are cramping and aching appropriately. (I’m hobbling around like an old man. Wait…)
I also got a start with the first three of the “ground” light strings with eight or nine more to go tomorrow. The final total will depend on when I start blowing circuit breakers. The good news for the light count and the limitations in the home circuitry is that today’s LED lights use MUCH less power than the old mini incandescent lights, so now (for example, the lights to the left of the driveway) I can put in 600 mini LEDs to replace 75 or 125 mini incandescent lights. I’ve still got a ton of the incandescent lights, but many are decades old and starting to fail, so as they go they get replaced with three or four times as many LEDs using the same amount of power.
The incandescent lights have a much warmer color to them, but at least now the LEDs are as bright as the incandescents. When the LEDs first came out they were MUCH dimmer and I didn’t get them, but that’s changed a lot. I still use the big incandescent C9 bulbs along the roof line, and I’m finding that getting up on the 20′ extention ladder to get up to the peak of the roof on the end of the house is getting tougher (and more dangerous) every year. So far this year there haven’t been any falls! (Unlike the previous two years, but we don’t speak of those things. No hospital visits necessary, but there have been some “interesting” experiences.)
Filed under Christmas Lights, Critters, Photography
I always forget how much time and physical effort it takes to get all of the extension cords, timers, and power strips into place for my Christmas lights. At this house I have four basic circuits (at the Pomelo house I had six) with a digital clock/timer on each, coordinated to turn on at 16:00 and off at 01:00, each with as many lights as I can get without blowing the circuit breaker.
Today’s primary task was getting all of that equipment in place. It all has to get installed so there aren’t any trip hazards or other interferences with anyone moving around, and it has to get installed so that if/when it rains it doesn’t short out and cause electrical problems. A lot of that work involves getting into tight, uncomfortable spaces, some of it on ladders, some of it in trees. I also today remembered that the wooden 6′ step ladder that I’ve had for decades finally gave up and fell apart earlier this year and now’s the day that I’ve put off for years where I need to get a new one. The big question for tomorrow is whether or not an 8′ step ladder can fit into Hissy, a Honda Fit. We’ll see. I sure know that it won’t fit into a Volvo C70… although, I guess I could put the top down on it…
While tromping through the plants near the front door I came across a wounded mourning dove that unfortunately probably won’t last long. It’s right wing is obviously broken and sticking out at an odd angle and it never tried to fly, just kept running away from me. I did put out little dishes of bird seed and water, but it ran away from them also. The juncos on the other hand took to the feast like it was their Thanksgiving banquet. I suspect either an owl or a hawk will eat well sometime in the next couple of days. Of course, there was also the matter of the “Black Friday” Chiefs v. Raiders game. (“Cardiologists are standing by!”)
By the time I got done with the last of the electrical work, it was dark. I pushed through to get at least one string of lights up, and I got the wreath on the door, and the Christmas tree and decorations moved from the garage to the living room, but the rest of the lights will have to wait until tomorrow.
Filed under Birds, Christmas Lights, Critters, Photography
I hope all of my American readers had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with all of the traditional family festivities and feasts.
We had a great time and a wonderful meal at our in-laws, along with our daughter and her husband. Thanks, Louise & Everett!
Here in SoCal, while many (probably most) trees are either pines or palm trees and evergreen, we do have a few transplants for landscaping and they do have leaves that turn color and drop in the fall.
With a couple of days of rain and more days of high winds, they fall and fill up the parking lots. It’s not the Black River Valley in southern Vermont, but it’s a tiny bit of fall to put me in the holiday mood.
Filed under Critters, Photography
Not one of the more spectacular sunsets we’ve seen, but after several days of just being cloudy & gloomy, it was nice to have a least a little bit of color.
There weren’t a lot of clouds to serve as a canvas for the color, but there were some thin clouds that were doing their best. One of those days when you take the best that’s available and try to be grateful for it.
Filed under Critters, Photography, Sunsets
People stared. Children pointed. I got attention.
Most Sunday mornings early I’m at the grocery store, and in the fall and winter I’ll usually be wearing a Chiefs hat and T-shirt or sweatshirt of some sort. But then when I’m at home and the game’s actually on, I change into the “sacred vestments.”
The official jersey (#10, Isiah Pacheco), the “lucky” hat that I’ve worn for every game for probably ten years or more now, the beads (most of which came from Red Lobster when I order a Lobsterita and need to have a designated driver, but hey, they’re red and gold!).
Today I was running late and it was an early (10:00 on the West Coast) game, so I just went to grocery store in full regalia, with the radio coverage of the game blasting out from my pocket via the SiriusXM app on my phone.
People stared. Children pointed. I got attention.
I prefer to think it was just jealousy. Folks wished they were as cool as I was.
Filed under Critters, KC Chiefs, Paul, Photography
We started with mist, moved up to drizzle, and this evening we got to light rain.
A nice evening. Quiet. The occasional coyote and owl sounding off.
Filed under Critters, Photography, Weather
Out for a brief, brisk walk (it’s down to about 47ºF at the moment) and I see that Orion is high. The owls are hooting and singing.
Not bad for a handheld picture with an iPhone 13, Los Angeles’ normal light pollution, and a freakishly bright streetlight just off to the right.
Orion is on its side just to the right of center, between the power lines. The really bright star near the top just left of center is Jupiter, and at the very top edge just right of center, that “V” shape pointing to the upper right is Taurus. The bright object in the lower left, just above the bottom wire, is Mars.
The biggest disappointment in this image is how everything looks so WHITE. Mars actually looks quite red, and there is also a lot of color in the stars of Orion and Taurus. Betelgeuse and Aldebaran are red giants and you can see that color with the naked eye.
Go look!
Filed under Astronomy, Critters, Photography
I feel like I’m having some writer’s block or a dry spell or sorts. I’m so busy and tapped out and tired that I really don’t spend as much time taking pictures and getting out as I used to, and now that Daylight Saving Time ended I don’t seem to have any time when it’s light out where I’m not at the office. And I’m AT THE OFFICE, which is a totally different time dynamic than working from home. And of course, there’s the world to deal with. IYKYK.
I’m off my game.
On the one hand I’m feeling accomplished at the moment with a number of critical projects off my plate and I feel like I’m making a lot of progress on getting ahead of the game, which also feels good, I’m going to the gym and working out, which also is good.
But creatively, it’s just data mining through twenty years of digitial photographs.
I guess it could be worse. I might not have tens of thousands of photos to flip through.
And flipping through the photos looking for something to share is often a pleasant trip down memory lane. For example, I only get to the Ventura Pier and the beach about once every two or three years, but I usually really enjoy it. I should go back more often!
This whole random train-of-thought thing is odd. Sorry.
Filed under Critters, Paul, Photography, Travel
 | Jemima Pett on Proof Of Life – May… |
 | Tiffany Tasting Food on Chinese Proverb |
 | Ronnie Willett on Fine Feathered Friends –… |
 | berich56 on Wispy With A Chance Of Straigh… |
| Jemima Pett on War Board Review |
 | momdude on Above Average Sunset & Cre… |
 | Frederic Paulussen on Above Average Sunset & Cre… |
| Jemima Pett on Proof Of Life – Febrary… |
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 