Snapshotting.

I went home from work early today, feeling like crap. Might be the early warnings of a cold, might just be a lack of sleep. In the meantime, here’s another flower picture:

moreflowerhouse

A 20-minute nap helped a little. I took Wendy out for her evening walk just at twilight, a freakishly warm one. Here’s another tweaked picture, but the original didn’t quite capture what it was like to come across this yellow beauty gathering all the fading light for itself. So I helped it a little:

yellowtree

Now I’m going to swallow some melatonin and hope for six or seven solid hours. Enjoy yourselves today.

Posted at 12:15 am in Same ol' same ol' |
 

48 responses to “Snapshotting.”

  1. Brandon said on October 22, 2015 at 12:46 am

    I hope you feel better soon.

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  2. Dexter said on October 22, 2015 at 2:39 am

    My horror-vegetable story involved cauliflower. A pal brings sacks and bags of the stuff to give away, from his over-zealous raising of a huge crop of this.
    Mine was is an old-style paper supermarket bag. I took it home , rinsed but did not soak, placed it on a steamer rack on top of water and began the steaming process. When spicing it up as the water boiled underneath, hundreds of tiny spiders scrambled for their lives. I grabbed two pot handling oven mitts and took the whole pot outside and dumped it, cleaning up the mess later after it had cooled. I told my friend about it and we wondered how many folks just didn’t notice and ate those little creepers…last night at bedtime I noticed a HUGE spider descending a wall in the bedroom. Now all summer I watched my “pet” spider devour bugs at night on my porch, and was saddened when he (she?) died a few days ago on a cold evening. But a huge black spider on my wall? I had to squash him dead, which I did.
    Well, damn…I have an early morning sashay over to Toledo to get a now weekly B-12 shot at the VA clinic. I better grab my handful of granola and make my little cuppa chamomile tea and get to sleepland pronto. First, I’ll have to watch half and episode of S4 “Longmire”. I call it “Latter Day Gunsmoke”. You younguns will have to research Matt Dillon and Miss Kitty and Chester and Doc and Festus.
    And friendship… I was lamenting to a friend how I wasted probably a couple hundred hours of my life searching for just one Indian arrowhead. I could never find one, never. I have friends who have found scores of them, I have been instructed just how, where, when… but damn, no dice.
    On the day Marty and Doc Brown arrived here from the past or future in the flux capacitor DeLorean time machine, (Back to the Future II) I found an arrowhead. In my mailbox. My pal George sent me one of his prize specimens. I was overwhelmed. I took my last greeting card from the time when I used to give cash to the Lakota Nation in Chamberlain, South Dakota, to help maintain the orphanage there, and used it as a thank you to George for that gift that means so much. Why? Hell if I know, but it does. It’s a damn-fine one.

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  3. Deborah said on October 22, 2015 at 5:37 am

    Nancy, my condolences. As a fellow insomnia sufferer, it is the pits. It helps to be retired, you usually don’t have to get up at a specified time, so you can relax about it. Not that you sleep any better but you can be more relaxed about not sleeping.

    Dexter, I found exactly one arrowhead in my life. On our land in Abiquiu , I found a lovely obsidian one. I was sitting doing nothing when I kept noticing something reflecting the sun near me on the ground. I thought it was just a piece of plastic until I went over and finally picked it up. I have looked all over our land many times since and have found a few pottery shards and a couple of chert instrument probably for scraping hides, but no more arrowheads.

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  4. alex said on October 22, 2015 at 5:50 am

    Brian, re: horse diapers from the last thread…

    When I lived in Chicago, the hansoms were dropping apples all over Michigan Avenue and the same issue came before City Council. The “diapers” that were eventually mandated were shitbags rigged up near the horses’ asses. Dangling from the swingletrees to catch the dingles, as it were.

    I can see why such a proposal wouldn’t fly with the Old Order Amish in LaGrange, who would probably respond “Put a diaper on your fucking car to catch the gravel you throw in our faces, douchebag.”

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  5. Joe K said on October 22, 2015 at 6:32 am

    The trees were lovely driving to Detroit yesterday, but we were a bit sad, my golden retriever woke up yesterday went out as usual, when I came back from the y he was unable to get up got him to the vet, but he had a aneurism and bleed out and we lost him, 10 plus years he was just a really good dog. I’ll miss him.
    Waiting on a flight at Dtw heading to coco beach Melbourne for some sun, hope it helps
    Pilot Joe

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  6. alex said on October 22, 2015 at 7:02 am

    Sorry to hear about your dog, Joe.

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  7. Connie said on October 22, 2015 at 8:01 am

    When we lived in southern Indiana our first house sat in a corn field full of arrowheads. It was also the supposed hiding place of the Reno treasure, as we learned from the occasional treasure hunter that knocked on our door. Reno gang did the first ever train robbery, in Jackson county.

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  8. Wim said on October 22, 2015 at 8:02 am

    Sad about your dog, Joe.

    Not to brag, Dexter, but I’ve found thousands of arrowheads. The trick is to walk around looking directly ahead of your boots at all times, until you can’t stop even if you want to. It’s a condition known as ‘archaeologist’s stoop.’ At archaeological conventions, in the cash bar, you find a lot of angry mumbling drunks staring at one another’s shoes.

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  9. ROGirl said on October 22, 2015 at 8:04 am

    For the Cubs and the great Steve Goodman

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xBxZGQ1dJk

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  10. brian stouder said on October 22, 2015 at 8:21 am

    Joe – no fun.

    Alex, If push came to shove, the Amish could point out that the shit coming out of all the VWs on the road makes their horses fecal matter look positively refreshing!

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  11. Julie Robinson said on October 22, 2015 at 8:22 am

    Joe, I’m so sorry to hear about your dog. May he rollick happily on the other side of the rainbow bridge.

    My dad had eagle eyes and was always finding four-leaf clovers. He also had a box full of arrowheads from his childhood days in farm fields, not seen in years. Hope we find a couple in Mom’s house to pass along to the kids.

    Last, a little story about someone who doesn’t like to be written about, so we won’t name him. If you know him, do me a favor and don’t mention this. Said person’s sensible Camry had a fender wrinkle where someone backed into it, and the rental choices were a Honda Civic or a canary yellow Chevy convertible. We took a little cruise with the top down, and while I was struggling to keep a scarf tied around my hair, said person was getting giddy.

    The friends we visited were even giddier, and immediately wanted behind the wheel. I was kinda sorry I stayed in the car for that, as all 300 of the horses were tested, on a gravel road no less. In short, should you want to see a rapid regression in a sober and sensible person, just put them behind the wheel of a convertible.

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  12. Deborah said on October 22, 2015 at 8:30 am

    I had many convertibles, not all at once but in succession, MGs and Miatas. I still drove like a little old lady, even before I was one. I have no desire to own another one, I just lost caring about it somewhere along the line.

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  13. coozledad said on October 22, 2015 at 8:33 am

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R0sAW35nzc

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  14. Julie Robinson said on October 22, 2015 at 8:37 am

    As a lady with difficult (read curly) hair, the romance of convertibles is completely lost on me. Those with straight hair get that healthy, wind-whipped look; I get fright wig.

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  15. basset said on October 22, 2015 at 8:40 am

    Joe, so sorry to hear about your golden – we’ve had two, first one lived to almost seventeen. The second was a rescue (www.rescueagolden.org) and we weren’t sure of her age but we think she was about fifteen when she “crossed the Rainbow Bridge.”

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  16. susan said on October 22, 2015 at 9:05 am

    The hard part about finding arrowheads is leaving them in place.

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  17. Heather said on October 22, 2015 at 9:13 am

    Sorry to hear about your dog, Joe. Losing pets is always so sad.

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  18. coozledad said on October 22, 2015 at 9:38 am

    http://www.newsweek.com/benghazi-biopsy-comprehensive-guide-one-americas-worst-political-outrages-385853

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  19. coozledad said on October 22, 2015 at 9:41 am

    This seems a little optimistic, in light of what happened to George Bush’s legion of nad lickers:

    the modern McCarthys of the Benghazi committee cannot perform this political theater on their own—they depend on reporters to aid in the attempts to use government for the purpose of destroying others with bogus “scoops” ladled out by members of Congress and their staffs. These journalists will almost certainly join the legions of shamed reporters of the McCarthy era as it becomes increasingly clear they are enablers of an obscene attempt to undermine the electoral process.

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  20. Dorothy said on October 22, 2015 at 10:18 am

    I’m so sorry about your dog, Joe. This morning I was driving to work and along Shafor Blvd. I could see a Golden prancing along side its walker. As I got closer I could see what I suspected: pup had the leash in it’s mouth and was tossing it’s head back and forth playfully. The walker was playing leash handle roulette, moving it around to accommodate the playful pup. I got such a pang seeing that! Our Augustus (Augie) is nearly 12 and he’s a golden/border collie mix. He’s been stumbling with his back legs lately, also coming in panting really early (3-4 AM sometimes) needing to go out to pee to relieve himself. He’s never, ever had an accident in the house. But we’ve been noticing the undeniable signs of aging for at least a year or so now. I’ve never found a pet deceased – we always have to take them to the vet’s and it’s crushingly awful, as all of you pet owners know. I’m dreading it so much. We have Husky who is 9 and still acts like a young pup sometimes, but his old-dog time will come, I know. The fun and good times definitely outweigh the bad times, but Lord do I hate the bad times.

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  21. Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on October 22, 2015 at 10:25 am

    Joe, my condolences on your loss; hat tip, susan. (With a deep bow, to boot.)

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  22. mouse said on October 22, 2015 at 10:43 am

    So sorry about the loss of your dog Joe.It’s never an easy thing.Got a few buried out back of the house—I think about them every day.I find myself caring more about dogs than I do about most people.Anytime there is a news story about a fire or some tragic event involving dogs I always worry about what happens to the amimals.

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  23. basset said on October 22, 2015 at 10:44 am

    Maybe Alan would have something to add to this auto story:

    http://nashvillepublicradio.org/post/nashville-emerging-auto-industry-s-southern-hub#stream/0

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  24. Julie Robinson said on October 22, 2015 at 10:53 am

    Mom’s cat is 17 and even though she got a clean bill of health three months ago, she’s deteriorating rapidly. Last time Mom lost a cat it threw her into major depression, and she often says she has to stay alive only to take care of the cat. She thinks she’s too old to get another cat, so I’m trying to convince her that there are many senior kitties looking for homes. This is the stuff you don’t think about when you sign up as a caregiver.

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  25. Deborah said on October 22, 2015 at 11:43 am

    I’m back from the dermatologist about my sun spots on my forehead. They burned them off with liquid nitrogen, so happy to be rid of them. They were pre-cancerous Keratoses. I will have a couple of blisters and then will have scabs and then maybe small scars. The Dr asked me if I have any events coming up that I might not want to have a scab on my forehead for. I am going to a gala in a couple of weeks, but I don’t care. I’d rather have the things gone than worry about what my forehead looks like for that occasion. I will have to keep getting these things checked out, and I need to wear hats and sun screen more often although much of the damage has been done from my youth in Miami, FL. I have about 10 hats and caps in NM so I really have no excuse now. I’m just glad it’s pre-cancerous, not cancer yet.

    Oh and I had to cancel my routine colonoscopy that I was scheduled to have tomorrow because my husband won’t be able to pick me up after as we thought and they won’t let you have the procedure without an escort home. Since this isn’t necessary to get immediately, I can reschedule for later when I’m back in Chicago another time. I can’t say that I’m bummed about that, I was really not looking forward to Friday, but now I am.

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  26. Deborah said on October 22, 2015 at 11:45 am

    And Joe, so sorry about your loss. It’s never easy.

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  27. BigHank53 said on October 22, 2015 at 11:52 am

    So sorry to hear about your dog, Joe. There’s a string of little graves in our backyard where Edie and Taki and Figaro and Tatsoi are buried. Of course if they were going to be with us forever we wouldn’t love them as hard as we do, would we?

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  28. brian stouder said on October 22, 2015 at 12:13 pm

    I think Deborah’s colonoscopy pun (‘can’t say I’m bummed’) is the clear thread winner!

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  29. Judybusy said on October 22, 2015 at 12:25 pm

    Oh, Joe, how terribly sad, and so suddenly, too.

    Here’s to feeling better, Nancy!

    I was going to write about my time at the dog park today: Gorgeous, sunny, around 40. A chunk of the walk is along the Mississippi river, and today we were treated with three bald eagles, two of whom were fishing. Such a sight! Plus, my dog got into chasing two different dogs–she’s picky, so doesn’t do it often, but it’s always so fun to see her get in the game. I was talking with another couple and learned that many people bring their dogs’ remains to the park for burial. The woman has a friend who takes care of a public garden, and people bring their family members’ cremains there for burial as well, even though it’s illegal.

    I saw The Martian last night–good stuff, and they seemed to get the science right. I could not, however, refrain from noting that the stranded guy should have let his cut seed potatoes cure a bit before planting them….and he was a botanist.

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  30. Jakash said on October 22, 2015 at 12:31 pm

    Dian Kim,

    Thanks very much for the advice with regard to my ailing arm that you offered on yesterday’s thread. Quite thoughtful of you to post that. I’ll surely give it a try. And hey, maybe some whiskey and rye! ; )

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  31. coozledad said on October 22, 2015 at 12:33 pm

    Why do the Republicans on the House Benghazi Committee all seem to suffer from severe speech impediments, and who in the GOP had the genius idea to put those monkeys up against Hillary Clinton.

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  32. Suzanne said on October 22, 2015 at 12:34 pm

    Hard to lose a pet, Joe. 🙁
    We have an old cat that is showing signs of aging. I don’t want to put it down, though. I keep thinking karma-if I’m good to my old cat, maybe someone will be good to old me.

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  33. Dian Kim said on October 22, 2015 at 2:04 pm

    Jackash @ 30
    Thank you for the feedback. It does my head and heart good to think that I can still help people, even though I no longer do bodywork.
    I’ve been helpful to folks my whole life and this is a wanted boost for this intractable, drug resistant depression I’ve had this last year.

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  34. Dian Kim said on October 22, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    Joe K @ 5,
    Deep condolences for your loss. Were you able to say goodbye or did circumstances prevent that? So, so sad.
    Does flying and getting to see the sky above and our land below help at all. Like gain perspective and grieve and yell where no one can hear you? I used to go out and drive in the country with the windows open and music blasting loud. Man, talk about therapeutic. For me, being up in the air would be…heavenly.

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  35. Brandon said on October 22, 2015 at 2:21 pm

    Joe, please accept my condolences.

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  36. Joe K said on October 22, 2015 at 2:50 pm

    Thanks for the warm words everybody it does help,
    Made it to Melbourne and currently in the room on a high floor, door slid open and the Atlantic Ocean churning away.
    The vet told us when we got there they would know within 36 hours if he would recover, so we told him goodby and left him with them and drove to Detroit knowing we would have to make a decision, about a hour after reaching the hotel last night the vet called and said he died so I didn’t have to make that choice, we have been married 32yr and Baxter was our 5th Golden so we knew what we faced, in a few days we will get another although I think this one will be a rescue not a pup.
    Once again thanks for the sympathy.
    Pilot Joe

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  37. Jolene said on October 22, 2015 at 4:06 pm

    Chiming in late here. My sympathy too, Joe. Glad you are thinking ahead to finding a new four-footed friend. Am sure you know that, in addition to shelters that take all comers, there are breed rescue groups for many breeds. Worth checking if, say, you want another Golden.

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  38. Scout said on October 22, 2015 at 4:12 pm

    Joe, so sorry about Baxter. I hope it’s of comfort to know that you gave him a splendid life with your family.

    I love Goldens. Subaru has a series of brilliant commercials out right now featuring the “Barkley” family. I hope this brings a smile as you remember your sweet friend.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjl2R_XZ4bo

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  39. brian stouder said on October 22, 2015 at 4:22 pm

    Subaru has really, really good commercials; an interesting mix of edgy/touching

    (thinking of the “They lived” spots, and the ones showing a family growing up)

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  40. brian stouder said on October 22, 2015 at 4:31 pm

    Leaving aside the Republican Congressional goon squad, here’s today’s chuckle:

    http://www.salon.com/2015/10/22/donald_trump_lashes_out_at_iowa_after_new_poll_shows_him_losing_too_much_monsanto_in_the_corn_creates_issues_in_the_brain/

    A new poll out today shows Trump losing his first place standing in Iowa to retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and apparently the billionaire mogul isn’t taking too kindly to the news.

    “Too much Monsanto in the corn creates issues in the brain,” read one tweet Trump sent out to his nearly five million Twitter followers today:

    “@mygreenhippo #BenCarson is now leading in the #polls in #Iowa. Too much #Monsanto in the #corn creates issues in the brain? #Trump #GOP”

    So the Donald is busily denigrating the voters that he will face in Iowa?

    What an idjit!

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  41. Suzanne said on October 22, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    “So the Donald is busily denigrating the voters that he will face in Iowa?

    What an idjit!”

    They’ll still vote for him because “he tells it like it is!”

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  42. Brandon said on October 22, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RijB8wnJCN0

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  43. beb said on October 22, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    A school district meeting in Omaha, Nebraska ended in chaos and some violence Tuesday as community members screamed in protest over the district’s consideration of an expanded lesson on sex education that would include abortion, sexual preference, and gender identities, as local TV station WDAM reported.
    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/nebraksa-planned-parenthood-sex-ed
    Really, this is nothing more than current events and people have their gonads in a twist.

    There’s a proposal going around that the GOP should reimburse the Federal Government for all expenses for the Bengazi committee because it’s so clearly a GOP operation to kneecap Hillary. Today I saw an addendum too this meme saying the Dems should for pay for today’s appearance by Hillary because she is kicking the GOPs butts.

    Joe’s lose reminds me of the dog we fostered for a couple days until the Humane Society opened and we could take him in. I am not a dog person but he was cute, a kind of boxer-bassett mix, meaning he was a small dog with huge feet and a big head. Even though I was not a dog person the dog was always looking at me for approval. The closest we came to adopting a dog.

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  44. Colleen said on October 22, 2015 at 6:43 pm

    So sorry to hear of your dog, Joe. It’s always sad to have to say goodbye. I have a friend in the Fort who is very involved with an organization called GRRACE, which is a golden rescue organization. You might look them up.

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  45. coozledad said on October 22, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    Ten hours of showing Americans what subhuman garbage Republicans are, so far. How long do they intend to rub their asses in the public’s face?

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  46. coozledad said on October 22, 2015 at 9:02 pm

    Someone must have pulled the plug on banjo boy Trey Gowdy. Show’s over fuckweasel. You lost. Big time.

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  47. Jill said on October 22, 2015 at 10:18 pm

    I’m so sorry about your dog, Joe. Losing them is so very hard. Maybe it’s good you’re on a getaway; for me the hardest part is the emptiness of the daily routine right after one of them dies. It’s just a huge adjustment.

    One of the best things about this fall for me so far is that I was able to facilitate the placement of two lab mix puppies into a foster home. They were only six weeks old and living in a kennel which isn’t a great start, but they’ve hit the jackpot now and are being raised right.

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  48. Dorothy said on October 23, 2015 at 9:26 am

    BINGO! Thx Cooz. I was trying and trying to think of a nickname for Gowdy. You helped immensely by allowing me to make the Deliverance connection.

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