It was windy as heck today which made the morning seem downright chilly!
Tickets for the King Tut Immersive Experience just went on pre-sale, so of course I had to get some. I’m just trying to coordinate with a few other people who want to go to – we can all go together, just need to get the dates nailed down. It’s going to be over at the SoWa power station in Boston, a place I had only been to once years ago, an up and coming hip area.
The seedlings that are in the seed tray on the windowsill have all started sprouting for the most part so I’m leaving the top cover off now that some of the stalks are getting high enough to touch it.
While I was working out in the gardens today I couldn’t help but notice that the lilac trees were starting to bud and bloom, so naturally I had to whip out my camera because that’s what we photographers do, and the result is the picture you see above. Check out the little fuzz on the buds.
Started out the morning after shift by heading to HQ for a team meeting. We’re having a team dinner in a couple of weeks at a function hall in town so that’s something to look forward to. Anyways, the meeting has basically just hashing out some details of things that are coming up, most of which I had already knew. It had been a while since we had a meeting though, so it was kind of cool to see everybody.
As our first grilling session of the season, I fired up the grill late this afternoon and fired up some strip steaks. Normally, I like to conduct a deep clean before starting the season, but I skipped that for now. Because the propane tank in the grill was nearly empty, I replaced it for the one in the outdoor heater. On Wednesday, when I replace the door screens, I’ll probably go get that one refilled again. That’s my current plan anyway.
I might do this overlapping column thing on LD’s website later this weekend. I need to study to code and then implement it. I think it might look cool but we’ll see. I also need to add some more graphics for more visual appeal.
Started out the day by checking out a local artisan popup grouping of shops over at the Norwood Space Center. Found some pretty cool items there. Then it was off to Carver to see another popup but this one was being hosted by an alpaca farm in the area, so we got some more things and got to hang with some alpacas – the stars of the show, as it were! I got lunch off of some food truck that was there. On the way back we went to Home Depot to pick up some cinder blocks. We’re planning on designing a corner cinderblock garden up along the fence, or latest project. Something along the lines of this image. We have most of the flowers and stones, it’s now just a process of deciding how we want to stack it and how we want it to look. I imagine we’ll be working on this over the next few days. Also got some mulch for the patio area to help spruce it up a little bit more.
I was going to replace the glass panes in the doors with the screens but I heard tomorrow is actually going to be a bit on the chilly side so I decided to postpone that a couple of days. Carson likes to have the doors open so he can look outside at all the various things but he also likes the smells. He’ll be able to enjoy that better once I have the screens in for the season.
For dinner, even though I’m beat, I cooked up some rosemary infused pork tenderloin with sides of mashed potatoes and broccoli. Anyways I may hit the rack a bit early tonight.
Gametime: Rock Forest – a not too hard cute game that I found.
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than than spending it outside? Because the weather was so wonderful today, we were able to finish off some spring cleaning activities as we prepare for the season’s approaching events. The most important task was to clean the patio, and we were learning as we went. It came out looking really well, in my opinion. I also retrieved the grill from storage, moved a few items, and cleaned the table and chairs. LD went out and bought some more phlox for an area near the fences. The idea was that it would eventually provide a lovely cover, similar to what it had done over the front of the house. The tulips, as well as a bunch of hyacinths, which you can see in the shot, are starting to bloom now, and there are also some small grape hyacinths springing up all over.
Well, I headed over the Earth-1 this morning in preparation for bringing the cat to the vet but when I got there I found out that the doctor had to cancel due to some other emergency so we had to reschedule it to the end of next week. So instead I decided to get my car washed and then used the vacuum at the place to clean out the inside. To say it was a little overdo for both would be an understatement. It’s looking all pristine now! While I was in the area I also hit up the local merchant to get a Mother’s Day card and some writing pens with a 1.4mm tip. On thing you might not know about me is that I like pens that write really thick.
This is a photo I took a little while back inside the Boston Public Gardens during springtime. I’m also learning some CSS code in order to make this text look with a frosted glass-like effect of a background. What do you think?
We awoke to the city preparing to install temporary water plumbing in front of all of the houses so that they could work on repairing the water main around the corner. It’s very aggravating. Pipes on the roadway abound, and you have to drive over them to get into the driveways; granted, there are rubber ramps on either side of the pipe, but it’s still inconvenient. I had to go to Whole Foods in Dedham for a pickup, so I’ve already driven over it a few times.
I was able to get the dolly from Earth-1 and use it to move a filing cabinet into the basement. I’ll return the dolly when I head back there tomorrow as I have to assist in getting my mom’s cat to the vet over there. Yearly exam, shots and all.
Later we planted some canna lilies that we got from a friend and planted them in honor of today being 4/20. Get it? Canna? Unfortunely while I was putting some soil in the shed and had started to clean off the patio for a deep clean we’re doing on Friday I fell and twisted my ankle. Hopefully it’s nothing major. Of course it’s on the leg where I have the foot and knee problems. Oy! I think I got lucky with this one though. So while I was resting my ankle I decided to try to learn and play around with some CSS for the site. I spent about a half hour playing around with trying to make a frosted glass-like effect behind text on my photos. Might still need to play around with it but I have the gist of it created. What do you think? Is it cool? It’s not part of the picture, it’s literally text that hovers above it, which I can change easily.
I also spent about an hour before lunch catching some of the Johnny Depp trial live. I find it somewhat fascinating to watch for some reason, I’m not a particular fan of JD but it sounds like it was pretty crazy town.
Today’s the running of the Boston Marathon but I decided to use the day to get a bunch of work done. Work on LD’s website is just about completed, I got the menus to work and just need to add some graphics. Might spruce it up more or change the layout a bit later but as of now the site is live and working. Today was also the day the electrician decided to show up and put in the new dedicated line for the sump pump, While he was wiring that up I put together a desk that LD had bought for herself and replaced the “bunny nursey” pot back into it’s place on the back deck, just in case some bunny decides to use it again.
Then in the afternoon we went to the beach for a walk and then even later on, we got to hang with a baby goat who is literally one day old! His name is Cameron and he is the cutest little boy!
Meeting one day old Cameron!
Yes, Cameron was born on Easter, and that white goat which you can see in the left hand bottom corner of this photo is Mira, his mother, which is short for Miracle because when she was a baby she almost didn’t make it. She’s turned out to be an amazing mother to her baby – it was fascinating to watch.
My bands arrived yesterday and believe it or not, it’s actually better than the manufacturer’s one I’ve been using – go figure. Yesterday we spent some time chatting with some friends for a couple of hours outside, which was nice. Then we went to a local bakery where they live and got some bunny cupcakes which I’ll be having for dessert later today to go with our Season’s 52 Easter takeout meal. I’ve also been doing some real website work on LD’s site, it’s getting closer and closer. I’m hoping it’ll all done by month’s end. I just need to figure out some menu things and sub pages and of course some graphics. Stuff I need to still work on.
Also if you’re interested this image is available for purchase to adorn your wall, or on a notebook, or on a mug, etc. Your support is always greatly appreciated!
Today was spent getting things ready for spring and taking advantage of the opportunity to get things organized.
Vacuumed and assisted with the better arrangement, cleaning, and organization of the sun room – getting there – measured the top of the old toy chest we bought at a yard sale years ago to see if we could purchase some sort of pillow/cushion for the top to turn it into a seat with storage underneath.
The Big Pencil
I then planted the tubers I dug up last year into one of the raised beds – got them in there before it started drizzling rain outside. Also planted some lily tubers and some other seedlings in a new area out back which is going to be something of a “prairie” type area. LD planted some pansies and hyacinths out front.
Loaded up the car with some crap I hope to dispose of over at Earth-1 next week. Also returning the Big Pencil back to my “Hall of Trophy’s” over there.
Later in the afternoon, we drove to the hardware store and purchased a wrap for the outdoor hose, which I intend to install tomorrow. I’ll be working on LD’s website as well, getting it ready for prime time, over the next week.
It was a wild weather day as today had a little bit of everything, sun, wind, rain, clouds, even a rainbow.
Sunset is the only therapy I need. There is something magical about it, it makes you feel things. And with every new sunset that feeling is always different. And the beautiful thing is that no matter what you feel, as long as you feel, you are living and that is all that matters.
The highlight of the day was a brief visit to the Sanctuary. Despite the fact that it was closed to the public today, the owner let us in because we’d been regulars for a long time and were dropping off some produce for the animals that LD had kindly procured. While wandering about, I came across a flock of roosters who were just hanging out and thought it would make a good photo. So there you have it. We sowed lavender seeds in a lot of seed trays earlier in the day, which I later placed on a ledge in the house to germinate. We’re hoping to be able to transplant them into the garden in a few weeks. We also have some butterfly mix, stargazer lily bulbs, and some gaillardia to plant. I’ve also been hydroponically growing some garlic bulbs in a big glass jar contraption I had set up as an experiment of mine. The green tendrils of leaves are starting to sprout up out of the jar, pretty fast growing.
Because the dianthus pot outside appears to be empty, it appears that the surviving baby rabbit must have fled sometime last night. After all, they were almost ready to depart, so I don’t feel as horrible as I did yesterday. I couldn’t really tell if any of the lettuce we left had been eaten, but maybe since the pot I laid in in seemed to be moved this afternoon. I guess we’re going to have to leave it as I’ve now designated it as a bunny nursery since this is at least the third time that a rabbit has placed it’s babies in it to develop and grow. Who knows how many others we may have had in there without knowing!
Half of me is filled with bursting words and half of me is painfully shy. I crave solitude yet also crave people. I want to pour life and love into everything yet also nurture my self-care and go gently. I want to live within the rush of primal, intuitive decision, yet also wish to sit and contemplate. This is the messiness of life – that we all carry multitudes, so must sit with the shifts. We are complicated creatures, and ultimately, the balance comes from this understanding. Be water. Flowing, flexible and soft. Subtly powerful and open. Wild and serene. Able to accept all changes, yet still led by the pull of steady tides. It is enough.
As I began to clean out some of the pots from various detritus and dead plants from last season, a tiny rabbit leapt out of one of the pots and onto the deck! LD attempted to pick him up with the intention of returning him to the pot, but it leaped off the deck, into another pot below, and then scurried out and under the deck. We felt terrible for disturbing it; what if the baby isn’t ready to go out in the wild just yet? On a side note, I believe there was a second bunny in the pot, but it remained concealed. We ran out and got some lettuce just in case they or the mama gets hungry and maybe she can find him and put him back, although I’m not sure if that will happen. The Plight of the baby bunny! I feel horrible for disrupting the nest, but on the bright side, the bunny was well-developed and would have departed on its own in a day or two if I hadn’t intervened I’m thinking.
The photo above is from some flowers I picked up for LD a little while ago. I like having flowers around every now and again, I feel it brightens the place up. I can’t always get the kind of flowers I’d really like to get because they can be poisonous to the pet, but that’s the breaks.
Did a lot of stuff around the house today, even made trips out to some stores to get things to assist in these endeavors. Spring cleaning and all.
This morning, I awoke to find out that I had been featured on the local CBS affiliate news station! Hurrah! On a side note, I used to watch Channel 7 news but became bored with it. Have you ever noticed that they have to use alliteration in every news report they do? You’ll notice it the next time you watch it — it’ll be introducing news articles with names like Dog Dangers, Pesky Problem, or Crumbling Concerns.
What a day thus far!
Early this morning was Carson’s vet appointment. I failed miserably in trying to get him into the carrier. I tried grabbing him but he wiggled out of my grasp and looked like he would bite me. He had been suspicious of me to begin with – they always seem to know when something’s up. All the coaxing in the world doesn’t seem to help because once they are on to you it’s game over. LD was the true hero though, she eventually got him up into her arms and even though he contorted his body crazily and even scratched her hand a bit, she held on to him, like a cowboy riding a bucking bronco and got him into the pet cage. Once he was there he checked out okay and was just probably glad to be out of there. Once he got home I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was actually pretty chill and didn’t go run and hide, which is something he would do in the past. This little traumatized kitty has come a long way, no doubt due to the affection and strength through love that we have both given him. After that LD has another appointment and I had to head down to the tactical store.
The tactical store was a little scary. With all the guns, and magazine clips and handcuffs and body armor. I found it a little bit daunting, guess that’s where all the law enforcement and SWAT guys go. There was one person in there, I guess an officer, looking at a gun that looked like an assault rifle – serious stuff! While I was waiting to be served, I was listening to what was going on with him. Before they even allowed him handle and aim the gun around, he had to present his badge and justify all of this, which I assume makes sense. It wouldn’t be wise to entrust these matters to just anyone coming in off the street. I had no idea this establishment existed in town! Anyway, I never understood how much effort they put into all of this – there are literally thousands of different uniform styles, and it’s a big deal.
On the way back I decided to hit for some lunch by going to the Burger King Drive thru. Thankfully all the hoopla from this morning about Ernie Boch Jr. giving out free gas at the station literally right next to place had all been finished by then. Seemed to be a little antithetical to me that people would wait in these long lines burning gas just to get gas. I heard some folks were waiting there since last night. Seems a bit drastic to me, it’s obviously no doubt some kind of self promotion but hey, I guess it made some folks happy.
“Sometimes the clouds in the sky are mistaken. They didn’t come to block the sunlight. They came to embrace it.”
I thought the clouds were pretty wild looking in this shot. What are your thoughts? This was taken with an older camera when I was initially getting into photography, thus the quality isn’t as high as some of my more recent images. Still, I believe it’s a fantastic shot, and as I previously stated, I’m a big fan of the clouds.
L’artiste
I’ve been working on some special posts coming up so stay tuned for that – all the feels! I saw that NECN shared the photo of the boat “coming in hot” that I took from the Cape so I would expect to see that on the television screen soon. Which reminds me if you’d like to have some of my work (shameless plug) adorn your own surroundings you can always just check out my store for what I consider to have been some of my best photographs which are available on a number of items ranging from small magnets and stickers to large metal prints. Scroll through and see if anything catches your eye – I tend to update it with new images every now and again as I receive some interest. I would appreciate any support – help keep me going!
Gosh darn this was one long month – I thought April would never get here! It had some great moments but also some not so great. Perhaps every month is like that but this month seemed to have some pretty big swings for me. I feel like I’m getting back into equilibrium though and that’s a good thing.
Tomorrow I have a handful of appointments I need to attend to. One is bringing our boy to the vet in the morning, which is generally an adventure in and of itself, and the other is getting fitted for some tactical equipment I need for my job. Onward and upward – that should be fun!
Woke up to a flat tire. Well, it wasn’t totally flat but I could see as the car sat there that it was getting flatter and flatter. After my shift, I took it to the shop. It was suggested that all four tires be replaced because they were all worn out. I was aware that it was a bit of a sales pitch, but I consented. It was time for a new set of tires. However, it was a bit pricey. Another bill to add to the pile. On the plus side, she rides like a dream.
It made me think that we are all like tires a little bit through our experiences. Some of us are new while others are threadbare. I guess I’m somewhere in the middle, and every now and again I need a burst of air to pump me up. Life can be so deflating at times, but in my case it’s a slow leak. I need to force myself to get to the air pump.
The sun rises over the cliffs off the coast of Nauset Beach, Orleans, Ma.
The story behind the photo: This was taken in June, I believe, while we were staying at the Nauset Lighthouse cottage. It’s actually across the dirt road, and the fence here is to keep you from going too far over the cliff’s edge, which you can’t see in this photo. I believe I got up at 5 a.m. and walked out to this spot in the hopes of capturing these sunrise images.
The burned hand teaches best. After that, advice about fire goes to the heart.
J. R. R. Tolkien
In other news, I burned my hand last night, in addition to everything else. I removed an oven-safe pan from the oven while I was cooking dinner and set it on the cooktop to do something else, but when I returned to it, I had forgotten it had been in the oven and grabbed the handle, scorching myself. For a while, it hurt like a motherfucker. I would apply ice to it and the pain would go away, but as soon as I removed the ice for a second or two, the pain would return. On my skin, it felt like a continual scrape. I eventually went to bed with my hand on the ice pack and was relieved to see that everything had improved by morning. I knew it couldn’t have been that bad because my skin wasn’t bubbling or blistered. Just red. That was a close call. It made me feel incredibly stupid and angry with myself.
As for other walking hospital news, I finally got a knee brace for my right knee. I’ve been wearing it for most of today to try it out and it seems to be helping I think. Time will tell if I stick with it or not.
“My melancholy is the most faithful mistress I have known; what wonder, then, that I love her in return.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
Feeling a little out of sorts today. I don’t know if the unseasonably cold weather today, the fact that I probably have a case of the Mondays, or whatever else. Hopefully I’ll feel better and more like my chipper self tomorrow but for now I just want to shut down for the day. I’m allowed to have that, aren’t I?
We traveled to Boston to see a performance put on by some students, and it was fantastic! So creative! The theatre was small, but not too small, which was a bonus because it meant the stage would be intimate to the audience, which it was. Because you had to be masked and show your vax card to go in, it felt completely safe. Anyway, the show was excellent, and it was motivating to see these young people, from the writer to the actors and crew members, enhance their skills. It’s just wonderful. We then went out and bought a couple of pizza slices to take home with us for the ride back.
