Take A Picture...It'll Last Longer!

I suppose I've had a bit of a photography bug ever since I was a teenager. The first camera I bought was a Polaroid that took black and white instant photos. Photographs are all about capturing moments and sights that we notice, and I have fond memories of looking at slides on the wall of my grandparents' home - in the dark when we visited. I guess you could say that my love of stories and using pictures to tell them, along with sharing memories, started there.

That's also where I attribute my interest in birds and the wide variety of species that I find interesting to watch and photograph. My grandparents watched birds and pointed out different ones to me. Maybe my interest has grown because my grandparents aren't around anymore, and photographing birds seems to really keep me in touch with their spirits. I like to think they'd like seeing some of my photographs and it's as close as I can come to either of them pointing out an interesting bird to me - or my doing that for them.

The photography/camera bug became stronger because I started seeing things and thinking they would make for an interesting photograph. My stepfather is an avid photographer, having been at it for years and he's won several awards and even sold quite a few of his photographs. He's also been very encouraging in my own photography journey.

Birds aren't my favorite animals, but there is an incredibly wide variety of species that I find interesting to photograph, and let's face it - they're pretty much everywhere. I knew I wasn't long for being without a decent camera when I started seeing more things that I wanted to capture in photographs. I started out easy - I planted Sunflowers in the hopes of drawing Goldfinches and getting good photographs of them. They're not a bird that sticks around long if people get too close, but they're beautifully colored in bright yellows and black. I basically used my living room as a blind and got some great shots right out my front window.

Next there were Mexican Sunflowers that I discovered after planting them, draw Humming Birds and Monarch Butterflies - more great photo opportunities. This year has been a bit disappointing with birds being drawn to my plants. As we're heading into Fall, I've cut back a lot of the flowers and plants - though I'm not ready to give up seeing more of flowers and hoping they draw birds. That's all fine, but I also need to get out and take pictures of birds in the wild. I'm not sure why my own plants haven't drawn much in the way of birds this year, but with 433 species of birds in Ohio - according to a Google inquiry, I'd be lucky if I've seen 50, and lucky if I've gotten decent photographs of 20.

I've got a couple of friends who started down the road to photography after I did and they're getting great photographs out in the world away from their front door. This is inspiring. My stepfather once told me that he knows people who have been taking pictures for decades that don't have photographs like some of my better shots - but I think that thought lulled me into a false sense of confidence. I do have some good shots from early on, but I got them literally from my front door. I like to say that these photographs are a combination of luck and what I pay attention to - and they are. You've gotta be noticing in the first place and thinking about photo opportunities to begin with, that much is true - but I'm beginning to realize how much more there is if I look further and learn more.

Another thing I need to learn more about, is utilizing the capabilities of my equipment and using settings to my advantage - instead of letting the plethora of settings and capabilities intimidate me into just shooting on auto mode. Getting photographs seems more like collecting - and as my buddy, Mick once said, "I take a ton of photographs, a lot of them bad, but I keep shooting."

While it's not just birds that I want to photograph, I am getting borderline obsessed with photographing more varieties of birds. I've seen Bald Eagles on my cycling runs and I think back to when these magnificent birds were endangered and how I could very easily have never had a chance to see them at all.  On one ride a couple of Summers ago, I was across the river from an eagle just sitting on a branch. All I had was my iPhone to capture that opportunity - if I'd had my camera with me, I could've gotten great shots that morning. It's wonderful just to see something like this, but I like the thought of capturing a great photograph of things like this - it really will last longer.

1,000 Words of Summer - NUMERO OCHO!

Summer. Despite heat and humidity being two of my least favorite things to endure, they come with the season here in Northeast Ohio, and I'll be damned if I'll let either get the best of me enough to stop me from taking joy in the things that I love about Summer. Yesterday I finally got my ass on my bicycle for the first time since last November. I knew better than to head out for an epic ride of too many miles right off the rip after so long an absence. No matter how beautiful it is in the Cuyahoga Valley that I love riding in, I know I need to build up to bigger rides.

So I ended up with a ride that fell just shy of six miles and on a trail that had the perfect amount of hills to climb and descend, flats, shade and a bit of wind to battle on the return leg of the ride. All of this served to remind me of what my body should be doing several times a week on the regular. I knew there would be an adjustment period in getting back out there - today is a gym day, so no riding today. I'm pretty sure my legs and my arse are thankful. Weather permitting, I'll head out tomorrow morning and shoot for around 10-12 miles. I should be up to 10-30 miles by mid August. I'm a bit regretful that it's taken me this late in the season to get out there, but here's hoping for a nice Indian Summer around here and my riding in a lot of it.

Finally, one of my favorite things about Summer starts back up. These are the kinds of things that lift my spirit. In the last two months, there's been a few people and things that have chipped away at breaking my spirit. The things I can control, I will - and all I can do is not devote my energy, time and thoughts to things outside of my ability to control in anyway. Doesn't mean I can't coexist with such things, even if I can't eliminate them. I suppose the same could be said for any of the individuals who either intentionally or unintentionally try to break my spirit. To paraphrase Eric Cartman, Screw you guys, I'm tapping out of that bullshit.

I'm not someone who likes dwelling on negativity, and while it's not always easy to pull myself out of it at times, I'm done giving my energy, time & thoughts to anything or anyone that breaks my spirit. Life is just too short. I know what I bring to a given party and I'll toot my own horn when I know the tune. Again, life is just too short.

A year ago Facebook told me it was an old friend's birthday. I went to her page to wish her a happy birthday and realized we hadn't been in touch for a few months. What I hoped was that all was well with her and that the worries she'd mentioned during one of our last conversations, we now over with and her life was going better for her.

What I discovered when I went to her page to wish her a Happy Birthday, was that she'd been killed in a horrible automobile  accident and had been killed by the woman who hit her car. That woman was intoxicated, and she was killed as well. I must have stared at my computer for five minutes just frozen - and it felt like an entire week. I thought back to when our friendship began, back to how I enjoyed every conversation I was ever in with her   - no matter what the topic was. My friend. Someone's mother. Someone's wife. Someone's daughter. Gone. We all need friends in this journey, but who needs a mom, a wife and a daughter more than her family?

A year later and Facebook reminds me again that it's her birthday. Instantly I feel like I did on this day a year ago. I still can't believe she's gone. So yeah, life is too short for the people and things that would break, or take your spirit. My friend wouldn't want that. It's up to me not to have that. I hated this day a year ago for the news it brought to me. Not only was it horrible news, it was also a couple of months old by the time I learned of it. There was nothing I could do. I thought of the last time we spoke. I want to say it was an instant message volley about seeing Richard Thompson at The Kent Stage. It never came to be - I think because we both ended up getting busy. I wish it had come to be, because I saw RT with this friend and a couple of other dear friends back in my college days when he opened for REM at Public Hall. I don't recall much about that show other than RT was more enjoyable to all of us than REM was. How was I to know that all these years later, hearing RT's music would make me think of her - both favorably and now with a sad tone.

Yes indeed, life is far too short. Last night a regular customer came in. The guy happens to be a dear friend of my boss and his wife. The guy also lost his wife to cancer early this year. I'm struggling a bit today - I want to write about a couple of more joyous things about Summer, but right now I need to put the writing down and get some things done around here, hit the gym and try to make this day wonderful in ways that would make someone happy to hear about the next time I talk to them or bump into them. It's a beautiful day outside, I've got plenty to do on this day off and I need to hit the gym. Time to get moving - because sitting here writing is only going to pull me down today, and I need to seek out the people and things that lift me up. Uncertain as these times may be, there is still so much to be thankful for. Peace, good people - don't let anything or anyone, break your spirit. Time to go after some joy on this beautiful Summer day. It's out there somewhere, and I intend to find at least some of it. Whaddya know? A tad under 1900 words.

CRO

1,000 Words of Summer - SEVEN

Some years back, I was talking with guys I work with about the previous night's dinner. I've pretty much always liked to cook - particularly since I love to eat good food. The conversation I'm remembering here though, was at a time when I wasn't working in the hospitality industry. It was after I left my first four years at The Inn at Turner's Mill. No place showed or taught me more about great food than The Inn at Turner's Mill. The Mill got me excited about good food - food that looked so amazing that it influenced your choice, got you thinking about the experience before you even take a bite.

Anyway, in the conversation I'm referring to, I was describing what I made for dinner, and I guess I'd talked quite a bit up to that point about food - I did most of the cooking in the relationship with the woman I was with at that time. My coworker stopped me mid sentence and asked: Man, don't you ever just eat? Nothing elaborate or hard to make, just throw it together and eat without all that thought behind it??

My answer was, yes - I do. But those aren't meals that I talk about. I realized then that food can be something to get excited about. I'm a pretty fair cook, I wouldn't say I'm a chef - but I have had the pleasure of working in establishments that had/have great chefs and I have taken inspiration from every one of them. My thinking is, why simply "just eat", when you can enjoy? For me the whole process is therapeutic and usually relaxing - even if I'm only doing it for myself, which I usually am. It's almost like edible artwork - and sometimes it actually is, at least in my opinion.

I could make the most amazing meal, nail every step of preparation all the way up to plating the most visually appealing dish you could lay eyes on, but that doesn't make me a chef. Pulling off even the most amazing entree once is nothing compared to orchestrating a kitchen staff to turn out amazing food for the masses. It's like mustard on your hamburger, versus a 50 gallon drum of mustard. Whoah...I don't wanna think that big, but when you're a chef, you have to think like that.

Summer is at the halfway point, Having got a new grill a few weeks back, and food on the grill - despite a learning curve with the type of grill I upgraded to, is something to get excited about. I haven't been going out much and it's probably a combination of these uncertain times and the fact that I'm out when I'm working and in my off time, I want to put the gun down and relax at home. So pictured below, is what will be a typical evening off for me, and since I work a different 9 to 5, this seems to be around the time I'll usually eat - though I always hope it's earlier.

Boom. There's a few words about Summer and one of the things I love about the season. I edited this particular photo to enhance the color that was already in the original shot. I've taken quite a bit of shit for posting photos of my food right when it goes on the grill & midway through the cooking process - so be it to the haters. I happen to love photographing food and drink, and sometimes capturing the process is just as cool as the end result - not always, but sometimes.

Since this whole pandemic has surged, I haven't really been eating out. There's a Mexican place in town that I love going to, and that's about the only place I've gone recently. It's close, quick, relatively cheap and very good, considering the Northeast Ohio location for such food. I almost never drink alcohol when I go there though, because they don't pour a decent drink for a guy who prefers decent Tequila on the rocks. Great Margaritas, but much as I love that drink, I don't want all the sugar.

That leads me to my next thing about Summer that I'm digging: Drinks. For as long as I can remember, the Margarita has been my favorite cocktail - hands down, and I've made cocktails of every kind for never mind how long...but the more mile markers I pass, the more I want to eliminate sugar from my life. It's taken me years to realize that decent Tequila is the only spirit I can push the envelope of moderation with - not that I do a lot of pushing there mind you.

It's my personal opinion that most people's aversion to Tequila stems from their college days. Drinking the wrong Tequila, the wrong way and at the wrong time. "Shots? Sure, I've got time for at least one more bad decision..."

Again, it's taken my most of my career to realize that drinking decent Tequila can actually have me reminding myself that I even had anything to drink the night before. I do take quite a bit of grief for liking decent Tequila on the rocks. I still can enjoy a Margarita from time to time, but these days the massive amounts of sugar really get me the next day. So again, straight Tequila on the rocks - but what about when you're outside in the heat and just want more in the way of liquid refreshment in your adult beverage? This very thing led me to a drink I find refreshing, not overly sweet - and dangerously good: The Paloma.

The basic recipe is blanco Tequila, lime juice and grapefruit soda. Not sure what led me to think of this, but I created a rim of a mixture of sour salt, Tajin seasoning, Cayenne pepper, sea salt and a little bit of sugar to help balance all this out. I'm a fan of salted rims on a Margarita, but I'm not sure I've ever had a rim on a glass that works so perfectly to compliment a cocktail - and I'm Irish, so I've had a few cocktails.

I've also found two grapefruit sodas that are both really good with this drink and have the perfect amount of minimal sweetness to them, and use natural ingredients. Either will do, but San Pelligrino Pompelmo is by far the better of these two:

It's too early in the day for me to make a Paloma - plus I have to work tonight and hit the gym here shortly, but for your reference here, you should get two drinks out of either one of these choices. If I had a third choice, it would be Jarritos Grapefruit Soda - imported from Mexico and has real sugar in it - it's a bit on the sweet side for my tastes. Having gone over all that, here's my recipe and method:

2-3 ounces of Blanco Tequila - a really great one for the money is Altos.
Juice of 1/4 quarter lime
Grapefruit soda
Ice (duh)
Spicy Cayenne/Tajin salt mixture *
3.4 ounce Campari
Lime wheel/wedge for garnish

*Spicy Cayenne/Tajin Salt mixture:

3 Tbsp white sugar
2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
2 Tbsp Sea Salt (I've been using fine, but Coarse would probably work well)
2 Tbsp Tajin Seasoning
1 Tbsp Sour Salt
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper

Combine ingredients in a small container with a tight sealing lid, shake the living shit out of it. Boom. Awesome rim mixture done - I'm not sure I've ever had a rim mixture that I've wanted every bit of on a cocktail before this one. It really is perfect on this drink.

Take a lime wedge and go around the rim of the glass, then run the glass edge in the Spicy Cayenne/Tajin salt mixture to rim the top.

Fill the glass with ice and squeeze 1/4 lime juice over the ice, then add the Tequila. I drizzle the Campari on top of the drink - it'll sink right to the bottom, I usually stir the drink before I add the Campari because just leaving the Campari to do its work while you enjoy the drink seems to make every sip better than the one before it. When it all comes together, it should look like this:

Now on to a couple of other things about Summer. I've yet to put a single mile on my bicycle this year and it's tearing me up. I changed vehicles and had some issues with my hitch mounted rack - I'm hoping I've got those issues corrected, now I just need to get my ass out there. Hopefully tomorrow.

The garden is looking good - Mexican Sunflowers are starting to open up and there are a lot more to follow. Regular Sunflowers are still a few days out, but looking good. I've also harvested quite a few Serrano peppers off of my plants and even used them in a batch of my salsa. I've got a ton of Habaneros coming in, thought they're all still really green. I moved the most promising plant to a place where it's getting more direct sun in the hopes of getting the peppers to ripen up.

I really want to try to make jelly with the Habaneros this year - but I've got to conquer my fear of canning (which I don't really want to get heavily into, have a perhaps unreasonable paranoia about and the last thing I need is to buy another pile of stuff to have to keep around and not use very much) in order for that to happen. I've been experimenting making tinctures, but I'm going to have a lot of peppers and I don't need five year's worth of tinctures, which are all too easy to make as it turns out.

It's been an interesting week. A thing or two hasn't exactly gone the way I'd hoped it would, but I'm taking a tip from a friend who posted the following advice recently:

Make yesterday the last day you spent giving a fuck about people who don't show you they give a fuck back.

No names, but a few people. Onward. These past few months have shown me many things, not the least of which is that this life we lead is more often than not, far too short. I wish you all peace, hope you're staying safe and enjoying your Summer. For anyone going through difficult things - and you know who you are, my thoughts are with you - and I admire your strength. Peace, good people. Oh and nearly 1800 words. Words of Summer. Boom.

CRO

1,000 Words of Summer...SIX!

Summer is moving along and gaining momentum. I often gauge the progress of this season by my garden, which currently seems to be in a holding pattern. My attempts at drawing Humming Birds has been largely unsuccessful. Nonetheless, things look pretty good out there - although last year at this time, I actually had Sunflowers in bloom. Once again, I'm reminded of how gardening is among other things, an exercise in things like acceptance and patience.

I haven't started riding yet this season - I know, what am I waiting for? I've been doing a lot of other things and basically dragging ass on getting out there. This year I'm a bit obsessed with my outdoor space and making it look better. Plants, patio lights, new grill - all of this seems to work because in these uncertain times, going out a lot isn't something I really want to do. My work is out, and now more than ever, I kind of want a break from being out.

My line of work is severely altered these days - and it may well stay that way forever. Do I like it? No - because in a line of work that I once fought to get out of and stay out of, I've come to love it more and I've come to love great food and drink more, and get excited about both of those things. All of that carries into my home life. I don't want to get political, but it's impossible for me to have any confidence in this administration - and promoting the opinion of a washed up game show host over that of our nation's leading infectious disease expert is troubling. However this virus got here, denying that it is once again gaining serious momentum and putting down medical experts that have advised on it is dangerous. Nothing like this should be politicized, yet it has been and it continues to be.

It's hard to hear someone say that anyone like me is living the high life. I'd never been on unemployment as long as I was. I didn't like the shut down, and with how severely my industry has been affected, being back at work is just as stressful as the day I learned we were shutting down. No matter which side of the fence you're on, there hasn't been consistent actions in how we're dealing with this collectively - statewide or across the country. No, I don't want the entire country to shut down again - I want us all to be safe. I don't want to be one of the asymptomatic carriers and pass something on to someone who might get sick, or even die.

I could go on about my thoughts on all of this, but I won't. I've heard some very disturbing remarks made that are both insensitive and completely callous regarding human lives and I've heard people outright say that lives of people in certain age groups are about to end anyway, so why is anyone worried? Am I worried? Absolutely. I happen to love my work for numerous reasons.

I have to focus on the moment, do what I can to keep myself healthy, and take moments for what they are. Pandemic or not, we live lives in moments that are never guaranteed. So I do what I can. Focus on things I like and can actually do something about: Working out, learning to cook new foods in better ways, photography, writing, bicycling, nature.

I've kind of always loved pictures of food - and I've taken quite a bit of criticism for my love of photographing - hell, I'll even post pics of the same recipe that I'm making for the umpteenth time in the hopes of making it look better. I love pictures of good food that make me think things like 'I want to make that - I want to eat that, damn that looks amazing...can I do that?. I take quite a bit of shit for posting some of these pictures too, fine - it's easy enough to turn my give-a-shitter off when people who bitch about 'em are either sharing drunken stories (which can be fun from time to time) or something every bit as self indulgent as food I make. People say things like close the grill cover! - guess what? Seeing food on the grill is a wonderful memory, and sometimes one that I like capturing in a picture. I have fond childhood memories of my grandfather standing at the grill making his BBQ chicken. I still haven't mastered it - I've finally realized that he stood there the entire time, patiently turning the meat, and if that chicken ever came out less than perfectly cooked - with the sauce that he made from scratch, I never knew about it. So for anyone who hates me posting a picture of food with my grill lid up, deal with it or find something else to look at. It ain't that hard to do.

So yeah, I'll take pictures of food on the grill - before I close the cover, midway through the cooking process, right up to plating it. A few years back at work, Mytro was doing these Chill On The Grill nights - parking across the street, I could smell how good that food was and it only got better as I walked across the street to work. How does one not get excited about food when you have that kind of experience? I'll take the whole grilling experience, the sight of the food on the grill, the smell of the grill as it nears being ready for the food to go on, and once you start to see and smell what's in store. If anyone in Cleveland knows of a place that has that kind of grilling out experience that's anywhere as good as what Mytro was doing a few Summers back, hit me up - because I wanna go & try it. These days the experience is closer - he does the smoking right out back.

So I pull into a parking space, open my car door and the smell hits me instantly.  It's one of my favorite things about Summer. This week it was smoked chicken, last week brisket, the week before that it was ribs. Can't even tell you how good it smelled out that back door. Makes me wish I didn't have to work so I could come in and eat. And it makes me want to up my own grilling game at home. Serious work to do there. Summer - 1,000 Words of Summer, to be exact. I'm actually a little over today. Time to get a move on, lots to do before work tonight. Peace, good people - stay safe, wear a mask.

CRO

1000 Words of Summer, Numero Cinco

I love mornings in the Summer more than any other time of the year. I've spent this perfect morning in the garden. My patience is severely lacking this morning. Having seen Humming Birds twice on Monday, I've upped the game and put out more feeders. Nothing. They say red will draw them and I certainly have enough of that.

Last night at work I got into a conversation with a couple who come in a few times a week. The woman rolled her eyes when her husband started talking about his garden, and as I swapped a few stories back and forth with him, she asked me if I'd been separated at birth from her husband. It's good to be back at work and connecting with guests, but it's still a very different world in my line of work. I guess all I can do is hope that all this uncertainty doesn't  take a turn for the worse. It's hard for anyone and everyone in the service industry right now and there's no telling how long it will stay that way. The pandemic is my least favorite part about this Summer, so I've said enough about that.

No matter how I cut back on bird food, I can't seem to get rid of the starlings. What I'd originally thought was a young Red Bellied Woodpecker hitting my feeders, turns out to be a starling. Several times this morning, the whole group of them crowed my feeders. Like a bunch of rubes walking into a Walmart. Fuckers.

The photo opportunities so far have been rare - and missed. As I sit here typing this, I'm watching a male Downy Woodpecker and some Goldfinches. I took the camera back inside, so I snapped a picture with my phone. I take quite a few photos with my phone, but I really like getting good pictures with a camera. I really need to get off my are and get a few things done today, so I'm not likely to get 1000 words in or even close to that really.

I did get inspired by my buddy, Niles Hughes posting some incredible pictures that he took of a bird splashing around in his bird bath. He did an awesome job of capturing the bird splashing in the water and that inspired me to put a bird bath in the middle of my garden. Until this morning, it wasn't getting any use that I saw. Earlier a Chickadee took a few drinks from it while I was about a foot away - didn't seem the least bit worried that I was there either.

All of this stuff is distracting me away from getting back to the gym and out on the bike, not to mention a ton of other things that need done today, so to hell with the word count, I'm outta here. Peace, good people - enjoy this perfect Summer day. 484 words will have to do.

CRO

1,000 Words of Summer - Numero Cuatro

Note: This is the fourth installment for my writing project, 1,000 Words of Summer. I've broken up the writing, fallen short on word counts more often than not, and there have been days when the writing isn't worth the keystrokes, so I don't count that day


Monday, June 15, 2020. It's a very good morning so far. This morning started by doing something nice for someone and seeing an old friend/coworker. A few weeks back, I got a new drawing table. Rather than just throw away the previous one, I hoped I could find someone who wanted it and would use it. I posted on social media and shortly after I did, a guy I used to work with at The Mill hit me up saying his wife draws a lot and would love it. Done. Now if I could just get the rest of the things that need to be donated/gotten rid of out of here.

A typical start to a Summer morning. Wake up, make the coffee, feed the cat and go outside to check on my garden. Everything looks really good out there this year. My only concern is that my mid/late Summer Sunflowers and Mexican Sunflowers got mixed up. I wasn't sure which were which and I'll admit that I'm a little concerned that my Mexican Sunflowers won't do well this year. Things happen fast and slow in the world of gardening. What starts from a seed grows exponentially in weeks - but you can't pull that progress out of the seeds any fast than in its own good time. Patience.

I did notice that a couple of my hot pepper plants already have tiny peppers starting on them, and others have little flowers, so mid June and things look really good. Every year I learn something about getting better organized at the beginning of gardening season and this year got off to a great start having had more time on my hands due to the pandemic...and then the wind knocked over my tray of 70 seedlings. They were okay, but all mixed up and it was impossible to tell one from another. I planted most, gave away quite a few - and told people it was either one or the other.

By now I can tell that the Sunflowers are doing really well. Whatever happens out there will happen in good time. I'm just hoping for good photo opportunities with the birds - imagine all the planting I did multiplied and needing it to feed a family. Mind boggling. Speaking of bird traffic, I just saw a Humming Bird out there, so that's a good sign. What I can't seem to get rid of, are the Starlings. I refer to those birds as the trailer trash of the bird world. They're noisy, messy and a group of them make short work of emptying the feeders. They're like a bunch of rubes descending upon a Walmart from the parking lot. I hate 'em.

More good news on the bird front: A large, Red Bellied Woodpecker hit my feeders today, and I've seen a Humming Bird twice today, the second time taking me completely by surprise with the little bird hovering barely 3 feet in front of me. By the time I thought to grab my phone and get a picture, he was gone. The good news is that repeated sightings in such a short time means they're back on the regular. I put more feeders out and hopefully that will encourage them. I'm hoping for better shots with the camera soon.

Another high point of Summer, amidst all the shit I grind up and drink in the fruit and vegetable world, is the one juice I make several times every Summer, and only because it's the most refreshing juice I've ever had in my life: a whole watermelon, lime, jalapeño and a good handful of mint. I've already made it twice in the last week, I'm about to make another batch as soon as I finish this post. That juice, a sandwich and some of the Escabeche that I made with organic purple cauliflower for lunch and then it's off to work. I've confirmed another donation for a friend/coworker for tonight and I've offered up one more for a friend/client. All in all, a Monday that starts out like this one has, can't really get any better - and I will be grateful for every moment of it. Peace, good people. Nice to see a good ruling from our Supreme Court today - we're all in this together. Oh, and one more thing: word count: 763. I'll take it.

CRO

1,000 Words of Summer - Installment #3

Note: A couple of weeks back, I took on a writing project entitled 1,000 Words of Summer. As much as I can tell, the project is meant to motivate writers to write - the guidelines are vague, but for writing daily for two weeks. I've taken some liberties with the guidelines, but overall I'm using it as a prompt to get me to write regularly - which I have stretches where I don't from time to time. Since Summer is in the project's title, I'm choosing to focus on what I enjoy about Summer. I'm also choosing to not count the days where I should be writing 1,000 words and I end up with 400 that bore the living shit outta me. For anyone choosing to read this blog, trust me you're grateful.

Sunday, June 14, 2020

I woke up this morning to another beautiful Summer day. Once the coffee is on and the cat is fed, I walk outside and check the progress of my garden. Things look pretty good out there, everything seems to be doing really well. The things that are blooming now look great, the things that I'm waiting for seem to be growing. Today is a day that I don't have to do a single thing for the garden. There's been enough rain, not much to deadhead off of anything.

I can see tiny buds forming on the hot pepper plants, even some tiny flowers on some of them. It's early and a little on the cooler side. While I look forward to what happens out there in mid to late Summer, why rush it? Days like today are perfect. I have other things to give my attention to, particularly since this pandemic shut down my gym, the weather was mostly crappy during my shelter in place time, so I didn't get out on the bicycle. It's time to get back to both of those things - and this is the longest in nine years that I haven't been to the gym.

It's gonna be a slow and uncomfortable return to hitting the gym. Probably a slower climb back to getting miles on the bike too. Can I get back to normal by the end of July? Hopefully. I doubt I'm the only one who let healthier eating habits backslide a bit during my time at home. It's time to get back to taking control of what I can take control of and look for the good, and most importantly, being grateful.

The vibe at work is different, but for those paying attention, there is this collective hope that we'll get back to normal and that normal will be improved upon. These are still tough times, for me, my coworkers and my employer. None of us have seen anything like this, and there is reassurance in the feeling that we're all in this together.

My point to all of this is that there are a number of things beyond my control, so I'll just press on and focus on what I can control. I have things I'm interested in doing that bring me joy - bicycling, exercise, cooking, writing, photography, graphic design and reading more, learning more. So on this Sunday when I'm a bit back logged on stuff that needs done around here, I'm thankful for Summer and how it allows a different mindset for enjoying outdoors - oh and I'm currently researching fly fishing, which I am going to take up in the next few weeks. I expect a long learning process, and probably no fish caught for the time being, but as one friend told me, it's more about the serenity. Fly fishing is something I've wanted to do for a long time now and waiting seems pointless.

There you have it, a few things I'm focusing on this Summer, a bit shy of 650 words. That'll have to do for today. Peace, good people.

Day Two - 1,000 Words of Summer

NOTE: Part two in my 1,000 Words of Summer writing project. Raw, rambling & submitted for anyone who is willing to read such drivel. I did get quite a bit closer to 1,000 words on this one. Who knows what day three will look like? Haven't started that yet...

Saturday, May 30, 2020 - 12:30 PM - 1,000 Words of Summer, Day Two:

I started my interest in gardening to feed my interest in photography. I wanted to capture birds, butterflies, bees - things that have always made me stop and look, Sometimes these moments are far too brief, fleeting and I wanted to preserve them in all their spectacularity. One of the things I ponder about gardening, is how it’s ultimately an exercise in patience. No matter how careful you are in doing all the right things - and this is true whether you plant an actual seed, or transplant a seedling that you bought at a garden center, there is a lot of waiting for things to turn out.

On any given day, you’ve watered and taken note of the progress of a plant in the soil. The flower, fruit or vegetable will appear in its own time - not yours. The thought that something small like a Sunflower seed, can turn into a huge stalk of a plant with big, gorgeous flowers in less than twelve weeks if amazing. I have monitored these plants and quite a few more, every year for the past 5 years. Patience. 

On one hand, I’m patient. On the other, I want results. Sunflowers and Mexican Sunflowers draw various birds, bees and butterflies - all can be amazing photographic opportunities. They also provide a lot for the eye to take notice of even if one doesn’t want to photograph them. So I look forward to their arrival in all their glory, I want to see them in full bloom.

The down side to this is that those two specific types of flowers don’t bloom until mid to late Summer. Maybe it’s just my own perception, but that’s the point in the season where Mother Nature seems to step on the accelerator a bit too heavy. The warm, sunny days go by too quickly, and if you’re not paying attention to all these seemingly tiny moments of beauty, they’ll pass you by and you’ll have missed out.

Seeds, even the ones that are most hardy, get off to a rather pathetic start sometimes. Maybe that’s something that I notice more after a few years of planting various flowers to draw bees, birds and butterflies. Four years ago, I bought a packet of Mexican Sunflower seeds because the picture on the packet looked interesting. I wanted to know what these things looked like. Turns out they are much more stunning to see when they bloom - and they bloom late into the Fall. But the biggest, and best surprise was finding out that they draw Humming Birds and Monarch Butterflies. Bumblebees are also quite a sight on these flowers, so with all that going on, I plant more of those than any other flower.

I’ve had success with various types of Sunflowers, including the beautiful Mammoth variety - I’ve had a couple of those grow to heights over ten feet in the air, stalks as thick as a broom handle. The sad thing about this variety of Sunflowers is that it’s usually one flower per massive stalk, and while they are gorgeous when they bloom, it’s a relatively short time before they get ugly and they offer up nothing else.

I’ve found that some of the red varieties of Sunflowers will offer up several blooms per stalk, and some of the deep, deep red looks amazing against a blue Summer sky. You wait for this kind of beauty. After a few seasons your anticipation for it turns to being anxious. All in good time - and to me it’s well worth taking the time to stop and notice. These flowers are guaranteed to draw Goldfinches and bumblebees - the former are most colorful in their beautiful mix of bright yellow, black & bits of clean white. The latter are a sight to see, loaded down with pollen falling off of them.

Again, beauty like this is a waiting game. And we’re talking mid Summer at the earliest. That’s why I labored this year to get things planted that look good and draw Humming Birds now. It’s nice to walk out in the mornings and look at the progress of plants, particularly when I planted them from seeds, but why not have a few things out there that look good now, while I’m waiting for the headliner?

It’s certainly helped having the time with this shelter in place stuff - of course that made me venture out to the store a few times when it wasn’t quite so essential, but I’ve got to do things - even if I am staying home more. There’s something incredibly satisfying about admiring plants grow, knowing that when I walk away from them today, I’ve done the best I can to nurture them. I’ll walk outside tomorrow, most likely won’t notice any difference at all, certainly nothing significant and I’ll do that for quite a few days to follow. I’ll look when I walk by on my way to my car to drive to work, and when I come home I will probably take note of how things look in the dark of night. Soon. When? Soon. The important things right now are to keep looking, keep noticing and nurturing…and patience. In good time. Peace, good people. I’ve made it to nearly 900 words today. Perhaps if you’re reading this, you’re thinking I’m rambling too much, but stuff like this is part of what I love about Summer.

1,000 Words of Summer

Note: The following post is from a link that was shared with me about a writing project entitled, 1,000 Words of Summer. Anyone taking part in this project is instructed to write 1,000 words daily. I'm not sure that I'm following protocol here three days in. To me, the most important thing is to write. Given the title of the project, I'm choosing to write about the things I enjoy in the Summer months. I'm not sure how interesting my sharing them will be - but here ya go:

Friday, May 29, 2020

I’m supposed to write a thousand words today. I wonder how many thousand I’ll think? Even if I don’t write them, or don’t try to write them, at least that many will be thought. I’m supposed to be writing that amount for the next two weeks, and daily - though the only thing that will regiment that is me.

The project is called 1,000 Words of Summer. I’m not quite sure what the objective here is, other than to get me writing. The title makes me want to write about the things I associate with, and love about Summer. Things like gardening, foods I eat in the warmer months and the ways I prepare them. Riding my bicycle more, spending mornings on my patio with my coffee and my writing, and trying to capture tiny moments of beauty in nature that  happen during the Summer months, with my camera.

This Summer is different. We’re still in a pandemic that has greatly affected most of us. It’s changed the very way I make my living - and not for the better. I don’t know if it will ever get back to normal. Within the thousand words that are my target number, I don’t know what I’m allowed to say and where I’m allowed to put it if I do choose to say it - because damn near everything is politicized these days.

Having an opinion that differs from someone else’s can get you in a lot of trouble, even in the land of the free. Speaking out on any of the injustices and flaws this country may have, is far too often taken as being unpatriotic. When is fixing something that clearly needs fixing unpatriotic. When you fix things, you make them better. I’ll just say that there are things that need fixed. Doesn’t mean my country is terrible, it means we need to fix some things.

It’s a bit like a kid with his first car, which may well have good bones, but is more of a work in progress in terms of looking and running better, but the kid is proud to have and drive the car. I guess the trick is diplomacy in pointing out or talking about what needs fixed. One might not see enough of it these days, but it’s possible to point out and discuss the things that need fixed without losing admiration for the car. It’s seen better days, and it could still them again. There are still good things in abundance about the car, let’s not focus too much on the fact that much of the front end is a mess of Bondo right now. I’m speaking metaphorically, of course - and I’ll stop here with the metaphors, lest someone assume I’m unpatriotic, communist or a multitude of other things that I assure you I am not.

So here we are at the start of Summer, albeit a rather trying Summer. I’m nearing 450 words right now. I’d like to be able to say more things about the metaphorical Bondo car, but instead, I’m going to shift my focus on the things I enjoy about Summer and talk (write) a bit about what those things are to me and how they move me. I have no idea if anyone else will find such writing interesting, and my own goal in this 1,000 Words of Summer thing is to get me to start writing more.

There are other things I need to do to be more productive and feed my creative soul, things that would be much better than binge watching anything or spending too much time on social media. Things like reading more, learning more, spending time on the things that I really want to get better at for the simple reason they are things that I really enjoy and am fascinated with - such as graphic design and photography.

So I end up with 600 words on the first day. I’ll take it, & I’ll be back tomorrow, a bit more focused on Summer. More words? Less? Stay tuned. Peace, good people.

Faith Restored...or at least...REMINDING us

These are tough times - unprecedented times too. We tend to want answers and solutions much more immediately than times like this will give them. All of this is inconvenient to say the least, and on a grand scale, read, a global scale...it's frightening. Mere weeks ago, this virus was something off in a foreign land. Rumors spread fast, yet most of us didn't think that the virus could - or would, spread faster than even the rumors.

Two weeks ago, I was at work. People were smiling at me from across the dining room, waiving with their elbows. It was funny. At its worst moments, I had customers asking me if this virus thing was hurting our business. March is a tough month for my industry, and there are a lot of things that make that so, this is something that could end up killing my industry. And people - lot of them.  I don't want to panic, but certainly we all see the need to be concerned here overall - and not just for any of our own interests. We're all in this together, and we all need one another so much more than we often act like we do - or even give value to. If this thing doesn't wake us up to that statement enough to do the better for one another that we need to be doing on the regular, then I doubt it will be the virus that dooms us.

There's some humor around, but it's clouded by the serious thoughts of this situation - in the span of a few weeks, what was once a virus in a far off land is now like the scene in Monty Python & The Holy Grail, where the guy was running towards the castle from hundreds of yards off. Each time the guards, one of which was eating an apple, looked at the approaching danger it was too far off to be alarmed. And then the intruder was on them, shoving a sword into the mid section of one of the guards and rushing into the castle past the other, who simply said, "Hey..."

Yeah, it's a bit like that. Less than a month ago we were at work. I doubt that many of us thought we'd be here now. There may have been some concern that if things got worse, we were ill prepared for such things in terms of medical facilities, supplies and personnel. Who would've thought that the concern over having enough stock clerks and cashiers would also become essential?

Like many others, I'm worried - and far beyond my own concerns. This is global. All of us on this one planet, each of us having but this one earthly journey. I read something about anticipatory grief this morning, which is basically imagining the future and the worst case scenario. Maybe anticipatory grief may well be a trait of human nature out of reaction when we get bad news - or rumors of it. My grandmother used to have a saying: Don't borrow trouble.

In today's climate, it's pretty tough not to borrow trouble. I don't want to rant political here. Rants don't usually age well. At the same time, it's hard not to get upset about things during these trying times. So I'll do something that shines light on something very heartwarming and wonderful and at a time when we need that kind of thing more than we ever have:

This morning a friend of mine posted something wonderful on her Facebook page. She got out of the house and while driving down her street, she passed a neighbor's house that had a table out front of it. On the table were various food items - including toilet paper, all set out for anyone who needed it. Can we all just take a minute to think about how wonderful that is at a time like this? Because it is.
Every time I go to the grocery store, the vibe is a bit worse than the previous time. The only thing I've come to expect staying the same, is that there's no toilet paper, sanitizer or disinfecting wipes. I've seen shelves with more on them at stores that have been running going out of business liquidation sales. Weeks ago, someone pulled up beside me at the grocery store in an Audi Q5. I thought to myself, "Man, I want a car like that." - last night every time someone walked by me wearing a mask, not unlike the disposable ones I wore & discarded regularly at a job I worked years ago, I thought "Man, I want a mask - now!"

So here is what my friend drove by, today - a day where things have gotten a bit worse and may still get worse before they get any better - please just look at this and think of the mindset of the person who put this in front of their house - for me, it's the best thing I'll see all day - maybe even all week.

 That. Is. Wonderful. I hope this warms your heart as much as it does mine. My worries haven't eased a bit, but for the moment they're overshadowed by this wonderful photograph, and that has made this day, in these troubling times, a bit easier. More than that, I hope you all stay safe and healthy. Peace, good people.

CRO

The C-word: The A-hole who sits next to you

I haven't posted here in quite a while. It's not as if my thoughts stopped running rampant through my mind - believe me, that never happens. Even when I'm sleeping, there's usually some f'd up dream that I wake up from thinking "ok...what the hell was that all about?" My point is, it never really stops.

So now, on a sunny Sunday morning that happens to be the first day of March (Thank God, because if nothing else, March is a big step towards Spring...even in Cleveland), I'm sitting here with my thoughts that have been fermenting over the last couple of months. Quite frankly, many of those thoughts are on cancer and how the dreaded C-word is the proverbial asshole who sits closer to you than you'd like them to. Sometimes it's easy enough to get up and move, other times the asshole doesn't stay long enough to negatively impact your life. Then there are times when no matter what you do, you can't get away from them.

I don't want to go into a lot of detail here - no names, out of respect for other people's privacy and what they are dealing with, going through and carrying around. Make no mistake about it though - everyone is dealing with, going through and carrying around something that we know little or nothing about. Yes, everyone. So without giving specifics, I'll just say that the asshole is now sitting right next to me. Long before the seat was taken, I'd had enough of the a-hole destroying the lives of good people. It doesn't matter if I'm close in anyone's inner circle, or on the outer fringe of acquaintance, I've had it with this asshole - I hate them.

The best we can hope for with this particular asshole, is that they give us a good scare and then give up and decide to leave us alone. They may have enlightened us on the how to of shifting our thought priorities onto the things that are really important on our earthly journey - and whether or not we'll admit or show it, from that point on we'll always be looking over our shoulder. That's because the thing about assholes is, they never know when to stop being assholes - nor do they give a fuck. Assholes are relentless and have no mercy. That's what makes them assholes.

So best case scenario, we get a good scare. Worst case scenario, we get destroyed, physically, emotionally, financially - and in any other ways you can think of. Throw in several more ways that none of us would have ever thought of. So fuck the C-word. For everything it's put anyone I care about through, and the other people who care, for every wonderful person it's taken from us, for every horrible thing it's made any of us go through. Forgive the vulgarity here, but this asshole doesn't care what it puts anyone through, nor how many other lives it destroys in whole or in part. Make no mistake about it, it's a lot of them.

So now this a-hole is sitting closer to me than I want them to. I want to sit here and mind my own business, keep my disbelief to myself. I want someone to understand how this may hurt me, how it's hurting me now, and how much I don't want anyone (much less anyone I love) to be bothered by this a-hole. Here's the thing though: No matter how afraid, concerned, depressed, hurt or worried I am over this, and no matter what I may do or have to do to help someone else or myself get through this, it's not about me. 

In an election year that has the most fucked up political climate we've ever seen to date, why is there no candidate talking about a war on the asshole that sits too close to all of us at one time or another? Why isn't there someone pandering to the hatred for this asshole and vowing to take them out for all of us? We have enough food for people, we have enough knowledge by this point to know how important people are to act on the fact that we're all in this together. So why is no one leading chants to lock this asshole up? It seems to me that banishing this asshole from destroying or taking another life is more important than a wall - because no wall can keep this asshole out. Oblivious to borders, this asshole is. Seems more important than free education too - because this asshole doesn't care if there's a doctorate or a GED when they walk into a life. Don't try hiding behind a bible or a cross either - this asshole will sit right next to you in church too, without a thought about what you put in the collection basket. The war on drugs? Please. Look, there are lots of issues - and that's not really unique to this election year. I'm tired of this asshole having carte blanche. There you have it - my thoughts as I go through my caffeine for the day.

Be kind to one another, good people - and please let the people you love in your life know that you love them. And please don't forget that everyone you cross paths with is dealing with, going through or carrying something in their lives that is all of the following and then some: awful, bad, cruel, depressing, emotional, f'd up, grief-inducing, hard, irrational, justified - NOT, karma-driven, losing, mean, non-sensical, outrageous, painful, quieting, remorseful, sad, terrifying, unfair, vicious, woeful, X-TREMELY difficult, your choice here ________, and Z...well, you get the picture hopefully. We just never know.  For those of you who either have dealt with the C-word, or are dealing with it now in any way - no matter how close the asshole is sitting to you, my heart goes out to you - and more than I can express, I know. Our lives are made up of years, from months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds - and in every one of those subdivisions is the potential for incredible meaningful moments because of the most important thing of all: PEOPLE. Let's make the subdivisions COUNT  -because whether or not a proverbial asshole sits next you, we just never know. Peace, good people.

CRO