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
Sarcasm spoken here
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Monday, June 15, 2020
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
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
Sunday, June 14, 2020
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.
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.
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