Close Encounters Of The Other Kind

 

"Fireworks are skyflowers... dandelions of light.

 They are a visual display of the celebration of life."

~Jarod Kintz

Whenever You're here, I'm Here For You

Last night, the 4th of July, was a lot of fun. The whole day was fun, for that matter. We watched Jaws and Jaws 2. We cooked and baked, and we made Chinese food, ate it from restaurant style boxes we bought for the occasion, and then watched fireworks from the comfort of our bedroom window! Yes, that, bedroom window! I love the pic above, it reminds me of the mothership from, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. It didn't hurt that I could see Venus, while the fireworks were going off, and I spotted more than one Stockton police drone having a look see, to see if anyone was setting off illegal fireworks, which of course, they were, or couldn't have got the photos, or made a new memory with Alan. But when 7 police cars showed up, yep under our window, I am fairly sure it wasn't for illegal fireworks. 

Okay. yes, yes, I know... don't condone bad illegal behavior under any circumstance, but doggone it, I enjoy it once a year. I can watch the skyflowers from the safety of my own home, eat in, and have the occasional glass of wine, without risking anything. The fireworks being put off last night, were far fewer than in other years, but lovely all the same, and for the most part the noise was cut right at midnight. So, at least they were respectful, in their illegal behavior! Now, as for the shitshow, no, not THAT shitshow, the one I speak off is the fact that there was again, police, fire trucks, and an ambulance right under our window! The ambulance wasn't there long, firetruck and the firetruck left too, all that remained was 5 police cars, and officers walking about with flashlights, apparently looking for evidence of... shrug... something. I heard lots of gunfire in the neighborhood last night, which is nothing new at this point, but somehow, I didn't feel anything about it. I guess I am getting used to it!

Anyhoo, lets just enjoy the illegal fireworks, shall we?

Just another Saturday night in Stockton...

The Elves On The Autumn Shelves

"We do not need to merely see beauty... we want something else which can be hardly be put into words... to be untied with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. That is why we have peopled air and earth and water with gods and goddesses and nymphs and elves."

~C.S. Lewis

Okay, I get it, some folks find the Elf on the Shelf a bit odd... maybe even off putting, but look at those adorable little faces, and they are distinctly mid-century, which makes them wonderful in my Christmassy mind. I miss all the decorations and ornaments I grew up with, and yes, even the big bulky lights our parents used to put on our Christmas trees. You know, the ones who occasionally set the trees ablaze? Happily these little elves have been very well behaved, watching over our trees, since 1990, when my mother-in-law gifted them to me, from the set she bought in 1962, for each her three sons and one day, daughter-in-laws. I melted when I saw them. My mother-in-law passed away earlier this year from Alzheimer's disease, just like my own mother did in 2005, so I feel even more sentimental then ever about them. The new Elf on the Shelf looks completely different now, much more updated, less like an elf and more like a child in an elf costume. Sigh. I guess folks find the new ones less off putting, but give me old school! These guys are 63 years old, and I love them, so there! Elf on the Shelf dates back to the 1940's, but this version came along in the early 60's, just like hubby and I did.

Just A Bird In Autumn Leaves

 

"I can hear a new story in each leaf that falls."

~Isabelle Izzie Meditates Baker

This gorgeous bird is an Audubon's warbler, but he looks very much like the Yellow-rumped warbler. You have to look closely, and know the differences to be sure. For me, the main difference is that Audubon's warbler has a bright, beautiful patch of yellow under his beak. That splash of yellow is a very much welcome sight, as we head into the dark days of autumn. Oh my, I am apparently already grieving autumn's death. I'm trying to take heart, because I have more beauty to share, like my sugar maple in the front yard, which will hit full autumn glory in a few days. What would I do, if I didn't have my birds, my maple tree and so much color, to look forward to?

The world's best husband, and the kitties are pretty nifty too!

Pop A Wheelie

 

 

“Sometimes it's easier to gain traction

 once you slow the spinning wheels.” 

~Curtis Tyrone Jones 

 

Meet my new wheels. Her name is Phoebe, named after the cute little bird, that happens to be one of my absolute favorite birds to watch! Don't worry, I'm okay, but my knees aren't! As I have explained on X and Threads, I put my knees through too much in my younger days. I was told I would regret high heels, but to tell you the truth, I don't. They made my legs and ankles look terrific. They gave me height. But by the time I reached my mid 30's I knew it was time to put the flats on and enjoy not having swollen feet. I continued to do a fair amount of walking, and some like biking, you know, around town, but the damage was done, and that damage continued right up until last week, when it was suggested that I needed to use the chair, if I was going to go to remote places to do my birding, or consider moving on to a new hobby. Well, that wasn't going to happen! So, my cute little red Mini Cooper is still my main set of wheels, but you can call my new wheelchair that sporty little convertible that my daring husband pushes me around in on the weekends when we go birding. I am a very lucky woman!

 

And I have a wonderful husband!

 

Black Phoebe

 Baby photo

September 2021