A Guns And Roses Update

 

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.” 

~G.K. Chesterton 

 

See My Previous Post, Guns And Roses

 

 

Okay, call it fate, or an Easter miracle, or even dumb luck, but the bad neighbor who likes to shoot guns at his girlfriend in the middle of the day, has moved. The occupants of the entire condo are now gone! As you can see, this is how they left things as they exited our little bit of paradise, which thrilled everybody to no end. Why did folks do this? They began packing up a LARGE U-Haul truck on Saturday, and it took a full day to create this mess, and finally take their leave. The shooting incident happened on March 22nd, or about 10 days earlier, so either they were kicked out over what happened, or they were hopelessly embarrassed, which I doubt, so what happened? I have been through my share of stressful moves, but damn I never pulled out a gun and pointed it at a loved one! Or even someone I just like! Ultimately it's none of my business, and I don't plan to think about it. They are gone, it's over. No need to think about it again. Now excuse me while I download my, Active Shooter Event Quick Reference Guide, from the FBI.

 

Six more days, and I wouldn't have been a statistic of gun violence. Thanks, guy, for the additional instance of PTSD.

Guns And Roses

 

"Hot Cocoa"rose from my garden.

Autumn 2012

 

“Your photography is a record of your living,

 for anyone who really sees.”

~Paul Strand

 

 

 

It's true, sometimes I take a photograph of a landscape or a beautiful bird, but it's more about how I feel while I use my camera. I always have an emotional connection to my subjects. Some of the photos that I have done, that I have received the most positive feedback on, have been when I have been in the depths of depression, and sometimes it's about fear. Please don't think that has been the emotions behind all of my photography, I am a happy and content person most of the time. I am getting older, and that means a symphony of physical pain, and limitations, but I do my best to accept it and move on. However, sometimes life just throws you in the middle of the, frankly, SHIT, and doesn't give you a choice on how you take it. My niece died in a traffic accident that was not her fault. To make it worse, it was a hit and run. Fuck! A short time later my nephew committed suicide.

 

 FUUUUUUUUCK!

 

Glock

 

And if that wasn't enough to fuck me up, yesterday I thought I was going to die. We were out doing errands for a while, and when we returned home a car was parked in the middle of the alleyway where we park our Mini Cooper. We couldn't get around him without driving over the grass and around to sewage equipment. Suddenly a man got out of his car with a gun, and fired about 4 shots toward his girlfriend's apartment. She was yelling back at him in anger, for shooting his gun towards the apartment where her young children were! Oh Shit! Was he going to shoot us for being witnesses? Were we going to be the latest statistic of rampant gun violence? Was the young woman he was shooting toward be a victim of domestic violence? I was terrified! I decided that if he was going to shoot me, I hoped he would shoot to kill, because I didn't want to be in pain and still be alive. That would be a hell of a FUCK YOU from fate, wouldn't it? Just get it over with! You think about a lot of things when you think your death is imminent. 

 

Who will take care of my cats?

 Will it hurt?

 Or will I just be gone?

Did I put on clean underwear?

Guns don't sound the same as they do on TV and in movies!

 

The my brain turned to...

White car, sedan 4 doors, Honda 

4 shots... I think

Young black man

mid 30's

White clothing

We drove around him as best we could, parked, and went into our condo. I called the police. I gave them all the information I could. I was embarrassed by how much I had forgot between the car and when I went inside. I guess I am not the best witness, but FUUUUUUUUUK he had a gun! It looked like a Glock22 semi-automatic but I don't know anything about guns, it's a guess based on the limited research I have done in the last 24 hours. Isn't it strange that something so scary is so exotic. I think I am going to do more research on the instrument of death to both make me feel less frightened next time and better educated. I need to do better next time, and believe me, I know there will be a next time.  I should have began this paragraph with telling you that I am okay, but a little fucked up this weekend. I was diagnosed with PTSD a few months ago, just after my family died. I have lots of incidents in my past that have caught up to me in my old age. I am getting treatment, but it's a long road, and who knows, I may not ever recover. But I am trying. 

 

Now, what's up with the roses? Well, the errand I was on yesterday was to buy some new roses for my garden. I found a lovely "Peace" rose and to my, absolute delight, I found a "Hot Cocoa" rose! I LOVE that rose! I had one when I lived in the Bay Area, and it was an absolute delight! It was the favorite of all my roses, and I had to leave it behind when I moved. Once we settled in Stockton, I looked and looked at every garden center I could, with absolutely no luck at all, so I gave up. But yesterday, there it was! What a happy turn of events! I will have that beautiful rose growing in my garden once again. Something to help me heal, and then that gun incident had to happen, because everybody has a gun. Will my mind attach that incident to my roses? Will I think of it every time I see a new rose grow on the stem? That remains to be seen, but right now it's hard to think about. The human brain manifests fear strangely... and sometimes it's just lets the negativity go, and it gets filed away. And, of course, that's for the best.

So, it was a guns and roses kind of day. Like the name of the band. Funny thing, I can't remember a single song by them, but I did a little looking around on YouTube and found this song, which I kinda like. I wasn't into Heavy Metal rock, so I passed it all by, but now I think I will have to listen to more of their stuff. Discovering new things, making new memories helps erase the stuff you don't want to think about. Like suicide. Like murder. It should be more music, less murder. More roses, less guns. More healing, less scars. Even if life has other plans. I am trying, I really am.

 

 Anyway, this is a nice song, and I hope you enjoy it.

"November"

By Guns And Roses

I witnessed gun violence yesterday.

 Next time I will try to capture the turn of fate with my camera.

 I guess it was my new experience for March. On to April.

Joey And His Shadow

 

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.”

 
~Charles Dickens 

 

I certainly agree with Dickens on that. I don't know any greater honor than to be loved, but cats constantly remind their owners that love isn't automatic, just because you feed them, and put a roof over their heads. The relationship builds over time, but once there is love, it's the most honest love you will ever have. I would be completely lost without my boys. I love them so much!

 

 

Gotcha!

 

“What we find changes who we become.”
~Peter Morville 

 

 These, pheasant, are the hardest damn birds to find! I spent all of last year searching for one, to add to my bird album, and the only one I managed to see and photograph was on it's way, the HELL away from me. I got a blurry photo, with just enough detail to know it was a pheasant, but definitely nothing to brag about. But the other day, as we were speeding along Woodbridge road, there it was! A large male pheasant standing along the road, looking around, as if it was no big deal that I drive myself insane attempting to spot them! It's really difficult to not believe the birds openly mock me. Not really, I kid the birds, but one thing is for sure, it was a wonderful, exhilarating experience, and I am so pleased I got to see this beauty! Was it a late winter gift? Or was it an early spring gift? Either way, I smiled for a couple days just thinking about it!

Thank You, President Biden!

 

Desmond Road

Galt, California

March 2024

 

 

“The sure way of sustainable management of the ecosystem

 is to make human kind environmental stewards.” 

~Lailah Gifty Akita 

 

 

The beauty of Desmond road will become even more beautiful because of the money being put into the Cosumnes River Preserve and it's ecosystem, by Joe Biden and his administration. Maybe next year there will be more birds. Maybe a fish will not end up on the endangered species list. It is critical to save this precious part of the wetlands, as it is so important for the birds who return year after year on the Pacific Flyway. Among them, my beloved Greater White-fronted Geese, and the Sandhill crane. Last year I witnessed so much damage that had been done by the storms of early 2023 and an especially dry summer, so I have so much hope for life along the river. Even the Mexican Free-tailed bat has an interest! They have been eating on the mosquitoes and living under that nifty bridge for years, and soon they will be back and ready to feed. Sometimes the ecosystem makes me sad, it is what it is, but knowing life is working as it should helps me sleep better at night. This is the only wetlands we have, on the only planet we have! Thank you, President Biden, for working for America, and for the small souls that save us!

“May it fill your heart with joy to extend your family to include every insect, native plant or animal and fluffy bird

 that finds sanctuary there with you.” 

~Mary Reynolds

 

 

Greater White-fronted Geese

American Avocet

Black-necked Stilt

Yes

 “The Seven Social Sins are:

Wealth without work.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
Politics without principle.


From a sermon given by Frederick Lewis Donaldson in Westminster Abbey, London, on March 20, 1925."

 

 ~ Frederick Lewis Donaldson 

 

 

Read The New York Times Article Here

 

 

Body Language

 

“The measure of a man is what he does with power.” 

~Plato 

 

I am expecting the Supreme Court to rule that Donald Trump is allowed to be on the ballot. You know how I feel about things, but here is a link to the 14th Amendment of the Constitution Section 3. It's not a long read, it's one small paragraph, and that is kinda the joke, isn't it?

One small paragraph is standing between us, and the fall of democracy. The court issued a trigger warning for tomorrow, a rarity on a weekend, so I assume they want both sides to brace for impact. Well, I am doing just that.

I can't stop thinking about this clip of Trump saying something to Justice Kennedy, the night of his retirement announcement. Justice Kennedy seems genuinely taken aback about something. Who knows? Trump is such a goon it could have been anything I suppose, but it also could have been Trump bragging about his political power to do evil, and how the Supreme Court will now be young enough now to continue his agenda for years to come. He made them his bitch.

So what do you think? Was it a devil's handshake?

Read the article at the New York Times.