Don't Wanna

 

“The world is beautiful and dangerous, and joyful and sad, and ungrateful and giving, and full of so, so many things. The world is new and it is old. It is big and it is small. The world is fierce and it is kind, and we, every one of us, are in it.” 

  ~Mark Twain & Philip Stead 

 

Don't wanna. Nothing is really wrong, in fact I am doing worlds better than I was last Autumn, and it's not that I am uninspired, not at all, but I am feeling quiet, so this is the post. Just a photograph of a beautiful Black-necked stilt. My quiet mood will pass, but until it does expect a picture, and fewer words in my post. That's a good thing I think. It leaves more time to enjoy the birds. Don't you just love their long pink legs? They make me want to buy tights in the same color!

 

 

 

 

 

My Salvador Dali Cat

"Ignorant people think it is the noise which fighting cats make that is so affravating, 

but it ain't so; it is the sickening grammar they use."

~Mark Twain

Joey never just sits, he kinda melts into the bed, or a chair or a box. He sits very flat, and they drapes his long legs over the side, resting his head down, like you see here. Like he was just painted by Salvadore Dali. He has many silly little quirks, but this one might just be my favorite. I love my boy!

"I believe cats to be spirits come to earth.

 A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through."

~Jules Verne

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

World Events...

 

 "Even a blind squirrel will finds an acorn sometimes."

~Proverb

This post doesn't feature a new photo, or a photo from the archives that hasn't been previously posted, but that's okay I think. I love this photo, and the memory of haven taken it. Alan and I were on vacation, on the 17 Mile drive in Monterey, and this little guy had just been attacked by a rather large, mean, seagull! Fortunately, Alan jumped to the rescue, yelled and waved his arm at the mean bird and chased off, probably saving this little guys life! The poor squirrel was so frightened that he just stood in place, on that rock, as his whole body shook from fear. It broke my heart. But he finally calmed down, and went about his business... he was fine... I never forgot him!

And now a little wisdom from Mark Twain

"Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute. Indeed, my experiments have proven to me that he is the Unreasoning Animal... In truth, man is incurably foolish. Simple things which other animals easily learn, he is incapable of learning. Among my experiments was this. In an hour I taught a cat and a dog to be friends. I put them in a cage. In another hour I taught them to be friends with a rabbit. In the course of two days I was able to add a fox, goose, a squirrel and some doves. Finally a monkey. They lived together in peace; even affectionately.

Next, in another cage I confined an Irish Catholic from Tipperary, and as soon as he seemed tame I added a Scotch Presbyterian from Aberdeen. Next a Turk from Constantinople; a Greek Christian from Crete; an Armenian; a Methodist from the wilds of Arkansas; a Buddhist from China; a Brahman from Benares. Finally, a Salvation Army Colonel from Wrapping. Then I stayed away for two while days. When I came back to note results, the cage of Higher Animals was all right, but in the other there was but a chaos of gory odds and ends of turbans and fezzes and plaids and bones and flesh... not a specimen left alive. These Reasoning Animals had disagreed on a theological detail and carried the matter to a Higher Court."

~Mark Twain

 Letters from the Earth: Uncensored Writings

Mood: Okay/Happy/Good... I'm Good!

~Me :)

The Old And The New...

San Francisco
March 1st, 2014

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."

~Mark Twain 

Mark Twain loved San Francisco... and so do I. But he loved the city in a different era, so I have often wondered what he would think of today's San Francisco. I would love to be able to sit down with him, and really find out what he thinks of today in general. Would he be a follower of reality TV, maybe, but I think if he did it would be to mock it. Would he enjoy a good ride on BART? I will have to consider that one longer! LOL. How about all the amazing street performers, especially the ones who dress like him, and tell tall tales? Someone impersonating you could either be the biggest compliment ever, or a total insult, so I am sure when it comes to that he would consider the issue from all angles.  What about one of the most famous quotes about San Francisco, most often attributed to him, not actually being by him?

"The coldest winter I ever spent, was a summer in San Francisco."

According to Snopes.com, it wasn't said by Twain! This opinion is based on some pretty extensive research into his writings. That quote is simply not something mused by him, however it's believable he could have uttered it. Have you ever been in San Francisco in the summertime? It can be cold... really cold... and layers of clothing are often required, but it's also true that we have micro-climates in and around the city, and we natives have just come to depend on the best bet of always leaving the house with a sweater, or jacket, no matter what the temperature says it is! LOL. It's just what we do! And I am sure that during his time in San Francisco, he learned to do the same thing! That's the one thing about San Francisco that he could probably still relate to the best, if he were to suddenly come back for a visit. The weather. Cities change. People sometimes change. Culture changes. The weather generally doesn't. Unless you consider Global Warming a thing. Gee, I wonder what he would think about that?

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics"

~Quoted by Mark Twain in his autobiography, he attributes the quote to Benjamin Disraeli.

"So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it, but I couldn't find honest work."

~Mark Twain

:)

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

The Common Gray Poodle In Black And White

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between dog and man."

~Mark Twain

Continuing the series "The Common... In Black And White" I saw a cute little gray poodle awaiting it's owner, while enjoying the warmth of a blue Mini Cooper. The car and the dog were a perfect set! So imagine my surprise when a 300 lb man with a beret on got into the car. "Hmmm... look at that!" I thought to myself!

Mood: Reflective

~Me :)

Skyward

"The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn't it be? It is the same the angels breathe."

~Mark Twain, Roughing It

I spotted these pretty clouds over Ocean Beach, in San Francisco, yesterday. Oh my, as cold as it was at the beach, I could have stayed there all day, just admiring the clouds, but, alas, there was more public art to be photographed, and the drive home was going to be a long one!

Oh, if only I could though... what a day it would have been!

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Sleeping Dylan

"Meow means "woof" in cat."

~George Carlin

Dylan has an amazingly calm affect on me. Just watching him sleep helps me sleep better. On the other hand, when he is talkative... he is TALKATIVE! Dylan does not have any problem speaking his mind. The subject varies from MY BROTHER HENDRIX IS A JERK, to PLAY BALL WITH ME RIGHT NOW! Sometimes he will make little sounds and noises when calling me. I have heard his say MaMa. I know, it's hard to believe. Sometimes, very early in the morning, I can hear him in the window answering the call to morning coming from the cute little rooster next door. And most evenings you can hear what sounds a lot like singing coming from the bathroom just off my office. It's a fairly regular event since he was a small kitten. He gets into the bathtub, and sings away. I think he likes the acoustics in there. LOL. There is stress in life, it can't be avoided, but when you have a little person like Dylan, who loves you no matter what, it makes everything so much easier to take!

I love him. He is my baby.

"If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much."

~Mark Twain

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: Frozen

"Cold! If the thermometer had been an inch longer we'd have frozen to death."

~Mark Twain

RRC: Frozen

When I first saw what the challenge would be for this round, I wasn't sure I could come up with anything. The weather in the Bay Area has been nothing short of glorious... if you like that thing! LOL. Personally, I like a little more rain in my winters. But one of the hazards of living here is that you rarely see snow, unless you are willing to take a drive to one of the far northern counties of California, or western Nevada. Plumas is lovely with snow this time of year, and I might make it up there before the end of the season, but it's going to take a bit of planning. We'll see. But for now, I have assembled some examples of "Frozen" from both the archives and the 2013 files.

Frozen...

Frozen Lime Cocktail (February 8 2013)


Frozen Water Fountain (A Snow Day In Tilden Park) 2010


Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Scoop (San Francisco Haight Ashbury Summer 2009)


Frozen Hot Cocoa ( A different interpretation of the effects of "Frozen" 1/23/13)


Frozen Rain Drops (Tilden Park 2011)

 


Hey, Why Did The Rain Freeze? (Little Bird's First Look At Snow Tilden 2/18/11)


I liked this challenge. It was fun! Now that you have seen my post, go check out what the other participating Robins have come up with. Just click the link at the top of this post, to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog, where you will find all the information you need to join in, and the list and links to everyone's posts.

"Who bothers to cook TV dinners? I suck them frozen."

~Woody Allen

~Mood: Happy

~Me :)