If Every Day Were Saturday And Every Month October

"I wish that ever day was Saturday,

 and every month was October."

~Charmaine J. Forde

It's A Mystery

Cat? Chicken? Or Owl?

This is the last of this particular sunset from October. It was October 25th, in the Central Valley, and it had been a glorious autumn day! Warm... almost too warm... and delicious! Alan took me out that day to search for all things autumn! Leaves, trees, birds, light. Autumn sunlight. Well, I found all those things and more! We took along some snacks, of apples and cheese. The taste of a really cold apple, on a warm autumn day is incredible! I enjoy our little getaways so much, and at the end of an almost perfect day, we were treated to this amazing fire in the sky. As we drove back home, past all the barns and vineyards of the valley, I did a series of photographs as we drove, and this picture was in the folder, ready to be posted at last. 

When I clicked on it, I noticed, for the first time, that in the right corner was a small oddly shaped object, just beyond the fence. Was it a chicken? A Cat? To tell you the truth, I am really not sure! I tried enlarging it, but I still can't say in absolute certainty what it is, but I think it might be an owl! I have been wanting to see one, and I kinda have a couple times, the problem is, when I usually spot them, we are driving past at 50 mph, it's at dusk and they are ground level. Those are not ideal conditions for spotting owls, let alone photographing them, but that is what I have to work with. Anyway, the shape seems right, but it also does if it is a cat or a chicken, so who knows? But I am leaning toward it being an owl, sitting on a piece of wood. How about you, care to guess?

#78 Leaf Of The Day

December 8th 2018

Photographed September 29th 2018

Cull Canyon

Samsung

~Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Who Knows?

"Maybe there's a whole other universe where a square moon roses in the sky, and the stars laugh in cold voices, and some of the triangles have four sides, and some have five, and some have five raised to the fifth power of sides. In this universe there might grow roses which sing.

 Everything leads to everything."

~Stephen King

Do you ever consider the possibility of alternate universes? Or is the here and now all that there is? Sometimes, especially when I experience deja vu, I think that perhaps I am taping into an experience I lived through in a different dimension. But then, if you think about it, if I lived through it in another dimension, how could I be aware of it in the here and now? So perhaps rather than it being a memory of a different dimension, maybe reincarnation might just be the answer! But if that's true, why am I living the same life over and over again? Isn't that closer to the theory of multiple dimensions? All I know is, sometimes life takes on an eerily familiar tone. I have met people for the first time, and somehow felt like I had known them forever. The shake of a hand. The glance of an eye. It's instantaneous, and familiar. I know I probably will never have the answers to all the questions I have on this plane of existence, and frankly, I am not sure I want to know. I kinda like the mystery, and the way it encourages me to keep asking the questions, no one has the answers to.It's another of life's gifts, like roses, cat whiskers, or time moving us ever forward, whether we want to go, or not.

Mood: Curious

~Me :)

Please Do Not...

"You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles."

~Arthur Conan Doyle, The Boscombe Valley Mystery

In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter, and in fact, it's none of my business, but if you look very closely at the box, protruding from the back of the vehicle in the above photo, you see printed on the box the words... Please Do Not." Hmmmm... "Please Do Not"... what?

It's a mystery.

Unless you know the answer.

Care to hazard a guess, or provide the actual answer?

Hint: The item in the box is a hot water heater. No brand name.

"Not every puzzle is intended to be solved. Some are in place to test your limits. Other are, in fact, no puzzles at all... ."


~Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration


Mood: Inquisitive

~Me :)

See Spot. See Spot Glow. Glow Spot Glow.

"Assumptions are the termites of relationships"

~Henry Winkler

I seem to be dwelling on all of my favorite Bay Area bridges lately. LOL. Which is probably better than dwelling under my favorite bridges. Right? Anyway, I took this photo last week, on our way back from a day in San Francisco, to show the effect of the BART strike on Bay Area traffic. But it seemed as though the traffic, at least on the San Mateo Bridge, was fairly normal. The word about the strike had reached everyone in the appropriate amount of time for everyone to make other arrangements. Both sides are continuing negotiations, so there could be another walkout situation I suppose, but at least folks seem to be acting with understanding and restraint in light of a frustrating situation.

Now, with the absence of nightmarish traffic, I had plenty of other sights catching my eye as we crossed the bridge from west to east. The cormorants that like to roost on the high power towers, the flow of the bay, the gorgeous view of Mt. Diablo, the way the marine layer drifts across the bay. There is a lot to see, but what grabbed and held my interest the most was that tiny dot on the state owned message board. There it was, just a dot, or a period, or 1/3 of a proper ellipsis, just sitting there, brightly illuminated, trying to tell me something methinks, but what? What? It was a mystery. Alan told me he has seen it for several months, in the day, at night, at twilight, at dawn... just the dot... all alone.

 Just a ( . ).

Period.

End of discussion.

Of course I shouldn't assume anything. It might hold a very special meaning for someone, somewhere. It might mean "I love You" or maybe a message like when Carol Burnett would tug on her ear at the end of her variety show each week. Hmmm. I wonder if I called 511 they would know the answer? Nah... probably not. Hmmm. (Insert Tiled Head Here).

Any thoughts?

Mood: Silly

!me :)

The Little Gate

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."

~Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound Of The Baskervilles

I spotted this gate standing on a small hill in Marin County. I wonder what the small gate kept in, or what it was supposed to keep out. Either way I thought it was rather photogenic all on it's own. Especially with the three small birds dotting the scene. It's a tiny bit mysterious though. Hmmmm...

Any guesses?

Mood: Quizzical (Is that A Mood?) ;)

Ladies And Gentlemen... Gordon Lightfoot



~Me :)

A Mystery On Lombard Street

"Fate is by far the greatest mystery of all."

~Deanna Raybourn, Silent in the Grave

 

I have mentioned, from time to time, on my blog that I have had some trouble with sleeping. Well, actually it's not sleeping that gives me the trouble, it's getting to sleep that is difficult for me to do. Insomnia has plagued me, to varying degrees, most of my life. I have taken sleep hygiene courses, which had been very beneficial, but I still find myself from time to time right back in the old habit of counting invisible sheep, or purses, or republicans. It's difficult to know what I might choose to count, it just depends on my day, and how unable I am to reach any sort of sleep state.

Along with diabetes and hypertension, I believe that insomnia should be made a recognized physical disease, that comes complete with a special handicapped placard and a service cat. Not being able to sleep, effects most every area of your life. Job, personal relationships, online blogging duties and I began to contemplate the other night, as I starred at the ceiling at 3:00 am, about how many other folks with sleeping difficulties will be on the roads at 6:00 am? But all considering that did, was keep me awake for another 4 hours! Not the way to go! LOL.

So, while the old methods of curbing insomnia all run a bit dry after a while, I have been toying around with an all new approach. Lately, I have been choosing a photo from either my archives, or perhaps from a new file, and write an opening paragraph of a fictional story based around the object or scene in the photo I choose. Mysteries. Comedies, Dramas, Soap Operas, any genre works, as it's all up to your imagination to figure out the details. I like doing one paragraph because I try to describe it as thoroughly. Lots and lots of VERBIAGE.

A Mystery On Lombard
An Insomniac Mystery

Gretchen was in San Francisco for two weeks, and in that time she was determined to see as many of the touristy sights and sounds as she could fit into her schedule. During the day it was all power meetings, and presentations, but the late afternoon and evening belonged to her, and she wasn't going to miss anything. Her employer had given her a liberal expense account, so she took full advantage of the car service for her transportation around the city, but made up for it by not ordering the room service. As the driver of her town car drove up to the top of Lombard st, she could see the gorgeous San Francisco bay, and Coit Tower in front of her. 'I would like to get out and do some photography of the area, before we continue down Lombard Hans,' she told her driver." Then Gretchen stepped out of the backseat of the car, and grabbed her larger of two camera bags, and small tripod. As she positioned herself against the tall black wrought iron fencing at the corner of Lombard and Hyde, she noticed a key, connected to a old fashioned type plastic key fob, laying in the small hedge on the other side of the fence. Room #402. But there wasn't a hotel name on the blue plastic fob. 'It couldn't be from one of the more upscale hotels,' she thought to herself, since the invention of the key card they haven't used that kind of a key in years. Curious. Who could have left it there? And why?

It was a MYSTERY ON LOMBARD STREET!

LOL.

Okay, not exactly Stephen King, or Mary Higgins Clark, but when applied to a sleepless night, it's at least a start!

Okay, your turn. Would you like to play along with the Insomniac Mysteries?

Don't worry about spelling, grammar or punctuation. Obviously, I didn't, but only because on those nights when sleep alludes me, and I begin to count sheep, or write a mystery, I almost never use commas, semi-colons, or periods. I do use Ellipses however, because it's necessary for dramatic pause.

LOL

It's fun, lets not over think it.

" Every solution to every problem is simple. It's the distance between the two where the mystery lies."

~Derek Landy, Skulduggery Pleasant

:)

Go for it. Write a paragraph in the comment thread, in any genre you care to, I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

~Me :)

The Man On The Lima Bean Can Or The Continuing Saga Of Mr. Unknown

From For Ellipsis

"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."

-Oscar Wilde

Do you know this man? One day in early December, 2005, this little lost man appeared on the brick fence that lines my drive-way. I have NO idea where he came from, or who he could be, but I know he has a name, I just don't know what it is. There are no children where I live, and no one else on the property has any idea how he got there. It was as if he appeared magically in the night. Perhaps he was a gift from Krampus, or maybe he is a spirit pausing on his journey elsewhere. It's a mystery. I have written about him in December's past, and some have offered their stories of explanation, but the mystery lives on. If you know who he is, please leave me the information in the comment thread, but if you would like to offer a short (2 paragraph) explanation on who he might be, feel free to be creative. If I don't find out who he is, I am considering writing to Del Monte and asking them to put his picture on cans of Lima Beans, my favorite vegetable. He looks like he would enjoy Lima Beans too. ;)



-Carly



You can read some of my past postings about Mr. Unknown by following the links below...



Goodnight Mr. Unknown Wherever You Are



Mr. Unknown Since 2005





Mystery is the heart of creativity. That, and surprise."


-Julia Cameron

Goodnight Mr. Unknown, Wherever You Are

"Without mysteries, life would be very dull indeed. What would be left to strive for, if everything were known?"

-Charles de Lint

It's time to once again to ask the question... Who is this guy? I met him on a cold December morning in 2005, when I went out to my car, and found him sitting on the little brick fence that sits alongside my driveway. He is a mystery because no one who lives on the property knows where he came from, or who placed him there. No one that lives on the property has children, so how could the unknown man have gotten there? I have asked everyone I can think of, including a toy expert I used to know, and no one has been able to identify the vagabond traveler. I sure would like to know who he might be. If you have any insight into his identity, I would love to hear from you.

Every year, on December 3rd, I write about him, hoping that someone will finally recognize him and tell me his story. Do you recognize my little stranger? If so, feel free to tell me who he is, and if possible, where I can find another one just like him! See, I don't have the little stranger anymore, because he disappeared just as quickly as he had arrived. He made me smile in the short time I knew him. :) I liked him at "hello." I will never forget him! One of these days, someone will be able to tell me who he is. :)

Last year, in an effort to have a little fun, I asked folks to submit possible names for Mr. Unknown. Let's do that again! If you don't know who he is, but would like to submit a name, feel free to leave a name for him in the comment thread for this entry. :)

-Carly
"Mr. Unknown"
December, 2005
Early Morning