Ho-Hum

 

“Au revoir, mon ami.” 

~Susan Kay,

 Phantom 

 

Okay, it's the last day of February and I have not yet lit a candle, but as I compose this post there are still about 6 hours left in the day so I am not finished with that. After dinner I will go to the new room and try my best. Ugh. It will happen. It will.

 

 

Bird On A Wire

 

 

 "I would like to paint the way a bird sings."

~Claude Monet

 

 

 

"The early bird gets the worm,

 but the late bird doesn't even get the late worms."

~Charles Schulz

 

Usually I just post one quote, but hey I today I found two that fit perfectly, so why not share both? Cutting to the chase, I need to improve my photography. So, I am going to look into some online courses in digital photography, so I can get more out of my photo jaunts. I hope by the end of the year, I have photographs so good, that I won't have to make any adjustments. I am going to start tonight, by lighting a candle for the first time ever. Yep, my adventure in growth for February, will be facing my fear of fire! I know I can do it, I have faced other fears before, however this will be a big one to conquer, but aren't all fears?

 

 And besides, I promised a mere 12 months of new opportunities to myself, and that seems appropriate so there should be no whining about how hard it will be to do. One should always keep the promises we make to ourselves. They weren't New year's resolutions or anything, more like a continuations of the new experiences I began doing last summer. I think it came on the heals of so much personal loss. It jarred me. Life is beginning to pass me by, so I want to experience new things, and create a lot of new memories because those loses drove home the point, with deep clarity, that life is nothing, if not short.

January... Attended a political meeting, containing real humans.

Done. 

Result... I had a positive experience.

 

Why did I choose the title of a Mel Gibson movie for the title of this post? Well, in the movie, Bird On A Wire, Mel Gibson was in the witness relocation program until he was accidentally outed by a former lover, so he had going on the run from bad guys thrust on him, so he was scared but there was no hiding from it, he had go into the open, and face the bad guys to be truly free. In the end, he faced it, and saw a bright future in front of him. You might not be able to tell, but it was actually a very funny film. Goldie Hawn was in it too. Anyhoo, I kind of feel that way about my fears,"...like a bird on a wire."

 

 

 

 The movie takes its name from the Leonard Cohen song whose lyrics include the words ''like a bird on a wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir, I've tried in my way to be free. ''

 

Via New York Times 

 

Wish me luck! I need to try new things, and be free of what holds me back. If I fail, I will have to find a new fear or experience to do, but I really hope to do this one. I will share the result in tomorrow's post! Hopefully there will photos to accompany the attempt! It will nice to work with low lighting!

 

 

At The Haggin: The History Of The Stockton Fire Department

"History, Stephen said,

 is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake."

~James Joyce

 ~Ulysses

My heart continues to go out to the town of Paradise, California, as they continue to battle the raging inferno consuming the community. Almost, if not all, has been lost. It is a distinct possibility that the town of Paradise will never recover. Just cease to be a destination in Butte County, California, and that thought truly breaks my heart, because that area has a special place in my heart, especially this time of year! It is simply breathtaking in autumn, and I have been at the edge of the county many times, while traveling into Plumas, County, where I have done most of my autumn landscapes in recent years.

I don't think about fire much. It just happens to be one of my top three phobias, so avoid it as much as possible. Spiders are phobias number one and two, but fire, well, ever since I was about three years old, has been the thing I fear most. It all started one night in the middle of the summer, in 1965, when my three year old self, watched my father, and his carpool friends, save our neighbors two doors down. When he and his coworkers turned the corner onto our street, the house was already fully engulfed. Dad was the first one to run into the house. 

My sister, who was a good bit older than me, held me in her arms as we watched our dad, save a whole house full of people, a whole family, one by one. I was terrified that he wouldn't come out. Or worse, would my father come out on fire? Thankfully, I never had to see that, and there was no loss of life, but I can imagine all those children who lived in the town of Paradise, and how hard this experience was and will be for them, the rest of their lives. I am praying that the community can heal, and rebuild.

 I wish life didn't have to include times like this, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but I am so glad that I can visit museums, like the Haggin, here in Stockton, and begin to learn not just about my new hometown, but it's rich history, and especially about it's early disaster response. Alan and I had a fascinating look, during our recent visit to the Haggin, and I will be sharing the amazing bits of other historical interests we learned about, but where else could I start this series, but with a little bit about the Stockton Fire Department's early history!

Can you believe that was the way fires were telegraphed in Stockton until 1979?! 

That was the one piece of history I could have lived without seeing, but it seems the town of Stockton, did pretty good with keeping the town and surrounding rural area safe! 

 #55 Leaf Of The Day

November 15th, 2018

Photographed October 14th, 2018

Sacramento, California

~Mood: Okay

~Me

 

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 57~ Fun With Crickets

"If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos."


~Edward O. Wilson


According to the University of Minnesota, this is a House Cricket. I just call it BLECH! When I first got my drivers license, I thought it would be fun to drive a convertible, and at 25, when I decided to go car hunting, I  considered purchasing one. I had fallen in love with the Pontiac Fiero, and was all set to buy one, when  my dad pointed out some obvious pitfalls. Rain... a lot of convertibles leak. Sunburn... so don't forget to stock up on lots and lots of sunscreen. Incontinent birds... or at least some that don't care how cool I look behind the wheel of sporty little car, when you have to go, you have to go. And the one pitfall that he knew would absolutely cause me to come to my senses... UGLY, FLYING CREATURES.


Ummm... yep. UGLY, FLYING CREATURES changed my mind. Yep. 


As I watched this House Cricket hang on to the windshield, it reminded me of that conversation dad and I had all those years ago. Since that conversation back in the 80's I have heard of more than one close encounter with a FLYING BUG. My brother-in-law was driving his truck down HWY1 one warm summer afternoon, when he was broadsided, in the left cheek, by a large dragonfly. It had a big beak, that took a huge chunk out of his face. Luckily he kept his head and was able to stop safely, but now he can't stand to be around them. Which, of course, I completely understand. Wouldn't you?


So, while I will never own a convertible, driving a hard topped car allows me to photograph moments like this one. I wasn't really thrilled that the cricket was there, but getting out my camera and getting to work on photographing it made me feel better. My camera has done a lot to alleviate my fears and phobias. It inspired me to I read a bit about this House Cricket and learn about what he was about. It's a rather interesting critter, both in actuality and in myth and lore. I am sure the HOUSE CRICKET has his place in the world, but I would rather it hadn't been on my windshield. Like I said... BLECH. LOL.


~Me :)


Today's Link...


JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/07/apadf6-55.html