My Boys

 

"What greater gift than love of a cat."
~Charles Dickens

My little boys... sigh. They love to sit by the door, and watch the world go by. Simon absolutely adores his brothers, but Joey was his first friend, much to Joey's dismay. Tyler came into our home with a fierce capacity for love. Sometimes he annoys Joey with his hugs and kisses, but Joey knows that Tyler is just happy to be in our home. Lucky for me, there is no jealousy between them, just love. Tyler is Joey's caregiver, he checks on him throughout the day. Just a year ago I had lost my little apple cheeked black cat, Hendrix, and his brother Dylan just 9 months earlier, so I wasn't sure I would ever hear tiny paws running around the house again, but here we are, a little under a year later, and so much fun exists with us. I feel younger with all my boys, including my hubby, filling our home with love!

Sirens And Flashing Lights

 

"I come from a real tough neighborhood. Once a guy pulled a knife on me.

 I knew he wasn't a professional, the knife had butter on it.

~Rodney Dangerfield

Yep. It happened again! What does this make? 3 or 4 since last November? I don't want to count. I am done counting, but I am not done documenting it when it does. The lights always happen in the same place, down on the street, below my bedroom window, where the two corners meet. I kinda wish it was lighting from a passing UFO. I always wanted to see one, and hopefully one day I will. With a little luck I will. And hopefully I will be able to move out of this neighborhood one day, with a little luck I will.

Sky Ballet

 

"The baby bat screamed out in fright, turn on the dark, I'm afraid of the light."

~Shel Silverstein

Yep, they're home! The Mexican Free-tailed bats have returned to the Franklin boulevard Bridge! It's early in their arrival, so there weren't many, yet there were enough for me to believe it's going to be an amazing bat season, fingers crossed! I was very pleased with the results of the camera on my new phone. It is every bit as good as the reviews said it was! I need a lot more practice, but these photos are the clearest I believe to date! I practiced a bit with the video feature, but haven't had a chance to edit what I got. I hope to go out again tonight, but frankly I am still rubbing Hydrocortisone on my many bites, and man is it painful, but I have been waiting a long time for the return of my friends, so bugs or no bugs, I am going to be on the Franklin Bridge a lot this summer! Jeepers, can you believe it, I was on the bridge last Thursday, and here it is, Monday, and I am still finding new bites. My doctor said bites like this can take up to 2 weeks to fully show up!

UGH!

Mexican Free-tailed bat and Red-tailed Hawk

Weekend Escapes

 

"Saturday's the world that's better place again."

~Golden Flower

I'm taking a few days off. No recipe. No odd political word of the week on Sunday. I want a little time reading, and birding, and batting. Yes, the bats are back, and I will have photos on Monday! We went out Thursday night and enjoyed a really nice night of the first flying of the bats for 2026! As a result I have 25 individual bites from assorted creatures, mosquitos in particular, which need treating. 

OUCH!

 So, enjoy your Saturday and Sunday! See you in a couple days.

Samsung S26 Ultra

 

"My cell service return all night, and all through the next day.

 It was like ancient times, with mead and beheadings and blacksmiths."

~Penny Reid

Homecoming King

My phone died a tragic death the other day. I bought it a couple years ago, and frankly I was sure it would die on day one. Let me explain. I had purchased a Samsung Galaxy 53A 5g from T-Mobile, it seemed like a good little mid-priced phone, but when I went to use it, there was a minor bit of trouble... it would call anyone but my husband! All other numbers worked, his wouldn't! For some reason, my new phone, hated his number! When I complained to customer service, several times, I finally received a replacement phone... a refurbished version, not a new one! I bought a new one, I should have received a new one, but deep in the contract, I had agrees to receive a refurbished version, if my new phone failed. Sigh. Two choices were in front of me... I could pay it off and go elsewhere for cell service, or I could deal with it, and keep a service I enjoyed! I am very happy at T-Mobile, so I took a deep breath and moved on. 

As I said... my phone finally went onto it's glory. It crossed the rainbow bridge. IT DIED! So, what to do?! Buy a new phone! Thank goodness I found a cell phone that finally, really, suited my needs... it features a phone with an amazing camera! The camera is probably the main consideration when when I buy a cell phone. I use at about the same rate as my Minolta camera, especially this time of year, as the Mexican Free-tailed bats return to Franklin Blvd. So far, I have been nothing but impressed my new phone, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, I have been nothing but impressed! Here are some examples of my new cell phone/camera's awesomeness!

My first photo... a dandelion from the Cosumnes River Preserve.

The Many Moods Of The Mighty Simon

Photographed in a low light setting.

Color Vibrance in a low light setting.

Tyler and Joey taking a nap on my futon.

May 29th 2026

And my new Samsung S26 Ultra has tons of photo editing tools!

 I may make a comic strip featuring the adventures of the Mighty Simon!

Okay, so you know how I feel about my new cell phone,

 here's where you can read some opinions from the experts!

Good Housekeeping

Consumer Reports

CNET

So, that's my big news. I can't wait for opening night of the return of the bats! 

I will definitely be taking the video option for a ride!

Western Pondhawk

 

"Chasing dragonflies, like buying good books or eating gourmet food, can be a curiously addicting."

~Cindy Crosby

Chasing Dragonflies: A Natural, Cultural and Personal History

If I have ever seen this particular dragonfly before, I never saw it this green or this beautiful! It's the, Western Pondhawk dragonfly, and I found it at the Cosumnes River Preserve. We were just walking along and then suddenly there it was. It was so beautiful! I love discovering new things, or at least seeing them in a new light!

Summer Sun, Somethings Begun

 

"Bees do have a scent you know, and if they don't they should,

 for their feet are dusted with the spice from a million flowers."

~Ray Bradbury

Dandelion Wine

Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning of summer, but reality says we have about three weeks until the season really begins. Either way, there are signs everywhere that cheer me up in a summer way, and one of them is roadside sunflowers, and little bees enjoying them. It's a pretty happy turn of events, and quite welcome. Especially when it's May 27th, and it's cold.

 Mother nature certainly has a strange sense of humor.

😂

On Memorial Day 2026

 

"True patriotism is usually born of great sacrifice,

 and is never the result of selfishness."

~Napoleon Hill

As we stop today, to reflect and meditate on the heroes that have served their country and their better angles, I share with you some Motown jazz to make your day a little more relaxing. I am so grateful to my daddy and my father-in-law for their sacrifices during WWII, and to my brother during the Vietnam war. They were men who answered a higher calling from their county, for freedom and democracy.

Gentlemen, I will be forever be grateful for your service.

"Let their remembrance be as lasting, as the land they honored."

~Daniel Webster

The Dear Only Knows

A rose is a rose,

And was always a rose.

But now the theory goes,

That the apple's a rose, 

And the pear is, and so's the plum I suppose.

The dear only knows,

What will next prove a rose,

You, of course, are a rose,

But were always a rose.

~Robert Frost

Something pretty and calm to begin another week on the calendar.

Just breathe.

Mr.Newberger's AI Funnies... The Ballroom Adventure

 

"Reality continues to ruin my life."

~Bill Watterson

Calvin And Hobbs

I love Mr. Newberger's AI Funnies. It's a great way to begin, what is promising to be a stressful week! Trump has refused Iran's latest offer of a ceasefire, to complete a framework, to end the war. Trump continues to post stupid memes to his Truth Social account, and through it all, we have his psychotic cabinet doing one stupid thing after another. And if all that wasn't enough... ugh... there is an outbreak of the Hantavirus, that while seems to be held to a small number of folks, it still worries me because who can put their trust in the CDC anymore. And I have a week of appointments coming up. An eye exam, appointments with my therapist and my psychiatrist, and a trip to the lab for a blood test! FUN! So why a little humor ... right? Especially if it has a ring of truth to it!

The World Heath Organization has additional information about the virus, but I don't know if I believe them either. All we can do is listen to what they have to say, mask up, wash our hands several times a day, stay Informed, and avoid crowds. Doing our own research doesn't hurt either.

Fuzzy

 

"This morning I stopped to watch the geese fly, even though I didn't have the time to do so. And I realized that not having time to do something, might be the very reason I need to do it."

~Craig Lounsbrough

Fuzzy!

No need to overthink it! It's spring, and we have two pair of Canada Geese living along the banks of the Smith Canal, and all it right with the world. I spotted them yesterday, and I have been smiling ever since. I think Kenny the duck, would be very happy to know, who moved into his old neighborhood. Somewhere in Heaven, he's smiling. 

I guess spring isn't so bad.

Why Tom Steyer?

 

"We will have to pay a heavy price if we insist on

 navigating the 21st Century with a 20th Century mindset."

~Tom Steyer

Why am I voting for Tom Steyer for governor of California? Because after watching last nights, CNN California Primary Debate, it became clear that he represented my values. He supports renewable energy. Solving the housing crisis in California, adding additional tax relief to the movie industry for California productions, which brings in local revenue in the support of local businesses, such as Yolanda's Tamales, in Sacramento. The cast and crew of the film, One Battle After Another, enjoyed Yolanda's so much, that they returned multiple times! Pretty soon, word got out, and Yolanda's made a lot of new friends and customers! We need more of that! We need it here in Stockton too.

Tom gets that with gas hitting new highs each day, Californians can't afford to live here. Gas or groceries? Gas or keeping the lights on? Gas or healthcare? Tom has some plans for affordability. Despite being a billionaire, he sees the need for the richest in this state to start paying their fair share. He believes in investing in our education system, and finding the way toward healthcare for all. As I have always said, it doesn't matter who you are, you deserve the dignity of proper healthcare. If the person standing next to you in line at the grocery store or Starbucks or anywhere is in better health, you'll be in better health! And finally, he will work to unmask Trump's Gestapo, otherwise known as ICE.

It all lines up. I am voting for Tom Steyer!

Onward to, Tuesday, June 2nd!

Ellipsis Word Of The Week... Leucocholy

 

"There is no trivia in the strategic mind."

~Toba Beta

Master Of Stupidity

Hey... just sayin, but when you are the President of the United States, should you be spending your time obsessing on all the ugly gaudy details of building a ballroom? Or an unrealistic Arc d' Trump? How about turning the reflecting pool, on the National Mall, Caribbean blue, to match the pool at Mar-a-Lago? How about his obsession with seashells on a beach, that spell out, 8647? Trump's DOJ, this week, brought yet another indictment against, James Comey, for threatening Trump's life! Motherfucker! No "86" does not mean to kill, it means to get rid of something, such as old McDonald's hamburgers, that have been under the heat lamps too long! But Trump thinks if he stomps his foot loud enough, it will be a proper distraction from his own fuck up's. He thinks we can't see all his misdeeds and keep track of them, while being aware that he is using the DOJ to get back at his perceived enemies. 

He thinks we can't see it all.

We can.

And one day, he will face the serious legal consequences of his actions.

History will write his legacy. And he will become trivial, inconsequential and forgotten.

Leucocholy, used in a sentence.

You can say I am preoccupied with the future object of trivia that is trump, but the leucocholy I get from thinking of how insipid his ballroom is gives me a sense of well being, because I know I am not alone in the trivial existence that is 2026. 

"86" According the Mirriam-Webster

Lorquin's Admiral ( Limenitis lorquini )

 

Lorquin's Admiral

Cosumnes River Preserve, River Walk

Galt, California

April 30th, 2026

A fallen blossom returning to a bough, I thought... but no a butterfly"

~Arakida Moritake 

Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Hubby and I took a walk, and a roll in my wheelchair, along the Cosumnes River Preserve, River Walk. It was peaceful and produced several birds we have not yet added to our birds list for this year, so that was nice. In fact the whole day was amazing, except for the keys that were dropped right on top of my head, the scary encounter with the skunk that ran right past my husband's feet, and the large rat and assorted lizards we encountered. We were definitely spending a day in nature! I will share more about all this later, but I guess on the bright side, the keys didn't break my nose, or put my eyes out, the skunk didn't spray us, the rat didn't bite us, and the lizards were quite content to mind their own damn business. As I said, yesterday was a beautiful day. There is beauty in the world!

More later...

It Was A Very Good Tuesday

 

"We begin to read each book, 

not knowing if we will see a peacock's feathers, or a baboon's arse."

~Kevin Ansbro

Hubby and I took a ride to Tracy yesterday, just to check out the range on the new EV, and while there we decided to check in at the Clifton Court Forebay, to see what new and wonderful birds might be lurking about. We first found about 100 or so swallows, cliff swallows I think, flying around the first bridge on the road. There may have been a couple different species of swallows, they were flying so quick I couldn't quite get a shot of them. I need to come back in the early evening, when they are slower and ready to roost. You can spot them on the telephone lines sometimes. Next, to my delight, we came across a flock of Caspian Tern. I love those birds, and I was afraid I wouldn't get to see one this year, but happily, there they were, flying on both sides of the forebay! I only wish they could have been a bit closer, my camera is feeling it's age, but still, I'm not really complaining! It was nice. And it was nice in general to get away from all the drama of worldly events. As irritating as those worldly events were, finding, photographing, and being able to enjoy the beauty of those beautiful birds erases a lot of bad! And to make it all that much better, I had a delightful dinner with my hubby, a Jersey Mike's sandwich, and a Habit Burger Garden Salad. Yep, it was a pretty good Tuesday!

Ellipsis Movie Of The Week... Six Days, Seven Nights

 

Robin, Speaking to Quinn: I've flown with you twice,

 and you've crashed half the time."

~ Six Days, Seven Nights

Imagine six days and seven nights on a fabulous tropical island, sounds like a dream come true, doesn't it? Although I would probably rather spend my vacation birding in Central Park, or shopping in London, I could see how it would be an amazing idea, especially if you're vacationing in winter, but good ideas can go horribly wrong. That's what this film is all about. Good ideas, bad ideas, and the love and strength to survive your choices along the way. You never know when fate will line things up, there are so many random moments in life, the worst idea can turn out to be just what you needed, and the perfect moments can sometimes fall spectacularly flat. Anne Heche and Harrison Ford are terrific, and they bring the adventure and romance!

Watch it! It's a pretty good time! It's a rom com worth curling up with!

The Calypsonians 

By

Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues

Ellipsis Movie Of The Week... Into The Night

 

Diana: If he's still with you, you better let him go... if you ever want to see those stones alive...

 ( corrects herself ) 

... again

( corrects herself yet again )

... ever!

~Diana

Played by, Michelle Pfeiffer

Into The Night

Ed, has insomnia. He is depressed. His wife is cheating on him. He's screwing up at work. Probably because he has insomnia, due to his depression and his wife cheating on him. Or any combination of the three dynamics, but one night everything changes, and it all gets worse! Or maybe better. You see the sudden encounter with a stranger named, Diana, rocks Ed's life. Is she just what Ed needed? Or is she the worse thing that could have happened to him. You get the drift... Ed leads a dull life... but life can change on a dime, with twists and turns you never see coming, and suddenly life isn't a boring and depressing routine! With a great cast and an amazing, title song by, B.B. King, Into The Night, is a fun little mystery that will keep you guessing, what can possibly happen next?

WTF?

'Never put a sock in a toaster."

~Eddy Izzard

Wouldn't you just love to know what those gulls are thinking? That side eye from the gull on the right is everything! Oh well, it's just the randomness of the universe I guess. But isn't it fun? I'm mean do they know what the humans are doing?

Life in the Trump era

Monday... Hmmm... wtf?

Tuesday... HOLY HELL, who knew the Pope was soft on crime?

Wednesday... Will someone hide his tv?

Thursday... HE"S GOING TO GET US ALL KILLED

Friday... Oh well, we all had a good ride.

Saturday... Okay, he's golfing today. Everything will be fine... or not.

Is it already Monday again? Please hide his phone.

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?