Chippy Startle

I experienced quite a startle when I stepped out this morning. No sooner had the door shut when immediately I had my heart jolted by what looked like a teeny tiny little dust devil whirling across the Front Porch. It smashed into one of the posts, then veered off in a crazy spin down the steps only to loudly smash into something else, not sure what, before disappearing under the steps. It moved so fast my head never identified it, until two seconds after it vanished. That's when it shot back onto the Porch, jolting my heart a second time. Chippy. He recouped from his heart jolt much faster than I. He paused long enuf, during this second visit, to identify me as harmless. Then, in a rapid fire series of 10 inch sprints, proceeded to search the Porch and the Birdbath for breakfast. 

Cute

I do not have a WIP this morning. They all came out very blurry, and I am too lazy to go out again. Maybe later.

The weather is wonderful. We have a delicious 66°, 73% humidity, calm winds and fair skies. 

Ok. I think 'Maybe later' is gonna happen sooner than I thought. I must make tea and go sit outside.

I'll be back with more!

Wait.

One more thing.

I just found this.

Camera was clowning around last night.

Ok. I'll be back...

What a beautiful morning. The bugs were out in force, but the bug dope was doing it's job. All of them left me alone. I sat long enough to see a hummer at my feeder.

AND! He posed for a picture!

Have a good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night!, Travelers.

Love and happiness I wish for you!

Caveat Emptor

A murder of crows visited this morning. Unfortunately, when I moved closer to try for a better shot, they scattered for parts unknown and left me with this totally unacceptable for sharing picture. Yet, here I am sharing it. :) I must learn how to hunt. I must arm myself with a better weapon. A new Camera.

Old Camera died. A while ago. I was brutal in my care of Camera. Sitting on it, dropping it, taking it out in the rain, not taking the time to actually learn how to use it properly. We had a lot of fun while it lasted. Camera with me now is a used find that I got very cheaply, a couple of months ago.

Caveat emptor. Buyer beware. 

We're having a lot of fun, tho. Till it's struggling motor dies, we will continue to do so. And take what comes from that, blurry or not.

 And this camera does have a lot of fun taking unexpected pictures.

:)

Weather for today is as follows: 76°, 36% humidity, 5 mph breezes and fair skies. Another gorgeous day in the neighborhood.

Have a great day, Travelers. We all probably know the saying, Make do with what you have. Sage advice. Advice I agree with. But I say go a bit further. Make do and enjoy what you have. I plan to do just that!

Early Call To Work

I have an early call to work this morning or I would spend the next hour outside. What a gorgeous morning. 58° with a slight breeze that's so cool and wonderful. Humidity is at 78% and the Wee-Gees are calling the skies fair. But really, we have a thin layer of clouds floating overhead that I think are keeping things cooled down. LOVE IT!! Want more of it. But duty calls. Our expected high is 75°. That sounds perfect for a cool day at work. I'm ready!

Today the WIP looks just like any other WIP. I did have a visitor but he took off the minute I opened the door. Cardinals are so shy. I managed a seriously blurry shot of him in the neighbors yard, only because his back was to me for a moment so he didn't see me sneaking up on him.

Have a great day today, Travelers! 

Rest And The Body

Sometimes rest is necessary. That's when the body can try to repair what ever ails it, rather than expend the energy on daily activities.

Rest.

For someone, rest is needed now. For the same someones and some others, it will be when vacation time rolls around.

Rest. It does a mind, body and soul much good.

We're looking at 64° right now with a predicted high of 81. The humidity is hovering at 90% at the moment, the winds are calm and the skies are fair. What a great weather breakfast.

Bon appetit!

Have a good day today, Travelers. And remember, should your mind, body and soul need it, 

give it rest.

A Little Bit More Rain

It's raining. From the vantage point in the WIP, Camera was protected from the water. So was the ground I was standing on. That patch of thirsty ground was dry as a bone. I love the rain. Breakfast. Our weather breakfast today is 64°, 90% humidity, calm winds and light rain with a possible thunderstorm. I like it!

No visitors this morning, but yesterday this little Nuthatch paid a visit as I was leaving for work. The little guy was never still for a second. A clear shot of him would have taken a professional photographer with the top of the line equipment. They are so cute! The Nuthatches. Not the photographers. I'm not saying photographers can't be cute ... Shutting up now.

Seriously, how could ya not love that face hiding behind a blade of grass. Hmm...

Picture is so noisy. I really do need to play with the settings on this camera.

LIVELAUGHLOVELOOKLISTENLEARN

and DREAM on, Travelers!

WIP Art Sparkly Visitor

The WIP

This Weather Illustration Picture is intended to somehow convey the current fair skies, calm winds, 93% humidity and 57° weather conditions we are enjoying at the moment. The fair skies came out purdy good.

The Art

Keep trying, Camera. You and I may come up with a masterpiece yet.

The Sparkly

The orange surrounded by all that green... yep, pulled my eye right to it. An elephant could have walked by and I would have missed seeing him for such a sparkly.

The Visitor

I was so delighted to see a hummer at my feeder I forgot to readjust the settings on Camera. Missed photo op. But that's ok, there was a hummer at my feeder!!!!!!! First one I have seen all season. She was a great sparkly, too.

Have a wonderful day today, my Fellow Travelers. May there be many sparklys to enjoy on your journey!

Quiet On The Front Porch

Quiet on the Front Porch. No visitors or even non-visitors. Peaceful, but almost eerily quiet. Of course it didn't last. The neighbors dog kinda shattered that moment. I was surprised to see it was actually the beagle this time. Usually it's the terrier. We finally got a bit of rain yesterday. Not near enough. The clouds are still with us but are supposed to clear out. Eventually. No precip is expected today. It's a most marvelous 57° right now. At that temp, the 90% humidity can't bring on the sweat. Wait, make that 'glow'. Can't bring on the 'glow'. 5 mph breezes feel so good. The fertilizer smell is all but gone. I need to go back outside and throw my nose in the air. Like a dog does when the car window is down. Well, I got nuttin' this morning. No sense sitting here waiting for sumpin' that ain't gonna happen. 

Have a good day, Travelers.
---

Stepping out to go to work and it's raining. Those Weather-Guessers. They're consistent if nothing else.
And I'm off! To work with me! I'm going now!
Toodles!
:)

Forgot The Weather Breakfast!

In my excitement over the placement of my fountain, I totally spaced it on the Weather Breakfast! No WIP, no current conditions, no slinging of epithets if OBACE and the Wee-Gees disagreed, no nothin'! (I adore double negatives. Use them whenever I can:) Anyway, hold on while I take Camera and go snap a WIP! Ok... snap a WIP... there must be a less painful sounding way to say that. I'll work on it later:)

Stepped outside, took in a huge deep breath of that cool air and and gagged! Somebody, somewhere, fertilized something with what smelled like an entire herd of cattle, AND a large flock of chickens, collective dung. Needless to say my visit with F.P. was a short one this morning, er, afternoon. I missed Breakfast. The WIP is trying to illustrate the current Weather Lunch being served by Mother Nature. Whadda cook, right!? Never misses a meal or snacks! At the moment we are enjoying, in our neck of the woods, 66° with overcast skies and the promise of rain. 8 mph winds from the east and 63% humidity complete this delicious repast. It is sprinkling out right now. Has been for the last hour, but the raindrops dry as fast as they hit. Check out the F.P.-

If the rain won't stop evaporating before it hits the ground, nothing out there is gonna get a proper drink. 

Speaking of drink, I need water. Except I don't drink water. Since this is day 9 of my attempt to follow the Whole30 way of eating and drinking, I am attempting to consume water. I think I have found a palatable recipe that manages to fit the Whole30 rules. Somewhat fits. Kinda. Sorta. Sparkling water or seltzer, I need to Google the difference because they seem to be the same thing, mixed with 1 or 2 ounces of 100% fruit juice. Makes the water easier to drink. Works fer me!!

May your water taste awesome, and if it doesn't, may you find a way to make so!

LIVE LAUGH LOVE,

my Fellow Travelers

Of Light And Water

I am tasked with a big project today. I must figure out what to give up so I can find a place for this lovely fountain!!

A gift, which I absolutely love, from Baby Baby Sis, whom I absolutely love more. A gift that belongs somewhere in my space for the duration of it's life. 

Thank you, Baby Baby Sis!!

OH!!!! I Know!!

It can sit on a little table I have, under this!!

A gift, which I absolutely love, from my Baby Sis, whom I absolutely love more. A gift that belongs in my space for the duration of it's life.

Thank you, Baby Sis!!

Done here. Must move things about now!

:)

---

WORKS FER ME!!!

I just need to fine tune the small details, new table cloth perhaps, hide the cords, can I or can I not squeeze a plant in there somewhere... nah, too dark. We'll see. I'll play for a long time, till my eyes are happy!!

St. George And Green Bottle Flies

Good morning. Almost 10 am and I haven't visited the Front Porch yet. Never fear F. P., I'll get there eventually. Phone can share the weather with me in the meantime. Fair skies with 67° of cool NON-GLOW weather. I need to take a class in meteorology. How can 68° yesterday be so unbelievably sweat producing and oppressive while todays 67° feel so wonderfully cool. It has to be the humidity. We're at 37% right now. Yesterdays was 81. Enough burning the brain cells with that one. The Wee-Gees are claiming the winds are at 7 mph right now. I must get out on the Porch and check the weather for myself. Must be wonderful out there. I need a WIP, anyway. As Arnold so memorably put it, "I'll be back."
---

Today's WIP cannot properly capture the brilliant blue in the sky right now.

Looks and feels exactly like the Weather Guessers claimed. Way to go, Wee-gees!

The down side is EVERYTHING ALIVE loves this kind of weather. I no sooner sat down on the Front Porch when I was buzzed by an extremely large insect armed with a sizable stinger. I swear he left a shadow the size of a small bird! I managed to curb my natural instinct to bolt for the door, because I had no chance to snap even one picture, and By George, I wasn't gonna be sent away that easy! ... Umm... By George... refers to a British monarch I'm guessin'... ok, ok, it's Google time.

---

Uh-Huh. I was wrong in my ignorant thinking. Remember, Google flashes a couple gagillion hit's on the definition of ANYTHING. The truth is probably among the gagillion, but who knows where. A quick, thereby dubious Google search, says the term originated in the 1500's as a mild oath, in the profane sense, in which the slinger of this oath is substituting George for God to avoid being blasphemous. Also, just as dubious, it is an oath of the solemn promise sort, to St. George, the patron saint of England. However that oath is now used to express mild surprise. If, by some chance, both these definitions are true, I used the oath in both ways, to convey my surprise while cursing at the same time. And here I thought I couldn't multitask anymore. :)

Now, where was I? Ah, a stinger of gigantic proportions. Thankfully, the steroid using beast lost interest and left for parts unknown. May he please feel free to stay there. My next two non-visitors were a couple of pesky flies acting as a tag team. One would incessantly buzz my face and head while the other perched and rested on the step below, taunting me to take a picture. 

Which, of course, I did.

Blasted flies! Find an elsewhere to go!!

I'm thinkin' it's pretty lame, a fly being the only thing to photograph. Lamer still, to share it here.

*Heavy Sigh*  

As I said yesterday, something more interesting is bound to show up eventually.

Have a grand day today, Travelers!

Another Sweat Perspire Glow Day

Another sweat-perspire-glow day. Already. Then we're posta dip down into the 70's for the forcasted high. Today's high is posta get to 86. The current conditions are 68°, 81% humidity, calm winds and fair skies. Fair skies which are showcased in today's WIP.

I say, a lovely south eastern sky, what!

No visitors today. There were, however, plenty of unwelcomed guests zeroing in for blood donations. Kinda cut my fanny plant on the Porch short. Blast 'em!

One of the crows at work wanted a portrait taken yesterday.

I love the Crows.

And how bout a bloom as big as a lunch plate.

That's all I got. Something more interesting will show up eventually.

A good day to you all!!

Not Bleating Birds

I can hear chattering chipmunks and squawking squirrels and bleating birds... wait... sheep bleat. Not birds. Anyway, ALL kinds of life around the Front Porch, but none wanted their picture taken. I had to zoom in to the max to get the little titmouse singing in our tree, and we know what happens to a zoomed-to-the-max picture. 

The breakfast special being served in the Weather Diner this morning includes 69 seriously 'glow' producing degrees, with 87% humidity, fair skies and calm winds. As much as I would have loved some, Mama Nat was out of cool breezes. That would have been a really nice addition to the meal. But I'll take what's being served and be grateful.

Camera had a little fun this morning.

Nothin' special, but Camera apparently has a lot of fun when OTR is engaged. It's become amusing to hear the shutter go off unintended. That's a smile I can thank Camera for.

Have a beautiful day today. Grab as much as you can of the 6 L's and the big D when they pass your way. Take all you want. There's plenty for all!

Fox Neighbor

Good morning.

70°, with 87% humidity, calm winds and fair skies. The WIP illustrates all the weather conditions it can AND showcases the morning visitor. How's that for efficient! I could stop right here. But I am rather loquacious in a pifflely kinda way.

*heavy sigh* My only actual sighting of the Fox that has moved into the neighborhood. BUT!! I finally got to see him. My only concern is that he's rabid or carrying rabies. But Google assures me rabid foxes are rare. Allow me to copy paste:

Raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes are the terrestrial animals most often infected with rabies in the United States. All bites by such wildlife must be considered a possible exposure to the rabies virus.The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined from more than 100 annually at the turn of the century to one or two per year in the 1990’s. Modern day prophylaxis has proven nearly 100% successful. In the United States, human fatalities associated with rabies occur in people who fail to seek medical assistance, usually because they were unaware of their exposure.

So sayeth the CDC.

My mission, should I choose to accept it, a clear picture of our Fox neighbor. :)

A good day to you all!

Glowing Bullets

Sweating Bullets... where'd that term come from? Here I come Google. Put yer thinking cap on!

...

Ok, there is no precise origin amongst the 'experts' as to where the term came from, however Google has informed me I use the term incorrectly. It means to be extremely worried or anxious about something. I'm not that. I also read that 'horses sweat, men perspire and women glow.' Huh. Right. Then, setting aside all worry and anxiety, because I don't have that right now, I'm glowing bullets because of the heat this morning. That works.This 'glowing' has led me to apply deodorant 3 times, since I remembered applying it AFTER I applied it again. And again. I see it's gonna be one of 'those' days.

A tad foggy out there. And... where's Phone? Phone has been hiding from me a lot lately.

In the kitchen. What does Phone hope to find in there?

68... stupid numlock... ok, 68° of what should be a non-glow temp means OBACE is possibly malfunctioning.  Add the fog, calm winds and 96% humidity and we should have a tasty weather breakfast sans the glow. But I've spent enuf brain cells pondering that one. Must go to work now.

Have a great day and if you ever have one of 'those' days, that's where the LAUGH in LIVE LAUGH and LOVE comes in beautifully.

:)

Warm Already

Camera was in a mischievous mood.

Fog. 

That's what the Wee-Gees say this morning.

Would you look at that! They're right this time.

We have 100%... oh, cool... humidity. Not cool humidity. 66° this morning has it feeling warm already. My sweat glands went straight to bullet-sized mode. But, cool, as in I've never seen 100% humidity before. At least not that I can recall. Onward. Last but not least, let's not forget the calm winds. It would feel ever so much cooler out there with a breeze. I suppose one can't have everything.Thank you for a tasty breakfast, Mother Nature. I got nuttin' this morning so, off to work with me. 

Have a great, grand and glorious day, Travelers. I know, the definition of all three of those words can be notoriously ambivalent. It's all in ones perspective, right?

Dead Battery Hinterland

I moseyed out to the Front Porch, settled my fanny on it's favorite Porch step, turned on Phone to check the weather and flipped Camera on to a dead screen brought on by a dead battery. What a total letdown. One second you're feeling good, all kinds of avian visitors in the trees posing for pictures, the next second a dead battery shatters all the contentment and replaces it with the humphf attitude. Allow me to demonstrate:

*!HUMPHF!*

Ok, I'm over it now. 

I'm watching this show on Netflix called Hinterland. Mediocre police drama set in Wales. The director/directors have this thing for long drawn-out scenes of the lead actor's face. We are constantly pelted with these scenes in the episodes I've watched. Some of these scenes were so ludicrous I found myself loudly voicing protests. Umm, let's see, lead actor opens his bedroom door, cue the long close-up. Switch to the gratuitous moody boss silently sitting on couch. Switch back to lead actor for what isn't a close-up, but is just as painful as he proceeds to take the longest walk EVER down an extremely short hall, wearing nothing but pajama bottoms as low as they could possibly go without forcing the show's producers to change the name of the episode to The Full Monty. Back to the moody boss for "It's time to come back." A man of few words. Back to lead actor. Cue the long close-up. Back to moody bossman who glances to his left. Back to lead actor who glances at what his boss glanced at. Cue the long close-up. Back to bossman "The past is the past, Tom." Still a man of few words. Back to lead actor- cue the long close-up. By now I'm all but screaming at my computer, like the fault lies there for my choice in what to watch. This was all at the beginning of the episode. An episode I watched because now I am being entertained by counting the overly long close-ups. I don't need to say it but I will, don't bother with Hinterland. I feel sorry for the actors. What the directors did to them probably didn't do their careers any favors.

---

I think Camera's battery is charged. Let's go try the Front Porch again, shall we.

:)

See that sun thru the haze?

Sunshining bright enuf to cast shadows, it is.

However, I cannot bring myself sling disparaging sobriquets at the Wee-Gees for calling the day Overcast, because I know a haze of this sort does show up on the radar as cloud cover. A lovely 65° with a 5 mph breeze and 90% humidity rounds out the current conditions on the Front Porch. A wonderful Weather Breakfast served up by none other than Mother Nature herself. Delish!

Hope you enjoyed your Weather Breakfast, Travelers, whatever was served in you neck of the woods!

LIVELAUGHLOVE

Animal Refuge

A visit to an animal refuge.

So much more, but the pictures didn't come out. What a GREAT DAY!! Thank you, C and R!
Too tired to write. Must shower bug dope off now and go nite-nite.
Sweet Dreams, Travelers.