Musings

Tried to get a shot of a quince bloom, since I thought they were all fried by the weather (but they aren’t!), but had to resort to the larger camellia for a usable shot. I guess I need more practice with the new Guru lens macro doo-hickies.

I’m always interested in where words come from. Some have stories that reduce me to giggles (at least inside). For example, reading in Nadeau and Barlow’s The Story of French (2006, pg. 102; French words are italicized), I read:

Gofer (gopher) is a deformation of gauffre (waffle), which described the waffle-like holes that prairie dogs dug.

I think both gopher and prairie dogs elevate the rodents’ profiles…and sound more upscale than some rodent names like rat and nutria—but definitely not others like mouse and chipmunk (the latter perhaps a corruption of an Ojibwe/Chippewa/Anishinaabemowin word).

Posted at 6:27 PM | Comments Off on Waffle-critter

B calls this one the bearded orchid. Those little hairs on the side extension pieces are so delicate! You know I had to post an orchid and not…ignore them!

Chance to be neighborly today fell into our laps—easy to say yes! Still have a good feeling about that!

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Happenstance can be positive

New out-of-town friend H and I went to the Bot Garden, enjoying especially the moments when the sun was out. The orchids we caught on their “first” day several weeks back are even more in bloom. However, the old friends without the fancy blooms are also eye-catching.

Posted at 6:44 PM | 1 Comment »

Some of the could-be-flowering trees look bud-free (at least from the road in quick glances), but others managed to slither among the cold spells and are blooming now. The whole tree!

Posted at 7:19 PM | Comments Off on Ornamental glory

Trying out the flash on an unsuspecting trio of dan-deeees….

Posted at 9:39 PM | Comments Off on Spring beckons

Yes, it’s February.

Yes, it’s time for outdoor socializing!

Alright. Already. (Rocking it!)

Posted at 10:16 PM | Comments Off on Welcome to the neighborhood!

Okay, one more Chihuly. This one portable, that is, for sale. I think about $8K.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Love the colors

From our Seattle trip last month (Chihuly ceiling).

Just didn’t sleep quite right last night. Got enough sleep, ultimately, I’d say. Yet, I never quite got to an everyday equilibrium. Still, it was better (as the ancient joke goes) than the alternative!

And I kinda dragged my tail all day. Yawn.

Posted at 7:43 PM | 1 Comment »

Strange overhead shot….

I’ve been living with my standing desk for several days now, and am a convert. This layout has enough room for my two screens, my Bamboo pen-pad (instead of a mouse), and of course tissues and water. One key part of the setup: the gel footpad (recommended by my SIL—thanks!).

Curiously, my Fitbit gives me very little activity credit for this. I do accumulate a few steps from being upright (but only a few), but it still records me as sedentary.

Posted at 3:56 PM | 2 Comments »

At the neighbors’….

Rehab an old house, and there’s no telling what may be uncovered. Love the conjunction of the roof-joists and the cobwebs. They just…accumulate…you know.

Posted at 9:33 PM | Comments Off on Bright lights…