Musings

Changed plans

Dusk sky

We called an inaudible and left this evening after rush hour (which is really hours), rather than tomorrow morning before rush hour (ditto).

Dorf Ford

And we took the Venerable. Mileage unknown; probably in excess of 250K. Still going strong. Thanks, Henry.

Paving under lights

Had to navigate around one construction zone, just an extended slow-down, no full-stops. One lane, so we followed this FedEx truck the whole way.

Then we were FREE! and buzzing at 70+ again….

My downtown adventure

Lobby art

I can’t say I was inspired by this lobby art; I can say that I was glad it is there. Or that art is there.

And the plants are a great touch.

Fire engine flag

I spent the morning getting processed through the jury duty bureaucracy. The line was the longest I’ve ever seen. In my experience, the check-in line is maybe 10 people waiting. I waited perhaps 40 mins—a significant change. And there didn’t seem to be more people in the assembly area. Weird. Or a signal that the process has changed.

I was picked in the second group, Juror Number 19. After all the questions from the judge and lawyers, and patient waiting by our subset of thirty, and fine displays of civic duty, I didn’t get chosen to be empaneled. Nor did the men on either side of me. The judge was confident that the case would be finished by day’s end, and if so, not so bad.

Downsides: the call-back rotation is down to one year (it used to be two); and, the county has upped our property taxes significantly in the last half-decade, although jurors still get a mere $25 per day. For the people who struggle just to pay the child care to come down for one day (and haven’t the money to pay for a second day), this seems a true hardship. I know county government budgets have been hammered for decades (over and over and over), but this seems like one place the $$ should be allotted. [Jurors are given the option of having their payment sent directly to the county library system, which is a nice touch, but doesn’t help those folks who really need the compensation.]

Oh, the firetruck. I left the courthouse to wait for my ride (thanks, babe), and saw a sheriff’s deputy standing by the loading dock entrance. Turns out he was waiting for this vehicle…and the one that arrived just after it, an ambulance from Grady, that pulled off the street, while the firetruck stayed curbside.

Loved the rear flag, but not sure if that’s okay treatment of the flag. After all, flag-behavior rules are lengthy.

And after all this, I went out to lunch with The Guru.

In absentia

The ’rents. Honoring both parents. [Yes, I’m a bit eccentric.]

Pivot points

Pale lily

Twenty-eight years ago (if my math is correct), I met The Guru.

Then there’s the Amazon/Whole Foods thing. And I can’t keep track of all the changes in the international realm.

Delicate x 2

Coneflower bee

Busy, cute bee. Look at the subtle shadow of the wings on the petals.

Fennel umbel bud

Before the fennel fronds open, they look like tendrils searching for something to wind around. And this umbel looks like a praying mantis.

Still learning

Raggedy pink

Despite the time we spent in Ireland, we didn’t spend much time in pubs. Tonight we watched a documentary on Irish pubs that showcased the ones that mostly were in small towns, hadn’t changed much, and sold a few groceries and maybe hardware, and possibly had a gas pump. Disabled. Anyway, inside the pubs were snugs, a small area separated from the pub area by window walls, where women sat, until around 1960. Also, folks would withdraw to a snug to do business without being overheard—arrange a marriage, bet on horses, that kind of thing.

These are tiny

Teeny mushrooms driveway

We’re in the summer thunder pattern of late-day pop-up storms, and it is booming outside. ’Shrooms that I think are cousins of these were in their prime three days ago, then gone. This is a new batch, but I think the same kind. Same habitat, anyway. Driveway cracks. Love how see-through the stalks/stems appear.

Two excitements

White gardenia

Today’s two excitements are not on the same plane. First, the gardenias have reached full scent. And that is some glorious plant-perfume.

The other excitement is the brand-new iPad, the brand-new model that shipped today. It is fast and commodious (inside, at least that’s what I hear), and has a wider gamut than any of our other screens. At least, I have that on good authority.

The delivery of the new device had its own drama. Brown promised it by 7pm—and it was no-show on that schedule. I was hungry, and debated a bit, then dropped the pasta in the boiling water, figuring that, in the way of these things, would get it to show up. Yup. Right at 7:15.

Dinner and an iPad.

Figuring

Backlit fennel umbels

So, is backlighting analogous to time going backwards, in the visual realm?

Another figure flipped today, a figure that changes in one direction…as…it’s the b-day of a family member, not of this household…one of our dear June people…. Can I “say” this less awkwardly? Yes, just not tonight. Tippo’ the champagne glass….

Self-gift

Irish earrings

These were my gift to myself during our Irish strip trip. A wee bit of craftsmanship. Enamel on copper.