Tuesday, 2 January 2018
The Guru went out with me to gain our vitamin D. The foot was feeling pretty good, so we went farther afield, and found this tree, which has outgrown the space allotted to it during the last landscaping, some time back. Trees are powerful!
Farther along, we discovered that someone forgot to turn off their sprinklers.
And another homeowner kept the fish-pond oxygenating, creating ice balls and other glazed shapes.
Thursday, 28 December 2017
New artsy tool* here, from Santa James to the Guru, and I borrowed it and gussied up this photo. Yeah, well, outta my depth, no?
Then I tried something more contained.
I’ll plow new ground next time….
* Apple pencil (which works with retina iPad that’s the Guru’s).
Wednesday, 27 December 2017
Yesterday’s image was about absent leaves. Today’s images are foliage. MaNachur has decorated this decorative cabbage-family specimen with a single Acer palmatum specimen.
These desiccating hosta leaves provide quite the contrast, no? Their venation pattern creates all the texture, looking rather like the puffy zones created between lines of stitches on quilts.
Friday, 15 December 2017
I futzed around getting ready for my walk. I checked the temp and thought sunny and low 40s, hmm, I’ll try my long-sleeved inner layer with a t-shirt top. Then I stepped outside. Ooops. My visual inspection didn’t identify the wind.
I slipped back indoors and added my fleece.
Smart move. It really didn’t feel very warm until I’d been striding for a while and was on a stretch where buildings and topography blocked the wind. Then, I had to drop the fleece off my shoulders!
And despite our recent bud-nipping temps (and the S), this rhododendron (in a sheltered location) is pushing out new, healthy buds!
Wednesday, 6 December 2017
BTW, the ginkgo leaves are now grounded and the ginkgo trees are bare. Ginkgo Day was yesterday? The day before? I failed to register it….)
This morning when we left for my PT appointment, we deemed it cold enough for…butt warmers! The Prius engineers promote the butt and steering-wheel warmers because they use less energy than warming the cabin air.
PT Mike had me do some new-to-me exercises that emphasized balance (which of course requires strength), rather than simple strengthening. I felt like I made a good showing, with room for improvement. In fact, I felt confident enough to take the wheel when we left! I have no doubt I could have driven sooner, but today, one day before the first anniversary of our Prius Prime purchase, seemed propitious. And we do propitious.
The warmth of recent days is gone, yes, and rain has set in. I still managed a half-hour walk in the early afternoon….
Friday, 1 December 2017
I checked out the gravity art in the Prius swale this morning, and discovered another leaf in the tableau. And moisture. Love the row of tiny beads across the top edge of the middle leaf (if the resolution isn’t too hammered here).
New ground…a nandina leaflet transitioning—the way plants do in autumn. In reality, that branch was truly magenta-fuschia, as it looks here.
This plant’s leaves (I don’t know the name) is all about shape and only nominally—compared to the nandina—about color.
In short, yeah, we got out and walked…for a total of about 1hr20min. Yay! Of course, knee tired tired tired at this post-walk and post-dinner-cooking hour….
Thursday, 30 November 2017
I made two short(er) walks today, not even trying to get one app to award active minutes or the other to credit me for walking. [Neither have settings for gimps slow-walkers.] This morning’s adventure was in sunshine, so I get vitamin D credit!, regardless of the apps.
Soon after I began my afternoon adventure, the cloud-cover thickened just a tad…after I took this photo. The leaves are in the swale of the Prime’s rear window.
Wednesday, 29 November 2017
By the time we got out to walk, the morning fog had lifted, the sun shone, and it was afternoon. I had PT during morning-fog time, and realized that despite the knee THANG, I am doing SO MUCH better than two weeks ago when I last had PT. Yay!
We checked out several ginkgos in our neighborhood on our little sunshine wander. Despite a solid scattering of leaves, most remain solidly attached to their trees. Maybe tomorrow for the drop?
Stay tuned.
Thursday, 16 November 2017
From the other day….
I’ve been working my new exercises, which focus on front of foot and ankle strength—and walking…that was an assignment, too. Today I didn’t walk outside other than errands, no “walk,” but I was on my feet a bunch, almost every hour. That’s a change for me. Slow increments of improvement….
Sunday, 12 November 2017
We went for a wee walk this morning, and I thought maybe I’d capture a vegetation picture for this space…
…or maybe autumn fleurs.
Then, in the afternoon, the sharp-eyed Guru noticed a big bird swoop into the back yard…and got out the big lens…and gave me this super barred owl shot that I am passing along. Crappy light, yet lovely feather patterns, ¿no?