Musings

We loaded the vehicle without precip, and drove into spitty rain cells for many miles, and then finally out of the rain. Then, north of Cincinnati, we found the Butter Jesus’s christening pond overflowing, with its waters merging with acres of flooded fields. I don’t know if this Replacement Jesus is also called Butter Jesus after its slightly yellow predecessor, but that’s how I think of it.

Later, we got very close to high water. Possibly yesterday we would have had to detour a few miles.

Managed to catch the late-day light/dusk at the county courthouse I rode past twice each schoolday after I finished elementary school and had to go to town for my schooling. [Full confession: I never had to walk to school.]

Finally, out of town we got a good sky view across the flat flat fields. Purdy. [Sarcastic take on local pronunciation.]

Posted at 10:08 PM | Comments Off on On the move

Just thinking about multiple collectives failing me/us/we/ourselves/them/everyone…but in a distant, nothing-I-can-do-about-it, so…shrug…way. Trying to be zen.

A collective action problem…is a situation in which all individuals would be better off cooperating but fail to do so because of conflicting interests between individuals that discourage joint action.

So professes WikiPee.

Posted at 8:16 PM | Comments Off on Assessing collective action

I checked my fave weather app at 7am (ish) and it said to expect rain (and lightning) by 11am. I checked later, and it indicated not until 1pm. It was 11:20 by the time I hit the street and…looking up, hmm, weather-y, but not so bad. Then, a few drops. I wisely had stayed close enough to the house that I looped myself in the back door and acquired a big umbrella, thanks to a hand-off from the Guru.

Twenty minutes later, I figured I was in the clear, but within two more minutes, the drizzle was kicking in. Mr. Personal-Putting-Green (see entry perhaps a month ago) had his flag out. In the rain. Got my blood pressure up. I took a photo and kept going.

Of course, by the time I was in the final stretch the weather had clinched the deal and I was super-glad I had the umbrella. Or my walk would have been gloobered up. (See Kayakwoman for this vocabulary.)

Posted at 7:41 PM | Comments Off on In which I became glooberificated

We decided today was the day…to eliminate this lovely row of funnel volunteers in our front walk and the black yuck on the mottled grey granite stonework…. We did power-washing for a couple of hours on the front steps etc, plus de-yucking both vehicles.

I’d say things went swimmingly, but maybe I should just say “fine.” I got these rubber boots in part to do power washing here—and walk in the dew-dressed grass in the UP—not going to be doing that for a while. It was warm today, so I just went for it with the spraying…and I got wet to mid-thighs. Which was fine.

More mildew eradication awaits, although things look much better. Yay!

Posted at 9:00 PM | Comments Off on Sunday funday

Carry-over from yesterday…apparently no redbugs from my berry-picking. Fast and feet on pavement saved me. This is a red bug, but not a redbug (aka chigger).

This bee mastered this rose. Dead aim into the core, trundled around for a minute, bzz bzz, and I captured its soul.

And the third “b” is berries. Not the kind I found yesterday, but smokey-, sage-colored lovelies.

Posted at 8:55 PM | 2 Comments »

Hands down, the most exciting happening in my day was finding this blossom, and its family. Because I knew it was a berry blossom. And a signal….

So I kept looking. Eeee-heeee! Berries! Hmm, any ripe ones? How ’bout ripe-enough ones? Gentle twist on one with color. Nope. So I try another, hmmm, add a bit to the gentle on the twist…thinking, well, I’ll try it, probably a bit…not-quite ripe. Sure enough, not full tasty, but…mmm…sun-warmed berry! Yay! Fortified, I keep looking. Back there, way behind the close distracting berries, a fully ripe berry…mmmmm. A new season…berry-season! Yeah. Life is darned good. Ripe. Sun-warm. I’m so lucky.

Artsy picture. Not sure why this grass has not greened up…must be a stay-brown a LOOOOONG time species.

Jay commented not that long ago that a V-marked marker probably announces a valve. Duh. She is so right…as I expected. Here’s a different V-marker, a hydrant, and a valve cover. Done and done. Thanks for the tip, Jay.

Posted at 9:18 PM | Comments Off on Adventuring

Near perfect. Those colors!

I encountered recommendations for “Money Heist” (true title “La casa de papel”) several disparate places, and asked the Guru if he’d be interested in giving it a try. We embarked, and have watched two episodes. It has a Euro feel, which makes sense because it’s a Spain Spanish production. The subtitles are teensy, which is both less distracting from the picture and difficult to read. I’m warming to the fast-speaking cast and their Spain-accented Spanish—been YEARS since I heard that….

So, oddly?, we’re bouncing between “Money Heist” and running through old “Billions” to get caught up or refreshed before dipping into the new season. Both have to do with cash and power, but in quite different ways. I’ll be staying tuned.

Posted at 9:21 PM | Comments Off on So far so good

Last month, I took a different tack with my exercise protocol. I decided that after an exercise pulse (into heart rate—HR—zone 5) my HR doesn’t drop fast/low enough. I think that’s a valid call. Of course, I have no idea how the specialists would recommend I achieve a better drop speed.

So, I developed a plan. I decided to spend a few days at a target rate of 110 beats per minute (very difficult to move that slowly), then 115 bpm (easier), and then 120 bpm. Now I’m more like 125 bpm. After two weeks, when I was in the 115/120 range (and utterly bored), I re-instituted my version of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) for maybe two days/week…jog or whatever until the HR goes into zone 5, keep going with nasal breathing until I can’t continue (pant pant), then slow down, let HR go back to 120, and mosey at that rate for a while, then begin the HIIT regime again.

I’ll probably continue with this pattern, see if the HR drop situation improves. I could need several more months to achieve that.

Hypothesis: May is magnolia month.

Posted at 7:32 PM | Comments Off on HIIT my style

Gwen Robbins Schug, in The Long View of Climate Change and Human Health on the American Anthropology Association website, writes:

Broadly speaking, bioarchaeology demonstrates that there are no grand narratives in human history. Small-scale societies are often resilient in the face of environmental change; mobility, flexibility, and adaptive diversity are a largely successful strategy for avoiding negative consequences…. Complex societies, in contrast, are often much more rigid and they are built on social inequality. When these large-scale societies overshoot—undergo rapid population growth and practice unsustainable agricultural overproduction in the context of rapid climate and environmental changes—those who are resilient and who survive the short-term crisis may experience other forms of suffering….

I’m not clear about the implied link between rigidity and social inequality, although I do see how inequality can be destabilizing, especially in times of food stress…short-term or long-term…. I am not commenting on how much this is now in some places in the USA and many places in the world.

Posted at 8:35 PM | Comments Off on In which she gets academic

For an unknown reason, I decided to take an exercise selfie with my handkerchief mask. I am NOT adept at selfie-taking. I tried several backgrounds and camera angles.

I found a nice dark tree, then I realized I was hearing an angry or upset bird overhead. I looked around. Upset. I moved on…looks like landscaping straw is the principal nest ingredient.

Several ways to read this…all positive.

I am astounded by this peach. Not much size (like a golf ball plus), but look, it’s blushing.

Built environment still life with plants.

Posted at 7:18 PM | Comments Off on Perils of selfie-taking, no. 47