Musings

Today is day three of my lake baths. It is so pleasant to wash my hair in the soft water of the lake, although the water temps remain chilly*. The grass keeps growing and growing, so I mowed a “tunnel” to the steps down the bluff to the beach.

We have a mulching mower, so it doesn’t spit the cut grass out a side-flap. Instead it counts on gravity for the bits to fall beneath the machine; however, with grass above knee-high, like this, it creates what I call grass boluses that are very capable of jamming the blade and stopping the motor. Over and over. I persisted, and now there’s a two-mower-swath-wide path.

On my way to take the above photo, I realized the late-day light coming through this clump of lupin made it a-glow (if I bent down to get a low angle).

* Speaking of chilly, tonight’s low is supposed to be in the upper 30s. It’s already in the mid-50s, so I believe it!

Also, sing title to “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” the Chim-chimney phrase….

Posted at 7:57 PM | Comments Off on Green greenery

Back out on the open road using the interstate highway system…our tax dollars at work. In fact, here’s a newly sculpted cut in a an Appalachian spine with what used to be burlap sheeting to stabilize the new surface, and probably now is an inorganic compound emitting bajillions of nano-plastics.

Posted at 8:18 PM | 1 Comment »

I got curious about what word or phrase rhymes with hydrangea. I couldn’t think of any, so I requested suggestions from Out There. AI must have generated the lists I saw, as offerings included grandma, grandpa, and raffia. Mentally, I give each zero points and a nasty buzzer noise.

Posted at 10:21 PM | Comments Off on I’m no rhymester

This is white false indigo, and, yes, I was playing with photo-“phunctions” on my phone.

Here’s an azalea bush, with fading fleurs…and most of the petals fallen. Note the flourishing leaves.

Posted at 8:55 PM | Comments Off on Light and gravity

We did see the eclipse. We perhaps didn’t prepare our recording equipment for the event. This is taken with a “real camera,” that is, one that you can’t talk to, with eclipse glasses held in front of the lens.

Here’s the total eclipse—again, not a stellar photo, yet still a wonder. Phenom witnessed, photoed, and oohed over…so we hopped back in the car and turned south into what became a series of traffic jams. Remember, we were in southern Illinois, and we had only a few bridges near enough to get across a major river. [We heard that an academic prognosticator in Carbondale estimated at several hundred thousand folks would visit southern Illinois to eclipse-watch.]

En route, we encountered a double rainbow—with both ends on the ground! Sorry, not shown. I saw no leprechauns or pots of gold, although I had a good view of the rainbow-feet. Still, we took it as lucky…

…that we encountered the front that brought this a few miles before the hail, and, as it happened, we only had to drive through hail-on-the-ground, not plummeting hail, whew. We motored along with great care between hail-piles, and within two miles, were out of the ice and headed for our traffic-jam fate. For the record, we reached home safely at 12:45am, at about the end of my energy.

After seeing photos today of Etna’s “smoke rings,” I wonder if there’s another phenomena sighting we should put on our short list?!!—and perhaps arrange tickets???!! 🤣 Kidding.

Posted at 8:37 PM | Comments Off on Phenomena

Had a few plumbers through the house today, even though we don’t have lead pipes (I hope!). Mostly plastic instead. We don’t call them plasticers (plastickers?), though. Anyway, the word is that the flushing mechanisms now are all tip-top.

Posted at 8:59 PM | Comments Off on Misleading

Cherry blossom cloud…with too much sky-brilliance….

Posted at 9:50 PM | Comments Off on Exposure control…where?

I was thinking about old technology today, older than this: obsidian tools. Several decades ago I was told that some surgeons used obsidian for surgery because the edges will thin to one atom (?). I imagine that today there are lasers and other instruments that are even finer.

Posted at 9:54 PM | Comments Off on Other kind of Brownie

1) several ladybugs found in master bath, and left to their own devices.

2) one stinkbug, removed from inside the house.

Also, phone updated; watch updated. I always assume that updates in part address bugs.

Posted at 9:29 PM | Comments Off on Bug report

This people’s car has over-sized, shiny, convex hubcaps. Chrome or stainless?

Posted at 8:46 PM | Comments Off on Optics