More About Me

Since I previously shared a couple of cartoons that describe me quite accurately, Nathan Pyle has come out with a couple more about hiking. Can't leave these out. The concept of the first one always makes me chuckle.

This one is marginally true. Actually, I don't like sweet cushions all that much, but what happens in the first 2 panels coupled with the scent of balsam is sort of like catnip to a cat for me.

It's a good day to hunker down. Actual temp -2° outside. We have the bathroom faucet dripping just in case. I did two rows on the afghan, but still have 6 to go because there were actually 8 to finish when I said 6. I really want to get this one done (so I can start a different one!). And then I have to do the edge.

I wrote 770 words in Vacation from Dead Mule Swamp. I edited a little, but I am waiting for responses.

See These Are Me

Delightful Cat Library

I have finished the jigsaw puzzle called "Cat Library." It was just the right level of difficulty and a lot of fun as well. It contains all kinds of subtle jokes that I find charming.

Here it is completed.

But each little shelf of books was an adventure in itself. Some of the books are complete jokes. This one is My Adventures with Alice: a Memoir by Cheshire.

But some of them are real like this one- Old Possums Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. The poems are the basis of the musical, Cats. This is the real cover. To the right are the complete works of Shakespeare bound individually.

This one is also real: Tournee du Chat Noir. It's a poster for the traveling shadow-play of the late 1800s. Chat noir is black cat in French. On some of the books that are spine out, I can read the titles. I know some are real. I have two volumes of the set of The History of our Country by Ellis, in the same bindings even. You can just see the edge of one of those in dark brown at the right. The redish ones you can see with the Chat Noir poster are Modern Eloquence a set of early 1900s after-dinner speeches. These make me think most of them are real. But the joke titles also make me wonder.

Here's another one for a chuckle. Puss in Boots is retitled Robber Kitten. But I can't quite read the "author."

At any rate, I really enjoyed doing it.

In other news: it was a great blustery, snowy day to curl up with a book and that is mostly what I did. Now I feel both guilty and stiff enough that I should get more things done tomorrow.

See Puzzling Christmas

These Are Me

I have stolen two cartoons to share here. The first one is by Nathan Pyle. It characterizes my attitude perfectly.

This one is, I'm afraid, a bit too true. I do occasionally simply bust out in song while hiking, and it's often this one, "The Happy Wanderer." In fact, I want this sung at my funeral.

It was a gray day. It was still so dark at 8 am, I wasn't sure it was time to get up.

I FINISHED one editing project a couple of days ago, and I FINISHED another one today!

See 2.5 Sloppy Ones

True LOL Moments

It's not a rule like finding something quality in the day, but I sort of always hope there will be one true laugh-out-loud moment in every day. A lot of days there is one.

If there's a rule, it has to be that whatever the "thing" is, it must produce spontaneous audible laughter from me. Since I tend to be a Dismal Desmond. Or at least a little too serious, it must truly tickle my funnybone.

I briefly thought about trying to add the moment to the blog each day, but I doubt I could regularly pull that off. But it would be nice to remember some. I'll share them from the last three days. I can't guarantee you'll find them as funny as I did.

Here is yesterday's. I stumbled onto a game called Sled Surfer. The video teaser was a better one than this, with a much longer run. But the idea is that you make the penguin on the sled have a good long run. Sadly, it's also a game you can't get rid of the ads without paying money, but I just think it's hilarious. I made a recording of a successful run, but the video was too long for blogger to deal with. The crash is funnier anyway.



Two days ago was also from a game. This game is only okay, and also has ads you can't get rid of without paying, so it went bye-bye. But their logo is... a SHARK! Actually, when you first load the game you get a splash screen with a big shark, but I can't seem to react fast enough to get a screen capture of it. Here's the Level header with the default icon for ME- the shark!

I have found one hole game (where you move a hole around the screen and it "eats" things, that I really do like, so I'm putting up with the ads. I can't believe I'm doing that, but I am. (If you care, the one with the shark is "Black Hole," and the one I like is "All In Hole.")

Today's LOL moment is really more than a moment. I saw this online. I did not write it. I sure wish I had!

I don't even know who to attribute it to, but it was posted by someone called "Michigan Field Guides"

The Michigan Secretary of State is not a government office. It is a psychological test disguised as a building. You do not simply “go renew your license.” No. You embark on a spiritual journey through time, bureaucracy and the limits of your own patience. Every Michigander knows this. The SOS is where confidence goes to die.

First you try to book an appointment. “Next available time: three Wednesdays from now at 7:14 a.m. in a town you have never heard of.” Amazing. Perfect. Love that for us. If you dare walk in without an appointment, you will sit there so long you will start forming alliances with the other survivors like it is a winter cabin scenario.

Then you finally get inside. The air is heavy with the scent of paperwork and regret. A row of chairs filled with people staring into the void, silently wondering if they will ever see sunlight again. A toddler eating Cheez-Its. A man clutching a folder of documents he definitely forgot half of. Someone’s grandma explaining she has been coming here since the Carter administration.

When they call your number, it feels like winning a raffle you did not sign up for. You run to the counter before they change their mind. The employee asks for nine forms of ID, your water bill from 1998, two proofs of residency, a blood oath and possibly a notarized statement from your childhood dentist. You hand over everything. They stare at one paper like it personally offended them. “This is the wrong version.” Of course it is.

And yet, every Michigander does this dance because we have to. We renew. We register. We pray the photo turns out okay. We walk out holding our temporary license like it is a war medal. We brag to friends that we got out in only an hour because that is considered “record-breaking.” The Secretary of State is not just an office.

It is a shared trauma.

A bonding experience.

The official Michigan rite of passage that proves we are stronger than paperwork. If you walk out with everything done on the first try, congratulations. You have achieved what scientists call “a statistical miracle.”

I hope one of these at least made you smile.

I totally blew the day off- played games all day. Sigh. Maybe I'll be better tomorrow.

See Robbery!

Help! She's Going to Eat Me!

  The doctor report was good this morning. They eye looks significantly better, but I have to continue with the drops and ointment for at least two more days.

I managed to stay upright for quite a few hours and did some brainless tasks (refuting my statement that I did bring my brain home?).

I was hungry for the first time in days and managed to eat a small salad for dinner.

I can't do much that requires visual acuity until I stop needing the ointment, but the doctor was very encouraged, and the swelling is almost gone. Please be patient if I owe you a better response than a "like" - or remind me in a couple of days that you are waiting for something from me if necessary. But I seriously can't do much reading/writing until then.

Off to take my meds and like down.

See Back, wiht Brain

Back, with Brain

 I'm almost me again. And here's the proof that I have a brain. (and also a metal dental plate)

However, I do have shingles, and they are in my one good eye. So that is the current concern. Monica has been the bestest ever. She took me to the ER yesterday and I was not very functional. She didn't have to carry me, but wow.

I now have many meds.

Went to eye docotr today and have more meds and another appointment for tomroow. But something managed to kick the severe pain.

Want to see my brain cloer?

AHa! I can tell you what's wrong with me. See that little bright spot in the middle? Someone is lying down on the job. This is what it's supposed to look like.

Seriously, it's like a miracle how much better I felt this morning. And I'm keeping small ampunts of food down. Thanks for the many prayers and everything. My phone has hardly stoppoed dinging or ringing all day so if you could manage to wait a few days before needing me for anything it would be great I have ointment I need to keep in my eye and I can hardly see through the goop.

Gut I'm back in the land of the living. There are probably bypos in this. Seriously, I can hardly see.

I'm headed ffor bed now but I was up most of the day today.

See Day 6

Oops and Ugh

 I've got nothing to share today. I occasionally get sciatica, and I woke up this morning with a really bad attack. Then I got a migraine. I've done some editing, but not much.

Om made some toast, and even the smell was making me nauseated. UGH.

Sharing an OOPS picture from last week. I don't even know how I took it. Ha!

Hoping for a better tomorrow. Now it's back to my heating pad.

See 100 Miles for Monica

Climbing the Stupidity Ladder

 So, I got a text today that the lawnmower was ready to be picked up. I was given a choice of ANY time to do so today. I chose 3 pm. Stupid. The pickup is exactly across from a school on a four-corner intersection.

There were buses and cars coming from the south. There was a large truck hauling a trailer with a backhoe coming from the north, and a line of vehicles backed up behind it. There was all the usual traffic on the highway. I was sitting in a driveway crosswise to the side street with the mower on the trailer.

Let's just say I had time to call Marie and chat before I got out on the road.

Got home. It started right up. Couldn't get it in gear. Checked the lever you need to move to drive vs. push it. It was fine. Darn thing wouldn't go in gear. Felt like an idiot. Texted the fixit guy. Parking brake was on. OK... in the three years I've owned this mower, I've never yet been able to get the parking brake to work. Got it released. Put the mower away. Still can't get the brake on. Do I feel dumb?

Everything is too wet to mow any today, but I am pretty sure I'll be able to mow one more time before the snow hits, which is my goal. Yeah!

I'm feeling smarter about plants. I'm almost done with the 2010 Flower Show pictures. With all the plants in my database, I have about 210 genera so far, and about 360 different plants. I have to say "about" because I'm not quite done with the Flower Show, and I could identify a few more than that. I have that many for sure.

Sound like a lot? Ha! There are over 2000 plant genera, and the estimate for the number of species is 391,000 with 2000 new ones being described every year (mostly in underexplored places of the world).

No, I'll never remember all of them. Hopefully, the ones that I see most often (in addition to the plants I own or are native here).

I'll show you three that look similar- succulents with thick overlapping leaves that aren't related at all. The first is Haworthia viscosa. Native to South Africa.

Then a hybrid called 'Buddha's Temple.' It is a Crassula, otherwise generally known as a jade plant. This was created in 1959 by plant tinkerers. You won't find it in the wild.

I'll bet some of you have heard of this one. It's Monkey Puzzle Tree, Araucaria araucana. Native to Chile and Argentina.

Closer to home, The bloody cranesbill geranium is still bringing some late-season joy.

Edited, worked on projects. No writing for the book... am working out a plot monkey puzzle in my head.

See Once More Unto the Breach

Conservation Trail - Peanut Line and Stella T. Rex

 We started on the really urban part of this hike today. Paved rail-trail.

Our host, Joyce, hiked with us.

You can tell for sure that we are getting more urban. About 5 planes were coming in for landings while we hiked.

We got out early so we could be done hiking before it got really hot. In a few places there was delightful shade. We actually managed to find benches in the shade for our two breaks. It was all pretty easy, really, especially with someone new to talk with.

This rail trail was called the "Peanut Line." It was originally a 32-mile line between Canandaigua and Niagara Falls. But when that was bought in 1854 by the New York Central, the vice president called it "a mere peanut of a line." The nickname stuck. Interestingly enough, this track was wide guage, with the rails 6 feet apart. When NYC bought it, they had to change the track to standard guage. At great expense. The last section of this line was decommisioned in 1976, and by 1996 portions were being converted to trail.

After hiking, we went out for pizza.

However, in the midst of our lunch, we were attacked by Stella T. Rex! She chased Marie right away from the table.

She wanted our pizza!

I tried to rescue it.

But I really had to fight her for it!

But in the end, we made up. She let us eat the pizza.

What a day! Hiking, pizza for lunch and sweet corn for dinner. (Actually a new plant too, but I have to nail down which species before I share.)

Miles hiked so far in 2024: 300.3. Finger Lakes Trail miles hiked in 2024: 33.0

Conservation Trail, Western NY. Clarence Center Rd. to Shimerville Rd. 7.4 miles

See Murder Creek Re-re-re-re-visited See Dinosaurs Didn't Read

Conservation Trail- Murder Creek

 OK, so we lied. When we woke up and looked at the weather, the stormy weather had been pushed to afternoon, so we decided to leap out on the trail and hike.

Marie's boots grew mustaches.

We did not completely escape getting wet. There were some showers. But most of the off-road portion was on a farm lane.

We crossed Murder Creek. Good place for a mystery writer, eh?

However, Marie said that if there was a dead body in the creek we were not fishing it out! The bridge was good. It would have been an unpleasant ford.

We got fairly wet. There was one section where the wet weeds were over even Marie's head. But no poison ivy! The roadside weeds are pretty. Chickory, wild lettuce, and Queen Anne's lace.

Marie still isn't feeling great. We are taking this day by day.

Miles hiked so far in 2024: 286.1. Finger Lakes Trail miles hiked in 2024: 16.8

Conservation Trail- western NY, Sumner Road to Thruway overpass on NY 5. 8.0 miles

See Back to the Conservation Trail

Just for Jean

 OK, this was just for fun, but how awesome is it to have a chicken-head friend? I mean I have a chicken-loving friend (Jean), and maybe a chicken friend (Kay-Kay).

Today was the second day of the vendor event. It went well, and on top of yesterday, I had a great sales weekend. This is going to be a very busy week.

See Bring Your Chicken to Work Day

More Goodies from the Woods

 No wonder I was so tired yesterday afternoon. I forgot that Gary and I held up this clump of trees so everyone could walk under it.

We saw several kinds of ferns, but I'm always a sucker for the Northern Maidenhair, Adiantum pedatum. These whorls are just perfect.

This is nothing special, but it's one of my favorite sedges, just because it's kind of showy. Carex intumescens.

Probably because the wind brought them down, we saw a lot of oak apple galls.

This one must be very new. The structure inside wasn't filled in like I usually see. For example this one

Here's another little oddity. This bracken fern should have 3 branches. But something has damaged the growth meristem. The frond that should have grown there is all bunched up. It looks kind of like "witches broom," but that usually only is found on woody plants. Like galls, this can be caused by more than one thing. Insect damage, a pathogen, a chemical. When you see something similar on goldenrod, it was probably caused by a midge or a fly making the plant create a chamber where its egg can grow. But I've never seen one on a fern before.

In other news, I edited big time. Minnesota is taking a lot of work. I had the data collected, but put it aside because I hadn't settled on a format that worked in all situations. But once I get Minnesota whipped into shape, everything east of there is pretty clean.

I also worked in my gardens for over an hour, total. I edit until I have to wiggle, then go outside for a while.

See Gary Hits 100