That's Gneiss! #149 ~ Little things add up to make a great vacation
Plus: honey bears, and follow the chicken!
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Hello friends!
I’m starting the 4th day of a five day vacation and it’s been lovely so far. The weather has been warm and sunny, and very conducive to getting things done in the yard. I pruned some overzealous growth from the Camellia, and have been working on that hateful shrub I wrote about last week.
Progress!
With luck I’ll get it out today or tomorrow, but it’s hard work so I just poke at it for short periods of time. It’s also “pick the apples up from the ground” season. We’ve had people suggest we do something with the apples, but they are really wormy and best left to the birds and squirrels. If I owned this house I would take out those trees and plant some nice maples instead. The behemoth corporation we rent from doesn’t seem to care what we do with the yard as long as we keep it nice, so who knows. If we stay here a long time maybe I’ll do it anyhow. We have decided to sign another two year lease when it’s time to renew.
My productivity is not limited to the yard this weekend! I’ve also been shifting some things from cardboard boxes to plastic tubs for better storage in the shed. This house has very little in the way of places to display interesting items, but there are some things I’m not willing to give up quite yet, such as these stuffed animals. This motley crew are the oldest I have, all over 50 years old. My favorites when I was little!
The dog walks have been fun and weird as always. It’s been quite hazy due to wildfire smoke, which gives everything a strange pinkish-orange glow at the end of the day.
Pro tip: hide the bouncy castle in the back yard, and nobody will know you’re having an ill-advised gathering during a pandemic! Except of course for the observant and judgey woman who walks her dog down the alley…
If you’re going to do something you shouldn’t, like abandon an old car - there’s no point in subtlety!
Actually, I don’t know if that car was abandoned. It is in an area where some sketchy stuff goes on though and other vehicles have met their fate here, so I’m making an assumption. It could belong to the metal scrapper guy, but there’s not room to park by his house. Who knows?
This morning I learned that this plant is called Stink Currant (Ribes bracteosum). There are a couple of them growing on the other side of the overpass next to the sound wall. We’ve got different currants over here on our side of the freeway. I’ve been intrigued by the blue-gray speckled berries, and this morning I came across mention of them while perusing these nice nature photos taken in Alaska.
One of these plants, or another native currant would be really nice in that spot where the hateful shrub is now! The birds would love it.
I saw this first thing on Monday morning and laughed so hard. Then I watched it again and again. And again.
It was the first thing I saw in a new (to me) newsletter called “Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends” which I found out about from the newsletter “Drawing Links.”
Tidbits
PNW friends - there’s some new tsunami simulation videos from the Department of Natural Resources to add to your woes
No, you can’t just visit one friend (please don’t) - the “bubble” breaks down REALLY fast
Ivor Cutler Omnibus - free streaming and downloads
Have you wondered what IKEA was selling the year you were born or some other favorite year? Now you can find out! 70 years of IKEA catalogs - just click on the cover and go!
Anne Helen Peterson writes about Vocational Awe - a problem in the library profession
Making: Today I painted some pieces for cutting up into tiny squares for slow drawing. I’m finding the 2”x2” format to be great fun for quick creativity. Not all of those will be cut up. I think I’ll ink a couple as well. I ordered some yarn to make myself a crochet blanket. It may get here some day, but despite thinking I had updated my address it’s being shipped to our old house. UGH.
Recently eaten: stuff (and stuffed zucchini)
Reading: I started The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples by Tim Flannery. A very readable account of millions of years of the history of North America. Fascinating!
Eye Candy Corner
Who doesn’t like a bit of good street art? And who doesn’t like the honey bear? If you live in the San Francisco you’ve probably seen the art of fnnch - honey bears, lips, poppies and more can be found around town (and in a few other places).
fnnch believes art is for everyone. Only about 5% of a city’s residents and visitors tour its modern art museum. Street art and murals are art for the other 95%, inspiring and engaging them with the arts.
I particularly like the poppies.
If you can’t get to San Francisco (STAY HOME), you might see one of 3500 Honey Bear Hunt Kit bears in your town.
Videos of the Week
This is so surprisingly bizarre. (thanks MH!)
Remember Shoes? Now it’s masks!
Current Temperature: 68.4F (20.2 C)
Current Humidity: 72%
Wind (max gust): 9.2 mph
Precipitation: 0.00 in
Hahaha!!! Oh thank you Anne - Seeing the shoes video again was a treat, and of course Kelly would have shoes on her mask today. And the CHICKEN MAN!!! 😂😂😂😂