I had a visitor the other morning. I first noticed him as I was making my morning coffee. I could see him on the roof of the patio out back. I am on the first floor but the basement in the back of the house is at ground level. There is a cement pad with a roof for a little bit of a picnic/porch area. The roof comes off the house about 2 feet below my back windows. So my visitor is prancing a bit on the roof. Quietly, I go to get my camera to have proof. When I got back to the window he was gone. Damn! I've seen him a few times, but he always eludes the camera. I set my camera on the counter thinking I just wasn't quiet enough. I finish getting my coffee and I notice him. He didn't leave, he was putting on a show for me. I caught him doing a tight rope act on the fence. Slowly I moved to get the camera as he walked further and further away. I'm not sure what he saw in the back corner but he perched on the fence just long enough for me to grab the evidence I needed. He's actually a much brighter red, but he was a good distance away and I was taking the picture thru the screen on my window. 'Snap' I have proof of the cardinal who visits my back yard regularly :)
Monday, July 3, 2006
Sunday, July 2, 2006
Being Silly
Bigger and better plans came up for Steve. Apparently there were folks at his house, playing frolph and they had a bon fire going. For those of you don't know what frolph is, if that is in fact how you spell it, it is like miniature golf with a Frisbee. They had garbage cans set up along the side of his house. It was kind of a cross between horseshoes, golf, and Frisbee. The object to get the Frisbee in the can. So when he got out of work and stopped at home he weighed his options. Go visit Mom or stay put. Not a tough decision at 20. I wasn't upset or anything, I always plan for his plans to change. I remember what it was like.
I watched a little TV and played with some graphics. As you can see I got silly. I opened the graphic and one thing led to another. The moving tongue wasn't enough, so I added a subtle movement to the water in the bowl. Then I hated it with nothing else so I added the sign, the hat, and the fishing pole. It looked better but.......... the pier came next but it looked empty so I added the background picture of the water and island. It might be a bit over the top, but like I said 'being silly.' Imagine if I had some cocktails first.. ::giggle::
Sunday..........
Woke up a few times last night because of the wind. The first time I heard a bang I jumped out of bed and found an empty Tupperware storage box in the spare room decided to run into the wall. It scared the shit out of me. I moved it so would not be in the direct path and climbed back into bed. The next time I jumped out of bed because of noise I find that the wooden napkin holder on my kitchen table had taken flight and crash landed on the floor. Napkins and papers that had been on the table scattered all over. The smart thing to do after I picked things up would have been to close the window. Did I? Noooooo I went back to bed only to hear bang, bang, bang. WTF?? Now what? I got out of bed yet again and tried to figure out what it was. Sure at that point the wind gusts had died down and I could find nothing. Before I got back to my room I heard it again, distinctly coming from the kitchen. I walked back and flipped the light switch on, hoping to find something. My curtain was blown in and resting nicely on a sun catcher hanging from a hook in the ceiling. It was then it happened again. Holy crap, the wind was actually blowing the decorative pictures hanging on the wall. They would lift away from the wall and smash back into place. Thank God no glass. This time I shut the window and went back to bed.
When I did get up this morning it was warm and humid, but that breeze was still here. Some gusts up to about 50 mph. It wasn't tornado like, and we were glad to have it. We would probably roast without it. The next two days are supposed to be in the mid to high 80's. Can anyone say sisters house? LOL Let's just hope the breeze calms down at night so the firework shows won't be canceled.
It was a pretty lazy day today with no picnics planned. Nice to relax and just veg... though sometimes it seems I'm doing a lot of that lately. Just no 'get up and go' I guess. I work hard all week so I think I'm entitled. LOL
Having a laid back dinner and will probably play some with graphics, might just have a few goodies in store later. Steve went in to work today for some OT and will be working until 7. His plan is to stop here on his way home and spend sometime with me. More like eat and go I'm sure. It's a holiday weekend and he is off tomorrow I am 100% sure he is not planning to spend time with his mother!
I'm not exactly sure what got into my head when doing this graphic. My intention was to do something related with wind in a nice summer scene. It turned a bit dark, but I love the way it came out.
More Holiday (1 ACish)
Saturday, July 1, 2006
Calmness
What a difference a day makes! Today the sun was out and the temperature hung around 80. The sky was crisp blue with a few thick puffy white clouds. The day was perfect for me. My house emptied about 11 and I was home alone all day. The only sounds I heard were those from outside. Birds singing, children laughing, and traffic going by. No lawn tools at all. Must be everyone got the work done prior to the holiday or things were still to wet. It was like being on the range... you know ... 'home, home, on the range...' It was perfect!
I did get a few errands done, and decided to complete all my laundry. The hamper is empty! Yeehaaawww! I worked on a few graphics, played a few games and surfed the net to get some information on the free agency for hockey. I'm a bit frustrated right now so I will comment on that a bit later.
As the day wore on and night rolled in a nice breeze kicked up making the house extremely comfy. The sounds completely changed and off and on I can hear fireworks going off. A pop here, a boom there. They are illegal in New York State, but being so close to the PA border it is not difficult to get them. I remember as a kid you'd hear them for days before and days after. Those days are over and you only hear a few. There are a few sites in the towns surrounding the city that put on free supervised shows and that is generally where folks go. If you live near one of the sites you are usually the elected host for the picnic.
Though I really didn't do much today I am pretty tired so I am going to hit the hay a bit early by my standards.
What a Friday!!!
Friday morning started out absolutely beautiful. A perfect summer morning. The sun rose over the houses across the street and spread glorious yellows and oranges through the sky. The white puffy clouds appeared to glow and radiate the colors even further. The leaves on the trees danced in the breeze and sparkled as the rays of sunshine hit them. I didn't grab my camera as I was running late for work. Yeap, I had to work. I actually had extended hours as well. I took off Monday so others took off on Friday and I had to stay to make sure we had coverage. I made my way to work and had my car windows opened instead of the air on. The warm summer breeze made it's way through my car, along with the other summer scents in the air. Fresh cut grass along the highway, the hot tar as the highway crew patched up the road, and, yes, the exhaust from the other cars. It didn't bother me too much, I was just glad the sun was out and it was warm. I wanted to enjoy as much as I could!
Work was pretty slow. Being a Holiday weekend here and in Canada there wasn't much happening. What did happen was urgent in the eyes of the clients so as things came in it was a rush to get them done, then it was back to slow and boring. As the day wore on the office started to empty out. Folks leaving early to start their vacations or weekends. It was about 2:45 when it happened. The office got dark. Not pitch black, but dark like someone turned off half the lights. I was in my little 'cubbie office' and could hear rumblings outside my walls. I couldn't make out what my co-workers were saying but I could tell by the tone of their voices something was going on. I pushed my chair back away from my desk so I could peek around the wall. In an instant the office lit up and a large boom occurred. I swear I jumped right out of my chair. I thought there was an explosion in the building. Gas leak? What? As I stood up I could see out the windows of my second floor space. It was pitch black outside with the exception of the lightening bolts scattering across the sky. I wished I had on ruby slippers so I could close my eyes and say, 'there's no place like home' as I clicked my heels together. Leaves and smaller tree limbs banged on the windows. You could see the shingles on the new church roof next door flapping in the wind. Thunder so loud I swear you felt the vibration. Hail the size of golf balls slamming on the windows, roof, and walls. Lights in the building flickered, computer screens jumped, it was an eery feeling being inside, but I was thrilled I wasn't outside. I prayed my son was already at work and not driving in it. The entire episode lasted only 15 minutes, but the rain fell for another 30 or so. Some of us ventured downstairs and stood in the stoop out of the rain. The street out front had rivers flowing on either side. The clouds were black and low, the higher ones behind were a glowing white yellow. A funny haze was surrounding the entire city and looked to extend well into the horizon. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees during the storm and as it cleared the heat and humidity returned and was oppressive.
When the excitement ended and we headed back to our work stations you could hear the voices of folks reading the weather information off the Internet. A tornado had touched down a bit south of the city. No, not one but two. Semi trucks were lifted and moved, one was blown over on the highway and blocked several lanes of traffic. Trees fell over, roofs blown off, windows smashed. A tornado, here? Wow! That is not a normal occurrence here at all. Snow storms, yes. Tornado's no! Reports of only two minor injuries, thank God! When I lived in the Dallas area I remember one coming through the neighborhood I lived in. Scared the bejesus out of me and I remember saying then, 'at least home doesn't have these.' Or so I thought.
Later last evening another storm rolled through. Not half as bad as the first but the rain pelted the earth and everything in it's path with such a force. Mother Nature was angry with something. It went on for less then an hour, but it was scary as you looked in the sky and saw the dark clouds lower themselves and glow with an orangey haze. They moved out as quick as they moved in and it was over. What a Friday!!
Today is absolutely gorgeous. The sun has been shining, it's close to 80 and there is a wonderful breeze coming in the open windows. Other than the continued news reports of yesterday you'd never know anything happened yesterday. Oh, and by the way, my son was already in the plant when the storm came through. He didn't even know anything happened until much later when others told him. Nice not to have windows sometimes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)