Bird Bath

We're still awaiting our April showers around here. The weather has been dry for several weeks, with the exception of a couple of foggy drives home in the early am last week.

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Brush fires have been breaking out all over the place. Once the tree folliage comes in, the chances of those decrease. Of course, rain would help. Hopefully, we'll get some predicted showers in the next day or two. (The rain predicted for today dried up.)

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On the East side of town, my friend at work reported a fire plane has been circling around every day over the state forest area near her house to keep an eye out.

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The canoe pic was taken a couple weeks ago over by the other dingies behind the little playground at M-cove. The birds prob wish it was still full of that water now..

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I've done alot of yard word, but still haven't gotten the hose turned on for the summer yet. I'll get to it soon. I'm fraid (superstitious) if I put the shovel, salt, coat, n gloves away for the season before May, I'll end up needing them. But leaving them out, will ensure I prob won't need them (due to Murphy's Law). In New England, you never can tell what'll happen.

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Hang onto your tissues n eyedrops, here comes the tree pollen. The tree buds are just starting to produce. My allergy symptoms are getting severe already, slowing down my posting.

I'm so tired from taking benedryl now, I''m really having trouble typing. Think I'm turning in early.

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Have a good (Ah-choo!) week-

Pink

When I looked up the moon name for the one I took the pic of last eve, I got all these- "April: Egg Moon, Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Seed Moon, Waking Moon." Even the weather guy called it the "Pink Moon," which is the Native American version, referring to an early herb flower, moss pink, or wild ground phlox, according to both the Farmers Almanac n Wikipedia. I've never personally seen the plant mentioned...

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My eye sees the nuances of the Moon's features far better than my cam records it, but here Luna is coming up over B-cove just before twylight. I like the reflections.

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Good luck to all those participating in the Boston Marathon later today.

Daft

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A pretty Daffodil looks out from the edge of the still barren, forest landscape.
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"I could see you here, from my window up there, little flower, although I couldn't tell what you were. Until I just walked by, I thought the bright yellow I saw out here could be another piece of plastic garbage to pick up! I'm surprised at your beauty, and your location."
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"I don't know how I came to grow here. The Sun warms me by day, and the frost keeps me cold all night. One day I opened up my bud, and found myself in this empty place full of bare sticks and dead leaves! I'm so lonely by myself here..."
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"One of the nearby neighbors probably put your sleeping bulb out here when they cleaned their yard or spent flower pots last fall. They didn't realize or care about your regenerative properties, n that you weren't dead after your blossom was spent."
"Last May I found a purple Tulip nearby. You're not the first misplaced orphan I've found out here."
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"All year I wait for this one time to welcome in the new warm season, and now I'm not even part of anyone's garden display!"
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"Don't worry, many people will walk by here with their pets or children and will see you. I'll come by to check on you again. After your blossom is done for the season, I'll dig up your bulb and put you in my front garden across the road over there."
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"Are their more flowers like me there?
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"Not yet. Maybe the pollen from light-yellow ones in a garden right down the hill will make it up here, and you'll multiply. Ferns, lilies, and little evergreens are there who could certainly use your color."

"Anything other than brown, dead leaves would be greatly appreciated, thank you!"
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"I'm sorry you had to suffer being dumped here like this. You deserve a gardener who understands your purpose, and won't abandon you in your off-season. I'm glad I took the time to find you."
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"Thanks for cleaning up this mess, and taking the time to admire me."
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"Not a problem, I enjoy nature's gifts. Often I like plants even better than humans, because some people ruin the woods with their garbage, or kill plants without even caring that they are alive, were made by Earth's Creator, and are here for a purpose, too."
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"Oh look, here comes a lady with a baby stroller."
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Well, I'll see you later, and probably next year in the real garden. Thanks for calling yourself to my attention."
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"You're welcome. thanks for understanding, and for the company."

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A lone, tall, yellow bell of petals proudly survives another spring in her bed of shed forest leaves.

Rocks

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The seagull here is dropping a shellfish to crack the shell open, so he can eat it. They can be fairly clever with this trick, n have good aim.
Some days the parking lot is loud with the resounding, bursting shell-bombs.
(This pic makes me want a 10 mg.pxl cam).
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I know you're thinking they have good aim with other things, too! They've never hit my vehicle with a shell, btw...
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For those of you checking in trying to figure out what's going on, (Where the H--- have I been?), My normal Day Off was cancelled! My employer is going into overdrive for tax-week, with a foolish promotional give-away, which has cost me all my free time, sleep, n sanity. I'm still trying to get the errands done just to have lunch supplies for work- I can't wait until this week is over...
Ya, I'm tired, but all keyed up-
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May your taxes be done correctly, n on time!

Trash Tracks

What a nice day this was- Sunny, about 60 F, n not too windy. Everyone found an excuse to get outside n enjoy the second good afternoon of our spring. Birds n peepers were loudly proclaiming their locations in the brush. Driving by the pond near the Depot sounded like a wildlife convention!

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It was a good Day Off for me, too. Due to doing an earlier shift the night before, I was able to wake up earlier n get out in time to accomplish copying n mailing out the dreaded State Tax forms before the Post Office closed. After, I felt so freed from that impending deadline, knowing it was the last non-work day I'd be able to make that post-office window to weigh the heavy envelope.

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While everyone else seemed to be content bumbling through the traffic n parking lots, I couldn't get home fast enough, to make the most of the pleasant conditions.

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I let Mischief outside, hung out some laundry, n raked the leaves off the front n side yard. I finally cut-up n moved the large branches which have littered the back since the Noel storm. I cleaned up some of the bottle/can/paper garbage stuff that's been cluttering up the summer neighbors yard n part of the woods across the road.

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I prefer early April to do the bulk of the outdoor cleaning, before the leaves come out, n while the insects are still low in number.

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This year I don't have the week it would take to dedicate cleaning my patch of woods on the hill. Just a few minutes here n there. With all the people out strolling about today, you'd think I wouldn't be the only one who'd think to pick up the trashy eye-sores...

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I made the most of that two hours of daylight, knowing that the upcoming weather calls for cooling way down n widespread rain the next several days. Once the tree pollen begins, any day now, I'll generally avoid the yard stuff. This time of year, I actually enjoy these chores, n am pretty fast at it.

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So I didn't go out shooting pics of the beautiful sunset at a better location as usual for you all. One half of the yard is left to go before it's mow-able. Better believe I'll try to keep up so it doesn't get too tall for the push-hand-mower. I really can't afford the fuel for the motorized model this year!

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The amount of trash outdoors around here is terrible, n there's alot of booze bottles from the kids n drunken sailors lately. I can't keep up with the litter bugs- I wish more people would care about the wild life n stop treating my yard n the woods as a huge garbage can. It gets me pretty angry, the arrogance of people.

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Which reminds me, how sometimes the critters will use the stuff we leave laying around, even if they shouldn't. About a month ago on the way back from the mail pick-up, I saw a squirrel who was running gleefully for his tree, dragging a length of trashed insulation. It's been very cold up until the past week, n you know the little guy was thinking what a score to have a warm bed with that stuff! Bad news tho- it's made of fiberglass, n damages lungs. Warmer bed, but shorter life... (n then there's all that plastic, poisonous stuff laying around-).

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Next I'm waiting for all the drunk critters to become road-disks after drinking drops from all the booze bottles out there...

A_log

Didn't see this one coming , did you?

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It's all how you frame the shot, the colors, the light, n the reflections.

I love the dreamlike quality of reality in this one.

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This shot was located a few moments n steps from the last posts pic. I was standing on the front-beach next to the large harbor pier. These pics are of the short-pier, where small sea-craft park for limited time. The Harbor Masters shack is still closed, tho, so this guy didn't have to register with anyone.

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Ah, the freedoms of the off-season... it won't last-

B_log

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Bird your post.
Man your stations.
Woman your president.
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Enjoy the sight.
Ponder the day.
Take the photos.
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Share your world
(I'm avoiding other work)

Spri...ng?

April Fool's Day went right by me without one joke given or received. It's not normal for me to feel indifferent about it. I used to love stupid April pranks. It was an excuse to be creative, or to copy previous years schemes to dupe folks for kicks. If someone comes in n reports " It's snowing!" do you go check?
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I've been far too busy being exhausted n over-worked to even think-up anything. Having fun hasn't been priority for me in quite awhile. Until my backlog is shortened, I'm not likely to direct energy that way, either.
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Maybe I've forgotten what fun feels like. Guess that's what happens when you start getting old n full of achy parts.
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The temperature's been getting above 48F here n there for a few hours this week. Here near the water tho, it's been so windy, it doesn't feel like it.
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The best thing I noticed for the first time this season, n it amused me immensely, was driving home on the second in the early am, (having just worked thru the Fool's day). It was relatively warm, no scarf needed. All the way home I could hear them.
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My little, loud, froggy friends- the "peepers" in the vernal pools n swamps. All the rain recently is doing it's job for the little amphibians who've awoken from hibernation. That's the sure sign of Nature again beginning it's springly cycle. I could just picture all the little frogs hopping around in the dark trying to find each other...
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I bet they're having better luck than I am at finding fun!
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Today was another good one. Everyone was out catching a piece of the mild air. Errands was a crowded activity compared to usual. Now we're going back to the cold n rain for the rest of the week again.
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Back to the chores n 2-Do stuff, like reading form instructions again-
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Peep, peep, peep, peep, peep, peep...
Wow, it felt so good to hear that-