FebShort

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One thing I've never liked about the short month of February is trying to pay a regular month's bills with four paychecks instead of five. Now that pay's already been cut back to the bare knuckles, doing the Feb-bill-juggling is even tougher!

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All these huge places around my village are shut-down for the winter. These spots are usually rocking with loud crowds in warm weather. That place with the gazebo books large functions like weddings, n you can hear it all the way at my house. Lately, this place seems like a ghost town... because there's so many closed up buildings.

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The birds are here on holiday tho. Notice the Canadian geese on the fly heading down the waterway. Many of them winter around here. A huge Blue Heron flew over Little Truck today as I was driving down the road toward the market. The shy Terns wouldn't pose for me the other day, either, quickly hiding in marsh grass. Last week I saw some wild Turkeys at the boat ramp beach from my window, n the same day, a person driving the road toward Falmouth reported seeing Turkeys to me over the phone. The only two birds showing up for squirrel feeding at Maplebeard in the yard these days are a big, black Crow, n a tiny Nuthatch.

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The only folks seen wandering outside in the cold today was the Diving Center guy, n a couple clamming for shell fish food across the water. The wind chill froze me again during my short beach walk, even tho it was a balmy 42F.

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My shopping trip was very quick n light, being February. I was only about halfway thru my planned pic outing when I realized I take too many clicks... That's right, another memory card is full! *Rats! A new card is a few weeks away, due to my February crunch. So now I get to spend time deciding to delete some less choice files, or go on a shooting haitus for awhile again. You won't notice half as much as I will. The excuse of generating blog pics gets me out n around like nothing else does.

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Motovation is getting cut short, like February, too-

Stillness

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Back in January I captured tire tracks on the frozen, snow-covered beach shown here. I really like the range of hues between the terciary colors orange n purple, n the fact they are complimentary colors, opposites. Yellow, orange, n pink are warm colors, which the eye perceives to be two-dimentionally forward, while the Blue, purple, n grey, are cool tones perceived to be in the back, behind the warm colors. That makes this pic an eye puzzler. Put simply, the colors are just nifty.

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Now a month later, the snow n ice there has melted. So much is different.

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I'm thrilled that it's still quiet at home. The offensive young neighbors haven't returned, I don't know why. I'm very thankful for your prayers n wishes which have been answered by getting my much needed silence. It's been over a week, n I'm hopeful they won't be back. Now I just need to recover. Maybe soon it will all fade into a dim memory, just more reason to appreciate the current quietude even more than before.

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What a difference today is from just one month ago, opposites. The stillness is just nifty...

Shells

Sandy artifacts of Lady Slippers n Scallops

Laying in a wet bed of those here seasons before.

Thru the ages so many pulverized by tidal waves,

All Sea n Sun colors n shades bleached n reduced

To uncountable grains of time between our toes.

An ancient beach formed from minerals n bones

Becomes fan decor n womens footwear at a snails pace.

by SnaggleTooth today

RnR

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What a week I'm having!

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The people downstairs have been away from home. All the cars are gonzo! It prob has something to do with Spring Break n not wanting to miss the big party in Can Cun, I surmise. Maybe they went back to CT, or are in a hospital somewhere, but my bet is on vaca, due to the amount of partying demonstrated already.

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I'm having a working vaca of quietude, myself. Just wish I could've planned more sleep hours ahead. It figures I have to get up early to get things done this week. A bunch of odds n ends around town finally got taken care of after being put off for weeks. I made it to the bank's office. This pic was taken in back of it, in the center of town.

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Finally, I hunted down paper tax forms. I wanted my forms done three weeks ago to head off the electric heat bill at the pass. Usually the Gov sends form 1040 form instructions in the mail to me every year by the end of January. Also, one of the local Post Offices used to always have a ton of them in the lobby. This year, Nada. Nunca.

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Our library has lost two-thirds of it's funding in two years. The hours have been cut so low, it lost accreditation n state funding. Of the four days it's open, today is the only one it's open more than four hours! Guess where I had to get the forms- The Library reference section.

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In addition to the needed forms, I didn't get out of there without a few dirt cheap used books on sale. I figure that's a good way to contribute to the cause, plus stay entertained while waiting for the oil change, Rx, n stuff.

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Alot got done this week. Unfortunately, I had a slight, rude, casualty at work. Due to two large, heavy metal racks smacking my left-hand middle-finger, I'm now giving every one a salute with a finger splint on. I won't be playing my guitar for a few days, either. I keep trying to do an impossible amount of work in too little time. (Yes, I went back to work with a bad hand, n still do a better job than most folks there- can't afford more lost hours)

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Ya know how some bosses are complete idiots? Note to employers: You do not raise work moral n productivity by posting a sign on the office door stating "We have lost truck #-- There will be layoffs. There is no other way."

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I can think of one. Many folks are already taken off the schedule. All remaining hourly employees have taken unpaid, progressively more hour cuts the past several weeks, (n now they want to cut more). Have the salaried people taken any cuts? No, n they're working less time than before. Has the General Manager taken a cut? No- Only 5k pays for a dozen employees in a week. Be Fair! (that's what I can think of as another way)

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On the bright side, no one is waking me up with loud noise every five minutes. Getting four whole hours in a row plus, is letting me get more restful REM sleep in, with strange dreams too- Yay! The snowfall the other day melted before shovel-time, yay! I'm not in trouble for giving everyone at work the finger, yay!

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Well, back to the tons of reading lined up on the table- Tax instructions, four books, n the local paper... (Ok, blogs too)...

Blue Clouds

The broken, cloudy sky over the water was intensly colored the day I took that Jette pic, but the other shots of the day didn't do a good job of relaying the variety of tone like this one, sans earth reference. It was nice of the seagull to pose for me there.

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I like the dreamy feel to the skyscape, n wanted to not keep seeing the mud-ruts below- Time to think of better things, n dream...

Reason #53

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Why I'm PO'd at the new kids down stairs. They have four appropriated parking spaces, plus across the street, but choose to ruin n drive over every inch of the lawn instead of using the driveway.

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In this village, large yards, n having any lawn at all is rare. There's maybe four as large as ours in an eight block radius.

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I've spent over twenty years taking care of this yard, raking n mowing, pulling weeds, ect- just to watch them ruin the previously best part of the lawn in a couple weeks. It was frozen n covered with snow when they started. After it melted they could see the grass, n mud-ruts getting deeper, but didn't stop driving on it.

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Would you raise a fuss over this? Would you call the landlord to complain, or knock on the door as a disgruntled neighbor?

(I'm afraid I'd loose my cool if I did, because I'm so angry)...

Val

Do you jump thru hoops for Valentine's Day? I know some folks who refuse to participate because it's all a commercial to put money into the merchant's pocket.

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I don't know about you, but I'll be buying n eating some 50% off candy tomorrow...

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Mostly I think of my Dad on this holiday, because he always got me a heart box of candies every year, even after I moved out. My Mom would always get a dozen red roses, n put them in a vase on the table all week. Thanks for those good memories, Dad's ghost.

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Mostly I've gotten cards, n hugs. So far in my life, I only remember two Val Days when I actually got flowers n candy from some one who mattered to me. Yes, one guy bought me a mixed flower bouquet n I was allergic to some of them! He was too cheap to get roses, or even one, which would be no problem, but hadn't ask me, which kills the surprize factor, anyway. Please, no more chrysanthamums! My dream bouquet would be roses with daisies, which I haven't ever received yet.

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Folks who get to know me now would know I prefer dark chocolate assortments. It's all too pricey to even expect any before the day after sales, these days. I agree it's a waste of cash.

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Luckily, showing you care never costs more than you have, n doesn't need a holiday...

Wind Jette

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A wind-whipped day I had for Day Off this week. Today was the warmest of the past few, unfrozen days in a row. Finally we had a decent thaw in the region. The wind was fierce out at my fav place today, so I'm amazed any of the pics I took are in focus. I was being pushed all over the place.

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The warmth wasn't felt there either, due to the blasting wind-chill factor, even tho all the ice has melted. After my beach walk, my hands were frozen toast, even with gloves on. The entire day had been overcast with occassional showers until just before it was time to head home, when some breaks n peeks of sunlight lit the busy sky into interesting colors.

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A brand-new orange dump sticker was placed on Little Truck's windshield today, n I was able to get there with enough daylight to spare for my best detour excuse.

If I didn't have a cam, I'd go there anyway. No where else on Earth makes me feel so good! Thank the Creator for my special place- I'm so lucky to know about this spot.

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It's all downhill from the top rock of the Jette...

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Where close by do you escape to?

Do you go toward people or away from them?

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I should've been a hermit. If it wasn't for the internet connection, n work folks, I'd be one-

Petals Past

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Six months ago, I took these pics out on the deck. For different reasons, I never posted them back in August in favor of better choices at the time. Perhaps they are more appropriately serving the purpose of a cheer-up for me now in the depths of a low-color winter.
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All my house plants are going dormant in the chill inside. The Christmas Cacti are currently shedding spent blossoms, n I had to wash pesty, white flies off the African violets that wanted to bloom again, but stopped due to the interference.

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I had so many shades of bright pink n purple last summer. It's a good week for these colors, ending with St. Vals Day. The petunias were a dollar bargain which earned their keep right thru October. I didn't get alot of good pics of my garden tho- These had too much white-background wash-out due to the bright sunshine behind them. Still, the blossom colors are yummy.
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Somehow, the impatiens I bought years ago keep popping up in odd spots. In another month, it'll be time to start some seeds indoors to transplant out there again.
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Oh how I miss the green of my deck garden, n seeing the bright petals...

SunIce

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With any luck, the news has claimed that the air temp will get way up into the thirties F by the week-end. I'm freezin the tail off here lately, even wearing all my layers. I'm supra-over-tired today, due to idiots with hammers waking me from getting more than an hour of sleep at a time today, then having to work all night. Now that I've slowed the bloodflow down for the day, I feel too cold, even with my hot-water bottle next to me.

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It's a windchill will freeze any exposed face parts day. Hands under gloves still go completely numb after thirty seconds. Yesterday's snow is still crunchy n glittering underfoot. I can't get the ice n crusty stuff to melt off Little Truck's roof, grill, n bumpers yet.

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I've got a Mill-chores to do if I can even function tomorrow. But if it's still this cold, I may opt to just nevermind the plans again- I reserve the option. After driving in yet another storm to work n back, then shoveling, then not sleeping because of loud people, followed by working to exhaustion again, I may keel. It's likely I won't get out to the beaches or pier for new pics yet.

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This sunny pic from my last trip out there will suffice to brighten me up a little when I log on again, even if it looks like the "Artic on the Cape" Sunset. That beach is prob a windchill -50F right now- If you draw a line diagonally thru the planet from here, in Autralia, they're having the worst heat wave on record going on. Maybe that thought can help me think warm again-