Serene Cove

Sunset the other night was a tad warmer, but very windy. You can see the wind gusts rippling the water, plus see the still bare tree branches here. Sunset colors have seemed muted recently, shrouded by clouds on the horizon.
The trees are budding quickly now tho- foliage won't take long now.

I like how the whiney, little monkey seems to have a blue-hatted lion ready to pounce on him!

Gulls 2

Same pic from update, different funny guy on the bottom of the altered one.

 

This little beggar outside the local Walmart remembers I don't like yellow (Lemon) gummy bears from a couple weeks ago. He was less than 4 feet away... Who says birds have bad memories...

 Yep, he did get another one, n flew to a nearby puddle with it to wash it down. Guess it's all in the technique!

(n I'm a easy mark there)

Gulls1

 

On several walks during the past month for some reason, I've been able to get a few very close shots of seagulls. They're getting very practiced at begging n being fearless, I guess. I was walking around the pier that day n stopped to take a few pics facing the sun toward the large front beach. Then I turned around, n there behind me these three were lined up, waiting for a hand-out I didn't have to offer...

But I know a photo op of willing subjects when I see one- The altered pic is from a different gull shot, I just like it.


 

Today I'm very burnt out, n have a pollen head-ache, so getting a few chores done, n then resting up. The weather has been yo-yo-ing. Freezing, 40F rain yesterday,  then another 60F windy, sunny day with a zillion budding trees.


..................................

slight update:
 found the other pics I was gonna post on another flash drive

Flowers

Around my neighbor-
hood this week, finally early Spring flowers are coming out. I'm hoping to find more yard work time at the end of the week if weather permits. The Vincia Periwinkle flowers are peeking out from under the un-raked leaves.

Out on the deck the Vincia is all dried out in its bucket along with the Coral-eyed phlox which shows no signs of life either. The winter may've been too harsh n dry for them to reboot.



But here's a neighbors pretty, little garden out front I walked past last week. I actually broke down n got a  small container of  .82 cent daffodils for the kitchen. I got a $1.50 purple Hyacinth (not blooming yet) also. Last years is out there in a pot somewhere, not sprouting, unless the critters ate it.

Even my Thyme plants brought in for the winter all got too frozen when the heat was out for days after the Blizzard. A few more are just sprouting from seeds. I also planted Basil, Impatiens, beets, n some old Marigold seeds inside I hope some seeds from last years Petunias n Pansies.sprout in the old pots too.

Looks like the neighbor keeps tossing spent daffodils near the woods across the road, adding some early color to the brown n grey  out there.
Events this week, plus falling asleep during steps of posting delayed this post a few days too...

No More Please

The sunset scene was peaceful tonight, but my heart still feels heavy unrest over the Boston Marathon bombing event on Monday. It's just unfathomable why someone would want to take innocent people out like that.

Having grown up about 15 minutes away from there, makes it an old home attack in my mind. Many years myself- I've spent by the side of Comm Ave along the route n cheered on runners all day long. It's an everyday folks n fund-raising event. So many were victimized on different levels, from life to limb, to finishing the culmination of 6 months of training, robbing most in attendance of their goals, n all who are witness of their peace of mind.


Now all this other violent stuff is going on: Poison in the mail to Washington DC again, a huge explosion of a fertilizer factory taking out over 100 homes near Waco TX., yet we're still 2 days away from the 19th anniversary when we almost expect more copycats looking for this fame from insane n unjustifiable violence.

It's time to knock it off n start respecting life without seeking to destroy others. If only we could get those doing it to stop...

I admit sometimes I fantasize of shooting somebody getting on my nerves- But my weapon of choice is a Super-Soaker water gun filled with milk...

Shoes

Someone wanted a new pair n ditched the old-
This isin't the first time shoes have been spotted on the wires over the D-bridge. Teen-agers here just like to do stuff like that.
Along with throwing lawn chairs in the country club pond, n putting a bottle of dish soap in the fountain at the local water park, this is normal fun in this town.

Do kids do strange stuff in your spot?

More Please

Two whole days of mostly sunny, warm over 50 F days in a row this week have me spoiled. I was too hot for my coat over the hoodie during errands today, n I ended up carrying it around in addition to my store stuff. ... I want more nice days.

Now we're forecast to go back to cold, sleety, torrential rain for days again, which I'll get to go walk around in.  I'll be needing extra socks n shoes, n the heavy clothes again too. The yard has to wait longer for any progress, n deck planters aren't begun to be prepped for plantings. I like to get it done before tree pollen assaults my sinuses.
I may have to wear a mask for it this year.

Usually I clean junk from the woods at this point, before foliage n insects sprout, but may not find much time for that either. I've only done a small section so far. I'm slacking big time, n very tired to deserve it too. I haven't taken a day off work since the Blizzard power out, n I still can't afford a day out with the electric heat bill to catch up on.

I'll be happy to read n watch some movies instead of doing  rainy yard work in my free time, tho. I may not be taking many rain-walk pics.

Windblown sand at the beach last week made me some pretty pics to see this week.

Taxing

The past few weeks I've been too busy n exhausted to get my normal blog post out.

Income tax season just ate my attention up for weeks. The Federal form went easy enough online in TurboTax, but the State form just wouldn't get done right. It would not let me do the Healthcare worksheet needed to prove I didn't need to pay. Then they wanted a separate $36 fee for filing an erroneous, unfixable in edit mode, state return.

So I had to skip Day Off sleep again, get to the Library when open for a form, do the form- (12 hours of reading hell-), then get copies of everything at Staples another day, then get the right ones barely fitting in the provided envelope right, (had skipped a copy page somewhere, went out for another copy), n then finally made it this week to the post office window to pay extra postage to mail it out.

I'm so relieved I won't be down to the last day- besides, I really wanted my money back faster than I'll get it with the paper route.

Then I got easily distracted with some movie watching n book reading. I finally saw The Hobbit on dvd, n find I really liked the film Thor, which someone gave me.

I interrupted the detective novel, Heat Rises by Richard Castle, with a $1 book buy at the library used rack The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart. The story of Merlin in ancient Britain really swept me away from my troubles. Now I want the other two books of the trilogy to continue. Oddly enough, both of those paperback books on my kitchen table have similar yellow sunset pics on the cover!

The yard work finally got started, n there's still plenty of sections left to de-branch n rake. A few pieces have to get sawed up to move, they're so heavy- Leftover blizzard aftermath...

I finally found the planting supplies I'd hidden away last fall, n planted a few seeds. I have tons I'd wanted to plant earlier but hadn't time to get the stuff out. Now the veggies will be slower to be able eat this year. It's been too cold to start the normal March seedlings this year.

I was going to post several times this week, but have felt too drained for it. It just took days to get this one done. Pic processing after Day off, another day upload, (fell asleep waiting), today after work the words finally spilled out- after days of knowing what about already. Sad, posting took me so long.


The pic was taken on my walk home from mailing out my state tax form. Freezing n windy, but isolated, n so beautiful at the front beach- May your taxes be much less taxing than mine!