In the Service of Her Majesty The Queen

My Gods you are an amazing woman! Eerie.... :thumbsup:
Have you two been talking??

Yes, I have discussed this with J, and will again, just to make sure we are united.

Definitely! All of our decisions are united ones. No foolin'. It's one of the many great things about our relationship.

And I respect your opinion. :yes:


BTW, read your earliest post about people remarking how pretty you were (are). Awesome! A little ego stroking is good for the psyche!

Even better if you got the remarks without putting a lot (or any?) effort into your appearance! Ahhh, natural beauty... :love:

 

Awww. Flattery will get you everywhere.

Seriously, it's just common sense.

Of course I put some effort into it. A good haircut did make it rather easy, though.

I am always surprised at what people think 'pretty' is. I was not actually pretty. I looked wanton. In their minds, that was pretty. You'd think they'd know the difference. Eye of the beholder, I guess.

And I am not one of those who look gorgeous without any help. What I like about my face, and always have, is that I can look so many different ways, when I want to. I have 'good bones.'

But, not to sound like I don't appreciate a compliment, thank you! You are a sweetheart!

 

Gone a lot of the afternoon, unexpectedly, I come home after most of the birds have already found their spots in the trees. Beginning to be a habit.

All except one or two who wanted a last bite or peck at the feeder. They were not happy.

The wind blew in waves. You could hear it coming by the roar in the tree tops. It used to do that when I lived on the mining claim by the river. Mornings, the wind blew downriver. Evenings, it came upriver. You could hear it coming, and since the land wasn't flat like here in Florida, you could see it coming as well...the trees bending as it did. I used to like to stand outside and watch it arrive and continue on.

They say night comes fast in the tropics and, although this is the semitropics, not the tropics, exactly, I assume that holds true here, too. But it seems to me to come faster in the mountains.

A large flock of buzzards, the largest I've seen, almost a cloud of them, took off this evening, heading southeast. I've never seen them go in that direction to roost before. Not a single one flew overhead, for which I am grateful.

I hope everyone had a good day.

I did.

 

Good night to all who turn to sleep tonight on this side of the world.

The Nightly Mission:


Take what's given
as best you can.
Stay in today.

Don't look back
to what is lost.
Stay in today.

To find meaning
to have, to hold
Stay in today.

It's better that way.

Sleep well tonight
Wake in the light.

G'Night!

 

Good Morning!

The sky is clear this morning and cool.

I wear my brother's jacket to sit on the porch, have my morning cigarettes.

The squirrels are up and busy. I wonder if they ever play? And what their playing consists of. I remember, once on the mining claim, a squirrel inside one of the pipes that were part of the hydraulic mining system when it was in use. A nasty way to mine, btw.

There were piles of pipes and nozzles outside on the ground by the blacksmith's forge. My dog chased after this squirrel, and it went inside one of the pipes that was too small for the dog to get into. The squirrel ran from one end of the pipe to another (about 6 or maybe 8 feet long). The dog ran from one end of the pipe to the other. The squirrel chattered. It sounded just like the squirrel was chewing the dog out, teasing it. It also seemed very deliberate, the running back and forth, the chattering. Maybe that was the squirrel enjoying itself. If it was, then squirrels are small minded things.

I had to remove the dog. It got so frenzied it was biting the pipe and foaming at the mouth.

A blue jay sings the songs of other birds this morning. I do not see the cardinals again, but I saw the female yesterday evening, so they are around somewhere.

The blossoms remain on the dogwood tree.

Have a good day, everyone!

 

I saw something strange this morning while I was on the porch waiting for my ride.

Two doves pecked around together on the lawn, then flew across the street to the birdbath. The sat on it's rim and a squirrel rushed up and leaped at them. From the looks of it, the squirrel tryed to bite the doves, who promptly flew off. Is the birdbath part of the squirrel's territory? Or would it eat the birds if it could? A mystery.

We have lunch, and we go to explore two 2nd hand stores down the street. The first store was well organized, clean, and the owner was pleasant, if more talkative than I would like. I almost bought a necklace, then decided I wouldn't wear it, so let it go.

The next store was a very large building. Inside, it was terribly cluttered, shelves, cabinets everywhere, small items practically piled on one another, large items no better. It was a veritable maze inside. I leaned on a cracked glass counter, not noticing the crack nor the sign that warns you not to lean on it. I was informed that what I was doing is dangerous. I apologized.

I looked for the person I came in with, called out the name. No answer. One of the owners, whitish hair and beard, skinny and tall, told me people get lost in the store, only halfway kidding me, and led me to the person I seek. What is it that makes people either think I am helpless or formidable? Today, it was decided I was helpless. The other day, no one would have dared. Maybe it was leaning on the glass. Maybe it was the apology. I don't know. Maybe it was just looking pretty, like I have been lately. Maybe it wasn't anything at all.

A male cardinal sits on the light post, where the other one did, so it might be the same one, and calls and calls and calls. I didn't hear the female respond, didn't see her anywhere. I did see another male cardinal though, in a tree further west.

No haze today, and not quite as windy as yesterday.

Another good day.

 

I am sick and don't know how long I can stay up,
so...an early Nightly Mission

Keep your head clear
stay locked on
the path, the light.

Stay out of fear
be here, not gone
do what is right.

Nothing crazy.
Nothing lazy.
Sleep well tonight.

G'Night! Wake up in the morning.

 

Hope it's nothing too serious. :nervous:

Take care of yourself and feel better! :hug:

 

I am still sick.

Ibuprophen and tylenol are my gods today.

The birds and squirrels are up before I am out.

The 2 doves that regularly visit drink from the birdbath
and weren't bothered by squirrels this morning. I saw the
red headed woodpecker drink from the hole in the tree,
but the sun was in my eyes and I didn't feel like dealing
with that, so I lost him or her.

I hope you all have a good day.

 

Just finished a wonderful 12 and half hour day.

Still have another 12 and half hour day to go.

I'll be back at work in less than 11 hours from now.

Funny, I thought I was over doing this....

Oh, well.

See you all in the morning.

 

It rained today.

All day.


I am still sick.

The Nightly Mission:

I hope everyone has a good night.
And wakes up tomorrow.

 

Oh yeah, you win, hands down! I'll shut up now!

My sympathies, seriously.

Back at work again, but not unhappy about it. I wasn't even upset or angry with the late days. It was just one of those "teetering on the brink of madness, so all you can do is laugh" moments. Was able to get ALOT done last night to set me up nicely for today, so it doesn't look like it'll be too late for, tonite. :thumbsup:

 

Sounds like the weather didn't help your mood, eh?

Well, maybe this :hug: will make you fell better! Take care!

 

I am still sick, but better.

Up with the dawn this morning. So are the squirrels, they are busy nibbling on the live oaks they live in. The birds sing, but aren't flying around yet. Except for two ravens, who passed overhead on their way SE.

I was up 3 times yesterday, each time it was raining, but like mist falling. At least once, it rained hard. I am on the low end of the cul-de-sac and we don't have sidewalks or drains. So the rain, when it rains hard, sweeps or pushes all the debris on the pavement, mostly leaves and pine needles, toward the edge of my lawn. Today, there is a wide swath of yellow pine pollen bordering my lawn. There must have been a lot of it on the ground.

I hope everyone slept well.

I hope you all have a good day.

Or night, as it might be.
__________________