Tardy

I had looked and looked for our last remaining crocus to appear.  It was beginning to look like our friend had gone the way of the others.  What a sad feeling that is.

Sylvia went for a walk around the yard the other day.  When she came in, she reported that our crocus had put in a late appearance.  With camera in hand, I went out to see.

At last!

At last!

Worth waiting for, don’t you think?

A short distance away, I encountered these little beauties growing on the lawn.

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I don’t know their name, but they are a welcome splash of color amid the grass.  Perhaps Sharkbytes will know what they are.  Can you help me?

Ladies of the Night Sky

Last night was beautiful.  The weather was warm and the sky was clear.  I looked up at Venus as she made her way toward the western horizon.  She had sisters with her–the ones that we call the Pleiades.  With camera on tripod, I used a 30-second exposure to capture the scene.

Venus and the Pleiades

Venus and the Pleiades

At first glance, I saw only six of the seven (Pleiades) sisters. Celaeno, the dimmest of the lot is there midway between Taugeta and Electra on the right.  (See it here.)

You may detect some motion in the photo.  There was some.  During the thirty seconds that the shutter was open, the camera moved over eight miles.  (An angular rotation of 450 seconds of arc)

As I was completing my shoot, other ladies of the night passed by not forty feet from me.  They were the female deer that we see regularly.  It was the little bit extra.  Like whipped cream atop your hot chocolate.

My mind was on another lady.  Not a lady of the night, but a lady at all times.  I’m talking about my lovely bride, Sylvia.  I went back in the house, put the camera on my desk and took a seat beside my wife.  We spent the next hour talking about the day and about a hundred other things.  On that high note, I ended my day.

Yes!

Now that’s what I’ve been waiting for.

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The bee was enjoying the day as much as I was.

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And what a beautiful day it was . . . and is.

The frost has gone out of our [dirt] road.  The result is holes big enough to bury medium-sized critters.  Nobody speeds along our road these days.

I went out this morning in the rain.  I had to drive on the paved road just a mile from here.  The travels lanes, have sunk over time so that today rain will fill the depressions, creating miles-long puddles–four of them all parallel.  That’s not problem out here in the country where we just drive with two tires on the center line in such conditions.

On Schedule

Spring Begins

Winter bows to spring,
Grass changes from brown to green
Soon the earth will warm.

Last evening looking out my office window

Last evening looking out my office window

There is a fourth critter (rabbit) in the left foreground.  It was dusk when I shot this and it was handheld, thus the less than sharp image.

Spring Develops

Slowly days lengthen,
Warm gentle rain falls down,
Earth awakes to life.

Almost Daffy Time

Daffodils will soon open

Daffodils will soon open

Rain and warmer weather dominates the forecast.  I do believe that is Spring in the air.

It won't be long now

It won’t be long now

I keep my eyes open for the signs.  Lately, I’ve been rewarded.

Sylvia Update

It was a week ago today that Sylvia had a mishap on roller skates.  Since I brought her home from the ER, she has had her arm in a plaster splint–they tell us it is not a cast.  I haven’t bothered to research that one.  A sling helps her support the arm, and when she sits a pillow provides a handy support.

She is not in pain.  What she suffers from most is frustration at the limitations that are imposed upon her.

We’ve made arrangements for some help with some of the household chores.  (I was having trouble keeping up with them.)  That is working out very well.

Sylvia visits our primary care physician tomorrow.  Perhaps we’ll learn more then.

Spring Has Sprung

Hey Lin, my snowdrops are finally up.  I must confess that I suffer from envy every spring when you post pictures of your snowdrops weeks before mine blossom.

Bug's eye view.

Bug’s eye view.

They waited long enough to appear this year.  Unfortunately, looks like the last crocus that we had didn’t make it through the winter.

Next on the schedule are the daffodils.  Buds are forming and much promise is given.

Alien Invaders?

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This is what my eye saw shortly after midnight on March 31.  The silvery streaks are ice on apple branches and the golden spheres are caused by sodium light shining through the raindrops on my office window.

This is what the camera saw:

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Perhaps it is just as well that cameras don’t have creative imaginations.  What do you think about that?

Surfing at Sunset

Last evening, I saw a bit of color in the sky.  It wasn’t spectacular, but it looked just right for my purpose.  I wanted to test the automatic settings on my new camera.  I had worked enough with the point-and-shoot unit that I knew how to get it to do what I wanted.  Would the new one work as well?

The following shots are straight from the camera.  I only resized the images, no cropping and no other processing.

A wide-angle shot captures the context.

A wide-angle shot captures the context

Before I clicked, the display indicated “Strong Back Light.”  To my surprise the shutter activated twice on this shot.  Then the screen said the camera was processing.  What you see above is what came out.

I zoomed in to capture the sunset part of the scene.  I expected to see more color.

A larger percentage of sky left the foreground darker

A larger percentage of sky left the foreground darker

There is one part of the second picture that looked interesting.  To look closer, I zoomed in yet again.

Looks almost like a surfer

Looks almost like a surfer

In two minutes, I had concluded my experiments with satisfaction.  One more done with many, many more to go.

Good Friday

Today, most of the Christian world observes Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.  His final words are translated thus: “It is finished.”  The Greek word is “tetelestai.”  That word is a term of commerce that was used to indicate that a debt had been paid.  Today, we would be more likely to use “Paid in Full.”  Do enjoy the day.

Posted in sky

On Wheels

Sylvia and a few other women took the children roller skating last night.  And . . .

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News

Called from the meeting
Sylvia on Roller skates
Fell upon her wrist

Not really my doctor.

Not really her doctor.

Help Sought

Emergency Room
This night it is filled with folks
Each with their own need

The fall resulted in a distal radius fracture.  In other words, she broke her wrist.  She’s doing well, but the next six weeks should be interesting.